Issue Upgrading vCenter Appliance from 8.0.3.00500 to 00600. Errno 2 No such file or directory

[Steve Duffy]

Hi all,

After losing the will to live trying to log a call on Broadcom supports website, I thought I'd try here!

We've done plenty of vCenter appliance upgrades without any issue. We've already generated the download token and was fine for the last update, so assume all is ok with the token as it's showing as 'Active'. 

So, from the VAMI UI we selected the 00600 build and the upgrade started with some pre-checks, etc. It came up with - [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/storage/updatemgr/software-updatew_8jyhOp/stage/update/patching_backup/config.json'

I've gone through the following two articles, and it fails each time with the same message.

vCenter patch upgrade fails

Broadcom		remove preview
vCenter patch upgrade fails Possible errors: Exception occurred in postInstallHook You have reached maximum number of retries to resume the patching. Please restore the vcenter using the backup. Post patch failure, the appliance state is INSTALL_FAILED in the /etc/applmgmt/appliance/software_update_state.conf file: { "state": "INSTALL_FAILED", "version": "7.0.3.02200", "latest_query_time": "YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ", "operation_id": "/storage/core/software-update/stage_install_operation"} Note: Ensure a valid backup of the vCenter Server and a snapshot exists before proceeding. View this on Broadcom >

"Error copying packages", vCenter updates using online repositories fails if updates are attempted with the token which does not have entitlement for the specific vCenter Server version

Broadcom		remove preview
"Error copying packages", vCenter updates using online repositories fails if updates are attempted with the token which does not have entitlement for the specific vCenter Server version vCenter Server patching fails with any of the following error message after updating the Token by following the steps in KB VCF Authenticated downloads Configur View this on Broadcom >

Is there a known issue with 00600, or has something else gone wrong? Any advice will be gratefully received.

Thanks Steve

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[Alexandru Capras]

I've never had this issue before, but I'd start by double-checking the validity of the download token.

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Alexandru
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[Octopus]

Hi Steve, and offline Patch Using ISO, if the online patch failed due to token or entitlement:
*Download the patch ISO from Broadcom Support.
*Mount ISO to the VCSA VM.
*SSH into VCSA.
*Stage and install manually:

software-packages stage --iso
software-packages list --staged
software-packages install --staged

Is this method useless for you as a workaround?

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[a_p_]

Please take a look at https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/377861/vcenter-upgrade-fails-with-no-such-file.html to see whether one of the mentioned steps solves the issue.

André

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[Frans-g]

Any reason why you're not doing the reduced downtime upgrade/update method? I find that to be quite a game changer.

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[Steve Duffy]

Hi all,

Sorry for not replying sooner. 

I tried to log a call with Broadcom/VMware and they said we do not have a support contract in-place! I know we have, so I messaged our account manager and it turn's out that Broadcom have messed up the contract.... surprise, surprise!! It was due to expire in 11/2025, but for some reason they had changed it to 07/2025. I'm assuming this is why the vCenter upgrade failed due to we shouldn't be installing it as no support in-place. I asked for the support date to be put back to 11/2025 so I could get on with the upgrade, and 4 weeks later, they still haven't done it, saying it cannot be done unless we buy support from 11/2025 to 11/2026. Thank God we haven't had a major issue and needed their support. Absolutely shocking.....

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[Frans-g]

I might be missing something, but I don't see how a vCenter upgrade would fail due to an expired support contract.

Have you tried the reduced downtime upgrade method?

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[Steve Duffy]

I'm assuming it fails at the point when it tries to download the update. ChatGPT comes up with this:

2. Access to Software & Patches

• Without support, you won't have access to official patches, updates, or newer installation media through VMware's portal.

• You can only use whatever installers you already downloaded before support lapsed.

• Security and bug fixes will not be available to you.

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[Steve Duffy]

Hi,

We got our support contract back in-place and, surprise surprise, the vCenter upgrade worked perfectly!

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[Victoria John]

That missing config.json usually points to a staging issue-clearing out the update cache and retrying often helps. I'd also double-check system resource headroom with something like "bottleneck.com"( link removed by moderator) before rerunning the upgrade.

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[Julia Klaus]

Hi Victoria John

Thanks for posting the bottleneck check link. I've removed it as it's not a Broadcom/VMware-supported tool, and we need to ensure shared resources are verified and relevant to our enterprise environment. For system performance checks in VMware, try these approved tools:

• esxtop/resxtop: Performance Monitoring Utilities
• vSphere Performance Charts: vSphere Monitoring
• vPMCs: Configuring vPMCs

Let me know if you need guidance on using these tools or accessing the Broadcom Support Portal!

Best,

Julia, 

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[Oliver Grant]

This error commonly appears when the upgrade process cannot locate required staging files or when the mounted ISO path is incorrect. I would first re-validate the checksum of the upgrade ISO and remount it to ensure there's no corruption during download. Then confirm that all VCSA partitions have sufficient free space (df -h) and that /storage volumes are not in read-only mode. It's also worth restarting the appliance management services (service-control --stop --all then service-control --start --all) before retrying the staging process. If it still fails, carefully inspect logs under /var/log/vmware/applmgmt/ and /var/log/vmware/software-packages/ to pinpoint the exact missing path or package. For broader infrastructure stability, especially when performance constraints may impact upgrade operations, reviewing system resource balance via can help identify underlying hardware limitations beforehand.

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[Andrew Carter]

It looks like the upgrade process is failing because certain patch files or repositories expected during the 8.0.3.00500 → 0.00600 transition are either missing or not properly mounted. First, verify that the upgrade ISO is fully downloaded and correctly attached to the vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA), then confirm the /storage/seat/software-update or relevant patch directory exists and has proper permissions. You should also check disk space on all VCSA partitions (df -h) since insufficient space can trigger "No such file or directory" errors during staging. If the issue persists, try running the upgrade via CLI using the official patching method (software-packages stage --iso followed by software-packages install --staged) and review /var/log/vmware/applmgmt/ logs for exact failure points. For system performance diagnostics in other environments where upgrade slowdowns may relate to hardware limitations, you can also analyze potential resource imbalance using https://bottleneckcheck.com/ before performing major updates.

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