Error: "Invalid or inaccessible datastore" when configuring replications

Products

• VMware Cloud Director

Issue/Introduction

• Configuring a new replication fails in Cloud Director Availability, and you see the error:
  
  Invalid or inaccessible datastore


• In the /opt/vmware/h4/cloud/log/cloud.log file on the destination site, you see a similar entry:
  

  DATE TIME DEBUG - [UI-########-####-####-##########-##-##] [job-81] com.vmware.h4.cloud.service.RtVmService  : Unable to find datastore datastore-#### at vc ########-####-####-############
DATE TIME ERROR - [UI-########-####-####-##########-##-##] [job-81] com.vmware.h4.jobengine.JobExecution     : Task ########-####-####-############ (WorkflowInfo{type='start', resourceType='vmReplication', resourceId='C4-########-####-####-############', isPrivate=false, resourceName='null'}) has failed com.vmware.h4.replicator.api.exceptions.DatastoreFault: Invalid or inaccessible datastore.


• In the /opt/vmware/h4/replicator/log/replicator.log file on destination site, you see a similar entry:
  
  

  DATE TIME ERROR - [UI-########-####-####-##########-##-##-##-##] [https-jsse-nio-8043-exec-7] c.v.vim.sso.client.impl.SoapBindingImpl  : SOAP fault com.sun.xml.ws.fault.ServerSOAPFaultException: Client received SOAP Fault from server: EndTime: DATE TIME GMT YEAR is not after startTime: DATE TIME GMT YEAR Please see the server log to find more detail regarding exact cause of the failure.

  AND
  

  DATE TIME WARN - [UI-########-####-####-##########-##-##-##-##] [https-jsse-nio-8043-exec-7] c.v.h.r.vc.inventory.VcInventoryService  : Couldn't talk to VC ServiceEndpoint{serviceId='########-####-####-############', instanceId='########-####-####-############', uri=https://example.com:443/sdk, certs=[[
[
  Version: V3
  Subject: C=Country, CN=example.com
  Signature Algorithm: SHA256withRSA, OID = 1.2.840.113549.1.1.11
[….]
com.vmware.vim.sso.client.exception.InternalError: Failed trying to retrieve token: ns0:RequestFailed: EndTime: DATE TIME GMT YEAR is not after startTime: DATE TIME GMT YEAR

Environment

VMware Cloud Director Availability 4.7.3

Cause

The replicator certificate has expired.

To check the certificate on the replicator:

1. In a browser, navigate to vCloud Availability Replicator FQDN/IP.
2. Log in to the Replicator Management Portal with root user credentials.
3. In the left pane under Configuration, click Settings.
4. Under Appliance settings, next to Certificate you have the information about the certificate expiring date

Resolution

When the certificate of the Replicator Service expires, you must replace it with the new self-signed or CA-signed certificate as per documentation at Replace the SSL certificate of the Replicator Service.