vSphere Product inquiries

[ChevUribe]

Hi Guys!

Want to look for answers to the following questions:

vSphere upgrade to 6

1. Do I have to upgrade the vCenter Server first to version 6 before upgrading the hosts to the new ESXi version?

2. Can vcenter Server manage ESXi hosts with versions higher than the vCenter version is using?

SRM:

1. Do I need to have the licenses for SRM for PROD and DR sites in both failback and reprotect scenarios?

2. Is SRM license will be the same for both PROD and DR sites?

3. Do I need to create placement datastore in both replication using array and vsphere replication scenarios?

4. If yes, do both sites need to have at least one placement datastore in failback and reprotect scenarios?

5. What is the use of placement datastore? Do it have to be large?

Thanks in Advance to those kind enough to answer my questions!

Good day!

[npadmani]

1. Do I have to upgrade the vCenter Server first to version 6 before upgrading the hosts to the new ESXi version?

Yes

2. Can vcenter Server manage ESXi hosts with versions higher than the vCenter version is using?

No

SRM:

1. Do I need to have the licenses for SRM for PROD and DR sites in both failback and reprotect scenarios?

2. Is SRM license will be the same for both PROD and DR sites?

Please refer this FAQs document, page 3 of this has all the answers regarding licensing for SRM

3. Do I need to create placement datastore in both replication using array and vsphere replication scenarios?

4. If yes, do both sites need to have at least one placement datastore in failback and reprotect scenarios?

5. What is the use of placement datastore? Do it have to be large?

Please refer following thread, that's where your questions about placeholder datastore are answered

Placeholder Datastores

[rcporto]

1. Do I have to upgrade the vCenter Server first to version 6 before upgrading the hosts to the new ESXi version?

Yes, you must upgrade the vCenter server first: VMware KB: Update sequence for vSphere 6.0 and its compatible VMware products

2. Can vcenter Server manage ESXi hosts with versions higher than the vCenter version is using?

No, it can manage only host at the same or lower level version.

1. Do I need to have the licenses for SRM for PROD and DR sites in both failback and reprotect scenarios?

It depends, but if you want protect VMs only from PROD site and then do failback, you can use the same license of the PROD site, see details here: https://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/products/SRM/vmware-site-recovery-manager-customer-faq.pdf

2. Is SRM license will be the same for both PROD and DR sites?

Depends if you're using uni-directional or bi-directional protection, see here again: https://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/products/SRM/vmware-site-recovery-manager-customer-faq.pdf

3. Do I need to create placement datastore in both replication using array and vsphere replication scenarios?

Yes for both, see: Select a Placeholder Datastore

4. If yes, do both sites need to have at least one placement datastore in failback and reprotect scenarios?

If you want use the reprotect, you need create placeholder datastore on protected site too.

5. What is the use of placement datastore? Do it have to be large?

Placeholder datastore is used to store placeholder virtual machine files, and since these files are just configuration files, your placeholder datastore don't need to be large and another recommendation is to not replicate the placeholder datastore. Additional details: About Placeholder Virtual Machines

[ChevUribe]

Thank you all for your swift response.

[rcporto]

You're welcome and don't forget marks answers as helpful or correct.

[RanjnaAggarwal]

vSphere upgrade to 6

1. Do I have to upgrade the vCenter Server first to version 6 before upgrading the hosts to the new ESXi version?

Answer = Yes

2. Can vcenter Server manage ESXi hosts with versions higher than the vCenter version is using?

Answer = No

SRM:

1. Do I need to have the licenses for SRM for PROD and DR sites in both failback and reprotect scenarios?

2. Is SRM license will be the same for both PROD and DR sites?

Depends : https://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/products/SRM/vmware-site-recovery-manager-customer-faq.pdf

3. Do I need to create placement datastore in both replication using array and vsphere replication scenarios?

Answer =Yes

4. If yes, do both sites need to have at least one placement datastore in failback and reprotect scenarios?

Answer = Yes

5. What is the use of placement datastore? Do it have to be large?

For every virtual machine in a protection group, Site Recovery Manager creates a placeholder virtual machine at the recovery site. You must identify a datastore on the recovery site in which Site Recovery Manager can store the placeholder virtual machines.

After you select the datastore to contain the placeholder virtual machines, Site Recovery Manager reserves a place for protected virtual machines in the inventory on the recovery site. Site Recovery Manager creates a set of virtual machine files on the specified datastore at the recovery site and uses that subset to register the placeholder virtual machine with vCenter Server on the recovery site.

To enable planned migration and reprotect, you must select placeholder datastores at both sites.

Placeholder datastores must meet certain criteria.

■	For clusters, the placeholder datastores must be visible to all of the hosts in the cluster.
■	You cannot select replicated datastores as placeholder datastores. 5GB -10GB is sufficient for hundred's of VM's.