Apply Solution tasks at 5% during hbr-agent vib installation - VMware Live Recovery 9.0.5

Products

• VMware Live Recovery

Issue/Introduction

After upgrading to or installing VMware Live Recovery 9.0.x (formerly Site Recovery Manager), you may observe the following behavior in the vSphere Client:

• Stalled Tasks: "Apply Solution" or "Cancel Applying Solution" tasks appear in the Recent Tasks pane and remain stuck at 5% indefinitely.
• Compliance Errors: Clusters or hosts show as "Not Compliant" in vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM).
• Continuous Loops: The com.vmware.vc-site-recovery solution user initiates repeated "Check compliance" and "Apply Solution" tasks.
• Maintenance Mode Failures: Hosts fail to enter Maintenance Mode during automated remediation attempts.

 

Environment

VMware Live Recovery 9.0.4, 9.0.5
In Live Recovery 9.0.4 and newer, the XML (/opt/vmware/hms/conf/hms-configuration.xml) no longer exists.

Cause

This issue occurs because the VMware Live Recovery appliance is configured by default to automatically push the vmware-hbr-agent VIB to all ESXi hosts in connected clusters via vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM).

The task stalls at 5% if vLCM cannot place a host into Maintenance Mode to complete the VIB installation. Common environmental blockers include:

• Single-Host Clusters: No additional hosts are available for VM evacuation.
• Resource Constraints: Strict Admission Control or lack of resources prevents DRS from migrating VMs.
• vMotion Blockers: VMs have local media (CD-ROMs) or local storage attached.
• Topology Misalignment: The environment uses Array-Based Replication (ABR) and does not require the Host-Based Replication (HBR) agent, but the appliance continues to push the VIB regardless.

Note on Directory Changes: In VMware Live Recovery 9.0.5 and later, the directory structure has changed. The configuration file previously located at /opt/vmware/hms/conf/hms-configuration.xml has moved to /opt/vmware/etc/hms/hms-configuration.xml.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, you must disable the hms-auto-install-hbragent-vib property on the Live Recovery appliance.

Prerequisites

• Access to the VMware Live Recovery appliance via SSH.
• Root user credentials for the appliance.

Procedure

1. Log in to the appliance: Open an SSH session to the VMware Live Recovery appliance and log in as root.
2. Verify the current setting: Run the following command to check if the auto-install property is enabled (set to true):

 

Step 1: Check the current setting Run the following command to check the status of the hms-auto-install-hbragent-vib property:

grep -i hms-auto-install-hbragent-vib /opt/vmware/etc/hms/hms-configuration.xml

Note: Review the output. If the value is set to true, proceed to Step 2. If it is already false, no further action is needed.

Step 2: Disable the auto-install setting If the setting is currently true, run the hms-configtool to set it to false:

/opt/vmware/hms/bin/hms-configtool -cmd reconfig -property hms-auto-install-hbragent-vib=false

Step 3: Restart the HMS service To apply the configuration changes, restart the Host Management Service (HMS):

systemctl restart hms

Additional Information

• KB 431648: Legacy reference for directory structures in SRM 8.x and earlier versions.
• VMware Live Recovery 9.0.5 Release Notes: Documentation on the unified appliance architecture