vCenter Server upgrade from 7.0 to 8.0 fails with FQDN/PNID mismatch error during Prechecks
Article ID: 438705
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
When upgrading vCenter Server from version 7.x to 8.x, the Phase 2 pre-upgrade check fails with the following error:
Error: The source appliance FQDN <VC_FQDN> must be the same as the source appliance primary network identifier <VC_PNID>
Example: The source appliance FQDN VCENTER.example.com must be the same as the source appliance primary network identifier vcenter.example.com
Additionally, the vCert Tool may report: "One or more certificates are missing the PNID from the SAN entry"
Cause
This issue is caused by a case-sensitivity mismatch between the vCenter Appliance's Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) and its Primary Network Identifier (PNID). vCenter 8.0 enforces strict case-sensitivity for these identifiers. Even if the FQDN and PNID contain the same characters, a difference in casing (e.g., all-caps vs. lowercase) will block the upgrade.
Resolution
To resolve this issue, align the FQDN casing with the PNID and ensure the Machine SSL certificate accurately reflects the PNID in its Subject Alternative Name (SAN) field.
Step 1: Align FQDN with PNID
Follow the steps in KB Article ERROR: The source appliance FQDN must be the same as the source appliance primary network identifier to update the appliance FQDN to match the exact case of the PNID.
- Connect to the vCenter Appliance via SSH.
- Retrieve the PNID value:
/usr/lib/vmware-vmafd/bin/vmafd-cli get-pnid --server-name localhost - Run the VAMI network configuration tool:
/opt/vmware/share/vami/vami_config_net - Select Option 3 (Hostname) and enter the PNID exactly as it appeared in step 2.
Step 2: Resolve Persistent vCert PNID Errors
If the vCert tool still reports a missing PNID or a case mismatch after Step 1, the hostname may need to be cycled through a placeholder to refresh the Likewise registry and underlying services using KB Article "One or more certificates are missing the PNID <vCenter_FQDN> from the SAN entry" warning when using vCert Script to check current certificate status on vCenter.
- Take a snapshot of the vCenter Server.
- Log in to the vCenter Appliance Management Interface (VAMI) at
https://<vcenter-ip>:5480. - Navigate to Networking > Network Settings > Edit.
- Change the hostname to a placeholder (e.g.,
localhost). - Reboot the vCenter Server. (Do not skip this step).
- Log back into the VAMI and update the hostname to the correct casing (e.g., all-caps vs. lowercase) FQDN/PNID.
- Reboot the vCenter Server again.
- Verify the certificate status using the vCert Tool again.
Once the FQDN and PNID are perfectly aligned and verified by vCert, retry the vCenter Server 8.0 upgrade.
Additional Information
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