6.1

For array-based replication protection groups and vSphere Replication protection groups, the first
command or prompt (or custom) step added between Create Writeable Storage Snapshot and the first non-
empty VM priority group starts in parallel with the step Create Writeable Storage Snapshot to address
restart failure scenarios.
How Site Recovery Manager Handles Custom Recovery Step Failures
Site Recovery Manager handles custom recovery step failures differently based on the type of recovery step.
Site Recovery Manager attempts to complete all custom recovery steps, but some command recovery steps
might fail to finish.
Command Recovery Steps
By default, Site Recovery Manager waits for 5 minutes for command recovery steps to finish. You can
configure the timeout for each command. If a command finishes within this timeout period, the next
recovery step in the recovery plan runs. How Site Recovery Manager handles failures of custom commands
depends on the type of command.
Type of
Command Description
Top-level
commands
If a recovery step fails, Site Recovery Manager logs the failure and shows a warning on the
Recovery Steps tab. Subsequent custom recovery steps continue to run.
Per-virtual
machine
commands
Run in batches either before or after a virtual machine powers on. If a command fails, the
remaining per-virtual machine commands in the batch do not run. For example, if you add five
commands to run before power on and five commands to run after power on, and the third
command in the batch before power on fails, the remaining two commands to run before power on
do not run. Site Recovery Manager does not power on the virtual machine and so cannot run any
post-power on commands.
Message Prompt Recovery Steps
Custom recovery steps that issue a message prompt cannot fail. The recovery plan pauses until the user
dismisses the prompt.
Create Top-Level Message Prompts or Command Steps
You can add top-level recovery steps anywhere in the recovery plan. Top-level command steps are
commands or scripts that you run on Site Recovery Manager Server during a recovery. You can also add
steps that display message prompts that a user must acknowledge during a recovery.
Prerequisites
n
You have a recovery plan to which to add custom steps.
n
For information about writing the commands to add to command steps, see “Guidelines for Writing
Command Steps,” on page 86 and “Environment Variables for Command Steps,” on page 86.
Procedure
1 In the vSphere Web Client, select Site Recovery > Recovery Plans, and select a recovery plan.
2 On the Monitor tab, click Recovery Steps.
Site Recovery Manager Administration
84 VMware, Inc.