vCenter upgrade stopped at 80%. Showing error on vCenter VAMI console. "Invalid type,Expected string Instead of None type".

Products

• VMware SDDC Manager

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• Attempts to update vCenter failed with "Invalid type expected string instead got none type".
  
  

 

• PatchRunner.log:
  
  2025-xx-xx xx:21:15,889.889Z vmafd-patch:Patch WARNING vmafd-patch.utils Broken symbolic link detected /etc/ssl/certs/0bf05006.0
2025-xx-xx xx:21:15,890.890Z vmafd-patch:Patch WARNING vmafd-patch.utils Broken symbolic link detected /etc/ssl/certs/68dd7389.0
2025-xx-xx xx:21:15,891.891Z vmafd-patch:Patch ERROR vmware_b2b.patching.executor.hook_executor Patch hook 'vmafd-patch:Patch' failed.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/storage/updatemgr/software-updateyguoahd6/stage/scripts/patches/py/vmware_b2b/patching/executor/hook_executor.py", line 74, in executeHook
    executionResult = systemExtension(args)
  File "/storage/updatemgr/software-updateyguoahd6/stage/scripts/patches/libs/sdk/extensions.py", line 106, in __call__
    result = self.extension(*args)
  File "/storage/updatemgr/software-updateyguoahd6/stage/scripts/patches/libs/sdk/extensions.py", line 123, in _func
    return func(*args)
  File "/storage/updatemgr/software-updateyguoahd6/stage/scripts/patches/payload/components-script/vmafd-patch/__init__.py", line 463, in patch
mtch:Patch ERROR vmware_b2b.patching.executor.hook_executor Patch hook 'vmafd-patch:Patch' failed.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/storage/updatemgr/software-updateyguoahd6/stage/scripts/patches/py/vmware_b2b/patching/executor/hook_executor.py", line 74, in executeHook
    executionResult = systemExtension(args)
  File "/storage/updatemgr/software-updateyguoahd6/stage/scripts/patches/libs/sdk/extensions.py", line 106, in __call__
    result = self.extension(*args)
  File "/storage/updatemgr/software-updateyguoahd6/stage/scripts/patches/libs/sdk/extensions.py", line 123, in _func
    return func(*args)
  File "/storage/updatemgr/software-updateyguoahd6/stage/scripts/patches/payload/components-script/vmafd-patch/__init__.py", line 463, in patch
    utils.update_path_ownership()
  File "/storage/updatemgr/software-updateyguoahd6/stage/scripts/patches/payload/components-script/vmafd-patch/utils.py", line 529, in update_path_ownership
    self.recursive_ownership(etc_ssl_certs_path, etc_ssl_certs_path_mode, root_uid, vmafd_gid)
  File "/storage/updatemgr/software-updateyguoahd6/stage/scripts/patches/payload/components-script/vmafd-patch/utils.py", line 499, in recursive_ownership
    os.chmod(os.path.join(dirpath, filename), mode)
OSError: [Errno 40] Too many levels of symbolic links: '/etc/ssl/certs/ls'
2025-05-15T06:21:15.894Z ERROR vmware_b2b.patching.phases.patcher Patch hook Patch got ComponentWrapperError.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/storage/updatemgr/software-updateyguoahd6/stage/scripts/patches/py/vmware_b2b/patching/phases/patcher.py", line 203, in patch
    _patchComponents(ctx, userData, statusAggregator.reportingQueue)
  File "/storage/updatemgr/software-updateyguoahd6/stage/scripts/patches/py/vmware_b2b/patching/phases/patcher.py", line 85, in _patchComponents
    executeComponentHook(Hook.Patch, ctx, c, userData, reportingQueue)
  File "/storage/updatemgr/software-updateyguoahd6/stage/scripts/patches/py/vmware_b2b/patching/executor/execution_facade.py", line 98, in executeComponentHook
    reportQueue, identifier, expectedResultType)
  File "/storage/updatemgr/software-updateyguoahd6/stage/scripts/patches/py/vmware_b2b/patching/executor/execution_facade.py", line 53, in executeHook
    result = executor.executeHook(scriptFile, hook, args, reportQueue, reportIdentifier)
  File "/storage/updatemgr/software-updateyguoahd6/stage/scripts/patches/py/vmware_b2b/patching/executor/hook_executor_process.py", line 119, in executeHook
    raise ex
patch_errors.ComponentError
2025-xx-xxTxx:21:16.896Z WARNING root stopping status aggregation...
2025-xx-xxTxx:21:16.897Z ERROR __main__ Patch vCSA failed
  
  

 

Environment

VMware Cloud foundation 4.x
VMware vCenter Server 7.x

Resolution

To resolve this problem, apply the following steps:

1. Revert all the vCenters in ELM to their last snapshots.
   
   
2. Run the following command, to check the broken links:
   find /etc/ssl/certs -maxdepth 1 -type l -exec bash -c 'for link; do [[ -e "$link" ]] || echo "Broken link: $link"; done' bash {} +
   
   
3. Create a directory called /symb_link in the root directory: mkdir symb_link
   
   
4. Run a command to move the Broken link into symb_link directory:
   find /etc/ssl/certs -maxdepth 1 -type l ! -exec test -e {} \; -exec mv -v {} /symb_link/ \;
   
   
5. Restart the vCenter's services:
   service-control  --stop --all &&  service-control  --start--all