Failed download /etc/passwd on password operations in VCF 5.x for NSX Edges

Products

• VMware SDDC Manager / VCF Installer

Issue/Introduction

"Failed download /etc/passwd"  and failed to authenticate with the Guest Operating System error is seen when remediating API and AUDIT users in NSX 4.x

Additionally when you remediate the ROOT password - this fails on "failed to authenticate with the Guest OS"

Environment

VCF 5.x

Cause

This /etc/passwd error is expected when the ROOT credentials are not in sync with SDDC Manager. The SDDC Manager needs to login as ROOT to download the /etc/passwd file to change the API/AUDIT passwords. 

Which means the ROOT password needs to be remediated first.

However if the ROOT password is 123 on SDDC and the password was modified on NSX to 456 using passwd. The remediate will still fail for ROOT  in SDDC Manager with the  new (456) updated password - "failed to authenticate with the Guest OS"

This is because the root password hasnt fully changed in NSX despite using passwd command. 

Resolution

• Set the ROOT password on the EDGE using passwd root, through the VM console logged in as ROOT to match the lookup_passwords ROOT password.
• From SDDC Manager - run UPDATE on the passwords page and provide a new password for ROOT
• Once ROOT password is in sync/the UPDATE operation is successful, remediate passwords for API/AUDIT as needed