If you pause replication initially, replication begins when you explicitly resume replication.
Based on the amount of information you want to copy to the target Core, the seed drive can add up to hundreds or thousands of gigabytes of data. Many organizations choose not to consume the network bandwidth required, and instead opt to define and consume a seed drive. For more information, see Performance considerations for replicated data transfer.
If you specify the use of a seed drive when defining replication, then only recovery points saved to the source Core after you establish replication are replicated to the target Core. Backups saved on the source Core before replication was established will not be present on the target Core until you explicitly seed the data, using the following process.
To avoid slowing down your network with an intensive transfer of historical data, seed your prior backup data to the target Core using a seed drive. A seed drive is an archive file that copies a set of deduplicated base images and incremental snapshots from the source Core. The seed drive file contains the full set of previous recovery points for the protected machines you want to replicate from the source Core to the target Core.
Move the seed drive file to a storage volume which you then make available to the target Core. Then you consume the information from the seed drive. This involves attaching the volume with the seed drive image to the target Core and importing the data to the repository from the Core Console. This process repairs orphans, uniting incremental snapshots replicated to the target Core with their base images, to form one or more complete recovery point chains. This process is sometimes called copy-consume.
Seeding data from your source Core is not always required. For example:
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If you are setting up replication for a new Rapid Recovery Core, seeding is not required. |
NOTE: In this case, Quest recommends capturing a new base image immediately before or immediately after setting up replication. This step ensures a full recovery point chain exists on the target Core from which to restore data in the future. |
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Seed to the target Core over a network connection. Specify the use of a seed drive when you define replication. you can then share the folder containing the seed drive with the target Core, and consume the seed drive file over the network. For large data or slow connections, seeding by this method can take a substantial amount of time and consume substantial network bandwidth. |
NOTE: Quest does not recommend seeding large amounts of data over a network connection. Initial seeding potentially involves very large amounts of data, which could overwhelm a typical WAN connection. |
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Transfer backup data from the source Core using physical storage media. Transfer the seed drive file to a portable external removable storage device. This approach is typically useful for large sets of data or sites with slow network connections. Seeding using this method requires you to perform the following steps: |
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For source and target Cores stored on virtual hosts, transfer backup data using a virtual hard disk. If your source Core and target Core are both on a virtual host, you can define and consume a seed drive on virtual storage media. Seeding using this method requires you to perform the following steps: |
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When preparing for replication, consider the following factors:
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Change rate. The change rate is the rate at which the amount of protected data is accumulated. The rate depends on the amount of data that changes on protected volumes and the protection interval of the volumes. Some machine types typically have a higher change rate, such as an Exchange email server. One way to reduce the change rate is to reduce the protection interval. |
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Bandwidth. The bandwidth is the available transfer speed between the source Core and the target Core. It is crucial that the bandwidth be greater than the change rate for replication to keep up with the recovery points snapshots create. For very large data transfers from Core to Core, multiple parallel streams may be required to perform at wire speeds up to the speed of a 1GB Ethernet connection. |
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Number of protected machines. It is important to consider the number of machines protected per source Core and how many you plan to replicate to the target. You are not required to replicate every machine protected on the source Core; Rapid Recovery lets you replicate on a per-protected machine basis, so you can choose to replicate only certain machines, if you want. If all protected machines on a source Core must be replicated, the change rate is typically higher. This factor is relevant if the bandwidth between the source and target Cores is insufficient for the amount and size of the recovery points being replicated. |
Depending on your network configuration, replication can be a time-consuming process. Ensure that you account for enough bandwidth to accommodate replication, other Rapid Recovery transfers such as backups, and any other critical applications you must run.
If you experience issues successfully transferring data over the network, especially for certain protected or replicated machines, considering adjusting the rate of data transfer for those machines. For more information, seeAbout modifying transfer settings and Throttling transfer speed.
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