NSX Upgrade might fail if nsxdp-cli / nsxcli commands will be run in background once upgrade is initiated.

Products

• VMware NSX

Issue/Introduction

NSX upgrade fails with error indicators include:

• Error in running [rm /tardisks/nsxcli.v00]: Return code: 1
• Output: rm: can't remove '/tardisks/nsxcli.v00': Device or resource busy

Environment

VMware NSX

Cause

The failure occurs because the upgrade process needs to unmount and remove the nsxcli tardisk. If an nsxcli session is active even via automated background processes like CRON jobs to collect any information using get command—the tardisk remains locked

Running nsxcli commands or having active nsxcli sessions during an NSX upgrade is not recommended and can cause the upgrade to fail with a "device busy" error

Resolution

If the upgrade has already failed, the host may be in an inconsistent state.

1. Identify active processes: Check for running nsxcli processes.
   bash

    

   ps | grep -i "nsxcli"
2. Terminate processes: Use the kill command with the identified PID. kill <service_pid>
3. Reboot the host: A reboot is mandatory to discard the unfinished update and clear the inconsistent state.
4. Verify the inactivity using step 1 to ensure no nsxcli sessions are active
5. Retry the upgrade from NSX UI.

Additional Information

While doing the upgrade from NSX 3.1 to 3.2, NSX VIB upgrade failed with error "Error in running [/etc/init.d/vdr-pre-upgrade stop upgrade]: Return code: 1"

VMware NSX 4.2.4 Release Notes