Provisioning fails in VMware Aria Automation with error "A specified parameter was not correct: spec.identity.hostName"

Products

• VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite)

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to provision new virtual machines in VMware Aria Automation, the deployment fails. In Aria Automation deployment history, you see the following error:

A specified parameter was not correct: spec.identity.hostName

Environment

Aria Automation 8.18.1

Cause

This issue is caused by a hostname that violates vCenter Server validation requirements. This typically occurs due to:

• The VM name exceeding the maximum character limit (VM names should avoid exceeding 80 characters to ensure the resulting hostname remains within limits).

• The use of unsupported special characters in the hostname.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, ensure your naming convention adheres to the following constraints:

1. Avoid Special Characters: Ensure that hostnames do not contain special characters (such as underscores or non-alphanumeric symbols) that are prohibited by vCenter and DNS standards.

2. Manage Character Length: Avoid using more than 80 characters for VM names. Using a shorter name ensures that the hostname passed to vCenter during customization stays within the supported character limit.