VMware Replication from NAKIVO
NAKIVO Backup & Replication provides VMware vSphere replication for disaster recovery (DR) and high availability during disruptions such as ransomware attacks, hardware failure and natural disasters. Create replicas of VMware vSphere VMs and store those replicas onsite or at a remote site. Automate DR workflows to meet the tightest recovery objectives (RTOs) for mission-critical data, increase IT infrastructure resilience and maintain business continuity.
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VMware vSphere Replication at a Glance
Efficient vSphere Replication
Incremental replication from backups to offload production
App and Database Support
Consistent data in replicas for instant availability
Policy-Based Replication
Rules based on VM parameters to automate workflows
Replica Verification
Screenshot-based reports to ensure that replicas are usable
Automated VM Failover
Set automated workflows for near-instant failovers to replicas
RaaS and DRaaS
Multi-tenancy for MSPs to provide DR services to clients
Getting started with NAKIVO Backup & Replication
Consistent, Image-Based Backup
Perform consistent image-based backups of VMware VMs. This means that the entire VM is captured during backup, including all disk content and configuration files. This also ensures that data in applications, such as Microsoft Exchange, Active Directory, SQL Server, and SharePoint, remains consistent and ready for recovery.
Incremental Backup
All VMware VM backup jobs use VMware’s Changed Block Tracking (CBT) to quickly identify changed data blocks. Only those changes (increments) are copied to the Backup Repository, which results in faster and smaller backups.
Instant Granular Recovery
Instantly recover files and application objects that you need when you need them. Whatever the scenario, you get flexible and fast agentless granular restores without recovering a full VM first.
Instant VM Recovery
For the tightest RTOs, use the Flash VM Boot to boot your VM from a backup whether for recovery or sandbox testing. You don’t have to run a full VMware VM recovery if you need to quickly restore a workload.
VM Replication Solution Overview
Incremental Replicas
Create incremental replicas of critical VMware vSphere VMs using the native VMware Changed Block Tracking (CBT) technology. With only data blocks that have changed since the last replication transferred to the VM replica, you can reduce data protection windows and save storage space.
Policy-Based Replication
Set up rule-based data protection policies based on VM size, location, tag, name, or a combination of these and other parameters. The solution then monitors the environment and automatically adds all VMs matching the policy rules or excludes those that no longer match the policy.
Instant Verification
Two ways to verify that your replicas are usable for failover when needed:
- Boot Verification, the solution powers on the VM replica after the replication workflow is completed and checks if the required VMware tools are running to verify that the guest OS has successfully booted.
- With Screenshot Verification, the solution powers on the replica, takes a screenshot of the booted OS, then powers off and reverts the replica to the latest recovery point. Networking is disabled for VMs during both boot and screenshot verification workflows. View verification results in the dashboard or set the solution to send email reports.
Site Recovery
Use the built-in Site Recovery functionality to create disaster recovery sequences for different disaster scenarios.
- Custom sequences can include: failover, failback, datacenter migrations, source VM shutdown, network mapping, final VM replication, among other actions.
- Test disaster recovery sequences to meet defined recovery objectives without disrupting production.
- Configure regular notifications to check the status of VMs and be notified when VMs cannot be reached.
Onsite / Offsite VMware Replication
Store replicas onsite for local data protection or send replicas to a secondary disaster recovery site for large-scale disruptions. Replicas are stored in a powered-off state until they are powered on for failover. You can power replicas on with a single click to launch automated failover or full Site Recovery.
Consistent App and Database Data
Choose the app-aware replication mode to create consistent replicas of VMware vSphere VMs and speed up data availability in apps, file servers and databases when a critical VM is down.
Supported platforms:
- Microsoft apps: Exchange Server, SQL Server, Active Directory
- Oracle Database
- File servers
Replication from Backup
A replica can be created from both source VMs and existing VM backups to reduce the load on the production environment. Enable Job Chaining to replicate VMs directly from a backup right after the initial backup workflow is completed. Using backups as source and automating replication offloads your production hardware and saves time.
Multi-Tenancy for RaaS Providers
Managed service providers (MSPs) can provide replication and disaster recovery as a service (RaaS and DRaaS) to 1,000 isolated tenants (clients) within a single copy of NAKIVO Backup & Replication. In the multi-tenant mode, tenants can have access to their isolated IT environments through the Self-Service Portal to create and adjust VM replication workflows. Offload data protection tasks to tenants, and manage multiple tenants from a single pane of glass to reduce complexity and increase the cost-efficiency of RaaS and DRaaS.
Key Benefits of Using
NAKIVO Backup & Replication
Tight Recovery Targets
During any production VM failure, fail over to replicas with a single click for near-instant availability and little-to-no data loss. With VM replicas being regular VMware VMs, restore your VMware environment with the shortest recovery time objectives (RTOs). If a bad OS update, malware, accidental deletion, power loss, hardware malfunction or natural disaster hits your main site, simply power on the replica VM onsite or at a DR site for minimal disruption to business workflows.
Comprehensive Data Protection Solution
NAKIVO Backup & Replication is an all-in-one backup, replication, anti-ransomware protection, disaster recovery and VM monitoring solution that meets all the data protection needs of today’s virtual and mixed environments.
Cost-Effective
Reduce total cost of ownership with NAKIVO Backup & Replication with less time and effort spent on data protection, speedier recoveries and more efficient investment in improving your infrastructure’s resilience.
Better Business Resilience
Improve the resilience of VMware vSphere VM infrastructures to ransomware attacks and other business disruptions. Send VM replicas to your onsite data center or to a remote site and simply power them on to maintain essential workflows if ransomware blocks your main server. Store backups and replicas of your VMs in different storages to avoid a single point of failure.
Minimal Downtime
Meet strict SLAs for high availability and business continuity. The solution delivers different support for highly available backup targets, onsite/offsite replication and one-click disaster recovery.
Simple Administration
The solution is available via an intuitive web interface that you can access from anywhere. With easy step-by-step wizards and 24/7 support from a team of highly skilled support engineers, data protection with NAKIVO Backup & Replication is simple, time-efficient and reliable.
NAKIVO Backup & Replication Licensing
The VMware vSphere VM replication functionality is available starting at $229 per CPU socket with two licensing models
A perpetual license is charged per CPU socket for indefinite use and includes one year of free Standard Support. Standard Support provides access to tech support via email, phone, or chat during business hours.
A subscription license is charged per workload. A workload is a VM, 1 physical server or 3 workstations, an Oracle database, or an Amazon EC2 instance. A subscription license includes one year of 24/7 support.
For more information, see NAKIVO Backup & Replication Pricing and Editions.
Download Free Trial for 15 Days of Unlimited Data Protection
No feature limitations. No credit card required.
- Comprehensive protection for your physical, virtual, cloud and SaaS environments
- 2-minute deployment on Windows, NAS or as VA / AMI
- Incremental backups for VMs, Amazon EC2, Windows/Linux, Microsoft 365, and Oracle databases
- Multi-target backups, including backups to cloud and tape
- Application-consistency of backups and replicas
- Security and ransomware resilience with immutable repositories, access control and data encryption
- Advanced recovery options, including VM boot from backups and instant object recovery
- Cross-platform recovery for VMs and physical machines
- Performance optimization to reduce network load by up to 50%
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I automate VM failovers to replicas with NAKIVO Backup & Replication?
Yes. The solution enables you to create workflows for automated VM failovers to replicas. Power on replicas with a single click for automated failover when a disruptive event brings down a VMware vSphere VM.
Can I verify if replicas are recoverable before a disaster strikes?
Yes. NAKIVO Backup & Replication offers two ways to check if the replica is recoverable. You can check the verification results in the dashboard or set the solution to send email reports.
Can NAKIVO Backup & Replication create app-aware VM replicas?
Yes, the solution uses VMware’s Guest OS Quiescing to create app-aware VM replicas and ensure that those replicas are transactionally-consistent. The app-aware mode works for apps like Microsoft Exchange, SQL Server, Active Directory, among others.
What RPOs and RTOs can I expect with NAKIVO Backup & Replication?
You can set VMware replication workflows to run as often as every minute to get one of the tightest RPOs possible. Reach the shortest RTOs by powering on VMware VM replicas at the remote site to restore production near-instantly when the main site is down.
What is Site Recovery in NAKIVO Backup & Replication?
The Site Recovery feature enables you to create recovery workflows for different disaster cases. Set workflows for planned and emergency failovers, failbacks, and datacenter migration. React to disasters timely and minimize production downtime by initiating preset Site Recovery workflows with a single click.
Can I control network bandwidth available for VMware replication workflows?
Yes. Use the Advanced Bandwidth Throttling feature in NAKIVO Backup & Replication to flexibly adjust network bandwidth available for backup and replication jobs. Optimize production performance by limiting network bandwidth during business hours. Add bandwidth to speed up replication when more network resources are available.
