VMware has released a major update to vSphere Replication. VMware vSphere Replication 8.2 brings some enhancements to the previous release which are quite interesting. One of them is support for replication of encrypted VMs and enabling network encryption.
Also, some updates and enhancements to the vSphere replication UI were done in this release so you can monitor the target datastores and have some details about the data transfers on per-VM level.
A VMware Site recovery manager (SRM) 8.2 has been released as well. Site Recovery Manager 8.2 can protect virtual machines that reside on VMware vSAN by using vSphere Replication. vSAN does not require a Storage Replication Adapter (SRA) to work with Site Recovery Manager 8.2.
With vSphere Replication, there has also been a release of VMware vRealize Operations Management Pack for VMware vSphere Replication 8.2. By using the pack, you get visibility on replication settings such as RPO, multiple points in time (MPIT), quiescing, and network compression. You are also able to see alarms when vSphere Replication health or a replication status is in Error state, or if there is an RPO violation. You'll need VMware vRealize Operations Manager 7.5 in order to use the management pack.
What's New in VMware vSphere Replication 8.2
- VMware vSphere Replication 8.2 adds compatibility with VMware vSphere 6.7 Update 2.
- Support for VM encryption: You can replicate encrypted virtual machines if you are using VMware vSphere 6.7 Update 1 or later.
- Minimize security risks by enabling network encryption: You can enable encryption of replication data transfer in VMware vSphere Replication 8.2, if you are using VMware vSphere 6.0 or later.
- Enhancements to the Site Recovery user interface: With vSphere Replication 8.2, you can monitor target datastores in the replication details pane of the Site Recovery user interface, and use vSphere Replication reports that display transferred bytes per virtual machine and per hour.
- vRealize Operations Management Pack: The new vRealize Operations Management Pack for vSphere Replication 8.2 provides increased visibility into the status of your vSphere Replication environment, RPO violations and other details. For more information, see VMware vRealize Operations Management Pack for vSphere Replication 8.2 Release Notes.
- vRealize Orchestrator Plug-In for vSphere Replication 8.2. For information about new workflows, see VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-In for vSphere Replication 8.2 Release Notes.
One particular attention here:
Note: The vSphere Replication 8.1.2.1 Express Patch Release | 09 MAY 2019 | Build 13510692 adds a bug fix found in the 8.2 initial release.
VMware vSphere Replication 8.2 is available in the following languages:
- English
- French
- German
- Japanese
- Korean
- Spanish
- Simplified Chinese
- Traditional Chinese
vSphere Replication is distributed as a 64-bit virtual appliance packaged in the .ovf format. It is configured to use a dual-core or quad-core CPU, a 13 GB and a 9 GB hard disk, and 8 GB of RAM. Additional vSphere Replication servers require 716 MB of RAM.
The vSphere Replication appliance has all the components that vSphere Replication needs. The product download is packaged as ISO file which you just simply mount.
You'll find:
- A plug-in to the vSphere Web Client that provides a user interface for vSphere Replication.
- An embedded database that stores replication configuration and management information.
- A vSphere Replication management server which Configures the vSphere Replication server, Enables, manages, and monitors replications and also, authenticates users and checks their permissions to perform vSphere Replication operations.
Make sure to read the release notes as for example you'll see that one of the limitations is:
You cannot configure the vSphere Replication appliance when the Platform Services Controller is installed with a custom port.
vSphere Replication does not have a separate license as it is a feature of certain vSphere license editions. So you can use any of the editions below:
- Sphere Essentials Plus
- vSphere Standard
- vSphere Enterprise
- vSphere Enterprise Plus
Together with vSphere Replication 8.2, there has also been a release of VMware SRM 8.2
What's New in VMware Site Recovery Manager 8.2
Site Recovery Manager 8.2 is now available as a Photon OS based appliance in addition to being available for installation on Windows.
- VMware Site Recovery Manager 8.2 adds compatibility with VMware vSphere 6.7 Update 2.
- Simplified management and increased security with Photon OS-based Site Recovery Manager virtual appliance.
Reduce layers of complexity associated with Windows Server by leveraging a new operating system, purpose-built for only disaster recovery functions. Streamline deployment by installing the Site Recovery Manager virtual appliance directly from vCenter Server. - Enhancements to the Site Recovery Manager HTML-5 User Interface:
- VMware Site Recovery Manager 8.2 Configuration Import/Export Tool is now available in Site Recovery Manager User Interface.
- With Site Recovery Manager 8.2, you can change the color schemes in the Site Recovery Manager HTML-5 User Interface to display the interface in a dark theme.
- Ability to display capacity information in the Protection Groups Datastores tab.
- Ability to provide in-product feedback with the Site Recovery User Interface.
- Enhancements to Site Recovery Manager public API. Site Recovery Manager 8.2 introduces new methods in the product’s Public API:
- Listing Array Managers information
- Listing replicated RDMs
For information about Site Recovery Manager public APIs and more extensive product automation, see Site Recovery Manager API Developer's Guide.
If you're into SRM, check this VMware blog post talking about the new features of SRM here.
More from ESX Virtualization
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