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wreedctd
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Failed to run vdcpromo when attempting to add PSC to embedded controller

Hello,

I am attempting to add a external PSC to my embedded Vcenter so I can join my existing vCenter to it and then use Linked Mode.

I am following these directions:

vSphere 6.0 Documentation Center

Problem is a get a error when attempting to join the new external PSC to the embedded PSC. See attached. Any ideas?

Capture.PNG

20 Replies
wreedctd
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Here is another error that comes up after the one in the last post.Capture2.PNG

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wreedctd
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Anyone? I really need to get this going.

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wreedctd
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

No one seen this yet?

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wreedctd
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Think I might have found the problem. Look at the picture. It tired to promote it self but failed.

How do I remove the failed server? It is highlighted.

Capture2.PNG

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Mackopes
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

We just had the same issue.. did you ever get it fixed/cleaned up and ultimately reinstalled?

this 'looks' promising..

http://techbrainblog.com/2015/10/03/vcsa-6-0-installation-issues-firstboot-script-execution-error/

AK

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wreedMH
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

Yes I used update U1 install media instead of U1b and it worked fine. After I got the new PSC installed, I upgraded it to U1b

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Mackopes
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Good to know, i'm also opening up a support case... to see if VMware knows about it...

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Mackopes
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

One more question, did you just reinstall over the top, and everything was fine? or did you have to cleanup the bunk install first?

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wreedMH
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

The install would fail and rollback anything it had done to the Windows VM. I ran several of the vdcpromo removal commands to try to cleanup the new but phantom server. The command always thru a error so I dont know if they really worked, or if it just worked little to make the install pass.

I do know when I used U1 media, it worked fine and I have a happy PSC environment now.

Please post what Vmware says so I myself and others know the fix.

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Mackopes
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Cool, that's EXACTLY what we are seeing too. Trying to do the vdcleavehd commands and just getting errors trying to remove.

I'll definitely post what we find!

AK

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wreedMH
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

Its coming back to me. The command I was trying to run is vdcleavefed.

The Platform Services Controller data is not cleaned up when an installation of a Platform Services Controller fails. Consider the following scenario:

1

Install Platform Services Controller A.

2

When you try to install Platform Services Controller B and join it to the same domain as Platform Services Controller A, the installation fails.

3

Second attempt to install Platform Services Controller B and join it to the same domain as Platform Services Controller A fails, because Platform Services Controller A contains incomplete data.

1

Log in as an administrator to the machine on which you install Platform Services Controller A.

2

At the command prompt navigate to the vdcleavefed command.

The vdcleavefed command is located at C:\Program Files\VMware\vCenter Server\vmdird\ on Windows and /usr/lib/vmware-vmdir/bin/ on Linux.

3

Run the vdcleavefed command to delete the data.

vdcleavefed -h Platform-Services-Controller-B-System-Name -u Administrator

4

Install Platform Services Controller B.

Mackopes
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

So looks like your workaround of using the U1 binaries worked for us as well.

We setup a test lab 'fresh' U1b and didn't have the issue, so it must have something to do with 'upgraded' environments of some sort.

We still have our case open and I will let you know if we get a final answer.

AK

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Zsoldier
Expert
Expert

Just ran into same issue w/ 6.0 base VCSA that was upgraded to U1b through patching mechanism.

Workaround worked of installing U1 instead of U1b on PSC-B then upgrading it afterwards.

Chris Nakagaki (中垣浩一)
Blog: https://tech.zsoldier.com
Twitter: @zsoldier
iforbes
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

Thanks for the workaround! Cant believe VMware hasn't resolved this yet.

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sastre
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Thanks Zsoldier. For me it was that the primary PSC had been deployed with vCenter Server 6.0 U1b (and upgraded to U2). Attempting to install a secondary PSC with vCenter Server 6.0 U2 failed. Dropping back to U1b worked. Will have to manually upgrade it.


I guess the takeaway from this seems to be install the secondary PSC using the same version you originally used for the primary PSC, until VMware fix the issue.

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buckmaster
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Lifesaver - Thanks for sharing

Tom

Tom Miller
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jasoncain_22
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

sastre - Life saver award goes to you.

I am running several Windows external PSCs (running 6.0 U1b) and I went to add a HA pair and it failed with this obscure error. Once I read this thread, I mounted vCenter 6.0a (to match original PSC version) and that worked. Smiley Happy

Then I upgraded the PSCs to match up across the board.

Thanks for the post!

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AlexGvmware
Contributor
Contributor

Thank you, this workaround worked as a charm in this order

Once you receive the VDCpromo error and installation is interrupted

  1. On the working PSC currently pointing Vcenter that is already replicating
  2. Open Admin CMD and go to C:\Program Files\VMware\vCenter Server\vmdird\
  3. Run this command vdcleavefed -h Old-or-Bad-Platform-Services-Controller -u Administrator   **** Leave user as Administrator
  4. Delete these folders on new PSC C:\Program Files\VMware\vCenter Server and C:\ProgramData\VMware\vCenterServer
  5. Try again PSC install with VMware U1 ISO   **** Don’t use U2 this will generate the error again

After that is complete you need to repoint your Vcenter to the new PSC.... and that's it !!!!

Note: In case you have a VDP you need to reconfigure to point to the new PSC for SSO authentication

:smileycheck: Smiley Wink

Alex

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JonT
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Here was the scenario that I encountered this error, and how it was resolved. We have a two-site domain, vsphere.local, and each site has a separate Platform Services Controller (PSC) and vCenter server. All at the time were version 6.0 Update 1b.

1. I attempted to deploy a third site using the virtual appliance version, joining the existing domain. The new appliance was chosen as an integrated PSC and vCenter version. During the deployment, the configuration failed during the dcpromo operation, and I got the error "Firstboot Script Execution Error - Failed to run vdcpromo".

2. After a lot of searching, I attempted to deploy the VCSA again as a vCenter server only, using my Windows based PSC (PSC#1) as an external PSC. This failed with the error "TOO_MANY_NAMES", which basically meant that the failed registration of this name was still in the domain.

3. Searched again and found Using the cmsso command to unregister vCenter Server from Single Sign-On (2106736) | VMware KB‌. Tried to use this KB to remove the object, but it continued to give me another error, the "leave federation cleanup failed. error[13] - confidentiality required" error. I was unable to use cmsso to clean up the object.

4. Used jxplorer to check the LDAP domain, and found that under domain controllers, there was an object for the failed installation. I deleted the object from domain controllers manually, and the object disappeared from the Web Client under Administration->Configuration->Nodes. This didn't help other than remove it from the list.

5. Attempting the installation now using Windows based machines. I stood up a third external PSC, joining the domain against the first PSC (PSC#1).

6. Then I setup a new Windows machine as a vCenter server only. I pointed this new installation at PSC#3, but the installation failed again with the error "error 1 join vmdir failed".

(The ghost of the failed first VCSA install is still haunting me I think.)

7. I verified that the object was still not listed under Configuration->Nodes, so attempted to install on Windows again as a PSC and vCenter server integrated, joining the domain as a new site. This too failed with the same "error 1 join vmdir failed."

8. Stopped here, and upgraded all four existing servers from Update 1b to Update 2. This was my PSC#1 and PSC#2, and both vCenter servers. I should also mention that at no time did I use or touch my second site (PSC#2 and vCenter #2).

At this point, I had seen several online posts mention that basically reinstalling the PSC and vCenter exactly as it had been installed, before manual removal/failure, allowed it to be cleanly uninstalled.

9. With this in mind, my next installation attempt was to install a vCenter and PSC combo, just as my first installation had been using the VCSA. I chose the same PSC to join the domain with (PSC#1), used the same site name and server name as the appliance was, and got a different error. Okay at least now I am making some progress. The new error is "Error while configuring vSphere Auto Deploy Waiter: Auto Deploy register Exception".

Since 6.0 now has Auto Deploy bundled with the vCenter server for Windows, and cannot be installed separately, I figured I would try again, this time just installing a PSC with no vCenter.

10. At this point I install just a Platform Service Controller role on the server that will eventually just be vCenter, pointing it at PSC#1 again, and it joins fine with the installation completing. The failed appliance is now a functional PSC on Windows. Now I can remove the Platform Services Controller on the server by re-running the "autorun" application from the ISO, and it uninstalls cleanly.

YAY!

11. Re-run the installer, choosing only vCenter, pointed at PSC#3 for my new (3rd) site, and it installs just fine.

OK, so this was long-winded but I had attempted everything I found online, and none of it seemed to work. I had several gotcha's that were different than others had seen, but what I think happened, was that the original VCSA deployment (embedded PSC and vCenter) failed to join the Windows based domain, and so the promotion of the additional PSC failed to complete. It left the object behind, and wouldn't allow for a new installation. By rebuilding just a PSC with that name, joined to the same original PSC, it allowed it to install and finally finish the vdcpromo, using a Windows based PSC.

If there is a cleaner way to do this, I didn't find anything else to be helpful. Here were the links of basically ALL the stuff I used to try to wade through this brown river....

Using the cmsso command to unregister vCenter Server from Single Sign-On (2106736) | VMware KB

Failed to run vdcpromo when attempting to add PSC to embedded controller

https://garneyflanch.wordpress.com/2015/10/29/how-to-remove-a-vcenter-server-that-no-longer-exists-f...

https://orchestration.io/2015/04/09/decommissioning-the-vcenter-server-or-a-platform-services-contro...

Installing or Upgrading vCenter Server 6.0 with an external Platform Service Controller fails with t...

Attempting to join an Appliance-based Platform Services Controller or vCenter Server to a vSphere do...

https://techbrainblog.com/2015/10/03/vcsa-6-0-installation-issues-firstboot-script-execution-error/

https://techbrainblog.com/2015/09/29/vcsa-6-0-firstboot-script-execution-error-failed-to-run-vdcprom...

https://techbrainblog.com/2015/10/02/issues-and-errors-when-decommissioning-the-vcenter-server-or-a-...

I hope all of this can help someone else so it is less painful....

JON

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