Failover VMware VMs to AWS and Automate Recovery Workflows

Disaster recovery (DR) is a critical component of any organization's IT strategy. With the increasing complexity of on-premises workloads and the need for business continuity, organizations are turning to cloud-based solutions like AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery (DRS) to ensure minimal downtime and data loss. AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery (DRS) is a fully managed service that enables organizations to recover their on-premises workloads to AWS in the event of a disaster. This article provides a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to set up disaster recovery for VMware VMs using AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery, including both CLI-based and AWS Console-based approaches.

Introduction to AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery (DRS)

AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery (DRS) is a service designed to help organizations recover their on-premises workloads to AWS in the event of a disaster. It provides a cost-effective, scalable, and reliable solution for disaster recovery, enabling businesses to minimize downtime and data loss. DRS supports a wide range of workloads, including VMware VMs, physical servers, and cloud-based applications.

With AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery, organizations can replicate their on-premises workloads to AWS and perform failover operations with minimal effort. The service automates the recovery process, ensuring that applications and data are available in AWS during a disaster.

Key Features of AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery

• Automated Replication: Automatically replicates on-premises workloads to AWS.
• Cross-Region Recovery: Supports recovery to multiple AWS regions for added resilience.
• Cost-Effective: Pay only for the resources used during replication and recovery.
• Minimal RTO and RPO: Achieves low Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO).
• Integration with VMware: Seamlessly integrates with VMware vCenter for VM replication.
• Centralized Management: Manage all disaster recovery operations from the AWS Management Console.

Prerequisites for Setting Up AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery

Before setting up AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery, ensure the following prerequisites are met:

• An AWS account with the necessary permissions to create and manage resources.
• VMware vCenter Server with VMware ESXi hosts.
• VMware VMs to be protected.
• Network connectivity between on-premises infrastructure and AWS.
• AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles and policies configured for DRS.
• AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery agent installed on the VMware VMs.

Setting Up AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery (Console-Based)

Step 1: Sign in to the AWS Management Console

• Open the AWS Management Console and sign in with your credentials.
• Navigate to the AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery service.

Step 2: Create a Replication Configuration

• Click on Create Replication Configuration.
• Provide a name for the replication configuration.
• Select the AWS region where you want to replicate your workloads.
• Configure the replication settings, including the replication server instance type and storage options.

Step 3: Install the AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery Agent

• Download the AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery agent from the AWS Management Console.
• Install the agent on the VMware VMs you want to protect.
• Configure the agent with the replication configuration details.

Step 4: Configure VMware vCenter Integration

• In the AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery console, navigate to Settings.
• Click on Add vCenter Server.
• Provide the vCenter Server details, including the IP address, username, and password.
• Test the connection to ensure successful integration.

Step 5: Enable Replication for VMware VMs

• In the AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery console, select the VMware VMs you want to replicate.
• Click on Enable Replication.
• Monitor the replication status in the console.

Setting Up AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery (CLI-Based)

Step 1: Install and Configure the AWS CLI

• Install the AWS CLI on your local machine.
• Configure the AWS CLI with your credentials using the aws configure command.

aws configure

Step 2: Create a Replication Configuration

• Use the create-replication-configuration command to create a replication configuration.

aws drs create-replication-configuration \
    --region us-west-2 \
    --replication-configuration-name "MyReplicationConfig" \
    --replication-server-instance-type "m5.large" \
    --replication-server-storage-type "gp2"

Step 3: Install the AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery Agent

• Download the agent installation script from the AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery console.
• Run the installation script on the VMware VMs.

sudo bash install-aws-drs-agent.sh

Step 4: Configure VMware vCenter Integration

• Use the add-vcenter-server command to integrate VMware vCenter.

aws drs add-vcenter-server \
    --region us-west-2 \
    --vcenter-server-ip "192.168.1.100" \
    --vcenter-server-username "admin" \
    --vcenter-server-password "password"

Step 5: Enable Replication for VMware VMs

• Use the enable-replication command to enable replication for specific VMs.

aws drs enable-replication \
    --region us-west-2 \
    --vm-id "vm-12345" \
    --replication-configuration-name "MyReplicationConfig"

Failover VMware VMs to AWS

Step 1: Initiate Failover

• In the AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery console, select the replicated VMs.
• Click on Initiate Failover.
• Choose the recovery point and confirm the failover operation.

Step 2: Verify Failover

• Once the failover is complete, verify that the VMs are running in AWS.
• Check the network connectivity and application functionality.

Step 3: Perform Failback (Optional)

• After the disaster is resolved, you can perform a failback to restore the VMs to the on-premises environment.
• Use the Initiate Failback option in the AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery console.

Automating Recovery Workflows

Step 1: Create an AWS Lambda Function

• Navigate to the AWS Lambda service in the AWS Management Console.
• Create a new Lambda function to automate recovery workflows.

Step 2: Define the Recovery Workflow

• Use the AWS SDK to define the recovery workflow in the Lambda function.
• Include steps for initiating failover, verifying VM status, and sending notifications.

import boto3

def lambda_handler(event, context):
    drs_client = boto3.client('drs')

    # Initiate failover
    response = drs_client.start_failover(
        recoveryInstanceIDs=['vm-12345']
    )

    # Send notification
    sns_client = boto3.client('sns')
    sns_client.publish(
        TopicArn='arn:aws:sns:us-west-2:123456789012:MyTopic',
        Message='Failover initiated for VM vm-12345'
    )

    return {
        'statusCode': 200,
        'body': 'Failover workflow executed successfully'
    }

Step 3: Trigger the Lambda Function

• Use Amazon CloudWatch Events to trigger the Lambda function during a disaster.
• Configure the CloudWatch Event rule to monitor for specific conditions, such as a network outage or system failure.

Testing and Monitoring Disaster Recovery

Step 1: Perform Regular DR Drills

• Schedule regular disaster recovery drills to test the failover process.
• Verify that the replicated VMs are functional in AWS.

Step 2: Monitor Replication Status

• Use the AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery console to monitor the replication status of your VMs.
• Set up Amazon CloudWatch alarms to notify you of any replication failures.

Step 3: Review Recovery Metrics

• Analyze recovery metrics, such as RTO and RPO, to ensure they meet your business requirements.
• Use AWS CloudTrail to audit disaster recovery operations.

Best Practices for Disaster Recovery on AWS

• Regular Backups: Ensure regular backups of critical data and applications.
• Multi-Region Replication: Replicate workloads to multiple AWS regions for added resilience.
• Automated Workflows: Automate recovery workflows to minimize manual intervention.
• Security and Compliance: Implement security best practices, such as encryption and access control, to protect your data.
• Documentation and Training: Maintain up-to-date documentation and provide training to your team.

Conclusion

AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery (DRS) provides a robust and scalable solution for disaster recovery, enabling organizations to protect their on-premises workloads and ensure business continuity. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can set up disaster recovery for VMware VMs, automate recovery workflows, and minimize downtime during a disaster. With AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery, you can achieve low RTO and RPO, ensuring that your applications and data are always available when you need them most.