In the age of digital technology it is crucial that organizations ensure business continuity and minimize downtime. Azure Site Recovery (ASR), a robust disaster-recovery solution that allows businesses to safeguard their data and applications in the event of an emergency. This article will walk you through the steps required to set up Azure Site Recovery, enabling you to maintain availability and protect your valuable assets.
Step 1 Step 1: Prepare your Environment
It is essential to prepare your environment prior to you begin using Azure Site Recovery. You should make sure you have:
- An active Azure subscription.
- The Azure PowerShell module was installed and is regularly updated.
- Access to the Azure portal.
Step 2 Create a Recovery Services Vault
- Log in to the Azure Portal: Navigate to https://portal.azure.com/ and log in with your Azure account.
- Create a Recovery Services Vault:
- In the search bar at the top in the search bar, type “Recovery Services vaults”.
- Click “+ Create” to choose your subscription.
- Enter the name of your vault, and then select the desired region. (Make sure that it matches the locations of your resources).
- Click “Review + Create” Then click “Create”.
Configure the vault
- Open your vault: After creating the vault find it, then open it.
- Enable backup: Click on “Site Recovery” in the “Getting Started section”.
- Select the source and target:
- Select your replication scenario (e.g. between two Azure regions or from on-premises to Azure).
- Choose the environment that you want to use, e.g. “On-premises”, “Azure”, etc.
Step 4: Get your Infrastructure
- For On-Premises Protection:
- Install the Azure Site Recovery provider on your on-premises server.
- Register the servers with your Recovery Services Vault using the key to register.
- For Azure to Azure Replication:
- Identify the Azure resources you want to duplicate and make sure they’re configured correctly. This includes networking and access.
Step 5 Replication Settings
- Define Replication Policies: Create a replication policy to meet your Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) or Recovery Point Objectives (RPO). You must specify the frequency of your snapshots and retention times.
- Enable Replication: Start the replication process for your chosen virtual machines or physical servers. You can monitor the initial replication status from the Azure portal.
Step 6: Test your Disaster Recovery Plan
- Run a Test Failover: Azure Site Recovery lets you test a failover without impacting production workloads.
- Select the item you want to test from the “Replicated Items” section.
- Click on “Test Failover”, and select the appropriate settings for the test failover.
- Monitor the Test: Ensure that applications function correctly during the failover and you are able to access data in the manner you expect.
Step 7: Implement Failover/Failback Procedures
After testing, it is important to create clear procedures for failover in the event of a real disaster and plan for failback to restore normal operations. This document will provide an outline for smooth transitions between environments.