Unable to power on a VM using SRM test failover for a VM replication configured with vSphere replication 6.x

Products

• VMware Live Recovery
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• Unable to power on a VM using SRM test failover for a VM replication configured with vSphere Replication 6.x.
  
  2017-07-26T07:53:35.154Z error hostd[6B781B70] [Originator@6876 sub=Vmsvc.vm:/vmfs/volumes/59520d53-f2e3cceb-0936-bc305bee8ce4/ecm01/vrTestImage-GID-95b0c164-69cc-4a5a-9906-d44bf0ffa6f1/ecm01.vmx opID=B955D238-00005E9A-6e-bb-3-b8-4e-5A-e3-49-69-4a1c user=vpxuser:VSPHERE.LOCAL\Administrator] Invalid transition requested (VM_STATE_POWERING_ON -> VM_STATE_NAMESPACE_CHANGE): Invalid state
  
  2017-07-26T08:05:45.275Z warning hostd[6BF81B70] [Originator@6876 sub=Vigor.Vmsvc.vm:/vmfs/volumes/59520d53-f2e3cceb-0936-bc305bee8ce4/ecm01/vrTestImage-GID-95b0c164-69cc-4a5a-9906-d44bf0ffa6f1/ecm01.vmx opID=7AACCA70-000000F2-4ad2] Could not retrieve guest info within 10000000 microseconds.
  
  2017-07-26T08:05:45.277Z error hostd[6A240B70] [Originator@6876 sub=Vmsvc.vm:/vmfs/volumes/59520d53-f2e3cceb-0936-bc305bee8ce4/ecm01/vrTestImage-GID-95b0c164-69cc-4a5a-9906-d44bf0ffa6f1/ecm01.vmx opID=B955D238-00006385-c8-3d-a0-9-A1-f6-56-22-4c39 user=vpxuser:VSPHERE.LOCAL\Administrator] Invalid transition requested (VM_STATE_POWERING_ON -> VM_STATE_POWERING_ON): Tasks running
  
  2017-07-26T08:05:45.296Z error hostd[6B781B70] [Originator@6876 sub=Vmsvc.vm:/vmfs/volumes/59520d53-f2e3cceb-0936-bc305bee8ce4/ecm01/vrTestImage-GID-95b0c164-69cc-4a5a-9906-d44bf0ffa6f1/ecm01.vmx opID=B955D238-00006385-c8-3d-a0-9-A1-f6-56-22-4dfc user=vpxuser:VSPHERE.LOCAL\Administrator] Invalid transition requested (VM_STATE_POWERING_ON -> VM_STATE_NAMESPACE_CHANGE): Invalid state
  
  Note: The preceding log excerpts are only examples. Date, time, and environmental variables may vary depending on your environment.
• When the host is waiting for the VM to power on, no other migration or power on task for any other VM works. Only after the task gets timed out, the host responds back again.

Environment

VMware vSphere Replication 6.0.x
VMware Site Recovery Manager 6.0.x
VMware vSphere Replication 6.1.x
VMware Site Recovery Manager 6.1.x

Cause

The issue is caused by ctk files for larger vmdks over 2TB which are being protected by vSphere Replication and then by SRM. The SRM test task fails while powering on the VMs. 

 

Resolution

This is a known issue affecting VMware Site Recovery Manager 6.0 and 6.1.x.

To work around this issue, use one of these options:
 
Option 1

1. Disable CTK on the primary VM.
2. Reconfigure the Replication.
3. Re-add to the SRM PG.

 To disable ctk on the VM, complete the following steps:

1. Pause the Replication status of the VM 
2. Remove the VM from the SRM PG and RP.
3. Ensure that there are no snapshots on the source virtual machine. 

To disable CBT:

1. Power off the virtual machine.
2. Right-click the virtual machine and click Edit Settings.
3. Click the Options tab.
4. Click General under the Advanced section and then click Configuration Parameters. The Configuration Parameters dialog opens.
5. Set the ctkEnabled parameter to false for the desired SCSI disk(s).
6. Power on the source virtual machine.

        4. Enable the Replication status from vSphere Replication View to continue the replication of the virtual machine

 

Option 2
 
Use vmdk's of size less than 2TB.