vCenter update fails with "Error copying packages" during staging in vLCM

Products

VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

The VAMI (https://[IP_ADDRESS or FQDN]:5480) shows available updates, but clicking Stage or Stage and Install results in the error:

"Error copying packages"

The /var/log/vmware/applmgmt/update_microservice.log file contains HTTP/1.1 403 Forbidden errors when attempting to resolve RPM locations:

YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS - 59#36 - update_functions:: runCommandAndCheckResult: 373 - DEBUG - runCommandAndCheckResult failed: '--YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS-- https://dl.broadcom.com/#################################/PROD/COMP/VCENTER/vmw/############/7.0.3.#####/package-pool/VMware-example-upgrade-##-##.##.#-########.x86_64.rpm\nResolving dl.broadcom.com... ###.##.#.###, ###.##.#.###\nConnecting to dl.broadcom.com|###.##.#.###|:443... connected.\nHTTP request sent, awaiting response... \n HTTP/1.1 403 Forbidden\n Date: Sun, DD MMM YYYY HH:MM:SS GMT\n Content-Type: text/plain;charset=UTF-8\n Content-Length: 12\n Connection: keep-alive\n Vary: Accept-Encoding\n Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains\n Server: cloudflare\n CF-RAY: ########## ERROR 403: Forbidden.\n\n'
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS - 59#36 - dbfunctions:: executeDML: 54 - DEBUG - Executing Query {UPDATE meta SET _isdownloaded = 0, _downloadendtime = DATETIME('now') WHERE _name = ? } with parameters ('VMware-example-upgrade-##-##.##.#-########.x86_64.rpm',)

YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS - 59#36 - rpmfunctions:: downloadRpm: 636 - ERROR - {'id': 'com.vmware.appliance.update.download_failed', 'default_message': 'Download failed', 'args': []}
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS - 59#36 - update_b2b:: _copyPackages:1030 - ERROR - Exception: {'id': 'com.vmware.appliance.update.download_failed', 'default_message': 'Download failed', 'args': []}
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS - 59#36 - update_b2b:: _copyPackages:1032 - DEBUG - Download/Checksum failed for VMware-example-upgrade-##-##.##.#-########.x86_64.rpm. Will attempt a retry for this rpm.

Logs may also show the following error ID: com.vmware.appliance.update.download_failed

Environment

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

Cause

The 403 Forbidden error is caused by a mismatch between the vCenter Server license and the download token used in the repository URL. Broadcom’s software repository validates that the download token and the product license belong to the same Site ID.

Common triggers include:

The download token was generated from a Site ID that does not contain the active vCenter license.
The token was generated for a different major version (e.g., using a vSphere 8 token for a vSphere 7 vCenter).
The account used to generate the token does not have visibility into the specific Site ID where the license is registered.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, align the download token with the correct Site ID and entitlement.

Step 1: Identify the Correct Site ID

Log in to the vCenter VAMI (https://[IP_ADDRESS or FQDN]:5480).
Navigate to Licensing and note the license key assigned to the vCenter.
Log in to the Broadcom Support Portal.
Navigate to My Entitlements and locate the Site ID associated with that specific license key.

Step 2: Generate a Matching Download Token

In the Broadcom Support Portal, ensure the correct Site ID is selected in the context of the entitlement.
Follow the steps in How to Generate a Download Token to create a new token for that Site ID.

Step 3: Update vCenter Repository Configuration

Log in to the vCenter VAMI.
Navigate to Update > Settings.
Update the Repository URL with the newly generated token.
For detailed URL formatting, see Update UDMS URL.

Additional Information

If the vCenter license is not visible under the expected Site ID, or if unable access the required Site ID to generate a token, contact the Global Customer Assistance (GCA) team: Submitting product license requests or GCA tickets