Telemetry and build information reflect incorrect version after vCenter Server upgrade from 8.0U2 to 8.0U3i

Products

VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

After successfully upgrading vCenter Server from 8.0 Update 2 or Update 3 to a later version (such as 8.0 Update 3i, Build 25197330), backup logs, and telemetry data continue to report the previous version. Specifically, the system file /etc/vmware/.buildInfo and analytics metrics remain stuck on the legacy build number despite the services running on the upgraded binaries.

In /var/log/vmware/applmgmt/backup.log in VCSA entries are observed to similar below:

[VCDBBackup: PID-#######] [telemetry: :get_vc_version: telemetry.py: 312] INFO: vCenter version is 8.0U2c
[VCDBBackup: PID-#######] [VCDB: : BackupVCDB : VCDB. py: 2088] INFO: Telemetry command is ['/opt/vmware/vpostgre' -- event-type', 'backup', ' -- datal', 'Full Backup', ' -- data3', '8.0U2c', ' -- data2', 'Success']
[VCDBBackup: PID-#######] [Proc: :RunCmdForOutput : Proc. py: 581] INFO: Executing command: ['/opt/vmware/vpostgres/current/bin/vmw_vpg_config/pg_trigger_telemetry.py',
[VCDBBackup: PID-#######] [telemetry: :get_vc_version: telemetry.py: 312] INFO: vCenter version is 8.0U2c
[VCDBBackup: PID-#######] [VCDB: : BackupVCDB : VCDB. py: 2088] INFO: Telemetry command is ['/opt/vmware/vpostgre' -- event-type', 'backup', ' -- datal', 'Full Backup', ' -- data3', '8.0U2c', ' -- data2', 'Success']
[VCDBBackup: PID-#######] [Proc: :RunCmdForOutput : Proc. py: 581] INFO: Executing command: ['/opt/vmware/vpostgres/current/bin/vmw_vpg_config/pg_trigger_telemetry.py', ' -- event-type', 'backup', ' -- datal', 'Full Backup', ' -- data3', '8.0U2c', ' -- data2', 'Success'].

Environment

VMware vCenter Server

Cause

This issue occurs due to a combination of cached update states and stale telemetry data. Even when the core services are upgraded, the applmgmt service may retain the previous update state in its configuration files, and the analytics service may continue to reference legacy log files stored in the staging directories introduced in version 8.0 Update 3.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, synchronize the build information and telemetry data.

Prerequisites:

Ensure you have a valid snapshot of the vCenter Server Appliance.
If the vCenter is in Enhanced Linked Mode (ELM), shut down all linked nodes and take snapshots of all nodes simultaneously.

Follow these steps to manually update the build metadata and purge the service caches.

Manually Correct the .buildInfo File
1. Log in to the vCenter Server Appliance via SSH/Putty as "root" user
2. Navigate to the configuration directory:
```
cd /etc/vmware
```
```
ls -ltrah
```
3. Create a backup of the existing build information file:
```
cp .buildInfo .buildInfo.bak
```
4. Modify the file permissions to allow editing:
```
chmod 644 /etc/vmware/.buildInfo
```
5. Open the file in the vi text editor and update the Build Number to match your current version (e.g., 25197330 for 8.0U3i):
```
vi /etc/vmware/.buildInfo
```
6. Revert the file permissions to read-only:
```
chmod 444 /etc/vmware/.buildInfo
```
Clear the VAMI Update Cache
1. The applmgmt service must be forced to re-read the hardware and software state.
2. Stop the appliance management service:
```
service-control --stop applmgmt
```
3. Remove the stuck update state configuration and staging files:
```
rm -f /etc/applmgmt/appliance/software_update_state.conf
```
```
rm -rf /storage/core/software-update/updates/*
```
```
rm -rf /storage/core/software-update/stage/*
```
4. Restart the applmgmt service:
```
service-control --start applmgmt
```
Clear the Telemetry (Analytics) Cache
1. Purge legacy logs from the analytics directories to allow the service to generate new data for the upgraded version.
2. Wipe the staging and production analytics directories:
```
rm -rf /storage/log/vmware/analytics/stage/*
```
```
rm -rf /storage/log/vmware/analytics/prod/*
```
3. Restart the analytics service:
```
service-control --restart analytics
```
Final Verification:
1. Clear your web browser cache or open a private/incognito window.
2. Log back into the VAMI (https://<vCenter_FQDN>:5480).
3. Verify that the Build Number on the dashboard and the telemetry metrics now accurately reflect the upgraded version.