The vCenter sca.hostid value does not match the machine ID value

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

After removing a vCenter Server from Enhanced Linked Mode (ELM) by repointing it to a standalone SSO domain, the sca.hostID does not list the same value as the machine ID, which it should match.  This situation may prevent a vCenter from upgrading from 7.x to 8.x successfully.

Environment

• vSphere 7.x
• vSphere 8.x

 

Resolution

Take a snapshot of the affected vCenter, then perform the following steps to set the correct sca.hostid. and address any potential certificate issues using the vCert utility.

• Confirm the sca.hostid:
  • cat /etc/vmware/install-defaults/sca.hostid
• Confirm the machine ID:
  • /usr/lib/vmware-vmafd/bin/vmafd-cli get-machine-id --server-name localhost

 

• Set the sca.hostid with the following commands using the machine ID returned from the previous "/usr/lib/vmware-vmafd/bin/vmafd-cli get-machine-id --server-name localhost" command.
  • /opt/likewise/bin/lwregshell set_value '[HKEY_THIS_MACHINE\Services\vmdir]' "MachineGuid" <ID returned from the vmafd-cli get-machine-id command>
  • /usr/lib/vmware-vmafd/bin/vmafd-cli set-machine-id --server-name localhost --id <ID returned from the vmafd-cli get-machine-id command>

 

If an error occurs during the process, revert the vCenter to the snapshot taken prior to this change, and attempt the process again.

Additional Information

After setting the new sca.hostid, run the VCF Diagnostic Tool for vSphere on the vCenter Server to get an overall health check of the system.  If any failure messages are listed in the VDT results, contact Broadcom Support for additional assistance.

The tool can be downloaded from the Attachments section of KB article 344917:

Using the VCF Diagnostic Tool for vSphere (VDT)

 

Instructions on running the tool are listed in the "Download and Installation" section of the KB article.