vSAN Host Patching Stuck at 30% During Upgrade Process

Products

• VMware vSAN 7.x
• VMware vCenter Server 7.0

Issue/Introduction

Unable to patch vSAN host with vCenter 7.0 Lifecycle Manager.
The patch installation process for the vSAN host is stuck at 30%, with no progress for more than an hour.

Cause

After investigating the vSAN and ESXi side, no significant issues were found related to the vSAN environment.
The host was correctly placed into maintenance mode before starting the patch installation, ruling out any vSAN-related causes.

The cause of the stall is not directly tied to the vSAN environment but likely an issue related to the vCenter.

Resolution

1. Restart vCenter Lifecycle Manager Service:
   - To resolve the issue, restart the vCenter Lifecycle Manager service. This may clear any ongoing lock-ups or stalling processes preventing the patch from progressing.
   
   Steps to Restart vCenter Upgrade Manager Service:
   - Log in to the vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) using SSH with root or SSO administator user.
   - Run the following command to check and restart the vmware-updatemgr service:

Command> service-control --status --all
Running:
 applmgmt lookupsvc lwsmd observability observability-vapi pschealth vlcm vmafdd vmcad vmdird vmonapi vmware-certificateauthority vmware-certificatemanagement vmware-cis-license vmware-content-library vmware-eam vmware-envoy vmware-hvc vmware-infraprofile vmware-perfcharts vmware-pod vmware-postgres-archiver vmware-rhttpproxy vmware-sca vmware-sps vmware-statsmonitor vmware-stsd vmware-topologysvc vmware-trustmanagement vmware-updatemgr vmware-vapi-endpoint vmware-vdtc vmware-vmon vmware-vpostgres vmware-vpxd vmware-vpxd-svcs vmware-vsan-health vmware-vsm vsphere-ui vstats vtsdb wcp
Stopped:
 vmcam vmware-analytics vmware-imagebuilder vmware-netdumper vmware-rbd-watchdog vmware-vcha

Command> 

Command> service-control --restart vmware-updatemgr
Successfully restarted service updatemgr

    
2. Re-run the Patch Installation:
   - Once the service has been restarted, initiate the patch installation process again through the vCenter Lifecycle Manager or via the ESXi host command line interface.
   - Monitor the progress to ensure that the upgrade continues past the 30% mark.

Additional Information

- If the issue persists after restarting the vCenter Upgrade Manager service, check for any known issues or additional patches related to the specific vSphere version in use.
- Ensure that the host has sufficient resources and network connectivity during the upgrade process to avoid potential stalls.
- If further assistance is required, contact VMware by Broadcom Support for additional troubleshooting.