VCF 9.1 installer gets stuck at "Initializing binary database" after configuring Offline Depot

Products

• VMware SDDC Manager / VCF Installer

Issue/Introduction

During the installation of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.1, the installer gets stuck at the stage "Initializing binary database, please wait..." after configuring the Offline Depot server, even though it displays "Depot connection active".

The following log trace is observed in /var/log/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-debug.log:

<YYYY-MM-DD>T<HH:MM:SS> DEBUG [vcf_lcm,0000000000000000,0000] [c.v.e.s.l.b.d.depot.DepotDownloader,DepotSync-1] Getting file of size 15#### for [/metadata/manifest/v1/vcfManifest.json] from URL[https://<OFFLINE_DEPOT_SERVER>:443/PROD/metadata/manifest/v1/vcfManifest.json]
...
<YYYY-MM-DD>T<HH:MM:SS> INFO  [vcf_lcm,0000000000000000,0000] [c.v.e.s.l.s.impl.LcmPvcUrmService,DepotSync-1] Matching VCF release corresponding to appliance version '9.1.0.0100.25428926' not found

Environment

VCF 9.x

Cause

The Offline Depot server contains an outdated, cached, or incomplete version of the vcfManifest.json file.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, update the metadata on the Offline Depot server and ensure the VCF installer is pointed to the correct URL:

1. Update Metadata Files: Download the latest metadata files from the portal and update the Offline Depot server. Ensure the following mandatory files are updated:

   • /nfs/vmware/vcf/nfs-mount/compatibility/VmwareCompatibilityData.json

   • /nfs/vmware/vcf/nfs-mount/metadata/productVersionCatalog.json

   • /nfs/vmware/vcf/nfs-mount/metadata/vcfManifest.json

2. Reconfigure Depot URL: In the VCF installer UI, verify and re-enter the correct underlying Offline Depot server URL, then retry the operation.

3. Clear Corrupted/Cached Files: If the files on the NFS mount path were corrupted or cached, remove the outdated metadata files from /nfs/vmware/vcf/nfs-mount/ and trigger a re-sync.

Note: Ensure web server or proxy caching is disabled for the Offline Depot server to prevent it from serving cached, stale metadata files to the VCF installer.