In order to replicate VM snapshots from your protected sites, you need to deploy a cloud file system.

VMware Live Cyber Recovery replicates protection group snapshots to the cloud file system for backup. These snapshots are later used for disaster and ransomware recovery operations on a recovery SDDC.
Note: The cloud file system is also sometimes referred to as the Scale-Out Cloud File System, or SCFS.

You can deploy up to four cloud file systems per-recovery SDDC, and a total of four cloud file systems per-VMware Live Cyber Recovery recovery region.

Using multiple cloud file systems per- recovery SDDC provides the following benefits:
  • Better storage performance for running VMs live on the cloud file system.
  • Splitting snapshot replication for large numbers of VMs across multiple cloud file systems enhances network performance.
  • Simplified network topologies because you only need to manage networking for one SDDC, rather than having to link multiple SDDCs together.

You can add up to four cloud file systems per-recovery SDDC.

All cloud file systems and all recovery SDDCs must be the same AZ inside one AWS region. This specific AZ is referred to as the recovery AZ, where you deploy recovery SDDCs and add existing SDDCs for recovery operations. For more background information, see Choose an Availability Zone for Recovery.

When you deploy a cloud file system, you make three selections:
  • Select a single recovery AZ to use exclusively for recovery operations and snapshot replication. (If a cloud file system has already been deployed, then the recovery AZ is already selected for you.)
  • Select an existing SDDC to use as recovery SDDCs in failover operations. A recovery SDDC can only exist in the same AZ that you choose as the recovery AZ.
  • Select an existing SDDC that you want to protect with the Cyber Recovery connector. You can only choose an SDDC that does not exist in the recovery AZ. (On-premises SDDCs are not bound by this constraint.)
Note: If you no longer need a cloud file system, you can delete it. Before you can delete the cloud file system, it cannot be attached to any SDDCs and you must delete all protected sites associated with it. For more information, see Edit or Delete a Protected Site and Detach a Recovery SDDC.
Note: Before you can deploy a cloud file system, ensure that VMware Live Cyber Recovery can access VMware Cloud Services. For more information, see Authorize Access for VMware Live Cyber Recovery.

Deploy a Cloud File System

  1. If this is the first time deploying a cloud file system, on the dashboard click the 'Deploy cloud file system link' in the quick setup panel.
  2. Under Recovery AZ, choose an AZ that is different than the AZ where any protected SDDCs are deployed. If a cloud file system has already been deployed, then the recovery AZ is already selected. Once you select the availability zone for a cloud file system and recovery SDDCs, you cannot change it.
  3. Enter a name for the new cloud file system.
  4. Click Deploy to deploy the cloud file system.