VM Replication as part of Disaster Recovery as a Service
Virtual Machine (VM) Replication is an integral part of disaster recovery. At its core, VM Replication ensures that virtual machines maintain their operational state even after a disaster. Duplicating the source virtual machine onto another host provides a safeguard against data loss, resiliency at a site level, and service resiliency. As organizations utilize Disaster Recovery as a Service solution, VM Replication is a core component most look for.
What is Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)?
DRaaS, or Disaster Recovery as a Service, stands out as a cloud computing service model tailored to back up data and provide recovery solutions. DRaaS providers typically offer varying levels of service, from self-service DRaaS, where businesses manage their own disaster recovery plans, to managed DRaaS, where the provider manages the entire process. Each will provide different levels of interaction during the same natural disaster affecting the business.
Typically, many opt for a fully-managed solution that can offload the entire process, including formulating and executing a disaster recovery plan during a real disaster.
What is virtual machine Replication?
Virtual Machine (VM) Replication is a core technology used in data protection and disaster recovery strategies. It refers to creating an exact copy or clone of a virtual machine on a different host or location.
The Basics
VM Replication involves continuously copying a source virtual machine to a replica virtual machine. The source VM remains operational and accessible, serving user requests as normal, while changes to its data and state are constantly synchronized with the replica VM with each Replication interval. This ensures that the replica remains a near-current replica of the production virtual machine.
Why It Matters
The immediate advantage of VM Replication is business continuity and site-level resiliency. In the event of unforeseen disasters that may take out an entire site, such as equipment failures, power outages, or natural disasters, operations can “failover” to the replica VM. This minimizes downtime and ensures that services remain available.
The failover process essentially redirects traffic to the replica virtual machines. Using a data protection solution that can orchestrate this process has many advantages. Using something like BDRSuite allows managed service providers operating Disaster Recovery as a Service to orchestrate the failover, including network re-configurations needed for the replica virtual machines.
Replication vs. Backup
It’s essential to differentiate VM Replication from backup. While both are strategies for data protection, they serve different purposes. VM backups involve storing copies of data at specific intervals, which can be restored when needed.
VM Replication, on the other hand, is about maintaining a real-time (or near real-time) clone of the active VM. This means that in a disaster recovery scenario, VM Replication offers quicker recovery times compared to restoring from backups since no data needs to be restored. It is essentially already restored, represented by the replica VM.
In the modern digital era, VM Replication is essential for any organization prioritizing data protection and service availability. Combined with other strategies, such as backups and disaster recovery plans, it provides a multi-layered shield against data loss and interruptions.
The Nuances of Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO)
Understanding RPO and RTO is crucial. Recovery Point Objective refers to the maximum amount of data loss an organization can tolerate. Meanwhile, the Recovery Time Objective focuses on the amount of time it takes to restore data after a disaster strikes. These objectives influence the frequency of backups and dictate the responsiveness required from a DRaaS provider.
Why Rely on a DRaaS Provider?
The intrinsic value of a DRaaS provider lies in their expertise. Many organizations lack in-house experts to handle the intricate details of disaster recovery. A DRaaS provider offers resources, knowledge, and tools, ensuring seamless Replication and recovery, especially in natural disasters, power outages, or equipment failures.
Key Considerations in VM Replication and DRaaS
- Network Bandwidth: It’s crucial to assess the network bandwidth. The Replication process, especially for multiple virtual machines, demands a robust network to function without hitches
- Secondary Site Provisions: The DRaaS provider’s secondary site is pivotal. In the event of a primary site failure or a natural disaster affecting the provider and the client, this secondary location holds the backup data
- Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Clear SLAs with DRaaS providers set the expectations right. It delineates recovery times, data protection standards, and responsibilities
The Self-Service versus Managed DRaaS Model
Businesses have two main options: Self-service DRaaS, which permits organizations to leverage the provider’s resources while managing their own disaster recovery plans, or the managed DRaaS model, where the provider assumes complete control. The choice hinges on an organization’s internal capabilities and the complexity of its virtual servers.
FAQs on Virtual Machine Replication and DRaaS
How do DRaaS services optimize Replication for higher latency networks?
Optimizing Replication in environments with higher latency is crucial to maintain real-time synchronization. DRaaS providers utilize advanced techniques such as data compression and deduplication to reduce the volume of data transferred. Additionally, incremental Replication – transferring only changed data rather than the entire dataset – ensures efficient use of available network bandwidth.
Can VM Replication help smaller organizations without an in-house IT team?
VM Replication is not just for large enterprises. Many DRaaS providers offer self-service DRaaS or assisted DRaaS customized for smaller organizations. These services often come with user-friendly interfaces and guidance, allowing businesses that lack in-house experts to quickly set up and manage their Replication and disaster recovery solutions.
How do public clouds fit into the DRaaS and VM Replication landscape?
Public clouds play an increasingly significant role in the DRaaS ecosystem. They offer vast storage resources and scalability. Many DRaaS providers leverage public cloud infrastructure to host replicated data. This approach allows for cost-effective, scalable, and resilient disaster recovery solutions without businesses needing to invest in secondary storage or secondary sites.
What’s the significance of recovery points in VM Replication?
Recovery points refer to specific instances of replicated data. Think of them as “checkpoints” in your VM’s timeline. The more frequently these recovery points are created, the more options you have when choosing a specific moment to recover from.
This is closely related to the Recovery Point Objective (RPO) concept, which dictates how much data an organization can afford to lose in a disaster scenario.
How does the Replication process ensure data integrity between the source virtual machine and its replica?
Ensuring data integrity is very important. The Replication process includes various checks and balances. Checksum verification is employed to validate the data’s integrity during transfer. Additionally, further testing ensures data matches the source once data reaches its destination.
Testing VM replicas is also vital. Solutions like BDRSuite can test virtual machine replicas to ensure these are healthy and boot correctly, without corruption.
Wrapping up
In the age of today’s data-driven environments, having good backups and data residing in virtual machines replicated to a separate location is a great way to protect against site-level failures. Replicated VMs can also allow organizations to bring resources back up much more quickly than restoring all the data at once. During each subsequent Replication interval, the changes from your production copy are merged into the replicated virtual machine.
Read More:
MSP Series: What is BCDR? Planning for Disaster: Part 14
Mastering Managed Services: A Comprehensive Guide to Success in Today’s Business Landscape – Your Ultimate MSP Series
Follow our Twitter and Facebook feeds for new releases, updates, insightful posts and more.
