About DR and Migration #
The DR and Migration validated solution provides detailed design, implementation, configuration, and operation guidance on how to properly utilize VMware Cloud Director Availability for VMware Cloud Director and VMware vSphere Clouds. A VMware validated solution is a technical validated implementation that is built and tested by VMware and VMware cloud providers to help customers resolve common business use cases. VMware validated solutions are cost-effective, performant, reliable, and secure. Each solution contains a detailed design, implementation, and operational guidance.
Automation for This Design in VMware Cloud Foundation #
The implementation tasks for some design decisions are automated by SDDC Manager. You must perform the implementation manually for the rest of the design decisions as noted in the design implication. There is a Terraform Provider available for the configuration of VMware Cloud Director Availability appliances. All other steps, such as deployment and maintenance, need to be performed manually.
Intended Audience #
The DR and Migration documentation is intended for cloud provider architects and administrators who are familiar with VMware software and and want to support the offering of DR and migration services.
Support Matrix #
The DR and Migration validated solution is compatible with certain versions of the VMware products that are used for implementing the solution.
Software Components in DR and Migration #
| VMware Cloud Foundation Version | Product Group | Component Versions |
|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | Products part of VMware Cloud Foundation | See VMware Cloud Foundation 5.0 Release Notes. |
| Solution-added products | VMware Cloud Director Availability 4.6.1 | |
| 4.5.0 | Products part of VMware Cloud Foundation | See VMware Cloud Foundation 4.5.0 Release Notes. |
| Solution-added products | VMware Cloud Director Availability 4.5.1 | |
| 4.4.1 | Products part of VMware Cloud Foundation | See VMware Cloud Foundation 4.4.1 Release Notes. |
| Solution-added products | VMware Cloud Director Availability 4.4.1 | |
| 4.4.0 | Products part of VMware Cloud Foundation | See VMware Cloud Foundation 4.4 Release Notes. |
| Solution-added products | VMware Cloud Director Availability 4.4.1 | |
| 4.3.1 | Products part of VMware Cloud Foundation | See VMware Cloud Foundation 4.3.1 Release Notes. |
| Solution-added products | VMware Cloud Director Availability 4.4.1 | |
| 4.3.0 | Products part of VMware Cloud Foundation | See VMware Cloud Foundation 4.3 Release Notes. |
| Solution-added products | VMware Cloud Director Availability 4.4.1 |
Before You Apply This Guidance #
To design and implement the DR and Migration validated solution, your environment must have a certain configuration.
Supported VMware Cloud Foundation Deployment #
| Workload Domain | Deployment Details |
|---|---|
| Management domain | * Automated deployment using VMware Cloud Builder. * Availability of overlay-backed or VLAN-backed NSX segments in NSX-T Data Center for traffic in the same VMware Cloud Foundation instance and between VMware Cloud Foundation instances not required. See the following VMware Cloud Foundation Documentation: * For information on deploying the management domain, see VMware Cloud Foundation Getting Started Guide and VMware Cloud Foundation Deployment Guide. * For information on designing the management domain, see VMware Cloud Foundation Design Guide for the Management Domain. |
| One or more virtual infrastructure workload domains | * Automated deployment using VMware Cloud Builder. See the following VMware Cloud Foundation Documentation: * For information on deploying the management domain, see VMware Cloud Foundation Getting Started Guide and VMware Cloud Foundation Deployment Guide. * For information on designing the management domain, see VMware Cloud Foundation Design Guide for the Management Domain. |
| NSX Edge cluster | * Automated deployment using SDDC Manager See the following VMware Cloud Foundation Documentation: * For information on deploying the NSX Edge cluster, see VMware Cloud Foundation Getting Started Guide and VMware Cloud Foundation Operations and Administration Guide. * For information on designing the NSX Edge cluster, see VMware Cloud Foundation Design Guide for a Virtual Infrastructure Workload Domain. |
| VMware Cloud Director | * Deployed via VMware Cloud Provider Lifecycle Manager See the Cloud Infrastructure Implementation for more information. |
Overview of DR and Migration #
By applying the DR and Migration validated solution, you manually implement the 3 VMware Cloud Director Availability appliances:
- VMware Cloud Director Availability Cloud Replication Management appliance
- VMware Cloud Director Availability Cloud Replicator
- VMware Cloud Director Availability Cloud Tunnel
Implementation Overview of DR and Migration #
| Stage | Steps |
|---|---|
| 1. Prerequisites check | Validate whether the VMware Cloud Foundation environment is in place and VMware Cloud Director is already deployed. |
| 2. Deploy the VMware Cloud Director Availability appliances | 1. Deploy the VMware Cloud Director Availability Cloud Replication Management appliance in the Management Domain. 2. Deploy the VMware Cloud Director Availability Cloud Tunnel appliance in the Management Domain. 3. Deploy at least one VMware Cloud Director Availability Replicator appliance in each VI Workload domain. It is highly recommended to deploy at least 2 Cloud Replicators per VI Workload Domain. |
| 3. Initial setup | 1. Run the VMware Cloud Director Availability initial setup wizard where the license, site details, and VMware Cloud Director details are provided. 2. Verify that the VMware Cloud Director Availability Plug-in for VMware Cloud Director is successfully deployed after the initial setup wizard is completed. 3. (Optional) Configure additional network adapters for the appliances if needed. 4. (Optional) Pair with other VMware Cloud Director Availability Cloud sites if present. |
| 4. Tenant onboarding | 1. Create and assign a replication policy to each tenant organization and customize their replication options. 2. Create and assign SLA profiles to each tenant organization. 3. Provide the VMware Cloud Director Availability On-Premises appliance bits and Organization Administrator credentials to each of the tenant organizations so they can pair their on-premises sites to the Cloud. |
Update History #
This DR and Migration solution is updated when necessary.
| Revision | Description |
|---|---|
| 1. NOV 2022 | Initial version of this solution is published. |
| 2. SEPT 2023 | Updated the content according to the latest product versions and features. |