vSphere Replication fails with Error: "Virtual machine is in an invalid state during SRM Reprotect"

Products

• VMware Live Recovery

Issue/Introduction

• vSphere Replication of a virtual machine fails
• Reprotect task fails for a virtual machine protected by vSphere Replication
• In the vSphere Client, you see the error:

vSphere Replication operation error: Virtual machine is in an invalid state.

• The reprotect task fails at 89%

Environment

VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager 5.1.x

Cause

As part of the reprotect workflow, Site Recovery Manager (SRM) reconfigures replication in the reverse direction. This causes an initial sync to begin automatically. In the last step of the reprotect operation, SRM initiates another sync task to ensure that the virtual machine is successfully replicating. This task fails if the initial sync is still in progress.

Resolution

This error can safely be ignored and no action is required. SRM monitors the sync task that is already in progress and reports that the reprotect is successful after the task is completed.

 

You can monitor the sync task progress from the command line:

1. Log in to the host running the virtual machine using SSH. 
2. Run this command to obtain the virtual machine vmid:
   
   # vim-cmd vmsvc/getallvms | grep –i vmname
   
   
3. Run this command to monitor replication state using the vmid obtained in Step 2:
   
   # vim-cmd hbrsvc/vmreplica.getState vmid