Requirements for the VM Recovery Manager DR solution

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Before you plan the implementation of the VM Recovery Manager DR solution, you must understand the other entities and resources that the VM Recovery Manager DR solution requires for disaster recovery operations.

The following requirements must be met before you can install the VM Recovery Manager DR solution:

Software requirements

  • The KSYS logical partition must be running IBM® AIX® 7.2 with Technology Level 1 Service Pack 1 (7200-01-01), or later.
  • You must install the latest version of the OpenSSL software for the AIX operating system. You can download the latest version of OpenSSL software from AIX Web Download Pack Programs.
    Note: The latest version of the OpenSSL software is also included on the AIX base media.
  • Each LPAR in the host must have one of the following operating systems:
    • AIX Version 6.1, and later
    • PowerLinux
      • Red Hat Enterprise Linux® (little endian, big endian) Version 7.2, or later
      • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Version 12.1, or later
      • Ubuntu Linux distribution Version 16.04, or later
    • IBM i Version 7.1, and later
      Note: The IBM i operating system is supported only with VIOS Version 2.2.5.20, or later.
  • The following table describes the minimum version of dependent products that VM Recovery Manager DR supports for each feature. Refer to the respective dependent product software page for information about its supported versions.
    Feature/ Component VIOS Version Storage Version Storage Models Supported replication modes of data mirroring KSYS Version Firmware level HMC Version
    Policy Based High availability - Policy Based Replication   Storage Virtualize 8.7.1 and above
    • FlashSystem 5015
    • FlashSystem 5035
    • FlashSystem 5200
    • FlashSystem 5300
    • FlashSystem 7300
    • FlashSystem 9500
    • SAN Volume Controller (SVC)
    		 Async across site and Sync within site 1.10.0.0    
    Policy Based Replication Support for SVC   8.5.2 or later

    IBM Storage FlashSystem

    IBM® SAN Volume Controller

    IBM Storage FlashSystem 9500

    IBM Storage FlashSystem 9200

    IBM Storage FlashSystem 9100

    IBM Storage FlashSystem 7300

    IBM Storage FlashSystem 5200(requires a minimum of 128 GB memory in each node canister)

    		 Async 1.8.0.1  
    EMC Unity- Async 3.1.2.21 5.0.6.0.6.252 Unity 480F storage system Version 5.1, or later. Async 1.5.0.1   HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    XIV storage system 3.1.0.21 XIV Storage System command-line interface (XCLI) Version 4.8.0.6, or later. XIV Storage System and IBM FlashSystem A9000 Sync, Async 1.3.0.2 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    Unmanaged disk 3.1.1.21 1.5.0.1 (1.5.0.0 with replica
    -tion)     		HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    DR 2.2.5.10 1.1.0.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    HA 3.1.0.11 1.3.0.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    HADR 3.1.1.0 1.4.0.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    HADRHA 3.1.2.10 1.5.0.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    Multiboot- DR 2.2.5.10 1.1.0.1 POWER8 with firmware level FW8.6.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    Hitachi Storage System 2.2.6.00 CCI Version 01-39-03/04 with model RAID-Manager/ AIX

    Hitachi VSP G200

    Hitachi VSP G400

    Hitachi VSP G600

    Hitachi VSP G800

    Hitachi VSP G1000

    Hitachi VSP 5000 series

    Hitachi VSP E series

    		TrueCopy (Sync) Universal Replication (Async) 1.2.0.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    DS8K Storage System 2.2.5.20 DSCLI version 7.7.51.48, or later. IBM System Storage® DS8000® series storage system Global Mirror 1.1.0.1 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    SVC and Storwize Storage System 2.2.5.20 SVC 6.1.0, or later.
    Storwize 7.1.0, or later    		 IBM SVC Version 6.1.0, or later.
    IBM Storwize V7000 7.1.0, and later.    		 Metro Mirror (Sync) Global Mirror (Async) Global Mirror with Change Volumes 1.1.0.1 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    EMC SRDF Storage System 2.2.5.10 Solution Enabler SE 8.1.0.0, SE 8.4.0.7, SE 9.4.0.0 SRDF-capable storage subsystems of the EMC VMAX family SRDF/S- Sync (1.0.0.1) SRDF/A- Async (1.0.0.0) 1.1.0.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    DR Rehearsal 2.2.5.10 1.2.0.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    Shared mode DR 2.2.6.0 1.2.0.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    Previously saved virtual machine (VM) profile to retry the recovery operation 2.2.5.10 1.2.0.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    Auto LUN masking support for EMC SRDF/ SVC Storage Systems 2.2.6.00 1.6.0.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    LPM progress indication (HA) 3.1.0.11 1.3.0.2 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    DR support for VM with Hybrid Network Virtualiza
    -tion (SRIOV with migratable)    		 2.2.5.10 1.6.0.0 POWER9 systems with firmware level FW940.10 start of changeHMC Version 9 Release 9.5.1end of change
    Reduced path support VM 3.1.3.10 1.6.0.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    EMC Unity- Sync 3.1.2.21 5.0.6.0.6.252 Unity 480F start of changeSyncend of change 1.6.0.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    Multi-boot DR Test 2.2.5.10 1.6.0.0 POWER8 systems with firmware level FW8.6.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    Multi-boot HA 3.1.0.11 1.5.0.0 POWER8 systems with firmware level FW8.6.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    IBMi 2.2.5.10 1.1.0.1 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    Linux 2.2.5.10 1.1.0.1 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    VM agent 3.1.0.11 1.3.0.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
    Diskview 3.1.4.10 1.6.0.0 HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0
  • You must install the mandatory APAR fixes and VIOS fixes with VM Recovery Manager DR. For more information on efix download, see Installing VIOS and KSYS interim fixes.
  • To use an in-built multi-node KSYS cluster, VM Recovery Manager DR Version 1.7, or later must be installed on all KSYS nodes.
  • For a KSYS node that is running IBM AIX Version 73 TL1 SP1, IBM AIX Version 73 TL1 SP2, or IBM AIX Version 73 TL1 SP3, you must install the RSCT efix IJ47384. Contact IBM Support team for the RSCT efix.

Firmware requirements

  • Minimum required levels of IBM Power Systems servers follow:
    • POWER7+™ Systems that have one of the following firmware levels:
      • FW770.90, or later
      • FW780.70, or later except MMB systems (9117-MMB models)
      • FW783.50, or later
    • POWER8 Systems that have one of the following firmware levels:
      • FW840.60, or later
      • FW860.30, or later
    • POWER9 Systems that have the following firmware levels:
      • FW910, or later
    • POWER10 Systems supported firmware levels.
    • POWER11 Systems supported firmware levels.

Configuration requirements

  • You can configure only two sites: an active site that is also called home site, and a backup site. These sites can be separated by unlimited distance between them.
  • You can configure only one KSYS logical partition (LPAR). The KSYS LPAR must be placed in the backup site or outside of the KSYS configuration.
  • The KSYS LPAR must have at least 1 core CPU and 8 GB memory. These requirements can be higher if you have a large environment of more than 100 LPARs in the data center.
  • The virtual machines, which must be recovered during disaster situation, must be running on POWER7 processor-based server, or later, that are PowerVM-based systems managed by HMCs.
    • For HADR and HADRHA support, Power7+ processor-based server is required.
  • For a multi-node KSYS cluster, the same version of operating system must be installed on all nodes. If the operating system that is running on a node is on an earlier version than the other node, you must specify the node that is running the earlier version of the operating system before the node that is running the later version of the operating system when you run a command.
  • To support VLAN and vSwitch at the workgroup level, create the required shared ethernet adapter on all Virtual I/O Server based on the virtual machine group.
  • The VM Recovery Manager DR solution supports the following storage devices:
    EMC storage system
    The VM Recovery Manager DR solution supports storage devices for the EMC VMAX family (VMAX1, VMAX2, and VMAX3). The EMC storage devices must be Symmetrix Remote Data Facility (SRDF)-capable. The EMC storage must have Solutions Enabler SRDF family Version 8.1.0.0 installed, or later. Both SRDF/S (Synchronous) and SRDF/A (Asynchronous) replication modes are supported. The SYMCLI interface on the KSYS node must be the same version, or later as the version of the SYMCLI interface on the storage agent.
    IBM SVC/ Storwize® storage systems and IBM Flash Storage systems
    The VM Recovery Manager DR solution supports IBM SVC Version 6.1.0, and later, and IBM Storwize V7000 7.1.0, and later. Both Metro Mirror (synchronous) and Global Mirror (asynchronous) modes of data replication are supported across sites.
    Policy Based Replication (PBR)
    From KSYS version 1.8.0.1 and later, the policy-based replication type is supported with IBM FlashSystem firmware level Storage Virtualize 8.5.2 and later.
    Policy-Based High Availability Policy Based Replication (PBHA-PBR)
    From KSYS version 1.10.0.0 and later, Policy-Based High Availability and Policy-Based Replication (PBHA + DR) are supported with IBM FlashSystem firmware level Storage Virtualize 8.7.1 and later.
    IBM System Storage DS8000® series
    The VM Recovery Manager DR solution supports DS8700, or later and DS8000 storage systems with DSCLI version 7.7.51.48, and later. Only Global Mirror (asynchronous) mode of data replication is supported across sites.
    Hitachi storage systems
    The VM Recovery Manager DR solution supports various Hitachi storage systems. For more information, see supported storage models list. Both synchronous and asynchronous modes of data replication is supported across sites.
    IBM XIV Storage System and IBM FlashSystem A9000
    The VM Recovery Manager DR solution supports IBM XIV Storage System and IBM FlashSystem A9000. Both Metro Mirror (synchronous) and Global Mirror (asynchronous) modes of data replication are supported across sites.
    EMC Unity Storage System

    The VM Recovery Manager DR supports EMC Unity storage system version 5.0.6.0.6.252, or later. Both synchronous and asynchronous modes of data replication are supported across sites.

    Note: The SVC, Storwize, and DS8000 storage systems are supported only with VIOS Version 2.2.5.20, or later and HMC Version 8 Release 8.6.0 Service Pack 1, or later. The Hitachi storage systems are supported with VIOS Version 2.2.6.00, or later and HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0, or later. The IBM XIV Storage System and IBM FlashSystem A9000 are supported with VIOS Version 3.1.0.20, or later and HMC Version 9 Release 9.1.0, or later. The EMC Unity Storage System is supported with VIOS Version 3.1.2.21, or later.
  • When multiple target VIOSes host virtual machines during the DR move operation, it is mandatory that each VIOS must have enough number of NPIV ports to host all virtual machines. If each target VIOS needs to serve a different virtual machine, then update the storage area network (SAN) zoning so that virtual machines must be distributed across target VIOSes during the DR move operation.

Network requirements

  • All virtual machines (VMs) that are managed by the VM Recovery Manager DR solution must use virtual I/O resources through VIOS. The VMs must not be connected to a physical network adapter or any dedicated devices.
  • The VIOS must have a Shared Ethernet Adapter (SEA) configuration to bridge to the same Ethernet network between the hosts located in the same site.
  • The same virtual LAN (VLAN) must be configured across the site. If a different VLAN is required on the target site, you must update the KSYS configuration for the different VLAN ID on the backup site.
  • Ensure redundant connection from the KSYS to HMC and from HMC to VIOS logical partitions. Any connectivity issues between KSYS, HMC, and VIOS logical partitions can lead to disruption in the regular data collection activity and disaster recovery operations.

Administrative requirements

If you are an administrator, ensure that the following prerequisites are met before you implement the VM Recovery Manager DR solution:

  • The KSYS must be connected to all the HMCs across sites through the HTTPS connection.
  • All the VIOS partitions and disk pairs must be deployed correctly across sites.
  • Each Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) in the target site must have the same number of virtual Fibre Channel (vFC) adapters that are assigned to the virtual machines (VMs) in the source host.
  • The source and destination hosts must have at least one logical memory block (LMB) of free space. This free space is used by the drstartlpar command during the move operation.
  • Storage replication must be set up correctly for various disks that are used in the VM Recovery Manager DR managed environment.
  • Storage area network (SAN) connectivity and zoning must be configured so that VIOS can access the disks that are relevant to the hosts across the host pairs. For example, a disk D1 that is connected to the VIOS of a host must have a mirror disk D1_M that is connected to the VIOS of the paired host in the backup site. Any connectivity issues can cause the VM Recovery Manager DR verification to fail.
  • SAN connectivity must be performed such that the SAN fabrics of VIOS on the paired hosts do not connect with each other.
Mapping NPIV for VM Recovery Manager DR
To map the N-Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) for VM Recovery Manager DR, complete the following steps:
  1. Create a storage area network (SAN) zone in a switch that comprises of NPIV World Wide Port Number (WWPN) of the virtual machine and the WWPN of the source SAN subsystem.
  2. In the source SAN subsystem, mask both the logical unit numbers (LUNs) and the WWPN of the NPIV client.
  3. Create a SAN zone in a switch that comprises of both the NPIV WWPN and the WWPN of the target SAN.
  4. In the target SAN subsystem, mask both the mirrored LUNs and the WWPN of NPIV client.
Mapping vSCSI for VM Recovery Manager DR
To map the virtual Small Computer System Interface (vSCSI) for VM Recovery Manager DR, complete the following steps:
  1. Create a SAN zone in a switch that comprises of both the source VIOS WWPN and the WWPN of the source SAN.
  2. In the source SAN subsystem, ensure that the LUN is masked with the WWPN of the source VIOS.
  3. Create a SAN zone in a switch that comprises of both the target VIOS WWPN and the WWPN of the target SAN.
  4. In the target SAN subsystem, ensure that the mirrored LUN is masked with the WWPN of the target VIOS.

Storage requirements

  • Ensure that all the prerequisite software is installed on the same logical partition in which the KSYS software is installed. The prerequisite software includes the storage controller software that must be installed on the KSYS LPAR. The storage controller is the software component that you receive from the storage vendor that allows KSYS to contact storage devices and perform storage-specific operations.
  • Irrespective of the type of storage, the disk size in the active and backup sites must be same.
  • Ensure that the disks that belong to the virtual machines of an added host have mirror relationship with corresponding disks across the sites.
  • Verify that the disks that are used for the virtual machines that are managed by the VM Recovery Manager DR solution must not be managed by any other disaster recovery solutions.
  • For virtual Small Computer System Interface (vSCSI) disk mapping, ensure that you do not use Logical Volume Manager (LVM)-based disk partition management from VIOS.
For more information about SAN terminology and other SAN related requirement details, see Introduction to Storage Area Networks and What is a storage area network?

GUI requirements

  • The logical partition (LPAR), in which you want to install the GUI filesets, must be running IBM AIX 7.2 with Technology Level 2 Service Pack 1 (7200-02-01), or later. You can choose to install the GUI server fileset on one of the KSYS nodes.
  • The LPAR in which you are installing the GUI server must run in Enhanced Korn shell that uses the /usr/bin/ksh93 shell script.
  • The LPAR in which you are installing the GUI server fileset must have at least 1 core CPU and 8 GB memory.
  • Google Chrome Version 63, or later and Mozilla Firefox Version 57, or later web browsers are supported to access the GUI for the VM Recovery Manager solution.

Licensing considerations

  • With the VM Recovery Manager DR solution, the virtual machines (VMs) that must be replicated or managed by the solution are hosted on the production system processor cores. These managed VMs do not determine the licensing count, but the count of processor cores that are hosting these managed VMs determines the licensing cost. This means that the count of whole number of processor cores that are hosting the VMs that are being replicated or managed by the VM Recovery Manager DR solution determines the license count.
  • The VM Recovery Manager DR licenses are installed on an AIX partition that is designated to be the partition that is hosting the KSYS orchestrator. The VM Recovery Manager DR license enables the KSYS orchestrator.
  • The AIX partition that is hosting the VM Recovery Manager DR solution can be located anywhere in proximity to the HMCs and storage servers that the VM Recovery Manager DR solution is managing. For instance, if you are implementing the VM Recovery Manager DR solution, you can install the KSYS subsystem in an AIX partition of a system in the disaster recovery site. The system can also be a system other than the VM Recovery Manager primary or secondary system.
  • The VM Recovery Manager DR solution conforms to the active/inactive technology, which includes Live Partition Mobility (LPM) in your high availability configuration. Therefore, the entire VM is restarted on an alternate logical partition. You do not need to install the production licenses in the target system because the VM is restarted along with the corresponding workload.
  • VM Recovery Manager DR product requires PowerVM Enterprise Edition to be installed on all the hosts configured for DR management