Unable to connect or disconnect the VRMS because "existingSite" is null

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

•  After redeploying a VR appliance, the sites fail to reconnect
  
  
• Pairing a VR appliance from an existing site pair, with a VR from a 3rd site fails
  
  
• Recovery UI in opposite site may throw "Server with UUID ####### not found"
  
  UI error:
  Unable to connect or disconnect the vSphere Replication Management Server. Details: 'Cannot invoke "com.vmware.hms.remote.RemoteSiteInt._getRef()" because "existingSite" is null'
  
  hms.log
  err: Cannot invoke "com.vmware.hms.remote.RemoteSiteInt._getRef()" because "existingSite" is null; time: 157 ms
  com.vmware.vim.binding.hms.remote.fault.SitePairingFault: Cannot invoke "com.vmware.hms.remote.RemoteSiteInt._getRef()" because "existingSite" is null

Environment

VMware Live Site Recovery

Cause

If a VR appliance at any site pairing is redeployed, it will generate a new UUID. This will nolonger match with the UUID logged in the VR DB for the initial pairing.

This is why it is NOT recommend to redeploy at only one site, if paired,  you MUST redeploy at paired site OR break the site pairing.

 For best practice to not reuse same 'sitename' label in site pairs. Label the sitename uniquely.

Resolution

• Remove any/all replication jobs.
  
  
• Break the vSphere Replication Site Pair
  
  
• Reconfigure the vSphere Replication appliance's, ensuring unique 'sitename' labelling.
  
  
• Create a new Site Pair between sites.