"java.lang.NullPointerException" when viewing vApp details or performing backups in Cloud Director

Products

• VMware Cloud Director

Issue/Introduction

• In the VMware Cloud Director (VCD) Tenant Portal, viewing vApp details or performing backup operations fails.
• The GUI displays an "Internal Server Error" or "java.lang.NullPointerException".
• In vcloud-container-debug.log, the following stack trace is observed: com.vmware.vcloud.api.presentation.service.impl.VAppServiceAdapterImpl.lambda$createVmSpecs$14(VAppServiceAdapterImpl.java:####)

Environment

VMware Cloud Director 10.x

Cause

This issue occurs due to a synchronization mismatch between the vCenter Server inventory and the Cloud Director database. Stale storage policy, network profile references or orphaned ISO images attached to VMs within the vApp prevent VCD from correctly generating the VM specifications.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, perform the following steps to resynchronize the inventory:

1. Reconnect the vCenter Server:
   • Log in to the Provider Portal.
   • Navigate to Resources > Infrastructure Resources > vCenter Server Instances.
   • Select the affected vCenter and click Reconnect.
2. Toggle Storage and Network Policies:
   • Navigate to the affected Organization VDC.
   • Temporarily disable and then re-enable the storage policies and network profiles associated with the vApp. 
     
     Note: Toggling Storage policy and/or Network may trigger storage vMotion as vSphere level.
3. Unmanage and Re-import affected VMs (if symptoms persist):
   • If a specific VM continues to show an "Unknown" state, follow the steps in How to remove a virtual machine from Management in Cloud Director to safely remove and re-import the VM.

Additional Information

• KB 320519: "java.lang.NullPointerException" error when deploying VM
• KB 320484: How to remove a virtual machine from Management in Cloud Director