To start replicating virtual machines, you must configure the vSphere Replication Appliance to connect to a vCenter Server instance on both the source and the target sites.

Prerequisites

Deploy the vSphere Replication Virtual Appliance and power it on.

Concurrent Installations of vSphere Replication in an Enhanced Linked Mode Environment

In an Enhanced Linked Mode environment, do not install vSphere Replication under more than one vCenter Server at the same time.

A conflict can arise in the creation of the service account that vCenter Server creates at the domain level for vSphere Replication authentication with vCenter Server if the following conditions exist:

  • If the installation of one vSphere Replication instance overlaps with the installation of another vSphere Replication Server instance under two different vCenter Server instances.
  • Those vCenter Server instances are in Enhanced Linked Mode.

The conflict does not prevent installation, but it does cause one of the vSphere Replication Server instances to fail to start, with the error message Failed to start service. The message Failed to start Authorization Manager appears in the event log for that vSphere Replication Server instance.

Configure the vSphere Replication Appliance to Connect to a vCenter Server

Configure the vSphere Replication Appliance to connect to a vCenter Server instance on both sites.

Procedure

  1. Log in to the VRMS Appliance Management Interface as admin.
  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 Platform Services Controller 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 Platform Services Controller 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.