If you haven't already, then you should look at the step by step guide for Site Recovery Manager (SRM 6.5) installation and configuration page that I have created where we go through overview, installation, site pairing, resource mappings, folder mappings, network mappings, placeholder datastores, installing SRA, configuring Array-based replication, creating and cleaning the recovery plan.
In this post, we will be looking at what are the different vCenter Server Deployment Models that the Site Recovery Manager can work with.
Technically, you can install Site Recovery Manager in any of the deployment models that vCenter Server supports. However, the vCenter Server deployment model that you select can have implications for Site Recovery Manager operation.
This is because, during a disaster recovery, Site Recovery Manager, vCenter Server, and the associated Platform Services Controller must be up and running on the recovery site.
Now that we have the understanding of how SRN, vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller are interconnected for a proper working of the solution, let us see what deployment models are there for SRM.
- Two-Site Topology with One vCenter Server Instance per Platform Services Controller.
- Two-Site Topology with Multiple vCenter Server Instances per Platform Services Controller.
- Single Site Topology with a Shared Platform Services Controller.
Two-Site Topology with One vCenter Server Instance per Platform Services Controller
Image Source: VMware
The most common deployment for Site Recovery Manager is to have two sites with one vCenter Server instance per Platform Services Controller.
In this configuration, the Platform Services Controller instances can be either external to vCenter Server or embedded in the vCenter Server instances.
The Platform Services Controller instances can belong to vCenter Single Sign-On domains that are either in Enhanced Linked Mode or are not in Enhanced Linked Mode.
Two-Site Topology with Multiple vCenter Server Instances per Platform Services Controller
You can also deploy Site Recovery Manager in a topology in which multiple vCenter Server instances share a Platform Services Controller on each site.
In this configuration, the Platform Services Controller instances are external to the vCenter Server instances.
The Platform Services Controller instances can belong to vCenter Single Sign-On domains that are either in Enhanced Linked Mode or are not in Enhanced Linked Mode.
Single Site Topology with a Shared Platform Services Controller
You can deploy Site Recovery Manager Server so that both instances connect to vCenter Server instances that share a Platform Services Controller.
In this configuration, both vCenter Server instances connect to the same Platform Services Controller within a single site.
Note: This deployment model is not recommended because, when the vCenter Server instances on the protected and recovery sites share the same PSC, the PSC becomes a single point of failure. If the PSC goes offline, neither of the protected and recovery sites can function, and recovery is impossible. You may use this in your lab setup where resources are limited.
I hope this has been informative and thank you for reading!
