Error updating an ESX cluster from SDDC manager

Products

• VMware SDDC Manager

Issue/Introduction

The process of updating an ESX cluster in SDDC manager may fail with an error similar to the following: 

The validator 'esxi-ssh-composite-validator did not finish in 5400 seconds and was forcefully terminated

The following error will be present in the Operations Manager logs:

/var/log/vmware/vcf/operationsmanager/operationsmanager.log:

2025-11-20T17:30:25.444+0000 DEBUG [vcf_om,0000000000000000,0000] [c.v.v.b.p.t.v.v.ExternalValidationValidator,CompletableFutureDelayScheduler] Timed out NATIVE validator esxi-ssh-composite-validator on host entity with name [ESX HOSTNAME] - validation run id eeb0fb07-46da-4b53-a15a-ed889849da77
java.util.concurrent.TimeoutException: null
        at java.base/java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture$Timeout.run(CompletableFuture.java:2874)
        at java.base/java.util.concurrent.Executors$RunnableAdapter.call(Executors.java:539)
        at java.base/java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:264)
        at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ScheduledThreadPoolExecutor$ScheduledFutureTask.run(ScheduledThreadPoolExecutor.java:304)
        at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1136)
        at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:635)
        at java.base/java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:840)
2025-11-20T17:30:25.445+0000 ERROR [vcf_om,691f3b195dd9c8c3a32aed00aa39a1c4,45d7] [c.v.evo.sddc.common.util.SshUtil,precheck-validation2] The command [ find -L / -maxdepth 1 -user root -type l ] failed on [ESX HOSTNAME]: null
java.lang.InterruptedException: null

Environment

VCF 5.2.1

Resolution

1. Identify the ESX hostname in the error stack.
   
   
2. Once the host has been identified, reboot the host.
   
   
3. After the reboot of the ESX host, the prechecks will pass and the upgrade of the ESX cluster can continue.