5.5

Table Of Contents
Replicating Virtual Machines 2
Before you create protection groups, you must configure replication on the virtual machines to protect.
You can replicate virtual machines by using either array-based replication, vSphere Replication, or a
combination of both.
This information concerns replication using vSphere Replication. To configure array-based replication on
virtual machines, consult the documentation from your storage array manager (SRA) vendor.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“How the Recovery Point Objective Affects Replication Scheduling,” on page 21
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“Replicating a Virtual Machine and Enabling Multiple Point in Time Instances,” on page 22
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“Configure Replication for a Single Virtual Machine,” on page 22
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“Configure Replication for Multiple Virtual Machines,” on page 24
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“Replicate Virtual Machines By Using Replication Seeds,” on page 25
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“Reconfigure Replications,” on page 26
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“Stop Replicating a Virtual Machine,” on page 27
How the Recovery Point Objective Affects Replication Scheduling
The Recovery Point Objective (RPO) value you set during replication configuration affects replication
scheduling.
If you set an RPO of x minutes, the latest available replication instance can never reflect a state that is older
than x minutes. A replication instance reflects the state of a virtual machine at the time the replication starts.
You set the RPO during replication configuration to 15 minutes. If the replication starts at 12:00 and it takes
five minutes to transfer to the target site, the instance becomes available on the target site at 12:05, but it
reflects the state of the virtual machine at 12:00. The next replication can start no later than 12:10. This
replication instance is then available at 12:15 when the first replication instance that started at 12:00 expires.
If you set the RPO to 15 minutes and the replication takes 7.5 minutes to transfer an instance,
vSphere Replication transfers an instance all the time. If the replication takes more than 7.5 minutes, the
replication encounters periodic RPO violations. For example, if the replication starts at 12:00 and takes 10
minutes to transfer an instance, the replication finishes at 12:10. You can start another replication
immediately, but it finishes at 12:20. During the time interval 12:15-12:20, an RPO violation occurs because
the latest available instance started at 12:00 and is too old.
VMware, Inc.
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