When you change the host name of the vCenter Server Appliance, a lookup service error appears when you restart the appliance.

Problem

After you change the host name of the vCenter Server Appliance, the following error appears when you restart the appliance: Failed to connect to VMware Lookup Service. SSL certificate verification failed.

Cause

You must update the vCenter Server certificate with the new host name.

Solution
1

Log in to the vCenter Server Appliance Web interface.

2

Click the Network tab and click Address.

3

Change the host name and click Save Settings.

You cannot change the host name if the appliance uses DHCP to obtain an address.

4

Click the Admin tab and click Toggle certificate setting.

vCenter Server generates new certificates for systems that use default certificates. For systems that use custom certificates, you must regenerate the certificates manually.

5

Click the System tab and click Reboot to restart the vCenter Server Appliance.

You must restart the appliance, not just the services running on the appliance.

What to do next

If you use custom certificates, manually generate the certificates as described in the vSphere Security documentation.