Replication mappings between the source and target sites fail

Products

• VMware Live Recovery

Issue/Introduction

• In the Replication Mappings test details, all source hosts show Connection: Error, with Target Host: NA, Latency: 0 us, and Throughput: 0 bps.

 

Environment

vSphere Replication 9.0.4

Cause

• Port 32032 was blocked betwen the source ESXi hosts and the destination VLR appliance

Resolution

  

1. Verify Firewall & "hbr-agent" Service 
On Enhanced Replication, the host must have the hbr-agent VIB installed and the corresponding firewall rule enabled. 

Check VIB: SSH into the ESXi host and run:
esxcli software vib list | grep hbr
Result: You should see both vmware-hbrsrv and vmware-hbr-agent.
Enable Firewall: In the vSphere Client, go to Host > Configure > Firewall. Ensure "hbr-agent" (outgoing port 32032) is allowed. 

2. Test Connectivity Between Hosts
Since data moves host-to-host, you must verify the path between sites. 
NC Test: From a source ESXi host, test the target ESXi host:
nc -z <Target_ESXi_IP> 32032
NC Test: From a source ESXi host, test the target VLR appliance: 
nc -z <Target_VLR_IP> 32032
Traceroute: Ensure there is a valid route between the source and target VMkernel ports. 

3. Check MTU Mismatches
Enhanced replication is highly sensitive to MTU settings, especially over WAN links. 
If your VMkernel ports are set to 9000 (Jumbo Frames) but the physical WAN only supports 1500, packets will be dropped.
Test: Use vmkping to verify the MTU path:
vmkping -d -s 8972 <Target_ESXi_IP>
Fix: If the test fails, revert both source and target ESXi replication VMkernel ports to an MTU of 1500. 

4. Validate IP and DNS Consistency
Ensure the vSphere Replication Appliance IP has not changed. If it has, you must reconfigure the site pairing.
Check for Duplicate IPs on the network that might be intercepting traffic intended for the VR appliance. 

5. Restart Replication Services 
If ports are open but status remains "Not Active" or "Disconnected," restart the management services on the VR Appliance: 
Broadcom support portal
Broadcom support portal
SSH into the VR Appliance.
Run: systemctl restart hms
Run: systemctl restart hbrsrv