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Part 7 – Upgrading SRM/VRMS from 9.0 to 9.0.2

By Ash Thomas #

As documented in Broadcom KB 372690, you will face the issue SRM/vRMS client plug-in for vCenter shows in failed status as you move your version to 9.0.1.

It is a best practice to upgrade the Site Recovery Manager components before the vCenter Server components.

When planning a vSphere 8 upgrade, addressing compatibility for associated VMware products is essential to ensure a seamless transition. VMware Live Recovery (formerly Site Recovery Manager) and vSphere Replication are tightly integrated with vSphere infrastructure, making their upgrade a crucial step before upgrading vCenter or ESXi.

Here’s how I tackled the process of upgrading from SRM 9.0 and vSphere Replication to prepare for vSphere 8 as we hit the issue that v 9.0 is not anymore compatible.

Why Upgrade These Products First?

VMware Live Recovery and vSphere Replication rely on specific vSphere APIs to function. Without upgrading them to versions compatible with vSphere 8, critical disaster recovery workflows could break. Upgrading these tools ensures everything continues to work as expected post-vSphere upgrade.

Lab Topology Overview for VMware Live Recovery and vSphere Replication Upgrade

To prepare for a seamless upgrade to vSphere 8, it’s essential to ensure our lab environment is fully aligned with VMware’s compatibility requirements. Below is an overview of our current lab topology, highlighting both the Protected and Recovery Sites.

Protected Site Configuration

  • vCenter Server: vCenter 8.0 U3
  • Disaster Recovery Manager: Site Recovery Manager (SRM) Virtual Appliance 9.0
  • Replication Solution: vSphere Replication Appliance 9.0
  • vSAN 8

Recovery Site Configuration

  • vCenter Server: vCenter 8.0 U1
  • Disaster Recovery Manager: Site Recovery Manager (SRM) Virtual Appliance 9.0
  • Replication Solution: vSphere Replication Appliance 9.0
  • No vSAN

Pre-Upgrade Checklist for VMware Live Recovery (SRM) and vSphere Replication

Before starting the upgrade process, it’s critical to verify that your SRM environment is in a healthy state. Follow this checklist to ensure smooth transition and disaster recovery consistency:

Verify Recovery Plans and Protection Groups

Confirm that the protection status of all individual virtual machines within the protection groups is OK.

Pending Cleanup Operations:

Confirm there are no pending cleanup operations on any recovery plans. Incomplete cleanup tasks can cause issues during the upgrade.

Recovery Plans:

Ensure all recovery plans are in the Ready state.

Protection Groups:

Verify the protection status of all protection groups is OK.

Check that the recovery status of all protection groups is Ready.

Product Interoperability Matrix

Back Up the Embedded vPostgres Database

Access the SRM Virtual Appliance and switch to root user

Run the Backup Command:

# the default user name for the database is srmdb. The database name is srmdb
/opt/vmware/vpostgres/current/bin/pg_dump -Fc --username=srmdb > srm_backup_file_Nov24.sql

Transfer the backup file to a secure location using SCP

# scp /path/to/backup/srm_db_backup.sql user@backup-server:/backup-location/
scp srm_backup_file_Nov24.sql vcfadmin@172.16.11.10:/NFS-2

Take a snapshot of the SRM appliances to ensure you can quickly revert to a previous state if needed.
Then use the Export/Import SRM Configuration Tool within SRM to back up your configuration. Simply click Export, and you’ll be prompted to download the configuration backup to your local machine.

During the upgrade, SRM does not retain any advanced settings configured in the previous installation. Be sure to document any custom settings, such as timeouts or other modifications, before starting the process.

Important: Protection groups and recovery plans that are not in a valid state will not be preserved during the upgrade, so ensure they are fully functional beforehand!

Order of Upgrading vSphere and Site Recovery Manager Components

 It is a best practice to upgrade the Site Recovery Manager components before the vCenter Server components.

  1. Upgrade the vSphere Replication appliance on the protected site.
  2. Upgrade Site Recovery Manager Server on the protected site.
  3. Upgrade the vSphere Replication appliance on the recovery site.
  4. Upgrade Site Recovery Manager Server on the recovery site.

Mount the VRMS 9.2 ISO to the appliance you are going to upgrade first, and log into the VRMS VAMI. Browse to the update section and edit the update source to be CD-ROM. Click the option Install to upgrader version to 9.2.

Providing you are in an appropriate window to take your SRM solution offline, have no recoveries in progress and have checked the list of important steps above, hit install and follow the prompts.

Once the upgrade is complete, log back into the SRM VAMI. You will see a prompt to reconfigure the connection to vCenter/PSC.

Hit the ‘RECONFIGURE’ button and follow the wizard to reconnect to your vCenter and PSC

Once complete, refresh your browser and log back in. You will now see your successfully upgraded SRM appliance running 9 and connected to your vCenter/PSC.

Sometimes clearing your browser cache is needed should you get oddities…

Now repeat the process for your partner SRM appliance.

Once complete, you should now have two upgrade SRM appliances!

[root@vcf-esx01:/opt] esxcli software vib list | grep hbr
[root@vcf-esx01:/opt] esxcli software vib list | grep hbr

vmware-hbr-agent 8.0.3-0.0.23167363 VMware VMwareCertified 2024-11-22 host
[root@vcf-esx01:/opt]
[root@vcf-esx01:/opt] esxcli software vib list | grep hbr
vmware-hbr-agent 8.0.3-0.0.24143343 VMware VMwareCertified 2024-11-23 host
[root@vcf-esx01:/opt] exit

t@vcf-esx303:~] esxcli software vib remove –vibname=vmware-hbr-agent

References

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By Ash Thomas

Ash Thomas is a seasoned IT professional with extensive experience as a technical expert, complemented by a keen interest in blockchain technology.

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