We are deploying ESX 3.5 with VC 2.5 in our environment. Our primary or protected site consists of two ESX servers with one VC 2.5. Primary Site VC 2.5 is connected to a SQL database hosted on another SQL 2005 server at primary site. We are now bringing online our secondary site or Recovery site as follows: Single ESX server and single VC 2.5. As multiple VC 2.5 can't share same database as they can't get exclusive lock and this doesn't make sense from a DR perspective we wish to properly design the DB for the recovery site. We prefer not to have to purchase additional SQL licenses to install a single instance SQL DB that is hosting the recovery site VC 2.5. Please note that this will all be integrated with an SRM deployment. See Will Crittenden VMWare Site Recovery Manager document dated February 25, 2008 page I think 12 for design methodology we are following. ATTACHED

Other Notes:

Primary Site: 30 VM's hosted on Dell EqualLogic SAN

Recovery Site: 2 VM's hosted on Dell EqualLogic SAN (Non-DR) (DR scenario would transfer control via SRM of the 30 primary site VM's to Recovery Site SAN and ESX system)

OK after all the above the information is can we install VC 2.5 at the remote site using a locally installed DB through VC 2.5 install instead of pointing to an external ODBC SQL 2005 DB? Will this configuration be able to handle the load during a DR scenario given the limited number of VM's we will be running.

Thanks