Incorrect Server URL displayed in Alert Notification Emails after configuring Access URL in VCF Operations

Products

• VCF Operations
• VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite)

Issue/Introduction

After adding a Virtual IP (VIP) to the System Access URL settings in VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Operations, alert notification emails begin displaying an incorrect or unexpected Server URL (e.g., <unexpected_server_URL>) instead of the configured access URL (e.g., <expected_server_URL>). Prior to setting up the Access URL, the emails correctly identified the VCF Operations Server as one of the standard operational nodes.

Environment

• Aria Operations 8.18.x
• VCF Operations 9.0.x
• External Load Balancer

Cause

Virtual IPs (VIPs) for VCF Operations are managed by external third-party load balancers rather than natively within the product. This issue typically occurs when the configured VIP utilizes a content switch IP address that is shared among multiple applications within the load balancer. Because the IP is shared, DNS records may point to multiple Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs). Consequently, the environment inadvertently resolves and injects secondary or conflicting FQDNs into the SMTP alert notifications rather than the intended VCF Operations Access URL.

Resolution

VCF Operations relies on external network configurations for VIP management, it cannot natively force the correct URL if the external routing is shared or misconfigured. To resolve this issue:

1. Engage Networking/Load-Balancer Administrators: Have your internal network team review the third-party load balancer configuration.
2. Review DNS and Content Switch Settings: Verify that the DNS records for the VIP's IP address are correctly mapped and ensure the load balancer's content switch settings are isolating the VCF Operations traffic appropriately so it does not resolve to other applications' FQDNs.
3. Reference Vendor Documentation: Ensure the load balancer is configured according to the official VMware/Broadcom guidelines for third-party load balancing to guarantee the Access URL is accurately passed to the application layer.

Additional Information

Refer:

Aria Operations Load Balancing Guide (8.18.x) - Reference the sub-sections too

Configuring VCF Operations Load Balancing (9.x) - Reference the sub-sections and nested links to vendor documentation