Aria Operations Cloud Proxy Deployment Fails Due to Network MTU Limitations

Products

• VMware Aria Operations (formerly vRealize Operations) 8.x

Issue/Introduction

The Aria Operations Cloud Proxy VM fails to complete its deployment. During the initial setup phase, the appliance remains in a "Connecting" state and never successfully joins the Aria Operations cluster.

Environment

Aria Operations 8.18.x

Cause

This issue is caused by a Network Path MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) limitation. If there are encapsulated tunnels or specific network constraints in the path between the Cloud Proxy and the Aria Operations cluster, packets using the standard MTU of 1500 may be fragmented or dropped. This prevents the secure handshake required for the Cloud Proxy to register.Because the initial registration token (One-Time Key or OTK) often expires or becomes locked out after repeated failed connection attempts due to this network drop, you must deploy a fresh appliance rather than attempting to fix the failed one.

Resolution

To work around the underlying network limitation and successfully connect the Cloud Proxy, you must reduce the appliance's MTU during a fresh deployment. Follow these steps:

1. Clean Up Previous Attempts: Delete the existing, failed Cloud Proxy VM from the vCenter inventory.

2. Generate a New Key: Navigate to the Aria Operations user interface and generate a new One-Time Key (OTK) for the Cloud Proxy.

3. Redeploy: Deploy a new Cloud Proxy VM using the OVA template and insert the newly generated OTK during the setup prompt.

4. Access the Console: Immediately after powering on the VM—while it is still in the connecting/boot phase—open the VM Web Console from vCenter and log in as root.

5. Adjust the MTU: Immediately set the MTU to 1350 by executing the following command on Cloud Proxy VM:

   ip link set eth0 mtu 1350
   

6. Verify Connection: Monitor the Aria Operations UI. The deployment process should now continue without packet fragmentation, and the Cloud Proxy should show as "Online" within a few minutes.

Note: Reducing the MTU to 1350 mitigates the immediate packet transmission issue. If setting the MTU at the appliance level is not permitted or a persistent configuration is not possible, work with your networking team to correct the end-to-end network MTU configuration.