Error: Timed out waiting for VMware Tools after 300 seconds during SRM Bubble Test

Products

• VMware Live Recovery

Issue/Introduction

This article addresses the error "Timed out waiting for VMware Tools after 300 seconds" encountered during a VMware Live Site Recovery (SRM) Test Recovery plan (Bubble Test).

• An SRM Test Recovery plan fails during execution.
• The error message appears: Timed out waiting for VMware Tools after 300 seconds.
• Subsequent operation timeouts (e.g., 900 seconds) are exceeded due to this delay.

Environment

• VMware Live Site Recovery (all versions)
• VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF)

Cause

This issue occurs when guest operating system network settings are customized as part of recovery, but the VM fails to report a stabilized heartbeat within the default 300-second window. Heavy consolidated loads, particularly with high-I/O virtual machines (e.g., database servers), can cause storage and synchronization contention that delays VMware Tools initialization.

Resolution

Apply the following steps to virtual machines experiencing the error:

1. Log in to the vSphere Client.
2. Navigate to Site Recovery > Recovery Plans.
3. Right-click the affected virtual machine in the recovery plan and select Configure.
4. Go to Startup Action > Power On > Wait for VMware tools.
5. Increase the value from the default 5 minutes (300 seconds) to 15 minutes (900 seconds).
6. Alternatively, uncheck Wait for VMware tools if IP customization is not required for that specific VM.
   • Note: IP Customization will not be applied if this option is unchecked.
7. Segregate high-I/O database systems and standard application servers into discrete Protection Groups and Recovery Plans to reduce simultaneous resource contention.
8. Re-run the recovery plan.

Additional Information

• Configure Virtual Machine Startup and Shutdown Options
• To speak with a customer representative or a Support Engineer see Contact Support. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on your respective region.