Remove vCenterHA option fails with generic error "Cannot destroy VCHA on local node"

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vCenter Server 8.0

Issue/Introduction

• vCenter-HA UI interface shows invlaid VCHA configuration "vCenter HA has invalid configuration. Remove vCenter HA to destroy the current cluster configuration and set up vCenter HA again"
• "Remove vCenter HA" option fails with "A general system error occurred: Cannot destroy VCHA on local node"
• Similar failure while removing/destroying vCenter HA via CLI  (vcha-destroy -f)
• vCenter Server log (/var/log/vmware/vpxd/vpxd.log) shows below error messages:

<Date & Time> info vpxd[52549] [Originator@6876 sub=vpxLro opID=########-10351-auto-7zk-h5:########] com.vmware.vcenter.vcha.cluster.undeploy: taskId task-2342383:a9de6f5f-9840-4538-adcc-59e185dd6540
.
.
.
<Date & Time> error vpxd[62975] [Originator@6876 sub=vpxUtil opID=########-10351-auto-7zk-h5:########] System command failed; '/bin/sudo', args: [/bin/sudo_py_vmw_path_wrapper.sh,/usr/lib/vmware-vcha/scripts/executeCmd.py,/usr/bin/python /usr/lib/vmware-vcha/scripts/destroyVcha.py -q], exit code: 1
--> stdout: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS  YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS  RC = 6
--> Stdout =
--> Stderr = userdel: user 'vcha' does not exist
-->
--> Traceback (most recent call last):
-->   File "/usr/lib/vmware-vcha/scripts/destroyVcha.py", line 421, in <module>
-->     main()
-->   File "/usr/lib/vmware-vcha/scripts/destroyVcha.py", line 386, in main
-->     revokeCertificates()
-->   File "/usr/lib/vmware-vcha/scripts/destroyVcha.py", line 293, in revokeCertificates
-->     for it in os.scandir(vchaSslDir):
--> FileNotFoundError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/etc/vmware-vcha/ssl'
-->
-->
--> stderr:
<Date & Time> info vpxd[62975] [Originator@6876 sub=FailoverClusterOperator opID=########-10351-auto-7zk-h5:########] com.vmware.vcenter.vcha.cluster.undeploy Request:
--> Spec: {
-->     "force_delete": false,
-->     "vc_spec": null,
-->     "vms": null
--> }
<Date & Time> error vpxd[62975] [Originator@6876 sub=vpxLro opID=########-10351-auto-7zk-h5:########] [VpxLRO] Unexpected Exception: N5Vmomi5Fault11SystemError9ExceptionE(Fault cause: vmodl.fault.SystemError
--> )
--> [context]zKq7AVECAQAAAPONbgETdnB4ZAAAowFTbGlidm1hY29yZS5zbwAA/gdCAB8vQwCMiUqBw30cAXZweGQAgY9+HAGBcWspAoGZbykCgZMmKgKBUy8qAoGwoIACgfuwgAKB78N/AoHemoACAATcNwAXNTgAu/9QArCOAGxpYnB0aHJlYWQuc28uMAAD7/oPbGliYy5zby42AA==[/context]
<Date & Time> error vpxd[62975] [Originator@6876 sub=FailoverClusterOperator opID=########-10351-auto-7zk-h5:########] Exception: N5Vmomi11MethodFault9ExceptionE(Fault cause: vmodl.fault.SystemError
--> )
--> [context]zKq7AVECAQAAAPONbgEPdnB4ZAAAowFTbGlidm1hY29yZS5zbwAA/gdCAB8vQwCMiUqB0GIrAnZweGQAga6hgAKBz6SAAoE/sYACge/DfwKB3pqAAgAE3DcAFzU4ALv/UAKwjgBsaWJwdGhyZWFkLnNvLjAAA+/6D2xpYmMuc28uNgA=[/context]
<Date & Time> info vpxd[62975] [Originator@6876 sub=vpxLro opID=########-10351-auto-7zk-h5:########] [VpxLRO] -- FINISH task-2342383
<Date & Time> error vpxd[62975] [Originator@6876 sub=Default opID=########-10351-auto-7zk-h5:########] [VpxLRO] -- ERROR task-2342383 --  -- Datacenters -- com.vmware.vcenter.vcha.cluster.undeploy: :vmodl.fault.SystemError
--> Result:
--> (vmodl.fault.SystemError) {
-->    faultCause = (vmodl.MethodFault) null,
-->    faultMessage = <unset>,
-->    reason = "Cannot destroy VCHA on local node"
-->    msg = ""
--> }
--> Args:

Environment

vCenter Server 7.x

vCenter Server 8.x

Cause

Due to a previous invalid VCHA configuration. 

Resolution

1. Take a snapshot of the vCenter Server.
2. Create SSL directory under /etc/vmware-vcha/
mkdir -p /etc/vmware-vcha/ssl
3. Set appropriate permissions for the SSL directory:
   chown vpxd:root /etc/vmware-vcha/ssl
4. Remove invalid vCenter HA configuration