By using the vSphere Client, in providers vCenter Server instances, deploy vCenter Replication Management Appliance and optionally, deploy one or more Replicator Appliance instances. Similarly, in tenants vCenter Server instances, deploy On-Premises to Cloud vCenter Replication Appliance by using the OVA files for each appliance.

Deploy two VMware Cloud Director Availability appliances, depending on the desired topology and on the available licensing:
  • For replicating workloads between a provider vCenter Server instance and a tenant vCenter Server instance:
    • In the provider vCenter Server, deploy and license one vCenter Replication Management Appliance, and optionally, one or more Replicator Appliance instances.
    • In the tenant vCenter Server, deploy one On-Premises to Cloud vCenter Replication Appliance.
  • Alternatively, for replicating workloads between provider vCenter Server instances, deploy and license one vCenter Replication Management Appliance in each provider vCenter Server instance, and optionally, one or more Replicator Appliance instances in each provider site.

Prerequisites

  • Verify that the disaster recovery environment in each site meets the deployment requirements. For information about each appliance prerequisites, see Deployment architecture and requirements for vSphere DR and migration.
  • Download the installation files, containing the binaries for the two appliances.
    • To deploy the provider appliances, download the VMware-Cloud-Director-Availability-Provider-release.number.xxxxxxx-build-sha_OVF10.ova file.
    • To deploy the tenant On-Premises to Cloud vCenter Replication Appliance, download the VMware-Cloud-Director-Availability-On-Premises-release.number.xxxxxxx-build-sha_OVF10.ova file.

Procedure

  • In a provider vCenter Server instance, deploy a vCenter Replication Management Appliance, and optionally, repeat this step and deploy one or more Replicator Appliance instances.
    1. Log in to the provider vCenter Server instance by using the vSphere Client and authenticate as a vSphereadministrator user.
    2. Navigate to a target object where you want to deploy the provider appliances.
      As a target object you can use: a data center, a folder, a cluster, a resource pool, or a host.
    3. Right-click the target object and from the drop-down menu select Deploy OVF Template.
      The Deploy OVF Template wizard opens. The following steps depend on the vSphere version that you use.
    4. On the Select an OVF template page, browse to the downloaded file location and click Next.
    5. On the Select a name and folder page, enter a name for the cloud on-premises appliance, select its deployment location, and click Next.
    6. On the Select a compute resource page, select a host, or cluster as a destination compute resource for running the appliance on, and click Next.
    7. On the Review details page, verify that the selected template details are correct and click Next.
    8. On the License agreements page, select the I accept all license agreements check box and click Next.
    9. On the Configuration page, select the deployment configuration for the appliance type and click Next.
      • To deploy the all-in-one provider appliance, select vCenter Replication Management Appliance. This appliance contains all services required for replication, including one Replicator Service instance.
      • Optionally, to deploy an additional Replicator Service instance, select Replicator Appliance. To scale the replication performance, deploy multiple Replicator Service instances. For more information, see Add an additional Replicator Appliance instance for vSphere DR and migration.
      Once selected, the appliance role changes only by redeploying the appliance.
    10. On the Select storage page, select the virtual disk format and the storage policy for the appliance and click Next.
    11. On the Select networks page, optionally configure the network settings and click Next.
      For information about configuring the network settings after the deployment is complete, see the Administration Guide.
    12. On the Customize template page, customize the deployment properties of the appliance and click Next.
      Option Description
      Root Password Enter and confirm the initial password for the appliance root user.

      Later, when logging in for the first time as the root user, the appliance requires changing this initial password.
      NTP Server Enter an NTP server hostname or IP address.
      Important: In the disaster recovery environment, ensure that both vCenter Server instances in the source and in the destination, the ESXi hosts, and the VMware Cloud Director Availability appliances all use the same NTP server.
      Hostname Enter the appliance hostname. Leave blank if DHCP is desired.
      Address Enter the IP address of the appliance. Leave blank if DHCP is desired.

      Ensure that the IP is in the CIDR notation, for example, enter 192.168.0.222/24. Otherwise, the boot-up sequence shows an error and 127.0.0.1 as the IP address.
      Gateway Enter the gateway of the appliance network. Leave blank if DHCP is desired.
      MTU Enter the maximum transmission unit of the network. Leave blank if DHCP is desired.
      DNS servers Enter DNS servers for the appliance network. Leave blank if DHCP is desired.
      Search domains Enter the search domains for the appliance network. Leave blank if DHCP is desired.
    13. On the Ready to complete page, review the settings and begin the installation process by clicking Finish.
    The Recent Tasks pane shows a new task for initializing the provider appliance deployment. After the task is complete, the new appliance is created in the selected vCenter Server resource.
  • In a tenant vCenter Server instance, deploy an On-Premises to Cloud vCenter Replication Appliance.
    1. Log in to the tenant vCenter Server instance by using the vSphere Client and authenticate as a vSphereadministrator user.
    2. Repeat the previous steps for deploying the On-Premises to Cloud vCenter Replication Appliance.
    3. On the Configuration page, select the On-Premise to Cloud vCenter Replication Appliance deployment configuration as the appliance type, then complete the remaining wizard steps.
      Once selected, the appliance role changes only by redeploying the appliance. For information about the alternative On-Premises to Cloud Director Replication Appliance role, see Installing and configuring the On-Premises to Cloud Director Replication Appliance.
    The Recent Tasks pane shows a new task for initializing the tenant appliance deployment. After the task is complete, the new appliance is created in the selected vCenter Server resource.

Results

The appliances are deployed in each vCenter Server site and are ready for their initial configuration.