Aria Lifecycle Manager Patch Level 5 Update Fails with "Waiting for services to start" Due to Leftover Patch Files from previous upgrade

Products

• VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite)

Issue/Introduction

• When attempting to apply Patch Level 5 to a VMware Aria Lifecycle Manager (vRLCM) appliance that previously had Patch Level 3 installed, the update process hangs.
  The update process fails to complete, getting stuck with the message "waiting for services to start".

Symptoms

• The vRLCM update process to Patch Level 5 halts, displaying "waiting for services to start".
• The vpostgres service unable to start as it's not configured correctly during the update.
• RPM packages associated with Patch Level 5 are successfully copied and installed, but the subsequent post-installation configuration steps fail to execute.

 

Environment

• VMware Aria Lifecycle Manager (vRLCM) 8.18.x
• Existing Patch Level: 3 (prior to attempting Patch Level 5)
• Target Patch Level: 5

Cause

The failure to complete the Patch Level 5 update is triggered by the presence of legacy temporary patch directories: 

/data/tmp-patch-8180 

/data/tmp_patch_storage

These folders are remnants from prior patch installations (e.g., Patch Level 3). 

Resolution

1. Revert the Aria Suite Lifecycle Manager Appliance

• Revert the appliance to the snapshot taken prior to the installation of Patch 5.

2. Access the Aria Suite Lifecycle Manager Appliance via SSH

• Connect to your Aria Suite Lifecycle Manager appliance using its IP address or FQDN.

• Log in as root:

  ssh root@<vRLCM_IP_or_FQDN>
  

3. Remove Legacy Patch Folders

⚠️ WARNING: This step involves deleting directories. Ensure you are in the correct /data directory and delete only the specified folders.

• Execute the following command to remove the legacy temporary patch directories:

  rm -rf /data/tmp-patch-8180 /data/tmp_patch_storage

• Confirm they are removed:

  ls -ld tmp-patch-8180 tmp_patch_storage

• If the /storage/package-pool directory already exists, move it to a backup location:

  mv /storage/package-pool/ /storage/package-pool_bkp

4. Re-initiate Patch 5 Update

• Follow the standard patching instructions as detailed in the official Broadcom documentation:
  VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle 8.18 Patch 5 Release Notes
• The update should now proceed and complete successfully without getting stuck at “waiting for services to start.”

5. Final Verification

• After the update completes, verify the health status of the Aria Lifecycle Manager appliance and ensure that all services are running as expected. Use the following command to check the service status:

  vrlcm-cli --health-status

• Ensure the appliance reflects the correct patch level (Patch 5) in the UI.