VMware Site Recovery Manager: Install, Configure, Manage [V8.6] — Lesson 2: Installing SRM, pairing sites, configuring array-based or vSphere Replication integration, inventory mappings, placeholder datastores, and protection groups

Learning Objectives

• Assess dependencies, controls, resilience, and the intended service outcome for Installing SRM, pairing sites, configuring array-based or vSphere Replication integration, inventory mappings, placeholder datastores, and protection groups.
• Demonstrate the workflow and leave reproducible evidence in paired-site configuration and protection-group validation.
• Recommend a preventive improvement after resolving placeholder virtual machines being created on a datastore unavailable to the recovery site.

Detailed Topics

• Installing SRM
• Pairing sites
• Configuring array-based or vSphere Replication integration
• Inventory mappings
• Placeholder datastores
• And protection groups
• Decision ownership, prerequisites, and acceptance evidence for Installing SRM, pairing sites, configuring array-based or vSphere Replication integration, inventory mappings, placeholder datastores, and protection groups
• Relevant access, security, capacity, dependency, performance, recovery, and support considerations

Instructor Demonstration

Using realistic infrastructure, identities, and workloads, the instructor demonstrates Installing SRM, pairing sites, configuring array-based or vSphere Replication integration, inventory mappings, placeholder datastores, and protection groups. Checkpoints are captured in paired-site configuration and protection-group validation, with discussion of alternatives, side effects, and acceptance conditions.

Hands-On Exercise

Build or execute Installing SRM, pairing sites, configuring array-based or vSphere Replication integration, inventory mappings, placeholder datastores, and protection groups for a defined scenario. Introduce the condition “placeholder virtual machines being created on a datastore unavailable to the recovery site,” inspect the evidence, correct the cause without discarding the audit trail, and document the accepted state in paired-site configuration and protection-group validation.

1. Map the current workflow and mark where the expected result can first be observed.
2. Run the scenario while preserving timestamps, object identifiers, and relevant output.
3. Apply a reversible correction only after evidence supports the cause.
4. Retest the original case plus an unaffected case and update the handover record.

Scenario Analysis

• Clarify the service trigger, affected components and roles, prerequisites, and acceptable result for Installing SRM, pairing sites, configuring array-based or vSphere Replication integration, inventory mappings, placeholder datastores, and protection groups.
• Compare at least two implementation or correction choices and identify which evidence would distinguish them.
• Decide how paired-site configuration and protection-group validation should be reviewed, approved, retained, and handed to the next owner.

Troubleshooting Guidance

Avoid changing multiple settings at once while troubleshooting Installing SRM, pairing sites, configuring array-based or vSphere Replication integration, inventory mappings, placeholder datastores, and protection groups. Preserve the failing example, review paired-site configuration and protection-group validation, and verify whether “placeholder virtual machines being created on a datastore unavailable to the recovery site” is the root cause. After remediation, confirm downstream effects and add a monitoring action.

Validation Checklist

• The requirement for Installing SRM, pairing sites, configuring array-based or vSphere Replication integration, inventory mappings, placeholder datastores, and protection groups is linked to an owner and observable acceptance condition.
• Paired-site configuration and protection-group validation contains enough detail for another practitioner to repeat the check.
• Normal operation, one boundary condition, and the identified failure path have been tested.
• Access, security, downstream impact, rollback, monitoring, and support ownership are recorded.

Lesson Outcome

Learners can apply Installing SRM, pairing sites, configuring array-based or vSphere Replication integration, inventory mappings, placeholder datastores, and protection groups, explain the decisions made, and defend the result with paired-site configuration and protection-group validation.