5 Steps to Cloud D/R as a Service

VMware was nice enough to add a D/R cloud region to the AdvizeX vCHS instance, so naturally, I wanted to try the D/R region out.  Many of our customers either do not have a D/R site or would like a more flexible, cost-effective D/R site.  I thought I would document the steps it took to start replicating VMs from a private cloud to this D/R cloud.  I started with this excellent publication from VMware.

1. Download & deploy the appliance. Download the vSphere Replication 5.6 appliance from the vCloud Hybrid Service page on vmware.com.
   
   
   
2. Connect vSphere Replication to vCHS.  Log out of the web client, log back in and configure the connection to the cloud using this VMware document.  Start from the Manage -> vSphere Replication -> Target Sites in the Web Client.  
   
   Click the Cloud Connector icon and fill in the forms.  The provider address is your vCHS vCloud Director API URL up to "vmware.com".  The organization name is the string following /org/ in the API URL.  On the second screen, select your Virtual Data Center. Click Next and Finish.  Your new target site will be displayed with the message "Missing network settings which we will now fix.
   
   
   

   
   
   
3. Fix the network setting.  Go back to the main page for vSphere Replication and click Manage, select your target cloud and click the Configure target networks globe icon.  Authenticate, choose your networks and Finish.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Set up VM replication. Right click a VM, choose Configure Replication from All vSphere Replication Actions. Choose your vCHS D/R Cloud.  Choose your storage policy. Choose your Guest OS quiescing method, if applicable. Choose your RPO. Click Finish
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Test VM replication. Monitor your Outgoing Replication until complete.  Once initial replication is complete, you can initiate a Test Recovery through the All vSphere Replication Actions menu of the Ongoing Replications list.  Choose whether or not to synchronize data before test and whether or not to power on the replicated VM.  The D/R VM (or vApp) will come up in the test network that you chose when you set up replication.