Unable to modify/repair/uninstall srm service 6.1

[dbutch1976]

Hello,

I made a mistake during the initial installation of SRM on two servers.  I was able to successfully uninstall and reinstall it on one server by uninstalling SRM, then uninstalling the embedded database.  On the second server I made the mistake of uninstalling the embedded database PRIOR to uninstalling the SRM service.

Now modifying/repairing/uninstalling the SRM 6.1 service all fail.

Uninstall:

(I have tried it with Delete Site Recovery Manager data ticked on and off)

Repair:

Modify:

I am able to make it a bit further when I modify, I enter my admin credentials, virtual center name, however I get stuck here since the backend database has already been removed:

So basically, I can see no way forward and no way back.  I could just deploy a new VM and install SRM on it from scratch, however I am concerned that if I try to link it to my vCenter it won't work because there is already an SRM server linked to it.

How do I remove this safely and gracefully?  Barring a graceful uninstall, how can I force it?

Thanks.

[Daniel_Georgiev · Accepted solution]

Hello,

firstly I want to point you that this is documented in SRM 6.1 "Do not uninstall the Site Recovery Manager database before you uninstall Site Recovery Manager." (Site Recovery Manager 6.1 Documentation Center - Section 11).

Workaround is:

1. Remove the old DSN to old Embedded DB.(Take a note of settings for DSN: username, password, DB name)

2. Install Embedded DB and create new DSN with the same values as the old one. (You can find vPostgres install file in the temp folder after extracting SRM - %Temp%\{88654B50-D147-44FA-9A1F-EFAAD980C428}\VMware-SRM-Postgres)

3. Start SRM Modify and uninstall SRM. Do not check "Delete SRM data" checkbox.

4. SRM should be uninstalled successfully.

5. Uninstall Embedded DB server and remove the DSN to it.

6. Install the SRM with Embedded DB pointing to the old VC.(Warning will appear that the SRM extension is already registered. You should choose to overwrite it.)

After that everything should works without any problems.

Hope that this help,

Daniel G.

[dbutch1976]

Hi Daniel,

Thanks for your reply.  For step#2:

When I run the postgres installer it just whips through and doesn't give me any opportunity to configure the DSN.  VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager Embedded Database then appears in the app/remove programs.  If I attempt to create a 64 bit system DSN manually testing fails obviously because I was not given any chance to actually input a name/username/password etc.

Do I need to run the installer then manually input the values for the system DSN?

[Daniel_Georgiev]

You don't have option for create DB or DSN during the silent vPosgres installation, this is expected. After the Embedded DB installation finish you should create 64-bit system DSN. Just provide the old DSN info (username/password/DB name) and save DSN without testing the DSN connectivity, because it's obvious that you don't have DB in the newly installed server. After that you can continue with the uninstall.

- Daniel G.

[dbutch1976]

It worked, thanks for the help!

[iforbes]

Hi Daniel,

I'm in the same boat. How do I extract SRM to %Temp%? I'm having problem with locating the installer for embedded Postgress db.

Thanks

[iforbes]

Hi dbutch1976. How did you extract the SRM to get to the embedded database installer?

[iforbes]

Found it.

Windows Vista\7\8\2008\2012

"C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Local\Temp" or "%userprofile%\appdata\local\temp"

[vpetrov]

If you uninstall Embedded DB first to be able to uninstall SRM use the following workaround:

Workaround:
Change registry value "UseEmbeddedDb" from 1 to 0 under registry key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager"

  and then uninstall SRM