Virtual Machine Replication

Virtual machine replication is a process used by information technology (IT) professionals to create backup versions of virtual machines (VMs) The backup can be kept and used to restore the machine in the event that its data is corrupted or lost.

By replicating a secondary version of an important business system, a company can insure the safety of important files and processes and improve the reliability of their performance. VM replication can also help organizations meet their high availability goals since replicating the primary VM for recovery purposes does not have to affect uptime.

There are two major types of virtual machine replication that provide organizations with various restore points:

• Real-time VM replication- Data is copied to the replicated VM as it is being written, giving the most precise backup. However, this requires a large amount of hardware and bandwidth.
• Point-in-time VM replication- This initiates data replication on a scheduled or requested basis.

How VM replication works

A backup version of a virtual machine can be created on the host where the original VM resides, an adjacent local host, or a host located away from the organization. Computer professionals can configure backup VMs in primary and secondary locations.

In order for replication to occur, the primary and secondary sites must meet certain conditions. The primary site should provide all the services available to the virtual machines, and the secondary site is where those services can be migrated, whether in the same room or another remote location. For added security, we recommend that you host your secondary site in a location that is not affected by disasters or weather events that can affect your primary site. B. Fire or Hurricane.

A primary site and a secondary site must contain data centers, and the secondary site must be configured to replicate all the resources of the primary site. This includes, for example, storage capacity, hardware, and workload.

In the event of data loss or hardware damage, alternate site backups can be quickly implemented for rapid recovery. The faster you can restore your system with virtual machine replication, the better your business continuity and the faster you can get back to work. Most VM replication is performed by applications such as vSphere that handle the creation and maintenance of mirror systems.