Migration from vRA 7.6 to vRA 8.6: My Experience

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 During my migration project from vRA 7.6 to vRA 8.6, I encountered several challenges and learned valuable lessons. Here, I am sharing my experience and the solutions implemented.


Project Scope:

  • More than 650 Deployments

  • 50+ Deployments Missing Stage in vRA 7.6

  • 200+ Deployments with Multiple Disks and NSX Components (e.g., Load Balancer)


I ran the Migration Assessment, reviewed the reports, and performed a test migration from vRA 7.x to vRA 8.x. During this process, I noticed three critical issues.


Identified Issues:

  1. Approval issue reporting 500 errors

  2. Deployments with multiple VMs having multiple disks

  3. VMs missing in the vRA 7 environment

Action Plans and Resolutions:

1. Approval Issue (500 Errors)

To resolve this, I updated the Postgres database by running the following query:

UPDATE requesteditemapproval
SET cancelled = false
WHERE cancelled IS NULL;

2. Deployments with Multiple VMs Having Multiple Disks

To fix this, I had to update the IaaS database with the following steps:

Step 1: Find the VirtualMachineId for the affected VM to update its component name.

SELECT virtualMachineId FROM VirtualMachine
WHERE virtualMachineName = '<vm_name>' AND isManaged = 1;

Ensure there is only one correct entry.

Step 2: Update the ComponentName in the VirtualMachine table.

UPDATE VirtualMachine
SET ComponentName = '<new_component_name>'
WHERE VirtualMachineID = '<Id from step1>';

Step 3: Update the VirtualMachineProperties table.

UPDATE VirtualMachineProperties
SET PropertyValue = '<new_component_name>'
WHERE PropertyName = 'VirtualMachine.Cafe.Blueprint.Component.Id'
AND EntityId = '<Id from step1>';

Repeat these steps for all affected VMs.

3. VMs Missing in the vRA 7 Environment

  • UUID Mismatch: The UUID in vRA did not match with vCenter, so I updated the UUID.

  • Reservation Change: Updated the reservation settings.

After implementing these fixes, all missing VMs were successfully restored from the "Missing" state to the "Powered ON" stage in vRA 7.6.

This migration project provided insights into handling complex vRA migrations. If you encounter similar issues, these steps can help streamline the process. Feel free to share your experiences or ask questions in the comments!

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