Error: "Unable to connect to vCenter" when creating a new replications

Products

• VMware Cloud Director

Issue/Introduction

• Creating a new replication fails with the below error :
  
  Unable to connect to vCenter '########-####-####-########3217'.

• In the /opt/vmware/h4/cloud/log/cloud.log on the  source site the below error is present:
  
  

  DATE TIME ERROR - [UI-########-####-####-########0186-###4-GZ-oR-bDR-oc] [job-84] com.vmware.h4.jobengine.JobExecution : Task ########-####-####-########ca32 (WorkflowInfo{type=
'__private_sourceVmDetails', resourceType='VcdVm', resourceId='########-####-####-########509f', isPrivate=true, resourceName='null'}) has failed

  com.vmware.h4.replicator.api.exceptions.FailedToAcquireVcConnection: Unable to connect to vCenter '########-####-####-########3217'.
        at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance0(Native Method)
        at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.java:77)
        at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.java:45)
[...]

• In the /opt/vmware/h4/replicator/log/replicator.log on the  source site the below error is present:
  
  

  DATE TIME ERROR - [UI-########-####-####-########0186-##4-GZ-oR-bDR-oc-eP-PC] [https-jsse-nio-8043-exec-5] c.v.h.c.c.error.ExceptionAdvisorBase : A GET request from System@example[##.##.##.##.##] to /inventory/########-####-####-########3217/vms/vm-####75 failed.
com.vmware.h4.replicator.api.exceptions.FailedToAcquireVcConnection: Unable to connect to vCenter '########-####-####-########3217'.
        at com.vmware.h4.replicator.vc.VcConnector.acquire(VcConnector.java:355)
        at com.vmware.h4.replicator.vc.VcConnector.acquireLatest(VcConnector.java:329)
        at com.vmware.h4.replicator.vc.inventory.VcInventoryService.getVm(VcInventoryService.java:212)
  
  AND
  
  DATE TIME DEBUG - [UI-########-####-####-########0186-###4-GZ-oR-bDR-oc-eP-PC] [https-jsse-nio-8043-exec-5] com.vmware.h4.replicator.vc.VcConnector : Unable to connect to VC ########-####-####-########3217
com.vmware.vim.sso.client.exception.InternalError: Cannot sign request message
        at com.vmware.vim.sso.client.impl.SecurityTokenServiceImpl$RequestResponseProcessor.executeRoundtrip(SecurityTokenServiceImpl.java:897)
[....]

  Caused by: com.vmware.vim.sso.client.impl.exception.SignatureException: Error while creating SOAP request signature
        at com.vmware.vim.sso.client.impl.signature.WsSecuritySignatureImpl.sign(WsSecuritySignatureImpl.java:162)
        at com.vmware.vim.sso.client.impl.SecurityTokenServiceImpl$RequestResponseProcessor.executeRoundtrip(SecurityTokenServiceImpl.java:888)
        ... 134 common frames omitted
Caused by: javax.xml.crypto.dsig.XMLSignatureException: java.security.InvalidKeyException: No installed provider supports this key: sun.security.ec.ECPrivateKeyImpl
        at java.xml.crypto/org.jcp.xml.dsig.internal.dom.DOMXMLSignature.sign(DOMXMLSignature.java:424)
        at com.vmware.vim.sso.client.impl.signature.WsSecuritySignatureImpl.sign(WsSecuritySignatureImpl.java:148)
        ... 135 common frames omitted
Caused by: java.security.InvalidKeyException: No installed provider supports this key: sun.security.ec.ECPrivateKeyImpl
        at java.base/java.security.Signature$Delegate.chooseProvider(Signature.java:1303)
        at java.base/java.security.Signature$Delegate.engineInitSign(Signature.java:1373)
        at java.base/java.security.Signature.initSign(Signature.java:635)
        at java.xml.crypto/org.jcp.xml.dsig.internal.dom.DOMSignatureMethod.sign(DOMSignatureMethod.java:377)
        at java.xml.crypto/org.jcp.xml.dsig.internal.dom.DOMXMLSignature.sign(DOMXMLSignature.java:421)
        ... 136 common frames omitted

Environment

VMware Cloud Director Availability 4.7.3

Cause

A custom certificate from the Certificate Authority (CA) Let's Encrypt is used for the replicator service. Let's Encrypt CA by default issues certificates using ECDSA private keys by default.
VMware Cloud Director Availability only accept certificate using RSA key type as per documentation at Upload a CA-signed SSL certificate

Resolution

Regenerating the certificate on the replicator service with a certificate issued by  Let's Encrypt and using an RSA key type or replacing the certificate on the replicator service with a self-signed certificate.

For additional information on regenerating the certificate on the replicator visit the documentation Replace the SSL certificate of the Replicator Service.