Understand and Troubleshoot Guide Hyper-V Replica in Windows Server 8 Beta

8/12/2019 Understand and Troubleshoot Guide Hyper-V Replica in Windows Server 8 Beta

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Understand and Troubleshoot Hyper-V Replica inWindows Server "8" Beta

Microsoft Corporation

Published: February 2012

Abstract

This Understanding and Troubleshooting Guide (UTG) enables you to learn technical concepts,

functionality, and troubleshooting methods for Hyper-V Replica in Windows Server 8 Beta. This UTG

provides you with:

A technical overview and functional description of this feature.

Technical concepts to help you successfully install, configure, and manage this feature.

User Interface options and settings for configuration and management.

Relevant architecture of this feature, with dependencies, and technical implementation.

Primary troubleshooting tools and methods for this feature.


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Copyright information

This document is provided as-is. Information and views expressed in this document, including URL and other

Internet Web site references, may change without notice.

Some examples depicted herein are provided for illustration only and are fictitious. No real association or

connection is intended or should be inferred.

This document does not provide you with any legal rights to any intellectual property in any Microsoft product.

You may copy and use this document for your internal, reference purposes.

2012 Microsoft. All rights reserved.Active Directory, Hyper-V, Microsoft, MS-DOS, Visual Basic, Visual Studio, Windows, Windows NT, WindowsServer, and Windows Vista are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.


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About the Author

Author: Chuck Timon

Bio: Chuck Timon has been with Microsoft for 13 years and is a Senior Support

Escalation Engineer with Microsoft Commercial Technical Support (CTS) inCharlotte, North Carolina, USA. He specializes in High Availability and Virtualization

(Hyper-V) technologies. Chuck also has credits in Microsoft Press books. He authors

and provides training to Microsoft employees. He is a frequent contributor to the

'Ask The CORE Team'TechNet blog and is one of the moderators for theHigh

Availability (Clustering) Windows Server TechNet forum.
http://blogs.technet.com/b/askcore/http://blogs.technet.com/b/askcore/http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winserverClustering/http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winserverClustering/http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winserverClustering/http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winserverClustering/http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winserverClustering/http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winserverClustering/http://blogs.technet.com/b/askcore/


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Table of Contents

Windows Server "8" Beta Understand and Troubleshoot Guide: Hyper-V Replica ...................................... 1

About The Understand and Troubleshoot Guide .................................................................................................. 1

Introducing Hyper-V Replica ...................................................................................................................................... 1

Description ............................................................................................................................................................ 1

Technical Overview ............................................................................................................................................... 3

Installing/Enabling Hyper-V Replica .......................................................................................................................... 6

Installation Considerations .................................................................................................................................... 6

Installation Process ............................................................................................................................................. 11

Configuring and Managing Hyper-V Replica ............................................................................................................ 14

Management Considerations .............................................................................................................................. 14

Configuration and Management UI ..................................................................................................................... 14

Configuration Settings ......................................................................................................................................... 14

Management Tasks ............................................................................................................................................. 26

Hyper-V Replica Architecture .................................................................................................................................. 42

Key Modules/Components .................................................................................................................................. 42

Architectural Diagram ......................................................................................................................................... 43

Troubleshooting Hyper-V Replica ............................................................................................................................ 54

Introduction to Troubleshooting Hyper-V Replica .............................................................................................. 54

Tools for Troubleshooting Hyper-V Replica ........................................................................................................ 54

General Methodology for Troubleshooting Hyper-V Replica .............................................................................. 63

Primary and Replica server connectivity issues .................................................................................................. 63

Configuring a virtual machine for replication issues ........................................................................................... 64

Virtual machine Failover issues ........................................................................................................................... 64

Virtual machine Reverse Replication issues ........................................................................................................ 65

Virtual machine Initial Replication (IR) and Delta Replication (DR) issues .......................................................... 65

Replication Broker issues .................................................................................................................................... 67

Issues Implementing Guest IP functionality ........................................................................................................ 67

Appendix A - Hyper-V Replica PowerShell CMDLETS .............................................................................................. 68

Appendix BEnabling the Firewall rules in the Replica Server .............................................................................. 76

Appendix C - Implementing Self-signed Certificates in Hyper-V Replica ................................................................. 76


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Understand and Troubleshoot Hyper-V Replica in Windows Server "8" Beta

Windows Server

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Windows Server "8" Beta Understand and

Troubleshoot Guide: Hyper-V Replica

About The Understand and Troubleshoot GuideUnderstand and Troubleshoot Guides (UTGs) enable customers to learn about technical

concepts, functionality, and general troubleshooting methods for new Windows features and

enhancements. The Understand and Troubleshoot Guide supports the user in developing an

understanding of key technical concepts, architecture, functionality, and troubleshooting

tools and techniques. This understanding will enable more successful beta testing and early

adoption experiences during the pre-RTM product evaluation phase, and will support early

ramp-up of help desk and technical support roles.

Introducing Hyper-V Replica

Description

What Is Hyper-V Replica?

Hyper-V Replica is new functionality added to the Hyper-V Role in Windows Server "8" Beta.

Hyper-V Replica enables organizations to implement an affordable Business Continuity and

Disaster Recovery (BCDR) solution for virtualized workloads. This allows virtual machines

running at a primary site to be efficiently replicated to secondary location (Replica site)

across a WAN link.

Purpose/Benefits

Hyper-V Replica provides a storage-agnostic and workload-agnostic solution that replicates

efficiently, periodically, and asynchronously over IP-based networks, typically to a remote

site. Hyper-V Replica allows a Hyper-V Administrator, in the event of a failure at a primary

site (e.g. fire, natural disaster, power outage, server failure etc), to execute a failover of


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2 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

production workloads to replica servers at a secondary location within minutes, thus

incurring minimal downtime. The configurations at each site do not have to be the same with

respect to server or storage hardware. Hyper-V Replica provides a System Administrator the

option to restore virtualized workloads to a point in time depending on the Recovery History

selections for the virtual machine. Hyper-V Replica provides the necessary management APIs

that enable IT management vendors to build an enterprise class Disaster Recovery (DR)solution for their customers. Hyper-V Replica enables Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) for

hosting providers that host dedicated/virtual servers for their customers. With Hyper-V

Replica, Hosters can provide solutions that offer DR as a service to their customers

(specifically Small and Medium Business (SMB) customers).

Here is a list of terms that are relevant to the Hyper-V Replica functionality:

Term Definition

Recovery Time Objective

(RTO)

The Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the

duration of time within which a business

process must be restored after a disaster (ordisruption) in order to avoid unacceptable

consequences associated with a break in

business continuity. This can also be referred

to in business terms as a Service Level

Agreement (SLA)

Recovery Point Objective

(RPO)

The Recovery Point Objective (RPO) describes

the acceptable amount of data loss measured

in time

Application-consistent Replica Recovery to a point-in-time that is consistent

from the applications perspective. To

accomplish this, the Volume Shadow CopyService (VSS) is used

Standard Replica A crash consistent replica of the primary

virtual machine

Primary server The Hyper-V machine (Hyper-V Failover

Cluster) that hosts virtualized production

workloads

Replica server The Hyper-V machine (Hyper-V Failover

Cluster) that hosts the replica virtual machines

for a Primary server

Planned Failover A Planned Failoveris a controlled eventwhere an Administrator gracefully moves a

virtual machine from a Primary site to a replica

site

Failover A Failoveris an unplanned event where the

Primary site experienced a problem and

replica virtual machines had to be brought


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online at a replica site

Test Failover A process an Administrator executes on a

replica virtual machine to verify its

functionality

Technical Overview

Prerequisites

To take advantage of the Hyper-V Replica, which is included as part of the Hyper-V server

role, the following pre-requisites must be met:

Hardware that supports the Hyper-V Role on Windows Server "8" Beta

Sufficient storage on both the Primary and Replica servers to host the files used byvirtualized workloads

Network connectivity between the locations hosting the Primary and Replica servers

Properly configured firewall rules to permit replication between the Primary and

Replica sites

An X.509v3 certificate to support Mutual Authentication with certificates (if desired or

needed)

Functional Description

Administrators can use Hyper-V Replica to provide a virtual machine level replicationsolution which efficiently replicates data over a LAN/WAN to a remote (Replica) site without

relying on software or hardware technologies outside of the Windows Server "8" Beta

operating system. At a very high level (details to follow in the Architecture section), Hyper-V

Replica is summarized in the following:


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Replication Engine: The Replication Engine, in many respects, is the 'heart' of Hyper-V

Replica. It manages the replication configuration details and handles initial replication, delta

replication, failover, and test-failover operations. It also tracks virtual machine and storage

mobility events and takes appropriate actions as needed (i.e. it pauses replication events until

migration events complete and then resumes where they left off)

Change Tracking: The Change Tracking module provides a virtual machine level change

tracking mechanism on the primary server by keeping track of the write-operations, which

happen in the virtual machine. This component is designed in such a way that it makes the

scenario work irrespective of where the virtual machine VHD file(s) resides (VHD files can be

hosted on Direct Attached Storage (DAS), a SAN LUN, an SMB share on a File Server, or a

Cluster Shared Volume (CSV)

Network Module:The Networking Module provides a secure and efficient (data

compression by default) network channel to transfer virtual machine replicas between

Primary and Replica site. Network communications are built on top of HTTP\HTTPS

protocols and support integrated as well as certificate-based authentication with optional

support for encryption

Hyper-V Replica Broker role: The Hyper-V Replica Broker role is configured in a

Windows Server "8" Beta Failover Cluster. This functionality supports seamless replication

even in the event of a migration of a replica virtual machine from one cluster node to another.

This is achieved by interacting with the Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) service

and the Hyper-V network module. The Hyper-V Replica Broker redirects all virtual machine


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specific events to the appropriate node in the replica cluster. The Broker queries the cluster

database to determine which node should handle which events. This ensures all events are

redirected to the correct node in the cluster in the event a Quick Migration, Live Migration or

Storage Migration process was executed

Management Experience: This includes the following components:

o Hyper-V Manager UI: The replication settings are available in the Hyper-V Manager and

provide an end-to-end experience for replication configuration, inbox monitoring, test

failover, planned failover, unplanned failover and reverse-replication experiences

o Failover Cluster Manager UI: When Primary or Replica servers are part of a Hyper-V

Failover Cluster, all management for the virtual machines and the Hyper-V Replica

configurations should be done from the Failover Cluster Manager interface

o Scripting: Hyper-V Replica functionality is integrated within the Hyper-V PowerShell

Module

o Hyper-V Replica APIs: These are part of the Hyper-V WMI interface. This interface can

also be used by Third Party management software applications

o Remote Management: The Hyper-V Manager UI is included as part of the Remote

Server Administration Tools (RSAT) that can be installed on supported Windows 8

Consumer Preview operating systems so administrators can remotely manage virtual

machine replication

Security Considerations

There is no requirement for servers running the Hyper-V role to be part of an Active

Directory domain unless those servers are part of a Failover Cluster. If the servers are part of

an Active Directory domain, then that is a defined security boundary, and it is the

responsibility of the Domain Administrator to configure domain-level security policies to

protect the domain and to allow Hyper-V to function properly. Hyper-V Replica can also be

implemented between un-trusted domains/workgroups.

Security in Hyper-V is implemented at the following levels:

Hyper-V uses a new Simple Authorization model where a Hyper-V Administrators

group is created locally on each server running the Hyper-V role when the role is

installed. The Authorization Manager is still present, and the Hyper-V Administrators

group, along with members of the local administrators group in the server, is added by

default

Hyper-V administrators can configure Replica servers to accept incoming connections

from specific servers, thus restricting access, using a Fully Qualified Domain Name

(FQDN) (e.g. P1.contoso.com) or by using a wildcard attached to a domain suffix (e.g.

*.contoso.com). If the Replica server is a Failover Cluster, security is enforced at the

cluster level


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Firewall rules must be configured to allow incoming connections on the Hyper-V

Replica servers for the designated port configured by the Hyper-V Administrator (Refer

to Appendix B)

Mutual Authentication is accomplished by using Integrated Authentication in an Active

directory environment (Kerberos) between trusted domains. Certificates can be used

outside of Active Directory. This would be common in an X-premise environment

where a Hosting company is providing DR services to multiple tenants. Additional

security is provided by way of a Replication Authorization Tag. Consider a scenario

where a Hosting company is providing DR services to multiple Third Party Tenants (e.g.

Contoso.com, Fabrikam.com and WoodgroveBank.com). Each of these tenants is using

the same Replica Cluster at the Hosting Company's datacenter to host Replica virtual

machines. A Replication Authorization Tag (Security Tag in the UI) is used to prevent

one company from gaining access to another company's replica machines. An example

configuration might look like this -

Note:

If the Primary site is running virtualized workloads in a Hyper-V Failover Cluster, then the

Client Access Point (CAP) associated with the Hyper-V Replica Broker resource in the cluster

would be used as the Primary Server. If Certificates were being used, the CAP associated

with the Hyper-V Replica broker would also be required to have its own certificate.

Installing/Enabling Hyper-V Replica

Installation Considerations

Hyper-V Replica is implemented as part of the Hyper-V Role. The Hyper-V Role can be

enabled on a standalone Hyper-V server or on servers that are members of a Failover Cluster.

Hyper-V servers can function as members of a Workgroup or as member servers in the same

or different Active Directory domains. It is not required that Primary and Replica servers bepart of the same Active Directory domain. If the Hyper-V server role is enabled on servers

that are members of a Failover Cluster, those servers must be joined to the same Active

Directory domain. The Hyper-V server role can be enabled using the Server Manager console

or the Deployment Image and Servicing Management (DISM) command line tool. The Hyper-

V role has no dependencies on any other server roles. Installing the Hyper-V role also installs

the Hyper-V Management interface, which is part of the Remote Server Administration Tools

(RSAT) feature.


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Deployment Scenarios

There are four primary deployment scenarios for Hyper-V Replica:

Head Office and Branch Office (HO-BO)

Enterprise Datacenter

Hosting Provider Datacenter

Customer Office and Hosting Provider Datacenter (Cross-Premise)

Head Office and Branch Office

This scenario typically involves Mid-Market customers who have a main corporate Head

Office and one or more Branch Offices located in different physical locations. This type of

customer typically has a limited budget for purchasing hardware, WAN connectivity, and

hiring IT Staff. As part of a cost saving initiative, a customer may decide to implement

Microsoft virtualization technologies to migrate corporate applications running on physical

hardware to virtualized workloads running on Microsoft servers running the Hyper-V role.

One or more of servers are hosted in the Head Office location either as standalone servers or

as part of one or more Hyper-V Failover Clusters.

Management decides to implement a Disaster Recovery (DR) plan and deploys additional

servers running the Hyper-V role (Hyper-V Failover Clusters) at one or more Branch Offices

to function as Replica servers. Using Microsoft's Hyper-V Replica functionality, the customer

implements a DR solution. Implementing this DR solution involves these basic steps:

1. Configure a Replica Server (Replica Failover Cluster) at one or more designated BranchOffices

2. Create the replication relationships between the virtual machines running in the Head

Office and the Branch Office(s)

3. Perform the initial replication for all virtual workloads


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4. Perform a Test Failoveron each virtual machine ensuring it will start on the Branch

Office server(s)

5. Configure the server(s) in the Head Office as Replica servers as part of a reverse

replication strategy for the Branch Office Replica servers

6. Execute a Planned Failoverof all virtual machines to the Branch Office(s) to ensure allvirtual machines come online properly (Note: A Planned Failover requires a Virtual

Machine be shutdown first resulting in an outage if it is a production workload)

7. Execute another Planned Failoverback to the Head Office from the Branch Office(s) to

verify reverse replication

8. Monitor replication for all virtual machines and generate reports as needed

9. Test virtual machine mobility scenarios to ensure they function properly. These

scenarios can include live migration of virtual machines between cluster nodes, or

migration of virtual machine storage between File Servers

10.Test replication using virtual machines that have been restored from backup

11.Modify corporate maintenance (Change Management) plans to include using Hyper-V

Replica functionality

Enterprise Datacenter

The Enterprise Datacenter scenario is very similar to the Head Office and Branch Office

scenario in terms of the actual steps an administrator executes to implement Disaster

Recovery using Hyper-V Replica. The main difference would be scale. Enterprise

environments typically include one, or more, large, geographically dispersed datacenters

supporting a greater number of virtualized workloads running on more servers. Additionally,

enterprise environments may implement Third Party or 'homegrown' applications that take

advantage of Hyper-V Replica APIs (Application Programming Interface) in an effort to

streamline internal management processes.

Hosting Provider Datacenter

The Hosting Provider Datacenter scenario is very similar to the Enterprise scenario in terms

of the actual steps an administrator executes to implement Disaster Recovery using Hyper-V

Replica. Hosting companies have additional concerns in that they are dealing with multiple

customers (tenants) on a shared internal infrastructure. This requires implementing stricter

isolation policies within the datacenter and a billing system that can accurately track

resource usage.


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Customer Office and Hosting Provider Datacenter (Cross-Premises)

The Customer Office and Hosting Provider Datacenter (Cross-Premises) scenario takes the

Hosting Provider Datacenter scenario one-step further in that Disaster Recovery is provided

as a service (Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)) to customers external to the hosting company

itself. This modifies the administrative process as follows:

1. Hosting company configures a Replica Server (Replica Failover Cluster) in the Hosting

company datacenter

2. Hosting company develops a customer portal providing access to customers for

tracking their services and adding services as needed3. Customer subscribes to hosting company disaster recovery service

4. Hosting company provides required server and certificate information. Customer

creates the replication relationships between the virtual machines running in the

customer environment and the designated Replica server(s) in the hosting company's

datacenter (using a secure Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection)

5. Customer performs the initial replication or all virtual workloads

6. Customer performs a Test Failoveron each virtual machine ensuring it will start on

the Replica server(s)

7. Customer configures their server(s) as part of a reverse replication strategy on their

own premise server(s)

8. Customer executes a Planned Failoverof all virtual machines to the hosting company

datacenter Replica server(s) to ensure all virtual machines come online properly

9. Customer executes another Planned Failoverback to their on premise server(s) to

verify reverse replication


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10.Customer monitors replication for all virtual machines and generates reports as

needed

11.Customer tests virtual machine mobility scenarios provided hosting company provides

those services

12.Customer and hosting company test replication using virtual machines that have beenrestored from backup

13.Customer modifies maintenance (Change Management) plans to include using Hyper-V

Replica functionality


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Installation Process

Hyper-V Replica is installed as part of the Hyper-V Role.

Installation UI/Wizard

To add the Hyper-V Role to a server installation, use the Add Role and Feature Wizard

(ARFW), which is part of Server Manager or use the Deployment Image and Servicing

Management (DISM) command line tool. A reboot is required. This can occur automatically if

the installation is being executed in the Server Manager interface by checking a box (Restart

each target machine automatically if needed)in the wizard (Confirmation screen). This

allows the server to reboot, if needed.

Installation Command Line Interface (CLI)

The Hyper-V Role can also be installed from the command line interface by using the

Deployment Image and Service Management (DISM) command line tool. At a command

prompt, type: dism /online /enable-feature /featurename: Microsoft-Hyper-V. A reboot

is required to complete the installation. The Server Manager PowerShell cmdlet Install-

WindowsFeature can also be used.

PowerShell:Install-WindowsFeature -Name Hyper-V -IncludeManagementTools

When adding the Hyper-V Role using the ARFW, there is an opportunity to create Virtual

Switches in Hyper-V. This step can be accomplished in the wizard when installing the Role or

it can be done afterwards using the Hyper-V Manager interface.


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You can allow the Hyper-V server to receive Live Migrations

You can also specify the default location for virtual hard disks and virtual machine

configuration files


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A reboot is required to complete the configuration of the Hyper-V role.

Verifying Installation

Once the installation is completed (following a reboot of the server), the Hyper-V role will

show as installed in Server Manager and the Hyper-V Manager will be listed under

Administrative tools. To verify proper functioning of Hyper-V, run the Hyper-V Best Practices

Analyzer (BPA) and then create a new virtual machine and verify it starts correctly.


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Uninstalling/Disabling

To remove the Hyper-V Role, use the Remove Roles and Features Wizard (RRFW) in Server

Manager, use the Deployment Image and Servicing Management (DISM) command line tool,

or use the Server Manager PowerShell Cmdlet Uninstall-WindowsFeature. A reboot is

required to complete the process.

Configuring and Managing Hyper-V Replica

Management Considerations

Hyper-V servers are managed locally using the Hyper-V Manager interface or remotely using

the Hyper-V Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) or System Center Virtual Machine

Manager (SCVMM). If the configuration is a Hyper-V Failover Cluster, the Failover Cluster

Management interface is used.

Configuration and Management UIHyper-V Replica settings are configured in the Hyper-V Manager interface for standalone

Hyper-V servers and the Failover Cluster Manager interface for Hyper-V Failover Clusters.

Configuration Settings

Configuring a Standalone Hyper-V Replica Server

1. In the Hyper-V Manager interface, Click on Hyper-V Settingsin theActionspane

2. In the Hyper-V Settingsdialog box, Click on Replication Configuration

3. In the Detailspane, Select Enable this computer as a replica server

4. Choose anAuthentication method to include the port that will be used (The default

ports are 80 for HTTP and 443 for HTTPS). There are default firewall rules already in

place that just need to be enabled when replication is enabled on the Hyper-V server.

Important:Review Appendix Bto enable the Firewall rules

5. ConfigureAuthorization and storage. This includes designating a specific location to

store replica virtual machine files if the default location is not to be used. Should you

not desire to allow all Primary servers to be serviced, there is an option to allow onlyspecific servers (Primary servers) to send replication requests. If you want to allow all

servers within the domain, a wildcard character can be used (e.g. *.contoso.com). When

using a wildcard, only one storage location can be specified. If individual server entries

are used, different storage locations for replica files can be configured. Complete all

entries for the Primary Server, Storage Locations, and Security Tag information.

ClickApplyor OKwhen finished.


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An example configuration is shown here:

Configuring a Hyper-V Replica Failover Cluster

A Failover Cluster consists of multiple physical servers also known as nodes. Each node must

have the Hyper-V role installed as well as the Failover Clustering feature. Installation of the

Hyper-V role has already been covered. To install the Failover Clustering feature:

1. In Server Manager, start theAdd Roles and Features Wizard (ARFW)by first

choosing the Dashboardview and then choose AddRoles.

2. Step through the ARFW choosing the local node and making the following choices:

a. Installation Type:Role-based or Feature-based installation

b. Server Selection:Choose local node

c. Server Roles:Make no selections and click Next


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d. Features:Choose Failover Clustering

e. Confirmation: Review the information and click Install(a reboot is not

required when installing the Failover Clustering feature)

f. Results:Ensure the result is a successful installation of the Failover Clustering

feature.

3. Complete this action across all nodes that will be members in the cluster

Note:The Failover Clustering feature can also be installed from the command

line interface (CLI) by using the Deployment Image and Service

Management (DISM) command line tool. At a command prompt, type:

dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:Failover-Clustering. A

reboot is not required to complete the installation.

After the Failover Clustering feature is installed and a Failover Cluster is created, the Hyper-V

Replica Broker Role needs to be configured. To create the Hyper-V Replica Broker role:

1. Open the Failover Cluster Managerinterface (located under Tools in the Server

Manager Menu bar)

2. In the left-pane, connect to the cluster

3. With the name of the cluster highlighted in the left-hand pane, click on ConfigureRole

in theActionspane

4. The High Availability Wizard initializes

5. Select Hyper-V Replica Brokerin the Select Rolescreen

6. Complete the wizard by providing a properly formatted NetBIOS name and IP address(as needed) which serves as the connection point (Client Access Point (CAP))when

configuring virtual machines for replication

7. Ensure the Role comes Onlineand is able to failover between all nodes in the cluster

Configuring the Failover Cluster as a Replica clusterWith the Hyper-V Replica Broker Role configured in the cluster, the cluster can be configured

as either a Primary cluster or a Replica cluster. This is accomplished using the Highly

Available Hyper-V Replica role. To accomplish this:

1. Open the Failover Cluster Managerinterface (located under Tools in the Server

Manager Menu bar)

2. In the left-pane, connect to the cluster

3. With the name of the cluster highlighted in the left-hand pane, click on Rolesin the

details pane under the Navigatecategory

4. Right-click on the Role and choose Replication Settings


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5. In the Hyper-V Replica Clustering Broker Configurationscreen, make the

appropriate selections as needed to configure the cluster as a Replica server.

This action implements the configuration across all nodes in the cluster. Keep in mind

this does not automatically enable the correct firewall rules in each node of the cluster

nor does it properly configure authentication if certificates are being used. Those

actions will have to be completed by the administrator on each node in the cluster.

When using certificate based authentication in a Failover Cluster, all of the cluster

nodes and the Client Access Point (CAP) supporting the Hyper-V Replica role will need

machine certificates.

Enabling a Virtual Machine for Replication

Replication is configured on a per virtual machine basis. Virtual machines running onPrimary site Hyper-V servers (or Hyper-V Failover Clusters) are configured to replicate to

Replica servers (or Replica Failover Clusters) at remote sites.

1. In Hyper-V Manager, in the Details pane, Click on a virtual machine

2. With a virtual machine selected, Right-click and choose Enable Replication. This

starts the Enable Replicationwizard


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3. In the Specify Replica Serverscreen, enter either the NetBIOS or the Fully-Qualified

Domain Name (FQDN) for the Replica Server in the Replica Serverbox. (Note:If the

Replica server is a Failover Cluster, ensure the connection point for the Hyper-V

Replica Broker is used). Click Next

4. If Remote WMI is enabled, then Hyper-V Replica automatically fills the port and

authentication settings

5. In the Choose Replication VHDsscreen, deselectthe disk(s) you do not want to

replicate for the virtual machine and then click Next

6. Replication changes are sent to a Replica server every 5 minutes. In the Configure

Recovery History screen, make selections for the number and types of recovery points

to be sent to the Replica server. If Only the latest point for recoveryis chosen, then

there will be only the parent VHD that is sent during Initial Replication and all changes


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are merged into that VHD. IfAdditional recovery points is chosen, set the number of

desired additional recovery points (Standard Replicas) that will be saved on the

Replica server. The final selection in this screen, Replicate incremental VSS copy

every : (available only if Recovery Historyis enabled) can be used to

save Application-consistent Replicas for the virtual machine on the Replica server.

After completing the selections, Click Next

7. In the Choose Initial Replication Method screen, several methods can be used to

perform an initial replication for the virtual machine to the Replica server. The default

selection is to Send initial copy over the network. This starts replication

immediately over the network to the Replica server. If immediate replication is notdesired, it can be scheduled to occur at a specific time on a specific date. If the

administrator does not want to consume the bandwidth due perhaps to the large

amount of data that needs to be replicated, he can choose Send initial copy using

external media. This method copies all the virtual machine data to a portable storage

device that can then be sent to a Replica site and the initial replication can be

completed there by importing the data. The final option available to an administrator

is Use an existing virtual machine on the Replica server as the initial copy. A

restored virtual machine or snapshot of a virtual machine on the Replica server will be

used as the initial copy. Make a selection and then ClickNext


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8. In the Completing the Enable Replication Relationship Wizard, review the

information in the Summaryand then Click Finish

9. A pop-up dialog box is presented indicating replication was successfully enabled for the

virtual machine. In the dialog box is a Settingsbutton that can be used to configure the

network the replica virtual machine will connect to on the Replica server. This can be

useful because the replica virtual machine is not connected to any network on the

Replica server by default

The Enabling Replication process will start and should complete successfully (i.e. a virtual

machine is created on the Replica server and delta replication commences. If the Replica

server is a Failover Cluster, the virtual machine is made highly available). If any errors occur,

refer to the troubleshooting section later in this document.


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Once the replication relationship is established and if Send initial copy over the network

was selected (Default setting), the Status column for the configured virtual machine will

indicate Sending Initial Replica. Progress as a percentage of the total replication is also

displayed.

Note:

If a virtual machine is being replicated to a Failover Cluster (using the Hyper-V Replica

Broker), a highly available virtual machine is created in the cluster. This allows the replica to

be migrated to other nodes in the cluster if needed.

If Send initial copy using external mediawas selected, the Statusfor the virtual machine

will indicate an Initial Replication in Progress. In this case, the progress reflects the

copying of the virtual machine files to a location other than the Replica Server (perhaps a

portable storage device) so the files can be transported to the Replica server location and

then the Initial Replication can be completed by importing the files on that server. Once the

import process completes, the Replication Statefor the virtual machine in the Primary Site

will reflect a new Replication Stateof Replication Enabled.

If Use existing restored virtual machine as initial copywas selected, the virtual machine

files restored from a backup on the Replica server will be used for Initial Replication (IR).Before delta replication actually begins, a quick resynch is executed.

Hyper-V Replica implements the standard Hyper-V virtual machine folder structure on the

Replica server in the location specified when the Replica server (Replica Failover Cluster) is

configured. A Hyper-V Replicafolder is created as the root folder in the specified location.

Under the Hyper-V Replicafolder is a series of subfolders as seen here -


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More Information:The Snapshotsfolder is not created unless Recovery Historyis configured for the

virtual machine.

The folders support the necessary files for each virtual machine configured to replicate withthe Replica server. The virtual machines are identified by Globally Unique Identifiers (GUID)

as seen here -

Hyper-V Failover Cluster as a Primary or Replica Server

Failover Clustering has proven its value in making virtualized workloads highly available. We

saw this in Windows Server 2008 using Quick Migration and then in Windows Server 2008R2 with the addition of Live Migration. Failover Clustering can also play an important role as

a Replica Cluster. To accommodate this, a new role has been added in Failover Clustering

called the Hyper-V Replica Broker. A new resource type, Virtual Machine Replication Broker,

was added to support this new Role.


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Failover Replication Broker Architecture

The Hyper-V Replica Broker runs in a Replica cluster and provides a Replica server name

(connection point (a.k.a. Client Access Point (CAP))) for initial virtual machine placement

when contacted by a Primary server. After a virtual machine is initially replicated to the

Replica Cluster, the Hyper-V Replica Broker provides the virtual machine to Replica Server(cluster node) mapping to ensure the Primary server can replicate data for the virtual

machine to the correct node in the cluster in support of mobility scenarios on the Replica side

(e.g. Live\Quick Migration, or Storage Migration).

The Hyper-V Replica Broker is used to configure the replication settings for all nodes in the

cluster. In standalone Hyper-V servers, the Hyper-V Manager is used to configure replication

settings. The Failover Cluster Manager is used to configure replication settings in the Replica

cluster. Using the Hyper-V ReplicaRole, Replication Settings across the entire cluster are

set.


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The replication settings are the same as those for standalone Hyper-V servers.

Network Considerations for Hyper-V Replica Scenarios

There are scenarios where the Replica server, or Replica cluster, will reside at a Disaster

Recovery (DR) site located across a WAN link and the DR site uses a completely different

network-addressing scheme than the Primary site. In this configuration, when virtual

machines are failed over to a DR site, a new IP configuration will be needed for each network

configured in the virtual machine. To accommodate this scenario, there is built-in

functionality in Hyper-V Replica where virtual machines network settings can be modified to

include configuration information for a different network at a DR site. To take advantage of

this, the Hyper-V Administrator must modify the network configuration for each replicated

virtual machine on the Replica server. If connectivity to networks at the replica site is

required, the settings for all networks a virtual machine is connected to must be modified.

The Hyper-V Administrator can provide both IPv4 and IPv6 configuration information for a

virtual machine. The Failover TCP/IPsetting, which is available after replication is enabled

for the virtual machine, is used to provide the network configuration information in the

virtual machine.


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The addressing information provided is used when a Failover action (Planned Failoveror

Failover) is executed. The configuration of the Guest virtual machine IP settings in this

manner only applies to Synthetic Network Adapters and not Legacy Network Adapters. The

operating system running in the Guest virtual machine must be one of the following -

Windows Server "8" Beta, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server

2003 SP2 (or higher), Windows 7, Vista SP2 (or higher), and Windows XP SP2 (or higher).

The latest Windows Server "8" Beta Integration Services must be installed in the virtual

machine.

The information is reflected in the virtual machine configuration file located on the Replica

server.


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Management Tasks

The Hyper-V Manager interface is used to manage standalone Hyper-V Primary, Replica

servers, and the virtualized workloads running on those servers. The Failover Cluster

Manager interface is used if the Primary or Replica servers are part of a Hyper-V Failover

Cluster. Hyper-V Replica management tasks can be categorized as follows:

Hyper-V Server Primary Site Management Tasks

Hyper-V Server Replica Site Management Tasks

Virtual Machine Primary Site Management Tasks

Virtual Machine Replica Site Management Tasks

Modifying Virtual Machine Replication Settings

Note:

In the above list, Hyper-V Failover Cluster can be substituted for 'Hyper-V Server'.

Hyper-V Server Primary Site

Management tasks involving the Hyper-V Server at a Primary Site include:

Ensure the Hyper-V server (Hyper-V Failover Cluster) at the Primary site is configured

as a Replica server to support Reverse Replication for a Planned Failover event

To configure the Hyper-V server at the Primary site as a Replica server:

1. In the Hyper-V Managerinterface, Click on Hyper-V Settingsin theActions pane


3. In the Detailspane, Select Enable this computer as a Replica server

4. Choose anAuthentication method to include the port that will be used (ifnot using the default port)

5. ConfigureAuthorization and storage. This includes designating a specificlocation to store replica virtual machine files if the default location is not to

be used. Should you not desire to allow all Hyper-V Primary servers to be

serviced, you have the option to allow only specific Hyper-V servers

(Primary servers) to send replication requests. ClickApplyor OKwhenfinished

Note: In a Replica cluster, use the Hyper-V Replica Broker role to

configure the cluster nodes for replication.

Monitor the Replication Healthof virtual machines configured for replication


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Hyper-V Replica event messages are registered in the Hyper-V-VMMS channel.

Hyper-V Server Replica Site

Management tasks involving the Hyper-V Server at a Replica Site include: Ensure the Hyper-V server (Hyper-V Failover Cluster) at the Replica site is configured

as a Replica server

To configure the Hyper-V server at the Primary site as a Replica server:

1. In the Hyper-V Managerinterface, Click on Hyper-V Settingsin theActions pane


3. In the Detailspane, Select Enable this computer as a Replica server

4. Choose anAuthentication method to include the port that will be used (if

not using the default port)

5. ConfigureAuthorization and storage. This includes designating a specificlocation to store replica virtual machine files if the default location is not to

be used. Should you not desire to allow all Hyper-V Primary servers to be

serviced, you have the option to allow only specific Hyper-V servers

(Primary servers) to send replication requests. ClickApplyor OKwhen

finished

Note: In a Replica cluster, use the Hyper-V Replica Broker role to

configure the cluster nodes for replication.

Monitor the Replication Healthof virtual machines configured for replication

To monitor the Replication Health of a virtual machine configured for replication:

1. Open Hyper-V Manager

2. In the details pane, Right-click on one of the Column Headings and selectAdd\Remove Columns

3. Choose Replication Healthin theAvailable Columnslist, clickAddtomove it to the Displayed Columnslist

4. Move the new column to the desired location in the listing and click OK

Monitor Hyper-V Replica specific Performance counters using Performance Monitor

To monitor Hyper-V Replica performance:


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1. Click the Start button, thenclick Runand typeperfmon.mscand pressENTER

2. In the navigation tree, expand Monitoring Tools, and then clickPerformance Monitor

3. In the menu bar above the Performance Monitor graph display, either clicktheAdd button (+) or right-click anywhere in the graph and clickAdd

countersfrom the menu. TheAdd Countersdialog box opens

4. In theAvailable Counterssection, select counters to view in thePerformance Monitor display. The counters for Hyper-V Replica are virtual

machine specific and are listed under Hyper-V Replica Counter VM

5. Choose the desired counters and instances (virtual machines) then clicktheAddbutton to add the counters

6. When finished, click OK

For more information Performance Monitor, visit thePerformance Monitor Getting

Started Guide(http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744567(WS.10).aspx)on TechNet.

Evaluate Hyper-V Replica log data using the Microsoft-Windows-Hyper-V-

VMMS\Admin log

To review Hyper-V Replica log data:

1. In the Server ManagerMenu Bar, Clickon Toolsand choose EventViewerfrom the list

2. In the navigation tree, expandApplication and Services Logs, expandMicrosoft, expand Windows, expand Hyper-V-VMMS

3. Click onAdmin

Hyper-V Replica event messages are registered in the Hyper-V-VMMS channel.

Virtual Machine - Primary Site

Management tasks involving virtual machines at the Primary Site include:

Planned Failover- This action initiates a failover of a virtual machine from a Primary

to a Replica server. This is a 'planned' event as opposed to a Failover action, which is

unplanned. Since it is a 'planned' event, there should be no data loss. This action

executes a series of checks prior to executing the failover. One check determines if the

Primary server has also been configured as a Replica server. This is done because the

assumptions are first, the virtual machine being failed over to a Replica server will

eventually be moved back to the Primary server and second, the Primary server will

become the Replica server for the virtual machine that is being failed over. This action
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744567(WS.10).aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744567(WS.10).aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744567(WS.10).aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744567(WS.10).aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744567(WS.10).aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744567(WS.10).aspx


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provides an Administrator the flexibility to execute the failover of a virtual machine to

a replica server in a controlled manner before a disaster occurs

To execute a Planned Failover for a virtual machine:

1. Open Hyper-V Manager2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine

3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replication andthen choose PlannedFailover

4. A list of Pre-RequisitesandActionsis presented. If the Virtual Machinehas not been shut down and the Primary Server not configured as a Replica

Server, complete those tasks before proceeding. By default, Start the

replica virtual machine after Failover is checked (uncheck if this is not

the desired action for the virtual machine after a Planned Failover

completes)

5. Click on the Failoverbutton.6. If the Failover is successful, a pop-up dialog box appears reporting the

Failover completed successfully (Note:If the option to start the virtual

machine after the Planned Failover was left checked, then the virtual

machine will be started on the Replica server). Close the dialog box.

7. If the Planned Failover does not complete successfully, review theinformation contained in the General Methodology for troubleshooting

the virtual machine Failover process in the troubleshooting section.

Pause Replication- This action pauses replication for the selected virtual machine.

The Replication Healthcolumn in the Hyper-V Manager interface (if selected for

display) reflects a WarningStatus

To Pause Replication for a virtual machine:


2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine that is not paused

3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replicationandthen choose Pause Replication

4. The Replication Health, if visible, in Hyper-V Manager, will be updated

and the Replication Healthfor the virtual machine will indicate aWarning. The Statecolumn still shows the Virtual Machine as Running

5. Right-click on the Virtual Machine, select Replicationand then click onView Replication Health. The health report reflects an accurate

Replication Statewhich should be Replication Paused


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Resume Replication(Available only if replication has been paused for a virtual

machine) - This action resumes replication for the selected virtual machine (the action

must be executed in the same site where replication was Paused). The Hyper-V

Replica Network Services component re-establishes a connection to the Replica server

(if needed) and replication resumes. If the virtual machine was in a Resynch Required

state, Resume Replicationperforms a resynchronization. A resynchronization

essentially compares blocks between the Primary and Replica VHDs and then sends the

delta blocks to the Replica. Scenarios where this can happen include, but may not be

limited to, a failure occurred on the Primary server when changes were being made to

the replication log or, if the Primary is a Failover Cluster, an unplanned cluster failover

occurred. The Replication Healthcolumn in Hyper-V Manager interface (if selected

for display) reflects a status of Normal

To Resume Replication for a virtual machine:


2. In the details pane, select a paused virtual machine

3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replicationandthen choose Resume Replication

4. The Replication Health, if visible, in Hyper-V Manager, is updated and theReplication Healthfor the virtual machine is Normal

View Replication Health- This action provides data about the replication events for a

virtual machine. A sample Replication Health Report on a Primary virtual machine is


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shown here -

A Replication Health Report can be saved as a CSV file. A Replication Health Report indicates

if it is being viewed as either a Primary or a Replica virtual machine (see a sample of a

Replication Health Report on a Replica virtual machine later in this guide)

To view Replication Health for a virtual machine:


2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine

3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replication andthen choose View Replication Health

4. The Replication Health Reportfor the virtual machine is displayed. Thereport can be saved as a CSV file by clicking on Save as Button

Remove Replication- This action stops replication for the virtual machine. Allconnections for the virtual machine to the Replica server are terminated. The

Replication Healthin Hyper-V Manager on the Primary server, if selected for viewing,

is Not Applicable. A corresponding action must be accomplished on the Replica

server. Failure to execute this same action on the Replica server will result in errors

should a Hyper-V Administrator attempt to re-enable replication for the virtual

machine (more information is provided in the Troubleshooting section)


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To Remove Replication for a virtual machine:



3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replicationand

choose Remove Replication

4. Acknowledge the pop-up Warningby clicking on Remove Replication

5. The Replication Healthcolumn, if displayed, indicates Not Applicableforthe virtual machine

6. Connect to the Replica server and execute Steps 1-5. This will removereplication for the virtual machine on the Replica server and will initiate a

merge for all the replica information for the virtual machine

7. The Replication Healthcolumn, if displayed, indicates Not Applicableforthe virtual machine

8. Additional cleanup action is required on the Replica server. In Hyper-VManager, Right-click on the virtual machine and choose Delete.

Acknowledge the pop-up Warningby clicking on Delete. This removes

the virtual machine reference in Hyper-V Manager. Some data files remain

on the Replica server in the storage location specified for the replication

data. To recover storage space, manually remove the data.

Enable Replication(Available only if replication is not enabled for a virtual machine) -

This action enables replication for a virtual machine

To Enable Replication for a virtual machine:



3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select EnableReplication

4. Review the information in the Before You Beginscreen and click Next

5. In the Specify Replica Serverscreen, provide the name for the ReplicaServerusing the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) or NetBIOS format.

There is also the option to Browse Active Directory for the server. If the

Replica Server is configured correctly, the Specify ConnectionParametersscreen is populated. If not, an error is registered and an

option to Configure Serveris available to configure the server to be a

Replica Server. If data compression is not desired, Uncheckthe box

Compress the data that is transmitted over the network. Click Next

6. In the Choose Replication VHDsscreen, ensure all disks to be replicatedare Checkedand then click Next (i.e. uncheck those disk you do not want

replicated. An example might be a disk functioning as a repository for the


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virtual machine page file)

7. In the Configure Recovery Historyscreen, select as desired. For anexplanation of the options, review the section on Enabling a virtual

machine for replication. Click Next

8. In the Choose Initial Replication Methodscreen, select as desired. For an

explanation of the options, review the section on Enabling a virtual

machine for replication. Click Next

9. Review the information in theSummary screen, and click Finish

Once replication has been enabled for a virtual machine, the Replication Health

column, if visible, in Hyper-V Manager will be updated. Once the Initial

Replication (IR) has been completed, the Replication Healthfor a virtual

machine will beNormal.

Virtual Machine - Replica Site

Management tasks involving virtual machines at the Replica Site include:

Failover- This action executes a process that starts a virtual machine on the Replica

server using a replica (Recovery Point) selected by the Hyper-V Administrator. This is

an unplanned event unlike the Planned Failover action, which is a planned event.

Executing a Failover for a virtual machine could result in data loss depending on which

recovery point is selected

To Failover a virtual machine:

1. Open Hyper-V Manager2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine

3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replicationand thenchoose Failover

4. In the next screen, choose a recovery point from the drop-down listing of all the

recovery points associated with the virtual machine and then click Failover

5. The virtual machine starts and the Replication HealthindicatesWarning. Ifthe Primary server remains the same, the Replication Healthfor the virtual

machine that was recovered isalso Warning. To complete the process and

remove the Warnings, either Cancel Failoveror configure Reverse

Replication and allow Initial Replication to complete. If a new Replica Serveris needed, configure Reverse Replicationto the new Replica server.

Test Failover- This action allows a Hyper-V Administrator to test a virtual machine on

the Replica server without interrupting the production workload running on the

Primary server. The network configuration for the test virtual machine is disconnected

by default so as not to interfere with the production workload. If network connectivity


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Windows Server

35

is to be tested, the recommendation is to create a separate test network and connect

the test virtual machine to that network. The virtual machine created and started has

the same name as the original virtual machine with a modifier of Testadded on to the

end

To start a Test Failover for a virtual machine:



3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replicationand thenchoose Test Failover

4. In the next screen, choose a recovery point from the drop-down listing of all the

recovery points associated with the virtual machine and then click TestFailover. A new test virtual machine is created but is not started. At this point,

the virtual machine can be started and then a connection can be made to the

virtual machine and a verification process can be completed

Stop Test Failover (Available only if a test is already running for the selected virtual

machine) - This action stops a test that is in progress for the selected virtual machine.

The virtual machine is stopped and deleted from Hyper-V Manager (Note: If the Test

Failover is being executed on a Replica cluster, the Test-Failover role that is created in

Failover cluster Manager will have to be manually deleted)

To stop a Test Failover for a virtual machine:


2. In the details pane, select the virtual machine being tested, not the testvirtual machine that is running. Right-click on the virtual machine, select

Replicationand then choose Stop Test Failover

3. The testvirtual machine is stopped if it is running and is removed fromHyper-V Manager as the test is completed

Pause Replication- This action pauses replication for the selected virtual machine.

The Replication Healthcolumn in Hyper-V Manager, if selected for viewing, indicates

a Warning

To Pause Replication for a virtual machine:



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2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine that is not paused

3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replicationandthen choose Pause Replication

4. The Replication Health, if visible, in Hyper-V Manager, is updated andindicatesa Warning

Resume Replication(Available only if replication has been paused for a virtual

machine on the Replica server) - This action resumes replication for the selected virtual

machine. If a 'resynch' is required for the virtual machine, that action will be initiated

on the Primary server. The Replication Statecolumn, if selected for viewing in Hyper-

V Manager, indicates Replication Enabled

To Resume Replication for a virtual machine:

1. Open Hyper-V Manager2. In the details pane, select a paused virtual machine

3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replicationandthen choose Resume Replication

4. The Replication Health, if visible, in Hyper-V Manager, is updated andindicates Normal

View Replication Health- This action provides data about the replication events for a

virtual machine. A sample Replication Health Reportfor a Replica virtual machine is

shown here -


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A Replication Health Reportcan be saved as a CSV file. A Replication Health Report

indicates if it is being viewed on either a Primary or a Replica server

To View Replication Health for a virtual machine:



3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replication andthen choose View Replication Health

4. The Replication Health Reportfor the virtual machine is displayed. Thereport can be saved as a CSV file by clicking on Save as

Remove Replication- If a Remove Replication action is executed on the Replica

server, a corresponding action must be executed on the Primary Server. This action

stops replication for the virtual machine. Prior to re-enabling replication, the virtual

machine must be deleted in Hyper-V Manager on the Replica server. This destroys the

virtual machine on the Replica Server. If the virtual machine is not deleted, aReplication erroris reflected in Hyper-V Manager and associated error logs are

registered (more information is provided in the Troubleshooting section)

To Remove Replication for a virtual machine:



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3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replicationandthen choose Remove Replication

4. Acknowledge the pop-up Warningby clicking on Remove Replication

5. The Replication Healthcolumn, if displayed, indicates Not Applicable6. A process will start to merge all recovery point data into the VHD that was

initially replicated

7. Connect to the Primary server. In Hyper-V Manager, the virtual machineReplication Health indicates Normal

8. Execute Steps 1-5. This removes replication for the virtual machine on thePrimary server

9. The Replication Healthcolumn, if displayed, now indicates Not Applicableon the Primary server. If Step 8 is not accomplished before the next 5

minute replication interval, Replication Healthwill indicate Critical

10.Additional cleanup action is required on the Replica server. In Hyper-VManager, Right-click on the virtual machine and choose Delete.

Acknowledge the pop-up Warningby clicking on Delete. This removes

the virtual machine reference in Hyper-V Manager. Some data files remain

on the Replica server in the storage location specified for the virtual

machine. To recover storage space, manually remove this data

Cancel Failover - This action is available if a Failoveraction was executed for a virtual

machine. This allows a Hyper-V Administrator to cancel the Failover action if, for

example, he decides the recovery point chosen was not the desired one. After

cancelling the Failover, another recovery point can be selected and another Failoverprocess initiated. A Failover can only be cancelled if the virtual machine state is Failed

over - Waiting Completion. If a Reverse Replicationhas been completed, the

Failovercan no longer be cancelled

To Cancel Failover for a virtual machine:


2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine that has a Replication Healthof Warning but viewing the Health Report shows Failover Complete

3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click, select Replicationand then

choose Cancel Failover4. Acknowledge the pop-up Warningby clicking on Yes. On the Replica

server, the virtual machine is turned off and the Replication Health

indicates Normal. On the Primary server, the Replication Healthshows

Critical.

5. To clear the Critical health state, right-click on the virtual machine andselect Replicationand then choose Resume Replication


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Reverse Replication - This action is available if a Failoveraction was executed for a

virtual machine. This allows the Hyper-V Administrator to designate a Hyper-V server

as a Replica server for the virtual machine that was recovered

To enable Reverse Replication for a virtual machine:


2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine that has a Health of Warning

3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click, select Replication, and thenchoose Remove Recovery Points. This merges all the recovery points into

the original VHD. This completes Failover but Replication Health still

indicates Warning

4. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click, select Reverse Replication

5. Complete the Reverse Replicationwizard by either selecting the Primaryserver (the default) as the Replica y server or choosing another Replica

server. Keep in mind that if the selected Hyper-V server has not been

enabled as a Replica server and the appropriate firewall rule enabled, the

Reverse Replicationprocess will fail

Remove Recovery Points- This action is available only during a Failover scenario.

When this action is executed, all recovery points (snapshots) for a Replica virtual

machine are deleted. When the action is executed, a pop-up dialog box is presented to

the user indicating all recovery points will be removed and Cancel Failoverwill no

longer be available. The user must acknowledge the pop-up by clicking either YesorNo. If Yesis selected, the Failover is committed and the recovery points are merged

down into the base VHD for the virtual machine. At this point Reverse Replicationcan

be configured to clear the Warningfor Replication Healthand an Initial Replication

can begin to the new Replica Server

Modifying Virtual Machine Replication Settings

Some replication settings for a virtual machine can be modified on the Primary server even

after initial replication has been enabled. Information that can or cannot be modified

includes:


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Replication settings

o Port on the Replica server

o Authentication Type

o Data compression

Recovery Points

o Number of Recovery Points to save

o Replication of incremental snapshots using VSS

Replication VHDs- cannot be modified. VHDs can only be selected or deselected for

replication when replication is initially enabled Resynchronization

o Manually - The user will have to initiate a resynchronization

o Automatically Start Resynchronization - resynchronization will occur

automatically when needed (i.e. when the virtual machine state indicates a

Resynch Required


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Windows Server

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o Automatically scheduled (Default) - resynchronization, if needed, will only

occur during the timeframe configured

A subset of these settings are visible, but cannot be modified, on the virtual machine on the

Replica server.

Hyper-V Resynchronization (Resync) Process

One of the settings that can be configured for a virtual machine on the Primary Server is

Resynchronization. Resynch is applicable when both Delta Replication (DR) fails and Full

Initial Replication (IR) is costly in terms of network bandwidth and the time it would take to

complete a Full Initial Replication. Resynch minimizes the amount of data sent over the

network by computing checksums of the Primary and Replica virtual machine VHDs and

sending only the deltas. Resynch is not a replacement for normal DR. After a Resynch

completes, normal DR should resume.

Here are typical scenarios where Delta Replication may fail:

1. Change tracking issues on the Primary Server


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a. Power-hole scenario where the Primary Server fails either at the Operating

System or physical hardware level

b. If the Primary is a Failover Cluster, an unexpected termination of the cluster

service occurred and a Movewas executed for the Highly Available Virtual

Machine

2. Replication issues:

a. Unable to convert the replicated tracking log file to a VHD on the Replica Server

b. Unable to link a VHD on the Replica Server with a Parent VHD

c. Tracking log file is missing on either the Primary or Replica Server (Note:a

tracking log file is maintained for each VHD selected for replication in the

virtual machine configuration)

3. Time Travel on the Primary or Replica Server

a. The Primary or Replica virtual machine is restored from backup and the VHD

chain is broken. A Resync will be required to get the DR back on track

4. Reverse Replication after Failover process is executed

a. An in-line IR Resync will be triggered should the virtual machine already exist

on the Primary Server

The Resynchronization process is optimized for VHD sizes up to 500 Gigabytes. The Resynch

workflow is designed to work with Hyper-V Replica Networking so it can take advantage of

built-in Authorization, Compression, Chunking\Retry mechanisms and error handling

features. Resync is also designed to consume migration, virtual machine state change and

VHD tree change notification events for either a virtual machine or the virtual machine

storage. The Resync process can be resumed in the event of an outage (e.g. network outage,

VMMS crash, etc).

Resynchronization uses a Fixed Block Chunking algorithm where Source (Primary Server)

and Seed (Replica Server) files are divided into fixed chunks (2 Megabytes); the CRC64

signatures for each chunk are generated and then compared to determine which block(s)

from the Source need to be applied to the Seed. This same process is used by the Microsoft

Data Protection Manager (DPM) product. There is logic built into the Resynch process where

if the process will take longer than 6 hours to complete using a 50% dedicated 1.5Mbps link,

the Administrator will be asked to perform a full IR.

Hyper-V Replica Architecture

Key Modules/Components

The Hyper-V Replica architecture is divided into two pieces:


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Hyper-V Replica Component architecture illustrates the Hyper-V Replica components,

which are integrated into the Hyper-V Virtual Machine Management Service (VMMS)

itself

Hyper-V Replica Communications architecture illustrates the communication

exchanges between Primary and Replica servers

Architectural Diagram

Hyper-V Replica Component Architecture

As already mentioned, Hyper-V Replica is new functionality that is included as part of the

Hyper-V role in Windows Server "8" Beta. The main components are:

Hyper-V Replica Management Interface

Hyper-V Replica PowerShell Objects

Hyper-V Replica WMI API

Hyper-V Replica Replication Manager (RM)


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Hyper-V Replica Replication Tracker (RT)

Hyper-V Replica Networking

Hyper-V Replica Broker Manager

Hyper-V Replica Management Layer

The Hyper-V Manager interface is used to configure, manage, and monitor Hyper-V Replica.

Hyper-V Administrators use Hyper-V Manager to perform selection, configuration,

provisioning, failover, and test failover operations monitoring, and reporting activities for

virtual machines. All Hyper-V Replica management is built exclusively on WMI.

Hyper-V Replica PowerShell Objects

The Hyper-V Replica PowerShell interface is an implementation of the Admin Task Model

and allows Hyper-V administrators to accomplish administrative tasks in managing

configuration, provisioning, failover, test failover, operations monitoring, and reporting

activities using PowerShell scripts. The Replica PowerShell objects are built exclusively on

the Hyper-V Replica WMI (Windows Management Interface) API.

Hyper-V Replica WMI API

The Hyper-V Replica WMI API is part of the Hyper-V WMI provider and provides

programmability of the underlying stack. Remoteable UI (using Windows Server "8" Beta

Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT)) and PowerShell are achieved by integrating

with the Windows Remote Management Client and Listener (WinRM). The Hyper-V WMI

Provider communicates SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) Messages using the WS-MAN

(Web Services-Management) protocol with the Virtual Machine Management Service (VMMS)

that runs on the remote Hyper-V Host. For more details on the WMI provider, refer toWMI

Architecture.For more details on the remoting architecture, refer toWindows RemoteManagement Architecture.

Hyper-V Replica Replication Manager (RM)

The Virtual Machine Management Service (VMMS) is a collection of management components

that manage virtual machines on the host computer system. VMMS follows an object model

where subsystems have a singleton manager class that is activated by the Service Module.

Hyper-V Replica components plug into the VMMS object model. The Hyper-V Replica

Replication Manager is a component that plugs into the Hyper-V architecture and is

responsible for interacting with Hyper-V to implement an efficient virtual machine level

change tracking mechanism.

This Hyper-V Replica Replication Manager object registers for migration and AVHD

(differencing disk) reference count notifications, and it monitors the internal Hyper-V state

through queries and callbacks. It stores and retrieves per virtual machine configuration and

runtime state. The Replication Manager manages all the metadata describing each protected

virtual machine and interacts with the Virtual Machine Configuration Repository to store

metadata. The metadata includes:
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Understand and Troubleshoot Guide Hyper-V Replica in Windows Server 8 Beta

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