In this article, we are going to cover Recovery Plan. We will see how you can create a Recovery plan. A recovery plan specifies how Site Recovery Manager recovers the virtual machines in the protection groups that it contains. You can include one or more protection groups in a recovery plan.

Step by Step Guide: –

• Login to Site Recovery Manager Console. To do so, go to Web Client and Open vCenter Server. Go to Home Page and Click on Site Recovery.
• Under Site Recovery Console, Click on Recovery Plans. You will get Objects tab there. Click on Create Recovery Plans.

• Enter a name for Recovery Plan and Select a location for this recovery plan. Click on Next.

• Select the site to which the VMs in this plan will recover. Here I have choosed my Recovery Site. Click on Next.

• Select Protection Group you want to add to this Recovery Plan. You can add more than one Protection Groups in a Recovery Plan. Click on Next.

• Select the test networks and Click on Next.

• Recovery Plan is Ready to Complete. Click on Finish.

• Review the Recovery Plan under Recovery Plan tab.

That’s all from Site Recovery Manager Configuration part. SRM is ready to execute DR. Now in next article, we will see how to execute test and Disaster Recovery. Stay Tuned.

Take a look in below topics, explore and learn Site Recovery Manager: –

• Learn SRM – Part 1 – Introduction of VMware Site Recovery Manager 8.1
  

• Learn SRM – Part 2 – Understand VMware Site Recovery Manager Licensing

• Learn SRM – Part 3 – Understand Minimum Requirement for SRM in your Home Lab

• Learn SRM – Part 4 – Prepare for Replicated Storage in you Home Lab (Ignore this step in Real Environment. You need to interact with Storage team for all these tasks in real environment)

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.1 – Deploy HP VSA in Both Site

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.2 -Configure HP VSA Appliance Networking in both Site

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.3 -Install HP CMC Management Console

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.4 -Add Appliance in HP CMC

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.5 -Create Management Group in HP VSA

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.6 -Create Cluster and Volumes in HP VSA

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.7 -Find and Add ISCSI Initiator in ESXi Host

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.8 -Assign Volume to ESXi Host

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.9 -Scheduling Array Based Replication

• Learn SRM – Part 5 – Install VMware Site Recovery Manager 8.1 (SRM)

• Learn SRM – Part 6 – Install SRA (Storage Replication Adapter)

• Learn SRM – Part 7 – Configure Site Pairing for both Protected and Recovery Site
  

• Learn SRM – Part 8 – Configure SRM Array Manager Pairing

• Learn SRM – Part 9 – Configure Resource Mapping in VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 10 – Create Placeholder Datastore in VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 11 – Configure Protected Groups in VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 12 – Configure Recovery Plans in VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 13 – Perform Test Drill using VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 14 – Perform Cleanup Activity in VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 15 – Perform Cleanup Activity in VMware SRM

Welcome back to new topic of VMware Site Recovery Manager. In last article, we saw how to Configure Array Manager. Here we are going to configure Resource Mapping which is one of important point to know for every VMware admin who is using SRM. If you configure site-wide inventory mappings before you create protection groups, you do not have to configure protection individually on each virtual machine when you create a protection group. Site Recovery Manager applies the site-wide mappings to all virtual machines in an array-based replication protection group at the moment that you create the protection group.

During a Disaster Recovery or Test Drill, when virtual machines start on the recovery site, the virtual machines use the resources on the recovery site that you specify in the mappings.

There are numerous kind of inventory mapping such as Network Mappings, Folder Mappings, Resource Mappings, Storage Policy Mappings. Here in this article we are going to perform mapping of Network, Folder, and Resource Mapping. We are not using Storage Policy Protection in this lab so we are not going to configure that. When you use storage policy protection, Site Recovery Manager applies inventory mappings at the moment that a recovery plan runs. You cannot configure protection individually on the virtual machines in a storage policy protection group. As a consequence, you must configure site-wide inventory mappings if you use storage policy protection.

Let’s jump to the Step by Step Guide to Configure Inventory Mapping in VMware SRM 6.5: –

• Login to SRM Console using vCenter Server.
• Go to Sites and Click on Manage Tab.

Configure Network Mapping

• Click on Network Mappings.

• Select option “Automatically prepare mappings for networks with matching names” and Click on Next.

• Map networks on the protected site to networks on the recovery site. Select Networks in Site to Site pairing and Click on Add mappings.

• Select test networks to be used instead of the recovery networks while running tests. Click on Next. When you initiate a test DR, all VMs will be mapped to this test network in recovery site and create a isolated network form Production environment. Which you generally know as bubble network.

• Prepare reverse mapping  from Recovery Site to Protected Site.

• Network mapping has been done. You can review the same from Network Mapping option under Manage tab.

Folder Mapping

• Go to SRM Console > Sites > Manage
• Click on Folder Mappings.

• Select “Automatically prepare mappings for folders with matching names.” Click on Next.

• Map datacenters or virtual machine folders on the protected site to datacenters or virtual machine folders on the recovery site. Select Folders from Protected Site and recovery Site and Click on Add Mappings. You need to select both side. I missed
• Click on Next.

• Select Configured mappings and Click on Next.

• Review the configuration of Folder Mappings under Sites > Manage tab.

Resource Mapping

• Login to SRM Console. Go to Sites > Manage.
• Click on Resource Mappings.

• Map resource pools, standalone hosts, vApps, or clusters on the protected site to resource pools, standalone hosts, vApps, or clusters on the recovery site. You can map any type of resource on one site to any type of resource on the other site. Here I have selected Cluster Resource of Protected to recovery Site.
• Click on Next.

• Select configured mappings for which to automatically create reverse mappings from Recovery Site to Protected Site. Click on Finish.

That’s all from this topic. Now moving to next topic which is Create Placeholder Datastore in VMware SRM sites. Stay tuned.

Take a look in below topics, explore and learn Site Recovery Manager: –

• Learn SRM – Part 1 – Introduction of VMware Site Recovery Manager 8.1
  

• Learn SRM – Part 2 – Understand VMware Site Recovery Manager Licensing

• Learn SRM – Part 3 – Understand Minimum Requirement for SRM in your Home Lab

• Learn SRM – Part 4 – Prepare for Replicated Storage in you Home Lab (Ignore this step in Real Environment. You need to interact with Storage team for all these tasks in real environment)

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.1 – Deploy HP VSA in Both Site

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.2 -Configure HP VSA Appliance Networking in both Site

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.3 -Install HP CMC Management Console

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.4 -Add Appliance in HP CMC

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.5 -Create Management Group in HP VSA

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.6 -Create Cluster and Volumes in HP VSA

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.7 -Find and Add ISCSI Initiator in ESXi Host

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.8 -Assign Volume to ESXi Host

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.9 -Scheduling Array Based Replication

• Learn SRM – Part 5 – Install VMware Site Recovery Manager 8.1 (SRM)

• Learn SRM – Part 6 – Install SRA (Storage Replication Adapter)

• Learn SRM – Part 7 – Configure Site Pairing for both Protected and Recovery Site
  

• Learn SRM – Part 8 – Configure SRM Array Manager Pairing

• Learn SRM – Part 9 – Configure Resource Mapping in VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 10 – Create Placeholder Datastore in VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 11 – Configure Protected Groups in VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 12 – Configure Recovery Plans in VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 13 – Perform Test Drill using VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 14 – Perform Cleanup Activity in VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 15 – Perform Cleanup Activity in VMware SRM

Hey Friends, Coming to the next point of Site Recovery Manager which is to Configure SRM Array Manager Pairing.

Please note that I am gong to use Site Recovery Manager 6.5 now as there is compatibility issue with HP VSA with SRM 8.1. HP has not released a compatible version of SRA for SRM 8.1 as on date. Hence next articles including this one will be based on SRM 6.5. I had removed SRM 8.1 and installed 6.5 in SRM server. Then installed a compatible version of SRA for HP VSA on same server. After doing this, my SRM 6.5 lab is ready. One more thing that you may face below error when doing rescan of SRA in VMware SRM console. You need to install .NET 3.5 even if you have higher version of .NET already installed.

Failed to load SRA from "C:/Program Files (x86)/VMware/VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager/storage/sra/HP VSA SRA’. SRA command ‘queryInfo’ didn’t return a response."

Now let’s move to Step by Step guide to Configure SRM Array Manager: –

After Installing SRA(Storage Replication Adapter), verify the SRA status in VMware Site Recovery Console.

• Launch vSphere Web Client and go to Home Page. Open Site Recovery Plugin.
• Click on Sites and Select Primary Site’s Virtual Center.
• Go to Monitor tab and Click on SRA’s
• Refresh and Rescan SRA. You will able to see see below status on your SRA page. If SRA is configured and installed properly, it will show status as OK.

Please note that we are switched to SRM 6.5 now as SRA was not compatible with SRM 8.1. You can choose different vendors of storage or i;e EMC UnityVSA which has compatible SRA for SRM 8.1

• Verify the same in Recovery Site’s vCenter Server.

• Once you have validated SRA Status, now you need to Configure SRM Array Manager.
• Launce SRM Console from vSphere Web Client.

• As you have already paired both sites in last article, now you can choose first option here to Add a Pair of Array Managers. Click on Next.

• Verify the information for Primary and Recovery Sites. Click on Next.

• Select SRA Type and Click on Next.

• Configure Array Manager for Protected Site.
  • IP Address will be of HP VSA Protected System which you configured in earlier topics.
  • Credentials will be same which you configured during the HP VSA System configuration.

• Configure Array Manager for Recovery Site.
  • IP Address will be of HP VSA Recovery System which you configured in earlier topics.
  • Credentials will be same which you configured during the HP VSA System configuration.

• Select array pair and enable it. If you are not able to see array pair here, make sure that you have properly configured array replication scheduling in HP VSA using CMC console. We have performed this in earlier topics. You can refer to article.

• Array manager configuration is ready to complete. Review your settings and Click on Finish.

• On SRM console, inside Array Based Replication under Objects tab, you will able to see both Array Manager for Protected and Recovery Sites.

That’s all from this topic. Moving to next article which is to Configure Resource Mapping. Stay Tuned.

Take a look in below topics, explore and learn Site Recovery Manager: –

• Learn SRM – Part 1 – Introduction of VMware Site Recovery Manager 8.1
  

• Learn SRM – Part 2 – Understand VMware Site Recovery Manager Licensing

• Learn SRM – Part 3 – Understand Minimum Requirement for SRM in your Home Lab

• Learn SRM – Part 4 – Prepare for Replicated Storage in you Home Lab (Ignore this step in Real Environment. You need to interact with Storage team for all these tasks in real environment)

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.1 – Deploy HP VSA in Both Site

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.2 -Configure HP VSA Appliance Networking in both Site

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.3 -Install HP CMC Management Console

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.4 -Add Appliance in HP CMC

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.5 -Create Management Group in HP VSA

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.6 -Create Cluster and Volumes in HP VSA

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.7 -Find and Add ISCSI Initiator in ESXi Host

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.8 -Assign Volume to ESXi Host

  • Learn SRM – Part 4.9 -Scheduling Array Based Replication

• Learn SRM – Part 5 – Install VMware Site Recovery Manager 8.1 (SRM)

• Learn SRM – Part 6 – Install SRA (Storage Replication Adapter)

• Learn SRM – Part 7 – Configure Site Pairing for both Protected and Recovery Site
  

• Learn SRM – Part 8 – Configure SRM Array Manager Pairing

• Learn SRM – Part 9 – Configure Resource Mapping in VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 10 – Create Placeholder Datastore in VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 11 – Configure Protected Groups in VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 12 – Configure Recovery Plans in VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 13 – Perform Test Drill using VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 14 – Perform Cleanup Activity in VMware SRM
  

• Learn SRM – Part 15 – Perform Cleanup Activity in VMware SRM