DR Challenges of Traditional DR

DR Challenges of Traditional DR

Application

OS

x86

OS files

localstorage

Storage

WAN

Production

Application

OS

x86

OS files

localstorage

Storage

DR• Bound to HW• 5-10% utilized

DR is EXPENSIVE and COMPLEX!

Waste of servers, storage, power & space at DR site!

1:1

App bound to OS, OS bound to HW

– Complex to physically recover OS, applications & data – Separate processes for system and application data– OS & applications have dependencies on hardware configuration– Tier 2 & 3 applications left unprotected, adding to Tier 1 RTO risk

Slow and Unreliable Process

DR Challenges of traditional DR

cd, tape or ghost image

Application

OS

x86

OS files

localstorage

Storage

WAN

Application

OS

x86

OS files

localstorage

Storage

Prod

“Boot & Pray”DR

Challenges of Traditional DR: Recovery Process

Just Tier 1!

Repl process: OS – Images

App Data-Replication SW:

SAN-SAN, OS based

Drawbacks of traditional DR

• Waste of resources: servers, networking, storage, space, power, cooling, connectivity...

• High maintenance cost: any Change in Primary -> needs Change in DR (HW/SW)

• Hard or impossible DR simulation (conflicts with the primary)

• Hard or impossible alternative usage (quality, test, development)

• Final Result: When needed will often not work!

What is Server Virtualization

Before Virtualization After Virtualization

VMware server virtualization packages hardware, OS, and applications into a portable virtual machine package

• Software tied to hardware• Single OS image per machine• One application workload per OS

• Multiple workloads per machine• Software independent of hardware• System, data, apps are files

VMware Virtualization Enablers for DR

Hardware Independence

Run a virtual machine on any server without

modification

• Eliminate need for 1:1 hardware duplication for DR

• Eliminate risk of hardware “configuration drift” (disparate sites)

• Re-use older servers for DR

The Challenges – as Seen in the Field

Customer challenges:• Low budget• Lack of experienced personnel• Solution is complex and slow to deploy

Customer profile:• Customer who otherwise would not implement DR

solution because of high costs• Customer who is looking for solutions for department or

branch office• Virtualization newbie looking for add-on to an existing

DR solution • Customer who is under the time pressure

The Solution: DR in a Box

Main Features:• Affordable• Easy• Pre-packaged• Flexible

What is the KEY

• Packaged solutions are usually less expensive than traditional approach via consulting

• Reusable solutions and deliverables instead of time intensive customizations

• Redeploy a reinforced solution instead of designing a new solution

• Use less experienced staff for the implementation• Flexibility is one of the main customer demands, so it

needs to be addressed: DR-in-a-box is designed as a set of a few solution

blocks. Each block is a packaged solution designed to solve a

sub-set of the problem. Blocks may be combined to build a

complete disaster recovery solution.

DR in a Box Solution Blocks – Outline

DR for VirtualCenter - What is THE KEY

VirtualCenter Server is almost a stateless application. However the replication is required for the following files:

•SSL certificateFlex •License files •VirtualCenter Configuration file•Optionally -upgrade files

Additionally, each ESX Server stores the IP address of the VirtualCenter Server in the agent configuration file

•IP address change is necessary to bring the standby VirtualCenter Server in production

DR for VirtualCenter – Solution Design

DR for VirtualCenter - Disaster Recovery

Active / Active with VMware HA – Solution Design

Active / Active with VMware HA Solution Design - Disaster Recovery

Active / Passive DR Site – Solution Design

Active / Passive DR Solution Design - Disaster Recovery

Guest OS Storage Replication – Solution Design

Guest OS Storage Replication Solution Design - Disaster Recovery

Network Reconfiguration –Solution Design

Network Reconfiguration Solution Design -Disaster Recovery

Solution Blocks – Outline

Questions?Questions?

Thank You !!Thank You !!