Mixed placement vApp replications cannot be failed over in VMware Cloud Director Availability 4.x

Products

• VMware Cloud Director

Issue/Introduction

• When attempting to fail over a replication to a cloud site in VMware Cloud Director Availability (vCDA) 4.x, an error similar to the following is encountered:
  
  The disaster recovery operation cannot be performed on this vApp replication, because it contains VM replications with different placement solutions. Make sure all VM replications use the same placement solution.
  
  
• The vApp contains virtual machine replications with different placement solutions (i.e., the legacy independent disk placement and the Replication tracking placement solution).

Environment

VMware Cloud Director Availability 4.x

Cause

By design, vApps possessing replications with mixed placement solutions cannot be recovered, as discussed in Replication tracking placement solution.

Resolution

Convert the independent disk placement replications to the replication tracking placement solution, as detailed in Replication tracking placement solution, before attempting the failover.

Please note, replications using the replication tracking placement solution cannot be reverted to the independent disk placement mechanism.

If the source site is unavailable, so that the independent disk placement replications cannot be converted, the following procedure can be used to recover items for mixed placement vApps:

1. In the cloud site, log into the user interface for the replicator appliance(s).
2. Use the Emergency Recovery option to fail over the replications in the vApp that are utilizing the independent disk placement.
3. Confirm that the items have failed over successfully.
4. Remove the replications from vCDA using the primary portal user interface.
5. Fail over the vApps with the remaining replication tracking placement replications.
6. Import the VMs failed over using emergency recovery in step 2 into the newly created vApp and configure.