Performing a Live Sync Failback - VMware to Amazon

After a virtual machine has failed over, you can perform a failback operation to return the VM to the original site or a new primary site. A failback operation performs a backup of the VM at the failover site and uses that data to replicate the VM back to the primary site. If the virtual machine already exists at the primary site, only incremental updates are written from the failover site.

To back up destination virtual machines after a failover, see Scheduling Backups for Destination VMs after a Failover.

For information about failover and failback operations, see Virtual Machine Failover Status and Failback Status Report.

The transport mode for Live Sync operations is selected automatically based on the environment, and is not configurable.

Before You Begin

To perform failover or failback operations for virtual machines, you must meet the following requirements:

• The workflow engine must be installed with the CommServe system.

• Create the allowToolsToExecuteOnServerOrClient additional setting on the CommServe node with the value 7 (category EventManager and type Integer).

• Virtual machines included in a failback operation must have a status of Failover Complete or Failback Failed.

Procedure

1. Open the Live Sync Monitor tab from the instance, backup set, or subclient:

   • From the instance, right-click VMware and select Live Sync Monitor.

   • From the backup set, right-click the backup set and select All Tasks > Live Sync > Monitor.

   • From the subclient, right-click the subclient and select Live Sync > Monitor.

2. On the Live Sync Monitor tab, select the rows for one or more virtual machines, right-click and point to Failback.

   You can only execute a Failback operation for virtual machines from the same schedule.

   The Failback Virtual Machines dialog box appears.

3. Provide the following information:

   • vCenter Client: Shows the name of the vCenter to which the VM is to be restored. You can only fail back to the vCenter for the original primary VM.

   • Proxy Client: The proxy client is used only to browse the ESX server and datastore, and is not used to perform the failback operation.

     During a failback, the proxy that was specified for the original Live Sync schedule performs the backup, and the default proxy specified for the instance or subclient replicates the virtual machine to the primary site.

   • vCenter Instance Details: Displays the host name and user account for the vCenter client.

   • Restore in place: Select this option to fail back to the original location for the primary VM. Clear the option to restore to a different ESX server or datastore.

   • Source VM and Disk: Displays the name of the original primary VM, with any associated disks listed under each VM.

   • Destination VM: By default, displays the name of the original primary VM.

     If the virtual machine is being replicated to the original vCenter, enter a new name. If a VM with the same name exists at the specified location, the Live Sync operation fails unless you selected Unconditionally overwrite VM with the same name.

   • ESX Server: If you cleared the Restore in place option, click in this column and select the destination ESX server for the failback operation.

   • Datastore: Select a datastore to be used for virtual machine disks.

     By default, virtual machine disks (VMDKs) for the destination VM are added to the same datastore where the source VM disks resided; but you can specify a different datastore.

4. To specify settings for multiple VMs, select one or more rows, and then click Configure in the vCenter Options column.

   The VMware vCenter Options dialog box appears.

5. Provide any of the following information for the selected virtual machines:

   • Edit Destination VM Name (only displayed when multiple VMs are selected):

     • Prefix: Enter a prefix to be added to the destination VM names for all selected virtual machines.

     • Suffix: Enter a suffix to be added to the destination VM names for all selected virtual machines.

   • Destination VM (only displayed when a single VM is selected): You can change the name of the destination VM in this box.

   • ESX Server: Click ... to select a new destination ESX server for all selected virtual machines.

   • Datastore: Select a destination datastore for all selected virtual machines.

   • Resource Pool: Click ... to select a destination resource pool for all selected virtual machines.

   • VM Folder: Click ... to select a destination folder for all selected virtual machines.

   • Network Settings: Click Add to change the network configuration for restored VMs.

     In the Network Settings dialog box, you can map each network in the Source Network list to a network in the Destination Network list. These mappings enable restored VMs to connect to appropriate networks in the location where they are restored.

     Select a network from the Source Network list or type the network name as it is displayed in the vSphere client. Select Any Network to create a default rule for network adapters that are not covered by another rule.

     If you select Not Connected for the Destination Network value, virtual machines are restored with network interfaces in disconnected state.

   • IP Address settings: If a source VM running Windows uses a static IP address, you can configure an IP address for the destination VM:

     1. Click Add.

        The IP Address settings dialog box appears.

     2. Enter the IP Address, Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway for the source VM.

     3. Use one of the following methods to specify settings for the destination VM:

        Select Use DHCP to enable an available IP address for the specified network connection to be assigned automatically.

        Enter values for the IP Address, Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway to identify the desired IP address mappings for the destination VM. You can also specify preferred and alternate DNS servers and WINS servers.

        For more information, see IP Address settings.

   • Power ON Virtual Machine after restore: Select this option to power on the virtual machine automatically after the restore operation completes.

   • Unconditionally overwrite VM with the same name: Replace an existing virtual machine with the same name in the target location.

     If the target VM is currently powered on, the failover or failback operation fails, regardless of the setting for this option.

   • Disk Provisioning: Select the disk provisioning type for the destination VM: Original, Thick Lazy Zero, Thin, or Thick Eager Zero.

     If the target VM already exists, this setting is ignored.

6. Click OK to save the options entered for the VMware vCenter Options dialog box.

7. Click OK to execute the failback.

After a Failback

• Reinstall VM Tools on primary virtual machines after a failback operation.