"Remove the smart card login before proceeding" pre-check error message during VCF 9.0 upgrade

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

During vCenter Server upgrade to VCF 9.0, an administrator will get the following pre-check error message to remove the SmartCard Authentication:

Please remove the smart card login before proceeding https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article?articleId=372920

 

Environment

VCF 9.0
vCenter Server 7.x
vCenter Server 8.x

Cause

VCF 9.0 removes the support for the Smart Card authentication method in the vCenter Server. 

Resolution

Before upgrading to VCF 9.0, an existing vCenter Server Appliance from an older version must have this authentication method disabled. The vCenter Server administrator must manually disable the Smart Card authentication and ensure alternative authentication. Customers can use MFA through federated authentication. See here for more information on Configuring vCenter Server Identity Provider Federation.

Follow below steps to disable Smart Card authentication.

• Log in with the vSphere Client to the vCenter Server.
• Specify the user name and password for [email protected] or another member of the vCenter Single Sign-On Administrators group.
• Navigate to the Configuration UI
• From the Home menu, select Administration.
• Under Single Sign On, click Configuration.
• Under the Identity Provider tab, click Smart Card Authentication
• Under the Trusted CA certificates tab:
  • For each Smart Card trusted CA certificate, click REMOVE.
• Click Edit in the top right corner.
• Deselect the Enable Smart Card authentication method and click Save.
• SSH to the vCenter Server and delete the Smart Card certificates from /usr/lib/vmware-sso/vmware-sts/conf directory on vCenter Server.