Error: com.vmware.vcf.error.update.vc.runtime.vcsa.install.failed during VCF vCenter Upgrade

Products

• VMware SDDC Manager / VCF Installer
• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vCenter Server 4.x - View
• VMware vCenter Server 5.0

Issue/Introduction

Upgrade tasks for vCenter Server in VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) fail with error :

com.vmware.vcf.error.update.vc.runtime.vcsa.install.failed

This article provides steps to troubleshoot and resolve this issue when associated with "failed state" banners or missing input.json files

Environment

• VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 4.x / 5.x
• SDDC Manager
• vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA)

Cause

The VCF installer fails to complete the "firstboot" or configuration stage due to network configuration inconsistencies (such as IPv6 stack conflicts) or incorrect permissions in the LCM log directories (/var/log/vmware/vcf/lcm/). This leaves the SDDC Manager in a "failed state," blocking retries.

Resolution

1. Verify LCM Permissions: Before modifying permissions, check the current ownership of the log directory to confirm the discrepancy:

   ls -ld /var/log/vmware/vcf/lcm/

   If the ownership is incorrect, apply the required permissions for the vcf_lcm user:

   chown -R vcf_lcm:vcf /var/log/vmware/vcf/lcm/

2. Clear "Failed State" Lock: Use the cleanup procedures outlined in KB 309025 to clear stale upgrade flags.

3. Handle IPv6/Network Conflicts: If the installer fails due to IPv6 communication errors, temporarily assign a static IPv4 address to the target vCenter appliance to complete the upgrade, then revert the network configuration.

4. Retry: After clearing the failed state and verifying permissions, retry the upgrade via SDDC Manager.

Additional Information

 

• Contact Broadcom Support