Upgrading to vRealize Automation 7.3 fails with the error:Failed with exit code 256

Products

• VMware Aria Suite

Issue/Introduction

• When upgrading vRealize Automation the appliance upgrade may fail due with Error 256. ​This failure occurs as part of a safeguard designed to halt the upgrade before problems occur due to a detected inconsistent state in the environment.
• In the /var/log/bootstrap/*.log file(s) you may see events similar to:

2018-06-26 21:15:27+00:00 /etc/bootstrap/preupdate.d/00-00-00-wizard-completed starting...
Update failed. Installation wizard has not been completed successfully. Please retry all failed wizard steps before attempting an upgrade.
Script /etc/bootstrap/preupdate.d/00-00-00-wizard-completed failed, error status 1

Note: The preceding log excerpts are only examples. Date, time, and environmental variables may vary depending on your environment.
 

Environment

VMware vRealize Automation 7.3.x

Resolution

To resolve this issue follow the below steps

Note: Ensure you have snapshots/ backups prior to running any of these steps

Identify and resolve/confirm installation failure causes

1. Log into vRealize Automation console via SSH.
2. Edit the /etc/vcac/vami.ini file.
3. Change the start_wizard parameter to true

start_wizard=true

4. Log into the vRealize Automation VAMI at https://FQDN:5480.
5. When the wizard comes up, you should be able to find the status that shows the installation failures.  
6. You will want to resolve these issues where possible or confirm that they are no longer applicable to your deployed environment.

Clear all values from the installation_wizard_params table in the Postgres database

1. Log into the vRealize Automation console via SSH.
2. Run the following commands:

su postgres

psql vcac

(once inside the vcac# prompt) delete from installation_wizard_params​​;

Retry the Upgrade

Once the table has been cleared, retry the upgrade.