VMware Aria Operations reverts to Evaluation Mode when vCenter Adapter collection is stopped

Products

• VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite)

Issue/Introduction

In VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) or VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) environments, VMware Aria Operations may incorrectly revert to Evaluation Mode and display a licensing countdown banner. This behavior is specifically observed when the collection for one or more vCenter adapter instances is manually stopped.

Following symptoms are observed on Aria Operations:

• Aria Operations displays "Evaluation Mode" despite having a valid VCF Solution License assigned in vCenter.
• The "Collection Status" for vCenter adapters is set to Stopped.
• Licensing status in Aria Operations shows "Not Licensed" for the affected vCenter objects.

Environment

VMware Aria Operations (formerly vRealize Operations) 8.18.x, 9.x

Cause

Aria Operations 8.x utilize a dynamic licensing mechanism that "fetches" entitlement metadata from the vCenter Server via the vSphere 8 Enterprise Plus for VCF/VVF Solution Key.

When an adapter is in a Stopped state, the communication thread responsible for license verification is terminated. Because the Aria Operations instance can no longer verify the VCF entitlement from the vCenter, it defaults to its internal Evaluation period to maintain service availability, albeit with a countdown.

Resolution

To prevent the system from reverting to Evaluation Mode during planned downtime or troubleshooting, do not use the "Stop" function. Instead, place the adapter into Maintenance Mode. Unlike the "Stopped" state, Maintenance Mode keeps the adapter's configuration and license metadata active in the system cache. It pauses metric ingestion to save resources but maintains the "Licensed" status by preserving the last successful entitlement check.

Steps to use Maintenance Mode:

1. Log in to the VMware Aria Operations UI as an administrator.

2. Navigate to Administration > Integrations > Accounts.

3. Select the vCenter Adapter instance that needs to be paused.

4. Click Take Offline / Maintenance Mode.

5. When the task is complete, the "Collection Status" will show as In Maintenance.

To restore collection:

1. Select the adapter in the Accounts menu.

2. Click Bring Online / End Maintenance Mode.

3. Verification: Click Validate Connection within the adapter settings to force an immediate license refresh.