Getting Started With CA ARCserve Central Virtual Standby › Create Policies

Create Policies

Virtual Standby lets you define custom conversion policies that you assign to CA ARCserve D2D nodes.

Note: To create policies, CA ARCserve D2D must be installed on the monitor server.

To create policies

1. Log in to the Virtual Standby server and open Virtual Standby.

   From the Navigation bar on the home page, click Policies.

   The Policy window opens.

2. Click New on the Policies toolbar.

   The New Policies dialog opens.

3. In Policy Name field, specify a name for the policy.

   Click the Virtual Standby tab.

   The Virtualization Server, Virtual Machine, and Stand-in Settings options display.

4. Click Virtualization Server.

   The Virtualization Server options appear.

5. Complete the following Virtualization Server options:

   VMware Systems:

   • Virtualization type--Click VMware.
   • ESX Host/vCenter--Specify the host name of the ESX or vCenter Server system.
   • User Name--Specify the user name that is required to log in to the VMware system.

     Note: The account that you specify must be an administrative account or an account with administrative privileges on the ESX or vCenter Server system.

   • Password--Specify the password for the User Name that is required to log in to the VMware system.
   • Protocol--Specify HTTP or HTTPS as the protocol that you want to use for communication between the source CA ARCserve D2D node and the monitoring server.
   • Port--Specify the port that you want to use for data transfer between the source server and the monitoring server.
   • ESX Node--The values in this field vary based on the value specified in the ESX Host/vCenter field:
     • ESX Server systems--When you specify an ESX Server system in the ESX Host/vCenter field, this field displays the host name of the ESX Server system.
     • vCenter Server systems--When you specify a vCenter Server system the ESX Host/vCenter field, this field lets you specify (from a drop-down list) the ESX Server system that you want to associate with this policy.
   • Monitor Server--Specify the host name of the server that you want to monitor the status of the source server.

     Note: The monitor server can be any physical computer or virtual machine provided that server is not functioning as the proxy server for a CA ARCserve Central Host-Based VM Backup implementation.

   • User Name--Specify the user name that is required to log in to the monitoring system.
   • Password--Specify the password for the User Name that is required to log in to the monitoring system.
   • Protocol--Specify HTTP or HTTPS as the protocol that you want to use for communication between the CA ARCserve Central Virtual Standby server and the ESX Server system (monitoring server).
   • Port--Specify the port that you want to use for data transfer between the CA ARCserve Central Virtual Standby server and the ESX Server system (monitoring server).
   • Use monitor server as proxy for data transfer--Specify this option to let the monitor server copy the conversion data from the CA ARCserve D2D source node to the ESX Server datastore. With this option enabled, Virtual Standby transfers the conversion data from the source node to the ESX Server datastore using fibre channel communication, which is faster than using LAN communication to transfer data.

     Note: The Use monitor server as proxy for data transfer option is enabled by default. You can disable this option to allow the CA ARCserve D2D source server to copy the conversion data directly to the datastore on the ESX Server system.

   Hyper-V Systems:

   • Virtualization type--Click Hyper-V.

     Note: When you click Hyper-V, the Monitoring options are not accessible. The Monitoring options behave in this manner because the Hyper-V server assumes the role of the Monitor server.

   • Hyper-V Host Name--Specify the host name of the Hyper-V system.
   • User Name--Specify the user name that is required to log in to the Hyper-V system.

     Note: The account that you specify must be an administrative account or an account with administrative privileges on the Hyper-V system.

   • Password--Specify the password for the User Name that is required to log in to the Hyper-V system.
   • Port--Specify the port that you want to use for data transfer between the source server and the monitoring server.
   • Monitor Server--Specify the host name of the server that you want to monitor the status of the source server.
   • User Name--Specify the user name that is required to log in to the monitoring system.
   • Password--Specify the password for the User Name that is required to log in to the monitoring system.
   • Protocol--Specify HTTP or HTTPS as the protocol that you want to use for communication between the CA ARCserve Central Virtual Standby server and the Hyper-V Server system (monitoring server).
   • Port--Specify the port that you want to use for data transfer between the CA ARCserve Central Virtual Standby server and the Hyper-V Server system (monitoring server).

   Click Virtual Machine.

   The Virtual Machine options appear.

6. Complete the following Virtual Machine options:

   VMware Systems:

   Apply the following Virtual Machine options to VMware systems:

   • VM Name Prefix--Specify the prefix that you want to add to the display name for the virtual machine on the ESX Server system.

     Default value: CAVM_

   • VM Resource Pool--Specify the name of resource pool where standby virtual machine is to be grouped.
   • CPU Count--Specify the minimum and maximum CPU count supported by the standby virtual machine.
   • Memory--Specify the total amount of RAM in MB to be allocated for the standby virtual machine.

     Note: The amount of RAM specified must be a multiple of two.

   • VM Datastore--Specify the location where you want to store the conversion data.
     • Specify one datastore for all virtual disks--Lets the application copy all of the disks related to the virtual machine to one data store.
     • Specify a datastore for each virtual disk--Lets the application copy disk related information for the virtual machine to the corresponding datastore.
   • VM Network--Lets you define the NICs, virtual networks, and paths that the ESX Server system uses to communicate with the virtual machines.
     • Specify a network adapter type for each NIC and connect the network adapter to the following virtual network--Lets you define how to map the virtual NIC to the virtual network. Specify this option when the virtual machine contains virtual NICs and a virtual network.
     • Specify a network adapter type and a virtual network for each NIC--Lets you define the name of the virtual network that you want the NIC to use to communicate.

   Hyper-V Systems:

   Apply the following Virtual Machine options to Hyper-V systems:

   • VM Basic Settings--Complete the following VM Basic settings:
     • VM Name Prefix--Specify the prefix that you want to add to the display name for the virtual machine on the Hyper-V system.

       Default value: CAVM_

       CPU Count--Specify the minimum and maximum CPU count supported by the standby virtual system.

     • Memory--Specify the total amount of RAM in MB to be allocated to the standby virtual machine.

       Note: The amount of RAM specified must be a multiple of four.

   • VM Path--Specify one of the following VM Path options:
     • Specify one path for all virtual disks--Specify the location on the Hyper-v server where you want to store the conversion data.
     • Specify a path for each virtual disk--Specify the location on the Hyper-V server where you want to store the conversion data for each virtual disk.

     Note: CA ARCserve Central Virtual Standby does not support creating virtual disk images (VHD files) on compressed volumes and volumes that are encrypted by the file system. If the path specified resides on compressed or encrypted Hyper-V volumes, Virtual Standby prevents you from creating the policy.

   • VM Network--Lets you define the NICs, virtual networks, and paths that the Hyper-V server uses to communicate with the virtual machines. Specify one of the following options and complete the required fields.
     • Specify a network adapter type for each NIC and connect the network adapter to the following network--Lets you define how to map the virtual NIC to the virtual network. Specify this option when the virtual machine contains virtual NICs and a virtual network.
     • Specify a network adapter type and a virtual network for each NIC--Lets you define the name of the virtual network that you want the NIC to use to communicate.

   Click Stand-in Settings.

   The Stand-in Settings options appear.

7. Complete the following Stand-in Settings options:

   Recovery:

   Select one of the following methods:

   • Manually start the Virtual Machine--Lets you power on and provision virtual machines manually when the source server fails or stops communicating. Specify this option when you prefer to analyze the cause of the failure before you provision the virtual machines and allow the servers to function as source servers.
   • Automatically start the Virtual Machine--Lets you power on and provision virtual machines automatically when the source server fails or stops communicating. Specify this option when you want to allow the virtual machines to function as source servers immediately after the source servers fail or stop communicating.

   Note: Manually start the Virtual Machine is the default recovery option.

   Heartbeat Properties:

   • Timeout--Specify the length time that the monitor server must wait for a heartbeat before it powers on a recovery point snapshot.
   • Frequency--Specify the frequency that the source server communicates heartbeats to the monitor server.

     Example: The Timeout value specified is 60. The Frequency value specified is 10. The source server will communicate heartbeats in 10-second intervals. If the monitoring server does not detect a heartbeat within 60 seconds of the last heartbeat that was detected, the monitor server powers on a virtual machine using the latest recovery point snapshot.

   Click the Preferences tab.

   The Email Alerts options appear.

8. Complete the following Email Alerts options:
   • Missing heartbeat for source machine--Virtual Standby sends alert notifications when the monitor server does not detect a heartbeat from the source server.
   • VM powered on for source machine configured with auto power ON--Virtual Standby sends alert notifications when it powers on a virtual machine that was configured to power on automatically when a heartbeat is not detected.
   • Missing heartbeat for source machine configured with manual power ON--Virtual Standby sends alert notifications when it does not detect a heartbeat from a source server that is not configured to power on automatically.
   • VM storage free space less than--Virtual Standby sends alert notifications when it detects insufficient free disk space on the defined hypervisor path. The detection occurs when the amount of free disk space is less than the user-defined threshold. The threshold can be defined either an absolute value (MB) or as a percentage of the capacity of the volume.
   • Virtual Standby errors/failure/crash--Virtual Standby sends alert notifications when it detects an error that occurred during the conversion process.
   • Virtual Standby success--Virtual Standby sends alert notifications when it detects that a virtual machine powered on successfully.
   • Hypervisor is not reachable--Virtual Standby sends alert notifications when it detects that it cannot communicate with the ESX Server system or the Hyper-V system.
   • License failure--Virtual Standby sends alert notifications upon detection of licensing problem on Virtual Standby servers, source servers, and monitoring servers.
   • The Virtual Standby did not start successfully from the Recovery Point Snapshot--Virtual Standby sends alert notifications when it detects that a virtual machine was not powered automatically and the Automatically start the Virtual Machine Stand-in Recovery option is specified.

   Click Save.

The policy is saved.