Error: "sso.fault.InternalFault" when configuring VMware Live Recovery or vSphere Replication appliances
search cancel

Error: "sso.fault.InternalFault" when configuring VMware Live Recovery or vSphere Replication appliances

book

Article ID: 404218

calendar_today

Updated On:

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

  • The vcenter servers are in enhanced linked mode

  • Site Recovery Manager (SRM) or vSphere Replication (VR) appliance status reports as Not Configured.

  • Site Recovery client reports: Unable to retrieve pairs from extension server

  • Attempts to reconfigure the vSphere Replication or SRM appliance fail with: sso.fault.InternalFault or Failed to register VRMS or "Failed Host 'vc_hostname' could not be contacted."

Operation Failed Host 'vc_hostname' could not be contacted.
Operation ID: e70dedc0-8b9e-45a0-add3-bfdc26a1d165

 

  • Appliance logs (drconfig.log) contain:

    2025-07-11T11:19:09.330+05:30 error drconfig[01176] [SRM@6876 sub=ConfigureVrmsOp opID=e6e28641-aa40-4864-8825-bbc61837a636-configure:29d2] command:
    ................................
    --> stderr:
    --> /usr/lib/python3.10/getpass.py:91: GetPassWarning: Can not control echo on the terminal.
    --> Unhandled exception
    --> (sso.fault.InternalFault) 
    2025-07-11T11:19:09.331+05:30 error drconfig[01176] [SRM@6876 sub=ConfigureVrmsOp opID=e6e28641-aa40-4864-8825-bbc61837a636-configure:29d2] Operation failed
    --> (vmodl.fault.SystemError) {
    -->    faultCause = (vmodl.MethodFault) null,
    -->    faultMessage = <unset>,
    -->    reason = "Failed to register VRMS."
    -->    msg = ""
    --> }

2025-07-11T11:14:47.470+05:30 warning drconfig[24595] [SRM@6876 sub=SupportBundleRequestHandler.HmsHealthHandler opID=812ec3ad] HMS Health err output:
--> com.vmware.jvsl.sso.SsoException: com.vmware.vim.sso.client.exception.AuthenticationFailedException: Provided credentials are not valid.
--> Caused by: com.vmware.vim.sso.client.exception.AuthenticationFailedException: Provided credentials are not valid.

  • Validating the vmware-dr.log, an authentication failure regarding the Secure Token Service (STS) is recorded:

2026-08-15T06:41:41.542+01:00 verbose vmware-dr[01741] [SRM@6876 sub=IO.Connection] Attempting connection; <resolver p:0x00007f02d8016f00, 'vc_hostname:443', next:<TCP '###.##.###.## : 443'>>, last e: 0(Success)
2026-08-15T06:41:41.570+01:00 error vmware-dr[01746] [SRM@6876 sub=LocalSite.LocalStsServer.ConnHandler] Unable to retrieve token from STS:
--> N9SsoClient27InvalidCredentialsExceptionE Authentication failed: Invalid credentials

2026-08-15T06:42:40.631+01:00 panic vmware-dr[01738] [SRM@6876 sub=Default] Application error: N7Vmacore9ExceptionE Failed to connect to remote services on ["vc_hostname"]
--> [context]zKq7AVECAAQAACoIZgERdm13YXJlLWRyAAD9BVBsaWJ2bWFjb3JlLnNvAADy/CQA/HwiAMrzGwFQewJ2bXdhcmUtZHIAATHwCwFhyAwCLsUJbGliZHItYXV0aG9yaXphdGlvbi5zbwABArALAYOFDAHulgsBIUQDASvJDAMmZgtsaWJkci12bWFjb3JlLnNvAAGA+gIECn8CbGliYy5zby42AAHt/AI=[/context]
--> [backtrace begin] product: VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager, version: 9.0.0, build: build-23463978, tag: vmware-dr, cpu: x86_64, os: linux, buildType: release
--> backtrace[00] libvmacore.so[0x005005FD]
--> backtrace[01] libvmacore.so[0x0024FCF2]: Vmacore::System::Stacktrace::CaptureWork(unsigned int)
--> backtrace[02] libvmacore.so[0x00227CFC]: Vmacore::System::SystemFactory::CreateQuickBacktrace(Vmacore::Ref<Vmacore::System::Backtrace>&)
--> backtrace[03] libvmacore.so[0x001BF3CA]: Vmacore::Throwable::Throwable(std::__cxx11::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>, std::allocator<char> > const&)
--> backtrace[04] vmware-dr[0x00027B50]
--> backtrace[05] vmware-dr[0x000BF031]
--> backtrace[06] vmware-dr[0x000CC861]
--> backtrace[07] libdr-authorization.so[0x0009C52E]: Dr::Authorize::EntityWithPermissionsLifetimeMixin::_Activate(bool)
--> backtrace[08] vmware-dr[0x000BB002]
--> backtrace[09] vmware-dr[0x000C8583]
--> backtrace[10] vmware-dr[0x000B96EE]
--> backtrace[11] vmware-dr[0x00034421]
--> backtrace[12] vmware-dr[0x000CC92B]
--> backtrace[13] libdr-vmacore.so[0x000B6626]: Dr::DrApp::Run(std::function<int ()> const&)
--> backtrace[14] vmware-dr[0x0002FA80]
--> backtrace[15] libc.so.6[0x00027F0A]
--> backtrace[16] vmware-dr[0x0002FCED]
--> [backtrace end]

  • Verifying the vCenter vmware-identity-sts.log, invalid credentials are confirmed for the Site Recovery Manager solution user:

2026-08-17T03:16:04.423Z WARN sts[50:tomcat-http--4] [CorId=3b6c6603-d6b5-40d3-a429-ec3a13849821] [com.vmware.identity.interop.ldap.LdapErrorChecker] Error received by LDAP client: com.vmware.identity.interop.ldap.OpenLdapClientLibrary, error code: 49
2026-08-17T03:16:04.423Z WARN sts[50:tomcat-http--4] [CorId=3b6c6603-d6b5-40d3-a429-ec3a13849821] [com.vmware.identity.idm.server.ServerUtils] cannot bind connection: [ldap://vc_hostname:389, SRM-404eabe4-8111-4e37-906e-#########@vsphere.local]
2026-08-17T03:16:04.423Z ERROR sts[50:tomcat-http--4] [CorId=3b6c6603-d6b5-40d3-a429-ec3a13849821] [com.vmware.identity.idm.server.ServerUtils] cannot establish ldap connection with URI: [ldap://vc_hostname:389] because [Invalid credentials] therefore will not attempt to use any secondary URIs
2026-08-17T03:16:04.431Z ERROR sts[50:tomcat-http--4] [CorId=3b6c6603-d6b5-40d3-a429-ec3a13849821] [com.vmware.identity.idm.server.IdentityManager] Failed to authenticate principal [[email protected]]. Login failed
javax.security.auth.login.LoginException: Login failed
        at com.vmware.identity.idm.server.provider.vmwdirectory.VMwareDirectoryProvider.authenticate(VMwareDirectoryProvider.java:428) ~[libvmware-identity-idm-server.jar:?]

Environment

  • vSphere Replication 9.x
  • VMware Live Recovery 9.x

Cause

  • The VMware Directory Service (vmdir) on the vCenter Server has entered a "Read only" state. This prevents solution users (like the SRM or VRMS service accounts) from updating their credentials or state, leading to authentication and connectivity failures.
  • vCenter vmdird-syslog.log contains: Error (LDAP_UNWILLING_TO_PERFORM(53)) Message (Server in read-only mode)

2025-07-11T06:00:02 err vmdird t@139743522182912: VmDirSendLdapResult: Request (Modify), Error (LDAP_UNWILLING_TO_PERFORM(53)), Message (Server in read-only mode), (0) socket (127.0.0.1)

  • The vmdird state reports Read-only

/usr/lib/vmware-vmdir/bin/vdcadmintool

Please select:
0. exit
1. Test LDAP connectivity
2. Force start replication cycle
3. Reset account password
4. Set log level and mask
5. Set vmdir state
6. Get vmdir state
7. Get vmdir log level and mask

6

VmDir State is - Read only

Resolution

  1. Follow the detailed repair procedure outlined in Broadcom KB: Fix PSC/vmdir inconsistencies using fixpsc python script
  2. Reconfigure the Appliance

Additional Information

  • If you require further assistance, please Contact Support. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on your respective region.
Powered by Wolken Software