Updated SRDF Storage Replication Adapter for VMware SRM 5.5 TechBook

Quick overview, the SRDF Storage Replication Adapter for VMware SRM TechBook is an in-depth implementation guide focused on how to install, configure and manager SRDF with VMware’s vCenter Site Recovery Manager product. Overview of SRDF, the involved tools and how to perform test recovery, migrations and disaster recovery failovers.

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My last hurrah with this TechBook! Since I have moved on to a new (and exciting!) role within the Open Innovation Lab in the EMC Office of the CTO it is time for me to pass on the torch of the SRM TechBook.

Anyways you can find the updated TechBook here:

https://support.emc.com/docu38641_Using-the-SRDF-Adapter-for-VMware-Site-Recovery-Manager-5.5.pdf?language=en_US

This link requires support.emc.com credentials, so for those of you who do not have them it will be posted on the open access Resource Library very soon.

This update includes of course the SRDF SRA 5.5, SRM 5.5 and VSI Symmetrix SRA Utilities 5.6. For those of you still using SRM 5.0, SRM 5.1 or the earlier SRAs/Utilities the book is written assuming the latest versions are being used. But in the cases where functionality is different between the two, these differences are are called out. So this guide can still be used for all of those product versions. Regardless though, if you are running SRM 5.1+ it is definitely recommended to upgrade to SRDF SRA 5.5.

But besides just updates for new functionality and product versions, one of my main goals in this TechBook release was to ease implementation problems that I saw commonly occurring. All year I keep a spreadsheet of every customer/partner/support contact I have that revolves around SRM and SRDF. I list the issues and if it is a repeated issue I give it another tic. So when it comes time to update the guide I look through that and then try to figure out if the problem lies in the possible lack of information in the guide, unclear instructions, poor ordering, something isn’t highlighted enough, not enough detail etc. Since this was my last release I tried to fix all of these things. Hopefully most if not all are. Of course a large percentage of problems are due to people not knowing the guide exists in the first place, but that’s a whole other thing.

I would say the biggest, but most simple new portion of the book is in the beginning is a SRDF/SRM implementation checklist. This is something a lot of people, especially EMC Support Technicians asked for. I would get, “the book is great, but a lot of this may not be relevant for everyone, what, at the minimum do people need to do to get it working and what sections of the book should be read?”. So I added a checklist in the start that lists the absolute steps which links to the pages that explain it in detail. I am hoping that makes a difference and at least a few people’s jobs easier.

Hit me up on Twitter or in the comments if you have any questions/comments/complaints. As I said this is my last time updating the book, but I will make sure the next author knows what you say.

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