Lifecycle Manager fails to open with error: "An unexpected error has occurred"

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• Lifecycle Manager is not accessible in the vSphere client and accessing it will show the following error message:

"An unexpected error has occurred"
"You have no privileges to view this object or it does not exist".

• service-control --status returns: Error: Service name "updatemgr" is invalid. And the vmware-updatemgr service does not appear in the list of running or stopped services. 

root@vCenter [ ~ ]# service-control --status
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM  Error: Service name "updatemgr" is invalid.
Running:
 applmgmt lookupsvc lwsmd observability observability-vapi pschealth vc-ws1a-broker vlcm vmafdd vmcad vmdird vmware-analytics vmware-certificateauthority vmware-certificatemanagement vmware-cis-license vmware-content-library vmware-eam vmware-envoy vmware-envoy-hgw vmware-envoy-sidecar vmware-hvc vmware-infraprofile vmware-perfcharts vmware-pod vmware-postgres-archiver vmware-rhttpproxy vmware-sca vmware-sps vmware-stsd vmware-topologysvc vmware-trustmanagement vmware-vapi-endpoint vmware-vdtc vmware-vmon vmware-vpostgres vmware-vpxd vmware-vpxd-svcs vmware-vsan-health vmware-vsm vsphere-ui wcp
Stopped:
 vmcam vmonapi vmware-imagebuilder vmware-netdumper vmware-rbd-watchdog vmware-vcha vstats vtsdb

• Trying to start vmware-updatemgr service results in the following error:

root@vCenter [ ~ ]# service-control --start vmware-updatemgr
Operation not cancellable. Please wait for it to finish...
Performing start operation on service updatemgr...
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM Error: Invalid input provided to get startType ofservice updatemgr.
Error executing start on service updatemgr. Details Error: startType of svc: updatemgr rc : 6 stdout:  stderr: Service Get State request failed. Error: Invalid input data
Service-control failed. Error: Error: startType of svc: updatemgr rc : 6 stdout:  stderr: Service Get State request failed. Error: Invalid input data

• The startup configuration file /etc/vmware/vmware-vmon/svcCfgfiles/updatemgr.json may have unknown entries or the file is corrupted beyond repair.
• In the below example, one of the lines in the updatemgr.json file is commented out with #. This rendered the service in an invalid state.

 "RunAsUser": "updatemgr",
"RunPreStartCmdAsUser": "root",
#"StreamRedirectFile" : "%VMWARE_LOG_DIR%/vmware/vmware-updatemgr/updatemgr-vmon.log",
"Systemd.Enabled": true,
"RecoveryActionProfiles" :

Cause

• The presence of invalid or unknown entries in the updatemgr.json file caused the vCenter's vMon service manager to reject the configuration for the updatemgr service and placed the service In an invalid state.
• Similar issue can be observed If the updatemgr.json file is missing or corrupted.

Resolution

• Remove all invalid entries from /etc/vmware/vmware-vmon/svcCfgfiles/updatemgr.json by using vi editor.
• Connect to vCenter Server Shell.
• Backup the updatemgr configuration file.
  • cp /etc/vmware/vmware-vmon/svcCfgfiles/updatemgr.json /storage/core/updatemgr.json
• Run the command to edit
  • vi /etc/vmware/vmware-vmon/svcCfgfiles/updatemgr.json
• Remove the invalid entry. In the below example, the commented out line had be corrected by removing the # at the beginning.

"RunAsUser": "updatemgr",
"RunPreStartCmdAsUser": "root",
"StreamRedirectFile" : "%VMWARE_LOG_DIR%/vmware/vmware-updatemgr/updatemgr-vmon.log",
"Systemd.Enabled": true,
"RecoveryActionProfiles" :

• Save the changes and close the vi editor, type the following in sequence without space: Esc and then :wq!
• A restart of the vCenter Server Appliance is required to allow the vmon service to load the updated configuration during startup.
• If the updatemgr.json file is missing or corrupted, obtain a copy of the file from another functional vCenter Server Appliance running the same version. Replace the existing file at the following path on the affected appliance - 
  • /etc/vmware/vmware-vmon/svcCfgfiles/
  Note: This configuration file is not environment-specific, so no modifications are necessary before replacing it. After replacement, restart the vCenter Server Appliance.

• If no other vCenter Servers are available in the environment, back up the existing updatemgr.json file, then copy the appropriate version of the file from the below attached files. A restart of the appliance is required afterward to apply the changes.