In this post, I will guide you through upgrading your 8.x vRLI appliance to Aria Operations for Logs 8.16.1 using VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle. Before proceeding, ensure that your VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle is upgraded to version 8.16. You can find the upgrade instructions here. Note that the upgrade does not include the latest PSPACK containing the 8.16.1 Aria Operations for Logs release. Instructions for obtaining the PSPACK are available in here.

To begin, navigate to VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> Binary Mapping. (If you haven’t added your My VMware credentials, do so first by going to vRealize Lifecycle Manager -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> My VMware)

The image shows the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle settings page with options like System Administration and Servers & Accounts.

Click on Add Binaries under Product Binaries

Binary Mapping page in VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle showing Add Binaries button.

Due to changes in the latest Aria Suite Lifecycle release (Release notes available here), My VMware based operations functionality has been deprecated. In my case, In this case, I chose to use Local and uploaded my .pak file to the /tmp directory on the Aria Suite Lifecycle appliance. The upgrade package can be downloaded from here.

Adding product binary for upgrade, selecting VMware vRealize Log Insight 8.16.1.

This will create a request and start mapping the package. To view the progress, click on the “Click Here” hyperlink

Product binary mapping request submitted. Click “Click Here” to check status.

Click on the “In Progress” button to view the details

Requests page showing “Product Source Mapping Request” in progress.

Wait for the mapping to complete

Request details show “Stage 1” with “Source Mapping” and progress bar.

Once the download is complete, go to Environments -> View Details on the environment that includes Aria Operations for Logs.

The image shows the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle Environments page with Corp Local details, including datacenter, health, and products.

Click on “Upgrade”

The UI shows “VMware Aria Operations for Logs” version 8.16.0 with an “Upgrade” link.

An Inventory sync is recommended because environments can change and Aria Suite Lifecycle might be out of sync. Trigger the sync from the UI or click on “Proceed” to continue.

Upgrade step in Aria Suite Lifecycle UI, prompt to sync inventory or proceed.

Select product version 8.16.1 and click “Next.” Review the compatibility matrix to ensure the environment is compatible.

Upgrade screen shows selecting version 8.16.1 for VMware Aria Operations for Logs.

A new feature allows you to automatically create a snapshot prior to the upgrade and remove it afterward. On this screen, you can also choose to keep the snapshots post-upgrade for validation testing. Click “Next.”

Upgrade wizard step: Snapshot. Option to take and retain snapshot.

Run the Precheck to ensure there are no errors or issues, then click “Next” once the review is complete.

The Precheck step confirms no errors, showing TLS and SSH checks passed, and disk space sufficient for upgrade.

Review the upgrade details and click “Submit.” You will be taken to the progress screen to follow the upgrade process.

Upgrade summary shows version 8.16.1, repository type, URL, and options for snapshot and auto revert. Click “Submit” to proceed.

The system will get rebooted and once its back up we will be on 8.16.1

The system will reboot, and once it’s back up, you will be on version 8.16.1.

Since this is a major upgrade, I strongly recommend clearing the cache before using the new Aria Operations for Logs version.