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tkdunbar
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Using replication to a D.R. site

I am new to vSphere Replication.  I have some VMs replicating from our production site to our DR site.  My question is when we go to test a DR scenario I will want to turn on the VMs at the DR site and test them.  My plan is to bring up the VM, change the name and the IP address, then connect the network and reboot.  Will this work, or will I have to use the recovery function?

The primary VMs will have to remain turned on because they are the production servers.  I will only need the data from the most recent replication.  They are set to a 24 hour rpo. 

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mvalkanov
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Hi,

Unfortunately, when using vSphere Replication without SRM, there is no "Test failover" functionality.

Also the replicated files are not directly usable as a VM image, as they have redo logs on top of them.

You could use the Recovery wizard in VR UI to do a failover using latest available data (you can manually request a sync before that, if needed). This won't require shutting down the source VM.

Once you are done with the testing of the recovered VM, you can unregister it from vCenter Server inventory, but keep the disk files.

Then you stop the replication and configure it again, pointing it to the already existing .vmdk files - to use them as initial copies.

The scenario you described, would run smoothly if SRM is used on top of VR:

1. After running "Test failover", there would be a test VM registered in the target site vCenter Server inventory, sharing the same chain of disks at the replication + some redo logs on top.

2. Replication continues normally, at whatever the RPO value is set, unaffected by the fact that there is a test image created.

3. Once "Cleanup" is run on the recovery plan - the additional redo logs are discarded.


Regards,

Martin

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mvalkanov
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Hi,

Unfortunately, when using vSphere Replication without SRM, there is no "Test failover" functionality.

Also the replicated files are not directly usable as a VM image, as they have redo logs on top of them.

You could use the Recovery wizard in VR UI to do a failover using latest available data (you can manually request a sync before that, if needed). This won't require shutting down the source VM.

Once you are done with the testing of the recovered VM, you can unregister it from vCenter Server inventory, but keep the disk files.

Then you stop the replication and configure it again, pointing it to the already existing .vmdk files - to use them as initial copies.

The scenario you described, would run smoothly if SRM is used on top of VR:

1. After running "Test failover", there would be a test VM registered in the target site vCenter Server inventory, sharing the same chain of disks at the replication + some redo logs on top.

2. Replication continues normally, at whatever the RPO value is set, unaffected by the fact that there is a test image created.

3. Once "Cleanup" is run on the recovery plan - the additional redo logs are discarded.


Regards,

Martin

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tkdunbar
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One thing I forgot to mention is that I copied a "seed" to the target site before I ran my initial sync.  I don't know if that makes a difference or not.  

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mvalkanov
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Hi,

No difference with regards to "test failover".

The "seed" help with not need to exchange most of the common data.

Still, VR performs checksum calculation on both sides, as the source VM is powered on and there are ongoing changes in the disk files.

Regards,

Martin

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