Dell Unity: Uemcli command failed with "Unable to validate the specified certificate" after upgrading to 5.5.0 (Customer Correctable)

• Uemcli commands running on Unity OE 5.5.0 CLI failed with error "Unable to validate the specified certificate. (Error Code:0x1000100)". 

13:23:45 service@emcunity02-2 spa:~/user# uemcli /sys/general show
Storage system address: 127.0.0.1
Storage system port: 443
HTTPS connection

Operation failed. Error code: 0x1000100
Unable to validate the specified certificate. (Error Code:0x1000100)

• Unity has 3rd party CA signed certificate imported. 
• The inability to execute uemcli commands causes pre-upgrade health checks to fail.

-------------------------------------Errors-------------------------------------
Platform: Check import session exists
The command to get server interfaces failed.
	 * Command: uemcli -noHeader -sslPolicy accept /import/session
	   show -detail
	 * Command output: Operation failed. Error code: 0x1000100 Unable to
	   validate the specified certificate. (Error Code:0x1000100)
	 
	 * Command exit code: 1
Action : Use the command output and exit code to investigate the
	 problem. Run the command manually if needed to investigate further.
	 Escalate this issue through your support organization if needed.
	 Provide this output in the escalation.

ERROR_CODE=platform::check_import_session_exists_1|Error|uemcli -noHeader -sslPolicy accept  /import/session show -detail|Operation failed. Error code: 0x1000100
 Unable to validate the specified certificate. (Error Code:0x1000100)
|1

<snip>

• Uemcli commands do not fail when running from Windows client and linux client with latest Uemcli package installed, or running on Unity CLI before OE 5.5. 

• Unity OE 5.5.0 contains a defect where the certificate validation logic fails to process intermediate certificates (non-leaf nodes) in an SSL/TLS certificate chain. This breaks secure connections, causing uemcli commands to fail. 
• The issue only occurs when the imported CA signed certificate chain contains non-leaf certificate (either intermediate CA certificates or root CA certificate or both). 
• There are 2 methods to confirm if the imported certificate chain contains the CA certificate. 

Method 1: 

Use openssl s_client -connect <Unity mgmt ip:443> -showcerts to list the certificates in the certificate chain. 

00:42:41 root@VIRT2213Y2XXXX spa:/cores/service/user# openssl s_client -connect 5.6.7.11:443 -showcerts
CONNECTED(00000003)
Can't use SSL_get_servername
depth=2 DC = lab, DC = peeps, CN = peeps-PEEPS-DC-CA
verify error:num=19:self signed certificate in certificate chain
verify return:1
depth=2 DC = lab, DC = peeps, CN = peeps-PEEPS-DC-CA
verify return:1
depth=1 DC = lab, DC = peeps, CN = peeps-WIN2022-CA
verify return:1
depth=0 C = IE, ST = Cork, L = Ovens, O = DellEMC, CN = peeps-pod1-unityvsa.peeps.lab
verify return:1
---
Certificate chain
 0 s:C = IE, ST = Cork, L = Ovens, O = DellEMC, CN = peeps-pod1-unityvsa.peeps.lab
   i:DC = lab, DC = peeps, CN = peeps-WIN2022-CA
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MIIFijCCBHKgAwIBAgITKAAAAAXARo9q7hUINgAAAAAABTANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQsF
ADBHMRMwEQYKCZImiZPyLGQBGRYDbGFiMRUwEwYKCZImiZPyLGQBGRYFcGVlcHMx
GTAXBgNVBAMTEHBlZXBzLVdJTjIwMjItQ0EwHhcNMjUwNTIwMjMxNDI3WhcNMjcw
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xWk/d17E0jdTUisdQ0ncdBL3PmYfP5gzf32yGjC0
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
 1 s:DC = lab, DC = peeps, CN = peeps-WIN2022-CA  
   i:DC = lab, DC = peeps, CN = peeps-PEEPS-DC-CA
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MIIFRTCCBC2gAwIBAgITZQAAAAiZqsv55QIu0gAAAAAACDANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQsF
ADBIMRMwEQYKCZImiZPyLGQBGRYDbGFiMRUwEwYKCZImiZPyLGQBGRYFcGVlcHMx
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v4uGI6Vvtr2MYkdSYrIrPArZJIPV1HVgQ7D4X2BVsCHTXkmQD4/BCP74mIvnuDJv
nk/i0OSBFsLB9c8/kHGGcRLJ9SJ5hFGOduHopZEMQDCEiQym5tuK1efhiEi6/38K
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Hl1nMBkGCSsGAQQBgjcUAgQMHgoAUwB1AGIAQwBBMA4GA1UdDwEB/wQEAwIBhjAP
BgNVHRMBAf8EBTADAQH/MB8GA1UdIwQYMBaAFFSCaAVg4Psk4F1W6qKsSoFube2i
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uvtahyigFeMx
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
 2 s:DC = lab, DC = peeps, CN = peeps-PEEPS-DC-CA   
   i:DC = lab, DC = peeps, CN = peeps-PEEPS-DC-CA   
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MIIDazCCAlOgAwIBAgIQcbdXPmtT24tP3mCqSRnANTANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQsFADBI
MRMwEQYKCZImiZPyLGQBGRYDbGFiMRUwEwYKCZImiZPyLGQBGRYFcGVlcHMxGjAY
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UaFgDdJFwfcudiOeqv11
-----END CERTIFICATE-----

In above case, there are 3 certificates in the certificate chain. The first certificate is the server/leaf certificate, the second one is the intermedate CA certificate, and the last one is the root CA certificate. 

Certificate chain
 0 s:C = IE, ST = Cork, L = Ovens, O = DellEMC, CN = peeps-pod1-unityvsa.peeps.lab <-- Server certificate
   i:DC = lab, DC = peeps, CN = peeps-WIN2022-CA  <-- signed by intermediate CA server peeps-WIN2022-CA
<snip>
 1 s:DC = lab, DC = peeps, CN = peeps-WIN2022-CA  <-- Intermediate CA certificate
   i:DC = lab, DC = peeps, CN = peeps-PEEPS-DC-CA  <-- Signed by root CA certificate
<snip>
 2 s:DC = lab, DC = peeps, CN = peeps-PEEPS-DC-CA   <-- Root CA certificate
   i:DC = lab, DC = peeps, CN = peeps-PEEPS-DC-CA   <-- Signed by root CA certificate itself

Method 2:

If you have the certificate file, run openssl x509 in <certificate file> -text -noout | grep -E "Issuer:|Subject:" on the certficate file to list the certificates. 

02:28:55 root@VIRT2213Y2XXXX spa:/cores/service/user# openssl crl2pkcs7 -nocrl -certfile certificate.pem | openssl pkcs7 -print_certs -text -noout | grep -E "Issuer:|Subject:"
        Issuer: DC=lab, DC=peeps, CN=peeps-WIN2022-CA
        Subject: C=IE, ST=Cork, L=Ovens, O=DellEMC, CN=peeps-pod1-unityvsa.peeps.lab
        Issuer: DC=lab, DC=peeps, CN=peeps-PEEPS-DC-CA
        Subject: DC=lab, DC=peeps, CN=peeps-WIN2022-CA
        Issuer: DC=lab, DC=peeps, CN=peeps-PEEPS-DC-CA
        Subject: DC=lab, DC=peeps, CN=peeps-PEEPS-DC-CA

Permanent fix:

• Issue is fixed in the OE 5.5.1 which was released on Jul 31, 2025. 

https://dl.dell.com/downloads/0003Y_Dell-Unity-OE-(Operating-Environment)5.5.1.0.5.025-Upgrade-file.gpg

Workaround:

• Follow KB000021122 to import a new certificate that only contains the server/leaf certificate.
• There is another code issue with the svc_custom_cert script in 5.5.0 that would cause the new certificate fail to be imported. Please follow KB000308965 to workaround the issue, the permanent fix of this issue is also included in 5.5.1. 

Dell Unity: svc_custom_cert: ERROR: Could not determine private key strength | Dell US

Please note: 

• If the Unity certificate signed by an intermediate CA and workaround is applied, customer will need to make sure the intermedaite CA certificates are installed on the client otherwise client won't be able to validate the server certificate.