Scheduled File-Based Backup fails to start on vCenter server

Products

VMware vCenter Server VMware vCenter Server 8.0

Issue/Introduction

Schedule file-based backup job fails to start or trigger on vCenter server.
Manual file-based backups complete successfully via the vCenter Appliance Management Interface (VAMI).
Attempts to configure or edit a backup in the VAMI return the error: _Path not exported by the remote filesystem._

In /var/log/vmware/applmgmt/backupScheduler.log, the following authentication errors are observed:

ERROR: Failed to get HOK token with error SoapException: faultcode: ns0:FailedAuthentication 
faultstring: Password of the user logging on is expired. :: User account expired: 
{Name: vmware-applmgmtservice-########-####-####-####-############, Domain: vsphere.local}

In /var/log/vmware/sso/vmware-identity-sts.log , the service account is blocked with LDAP error 49:

WARNING: LoginBlocked DN (cn=vmware-applmgmtservice-...,dc=vsphere,dc=local), error (9239)(Account access blocked)
ERROR: Bind Request Failed (127.0.0.1) error 49: Method: SASL

Cause

The root cause is the expiration of the vmware-applmgmtservice service account password.

Technical Context

Account Type: This is an internal Single Sign-On (SSO) Service Principal. It is not a standard local OS account or a visible SSO user in the vSphere Client UI.
Default Policy: By default, this service account password expires every 90 days.
Defect: Under normal conditions, the vCenter backup scheduler should automatically reset this password upon expiration. However, in affected versions, a software defect prevents the scheduler from performing this reset, leading to persistent "Invalid Credentials" (LDAP 49) errors.

Resolution

This issue is resolved in vCenter Server 8.0 Update 3h (Build 25092719). It is recommended to update to this version or higher to ensure the applmgmt service account password resets automatically as intended.

Workaround

If an immediate upgrade is not possible, the service account state can be cleared by restarting the Appliance Management Service:

Option 1: Using the VAMI (Web UI)

Log in to the vCenter Appliance Management Interface: https://<vCenter-FQDN>:5480 as root.
Click on the Services tab.
Locate the VMware Appliance Management Service (applmgmt) and click Restart.

Option 2: Using the Command Line (SSH)

Log in to the vCenter Server Appliance via SSH as root.
Run the following command to restart the service:

service-control --restart applmgmt

After the restart, the scheduled backup should trigger successfully at the next interval.

Additional Information

Release Notes Reference: The fix for this issue is documented in the vCenter Server 8.0 Update 3h Release Notes.

Details: When the applmgmt service password expires, the password does not reset and scheduled backups of vCenter fail. This issue is resolved in this release. The fix ensures the system resets the applmgmt service password for scheduled backups upon expiration.