Recently I signed up with VMware vCloud Air, as I want to use it as an endpoint for machines provisioned in the lab by vRealize Automation.  Before I could get to that, I need to link my vCenter to vCA, which turned out to be trickier then I first imagined…

Logon to vCenter Web Client. From the homepage, click vCloud Air. Click Install the vCloud Air plug-in, and then enter your myVMware.com details when requested.

The plugin will then install and ask you to logout and then back in.

On a Linux machine, run the following command:

echo -n | openssl s_client -connect vchs.vmware.com:443 | sed -ne '/-BEGIN CERTIFICATE-/,/-END CERTIFICATE-/p' > /tmp/vchs.vmware.com.cer

If your vCenter is the Linux-based vCSA, and you downloaded the certificate to it using the above command, use this to add the certificate to the local keystore:

/usr/java/jre-vmware/bin/keytool -alias vchs -v -keystore /usr/lib/vmware-vsphere-client/server/configuration/keystore -storepass changeit -import -file /tmp/vchs.vmware.com.cer

Type Y to import the certificate.

If your vCenter runs on Windows, copy vchs.vmware.com.cer to it and install Java. Then use the following command:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre7\bin\keytool.exe" -alias vchs -v -keystore "C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\vSphereWebClient\server\configuration\keystore" -storepass changeit -import -file C:\vchs.vmware.com.cer

Again, type Y to import the certificate.

Now you have installed the SSL certificate, you can register your vCloud Air account. If you do not do the above beforehand, you will receive the following error: