vCenter upgrade to 8.x fails during pre-upgrade checks with error: This operation is not allowed in the current state as operation None is already in progress.

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vCenter Server 8.0

Issue/Introduction

• vCenter upgrade fails with the following error: 
  Pre-upgrade check failed due the following problem: This operation is not allowed in the current state as operation 'None' is already in progress.




• Log file /var/log/vmware/upgrade/upgrade-requirements.log will show similar entries to: 

ERROR time_utils Failed to retrieve time from the NTP server.
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS ERROR time_utils Failed to retrieve time from the NTP server:<NTP SERVER>
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/tmp/vmware-upgrade-temp-diryQd1pVWK59/tmp4PObOlCdDsX/bootstrap_scripts/time_utils.py", line 152, in _getNTPServerTime
response, address = client.recvfrom(1024)
socket.timeout: timed out
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS WARNING proxy got , retrying ...
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS ERROR time_utils Failed to retrieve time from the NTP server:<NTP SERVER>
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/tmp/vmware-upgrade-temp-diryQd1pVWK59/tmp4PObOlCdDsX/bootstrap_scripts/time_utils.py", line 152, in _getNTPServerTime
response, address = client.recvfrom(1024)
socket.timeout: timed out
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS WARNING proxy got , retrying ...
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS ERROR time_utils Failed to retrieve time from the NTP server:<NTP SERVER>
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/tmp/vmware-upgrade-temp-diryQd1pVWK59/tmp4PObOlCdDsX/bootstrap_scripts/time_utils.py", line 152, in _getNTPServerTime
response, address = client.recvfrom(1024)
socket.timeout: timed out
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS WARNING proxy got , retrying ...
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS ERROR time_utils Failed to retrieve time from the NTP server:<NTP SERVER>
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/tmp/vmware-upgrade-temp-diryQd1pVWK59/tmp4PObOlCdDsX/bootstrap_scripts/time_utils.py", line 152, in _getNTPServerTime
response, address = client.recvfrom(1024)
socket.timeout: timed out
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS WARNING proxy got , retrying ...

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 7.x
VMware vCenter Server 8.x

Cause

The issue is caused as VC was unable to synchronize time with specified NTP servers probably due to connectivity issues or incorrect configuration.

Resolution

• Review /etc/ntp.conf file on the VC and ensure that the listed NTP servers are correctly configured.
• From VC, run a network connectivity test ntpdate -q <NTP_SERVER> to confirm that the server is reachable and responsive.
• Ensure there are no firewall rules, proxy settings, or network ACLs blocking UDP port 123 (NTP protocol).
• If any changes are made to ntp.conf file, ensure you restart NTP service: systemctl restart ntpd