Error: "vCenter Single Sign-On server failed to connect to or failed to authenticate to the service at the specified URL"

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• WebClient shows below error message when tries to edit the Identity Source configuration
  The vCenter Single Sign-On server failed to connect to or failed to authenticate to the service at the specified URL
• Unable to edit an LDAP identity source with a primary and secondary LDAP server configured when the primary LDAP server goes offline (is down)
• WebClient log will show below error message:
  [YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS] [ERROR] http-bio-9090-exec-4171 70120929 100959 200696 com.vmware.vsphere.client.sso.admin.SsoMutationProvider apply(ManagedObjectReference, IdentitySourceSpec) com.vmware.vsphere.client.sso.admin.exception.SsoBackendException: The vCenter Single Sign-On server failed to connect to or failed to authenticate to the service at the specified URL
           at com.vmware.vsphere.client.sso.admin.exception.TypedExceptionTransformer.transform(TypedExceptionTransformer.java:102)
           at
  Log location:
  Windows vCenter Server - %ProgramData%\VMware\vCenterServer\logs\vsphere-client\logs\vsphere_client_virgo.log
  VCSA - /var/log/vmware/vsphere-client/logs/vsphere_client_virgo.log
• Identity Manager log will show below error message:
  [YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS] vsphere.local 0b9776db-####-####-####-##########9a WARN ] [LdapErrorChecker] Error received by LDAP client: com.vmware.identity.interop.ldap.WinLdapClientLibrary, error code: 81
  [YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS] vsphere.local 0b9776db-####-####-####-##########9a ERROR] [WinLdapClientLibrary] Failed ldap_bind_s().
  com.vmware.identity.interop.ldap.ServerDownLdapException: Server Down
  LDAP error [code: 81]
          at com.vmware.identity.interop.ldap.LdapErrorChecker$43.RaiseLdapError(LdapErrorChecker.java:599)
          at com.vmware.identity.interop.ldap.LdapErrorChecker.CheckError(LdapErrorChecker.java:826)
          at com.vmware.identity.interop.ldap.WinLdapClientLibrary.CheckError(WinLdapClientLibrary.java:804)
          at com.vmware.identity.interop.ldap.WinLdapClientLibrary.ldap_bind_s(WinLdapClientLibrary.java:293)
  
  Log location:
  Windows vCenter Server - %ProgramData%\VMware\vCenterServer\logs\sso\vmware-sts-idmd.log
  VCSA - /var/log/vmware/sso/vmware-sts-idmd.log

Resolution

This issue is resolved in:

• VMware vCenter Server 6.0 Update 3c available at Broadcom Downloads
• VMware vCenter Server 6.5 Update 1d available at Broadcom Downloads

Workaround:

Remove and re-add the Identity Source with correct URLs

1. Login to Webclient
2. Click on Home -> Administration
3. Click on Configuration -> Identity Sources
4. Select Identity Source and Click on Delete button
5. Recreate the Identity Source with the correct LDAP Server information, follow VMware Doc Article in Related Information

Additional Information

Add a vCenter Single Sign-On Identity Source:

• vCenter Server 6.5: Add a vCenter Single Sign-On Identity Source in vCenter Server 6.5
• vCenter Server 6.0: Add a vCenter Single Sign-On Identity Source in vCenter Server 6.0