System information

Configuring a Recovery Plan 5
You can configure a recovery plan to run commands on Site Recovery Manager Server or on a virtual
machine, display messages that require a response when the plan runs, suspend non-essential virtual
machines during recovery, configure dependencies between virtual machines, customize virtual machine
network settings, and change the recovery priority of protected virtual machines.
A simple recovery plan that specifies only a test network to which the recovered virtual machines connect
and timeout values for waiting for virtual machines to power on and be customized can provide an effective
way to test a Site Recovery Manager configuration. Most recovery plans require configuration for use in
production. For example, a recovery plan for an emergency at the protected site might be different from a
recovery plan for the planned migration of services from one site to another.
NOTE A recovery plan always reflects the current state of the protection groups that it recovers. If any
members of a protection group show a status other than OK, you must correct the problems before you can
make any changes to the recovery plan.
n
Recovery Plan Steps on page 56
A recovery plan runs a series of steps that must be performed in a specific order for a given workflow
such as a planned migration or reprotect. You cannot change the order or purpose of the steps, but
you can insert your own steps that display messages and run commands.
n
Creating Custom Recovery Steps on page 56
You can create custom recovery steps that run commands or present messages to the user during a
recovery.
n
Suspend Virtual Machines When a Recovery Plan Runs on page 61
Site Recovery Manager can suspend virtual machines on the recovery site during a recovery and a test
recovery.
n
Specify the Recovery Priority of a Virtual Machine on page 61
By default, Site Recovery Manager sets all virtual machines in a new recovery plan to recovery priority
level 3. You can increase or decrease the recovery priority of a virtual machine. The recovery priority
specifies the shutdown and power on order of virtual machines.
n
Configure Virtual Machine Dependencies on page 62
If a virtual machine depends on services that run on another virtual machine in the same protection
group, you can configure a dependency between the virtual machines. By configuring a dependency,
you can ensure that the virtual machines start on the recovery site in the correct order. Dependencies
are only valid if the virtual machines have the same priority.
n
Configure Virtual Machine Startup and Shutdown Options on page 63
You can configure how a virtual machine starts up and shuts down on the recovery site during a
recovery.
VMware, Inc.
55