Nutanix SRA

I have not used ether product, but I would have a couple of questions. Does Nutanix SRA change the IP addresses like SRM can, and do you need that functionality? Also do you need failover testing that is not disruptive?

If I'm just so off base that it’s not even funny. Please disregard.

The Nutanix SRA will not perform any runbook type functionality like, for example, changing IP addresses, running pre/post recovery scripts, etc.

Site Recovery Manager (SRM) is a VMware product to perform recovery plans and runbook functionality. This is where you'll be able to change IP addresses of servers, run pre and post recovery scripts, set dependencies on virtual machine startup and shutdown in your recovery plan, and run non-distruptive testing of your recovery plans.

Nutanix replication and vSphere Replication Management Server (VRMS) perform the same function as each other, which is to replicate virtual machine data from source to target. The VRMS natively integrates with SRM, but the Nutanix replication, as a stand-alone product, will not allow you to integrate your virtual machine replication with your SRM runbooks / recovery plans. Nutanix has developed a Storage Replication Adapter (SRA), however, that will allow for the integration of Nutanix's storage replication with the SRM product. Nutanix's SRA alleviates the need to use the VRMS.

Personally, we do need the ability to change IP addresses and to perform non-disruptive testing, and we're able to do that perfectly with SRM.

The question should be not "Nutanix SRA vs vSphere Replication", it should be like "VMware SRM vs VMware Replication".
SRA is not any replication soft - it's software that talking for array or hypervisor that to do and how to work with storage.

A Storage Replication Adapters (SRA) allows VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) to integrate with 3rd party storage array technology.


1. vSphere Replication is included with VMware license, SRM is licensed per VM
2. vSphere Replication is working in one vCenter, in SRM you need two vCenter per one on each site
3. vSphere Replication is async replication - RTO is 15 min minimum, with SRM you potentially could use sync replication
4. With SRM you could create recovery plan and test it-power on replicated vm on recovery site in isolate environment to be sure that your services is ok
5. With SRM you could migrate your VMs to recovery site with one buttom: DR=Site is Dead, or Planned Migration=Correctly power Off VMs, replicate and restratr on recovery Site
6. vSphere Replication is per VM process-replicate/recovery process made by hand on each VM, with SRM you could automate is with protection group and if you don't use L2 between sites you can change IP with vmware tools scripts
7. Failback is also easy with SRM

here is official doc
http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/products/SRM/VMware-vCenter-Site-Recovery-Manager-with-vSphere-Replication-Datasheet.pdf
When we are takling about huge environment
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2034768

I have been waiting to implment the SRA until 5.5 support. They promised me that it would come in 3.5.3 which was just released last night. I plan to try it out next week because vSphere replication has been such a pain to work with compared to protection domains.

Nutanix SRA is required if you wanted to use SRM with Nutanix.

The SRA is the "Storage Replication Adapter" that each vendor must provide to VMware for SRM to interact with thier specific storage device.

With the Nutanix SRA it allow you to utilize the entire feature set of SRM with Nutanix Protection Domains.

Thanks,
Tony Holland
Nutanix Senior Systems Engineer

rsciaraffo wrote:The Nutanix SRA will not perform any runbook type functionality like, for example, changing IP addresses, running pre/post recovery scripts, etc.

Site Recovery Manager (SRM) is a VMware product to perform recovery plans and runbook functionality. This is where you'll be able to change IP addresses of servers, run pre and post recovery scripts, set dependencies on virtual machine startup and shutdown in your recovery plan, and run non-distruptive testing of your recovery plans.

Nutanix replication and vSphere Replication Management Server (VRMS) perform the same function as each other, which is to replicate virtual machine data from source to target. The VRMS natively integrates with SRM, but the Nutanix replication, as a stand-alone product, will not allow you to integrate your virtual machine replication with your SRM runbooks / recovery plans. Nutanix has developed a Storage Replication Adapter (SRA), however, that will allow for the integration of Nutanix's storage replication with the SRM product. Nutanix's SRA alleviates the need to use the VRMS.

Personally, we do need the ability to change IP addresses and to perform non-disruptive testing, and we're able to do that perfectly with SRM.

I know this is an old thread but one interesting point is that you need to size the storage container in Nutanix to allow for SRM automation. So instead of using a single large container you need to size them to your environment. We ended up with multiple containers to hold 50 virtual desktops apiece.