When updating OpenShift Container Platform 4.11 to 4.12 with NFD Operator, the NFD Operator will stuck with the required update and fail with the same with the below error reported in the Subscription.

$ oc get Subscription -n openshift-nfd nfd -o yaml
apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1alpha1
kind: Subscription
metadata:
  creationTimestamp: "2023-03-08T15:05:16Z"
  generation: 1
  labels:
    operators.coreos.com/nfd.openshift-nfd: ""
  name: nfd
  namespace: openshift-nfd
  resourceVersion: "7149045"
  uid: 0d744118-8568-4c31-8984-cbdcb4cce971
spec:
  channel: stable
  installPlanApproval: Automatic
  name: nfd
  source: redhat-operators
  sourceNamespace: openshift-marketplace
  startingCSV: nfd.4.12.0-202302280915
status:
  catalogHealth:
  - catalogSourceRef:
      apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1alpha1
      kind: CatalogSource
      name: certified-operators
      namespace: openshift-marketplace
      resourceVersion: "7143592"
      uid: 52d3b288-4042-43a4-9d4d-0bd0dd59b203
    healthy: true
    lastUpdated: "2023-03-08T15:05:17Z"
  - catalogSourceRef:
      apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1alpha1
      kind: CatalogSource
      name: community-operators
      namespace: openshift-marketplace
      resourceVersion: "7145481"
      uid: c303d9f0-7856-4394-bae1-807c4a8972a3
    healthy: true
    lastUpdated: "2023-03-08T15:05:17Z"
  - catalogSourceRef:
      apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1alpha1
      kind: CatalogSource
      name: redhat-marketplace
      namespace: openshift-marketplace
      resourceVersion: "7143591"
      uid: 6a373335-8fea-4323-a872-83af6ea21322
    healthy: true
    lastUpdated: "2023-03-08T15:05:17Z"
  - catalogSourceRef:
      apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1alpha1
      kind: CatalogSource
      name: redhat-operators
      namespace: openshift-marketplace
      resourceVersion: "7141365"
      uid: c4f2102b-cd2f-4e32-8793-f409c7e3ad04
    healthy: true
    lastUpdated: "2023-03-08T15:05:17Z"
  conditions:
  - lastTransitionTime: "2023-03-08T15:05:17Z"
    message: all available catalogsources are healthy
    reason: AllCatalogSourcesHealthy
    status: "False"
    type: CatalogSourcesUnhealthy
  - lastTransitionTime: "2023-03-08T15:06:22Z"
    message: 'error validating existing CRs against new CRD''s schema for "nodefeaturediscoveries.nfd.openshift.io":
      error validating custom resource against new schema for NodeFeatureDiscovery
      openshift-nfd/nfd-instance: [[].status.conditions[0].message: Required value,
      [].status.conditions[0].reason: Required value, [].status.conditions[1].message:
      Required value, [].status.conditions[1].reason: Required value, [].status.conditions[2].message:
      Required value, [].status.conditions[2].reason: Required value, [].status.conditions[3].message:
      Required value, [].status.conditions[3].reason: Required value]'
    reason: InstallComponentFailed
    status: "True"
    type: InstallPlanFailed
  currentCSV: nfd.4.12.0-202302280915
  installPlanGeneration: 1
  installPlanRef:
    apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1alpha1
    kind: InstallPlan
    name: install-xlnk6
    namespace: openshift-nfd
    resourceVersion: "7148053"
    uid: 881d42d8-1846-45ef-9e43-a5a64771ca4f
  installedCSV: nfd.4.12.0-202302280915
  installplan:
    apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1alpha1
    kind: InstallPlan
    name: install-xlnk6
    uuid: 881d42d8-1846-45ef-9e43-a5a64771ca4f
  lastUpdated: "2023-03-08T15:06:22Z"
  state: AtLatestKnown

Removing and re-installing the NFD Operator does not help as the CRD validation continues to fail.

Hence removing the affected CRD is probably the only approach to recover this but that will impact potentially the workload and is not something we recommend doing.

So it's key to understand why this is happening and to have an approach to fix that without requiring customers to even remove their custom resources and custom resource definitions.

OpenShift Container Platform 4.12

Always

1. Install OpenShift Container Platform 4.11 and NFD Operator from Red Hat
2. Update to OpenShift Container Platform 4.12 and see how the NFD Operator update is stuck

error validating existing CRs against new CRD's schema for "nodefeaturediscoveries.nfd.openshift.io": error validating custom resource against new schema for NodeFeatureDiscovery openshift-nfd/nfd-instance: [[].status.conditions[0].message: Required value, [].status.conditions[0].reason: Required value, [].status.conditions[1].message: Required value, [].status.conditions[1].reason: Required value, [].status.conditions[2].message: Required value, [].status.conditions[2].reason: Required value, [].status.conditions[3].message: Required value, [].status.conditions[3].reason: Required value]
 

Update to just work without manual intervention required by the platform engineer