NSX ALB Signed Certificates and TKGm Installation Gotcha

The Problem

I recently replaced the self-signed NSX-ALB certificates with a CA-signed (Microsoft CA) certificate, which caused a new unanticipated issue with TKGm deployment.

The TKGm installer wizard was complaining about the certificate validity. I knew there was nothing wrong with the certificate validity on NSX ALB because it was replaced just a few hours ago. Nonetheless, I double-checked the certificate expiration date, which is set to 2024.

After some jiggling, I investigated the bootstrap machine CLI terminal, where I issued the tanzu management-cluster create command, and spotted the main problem right away.

This is the error shown in the CLI.

Since the certificate is not signed by a Public CA, the bootstrapper machine has no idea about the CA server who signed this cert. I’d seen this problem before, so I knew I needed to import the CA Server root certificate into the Trust Store of my bootstrap machine’s operating system (Photon OS in my lab).

The Fix

Upload your CA Server root certificate to the photon machine and run the below commands to fix the issue.

Close the current TKGm installer session and begin the installation process again. The certificate validity error has been rectified, and the ALB connection is reported as verified.

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