Ping Gateway from VM Failed During SRM Test with "isolated network" Test Network

Products

• VMware Live Recovery

Issue/Introduction

During a Site Recovery Manager (SRM) test failover, the following symptoms may be observed:

• VMs recovered in the Test Network cannot ping the default gateway or any external IP address.
• Network connectivity tests from the test VM to production resources fail.
• vSphere Client shows the VM connected to a isolated network port group like "srmpg-XXXX"
  

Example:  

 

Environment

VMware Live Recovery

8.x

VMware Live Recovery

9.x

Cause

This behavior is by design.

When SRM performs a Recovery Plan Test, by default it creates an isolated test network to avoid any impact on the production environment.

• The Test Network is intentionally isolated from external connectivity.
• VMs connected to this isolated network cannot reach the production gateway, other subnets, or physical devices.

Resolution

If external network connectivity is required during testing, modify the SRM network mapping to use a valid (non-isolated) test network instead of the default isolated one.

Step 1. Verify Current Network Mapping

1. Open vSphere Client.
2. Navigate to Site Recovery → Recovery Plans.
3. Select the affected Recovery Plan and click Edit Recovery Plan.
4. Go to the Network Mapping section and verify that the test VM is mapped to an isolated network (typically named “Isolated Network(Auto Created )”).

Step 2. Create a Valid Test Network

If not already available:

1. Create a dedicated test port group on the DR site’s vSwitch or Distributed Switch.
2. Ensure the test network has valid routing to the desired gateway or subnet.

Step 3. Update SRM Network Mapping

1. In SRM → Network Mappings, select the affected mapping.
2. Change the Test Network from the isolated network to the valid port group created above.
3. Save the changes.

Step 4. Re-run the SRM Test Recovery

1. Run the Recovery Plan Test again.
2. Confirm that the test VMs are connected to the valid test network.
3. Ping the gateway or external address from inside the VM — the ping should now succeed.

Additional Information

• Using an isolated test network is recommended for most SRM test operations to avoid production conflicts.
• Modify the test network mapping only when external access is necessary (e.g., application validation or integration testing).
• After testing, revert the network mapping to the default isolated configuration to maintain best practices.