You modify the DR IP Customizer comma-separated value (CSV) file to apply customized networking settings to virtual machines when they start on the recovery site.

Note: This release of Site Recovery Manager allows you to define subnet-level IP mapping rules to customize IP settings on virtual machines, as well as by using the DR IP Customizer tool. You can use subnet-level IP mapping rules in combination with DR IP Customizer. For information about how you can use subnet-level IP mapping rules and DR IP Customizer together, see Customizing IP Properties for Multiple Virtual Machines.

One challenge of representing virtual machine network configurations in a CSV file is that virtual machine configurations include hierarchical information. For example, a single virtual machine might contain multiple adapters, and each adapter might have multiple listings for elements such as gateways. The CSV format does not provide a system for hierarchical representations. As a result, each row in the CSV file that the DR IP Customizer generates might provide some or all of the information for a specific virtual machine.

For a virtual machine with a simple network configuration, all the information can be included in a single row. In the case of a more complicated virtual machine, multiple rows might be required. Virtual machines with multiple network cards or multiple gateways require multiple rows. Each row in the CSV file includes identification information that describes to which virtual machine and adapter the information applies. Information is aggregated to be applied to the appropriate virtual machine.

Follow these guidelines when you modify the DR IP Customizer CSV file.

  • Omit values if a setting is not required.
  • Use the minimum number of rows possible for each adapter.
  • Do not use commas in any field.
  • Specify Adapter ID settings as needed. DR IP Customizer applies settings that you specify on Adapter ID 0 to all NICs. To apply settings to individual NICs, specify the values in the Adapter ID 1, 2, ..., n fields.
  • To specify more than one value for a column, create an additional row for that adapter and include the value in the column in that row. To ensure that the additional row is associated with the intended virtual machine, copy the VM ID, VM Name, vCenter Server, and Adapter ID column values.
  • To specify an IP address for a network adapter on each of the protected and recovery sites, or to specify multiple DNS server addresses, add a new row for each address. Copy the VM ID, VM Name, and Adapter ID values to each row.