Failover is very important for all IT Pro and is High Importance Project that must have been complete and do periodical checks that works without problems. What is Failover? Maybe all knows what is mean but i would like to repeat again. A general term that i found in Wikipedia is <<In computing, failover is switching to a redundant or standby computer server, system, hardware component or network upon the failure or abnormal termination of the previously active application,[1] server, system, hardware component, or network. Failover and switchover are essentially the same operation, except that failover is automatic and usually operates without warning, while switchover requires human intervention.>>
Install Veeam Backup & Replication
- Download Veaam Backup & Replication from Veaam Site.
https://www.veeam.com/downloads.html - You must create an account to proceed with the download.
- Extract the ISO file
- Open the extracted folder and click in Setup
- Click in Veeam Backup & Replication icon
- Start with Welcome Wizard. Click Next.
- Select the I agree ...... and click Next.
- If you don't have buy any license you can use it as Trial.If you have License click Browse to locate the license file and after click Next. If you want to use it as Trial just click Next.
- Don't change anything and click Next.
- Here you can see that missing some features for the installation. Click Install and wait to install all the missing features. When finish click Next. This step it's not default for all users because someone maybe has all the missing features installed. So will be do the check and proceed with the next step.
- Just the Default Configuration. It's better don't change anything and click Install.
- Wait to finish the installation.
Configure Veeam Backup & Replication
After finish the installation we must configure Backup Repositories and Hosts to identify Virtual Machines.
- After finish the installation click in the icon of Veeam Backup & Replication.
- Click Connect to open the Console.
- Select Backup & Infrastructure
- Right click in Managed Servers.
- Select Add Servers.
- Base on your infrastructure select the Server that you must Add VMware,HYPERV or any other Server that you have. Have in mind that you must add only the Host Servers and will find your Virtual Machines. You can't add standalone Virtual Machine.
- Add the Production Host Server and Disaster Host Server because we will use it in the next Task when create the Replication Job.
Create Replication Job
- After configure the Backup Infrastructure we can proceed to create a new Replication Job.
- From the toolbar in Home Tab select Replication Job.
- Type the name that you prefer for the Replication Job
- Disaster Recovery Site will be in different network and most of the times has different IP Subnet.Then it's very important to click in Different IP Addressing scheme (enable re-ip). The specific option will be undertake the network mapping between Server in the Disaster Recovery Site and your network. For the specific option and configuration will be discuss with more details in 2nd Part. But it's very important to select the option because if you don't then you will have the Server in your Disaster Recovery Site but without can use it when must use Failover and transfer all the workload.Click Next.
- Click Add and select the Server that you want to Replicate. Click Next.
- In Host or Cluster click Choose and select the Host in the Disaster Recovery Site. Then automatic will be fill and the other options like Resources ,VM Folder and DataStore. Click Next.
- Now will be configure the network mapping. Click Add.
- In the IP Address type the IP Subnet of your Network and in the last number add * if you want to specify a range of IP (Don't use 0). For example 192.168.1.*
- In the Target VM do the same with the IP Subnet of the Server in the Disaster Recover Site.
- If you don't want to specify range then type the specific ip address of the Source VM and of the Target VM.
- Add the Default Gateway of your Disaster Recovery Site.
- Add the DNS Servers of your Production Environment..
- Specify the Repository of Metadata files. Leave the default.
- Specify prefix and restore points to keep it in Replication Server. I will reduce from 7 to 3. I don't need lot of restore points just more that 2 in case of something going wrong with one of restore points. Click Next.
- Don't change anything. Click Next and will discuss in Part 2 for the Target Proxy.
- For Replication you don't need application aware-processing. So click Next.
- Click Run the job automatically and schedule the job.Click Create.
- Click Finish.
Now the job is ready to run in schedule time. If it's the First Server it's better to do a test and start Run Manual to verify that all is ok. Of course Run the Job in non working hours because will be reduce the performance.