Trivia Quiz: VMware Vcenter Site Recovery Manager

VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager is a disaster recovery solution that operates independently of the applications running inside virtual machines. It is designed to protect any application running on VMware vSphere, regardless of the type or operating system. This means that it can be used to protect not only Windows applications, but also SQL, Exchange, Sharepoint, and any other application that is running on VMware vSphere.

VMware Site Recovery Manager enables customers to test their recovery plans during production hours. This means that they can simulate disaster scenarios and assess the effectiveness of their recovery plans without disrupting normal operations. This feature ensures that the recovery plans are reliable and can be executed smoothly when an actual disaster occurs.

The best statement to sum up SRM to a customer is that it automates the recovery plan, eliminating the need for manual processes. This automation helps to lower the recovery time objective (RTO) and allows for testing of the recovery plan during business hours without disrupting production applications.

The best place a partner can check for SRM storage compatibility is the VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager Storage Partner Compatibility Matrix on VMware.com. This matrix provides comprehensive information about the compatibility of different storage partners with SRM, ensuring that the partner can make an informed decision about the compatibility of their storage solution with SRM. Checking the manufacturer's storage support site, VMLink, or VMVault may not provide specific information about SRM compatibility, making the VMware matrix the most reliable source of information in this case.

The statement is true because vSphere Replication, Planned Migration, and Failback are indeed new features introduced in SRM 5. These features enhance the capabilities of SRM by providing replication of virtual machines at the hypervisor level, allowing for planned migrations of virtual machines between sites, and facilitating the failback process after a disaster event. These new features improve the overall disaster recovery capabilities of SRM 5.

VMware Site Recovery Manager is a software solution designed to automate and orchestrate the recovery process in case of a disaster or downtime. It helps in simplifying and streamlining the recovery operations by automating the failover and failback processes, ensuring minimal downtime and data loss. Therefore, the statement "VMware Site Recovery Manager orchestrates the recovery process" is true.

The statement is true because even though SRM is an automated "run book" for Disaster Recovery, the failover process still needs to be manually initiated by the administrator. This means that although SRM can automate the steps and processes involved in disaster recovery, the decision to initiate the failover and start the recovery process still requires human intervention.

vCenter Server Standard is recommended for an SRM (Site Recovery Manager) implementation because it provides advanced features and capabilities that are necessary for managing and orchestrating the disaster recovery process. It offers features like vMotion, High Availability, and Distributed Resource Scheduler, which are crucial for ensuring the smooth functioning of a disaster recovery solution. vCenter Server Foundation and vCenter Server Essentials have limited functionalities and may not provide the necessary features required for an SRM implementation.

SRM Standard and SRM Enterprise differ in terms of the number of virtual machines (vm's) they can protect. SRM Standard is suitable for customers who need to protect less than 75 vm's, while SRM Enterprise is designed for customers who need to protect more than 75 vm's.

Veeam is a suitable solution for replicating backups to a remote site. On the other hand, SRM5, in combination with vSphere replication, provides array-based replication with more granularity and the capability to orchestrate recovery. Therefore, if the goal is to replicate backups to a remote site, Veeam is recommended, while SRM5 is the appropriate choice for array-based replication and recovery orchestration.

Backing up to tape and taking it to another site is a form of data backup, not disaster recovery. Disaster recovery involves the process of restoring and recovering an entire system or infrastructure after a disaster or major disruption. While backing up data to tape and storing it offsite can be part of a disaster recovery plan, it is not the complete solution.

vSphere replication is included in SRM Licensing. This type of replication allows for the replication of virtual machines at the hypervisor level, providing a convenient and efficient way to protect and recover virtualized workloads. It is a software-based replication solution that enables the replication of virtual machines from one site to another, ensuring data availability and disaster recovery capabilities. This type of replication is specifically designed for virtualized environments and is a key feature of SRM Licensing.

SRM, or Site Recovery Manager, offers several benefits. Firstly, it allows for Attainable Recovery Time Objectives, meaning that it enables organizations to recover their systems and applications within a specific timeframe. Secondly, SRM provides the ability to test during business hours, which is advantageous as it allows for regular testing and validation of disaster recovery plans without disrupting normal operations. Additionally, SRM offers 100% application coverage at an affordable price, ensuring that all critical applications are protected. Lastly, SRM provides an automated "run book" feature, which automates and simplifies the recovery process, reducing manual efforts and potential errors.

SRM 4 and 5 may technically be able to function with vCenter Foundation, but VMware does not provide support for this configuration. This means that if any issues or problems arise while using SRM 4 or 5 with vCenter Foundation, VMware will not assist in resolving them. Therefore, it is true that although it may work, using SRM 4 or 5 with vCenter Foundation is not supported by VMware.

The statement is false because vCenter and SRM versions do not necessarily have to match for compatibility and support. While it is generally recommended to use matching versions for optimal performance and compatibility, VMware provides compatibility matrices that outline the supported combinations of vCenter and SRM versions. This allows for flexibility in upgrading or migrating vCenter and SRM independently, as long as the chosen combination is supported according to the compatibility matrix.

The statement "SRM requires shared storage" is false. SRM, which stands for Site Recovery Manager, is a disaster recovery solution provided by VMware. While SRM does require storage replication between primary and secondary sites, it does not necessarily require shared storage. SRM can work with different types of storage configurations, including shared storage, replicated storage, or even cloud-based storage. Therefore, the correct answer is False.