The vSphere Replication appliance contains an embedded vPostgreSQL database that you can use immediately after you deploy the appliance, without any additional database configuration. If necessary, you can reconfigure vSphere Replication to use an external database.

About this task

Each vSphere Replication appliance requires its own database. If the database at either site is corrupted, vSphere Replication does not function. vSphere Replication cannot use the vCenter Server database because it has different database schema requirements. However, if you do not use the embedded vSphere Replication database you can use the vCenter database server to create and support an external vSphere Replication database.

You might need to use an external database to improve performance or load balancing, for easier backup, or to meet your company's database standards.

Note:

vSphere Replication server inside the vSphere Replication appliance uses its own embedded database and config files. Configuring VRMS to use external database does not provide protection of losing the vSphere Replication appliance or any Additional vSphere Replication Server appliance.

If you reinitialize the database after you deploy vSphere Replication, you must go to the vSphere Replication virtual appliance management interface (VAMI) to reconfigure vSphere Replication to use the new database connection.

Prerequisites

  • Verify that the vSphere Replication appliance is powered on.

  • You must have administrator privileges to configure the vSphere Replication appliance.

  • You must create and configure the external database before you connect it to vSphere Replication. See Databases that vSphere Replication Supports for the configuration requirements for each supported type of database.

Procedure

  1. Connect to the VAMI of the vSphere Replication appliance in a Web browser.

    The URL for the VAMI is https://vr-appliance-address:5480.

    You can also access the VAMI by clicking Configure VR Appliance in the Summary tab in the vSphere Replication view of the Site Recovery Manager interface.

  2. Type the root user name and password for the appliance.

    You configured the root password during the OVF deployment of the vSphere Replication appliance.

  3. Select the VR tab and click Configuration.
  4. Select Manual configuration to specify a configuration or select Configure from an existing VRM database to use a previously established configuration.
  5. In the DB text boxes, provide information about the database for vSphere Replication to use.

    Option

    Setting

    DB Type

    Select SQL Server or Oracle.

    DB Host

    IP address or fully qualified domain name of the host on which the database server is running.

    DB Port

    Port on which to connect to the database.

    DB Username

    Username for the vSphere Replication database user account that you create on the database server.

    DB Password

    Password for the vSphere Replication database user account that you create on the database server.

    DB Name

    Name of the vSphere Replication database instance.

    DB URL

    Auto-generated and hidden by default. Advanced users can fine-tune other database properties by modifying the URL, for example if you use a named instance of SQL Server.
  6. Click Save and Restart Service to apply the changes.

Results

You configured vSphere Replication to use an external database instead of the database that is embedded in the vSphere Replication appliance.