Fix LCMVMSP10035 with Windows SFTP in VCF
Explore a lab workaround for LCMVMSP10035 with Windows SFTP in VCF, including the synthetic-checker error and linked Broadcom remediation guidance.
Overview
Configuring Windows SFTP backup storage in my VCF lab failed for Automation and Identity Broker with error LCMVMSP10035. This post records the synthetic-checker error and the vendor-linked workaround I used; review the current KB and the scope of the change before applying it.
Scope and verification
This workaround is documented for Automation 9.0 with a Windows SFTP target. Do not automatically apply it to every component that displays LCMVMSP10035. Capture the current resource configuration first and use the exact affected component’s support guidance.
kubectl patch rt $(kubectl get rt -n vmsp-platform | grep synthetic-checker | awk '{print $1}') -n vmsp-platform --type='json' -p='[{"op":"replace","path":"/spec/helm/values/sftpCheck/enable","value":true},{"op":"replace","path":"/spec/helm/values/sftpCheck/writeCheck","value":false}]'Run in the Linux node shell after the SSH/root/KUBECONFIG steps below, not directly in PowerShell. Afterward retry SFTP configuration, perform a real backup and inspect its files and status. If it fails, preserve logs for support rather than suppressing more checks.
As with any new changes, there are new issues that arise and I quickly realized configuring the SFTP backups in the VCF fleet manager wasn’t going to be quick. If you are interested in building a Windows-Based SFTP server, check out the instructions on WinSCP which is what I used to build this SFTP server using OpenSSH.
The reported SFTP error
While I was configuring backups in the fleet manager for my management domain, they kept failing to configure on VCF Automation and Identity broker due to the below error:
Error Code: LCMVMSP10035
Error Message:
Synthetic checker on the application platform failed.
Synthetic check failed. Please refer to Broadcom Knowledge Base Article 389510 for remediation details.
“platform-vmsp-platform-sftp: failed to cleanup remote file: sftp: “” (unknown)”
I quickly found out this is due to it being a Windows based SFTP server and luckily this was a known issue already, the Broadcom Knowledgebase article helped me resolve the issue. I will also list the steps down below for quicker reference.
Access the affected node
First you’ll need to ssh into the node that is having issues, which will require passwords. If you automated the password creation you will need to obtain the password by following this Broadcom Knowledgebase article. I manually setup my password so I run PowerShell as an administrator from my management workstation and entered:
ssh vmware-system-user@<VCFA_NODE_IP>
Then I switched to root user:
sudo -su root
Apply the documented lab workaround
Export the Kubernetes configuration:
export KUBECONFIG=/etc/kubernetes/admin.conf
The original lab disabled the whole SFTP check. As checked on August 28, 2026, Broadcom KB 407464 instead keeps sftpCheck/enable true and sets sftpCheck/writeCheck false. This skips the problematic write test, not the need to verify actual backups. Review the current KB for your exact build before applying its patch.
Retry the configuration
The historical change allowed the lab configuration to complete. The revised command above follows the current Automation KB; it has not been executed in this review. Validate any Identity Broker remediation separately instead of assuming the Automation scope applies.