VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery

Most of us already aware about few Disasters recovery solution like SRM, vSphere replication and Zerto to Protect workload (VM's) from Primary Datacenter to Secondary Datacenter.

In these Blog, I want to discuss one of new service launched by VMware for Disaster recovery to protect workload (VM's) between On-Prem Datacenter to VMware Cloud on AWS,which is called as VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery.


VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery (commonly called VMware Cloud DR or VCDR) to protect your vSphere virtual machines (VMs) by replicating them to the cloud and recovering them as needed to a target VMware Cloud Software Defined Data Center (SDDC) on VMware Cloud on AWS.


Service Component in VCDR

1.Cloud Based File System :A cloud component that enables the efficient storage of backups of protected VMs in cloud storage and allows VMs to be recovered quickly, without requiring data rehydration.

2.Orchestrator : This service will provide to automate the disaster recovery process .

3.DRaaS connector : This is virtual appliance which will help to protect VMs using snapshot replication from protection groups.

4.Protection Groups : Protection group where you keep your virtual machine which you want to protect and create regularly scheduled snapshots of VMs which replicate to the cloud file system.

5.Disaster Recovery (DR) Plans : Here you can define the steps required to recover the workload from cloud-based file system to recovery SDDC on VMware cloud on AWS .


In below scetion you can see the component which i explain above and how DRaaS connector connected with SaaS Orchestrator and Cloud based Filed system to protect workload (VMs) .



Now, Let's understand difference between Protected Site ,Recovery Site and Backup Site.

1.Protected Site : Protected Site is where your virtual machine is running primary and which you want to protect and recover on Recovery (Secondary Site ) in case if Disaster hit or any planned activity.

2.Backup Site: Backup Site is Cloud backup where the workload (VMs) is replicated and saved.You can deploy additional backup site also. In case of Disaster or planned activity cloud-based file system on Backup site mount with recovery SDDC as NFS storage recover your VMs.

3.Recovery Site : Recovery Site is where you will recover workload (VMs) during failover action.It comes with two subscription model 1. On-demand 2. Pilot Light.


A) On-Demand : Here, as name already explained that you can deploy SDDC on VMware Cloud on AWS during failover or disaster. It is not Pre-Deployed SDDC on recovery site. Its On-Demand SDDC infrastructure which you can deploy whenever its required .

B ) Pilot Light: Pilot light you can also called pre-deloyed deployment .Its deployed with smaller subset of SDDC hosts to be deployed ahead of time for recovering critical application .


Below is the comparison you can see between On-Demand and Pilot light :

In Above section, We understand required services and components to setup VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery between on Prem Datacenter to VMware cloud on AWS .


Pre-requisite for VCDR:

1. VMware vCenter Version minimum 6.5,6.7 or 7.0/

2. Minimum ESXi Hypervisor version should be 6.5.

3. Required Bandwidth between source and destination is 1 GB or higher

4. Customer AWS account is must.

5.VMware Cloud on AWS subscription is also required to avail VCDR service.

6. Firewall Ports (1759,443,80,902) between DraaS connector to SaaS Orchestrator, vCenter Server , Cloud based File system should be open .

Now, Lets understands the workflow of VCDR works during the Disaster recovery or planned migration.




1. Once we start protecting VM's or workload from Protected site to recovery site then Replication will start .

2. Replication is handled by DRaaS connector, DRaaS connector talk to ESXi using port 902 and it start Replication.

3. VM's which are protected, and part of replication will save on Backup Site, Backup Site as we already discussed its cloud based filed system.

4. If you are using Pilot Light SDDC on VMware Cloud on AWS then you have ready infrastructure and in this Case when Disaster will hit you can run the recovery plan and VM's or workload will recover on protected Site (VMware Cloud on AWS).

5. If you are not using Pilot light deployment and you have subscription of On Demand SDDC then in case of Disaster, you must deploy the SDDC which will take 2 or 3 hours to spin up SDDC and you will be able to run your recovery plan.

6. Once Disaster will hit cloud-based file system will Map with ESXi running on SDDC as NFS and it will restore the VM's and powered on. This process handle by SaaS Orchestrator.

7. At this stage VM's which is running on NFS datastore will storge vMotion to vSAN connected datastore in SDDC.


Deployment Process :

Before you will start the deployment process of VCDR you have to check Pre-requisite for VCDR are compliance.

1.Take the VCDR service subscription on VMware Cloud on AWS.

2.Configure the API token from VMC console to use the VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery.

3.Before user access the VCDR UI you must create API token and provide access for VMware Cloud account.

4.To configure the API token go to VMC console account and API token. Click on create API token.





5.Go to VMware Cloud Service and My account, under that you have to choose the Owner Role.

6.Check the Administrator and NSX Cloud Admin box.

7.Give the name of Token and defined the time-period for token expiry.





Deploy Cloud Based File System :

1.Go to VCDR (VMware Cloud Disaster recovery) Console

2.Click on Site then choose Cloud file system.

3.Click on Deploy Cloud based file system. During deployment we must define the availability zone of region where you need to setup Backup site.

4. If you are protecting workload or VM's from VMware Cloud on AWS to VMware cloud on AWS Data Center SDDC in different region then make sure you will deploy the cloud-based file system different from protected region.

5.Enter the Name of New Cloud File system and Click Deploy.

Deployment of SDDC and DRaaS:

1. Go to VMware cloud on AWS create SDDC and Click on SDDC then create SDDC.

2. You will also be able to see on same screen that you AWS account is connected to not. if it is not connected then you have to login with account which has privilege to AWS account.

3. To define the network of SDDC MGMT component we must choose the VPC and subnet on which SDDC will spin up.





4.Once SDDC deployment will start in it will take 2 to 3 hrs. to complete the SDDC deployment process.

5.Next you have to configure the protection site. Click on Setup protection site on VMC dashboard screen.




6. It will Prompt you 2 option 1. ON-Prem vSphere 2. VMware Cloud on AWS. As per your design you must choose the protection site.

7. Select the Time Zone and Name of Protected Site.

8. Click on Setup.

9. In Next Screen it will display the DRaaS connector OVA path, Console Credentials and Orchestrator FQDN.

10.Copy all the details in notepad and go to On-Prem vCenter.

11.Deploy OVF and under URL you must provide the same URL which you copied in Step number 10, or you can download the offline OVF and deployed in On-Prem vCenter.

12. Once the DRaaS connector will deploy, Go to Console of appliance and you must provide the Console Credentials and Orchestrator FQDN which you copied in Step 10.

13. After providing the details DRaaS connector will establish connection with VMC, and you can proceed to Protect your workload or VM's.

In My Next Blog we will discuss About:

1.Inventory Mapping and Resource Mapping

2.Protection Group and DR Plan