Linking vCenter Servers using cmsso-util fails with error Pre-checks failed - Error communicating to the remote server, java.net.UnknownHostException.

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• Configuring linked mode using cmsso-util on vCenter Server fails with error Pre-checks failed:
  
  License Pre-Check             … Done
Starting Authz Data export    … Failed
Conflict data, if any, can be found under /storage/domain-data/Conflict*.json
Pre-checks failed.
  
  
• Domain repoint logs shows entries as below:

/var/log/vmware/cloudvm/cmsso_util.log

  YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.##Z INFO cmsso_util Failed executing <cis.component_data.DcComponentsPreCheck object at 0x7f69b6b132b0>
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.##Z ERROR cmsso_util Failed to run pre-checks for domain consolidation.
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.##Z INFO cmsso_util Cleaning up the temp directories

/var/log/vmware/cloudvm/domain_consolidator.log

  YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.###Z INFO domain_consolidator Starting Authz Data export
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.###Z INFO domain_consolidator RC = 1
Stderr = Picked up JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS: -Xms32M -Xmx128M -Dcom.sun.org.apache.xml.internal.security.ignoreLineBreaks=true     -Dorg.apache.xml.security.ignoreLineBreaks=true
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.Exception: QueryClient creation failed for <VC_FQDN>. Check 'domain_data_export.log'
        at com.vmware.vim.dataservices.ExportAuthzData.main(ExportAuthzData.java:235)
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.###Z INFO domain_consolidator Export of authz failed

  /var/log/vmware/cloudvm/domain_data_export.log

  DD.MM.YYYY HH:MM:SS, ### [main [] DEBUG com.vmware.vim.sso.client.impl.SoapBindingImpl  opId=]- WS provider 'com.sun.xml.internal.ws.spi.ProviderImpl' configured with SSL. Socket factory property is 'com.sun.xml.internal.ws.transport.https.client.SSLSocketFactory'
DD.MM.YYYY HH:MM:SS, ### [main [] ERROR com.vmware.vim.sso.client.impl.SoapBindingImpl  opId=]- Error communicating to the remote server https://<VC_FQDN>/sts/STSService/vsphere.local
com.sun.xml.internal.ws.client.ClientTransportException: HTTP transport error: java.net.UnknownHostException: <VC_FQDN>
        at com.sun.xml.internal.ws.transport.http.client.HttpClientTransport.getOutput(HttpClientTransport.java:117) ~[?:1.8.0_452]
Caused by: java.net.UnknownHostException: <VC_FQDN>
DD.MM.YYYY HH:MM:SS, ### [main [] INFO  com.vmware.vim.dataservices.ExportImportUtils  opId=]- Caught unknown exception at getBearerToken Error communicating to the remote server https://<VC_FQDN>/sts/STSService/vsphere.local
DD.MM.YYYY HH:MM:SS, ### [main [] DEBUG com.vmware.vim.dataservices.ExportImportUtils  opId=]- Cannot obtain SAML token for User:[email protected]
DD.MM.YYYY HH:MM:SS, ### [main [] ERROR com.vmware.vim.dataservices.ExportImportUtils  opId=]- Exception while creating Query Client. Message: null
DD.MM.YYYY HH:MM:SS, ### [main [] ERROR com.vmware.vim.dataservices.ExportAuthzData  opId=]- QueryClient creation failed for VC: ASHCL-SN-VCENTER.secnet.local. Please check the logs.

Environment

• vCenter Server 8.x

Cause

• This issue is caused when the vCenter FQDN used in the domain repoint is not matching with the PNID of the replication partner vCenter Server and the PNID is not DNS resolvable from the source vCenter where the cmsso-util command was executed.
• This can be confirmed by performing nslookup command for the VC_FQDN shown in the log file /var/log/vmware/cloudvm/domain_data_export.log.

com.sun.xml.internal.ws.client.ClientTransportException: HTTP transport error: java.net.UnknownHostException: <VC_FQDN>

Resolution

Make sure DNS record exist for the replication partner vCenter Server for creating ELM (Enhanced Linked Mode) and the FQDN is reachable from the source vCenter Server.