The vCenter Server has Unknown Node health status and Incorrect Name under the Administration > System Configuration page

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vCenter Server 8.0

Issue/Introduction

Log in to the vCenter Server vSphere Web Client.

Select Administration > System Configuration.

Node Health, Version, and Uptime appear as "Unknown".

Node name is incorrectly displayed.

The affected vCenter Server PNID matches the hostname.

Note: The node name is shown as vcsa1.example.com instead of the correct name vcsa2.example.com.

Environment

• vCenter 7.0.x
• vCenter 8.0.x

Cause

After a vCenter Server rename, the sAMAccountName for the node in the vCenter vmdir database is not updated.

Examples of issue: 

• The vCenter Server with the FQDN '<vCenter1>' has its sAMAccountName value listed as '<VCENTER1>' 
• The vCenter Server's FQDN was updated to '<vCenter_2>', but the sAMAccountName value is still listed as '<vCenter2>'

Resolution

Pre-requisites

• Take offline snapshots of all the linked vCenter Servers before performing the steps below.
  • See 'VMware vCenter in Enhanced Linked Mode pre-changes snapshot (online or offline) best practice (85662)'

Steps to resolve the issue

• Open an SSH session to the vCenter server and log in as the root user. 

• Ensure that the vmdir service is in Normal (3) state and not in any other state. If the vCenter server is in linked mode, the vmdir state should be Normal (3) in all the vCenter Servers.
• To validate the vmdird state, execute the following command.
  
  • /usr/lib/vmware-vmafd/bin/dir-cli state get
• Navigate to the vCenter Server's root folder
  • cd /root/
• Create an LDIF file using the vi editor
  • vi updatesamaccountname.ldif
• Press the i key to go to insert mode in the vi editor.
• Copy the below lines and paste them into the file.

dn: cn=<vCenter_fqdn>,ou=Domain Controllers,dc=vsphere,dc=local
changetype: modify
replace: sAMAccountName
sAMAccountName: <vCenter_fqdn>

Note: Please enter the correct hostname in the <vCenter_fqdn> field. If the local SSO domain is not vsphere.local, please modify the entries file to match the correct local SSO domain.

• Press the escape key and type :wq! and hit enter to save and exit the vi editor.
• Then run the below command:
  • ldapmodify -h localhost -p 389 -D "cn=Administrator,cn=Users,dc=vsphere,dc=local" -w <Administrator_password> -v -f updatesamaccountname.ldif

Note:  If the local SSO domain is not vsphere.local, please modify the above command to match the correct local SSO domain.

• Restart the vCenter services by running the following command.
  • service-control --stop --all && service-control --start --all

Note: If the vCenter Server is in linked mode, please restart the services on all the linked vCenter Servers.

Additional Information

Content Library Advanced options spin indefinitely and System Configuration Health shows as Unknown in Enhanced Linked Mode.