General Procedure to upgrade VMware Live Recovery(SRM) and vSphere Replication(VRMS).

Products

• VMware Live Recovery

Issue/Introduction

• This article provides general information on understanding the procedure of in-place upgrade of VMware Live Recovery and vSphere Replication till version 9.0.2
• Please check the Interoperability and upgrade path of VLSR and VRMS with other vSphere products in use.
• Interoperability: Product Interoperability Matrix
• Upgrade path:  Product Interoperability Matrix
• Please check the Interoperability of SRA (Storage Replication Adapter)version if VLSR is used with Array Based Replication.
• Interoperability: Compatibility Guide

Environment

• VMware vSphere Replication 9.0.0.1
• VMware vSphere Replication 9.0.1
• VMware vSphere Replication 9.0.2
• VMware vSphere Replication 9.0.2.3
• VMware vSphere Replication 9.0.5

Resolution

Steps to Upgrade Site Recovery Manager (VLR) / vSphere replication (VRMS) :

Pre-Conditions

1. 1. Take full back up of nodes before proceeding with upgrade.
   2. VRMS needs to be upgraded first if both VLSR and VRMS is in use.
   3. If VRMS has Addon servers, the Addon servers must be upgraded before the master or embedded node of VRMS.
   4. Download the required ISO from https://support.broadcom.com/
   5. Upload it to a datastore on VLSR/VRMS vm has access.
   6. Go to edit settings of the VLSR/VRMS vm add the CD/DVD drive pointing to required ISO.
   7. In a Web browser, log in to the VLSR/VRMS Appliance Management Interface as user admin.
   8. The URL to VLSR/VRMS Appliance Management Interface is https://ip address:5480 or https://FQDN of VLSR or VRMS:5480
   9. Click the Update tab and click Edit.
   10. Select Use CD-ROM and click OK.
   11. The appliance version appears in the list of available updates.
   12. In the Available updates pane, click Install.
   13. Accept the End-User License Agreement and click Install.
   14. Post update is completed, the appliance restarts.
   15. Login to the VLSR/VRMS Appliance Management Interface as user admin and verify the version.
   16. Click Reconfigure.
       Follow the prompts, provide the required information, and click Finish.
   17. Reconfigure VLSR: Configure the Site Recovery Manager Appliance to Connect to a vCenter Server
   18. Reconfigure VRMS: Reconfigure General vSphere Replication Settings

Additional Information

 

• • Note: VLR version 9.0.3 is been withdrawn due to technical issues and we suggest not to use. 
  • Important Update: Unified Appliance (VLR 9.0.4)
    Starting with VMware Live Recovery (VLR) 9.0.4, vSphere Replication (VR) and Site Recovery Manager (SRM) are no longer separate entities. They have been bundled together into a single, unified appliance.
    Because of this architectural change:
    You cannot perform an in-place upgrade to 9.0.4.
    You must first reach version 9.0.2.3
    Once on 9.0.2.3, you will need to converge your existing appliance into a newly deployed 9.0.4 appliance.
    Reference Guide: For a detailed walkthrough of the convergence process, please refer to Broadcom KB Steps to Converge to VMware Live Recovery Appliance 9.0.4 and Common Issues During Convergence
    
    
    • "Post-upgrade connectivity issues are often caused by hostname configuration. Ensure your appliance FQDN is entered in all-lowercase format. Mixed-Case and UPPERCASE hostnames can lead to certificate validation failures."
    • Remediation step: If you encounter 'Unreachable' status after upgrading, verify the hostname is all-FQDN and regenerate the appliance certificates.