Before you start implementing the components of the Site Protection and Disaster Recovery for VMware Cloud Foundation validated solution, you must ensure the environment has a specific compute, storage, and network configuration, and provides external services to the components of the solution.

Use the VMware Cloud Foundation Planning and Preparation Workbook to capture environment specific input values that are required during the implementation.

Generate your VMware Cloud Foundation Planning and Preparation Workbook and VMware Cloud Foundation Planning and Preparation Workbook for the Recovery Instance by using the following deployment options.

Table 1. Deployment Options for the VMware Cloud Foundation Planning and Preparation Workbook

Section

Feature

Valid Options

Description

Management domain: deployment

Multi-instance integration model

First domain

The initial deployment location of the SDDC management components to be protected.

Validated solutions: deployment

At least one of the following:

  • Private Cloud Automation for VMware Cloud Foundation

  • Intelligent Operations Management for VMware Cloud Foundation

Initial deployment

The components of these validated solutions are suitable to be protected, therefore at least one needs to be selected.

Validated solutions: deployment

Site Protection and Disaster Recovery for VMware Cloud Foundation

  • Management only

  • Management and VI workload

Activates the inputs for configuring site protection and disaster recovery.
Table 2. Deployment Options for the VMware Cloud Foundation Planning and Preparation Workbook for the Recovery Instance

Section

Feature

Valid Options

Description

Management domain: deployment

Multi-instance integration model

  • Join domain

  • Additional domain

The additional VMware Cloud Foundation instances that are suitable to become recovery sites.

Validated solutions: deployment

At least one of the following:

  • Private Cloud Automation for VMware Cloud Foundation

  • Intelligent Operations Management for VMware Cloud Foundation

  • Exclude

  • Connect instance

These components are already deployed in the protected site, therefore there is no need for the initial deployment in the recovery site.

Validated Solutions: Deployment

Site Protection and Disaster Recovery for VMware Cloud Foundation

  • Management only

  • Management and VI workload

Activates the inputs for configuring site protection and disaster recovery.

Carefully review the VMware Cloud Foundation Planning and Preparation Workbook and VMware Cloud Foundation Planning and Prepration Workbook for the recovery instance ahead of implementation to avoid costly rework and delays. Capture input values that are specific to your environment and verify that the components that are required by this solution are available.

Note: You use the VMware Cloud Foundation Planning and Preparation Workbook for the majority of the procedures for implementing the Site Protection and Disaster Recovery for VMware Cloud Foundation validated solution. You use the VMware Cloud Foundation Planning and Preparation Workbook only for the procedures for implementing vSphere Replication and Site Recovery Manager in the recovery instance. Each implementation procedure indicates which workbook to reference as you proceed.

External Services

You use services external to VMware Cloud Foundation when implementing the Site Protection and Disaster Recovery for VMware Cloud Foundation solution. These services include Active Directory (AD), Domain Name Services (DNS), Network Time Protocol (NTP), and Certificate Authority (CA).

External Service

Description

Active Directory (AD)

Active Directory (AD) is used to provide authentication and authorization to the VMware Cloud Foundation infrastructure.

This includes dedicated Domain Users with least privilege access to act as service accounts for component connectivity.

Each Active Directory domain that is used by a component that is protected for disaster recovery should have a domain controller available in each VMware Cloud Foundation instance, to ensure continuation of authentication services in the event of a site outage.

Domain Name Services (DNS)

Domain Name Services is used to ensure components are resolvable by FQDN and by IP address.

Each DNS domain that is used by a component that is protected for disaster recovery should have a DNS server available in each VMware Cloud Foundation instance, to ensure continuation of name resolution services in the event of a site outage.

Network Time Protocol (NTP)

Network Time Protocol is used to synchronize time consistently across components.

Each VMware Cloud Foundation instance should have independent NTP infrastructure, to ensure continuation of time synchronization services in the event of a site outage.

Certificate Authority (CA)

Certificate Authority is used to provide signed certificates for user facing endpoints.