USE VMware SITE RECOVERY MANAGER TO TEST DISASTER RECOVERY -2

This is a second part of BCDR using VMware SRM. The earlier blog USE VMware SITE RECOVERY MANAGER TO TEST DISASTER RECOVERY -1 contained failoing over to DR. In this blog we will failback

Now, we will fail the application BACK to Production DC, restoring it to the original location. Applications protected with SRM can be migrated back and forth as often as necessary for everything from disaster recovery/avoidance to simply avoiding downtime due to planned maintenance outages

Connect to production dc site

1. Open the vSphere Web Client for the Production DC vCenter.  From the home tab navigate to the Site Recovery plugin.

We'll be running the planned failback from the Production DC site vCenter

Initiate recovery plan for planned migration'

Navigate to Recovery Plans.

1.Make sure that the Customer Care Web App is highlighted

2. Click the red button to recover the recovery plan.

Start the disaster avoidance procedure

We will use the same process that we followed when we originally failed over to DR DC.

1. Check the check box indicating that you understand the risks of a failover.

2. Make sure that you select Planned Migration.

3. Click Next and then Finish

Monitor the plan while it runs.

Once the plan is complete, it is important that we reprotect the Customer Care Web App as soon as possible.

1. Click the Reprotect button

Make sure to click the checkbox to confirm you understand what will be occurring during the operation before clicking Next. As with the previous Reprotect operation, this may take up to 20 minutes while the protected VMs are replicated back to DR DC

After the plan completes, verify that SRM is now protecting Production DC using resources in Albuquerque.

1. Click on the Summary tab

2. Ensure that Production DC is listed as the Protected site and DR DCas the Recovery Site.

That's it! You've failed a critical application over from one site to another to avoid a disaster, failed it back and used reprotect to make sure that it was protected from disaster regardless of the site in which it was running.