basic configuration installation guide...recoverpoint for vms 5.0.1 basic configuration installation...

RecoverPoint for VMs 5.0.1

Basic Configuration Installation Guide P/N 302-003-724 REV 1

February 15, 2017

This document contains information on these topics:

Revision History ........................................................................... 2

Overview ...................................................................................... 3

Reference architecture .................................................................. 4

Assumptions ................................................................................ 5

Prerequisites ................................................................................ 5

Installation flow ........................................................................... 7

Data preparation .......................................................................... 8

Create ESXi iSCSI software adapter ............................................... 9

Deploy vRPA OVA ....................................................................... 16

Configure vRPA cluster ............................................................... 23

Verify deployment success ......................................................... 30

Deploy and configure remote site ............................................... 31

Connect Site A and Site B vRPA clusters ...................................... 32

Register ESXi cluster for replication ............................................. 35

Protect virtual machine ............................................................... 39

Verify replication status .............................................................. 44

Final steps ................................................................................. 46

Appendix A: Install vSphere Client Integration Plug-in ................. 47

EMC CONFIDENTIAL Revision History

2 RecoverPoint for VMs Basic Configuration Installation Guide

Revision History The following table presents the revision history of this document:

Revision Date Description

02 Feb 2017 Updated for changes in Release 5.0.1.

01 Dec 2016 Initial revision.

Copyright © 2017 by Dell Inc. All rights reserved.

Published February 2017

Dell believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information is subject to change without notice.

The information in this publication is provided as is. Dell makes no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to the information in this publication, and specifically disclaims implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Use, copying, and distribution of any Dell software described in this publication requires an applicable software license.

Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. and its subsidiaries. Other trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.

Published in the USA.

For the most up-to-date regulatory document for your product line, go to Online Support (https://support.emc.com).

https://support.emc.com/

Overview EMC CONFIDENTIAL

RecoverPoint for VMs Basic Configuration Installation Guide 3

Overview Thank you for choosing RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines, a virtualized solution that provides data replication, protection, and recovery within the VMware vSphere environment.

This guide provides a step-by-step explanation for installing a basic configuration to replicate VMs between two sites. This installation is targeted at low-scale environments with minimal redundancy and may be used to demonstrate proof of concept.

Using this guide, you will create RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines clusters and connect them to form a working replication system.

For more advanced installations, refer to the RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines Installation and Deployment Guide. For larger scale configuration information, refer to the RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines Scale and Performance Guide. These guides may be found at:


Terminology Key components of the RecoverPoint for VMs system that are involved in this installation include:

vRPA - The virtual RecoverPoint Appliance is a data appliance that manages data replication. You will create the vRPAs you need by using the vSphere Web Client from the vCenter Server.

vRPA cluster - A group of up to 8 vRPAs in the same cluster that work together to replicate and protect data. In this installation process, you will create 2 vRPA clusters with 2 vRPAs in each cluster.

RecoverPoint for VMs plug-in – The vSphere web client user interface for managing VM replication. The plug-in is installed automatically after the vRPA cluster has been installed.

RecoverPoint for VMs splitter – Proprietary software installed on every ESXi host in an ESXi cluster that is involved in RecoverPoint for VMs replication or running virtual RPAs. The splitter splits every write to the VMDK and sends a copy of the write to the vRPA and then to the designated storage volumes. It is installed automatically after you register the ESXi cluster.

RecoverPoint for VMs system – One or more connected vRPA clusters. You can use this installation process to configure a RecoverPoint for VMs system that connects two clusters, one at each of two sites.

vRPA LAN network – vRPA cluster management network used for communication between vRPAs and to other entities such as the vCenter.

vRPA WAN network – vRPA inter-cluster network used for communication between vRPA clusters. In our basic configuration, we choose a unified topology: a single WAN+LAN network; therefore, we do not require an additional gateway to communicate between sites.

vRPA iSCSI network – Data path network used for traffic between the vRPA and the splitter.


EMC CONFIDENTIAL Reference architecture


Reference architecture For ease of deployment and proof of concept, this guide uses a reference architecture that features a basic configuration that includes:

• Two vRPA clusters, one at Site A and one at Site B • Two vRPAs at each vRPA cluster • Two vCenters • Two ESXi hosts on each vCenter • Two vNICs per vRPA, one for LAN + WAN and the other for data/iSCSI communication

• One VMkernel port (for iSCSI) for each ESXi

Note: Other network topologies can be deployed. For additional information, refer to the RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines Installation and Deployment Guide.

The goal of this guide is to establish replication by deploying a single consistency group between Site A and Site B.

The steps include creating two vRPAs in a vRPA cluster at each site and connecting these two vRPA clusters to enable replication between the sites.

The examples in this guide are based on this reference architecture:

Figure 1. Reference architecture

Assumptions EMC CONFIDENTIAL


Assumptions The following assumptions apply:

• Latest version of Google Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer browser is installed and operational on the workstation that you will use for this installation.

• Both vCenters (Site A and Site B) in this procedure are installed with vSphere 6.0 Update 1.

RecoverPoint for VMs Release 5.0.1 supports vSphere versions 5.1 Update 1 and later updates; 5.5 and later updates; 6.0 and later updates; 6.5 and later updates.

Screens may appear slightly different when using a different version.

• vSphere web client should be available on both vCenters.

Prerequisites • vRPA OVA file for RecoverPoint for VMs – download from

https://support.emc.com/downloads: 1. Perform a search in the Type a Product Name text box for RecoverPoint for

Virtual Machines. 2. Locate and download RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines <version> Installation

Kit. Ensure that you select version 5.0.1. Example of downloaded file: RecoverPoint_for_Virtual_Machines_<version>_Installation_Kit_<md5_checksum>.zip

3. Extract the .zip file that contains the OVA file needed for the installation. • iSCSI IP segment from which IPs will be allocated for ESXi hosts and vRPAs

(recommended on a dedicated VLAN) • Network segment— any standard VMs VLAN or system/core VMs VLAN with three

unallocated IPs at each cluster. This network segment will be used for management of vRPAs, vRPA cluster management, and data transfer between the clusters.

• Open firewall ports for inbound and outbound TCP communication for each vRPA: 22, 5001, 5010, 5020, 5040, 5060, 5080, 5081, 5100, 8082, 8084, 9999. For additional information, refer to the RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines Security Configuration Guide.

• Ports 443 and 7225 used between vCenter and vRPA.

• VMs for protection in Site A

https://support.emc.com/downloads

EMC CONFIDENTIAL Prerequisites


• Datastore free space: • Site A

100 GB for system usage (not including protected VM) 10 GB per protected VM, for journaling

These datastores must be shared between the ESXi hosts within the ESXi High Availability (HA) cluster that hosts the vRPAs.

• Site B 100 GB for system usage Size of Site A protected VM(s) 10 GB per protected VM, for journaling

These datastores must be shared between the ESXi hosts within the ESXi HA cluster that hosts the vRPAs.

• Reservation for 8 GB memory and 8000 MHz CPU in each ESXi cluster for each site. This requirement assumes using bronze vRPA (2 vCPU and 4GB). For larger deployments, refer to the RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines Installation and Deployment Guide.

• vSphere web client with Client Integration Plug-in (see high-level steps in Appendix A: Install vSphere Client Integration Plug-in).

• Clocks synchronized by using NTP. Ensure all server clocks are synchronized, including ESXi hosts and vCenters; the installation may not work if certificate time differences exist.

• Mandatory setting for the non-volatile scratch partition.

Installation flow EMC CONFIDENTIAL


Installation flow The basic installation flow described in this guide includes these high-level steps:

Table 1. Basic installation flow

Order of installation flow References

Gather the necessary data. Data preparation on page 8.

Install the software iSCSI adapter. Create ESXi iSCSI software adapter on page 9.

Deploy the OVA for Site A vRPA 1, and repeat for Site A vRPA 2. Deploy vRPA OVA on page 16.

Configure the vRPA cluster for Site A and verify successful deployment.

Configure vRPA cluster on page 23.

Verify deployment success on page 30.

Deploy the OVA and configure the vRPA cluster for the remote site, Site B.

Deploy and configure remote site on page 31.

Connect the vRPA clusters between Site A and Site B.

Connect Site A and Site B vRPA clusters on page 32.

Register the ESXi cluster for Site A, and repeat for Site B.

Register ESXi cluster for replication on page 35.

Establish and verify replication between production copy at Site A and remote copy at Site B.

Protect virtual machine on page 39.

Verify replication status on page 44.

Register your RecoverPoint for VMs system. Final steps on page 46.

EMC CONFIDENTIAL Data preparation


Data preparation Before beginning this installation, use these forms to collect data that will be required for the installation.

Table 2. Common to all vRPAs

Property Site A Site B Notes

vCenter IP Address

Cluster name

Datastore name System usage – use of several datastores is optional

Time zone

Local domain (optional)

Primary DNS server IP (optional)

Secondary DNS server IP (optional)

NTP server (recommended)

vRPA cluster management IP

vCenter credentials

WAN + LAN / subnet mask

WAN + LAN default gateway

iSCSI subnet mask

ESXi1 iSCSI VMKernel IP

ESXi2 iSCSI VMKernel IP

Table 3. Per vRPA

Property SiteA_vRPA1 SiteA_vRPA2 SiteB_vRPA1 SiteB_vRPA2 Notes

WAN + LAN IP

iSCSI (Data) IP

Create ESXi iSCSI software adapter EMC CONFIDENTIAL


Create ESXi iSCSI software adapter RecoverPoint for VMs uses iSCSI protocol for communication between the ESXi-based splitter and the vRPAs. To enable data transfer, you will create an iSCSI software adapter.

Perform the following steps only if your infrastructure is not already configured for iSCSI storage.

Perform these steps on each ESX host, from each vCenter.

1. From the vCenter web client, add a new iSCSI software adapter:

Hosts and Clusters > <desired host> > Manage > Storage > Storage Adapters > > Software iSCSI adapter.

2. Click OK.

EMC CONFIDENTIAL Create ESXi iSCSI software adapter


3. Create a new VMKernel port:

a. Hosts and Clusters > <host> > Manage > Networking > VMkernel adapters >

b. Select VMKernel Network Adapter and click Next.

4. Click Browse to choose an existing vSwitch, or create a new vSwitch if an unused NIC with the iSCSI VLAN is permitted.



In the following examples, we selected vSwitch1:



5. Enter a Network label for the new VMkernel port and click Next.

6. Enter IP settings for the VMkernel. Use the data that you collected in Data preparation.



7. Click Finish.

8. Bind the VMKernel port to the iSCSI adapter by selecting the new iSCSI Software Adapter:

a. Select Hosts and Clusters > <desired host> > Manage > Storage > Storage Adapters.

b. Select the Network Port Binding tab, and click the icon.



9. Select the new VMkernel and click OK. If you are prompted to rescan the adapter, click OK.

10. Ensure that additional network adapters that might be connected to the VMKernel port are designated as unused adapters. iSCSI binding is allowed if the VMKernel port is attached to only one active adapter in the port group or virtual switch while all other adapters are configured as unused.

a. Select Hosts and Clusters > <desired host> > Manage > Networking > Virtual Switches.

b. Select the desired VMKernel port group from the list of virtual switches.

c. Click the icon to edit settings.



11. Select the Override checkbox and ensure that only one adapter is listed under Active adapters. To move an adapter to Unused adapters, select the adapter and click the up/down arrows.

12. Repeat the steps in this procedure for each ESXi host, from each vCenter.

You have finished creating the ESXi iSCSI software adapters and are ready to proceed with deploying the vRPA OVA.

EMC CONFIDENTIAL Deploy vRPA OVA


Deploy vRPA OVA 1. Connect to the vSphere web client. 2. In the Navigator, click Hosts and Clusters. 3. Select the ESXi cluster or specific ESXi host on which you want to deploy the vRPA

VM. 4. To deploy the OVA, right-click the cluster or host, and select Deploy OVF template.

The vRPA reserves the VM to ensure that the targeted environment has enough resources.

Deploy vRPA OVA EMC CONFIDENTIAL


5. After selecting Deploy OVF template, you might receive the following pop-up. Clear the Always ask before allowing this site checkbox, and then click Allow.

6. Browse the OVA file.



7. In Review details step, click Next.

8. Scroll to the bottom of the Accept License Agreements window. If you accept the terms, click Accept, and then click Next.



9. Choose a VM folder in which to register the vRPA, and enter a meaningful name. For example:

10. Select the desired deployment configuration. For this installation, the smallest configuration (shown below) is adequate.



11. Select a datastore (see Data preparation section) on which to deploy the vRPA. In this procedure, we will allocate a dedicated datastore for each use. You can use one datastore for all system usage components. If you are using storage policies, choose a policy based on your requirements, which may include redundancy, speed, and back-up, among others.

12. Select the port group for the vRPA management network, also known as the LAN network. This network will be used also for the WAN network (see Reference architecture).



13. Enter the IP address, Subnet Mask, and Gateway.

14. Review the summary, select the Power on after deployment checkbox, and click Finish.

15. Repeat steps 4 through 14 for SiteA_vRPA2. 16. When finished, ensure both vRPAs are powered on. If not, power them on.

You have finished deploying the vRPAs and are ready to proceed with configuring the vRPA clusters.

Configure vRPA cluster EMC CONFIDENTIAL


Configure vRPA cluster

1. Connect to the RecoverPoint for VMs Deployer by opening a web browser and entering the address of the first vRPA:

https://<first vRPA IP>

The following page appears.

2. Click the EMC RecoverPoint for VMs Deployer link.

3. Click Install a vRPA cluster at the bottom of the page.

EMC CONFIDENTIAL Configure vRPA cluster


4. The Deployer will attempt to connect automatically to the EMC repository for Version Requirements file.

5. If you are a licensed user with a direct connection to the Internet but you are encountering Internet connectivity issues, you may fix the issues and select Retry downloading the up-to-date requirements from the EMC Server .

6. If you are a licensed user without a direct connection to the Internet:

a. Select Provide version requirements file manually.

b. From an Internet-connected station, browse to https://rplicense.emc.com/download/download.asp.

c. Download the a-cca.xml file or request that it be sent to you by email.

d. If this option is not available, open a Service Request with Customer Service (severity level 3). Request the latest Upgrade Change Management XML file, indicating the installation date. You will receive the file within one business day, and it will be valid for 30 days.

7. If this is a proof-of-concept installation, select Do not check version requirements.

https://rplicense.emc.com/download/download.asp



8. Enter user credentials with administrator privileges, and connect to your vCenter by clicking Connect.

9. A pop-up prompts you to confirm the SSL certificate. Accept the certificate by clicking Confirm.



10. Verify the Pre-installation Validation Results, ensure all results are positive (as shown below), and then click Next.

11. Enter the details for the vRPA cluster: a. Enter a name for the new vRPA cluster. For example: Site A. b. For communication between vRPAs, review the RecoverPoint for Virtual

Machines 5.0 Security Configuration Guide. For this procedure, we clear the Authenticated and encrypted communication between RPAs checkbox.

c. Enter DNS and NTP servers IP addresses using the data gathered in the Data preparation section.

d. Select both vRPAs by clicking at the left side of the vRPA names. e. Click Retrieve Associated Datastores.



12. Select a datastore for the shared repository data between the vRPAs (see the Data preparation section). This action creates a VMDK file under a folder named RPvStorage, which is used for shared persistent storage by the vRPAs.

13. Enter the Cluster Management IP address from the Data preparation section.

a. In this procedure, we will select the default network adapter topology, which places WAN and LAN on the same network and iSCSI on a separate network.

For more advanced topologies, refer to the RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines Installation and Deployment Guide.

b. In the Network Mapping > Data text box, select the port group that will be used for iSCSI. It is recommended that iSCSI communication between the vRPAs and ESXi VMkernel port be on the same Layer 2 network without routing.

c. In the Netmask Configuration > Data text box, enter the netmask for the iSCSI network.

d. In the Gateways > Default Gateway text box, enter the default gateway IP address of the vRPAs management network.



14. Configure vRPA settings by entering the data from the Data preparation section, and then click Install. The WAN + LAN text box is disabled because the IP address is automatically retrieved from OVA properties.

15. Observe the installation progress as the settings are applied. The installation may take a while to complete.

Note: The installation progress remains at 57% for a while before it reaches 100%. This is expected.



16. When the vRPA cluster configuration is complete, the following screen appears. Click Finish.

17. Ensure that the RecoverPoint for VMs Deployer home page appears:

You have finished configuring the vRPA cluster and are ready to proceed with verifying deployment success.

EMC CONFIDENTIAL Verify deployment success


Verify deployment success 1. To verify that the RecoverPoint for VMs plug-in is installed, connect to the vSphere

Web Client. In the inventory tab, ensure that RecoverPoint for VMs appears. If you are already logged in, log out and log in again to refresh the RecoverPoint for VMs plug-in.

You have finished verifying deployment success and are ready to proceed with deploying vRPAs and configuring the cluster at the remote site.

Deploy and configure remote site EMC CONFIDENTIAL


Deploy and configure remote site 1. At the remote site, repeat all steps in the Deploy vRPA OVA and Configure vRPA

cluster sections for SiteB_vRPA1 and SiteB_vRPA2. Use the data listed in the Data preparation section.

2. When you have finished deploying and configuring the remote site, proceed with connecting Site A and Site B vRPA clusters.

EMC CONFIDENTIAL Connect Site A and Site B vRPA clusters


Connect Site A and Site B vRPA clusters 1. In the RecoverPoint for VMs Deployer home page of the local (Site A) cluster, click

Connect vRPA clusters.

2. Select the I have fulfilled these conditions checkbox.

Connect Site A and Site B vRPA clusters EMC CONFIDENTIAL


3. Enter the WAN/LAN IP address of one of the vRPAs at the remote (Site B) cluster. Use the data from the Data preparation section.

4. Click Connect to activate the cluster connection process and monitor its progress (the progress will directly advance from 60% to 100%).

EMC CONFIDENTIAL Connect Site A and Site B vRPA clusters


5. Ensure that the clusters connect successfully. Then click Finish.

You have finished connecting Site A and Site B vRPA clusters and are ready to proceed with registering the ESXi cluster for replication.

Register ESXi cluster for replication EMC CONFIDENTIAL


Register ESXi cluster for replication 1. Connect to the vSphere web client of the local site (Site A). 2. Select RecoverPoint for VMs from the home page.

EMC CONFIDENTIAL Register ESXi cluster for replication


3. Select Administration > vRPA Clusters > ESX Clusters, and then click Add.

4. Select the ESXi cluster from which you want to replicate VMs, and then click OK.

5. Click Validate to verify connectivity between the ESXi and the vRPA iSCSI NICs.

Register ESXi cluster for replication EMC CONFIDENTIAL


6. If you receive a warning that the splitter connectivity is unknown as shown below,

click Close and wait 5 to 10 minutes. This is an accepted behavior since it takes several minutes for the splitters to be auto-installed on the ESX hosts and for the vRPA and splitters to initialize communication. If you do not receive this warning, skip to step 8.

7. Click the Revalidate button and verify that there are no errors or warnings about the

connectivity status with the splitter. Note: Screenshots in steps 6 - 7 were taken from Site B but are also valid for Site A.

8. Repeat steps 1 through 7 for Site B, selecting the remote ESX cluster from the vSphere Web Client of Site B.

Note: Ignore this warning if it appears in any of the sites:

Port binding configuration – Two or more broadcast domains

EMC CONFIDENTIAL Register ESXi cluster for replication


have been detected. Do not configure port binding.

You have finished registering the ESXi cluster for replication and are ready to proceed with protecting the VM.

Protect virtual machine EMC CONFIDENTIAL


Protect virtual machine 1. Connect to the Site A vCenter (see the Data preparation section). 2. Access the VMs and Templates view. 3. Power on the desired VM for replication.

4. Right-click the VM, and select All RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines Actions > Protect.

5. Name a new consistency group and select the vRPA cluster to use as a source for replication.

EMC CONFIDENTIAL Protect virtual machine


6. Configure production settings (see the Data preparation section):

a. Enter a name for the production copy.

b. Configure a production journal using the default size of 10 GB.

c. Select a datastore to be used for the journal (either automatically or manually).

Note: The production journal tracks data that is not yet replicated to copy sites. It also tracks fail-overs. Changes that are made to the protected VM are stored on the journal VMDK before being replicated to copies.

7. If selecting datastores manually, select a datastore from the available datastore pools, and then click OK.



8. Click Next.

9. Enter a name for the remote copy, and select the vRPA cluster at Site B.

EMC CONFIDENTIAL Protect virtual machine


10. Select a datastore for the replica journal (see step 6). Use default settings, and then click Next.

11. Select the ESXi cluster on which to create the replica.

Note: If Distributed Resource Scheduler is disabled, select a specific ESXi.



12. Select a datastore on which the replica will be created. Click Next.

Note: This is the copy you will use at the remote site when failing over or when accessing an image (test a copy) without fail-over.

13. Expand the Production and Copy settings to ensure that they are correct, and then click Finish.

You have finished protecting the VM and are ready to proceed with verifying replication status.

EMC CONFIDENTIAL Verify replication status


Verify replication status 1. From the RecoverPoint for VMs plug-in, verify the status of the replication.

You can also verify replication status by selecting VMs and Templates > <desired VM> > Manage > RecoverPoint for VMs.

You might have encountered the following warnings and errors:

If these do not disappear after 10-15 minutes, contact EMC Support.

Verify replication status EMC CONFIDENTIAL


The final state should be as shown in the screenshot below.

Notes:

• If the environment is configured in a way that causes one or both of the vRPAs to reside on the same ESXi with the replicated VM, one warning will remain as a notification about this state.

• The replication process may require several minutes to initialize.

2. Monitor the health of the system from the RecoverPoint for VMs plug-in Dashboard tab.

You have finished verifying replication status and are ready to proceed with final steps.

EMC CONFIDENTIAL Final steps


Final steps Licensed users should activate their entitlements, add licenses, register their RecoverPoint for VMs system, and establish communication between their system and the EMC System Reports (ESRS) database.

Steps to complete these tasks are in the “Getting started” section of the RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines Administrator’s Guide, which is available at:

https://support.emc.com


Appendix A: Install vSphere Client Integration Plug-in EMC CONFIDENTIAL


Appendix A: Install vSphere Client Integration Plug-in

Ensure that you have installed the Client Integration Plug-in for the vSphere web client; this plug-in is required for deploying OVF functionality.

When you attempt to enable OVF functionality without the plug-in, this message appears:

1. If the Client Integration Plug-in is not installed, notice this option at the bottom of the vSphere web client login page (https://<vc ip or fqdn>:9443).

2. To install the Client Integration Plug-in, close all web browsers, click the Download Client Integration Plugin link, and select the default installation.

3. After successful plug-in installation, ensure that your browser detects and enables the plug-in. If the plug-in is browser-enabled, you will notice this option at the login screen:

basic configuration installation guide...recoverpoint for vms 5.0.1 basic configuration installation...

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