Error: Pre-check fails with Machine ID mismatch during vCenter Server 8.0 upgrade
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Error: Pre-check fails with Machine ID mismatch during vCenter Server 8.0 upgrade

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Article ID: 312479

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

vCenter Server upgrade from 7.0 to 8.0 fails during the Stage 2 pre-check validation. This occurs when the vSphere Diagnostic Tool (VDT) or the upgrade installer detects an inconsistency in the machine identity across internal services.

Symptoms:

  • VCSA upgrade pre-check fails with "Exception occurred in postInstallHook".

  • FAIL on VDT script VC Machine ID Check, 'Compare Machine ID (VMAFD vs. registry)' and/or 'Compare Machine ID (vpxd.cfg vs. registry)'.

  • Errors in /var/log/vmware/applmgmt/PatchRunner.log indicate:

    patch_errors.UserError: vstats.patch.incrementalPatching.fail: Failed to apply patch: patch_04 due to: {
        "detail": [
            {
                "id": "install.ciscommon.command.errinvoke",
                "translatable": "An error occurred while invoking external command : '%(0)s'",
                "args": [
                    "Error 166 while adding user vpxd-extension-########-####-####-####-############ to SSO group \"vStatsGroup\":\ndir-cli failed, error= Specified User or Group to be added doesn't exist. 100006\n"
                ],
                "localized": "An error occurred while invoking external command : 'Error 166 while adding user vpxd-extension-########-####-####-####-############ to SSO group \"vStatsGroup\":\ndir-cli failed, error= Specified User or Group to be added doesn't exist. 100006\n'"
            }
        ],
        "componentKey": null,
        "problemId": null,
        "resolution": null
    }, 5, {
        "detail": [
            {
                "id": "install.ciscommon.command.errinvoke",
                "translatable": "An error occurred while invoking external command : '%(0)s'",
                "args": [
                    "Error 166 while adding user vpxd-extension-########-####-####-####-############ to SSO group \"vStatsGroup\":\ndir-cli failed, error= Specified User or Group to be added doesn't exist. 100006\n"
                ],
                "localized": "An error occurred while invoking external command : 'Error 166 while adding user vpxd-extension-########-####-####-####-############ to SSO group \"vStatsGroup\":\ndir-cli failed, error= Specified User or Group to be added doesn't exist. 100006\n'"
            }
        ],
        "componentKey": null,
        "problemId": null,
        "resolution": null
    }

  • Certificate management operations may return [Errno 8] Exec format error if binary corruption accompanies the mismatch.

Environment

  • VMware vCenter Server 7.0.x

  • VMware vCenter Server 8.0.x

Cause

The MachineGuid value stored within the local Likewise registry (vmdir service) is missing or desynchronized from the authoritative Machine ID managed by VMAFD and referenced in vpxd.cfg.

Resolution

Update the Likewise registry to match the authoritative VMAFD Machine ID.

  1. Take an offline (powered off) snapshot of the vCenter Server. If the VCSA is part of an Enhanced Linked Mode setup, take offline snapshots of all replication partners. Refer: Snapshot best practices for vCenter Server.

  2. Retrieve the active machine ID: /usr/lib/vmware-vmafd/bin/vmafd-cli get-machine-id --server-name localhost

  3. Check if the MachineGuid field exists in the registry: /opt/likewise/bin/lwregshell ls "[HKEY_THIS_MACHINE\Services\vmdir]"

    Expected output:

    root@vCenter FQDN [ ~ ]# /opt/likewise/bin/lwregshell ls "[HKEY_THIS_MACHINE\Services\vmdir]"

    [\\Services\vmdir]
     "Arguments"         REG_SZ          "/usr/lib/vmware-vmdir/sbin/vmdird -L /var/log/vmware/vmdird/vmdird.log -l 0 -f /usr/lib/vmware-    vmdir/share/config/vmdirschema.ldif"
     "Autostart"          REG_DWORD       0x00000001 (1)
     "dcAccount"          REG_SZ          "vCenter FQDN"
     "dcAccountDN"        REG_SZ          "cn=vCenter FQDN,ou=Domain Controllers,dc=vsphere,dc=local"
     "dcAccountPassword"  REG_SZ          "########"
     "DirtyShutdown"      REG_DWORD       0x00000000 (0)
     "LduGuid"            REG_SZ          "#######-####-####-####-#########"
     "MachineGuid"        REG_SZ          "#######-####-####-####-#########"
     "SiteGuid"           REG_SZ          "#######-####-####-####-#########"
     "Dependencies"       REG_SZ          "vmafd"
     "Description"        REG_SZ          "VMware Directory Service"
     "Environment"        REG_SZ          ""
     "Path"               REG_SZ          "/usr/lib/vmware-vmdir/sbin/vmdird"
     "Type"               REG_DWORD       0x00000001 (1)

    [HKEY_THIS_MACHINE\Services\vmdir\Parameters]

  4. If the MachineGuid field does not exist, add it manually using a temporary value: /opt/likewise/bin/lwregshell add_value '[HKEY_THIS_MACHINE\Services\vmdir]' MachineGuid REG_SZ 1

  5. Update the MachineGuid to the correct value obtained in Step 2: /opt/likewise/bin/lwregshell set_value '[HKEY_THIS_MACHINE\Services\vmdir]' "MachineGuid" <Correct_UUID>

  6. Restart all vCenter services: service-control --stop --all && service-control --start --all

  7. Re-run the vCenter upgrade pre-check or VDT to confirm the failure is resolved.

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