To start replicating virtual machines, you must configure the vSphere Replication Appliance to connect to a vCenter Server instance on both the protected and the recovery site.

After you deploy the vSphere Replication appliance, you use the virtual appliance management interface (VRMS Appliance Management Interface) to connect the vSphere Replication Management Server with the vCenter Server on the on-premises site.

If you do not connect vSphere Replication with the vCenter Server on the target site, vSphere Replication cannot operate as expected. In addition, storage DRS does not detect the replicated data that vSphere Replication stores on the target site and might destroy it.

Note: When using vSphere Replication with VMware Live Recovery, you cannot replicate VMs within a single vCenter Server.

Prerequisites

  • Verify that the vSphere Replication appliance is powered on.
  • Verify that you have administrator privileges to configure the vSphere Replication appliance.
  • Verify that the vSphere Replication management server is synchronized with the time of the Single Sign-On server.

Procedure

  1. Log in to the VRMS Appliance Management Interface as admin.
    The URL for the VRMS Appliance Management Interface is https:// vr-appliance-address:5480.
  2. Click on Summary, then click Configure Appliance.
  3. On the Platform Services Controller page, enter the information about the site where you deployed the vSphere Replication Appliance.
    Menu Item Description
    PSC host name

    Enter the host name (in lowercase letters) or IP address of the Platform Services Controller for the vCenter Server with which to register vSphere Replication.

    PSC port

    Accept the default value of 443, or enter a new value if vCenter Server uses a different port.

    Platform Services Controller only supports connections over HTTPS.

    User name

    Enter the vCenter Single Sign-On user name for the vCenter Single Sign-On domain to which this vCenter Server instance belongs. This user account must be a member of the vCenter Single Sign-On administrator group on the Platform Services Controller instance.

    Password

    The password for the specified vCenter Single Sign-On user name.

  4. If prompted, click Connect to verify the Platform Services Controller certificate.
  5. On the vCenter Server page, select the vCenter Server instance with which to register the vSphere Replication Appliance, and click Next.
    Caution: The drop-down menu includes all the vCenter Server instances that are registered with the Platform Services Controller. In an environment that uses Enhanced Linked Mode, it might also include vCenter Server instances from other Platform Services Controller instances. Make sure that you select the correct vCenter Server instance. After you configure the vSphere Replication Appliance, you cannot select a different vCenter Server instance.
  6. On the Name and Extension page, enter the necessary information to register the vSphere Replication Appliance with vCenter Server, and add a storage traffic IP address.
    Menu Item Description
    Site name A name for this vSphere Replication site, which appears in the vSphere Replication interface. The vCenter Server address is used by default. Use a different name for each vSphere Replication instance in the pair.
    Administrator email The email address of the vSphere Replication administrator. This information is required even though you use the standard vCenter Server alarms to configure email notifications for vSphere Replication events.
    Local host The name or IP address of the local host. Only change the value if the IP address is not the one that you want to use. For example, the local host might have more than one network interface, and the one that the vSphere Replication Appliance detects is not the interface that you want to use.
    Note: To facilitate IP address changes in your infrastructure, provide a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) whenever possible, rather than an IP address.
    Extension ID The unique identifier of the vSphere Replication Appliance. The Extension ID is not customizable.
    Storage Traffic IP The IP address of a VM NIC to be used by the vSphere Replication Server for incoming replication data.
  7. On the Ready to Complete page, review your settings and click Finish.
  8. To configure the vSphere Replication Appliance on the target site, repeat the procedure.