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Advanced server DR Licensing

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I may need help with product selection, but here is the topology. We have 2 hub sites, a primary and DR site. Clients usually get services from the primary site and when it is down, they are directed to the DR site. Both sites contain an ESXI instance running VM's with AD, DNS, web and network monitoring as well as Acronis. Acronis is used by the clients to make workstation backups. Data is replicated between sites using DFSR, AD and DNS are linked so their changes are replicated, web site uses SQL merge replication between sites to keep itself replicated, network monitoring is just the same server configured the same way on both sites(unable to SQL merge replicate with this product). I need to know if the Acronis database can be replicated to the DR site and if you have any special DR licensing.

My goal is to have 2 sites that are active - active containing the same VM's with the same information and clients get redirected to the DR site if the primary is unavailable. My network guy is going to handle the re-direction when site is down, i need to keep both sites replicated, if their is a better way to achieve this with different acronis products i would like to hear about it.

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Posts: 22
Comments: 3800

Hi Kevin,

The Acronis Management Server replication (to have 2 identical AMSes in both sites) is currently not supported and we've not seen yet any successful implementation of this approach. However it's not clear why you would need to do that, since AMS coordinates the backup activity on the primary site, while it doesn't make sense to perform the same tasks on the 2nd site.

With Acronis Backup Advanced for VMware (http://www.acronis.com/en-us/business/backup-advanced/vmware) you can perform backups of VMs in primary site and set up automatic conversion of these VMs into VMs on the 2nd site. This product also enables you to perform backups of physical machines (if you have any).

If you have pure virtual environment then the same task can be achieved by using Acronis Backup for VMware (http://www.acronis.com/en-us/business/backup/virtual-machine/ ), via VM replication functionality (no backup in between).

Thank you.
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Best regards,
Vasily
Acronis Virtualization Program Manager

"However it's not clear why you would need to do that"
Primary Acronis server goes down, clients still want to manage backup and restore operations, think of the second site as a "hot standby" site, waiting for the primary to fail. All services are required to be accessible. I was talking to an Acronis staff member on the phone and they indicated that we can use the 1 license for this setup as only 1 site will be accessible at a time. Could you please help with this setup, SQL replication works but messes up the Vault authentication. Is there another way to achieve high availability Acronis management?

Can two separate management server share the same vault? If they could this would meet our requirements.

frestogaslorastaswastavewroviwroclolacorashibushurutraciwrubrishabenichikucrijorejenufrilomuwrigaslowrikejawrachosleratiswurelaseriprouobrunoviswosuthitribrepakotritopislivadrauibretisetewrapenuwrapi
Posts: 22
Comments: 3800

Hi Kevin,

This could work, but only if you use "unmanaged" vault instead of managed ones (i.e. without involving Acronis Storage Node component).

Thank you.
--
Best regards,
Vasily
Acronis Virtualization Program Manager