Create a DR Plan

7 February 2024

A DR plan is a business plan that defines which DR Applications you can effectively bring up and where (DR site) in case of a disaster. For more information, see DR Plan.

The SiteContinuity interface offers a simple three-step workflow to create the DR plan:

  • Configure the DR components (source site, target sites, and RPO)

  • Configure the DR Application (VM Groups, VMs, scripts, and delays)

  • Define the Resource Profile

You can activate the DR plan after you have created the DR Plan. To create a DR Plan:

  1. In SiteContinuity, navigate to DR Plans.

  2. On the Disaster Recovery Plans page, click Create Plan.

  3. On the Create Plans page, click Get Started.

  4. On the Define DR Components page:

    1. DR Plan Name. Enter a unique name for your plan.

    2. Description. Enter a brief description of the plan.

    3. Under Primary Site, select the source site and host from the Source Site and Source Host drop-down. If your site is not displayed in the list, click Add Site. For details on adding a site, see Add Sites.

    4. Under DR Site, select the target site and host from the Target Site and Target Host drop-down. If your site is not displayed in the list, click Add Site. For details on adding a site, see Add Sites.

    5. Configure the RPO in minutes, hours, or days.

      Carefully assess the Source Site, Source Host, and Target Site fields because only the Target Host field will be editable once you click Continue.

    6. Click Continue.

  5. On the Define DR Application page, you can choose to create a new DR Application or use an existing DR Application. To create a new DR Application, click Create a New Application and follow the instructions in the Create a DR Application section.

    If you choose to use an existing DR Application, click Use an Existing Application and select a DR Application from the Applications drop-down. The primary site to which the DR Application belongs and the associated VM Groups are displayed. You can modify the DR Application by adding VMs, VM Groups, delays, and so on.

  6. On the Define Resource Profile page, click Create a Resource Profile, enter a profile name, and click Save.

    It is recommended to create different resource profiles for Test Failover and actual failover with appropriate names for better identification. Example: Test-Failover-Profile and Actual-Failover-Profile. For more information about Resource Profiles, see Resource Profile.

  7. Click Add a Resource Set.

    The settings you define in the Default Resource Set (in the next two steps) will be applied to all the VMs in your DR Application after the VMs are failed over.

    You need to redefine the Resource Set every time you perform a Test or Actual Failover or Failback because the configurations that are specific to each VM used in the previous operation, such as Static IP or Custom Resource Set, are no longer applicable when working with a new set of VMs in the sites.

  8. Select Infrastructure. SiteContinuity displays the list of Data Centers available in the vCenter server you defined in the Target Host field in 4(d). Select a vCenter from the displayed list. SiteContinuity connects with the selected vCenter server and displays the list of Clusters, Resource Pools, Data Stores, and Networks available in the Data Center in the respective drop-downs. Select from the Cluster, Resource Pool, Data Store, and Network fields. For more information on the Default Resource Set, see Default Resource Set.

  9. Select Network. Add (or update) the IP address settings for the DNS servers of the VMs in the DR Application. The IP address settings The options are:

    • DHCP: Select DHCP to assign a dynamic DNS server to VMs. Enter the IP address and suffixes for the DNS server.

    • Static: Select Static to assign a static IP to the VMs. Select Static, and then select Assign IP address to each VM. SiteContinuity will display the IP Address, Subnet, and Gateway fields for the VMs. Enter the IP address and suffixes of the DNS server for each VM. You can then choose one of the following options:

      • Use the same subnet and gateway: If selected, you only need to fill in the Subnet and Gateway fields of the first VM. The remaining VMs' Subnet and Gateway fields will be filled automatically when clicked.

      • Use the same DNS servers and suffixes: If selected, you only need to fill in the DNS Server and DNS Suffix fields for the first VM. The remaining VMs' DNS Server and DNS Suffix fields will be filled automatically when clicked.

  10. Click Next.

  11. (Optional) Custom Resources Set: Custom Resource sets override the Default Resource Set settings (you defined for all VMs in steps 8 and 9) for specific VMs. You can create as many Custom Resource Sets as needed.

  12. Click Continue.

    SiteContinuity displays a summary of your DR plan. Click Back to Disaster Recovery Plans. Your DR plan appears on the Disaster Recovery Plans page.

    For details on how to manage DR Plans on the Disaster Recovery Plans page, see Manage DR Plans.