When you want to replicate Platform Services Controller data, you might not be able to join a vCenter Single Sign-On domain in an existing Platform Services Controller.

Problem

When you try to install a Platform Services Controller, either embedded or external, and join the Platform Services Controller to a vCenter Single Sign-On domain or site, the installation might fail and the failure might leave incomplete data in the Platform Services Controller federation.

Cause

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.

Solution

  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.