Group import from the LDAP configuration in Aria Operations fails with the error: 'Unable to search the user groups. [LDAP: error code 12 - Unavailable Critical Extension]'

Products

• VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite)

Issue/Introduction

Group import from the LDAP configuration in Aria Operations fails with the error: 'Unable to search the user groups. [LDAP: error code 12 - Unavailable Critical Extension]'

analytics.log
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2025-06-09T06:39:14,352+0000 WARN  [ServerConnection on port 10000 Thread 515]  com.vmware.vcops.auth.server.UserAuthenticationServer.testLdapConnection - Test unsuccessful for ldap: <ip_address> NamingException: LDAP response read timed out, timeout used: 15000 ms.
2025-06-09T06:39:57,587+0000 ERROR [ServerConnection on port 10000 Thread 517]  com.vmware.vcops.auth.server.UserAuthenticationServer.searchLdapUserGroup - AuthException while performing search operation for ldap: LDAP
com.vmware.vcops.auth.exception.AuthException: Unable to search for usergroups. [LDAP: error code 12 - Unavailable Critical Extension]
        at com.vmware.vcops.auth.server.ldap.LdapQueryHelper.searchGroupWithFilter(LdapQueryHelper.java:213) ~[vcops-auth-server-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar:?]
        at com.vmware.vcops.auth.server.UserAuthenticationServer.searchLdapUserGroup(UserAuthenticationServer.java:4063) ~[vcops-auth-server-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar:?]
        at com.vmware.vcops.auth.server.UserAuthenticationServer.searchLdapUserGroupBasic(UserAuthenticationServer.java:4138) ~[vcops-auth-server-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar:?]
        at jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method) ~[?:?]
        at jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source) ~[?:?]
        at jdk.internal.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source) ~[?:?]
        at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Unknown Source) ~[?:?]

025-06-09T06:42:04,783+0000 ERROR [DistTaskSync-xxxxx-xxxx-xxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxx]  com.vmware.vcops.auth.server.ldap.Sync.run - Groups sync for ldap: LDAP failed: Unable to fetch users in usergroups. Reason: LDAP response read timed out, timeout used: 15000 ms.
com.vmware.vcops.auth.exception.AuthException: Unable to fetch users in usergroups. Reason: LDAP response read timed out, timeout used: 15000 ms.
        at com.vmware.vcops.auth.server.ldap.LdapQueryHelper.getUsersInGroups(LdapQueryHelper.java:280) ~[vcops-auth-server-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar:?]
        at com.vmware.vcops.auth.server.ldap.Sync.fetchLatestGroups(Sync.java:512) ~[vcops-auth-server-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar:?]
        at com.vmware.vcops.auth.server.ldap.Sync.doSyncWithRetry(Sync.java:105) ~[vcops-auth-server-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar:?]
        at com.vmware.vcops.auth.server.ldap.Sync.run(Sync.java:83) ~[vcops-auth-server-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar:?]
        at com.vmware.vcops.platform.distributedtask.DistributedTaskExecutor$TaskProcessorThread.run(DistributedTaskExecutor.java:576) ~[alive_platform.jar:?]
        at com.integrien.alive.common.util.BaseThread$BaseThreadRunnable.run(BaseThread.java:177) ~[vrops-adapters-sdk.jar:?]
        at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source) ~[?:?]
Caused by: javax.naming.NamingException: LDAP response read timed out, timeout used: 15000 ms.
        at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapRequest.getReplyBer(Unknown Source) ~[?:?]

Environment

Aria Operations 8.18.x

Cause

This cause of this issue is outside scope of Aria Operations & its originating from the LDAP server (Directory service).

Resolution

• Make sure the initial configuration and test connection for the auth source is healthy from the UI.
  Administration > Control panel > Authentication Sources
• Further isolation and investigation is needed from LDAP server to resolve this issue.