Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
After upgrading VCF Operations (formerly known as Aria Operations or vRealize Operations – vROPS) to version 8.18, you may be surprised to find that the expected modern user interface may not appear. As a result, the new menu items and features introduced in version 8.18 remain inaccessible. While investigating this condition in my own environment, I discovered a Broadcom KB article describing this exact scenario but found their proposed solution was not an exact match. In this post, I will share the symptoms I observed and the approach I used to resolve the issue.
Symptoms
- When authenticating to VCF Operations with credentials brokered by VMware Identity Manager (vIDM), the legacy user interface (UI) prior to version 8.18 is presented, instead of the “modern” UI which shows menu options for Diagnostics, Subscriptions, etc.
- The “modern” UI appears for users authenticating with the local administrator account.
- Although users access VCF Operations by browsing to your Load Balanced URL (i.e., vrops.domain.local), the web browser address bar indicates the Primary Node (i.e, vropsnode01.domain.local) is serving content.
Legacy UI | Modern UI |
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Related Factors
- Your environment is configured with a Load Balancer (i.e., Avi, F5, etc.) and is configured according to Broadcom Documentation.
Research and Review of Documentation
Although Broadcom KB 377694 documents this condition, the suggested solution was not effective in my case. With the understanding that the KB will likely be updated over time, the intent of this blog post is to share how this issue was addressed in my environment, as the KB does not currently include these steps.
The KB explains that the URL structure has changed, effective with VCF Operations 8.18:
Legacy URL: https://vROPs_IP_or_FQDN/ui/
Modern URL: https://vROPs_IP_or_FQDN/vcf-operations/ui/
I noticed that when navigating to the “Modern URL” and authenticating as a vIDM SSO user, the “Modern” UI appeared as expected. However, if I simply browsed to the Load Balanced FQDN, I would still land at the “Legacy URL” and presented with the legacy UI.
This particular VCF Operations environment was deployed and upgraded using Aria Suite Lifecycle and was operating without issue prior to version 8.18. In addition, my Load Balancer configuration has not changed and still reflects the suggested configuration according to the Broadcom documentation.
The final resolution step in the KB advises to set the “System Access URL” to reflect the Primary Node URL. In my case, the Load Balanced FQDN was populated instead, but changing the value to the Primary Node URL did not seem to make a difference.
The Solution Assessment steps below were formed in partnership with Broadcom Support and validated in my environment successfully. Special thanks to Zack with the Broadcom Support Team for his assistance!
Solution Assessment
Although the Broadcom KB described our situation perfectly, the resolution steps were not a direct hit. Thanks to trial and error, we have determined that the following steps have proven effective and surprisingly straightforward:
First, ensure you have taken the necessary precautions by capturing snapshots of your VCF Operations environment.
Next, authenticate to VCF Operations using the local administrator account.
Navigate to “Administration > Global Settings > System Settings > System Access URL“.
Recall that the Broadcom KB advises setting the “System Access URL” value to the Primary Node URL. In our testing, this value should actually be the Load Balanced URL (i.e., https://vrops.domain.local). Once you type the appropriate value inside the text field, click on the “Save” button which appears directly beneath the field (it is hidden until changes are made).
Navigate to “Administration > Authentication Sources“.
Locate your VMware Identity Manager authentication source from the table presented, then click on the “three vertical dots” icon located beneath the “Add” button. Click on the “Edit” menu item.
Populate the “Username” and “Password” fields with the local administrator account for VMware Identity Manager. In many default configurations, this is the “vidmconfig” user.
The “Redirect FQDN/IP” field is likely populated with the FQDN of the Primary VCF Operations Node. Although it appears as a dropdown menu and only contains a few options, you can type whatever you wish in this field. In this case, the value must be the Load Balanced FQDN (i.e., vrops.domain.local).
This next step is important! You must click on the “Test” button – do not simply click on the “Ok” button. Once you click on the “Test” button, you will be prompted to accept a new certificate thumbprint, which does not appear if you click on the “Ok” button by itself.
Accept the new certificate thumbprint, then click on the “Ok” button to return to the “Authentication Sources” table.
Close all web browser windows or launch a new InPrivate/Incognito session, then browse to the Load Balanced URL for VCF Operations.
Authenticate as a VMware Identity Manager SSO user, as you have previously. You should now see the Modern UI! In addition, the web browser address bar should reflect the Load Balanced URL for VCF Operations, instead of the Primary Node URL!