"Encountered an internal error" while upgrading VCSA to newer major version

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• Upgrading from vCenter Server Appliance to a newer major version fails.
   
• You see the error:
  
  Error
  Encountered an internal error. Traceback (most recent call last): File "/usr/lib/vmidentity/firstboot/vmidentity-firstboot.py", line 2018, in main vmidentityFB.boot() File "/usr/lib/vmidentity/firstboot/vmidentity-firstboot.py", line 349, in boot self.configureSTS(self.__stsRetryCount, self.__stsRetryInterval) File "/usr/lib/vmidentity/firstboot/vmidentity-firstboot.py", line 1479, in configureSTS self.startSTSService() File "/usr/lib/vmidentity/firstboot/vmidentity-firstboot.py", line 1141, in startSTSService returnCode = self.startService(self.__sts_service_name, self.__stsRetryCount * self.__stsRetryInterval) File "/usr/lib/vmidentity/firstboot/vmidentity-firstboot.py", line 88, in startService return service_start(svc_name, wait_time) File "/usr/lib/vmware/site-packages/cis/utils.py", line 784, in service_start raise ServiceStartException(svc_name) ServiceStartException: { "resolution": null, "detail": [ { "args": [ "vmware-stsd" ], "id": "install.ciscommon.service.failstart", "localized": "An error occurred while starting service 'vmware-stsd'", "translatable": "An error occurred while starting service '%(0)s'" } ], "componentKey": null, "problemId": null }
  Resolution
  This is an unrecoverable error, please retry install. If you run into this error again, please collect a support bundle and open a support request.
   
• In the vmidentity-firstboot.py_6762_stderr.log file, you see entries similar to:
  
  2017-02-08T14:58:52.654Z Failure setting accounting for vmware-sts-idmd. Err Failed to set unit properties on vmware-sts-idmd.service: Unit vmware-sts-idmd.service is not loaded.
  2017-02-08T14:59:10.652Z Failure setting accounting for vmware-stsd. Err Failed to set unit properties on vmware-stsd.service: Unit vmware-stsd.service is not loaded.
  2017-02-08T15:04:11.102Z Invoked command: ['/sbin/service', 'vmware-stsd', 'start']
  2017-02-08T15:04:11.102Z RC = 1
  Stdout = Stderr = Job for vmware-stsd.service failed because a timeout was exceeded. See "systemctl status vmware-stsd.service" and "journalctl -xe" for details.
  2017-02-08T15:04:11.102Z {"resolution": null,"detail": [{"args": ["Command: ['/sbin/service', 'vmware-stsd', 'start']\nStderr: Job for vmware-stsd.service failed because a timeout was exceeded. See \"systemctl status vmware-stsd.service\" and \"journalctl -xe\" for details.\n"],"id": "install.ciscommon.command.errinvoke","localized": "An error occurred while invoking external command : 'Command: ['/sbin/service', 'vmware-stsd', 'start']\nStderr: Job for vmware-stsd.service failed because a timeout was exceeded. See \"systemctl status vmware-stsd.service\" and \"journalctl -xe\" for details.\n'","translatable": "An error occurred while invoking external command : '%(0)s'"}],
  "componentKey": null,"problemId": null}
   
• Running the cat /etc/resolv.conf command returns an entry that contains DNS records that are not in use.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 7.0.x
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.5.x

Cause

This issue occurs if the Appliance is pointed to an incorrect DNS.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, revert to the old Appliance and change the DNS in the Web Client.