Error 9881 unable to apply TNP to cluster during validation

Products

• VMware NSX

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to apply a TNP (Transport Node Profile) to an NSX cluster, the operation fails during validation with the following error message:

Error 9881: Some error has occurred

The error affects all hosts in the cluster during the validation phase. Creating additional TNPs results in the same failure. The compute manager associated with the cluster shows a "DOWN" status in the NSX Manager interface.

Steps to validate this issue:

• Check the compute manager status under SYSTEM > FABRIC > COMPUTE MANAGER in NSX Manager
• Verify if the vCenter connection shows as DOWN
• Review vCenter SSL certificate expiration dates

Environment

VMware NSX
VMware NSX-T Data Center

Cause

The issue occurs when the vCenter Machine SSL certificate has expired, causing the compute manager connection between NSX and vCenter to fail. NSX cannot fetch host hardware information required for TNP validation when the secure communication channel is broken due to certificate expiration.

Resolution

Before proceeding with certificate replacement:

1. Take a snapshot of the vCenter Server
2. Set DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler) to Manual mode

Replace the expired vCenter SSL certificate:

Replace the expired certificate using one of these methods:

• Option 1 (Recommended): Use the vCert utility following the procedures in vCert: Scripted vCenter expired certificate replacement
• Option 2: Use the Certificate Manager following the procedures in VMware Certificate Manager for replacing certificates

Update NSX Manager configuration:

After certificate replacement, update the NSX Manager with the new certificate information:

1. Navigate to SYSTEM > FABRIC > COMPUTE MANAGER in NSX Manager
2. Edit the vCenter entry showing DOWN status
3. Update the SHA 256 thumbprint with the new certificate details

Note: For additional troubleshooting if the compute manager connection remains down after certificate replacement, see After the vCenter Server certificate is replaced, the compute manager connection is "Down" in the NSX UI

Note: If certificate replacement encounters issues, contact Broadcom Support's vCenter team for assistance, as NSX support cannot provide vCenter certificate replacement support.

If the error persists after following these steps, contact Broadcom Support for further assistance.

Additional Information

Related articles:

• Error 9881: Unable to fetch host hardware information
• Creating and managing Broadcom support cases
• Uploading files to cases on the Broadcom Support Portal