"ERROR_TOO_MANY_NAMES" soluser_firstboot fails when joining an Appliance-based PSC or vCenter Server to a vSphere domain

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:
When deploying Appliance-based Platform Services Controller into an existing vSphere domain, you experience these symptoms:

• In the /var/log/firstboot/firstbootStatus.json file, you see entries similar to:
  
  {
  "totalSteps": 25,
  "stepsCompleted": 4,
  "stepsStarted": 4,
  "finalStatus": "failure",
  "failedSteps": "soluser_firstboot",
   
• In the /var/log/firstboot/soluser_firstboot.py_number_stderr.log file, you see entries similar to:
  
  YYYY-MM-DDT<time>Z Invoked command: ['/usr/lib/vmware-vmafd/bin/dir-cli', 'service', 'create', '--name', 'machine-unique ID', '--cert', '/etc/certs/machine/machine.crt', '--ssogroups', 'ComponentManager
  .Administrators,SystemConfiguration.Administrators', '--ssoadminrole', 'Administrator']
  YYYY-MM-DDT<time>Z RC = 68
  Stdout = Enter password for [email protected]:
  Stderr = dir-cli failed. Error 68: Possible errors:
  LDAP error: Already exists
  Win Error: Operation failed with error ERROR_TOO_MANY_NAMES (68)
  </time></time>
   
• In the /var/log/firstboot/fbInstall.json file, you see entries similar to:
  
  "An error occurred while invoking external command : 'Command: ['/usr/lib/vmware-vmafd/bin/dir-cli', 'service', 'create', '--name', 'machine-unique ID', '--cert', '/etc/certs/machine/machine.crt', '--ssogroups', 'ComponentManager.Administrators,SystemConfiguration.Administrators', '--ssoadminrole', 'Administrator']\nStderr: dir-cli failed. Error 68: Possible errors: \nLDAP error: Already exists \nWin Error: Operation failed with error ERROR_TOO_MANY_NAMES (68) \n'",

 

• The cmsso-util command may fail when removing a node with the error:
  
  Could not find a host id which maps Hostname to in Component Manager Failed!!!

Note: The preceding log excerpts are only examples. Date, time, and environmental variables may vary depending on your environment.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 7.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.5.x
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 8.0.x
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0.x

Cause

This issue occurs when the installation process is unable to overwrite an existing machine account created within the VMware Directory Service.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, unregister the failed machine using the cmsso-util command.

To unregister the failed machine:

1. Log in as root to the appliance shell of one of the available Platform Services Controller appliances within the vSphere Domain.
2. Run the shell.set --enabled true command to enable the Bash shell and log in.
3. Run the cmsso-util unregister command to unregister the failed Platform Services Controller or vCenter Server:
    

   cmsso-util unregister --node-pnid FQDN_of_failed_PSC_or_vCenter --username administrator@your_domain_name --passwd vCenter-Single-Sign-On-password
   
   Where FQDN_of_failed_PSC_or_vCenteris the FQDN or IP address of the Platform Services Controller or vCenter Server that failedto install. Ensure that this is the correct FQDN or IP address before executing.
   
   Note: After executing the command, the removal process is not recoverable. You must run this command only on one of the Platform Services Controller replication partners, as the synchronization removes the entries from all other Platform Services Controller replication partners.
    

4. After the preceding steps are executed, install Platform Services Controller or vCenter Server again.

Additional Information

• If this occurs, run this command:

 

/usr/lib/vmware-vmdir/bin/vdcleavefed -h -u [-w ]

For example:

vdcleavefed -h psc003.domain.local -u Administrator -w Passw0rd!

 

• Upon successful execution, you see output similar to:

/usr/lib/vmware-vmdir/bin/vdcleavefed -h psc4.vcloud.local -u administrator
password:
vdcleavefd offline for server psc4.vcloud.local
Leave federation cleanup done

 

• If the PSC or vCenter Server node is still active, you see this error.

/usr/lib/vmware-vmdir/bin/vdcleavefed -h psc4.vcloud.local -u administrator
password:
vdcleavefd offline for server psc4.vcloud.local
Leave federation cleanup failed. Error[1] - Operations error

Note: Shut down the vCenter Server or PSC before execution.