Tag: VDRO

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VDrO-Baseline 2

Let’s continue the VDrO features description talking about scope (Picture 1).

Picture 1

The VDrO controls access to its functionality with the scopes.

A scope defines which operations users can perform.

Let’s back to my example, I created a SQL Production scope where only the users belonging to the SQL administrator group can manage and launch the DR process.

The plan components are probably the main VRrO attention point (Picture 2).

(Picture3)

From this menu, it’s possible to group as a single entity all objects you need to create a Disaster Recovery strategy.

I’m talking scope (first to select), VM (applications and services), recovery locations, plan steps, credentials, and jobs template.

To be clearer, it’s like creating a picnic basket and putting it inside different dishes.

Now you just have to lay the table.

How to do it? (Which dishes do I have to put into the basket?)

Just select scope (Picture 4), then from VM groups include the needed VMs source (Picture 5), from recovery locations, select the DR site (picture 6), and at the end select plan steps, credential, and Template Job.

Picture 4

Picture 5

Picture 6

The last point is the DataLabs assignment but I’m sure you can now include them on the right scopes.

Exit from the Administrator menu and move to the main menu to create the first Recovery Plan.

The wizard is very easy to be used:

Picture 7

Picture 8 shows how to select the Scope.

Picture 8

Picture 9 shows the detailed plan info and Picture 10 the plan type (next articles will deep how to set them up).

Picture 9

Picture 10

Pictures 11, 12, 13 show how it’s possibles to discover the VMs that belong to the group selecting VM group.

Picture 11

Picture 12

Picture 13

Picture 14 shows the control options for the DR plan. If something goes wrong the plan can be halted or not.

Picture 14

Picture 15 shows the steps, 16 the option to protect VMs switched on after the failover has been completed, 17 the RPO and RTO that the plan has to respect.

Picture 15

Picture 16

Picture 17

Picture 18 shows the template docs that will be used, while picture 19 shows a (for me) interesting mandatory check option.

Before doing any new activity the Readiness check analyzes that all components are correctly set up.

Picture 18

Picture 19

In my next article, I will cover two examples: DR-plan from Replica and DR-plan from backup. Keep in touch!

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VDrO – Netapp Integration

The fifth article will show how to use VDrO to automatize the Disaster Recovery using the Netapp snap-mirror technology as an engine.

 

Netapp – SnapMirror

The article (quite long) is composed of 6 parts:

  1. Setting up Netapp Snap-mirror Protection
  2. Setting up the Recovery Location
  3. Setting up the Scope
  4. Creation of Orchestration Plan
  5. Starting the Plan
  6. Checking the Orchestration Plan status

1 Setting up Netapp Snap-mirror Protection

In my personal lab, I added two NetApp simulators 9.6 setted-up in peer relationships.

Pictures 1 to 5,  show how I set-up  a protection rule for a single Volume (named Vol_iScsi_N01)

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Picture 5

Picture 6 shows the VMware console view of DR site; the replicated volume is presented as read-only volume.

Picture 6

Tips: My personal suggestion is asking your storage expert the right procedure to set-up a snap-mirror relation between two Netapp storages.

2. Setting up the Recovery Location

The recovery location wizard is shown in pictures 7, 8 and 9.

Picture 7

Picture 8

Picture 9

3. Setting up the Scope

The Scope wizard is shown in picture 10.

Picture 10

4. Creation of Orchestration Plan

Let’s go back to the main steps.

The wizard drives the users to select the right voices as shown in pictures 11, 12, 13 and 14.

Picture 11

Picture 12

Picture 13

Picture 14

The test scenarios are available in this configuration too

The Readiness Test is a low-impact and fast method one to confirm that configuration of an orchestration plan matches the DR environment.

The Data-lab test verifies the DR plan starting VM in a separate network.

 As shown in pictures 15,16,17 and 18. the steps are:

– Assigning  Datalab to VM Group (it is available from the admin menu)

– Setting up the Lab Group

Picture 15

Tips: for testing the Netapp integration select the option Restore.

It means the Replica option is just available for VBR Replica jobs.

Picture 16

Picture 17

Picture 18

5. Starting the Plan

Next pictures show how to run the just created Orchestration plan.

Picture 19

Picture 20

Picture 21

Picture 22 shows the restore points available.

Tips:  the shown Restore points are the replicated snapshot  (created by snap-mirror).

Picture 22

Picture 23 shows my favorite option available on VDrO in the Storage replica scenario.

Let’s imagine you run the orchestration plan.
While failover is running, the primary site is back normal operativity.

Your IT manager asks to revert the failover. Is it possible? Well, it can be. If you selected “reprotect storage volumes after failover” during the steps you can easily do it!

Picture 23

Picture 24

Picture 25

6. Checking the Orchestration Plan status

Time to run the orchestration plan and watch the steps performed.

I would like you to give your attention to the following three pre-plan steps:

  • Breaking the snapshot relationship
  • Putting the destination volumes on-line
  • Mounting the volumes

(Clicking on the picture you can enlarge the images)

Picture 26

From picture 27 you can see  the main steps:

  • VM registration
  • Network founding and connection
  • Booting VM

Picture 27

Pictures 28 and 29 show the result of post plan steps:

  1. Heart-beating test
  2. Unmounting source Datastore

Picture 28

Picture 29

Tips: how to check in 5 points if everything is correctly working

1. VM in the DR site is running (from DR vCenter console connect remotely to VM as shown in picture 30 and 31).

Picture 30

Picture 31

2. Source VM has been deleted (from Production vCenter console check if VM is disappeared) (Picture 32).

Picture 32

3. The Orchestration plan launch button is grey and the plan has to be reset (picture 33).

Picture 33

4. Destination volumes on Netapp console have been set as read/write (Picture 34).

Picture 34

5. The Netapp relationship between source and destination volumes is broken (Picture 35).

Picture 35

– Readiness check report example dowload

That’s all folks for now and take care