vApp properties are not replicated when a virtual machine is failed over via VMware Live Recovery

Products

• VMware Live Recovery

Issue/Introduction

When a virtual machine (VM) is failed over, its vApp properties are not replicated.

This issue typically occurs for appliances that require vApp properties to function correctly, such as VMware Aria Automation, VMware Aria Operations, and VMware Aria Operations for Logs.

Environment

Aria Automation 8.18.x

Aria Operations 8.18.x

Aria Operations for logs 8.x

Cause

vApp properties are a VMware vCenter Server function and are stored in the vCenter database. During replication whether array-based or vSphere Replication, virtual machines are replicated using their respective VMX files and VMDKs, which do not contain vApp property information. As a result, vApp properties cannot be replicated automatically using VMware Live Recovery.

Resolution

Perform the following steps to copy and restore the vapp properties of a virtual machine. 

1. Copying the vApp properties of a virtual machine using the vCenter UI.
   1. Log into the vCenter UI as an Administrator.
   2. Select the virtual machine that contains the vApp properties.
   3. Navigate to the Configure --> vApp Options tab.
   4. Copy the vApp options properties and values that need to be re-created on the replicated virtual machine.
2. Restoring the vApp properties of a virtual machine using the vCenter UI:
   1. Log into the vCenter UI as an Administrator.
   2. Select the virtual machine that is missing the vApp properties.
   3. Navigate to the Configure --> vApp Options tab.
   4. Check Enable vApp options.
   5. Under Authoring, expand Product and set Name
   6. Expand IP allocation and set the IP protocol to IPv4 or IPv6 (if you are using IPv6).
   7. Expand OVF settings and set the OVF environment transport to VMware Tools.
   8. Expand Properties then click on the New button to create a new property.
   9. Create all the property in accordance to the vapp properties copied from the source virtual machine.
   10. Click OK.