liagent fails to update to version 8.18.5 due to incompatible systemd version

Products

• VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite)

Issue/Introduction

The Aria Operations for Logs (formerly vRealize Log Insight) agent - liagent is found in a stopped state after an attempted auto-update to version 8.18.5.

The update process fails because the current version of the operating system's systemd is incompatible with the agent's requirements. This specific incompatibility is also known to affect earlier versions of the agent, such as 8.18.4, on systems with older systemd packages.

Environment

Aria Operations for Logs 8.18.x

Cause

The Aria Operations for Logs Agent versions 8.18.4 and later require specific systemd functionalities that are only available in systemd version 235 or higher.

When the agent attempts to install or update on a system with an older systemd version (e.g., typically found in older OS releases like RHEL 7), the installation script or service configuration fails, resulting in the liagent service being left in a stopped or failed state.

Resolution

This is a known issue which is mentioned in the KB: liagent 8.18.4 installation on RHEL 7 failed due to systemd 219 (415018)

 

As a workaround, to prevent the need for frequent service restarts whenever this issue occurs, we recommend disabling the agent's auto-update feature using the following steps:

1. Locate the Configuration File: Identify the agent configuration file for the Aria Operations for Logs agent (location varies by OS).

2. Edit the File: Open the configuration file with administrative privileges.

3. Disable Auto-Update: Change the setting auto_update=yes to auto_update=no.

4. Save and Restart: Save the changes and restart the agent service to apply the new setting.

Disabling auto-update will prevent the agent from automatically checking for and downloading updates.