VCF Operations 9.0 registration fails with "This activation code is not valid" or Reporting Mode errors

Products

• VMware Cloud Foundation
• VCF Operations

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to register or switch reporting modes in a VCF Operations 9.0 environment, one or more of the following occurs:
1. UI Error: "Switching the reporting mode failed. Check your Internet connection."
2. Activation Error: "This activation code is not valid" when attempting to apply a code from the Broadcom Business Services Console.
3. Portal Error: "This usage file is invalid. The VCF operations instance is not found under the current tenant" during manual usage file uploads.
4. Log Signature: Internal connectivity tests using telnet may succeed on port 443, but curl tests against eapi.broadcom.com fail with name resolution or certificate errors.

Environment

VCF 9.x
VCF Operations 9.x

Cause

The issue is caused by the absence of DNS server entries in the VCF Operations appliance network configuration.
VCF 9.x utilizes a subscription-based licensing model where the VCF Operations appliance must resolve and communicate with vcf.broadcom.com and eapi.broadcom.com on port 443. If DNS was omitted during the initial OVF/OVA deployment, the appliance cannot reach the Broadcom APIs to validate tokens or register its identity under the customer's tenant.

Resolution

Manually configure the DNS settings on the VCF Operations appliance to enable communication with Broadcom licensing endpoints.

Step 1: Update Appliance Network Configuration

1. Log in to the VCF Operations VM console as the root user.
2. Open the network configuration file for editing: vi /etc/systemd/network/10-eth0.network
3. Locate the [Network] section and append your valid DNS server(s): 

[Network]
Address=###.###.#.##/##  # Replace with your actual
IPGateway=###.###.#.#    # Replace with your actual Gateway
DNS=#.#.#.#              # Replace with your primary DNS
DNS=#.#.#.#              # Replace with your secondary DNS

     4. Save and close the file (:wq).

Step 2: Restart Services

1. Restart the network service to apply the new DNS settings: systemctl restart systemd-networkd
2. (Optional) Restart the VCF Operations services or reboot the appliance to ensure the licensing plugin picks up the new network stack.

Step 3: Verify and Activate

1. Verify the appliance can now resolve the Broadcom endpoints: curl -v https://eapi.broadcom.com/vcf/generateToken
2. In the VCF Operations UI, navigate to License Management > Registration.
3. Retry the "Switch to connected" action. If the previous token has expired, generate a new activation code from the Business Services Console and apply it via the Actions > Enter Activation Code menu.