Initial deployment questions

[andvm]

Hi,

VCSA manages many remote datacenter/clusters

I want to try to replicate a VMs from a cluster in one location to a cluster in another location  (all managed by same VCSA)

Does vSphere replication need to be installed in the source or destination cluster or it can be installed in any other datacenter/cluster as long as all managed by the same vCenter?

Post install and successful connectivity to vCenter from the appliance, do I need to reboot the VCSA as do not see any new icon related to replication to start using this product?

Thanks

[scott28tt]

Read this I assume?

https://docs.vmware.com/en/vSphere-Replication/8.4/com.vmware.vsphere.replication-admin.doc/GUID-E35...

[andvm]

Checked but could not find information relating as to where to install it....ie. if it needs to be in the same datacenter where the source VM's are located into. 

Guess will try to look further or give this product a try and see how it works with one vCenter to replicate VM's...

[andvm]

this is what I was looking for

https://communities.vmware.com/t5/vSphere-Replication-Discussions/vSphere-Replication-Deployment-pra...

The traffic flow for VR goes like this: source host (where replicated VM is running) > VR appliance > storage at target site (through host at target site). Given that, it makes the most sense to place the VR appliance (can be either VRMS or VRS) close to the host/storage at the target.

[andvm]

so by this I understand that ALL the actual replicated traffic has to go via the Replication Appliance and not a direct Source Host/Storage to Destination Host/Storage

This also means that the replication throughput bottleneck (especially initial replication) can be the Replication Appliance Host where it resides as by default think it uses the Management vmkernel adapter connected Uplink/s.

In my case this is 1Gbp/s (Standard Switch) so maybe the few multi terabyte VM's will suffer a bit (take very long to complete initial replica) and they will definitely need to be setup for replication one at a time.  

[andvm]

actually just found out I can leave the Replication Management Appliance installed in the current datacenter (which is in a totally different one from the one that need replication), install a replication Server in the datacenter where the replication will take place and register it to the Replication Management Appliance.

Then if that works fine when setting up a new VM replication I have the option to choose which replication Server will handle the traffic, which of course will be the one installed in same cluster/datacenter network.

Hopefully correct and useful to anyone with similar requirements