Upgrade from 7.0.x to 8.0.x fails with RPM Test Transaction Error

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• Upgrading to 8.0.x fails with pre-check failures.
• The update_microservice.log shows an error related to rpm's already installed with the upgrade trying to resume progress.

2025-05-10 08:18:09,861 - 94168 -           update_b2b::                _runScriptHook: 389 -    DEBUG - update script result file '{\n    "end_time": "2025-05-10T13:18:09.848Z",\n    "error": null,\n    "info": [],\n    "progress": 100,\n    "progress_message": {\n        "id": "patch.internal.resume.progress",\n        "localized": "In-place upgrade is being resumed.",\n        "translatable": "In-place upgrade is being resumed."\n    },\n    "question": null,\n    "start_time": "2025-05-10T13:18:08.845Z",\n    "status": "success",\n    "warning": []\n}'

• Notice many (ie more than 1), of the RPM packages are showing that they are already installed.

2025-05-10 08:18:10,779 - 94168 -     update_functions::      runCommandAndCheckResult: 373 -    DEBUG - runCommandAndCheckResult failed: '\tpackage bash-4.4.18-4.ph3.x86_64 is already installed\n\tpackage glibc-2.28-24.ph3.x86_64 is already installed\n\tpackage ncurses-libs-6.1-5.ph3.x86_64 is already installed\n\tpackage openssl-1.0.2zi-1.ph3.x86_64 is already installed\n\tpackage zlib-1.2.11-5.ph3.x86_64 is already installed\n\tpackage openldap-2.4.57-4.ph3.x86_64 is already installed\n\tpackage libxml2-2.9.11-11.ph3.x86_64 is already installed\n\tpackage zstd-libs-1.4.5-2.ph3.x86_64 is already installed\n\tpackage elfutils-libelf-0.176-3.ph3.x86_64 is already installed\n\tpackage ncurses-6.1-5.ph3.x86_64 is already installed\n\tpackage e2fsprogs-libs-1.46.5-2.ph3.x86_64 is already installed\n\tpackage krb5-1.17-5.ph3.x86_64 is already installed\n\tpackage expat-libs-2.2.9-11.ph3.x86_64 is already installed\n\tpackage libtirpc-1.1.4-3.ph3.x86_64 is already installed\n\
<<snip>>

• RPM install fails with error:

2025-05-10 08:18:10,780 - 94168 -         task_manager::                        update:  80 -    DEBUG - UpdateTask: status=FAILED, progress=40, message={'id': 'com.vmware.appliance.rpm_transaction_failed', 'default_message': 'Test RPM transaction failed. Collect the logs for diagnostics', 'args': []}
2025-05-10 08:18:10,785 - 94168 -           update_b2b::                    preInstall:2349 -    DEBUG - Returning from preInstall(), failure in preinstall

Environment

vCenter Server 7.x

vCenter Server 8.x

Cause

A previously failed upgrade never completed and was not reverted.  Attempting to re-try the upgrade fails because RPMs were installed but the install wasn't completed. The installer thinks the RPMs need to be installed but because they are already updated, it fails the test of the RPM upgrade, thus failing the upgrade.

Resolution

Revert snapshot on vCenter to previously known state prior to upgrade (If in ELM, Enhanced Link Mode, need to revert all vCenters in ELM).

If no good snapshot, a VAMI backup can be used to restore the vCenter configuration and then perform the upgrade.

1. If a known good backup exists, restore configuration using that known backup.

2. If no known good backup, create a new backup using the VAMI backup process.

3. Once backup is complete, restore the VCSA using the newly created backup.

For information on backup and restore process see: File-Based Backup and Restore of vCenter Server