Vcenter Cloud is down with error "OBJECT REFERENCE IS EMPTY"

Products

• VMware Avi Load Balancer

Issue/Introduction

• Vcenter Cloud is down with error "OBJECT REFERENCE IS EMPTY"

Additionally, the cloud status may randomly change to red, and the error "OBJECT REFERENCE IS EMPTY" appears. The issue is related to discrepancies between the data center name in VMware vCenter and Avi.

• When attempting to edit or save the cloud in VMware vCenter/vSphere, you may encounter the following error message:

   

  {'object_uuid': ['This field cannot be blank.']}
  
  
  
  
  
  

 

Cause

• In vCenter, the Data Center is named datacenter.
  
  

 

• In Avi, the Data Center is also shown as Datacenter.

 

This issue occurs because Avi Controller does not support the renaming of the data center in vCenter. If the name of the data center in vCenter and Avi are not identical, it can lead to synchronization issues, which causes the cloud status to show as down and triggers errors like "OBJECT REFERENCE IS EMPTY."

Resolution

Resolution:

• Verify Data Center Name Consistency:

  • Ensure that the name of the Data Center in VMware vCenter exactly matches the name in Avi.
  • If the Data Center name in vCenter has been changed, revert it back to the original name (case sensitive)

• Check for Avi Version Compatibility:

  • Avi Version 22.1.x: Does not support renaming Data Centers in vCenter.
  • Avi Version 30.2.1 and newer: Supports the ability to change the data center name in VCenter. For more details refer to the article: https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-security-load-balancing/avi-load-balancer/avi-load-balancer/30-2/configuring-avi-cloud-connector.html 

• Restart the Cloud Connector

  • If the issue persists after ensuring name consistency, restart the cloud connector to clear any residual issues. Use the following command in the CLI
    

    systemctl restart cloudconnectorgo.service

Conclusion: To resolve the "OBJECT REFERENCE IS EMPTY" error, ensure that the Data Center name in vCenter and Avi are the same. If changes to the Data Center name in vCenter are unavoidable, ensure both systems are synchronized to prevent cloud status errors and other related issues.