The integration of Dell EqualLogic Storage Replication Adapter (SRA) with VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) 5.1 requires a specific version of the EqualLogic SRA—version 2.2. This is available for download on both the official EqualLogic support section and the VMware SRM download page.
Upgrading the EqualLogic SRA for VMware SRM
To upgrade to the new EqualLogic SRA, users need to follow a straightforward procedure that involves running the installation package. One of the significant updates in version 2.2 is the enhancement of how asynchronous storage replication is handled, offering two configuration methods:
- Using the EqualLogic GroupManager
- Using VMware Integration, specifically the Virtual Storage Manager (VSM)
VSM, previously known as HIT/VE, facilitates the creation of image-consistent replication for virtual machines. By using VSM, the EqualLogic SRA communicates with SRM to ensure that replication and recovery points include virtual machine snapshots. This process provides image-consistency and reduces performance impacts on protected virtual machines.
Benefits of Using VSM for Replication Scheduling
When selecting VSM as the replication method, the SRA coordinates with vCenter to create quiesced snapshots of the virtual machines before replication. This ensures that the snapshots are consistent and available only during the recovery point at the recovery site, minimizing any performance degradation on the primary site. The VSM method significantly enhances the reliability of disaster recovery scenarios by enabling efficient interaction between the EqualLogic SRA and VMware SRM, thus improving virtual machine survival rates.
Technical Considerations
- Enable flow control and disable Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) on storage-specific switches to optimize iSCSI traffic.
- Utilize Dell’s EqualLogic Best Practices for storage network configuration, such as setting the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) to 9000 for jumbo frames and ensuring VLANs are configured to isolate storage traffic.
Conclusion
Implementing the updated Dell EqualLogic SRA with VMware SRM 5.1 not only streamlines the replication and recovery processes but also enhances overall virtual machine protection through advanced, image-consistent replication methods facilitated by VSM.
