"Outbound plugin certificate has expired or will expire shortly" alert in Aria Operations

Products

• VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite)

Issue/Introduction

• Users may observe the following alert within the VMware Aria Operations UI:

"Outbound plugin certificate has expired or will expire shortly" (or "Outbound plugin certificate has expired or will expire with source universe")

• Upon locating the "Outbound plugin certificate has expired..." alert and checking the Symptoms or Triggering Objects, you can identify the Object name of the specific target instance.

Environment

Aria Operations 8.17.X

Aria Operations 8.18.X

Cause

This specific alert triggers when a configured outbound plugin has a destination certificate on the external target system (e.g., a ServiceNow instance) that is approaching its expiration date or has already expired. Aria Operations actively monitors this to prevent unexpected interruptions in outbound notifications and integrations.

Resolution

Step 1: Determine which specific outbound component is causing the alert.

1. Log in to Aria Operations and navigate to the Alerts tab.
2. Locate the "Outbound plugin certificate has expired..." alert and click to expand the alert details.
3. Check the Symptoms or Triggering Objects to get the Object name of the specific target instance referenced.
4. To find the exact URL for that target instance, navigate to Administration > Operations > Outbound Settings.
5. Locate the specific plugin instance (e.g., the ServiceNow plugin) in the list.
6. Click the vertical ellipsis (three dots) next to the plugin and select Edit. The link/URL for that particular external instance will be displayed there.

Step 2: Update the Certificate on the External Endpoint as Aria Operations cannot update the external certificate directly. The external team must verify and update the expiring certificate on their end following the specific vendor's documentation.

Step 3: Once the external certificate is updated, you must force Aria Operations to pull and accept the new certificate to clear the alert and restore functionality:

Note: This step must be performed ONLY AFTER the certificate has been successfully updated on the external endpoint (e.g., ServiceNow).

1. In Aria Operations, navigate to Administration > Operations > Outbound Settings.
2. Locate the affected plugin instance in the list.
3. Click the vertical ellipsis (three dots) next to the plugin and select Edit.
4. Click the Test button. Because the certificate has been updated on the endpoint side, Aria Operations will recognize the change and prompt you to accept the new certificate.
5. Click Accept to acknowledge the new certificate.
6. Click Save to apply the changes and re-establish the connection.

Additional Information

How to renew an adapter certificate or clear the Expired Certificates banner in Aria Operations

The alert "Outbound plugin certificate has expired or will expire shortly" is constantly triggering in Aria Operations.