Cannot configure a virtual machine for vSphere Enhanced Replication

Products

• VMware Live Recovery

Issue/Introduction

These error is thrown when a VM participating in an Enhanced Replication configuration is unable to replicate.

The virtual machine host does not support enhanced replication.

A replication error occurred at the vSphere Replication Server for replication X . Details: 'No connection to VR Server for virtual machine Y on host Z  in cluster  A: Unknown'.

Replication job "Not Active"

Environment

vSphere Replication 9.x 

Prerequisites

• Enhanced replications require minimum versions vSphere Replication 9.0.x, vCenter Server 8.0u2, and ESXi host 8.0u2 on the target site when the target is an on-premises SDDC.
• vSphere Replication 9.0 requires network encryption for Enhanced replications.
• Enhanced replications require TCP network connectivity on ports 31031 and 32032 from the ESXi hosts on which the replicated VMs are running to the ESXi hosts of the cluster containing the target datastore. Make sure your firewall settings are adjusted accordingly.
• Ensure timestamp is in sync with all env nodes, VR, ESXi, VC
  
   How do I reconfigure existing replications to use vSphere Replication with enhanced replication capabilities

          vSphere Replication Enhanced Replication Mappings

 

Cause

Failure to adhere to the vSphere Enhanced Replication prerequisites results is replication task configuration issues. 

Resolution

To use the enhanced replication capabilities with vSphere Replication, you must reconfigure your existing replication to use Enhanced replication mode.

• Enhanced replications require minimum versions vSphere Replication 9.0.x, vCenter Server 8.0u2, and ESXi host 8.0u2 on the target site when the target is an on-premises SDDC.
  Product Interoperability Matrix
  
  

• vSphere Enhanced Replication 9.0 requires network encryption for Enhanced replications.
  
  
  
  • Ensure the vmware-hbr-agent vib is installed and running on all ESXi hosts.
    
    Check for vib from UI
    On ESXi host>Services>Configure check for hbr-agent and hbrsrv status
    
    
    

    Check for vib from cli
    # chkconfig --list | grep -i hbr     

    # localcli software vib list | grep -i hbr
         vmware-hbrsrv                  8.0.2-0.0.22380479                    VMware  VMwareCertified   2024-01-04    host
         vmware-hbr-agent             8.0.1-0.0.21471995                    VMware  VMwareCertified   2023-07-18    host

     # localcli software vib get | grep -i hbr
     # localcli software vib list  | grep -i hbr

    
    Installing vib from vSphere Replication 8.5.0.3 onwards, the HBR Agent VIB will no longer be installed automatically on hosts managed by vLCM clusters. However, vSphere Replication will continue to install the HBR Agent VIB on all standalone hosts and hosts, which are a part of non-vLCM managed clusters. This change has been implemented to prevent vSphere Replication from interfering with vLCM’s operations. For hosts not part of vLCM clusters it will continue to use VUM to install the HBR Agent VIB.

     # localcli software vib install -v /tmp/vmware-hbr-agent-8.0.3-0.0.23167363.i386.vib  

    
    # chkconfig hbr on|off 

 

• • • Enhanced replications require TCP network connectivity on ports 31031 and 32032 from the ESXi hosts on which the replicated VMs are running to the ESXi hosts of the cluster containing the target datastore. Make sure your firewall settings are adjusted accordingly. On legacy VR tracffic goes from source ESXi to DR VR, on enhanced replication traffic goes from source ESXi to DR ESXi
      
      
      • 
        

        On source ESXi host
        # nc -z [target-ESX]  31031    
        # nc -z [target-ESX]  32032
        # openssl s_client -connect <IP>:<port>  
             
            eg:
            # openssl s_client -connect esx001b.vcf.lab:32032

        
        

         Check routeability between hosts . Run on source ESXi to target ESXi
        # traceroute [target-ESX]

• Ensure timestamps is correct on ESXi hosts. Often the NTP daemon has stopped
  

   Run a watch command on ESXi hosts and VR/VC nodes to compare timestamps

    # watch -d date -u