"Unable to get the Host Fingerprint, verify ESXi host connectivity or credentials or SSH access" error when trying to commission ESXi host from the SDDC Manager UI

Products

• VMware SDDC Manager

Issue/Introduction

• The ESXi host commission in SDDC Manager UI fails with error : "Unable to get the Host Fingerprint, verify ESXi host connectivity or credentials or SSH access"
• The SSH service on the host automatically terminates after the failure of the above task.
• On SDDC Manager, in /var/log/vmware/vcf/operationsmanager/operationsmanager.log, the below error messages are seen:
   
  

  YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS DEBUG [vcf_om,################,####][c.v.e.s.c.util.LocalProcessService,http-nio-###.#.#.#-####-exec-8] Output:
  YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS DEBUG [vcf_om, ################,#### [c.v.e.s.c.util.LocalProcessService,http-nio-###.#.#.#-####-exec-8] Error Output: /etc/ssh/ssh_config: line 20: Bad configuration option: permitrootlogin /etc/ssh/ssh_config: terminating, 1 bad configuration options
  YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS DEBUG [vcf om,################,####] [c.v.evo.sddc.common.util.SshKeyScan,http-nio-###.#.#.#-####-exec-8] Fail to get host key for HOST_FQDN:22 with host key algorithms rsa-sha2-512, rsa-sha2-256
  YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS ERROR[vcf om, ################,####] [c.v.e.sddc.common.util.SshKeyHelper,http-nio-###.#.#.#-####-exec-8] Failed to get SSH Host key type rsa for host: HOST_FQDN
  YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS INFO [vcf om, ################,####] [c.v.e.s.c.c.v.esx.EsxCommandExecutor,http-nio-###.#.#.#-####-exec-8] Stopped SSH service on HOST_FQDN
  YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS ERROR[vct_om,################,##### [c.v.v.h.c.s.i.CommissionHostsSpecValidator,http-nio-###.#.#.#-####-exec-8 Failed to get Host SSH Fingerprint for Host: HOST_FQDN

Environment

VMware Cloud Foundation 5.x

Cause

The parameter "PermitRootLogin" was added to the /etc/ssh/ssh_config file which is not a part of the default SSH configuration. 

Resolution

• Take a snapshot of the SDDC manager virtual machine. 
• SSH to SDDC manager with vcf and su to root
• Edit the /etc/ssh/ssh_config file.
• Comment out the parameter "PermitRootLogin" and and save the changes.
• Restart the sshd service using the below command.
  • systemctl restart sshd
• Start the SSH service on the ESXi host and proceed to commission the host from the SDDC Manager UI.