We are not an end-user. We are a solutions provider to companies.
Technical Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
It has done some rearranging of the recovery plans so that you can get better visibility into what is going on during a failure.
Originally posted https://theithollow.com/2015/08/31/vmware-site-recovery-manager-6-1-annouced/
VMware announced Site Recovery Manager version 6.1 this week at VMworld in San Francisco California. Several new features were unveiled for VMware’s flagship Disaster Recovery product.
Storage Profile Protection Groups
Remember back in the old days (prior to today), when deploying a new virtual machine we had to ensure the datastore we were putting the virtual machine on was replicated? Not only that, but if this new VM was part of a group of similar VMs that needed to fail over together, we needed to make sure it was in the same protection group? Well VMware decided this was a cumbersome process and added “Storage Profile Protection Groups”.
In SRM 6.1 we will use storage profiles to map datastores with protection groups. Now we’ll be able to deploy a VM and select a storage profile to automatically place the VM in the correct datastore and even better, configure protection for the virtual machine.
Orchestrated vMotion in Active-Active Datacenters
Yeah, you kind of expected something like this right? VMware announced long distance vMotion and cross vCenter vMotions with vSphere 6.0 last VMworld. We can now start doing live migrations between physical locations so why not add this to the disaster recovery orchestration engine?
I think this new feature might be very useful for some companies that routinely deal with disasters where there is some warning, like a hurricane. Prior to SRM 6.1 you would have been able to do a planned failover through a previous version of SRM, but it would have required a small amount of downtime. You might also have been able to do a long distance vMotion but this would have been some manual or scripted work. With SRM 6.1 the planned failover could be done in an orchestrated fashion with zero downtime!
OK, you’ve probably got some questions about this, lets see if I can knock out a few of them.
Question 1: What if my virtual machine has a lot of RAM and vMotions could take a very long time? Do I have to vMotion them for planned migrations?
Answer 1: Nope! If you have certain VMs that you know you never want to vMotion during your planned migration, you’ll have the option to select the VM and disable the vMotion option during protection.
Question 2: What about the network?
Answer 2: Yeah, the network needs to be the same on both vCenters or your VM won’t be able to communicate with the rest of the network anymore. This is the same as a normal vMotion. SRM will be able to change IP Addresses like it always has, but this requires a small amount of downtime as you might guess.
Question 3: Do I have two different planned recovery options then?
Answer 3: There is one planned recovery still, but now there is an option to enable the vMotion of eligible VMs.
vCenter Spanned NSX Integration
The last main feature of the product is its integration with the NSX product. You used to have to explicitly map each VM with a recovery network. Now in SRM 6.1 if you’re using NSX on both vCenters and the NSX networks are the same on each, SRM will map these networks for you. (yes, you can override this mapping if you need).
Other Notes
SRM 6.1 has also done some rearranging of the recovery plans so that you can get better visibility into what is going on during a failure. If you’ve ever had to troubleshoot a failover this is a great addition to help narrow down the problem. It also provides more places to but scripts into your failover, which is welcomed.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Straightforward to set up with good components and good scalability
Pros and Cons
- "Technical support is very proactive and helpful."
- "It would be ideal if they added advanced analytics or AI to the solution."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
All of its components are very competitive compared to other solutions. The application, the DR health check, and the scale-out file system are all great. They tailored a lot of technology in the VCDR, which is good. It's a very good solution overall.
The initial setup is very straightforward.
The solution is stable.
Technical support is very proactive and helpful.
The solution has proven to be easily scalable.
What needs improvement?
They need to have their own cloud, however, unfortunately, since the solution has been acquired by VMware, I doubt that will be happening.
It is impossible to acquire Datrium data nodes, unfortunately.
It would be ideal if they added advanced analytics or AI to the solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been working with the solution since before Datrium was acquired by VMware.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In terms of stability, recently, we encountered an issue, however, it has been addressed immediately by support. It's now resolved. For the most part, the solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is pretty good. We just have to ask for additional space. Eventually, it will be guaranteed on demand.
There are many users on the solution. It's a big organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
One of the good things about the solution is that it has very proactive support there. They are helpful and responsive and we are pleased with the level of assistance they offer.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did not previously use a different solution.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is very straightforward and easy to set up. The deployment is quick and easy. In our experience, the solution only takes four hours to deploy.
What about the implementation team?
We're integrators and therefore can implement the solution for our clients.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We looked at other solutions, however, the product is a very good technology. We have seen its many advantages as compared to other solutions. For example, the solution has been HCI disaggregated.
What other advice do I have?
I'm not sure which version of the solution we're using.
We're an integrator. Our clients use the solution. We are not end-users.
I'd rate the solution at a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Senior Systems Administrator at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Testing Failover Capabilities Is Valuable, Though Flexibility To Choose Different PITs Would Help
Pros and Cons
- "Testing failover capabilities."
- "Flexibility to choose different PITs would be nice."
What is most valuable?
- Ease of management.
- Testing failover capabilities.
How has it helped my organization?
Gives us the ability for true DR testing, readiness.
What needs improvement?
Flexibility to choose different PITs would be nice. Also, ability to give VMs different priority per Recovery Plan would be useful.
For how long have I used the solution?
Four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Not yet.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Not yet.
How are customer service and technical support?
Seven out of 10. I give them a seven because they don’t always get back within the SLA, and have had a few issues they took a long time to resolve.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
No.
How was the initial setup?
Fairly straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing costs explode after 75 VMs.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Zerto. We felt SRM/RecoverPoint gave us more flexibility in our solution. That was five years ago though.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend it.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Presales at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Reasonably priced solution with good automation
Pros and Cons
- "SRM's best feature is automation."
- "An improvement for SRM would be better interface compatibility with other products."
What is most valuable?
SRM's best feature is automation.
What needs improvement?
An improvement for SRM would be better interface compatibility with other products.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using VMware SRM for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I've never faced any issues with SRM's stability.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
SRM is reasonably priced for the functionality it provides.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate SRM as eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Sr . IT Infrastructure Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Reliable, easy to use, and scales well
Pros and Cons
- "VMware is one of the best products in the industry when it comes to virtualization."
- "Technical support needs improvement, they are not very responsive."
What is most valuable?
It's user-friendly, for those who have learned and experienced the technology.
VMware is one of the best products in the industry when it comes to virtualization.
What needs improvement?
Technical support needs improvement, they are not very responsive.
You should be technically skilled enough so that you don't have to rely on its support. It's not easy when you don't get the support that you would expect to receive from VMware.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with this solution for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
VMware SRM is a stable solution. It's very reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
VMware SRM is a scalable solution.
How are customer service and support?
We have always had trouble reaching out to support and connecting with their support engineers.
I would rate the technical support a three out of five.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In terms of VMware, we use a variety of solutions, such as VMware vSAN, VxRail, Center, and SRM.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate VMware SRM an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Consultant at a recruiting/HR firm with 51-200 employees
The recovery plans and customization options are great. I also the love the re-protect feature for easier fallback.
What is most valuable?
The recovery plans and customization options. I also the love the re-protect feature for easier fallback.
How has it helped my organization?
We were able to migrate 100 virtual servers to our St. Louis office with very little downtime.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see the database come built-in to the product. I would also prefer to the SRM server come as a virtual appliance instead of a windows vm. I would also like to see a way to control bandwidth usage.
For how long have I used the solution?
3 years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No, the process is very well documented.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No, but you need to have a good understanding of your bandwidth between sites. SRM does not have a native way to throttle bandwidth usage.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
Excellent.
Technical Support:Excellent.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We looked at various types of solutions like Veeam, DoubleTake and Neverfail.
How was the initial setup?
It was very straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
In-house.
What was our ROI?
We were able to reduce the cost of our overall DR infrastructure while increase our recovery time. We are seeing a 25% return.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Yes, Veeam, Neverfail and DoubleTake.
What other advice do I have?
Take the time to understand your change rate of your servers, your bandwidth capabilities and the recovery objects for your DR plan.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Founder at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees
Quick to deploy, stable, and works without issues
Pros and Cons
- "If you want to do failover, it works without any problem."
- "Sometimes it can cause a bit of downtime during switchovers."
What is our primary use case?
SRM is implemented as part of VMware.
We use it for failover between geographical locations from one location to another location. Sometimes for maintenance purposes, we can failover services to another location so that we can maintain the technology at another location.
What is most valuable?
The solution works well. If you want to do failover, it works without any problem.
The product is stable.
The deployment process is fast.
What needs improvement?
The challenge it has is with the speed of failing over. Sometimes it can cause a bit of downtime during switchovers. Sometimes you realize that when you are failing over you can have downtime due to the fact that you're stepping down on one side and powering up on another side.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've used the solution since 2012. It's been almost ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is great. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is just a function. Whether you can scale or not depends on your resources. It depends on your bandwidth. The scalability will depend on the infrastructure it is using.
We have three people who work with the solution directly.
How was the initial setup?
The deployment doesn't take long. It also takes just a couple of hours as long as you have prepared and long as you have a design.
For the implementation process, we needed three people, however, for implementation, we need a trained engineer. Just one engineer is fine.
What about the implementation team?
If you have trained people who are certified, you can do it yourself. The most important thing is to make sure that it is done by a trained engineer.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We do have to pay a licensing fee in order to use the solution. We have an annual subscription.
What other advice do I have?
I don't remember the version of SRM that we're using now.
I'd recommend the solution to others.
I would rate it at an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
System Engineer at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
Easily create test environments with the SRM test functionality but auto guest customizations through a GUI is missing
What is most valuable?
The automatic activation of the storage volumes and bringing up all VM’s. The recovery plans and resource mapping are good features.
With the resource mapping we can use different networks to bring up our VM’s
How has it helped my organization?
We can easily create a test environment with the SRM testing functionality, also in combination with EMC recoverpoint we can start up a virtual machine to a given point in time.
What needs improvement?
Automatic guest customizations through a GUI is a missing feature. Also the new version of SRM is web-only and is not that stable as the old client version.
We had couple of times that the web interface crashed and needed to restart the services.
For how long have I used the solution?
7 years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No issues encountered.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No, but the new web client is sometime ‘buggy.'
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
We needed to use customer service a couple of times while upgrading versions but all went fine.
Technical Support:8/10
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
No previous solution used.
How was the initial setup?
It wasn't complex.
What about the implementation team?
We used a vendor team and their expertise was good.
What was our ROI?
This product makes it easy for us to have a managed DR. Also the point in time functionality to bring up vm’s is a cost-saving method for us during the upgrade / testing period.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
No other options evaluated.
What other advice do I have?
Read and follow the admin guide, otherwise when you miss a step you can search long time. Also use the correct storage adapter of your storage vendor.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Eric - I really like this post. Right to the point. I already see the technical value in the new SRM features.