vCenter Linked Mode for DR purpose: What if the primary node fails?

[riker82]

Hi,

I'm investigating on vCenter Linked mode for our Company.

Infact, our DR policy is planned to restart everything from COLD (from tape... ok It's bad but is what our business team asked us). Since we're heavily using vSphere I'd like to use vCenter Linked mode (instead of VMware Heartbeat that enforce me also to have SQL Replication) in order to have a ready-to-go vCenter Server in our DR site (in housing! The company that provide us the site, also provide ESXi servers and storage in case of disaster).

My question is: If I set my primary vCenter in my headquarter and the "second one" in linked mode in my very little dr farm, Can I manage and operate in my secondary vCenter server if the primary is unreachable due to a disaster event?

[vmroyale]

My question is: If I set my primary vCenter in my headquarter and the  "second one" in linked mode in my very little dr farm, Can I manage and  operate in my secondary vCenter server if the primary is unreachable due  to a disaster event?

You can, but it don't think this is what you are after if you want a "ready-to-go" setup. Linked Mode is used to allow multiple UNIQUE vCenter Servers to be managed in a "single pane" - it doesn't provide the same functionalities that Heartbeat does. Your DR site would be its own unique instance of vCenter, so you could still manage it if your primary failed, but it would only be able to manage its own inventory - it would not have any knowledge of the primary vCenter Server's inventory objects. You could start restoring VMs into the DR vCenter Server's inventory, which would spare you the build out time for vCenter Server.

[riker82]

Hi Brian,

thank you so much for your answer.

I don't really have understood you last sentence but i'll try to explain better my needs:

Actually all the ESXi servers (included the one into the DR site) are managed by the primary vCenter server. In case of disaster, we reinstall a brand new vCenter Server into the DR site and then we reattach "our" DR ESXi server and all others provided by the housing company.(formerly HP)

Since we'd like to avoid issue with "remapped" network port group that came from a distributed vSwitch (invalid backing into the edit setting of a vm), I was thinking to have an online DR vCenter server in linked mode for allowing:

1) Veeam replica

2) no DVSwitch in the secondary VC

3) saving time during the DR operation

So my needs are not using Linked mode for REAL disaster recovery purpose...