Troubleshooting "Failed to authenticate to HMS server" when configuring the vSphere Replication adapter in Aria Operations

Products

• VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite)

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to configure or validate the connection for a vSphere Replication adapter instance in Aria Operations, the test connection fails with the following error message: "Failed to authenticate to HMS server"

Environment

Aria Operations 8.18.x
vSphere Replication Adapter 9.0.x

Cause

This is a generic authentication and connectivity error that occurs when the Aria Operations adapter cannot successfully connect to the vSphere Replication Management server. Because this error can be triggered by several distinct underlying issues, troubleshooting requires identifying which environmental factor is blocking the connection.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, review the following scenarios and select the article that matches your specific environment or log outputs:

• Scenario 1: Network/Firewall Blockage on Port 8043 If port 8043 is not open between Aria Operations and the vSphere replication management server, communication will fail.
  Resolution: See Error "Failed to authenticate to HMS server" due to blocked port 8043 when configuring the vSphere Replication adapter in Aria Operations (KB 387044)

• Scenario 2: Certificate Trust / SSL Validation Failure If the adapter encounters a certificate validation exception (e.g., the embedded vCenter Server PSC uses an internal self-signed certificate rather than a trusted third-party CA), the SSL connection will be rejected. You may also see a "null" error when accepting the certificate.
  Resolution: See Error "Failed to authenticate to HMS server" due to untrusted SSL certificate when configuring the vSphere Replication adapter in Aria Operations (KB 420399)

• Scenario 3: Incorrect Adapter Configuration If the vSphere Replication FQDN was used instead of the vCenter Server FQDN, or if the username credential is not formulated properly (must be [email protected]).
  Resolution: See Error "Failed to authenticate to HMS server" due to incorrect FQDN or username format when configuring the vSphere Replication adapter in Aria Operations (KB 403515)