Unable to log in to vCenter web client using FQDN

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• When attempting to log in to the vCenter web client using the FQDN, the following error message is displayed:
  
  [400] An error occurred while sending an authentication request to the vCenter Single Sign-On server - An error occurred when processing meta data during vCenter Single Sign-On setup: the service provider validation failed. Verify that the server URL is correct and is in FQDN format, or that the hostname is a trusted service provider alias.
  
  
• Logging in to the vCenter web client using the IP address succeeds without issues.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 8.x

Cause

This issue occurs when vCenter is deployed with an IP address instead of an FQDN. In this situation, the PNID (Primary Network Identifier) of vCenter is set to the IP address. Consequently, both the SSL certificate information and SSO authentication are bound to the IP address, preventing users from logging in using the FQDN.

Resolution

1. Verify whether the vCenter PNID is configured as an IP address:
   
   /usr/lib/vmware-vmafd/bin/vmafd-cli get-pnid --server-name localhost
   
   

2. Change the vCenter PNID to the FQDN. For detailed steps, refer to: Reconfigure the Primary Network Identifier.