SDDC Manager LCM service stuck in "Activating" status due to missing or empty application-prod.properties configuration

Products

• VMware SDDC Manager / VCF Installer

Issue/Introduction

• The Lifecycle Management (LCM) service on the SDDC Manager appliance is stuck in "Activating" status:

  lcm.service - VMware Cloud Foundation Lifecycle Management Service
     Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/lcm.service; enabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: activating (auto-restart) (Result: exit-code) since
    Process: 34524 ExecStart=/opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-app/bin/lcm (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
    Process: 34525 ExecStartPost=/usr/bin/sh -c /bin/test -f /var/log/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm.out && /bin/chown vcf_lcm:vcf /var/log/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm.out (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
    Process: 34528 ExecStartPost=/usr/bin/sh -c /bin/test -f /var/log/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm.err && /bin/chown vcf_lcm:vcf /var/log/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm.err (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
   Main PID: 34524 (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
        CPU: 2.394s

• Lifecycle management, patching, or image management workflows in the SDDC Manager UI fail or are inaccessible.
• The file /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-app/conf/application-prod.properties is empty or missing essential configuration parameters.
• systemctl status lcm shows the service repeatedly attempting to restart.

Environment

• VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 5.x / 9.x
• VMware SDDC Manager

Cause

The application-prod.properties configuration file has been corrupted, cleared, or lost.
This may result from a previous system error or transient failure. As this file contains essential connectivity parameters (e.g., database credentials, depot adapter settings), the LCM service cannot initialize without a valid configuration.

Resolution

If the application-prod.properties file is empty and no local backups are available, the configuration must be restored from a known-good source, such as a lab environment running the exact same VCF version.

Caution: Make sure to use a source configuration from an environment running the identical VCF/SDDC Manager version to avoid configuration mismatches.

1. Stop the LCM service:

   # systemctl stop lcm

2. Create a backup copy of the /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-app/conf/application-prod.properties file.
3. Copy a valid application-prod.properties file from a verified source environment to the affected SDDC Manager at: /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-app/conf/application-prod.properties.
4. Ensure the file is owned by the correct user and group:

   # chown vcf_lcm:vcf /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-app/conf/application-prod.properties
   # chmod 644 /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-app/conf/application-prod.properties

5. Inspect the file and update any environment-specific settings (e.g., local IP addresses, hostnames, or specific repository URLs) to match the target environment.
6. Restart the LCM service:

   # systemctl start lcm

7. Log into the SDDC Manager UI and confirm the Lifecycle Management and Image Management tabs are now operational.