The VMware Endpoint Certificate Store (VECS) is a local repository used to store certificates, private keys, and other certificate-related information for VMware vSphere environments. Here are some key points about VECS:
- Local Repository: VECS acts as a client-side repository for storing certificates and private keys. It is essential for managing the security of vSphere components.
- Integration with VMCA: While you can choose not to use VMware Certificate Authority (VMCA) as your certificate authority, you must still use VECS to store all vCenter certificates, keys, and related information.
- Components: VECS is part of the VMware Authentication Framework Daemon (VMAFD) and runs on every vCenter Server, Platform Services Controller (PSC) node, and management node. It holds keystores that contain certificates and keys.
- Certificate Stores: VECS includes several stores, such as:
- Machine SSL Store: Used by the reverse proxy service on every vSphere node.
- Trusted Root Store: Contains all trusted root certificates.
- Solution User Stores: Separate stores for different solution users like vpxd, vpxd-extension, and vsphere-webclient.
- Management: VECS can be managed using the
vecs-clicommand-line tool, which allows administrators to list, add, and remove certificates and keys from the various stores. - Periodic Updates: VECS periodically polls the VMware Directory Service (vmdir) for updates to the trusted root store, ensuring that the latest trusted certificates are always available.