Virtualization: VMware vCenter SRM 5.0 Extends DR Failover Protection
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Improvements to VMware's vCenter Site Recovery Manager (SRM) 5.0 make the disaster recovery tool more appealing to IT shops that have forgone protecting tier 2 applications because of the expense associated with array-based replication. New in this version of SRM is a component called vSphere Replication that can use any type of storage that is recognized by vCenter to provide replication and DR protection to most virtual machines and VM templates in the case of a data center emergency that requires a protected site to be moved to a secondary backup location. For those sites that use array-based replication, there is now an automated failback feature called "reprotection" that can reverse the direction of the recovery plan so that VMs can be moved back to the originally protected site. Planned migration can now also be accommodated by SRM 5.0 so that any errors are corrected as the DR move proceeds. Planned migration makes it easier to move VMs from the protected site to the secondary site in cases where time pressure exists. But the data center operator still has enough control over the circumstances to ensure that the business processes will come up smoothly in the failover site.
Cameron Sturdevant is the executive editor of Enterprise Networking Planet. Prior to ENP, Cameron was technical analyst at PCWeek Labs, starting in 1997. Cameron finished up as the eWEEK Labs Technical Director in 2012. Before his extensive labs tenure Cameron paid his IT dues working in technical support and sales engineering at a software publishing firm . Cameron also spent two years with a database development firm, integrating applications with mainframe legacy programs. Cameron's areas of expertise include virtual and physical IT infrastructure, cloud computing, enterprise networking and mobility. In addition to reviews, Cameron has covered monolithic enterprise management systems throughout their lifecycles, providing the eWEEK reader with all-important history and context. Cameron takes special care in cultivating his IT manager contacts, to ensure that his analysis is grounded in real-world concern. Follow Cameron on Twitter at csturdevant, or reach him by email at cameron.sturdevant@quinstreet.com.
