VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) is a disaster recovery solution that helps organizations to automate and orchestrate the recovery of virtual machines (VMs) between sites. With the continued evolution of vCenter, it is essential to understand how SRM works with different vCenter versions.
SRM Compatibility with vCenter Versions
VMware SRM is designed to be compatible with various vCenter versions. However, not all versions of vCenter are compatible with the latest version of SRM. For instance, SRM 8.6.0 is currently compatible with vCenter 7.0.3 and later versions. This compatibility ensures that SRM can manage and protect VMs across sites with different vCenter versions.
Planning an Upgrade to vCenter 8.0
When planning an upgrade to vCenter 8.0, it is essential to consider the compatibility of SRM. As of now, SRM 8.6.0 is not compatible with vCenter 8.0. However, VMware is committed to maintaining compatibility between vCenter and SRM. Therefore, we can expect a newer version of SRM that is compatible with vCenter 8.0 to be released soon.
How SRM Works with Different vCenter Versions
SRM uses vCenter Server to manage and protect VMs across sites. SRM communicates with vCenter Server through the vCenter Server API. The vCenter Server API is a set of programming interfaces that enable SRM to perform tasks such as creating and managing protection groups, recovery plans, and placeholders.
SRM uses the vCenter Server API to connect to and manage multiple vCenter Servers. SRM can manage up to five vCenter Servers per site. This feature enables SRM to support a variety of topologies and configurations, including stretched clusters, cross-vCenter vMotion, and mixed site architectures.
Protection Groups
Protection groups are a collection of virtual machines that share the same recovery requirements. Protection groups are created and managed in SRM using the vCenter Server API. SRM can create protection groups for VMs that are managed by different vCenter Servers, provided that the vCenter Servers are compatible with SRM.
Recovery Plans
Recovery plans are a series of steps that are executed to recover virtual machines in the event of a disaster. Recovery plans are created and managed in SRM using the vCenter Server API. SRM can create recovery plans for VMs that are managed by different vCenter Servers, provided that the vCenter Servers are compatible with SRM.
Placeholder VMs
Placeholder VMs are virtual machines that represent protected VMs in the recovery site. Placeholder VMs are created and managed in SRM using the vCenter Server API. Placeholder VMs are used to reserve resources for protected VMs in the recovery site, enabling SRM to perform a rapid recovery in the event of a disaster.
Considerations When Working with Different vCenter Versions
When working with different vCenter versions, it is essential to consider the following:
Ensure that the vCenter Servers are compatible with SRM.
Ensure that the vCenter Servers are at the same or similar patch levels.
SRM is a disaster recovery solution that works with different vCenter versions. SRM is compatible with vCenter 7.0.3 and later versions, and we can expect a newer version of SRM that is compatible with vCenter 8.0 to be released soon. SRM uses the vCenter Server API to communicate with vCenter Servers, enabling SRM to manage and protect VMs across sites with different vCenter versions.