vLCM Baseline (VUM) to vLCM Image Cluster Transition Fails with Compliance Check Error

Products

• VMware SDDC Manager / VCF Installer

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to transition a vSphere cluster from vLCM Baseline (VUM) management to vLCM Image-based management using the PowerShell-based transition workflow, the operation fails during the image compliance check phase.

Despite the cluster being in an active state and eligible for transition, the workflow does not proceed, and the PowerShell script reports the following errors:

(ERROR) Check vLCM compliance for cluster "<cluster-name>" failed.
(ERROR) Cluster "<cluster-name>" is already being checked for image compliance. Skipping check.

Environment

SDDC Manager

Cause

The failure occurs due to stale or orphaned tasks/locks present in the SDDC Manager database.

In this scenario, an ACTIVE lock entry remains in the platform database, indicating an in-progress operation that is no longer valid. Although no active workflow is running, the lock prevents SDDC Manager from initiating a new vLCM image compliance check.

Example lock entry observed in the database:

Connect to DB : psql -h localhost -U postgres -d platform

You are now connected to database "platform" as user "postgres".
platform=# \x
Expanded display is on.
platform=# select * from lock;

-[ RECORD 1 ] --
id                  | <lock-id>
creation time       | 1769212800065
modification time   | 1769212800065
error               |
locking context     | {"serviceIdentifier": "Password Manager", "description": "Password management operation in progress. Please wait for completion", "pollingInterval":0, "expirationTime":0}
resource id         |
resource type       | deployment
status              | ACTIVE
resource_name       | LEGACY
reentrant_key       |
resource_lock_type  |

Because SDDC Manager detects the cluster as already undergoing an operation based on this stale lock, the vLCM transition workflow is blocked.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, the stale lock must be identified and removed from the SDDC Manager database.

Note: Proceed with database modifications only when it is confirmed that no related workflows are actively running in the SDDC Manager UI.

1. Powered-off snapshots of the SDDC Manager appliance must be taken prior to proceeding.

2. SSH to the SDDC Manager appliance as vcf and root.

3. Connect to the PostgreSQL database:

   • psql -h localhost -U postgres -d platform

4. Existing locks must be reviewed to identify the stale entry:

   • select * from lock;

5. Any ACTIVE locks that correspond to stale or non-running operations must be identified, noting the exact string in the id column.

6. The stale lock entry must be removed by executing the following command (replace <lock-id> with the ID identified in Step 5):

   • delete from lock where id = '<lock-id>';

7. It is recommended to verify the deletion by querying the specific lock ID to ensure 0 rows are returned:

   • select * from lock where id = '<lock-id>';

8. Exit the database, the vLCM Baseline to Image cluster transition workflow must be retried. It will now successfully complete the image compliance check and transition to image-based management.