6.1

Table Of Contents
About Placeholder Datastores
If you use array-based replication to protect datastore groups, or if you use vSphere Replication to protect
individual virtual machines, you must identify a datastore on the recovery site in which
Site Recovery Manager can store the placeholder virtual machine files.
NOTE Site Recovery Manager does not create placeholder virtual machines for storage policy protection
groups. You do not need to identify a placeholder datastore if you only use storage policy protection
groups.
Placeholder virtual machine files are very small, so the placeholder datastore does not need to be large
enough to accommodate the full virtual machines.
To enable planned migration and reprotect, you must select placeholder datastores on both sites.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“What Happens to Placeholder Virtual Machines During Recovery,” on page 42
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“Select a Placeholder Datastore,” on page 43
What Happens to Placeholder Virtual Machines During Recovery
When you create array-based protection groups and vSphere Replication protection groups,
Site Recovery Manager creates placeholder virtual machines on the recovery site. When you run a recovery
plan that contains these protection groups, Site Recovery Manager replaces the placeholders with real
virtual machines.
NOTE Site Recovery Manager does not create placeholder virtual machines for storage policy protection
groups. This example applies to array-based protection groups and to vSphere Replication protection
groups. It does not apply to storage policy protection groups. For information about how
Site Recovery Manager recovers virtual machines when you use storage policy protection groups, see
“About Storage Policy Protection Groups,” on page 48.
This example illustrates the process by which Site Recovery Manager replaces placeholder virtual machines
on the recovery site with real virtual machines when you run recovery plans that contain array-based
protection groups and vSphere Replication protection groups.
1 Virtual machines replicate to the recovery site independently of Site Recovery Manager, according to
the type of replication that you use.
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For datastore-based replication, the storage array replicates datastores that contain virtual machine
files as raw storage in the target storage array.
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vSphere Replication replicates individual virtual machines by making copies of the virtual
machines in the datastore that you configure as the vSphere Replication target. These virtual
machine copies are not powered on.
2 You designate a datastore on the recovery site for Site Recovery Manager to use to store placeholder
virtual machine files.
3 When you configure Site Recovery Manager protection on a virtual machine by adding a datastore
group or an individual virtual machine to a protection group, Site Recovery Manager creates a
placeholder for that virtual machine in the placeholder datastore on the recovery site.
Site Recovery Manager Administration
42 VMware, Inc.