Errors "Failed to ssh connect peer node x.x.x.x" and "sshConnect Authentication (publickey) failed" while configuring vCenter HA

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• Unable to configure vCenter Server 6.5 HA in Advanced option.
• Configuration tab fails with error similar to:
  
  Failed to ssh connect peer node x.x.x.x


• In /var/log/vmware/vcha/sshConnect.log file, you see the error similar to:
  
  

  [YYYY:MM:DDTHH:MM:SS] INFO sshConnect Authentication (publickey) failed.

  [YYYY:MM:DDTHH:MM:SS] WARNING sshConnect retry attempt 0: Authentication failed., not retrying

  [YYYY:MM:DDTHH:MM:SS] INFO sshConnect Starting ssh connect to X.X.X.X

  [YYYY:MM:DDTHH:MM:SS] INFO sshConnect Retry attempt 0

  [YYYY:MM:DDTHH:MM:SS] INFO sshConnect Connected (version 2.0, client OpenSSH_7.1)

  [YYYY:MM:DDTHH:MM:SS] INFO sshConnect Auth banner:
  
  

• In the /var/log/vmware/vpxd file, you see error similar to:
  
  [YYYY:MM:DDTHH:MM:SS] info vpxd[7FC49E0C1700] [Originator@6876 sub=Default opID=FlowBasedWizard-apply-20853-ngc-a3] [VpxLRO] -- ERROR task-145 -- FailoverClusterConfigurator -- vim.vcha.FailoverClusterConfigurator.configure: vmodl.fault.SystemError:
--> Result:
--> (vmodl.fault.SystemError) {
--> faultCause = (vmodl.MethodFault) null,
--> faultMessage = <unset>,
--> reason = "Failed to ssh connect peer node X.X.X.X"
--> msg = ""
--> }
--> Args:
-->
--> Arg configSpec:
--> (vim.vcha.FailoverClusterConfigurator.VchaClusterConfigSpec) {
--> passiveIp = "X.X.X.X",
--> witnessIp = "X.X.X.X"
--> }
[YYYY:MM:DDTHH:MM:SS] info vpxd[7FC49E8D1700] [Originator@6876 sub=vpxLro opID=dam-auto-generated: GenerationNumbersMonitor:dr-407:01-4b] [VpxLRO] -- BEGIN lro-3739 -- ResourceModel -- cis.data.provider.ResourceModel.query -- 52d4a0a1-c4e8-8573-c841-f7feec904e88(5253238b-fb05-6ebb-7181-aad5f7e24ff7)

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

Cause

This issue occurs if you do not follow the order to start the clone of Active node to create Passive and Witness VM.

There could be other possible causes for these errors. For example : Networking is not set up correctly etc,.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, when using the Advanced option, strictly follow the order to start the clone of Active node to create Passive and Witness VMs only after wizard reaches a certain point and asks user to start the clone operation.

If you did not follow that order and had already cloned for the passive and witness nodes before reaching that point in wizard, you could be in a situation where keys on Passive and Witness VM will not be present. As a result, you will run into ssh connect error.