Hey!Is this really all cloud environments can do? Isn't there a better solution? I am thinking hot failover across data centers and not just restarting a one hour(?) old, outdated backup. With the approach mentioned here we still have to configure, for example, the SQL server in the VM to do replication across data centers to get instant failover. This would be best practice for an SQL database, right? Where is the benefit of snapshotting if you have to configure replication in higher level layers anyways? Shouldn't we just handle all the replication inside the VM (let them talk to each other) and let a load balancer do the failover? CS would only have to recognize the failure and restart the failed instance (start from template). The instance should then know how to sync with the other VMs. Maybe time should be spent on documenting an optimal failover scenario and optimizing cloudstack for that scenario instead of spending time on good, but not optimal solutions? What do you think? What's the benefit of snapshotting? To be honest, I am a little bit confused about all the different options of ensuring business continuity in cloudstack (and other cloud management tools). E. g.: should I turn on automatic updates in Ubuntu, just keep an outdated template and have it update to the latest software versions each time a new VM is created from that template or should I do manual updates and create a new template each time? The same question still stands if I consider puppet/chef. Snapshotting seems to be an inefficient solution to keep the server configuration/software current. Enlighten me, please :-) Lisa
> From: len.bellem...@controlcircle.com > To: users@cloudstack.apache.org > Subject: RE: CloudStack DR Approach (not HA) > Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 13:29:01 +0000 > > +1 > > -----Original Message----- > From: Suresh Sadhu [mailto:suresh.sa...@citrix.com] > Sent: 25 March 2014 06:14 > To: users@cloudstack.apache.org; k...@cloudcentral.com.au > Subject: RE: CloudStack DR Approach (not HA) > > +1 > > -----Original Message----- > From: Kristoffer Sheather @ CloudCentral > [mailto:kristoffer.sheat...@cloudcentral.com.au] > Sent: 25 March 2014 02:34 > To: users@cloudstack.apache.org > Subject: RE: CloudStack DR Approach (not HA) > > +1 for this feature! We get questions from end-users about this > functionality all the time. > > Regards, > > Kristoffer Sheather > Cloud Central > Scale Your Data Center In The Cloud > Phone: 1300 144 007 | Mobile: +61 414 573 130 | Email: > k...@cloudcentral.com.au > LinkedIn: | Skype: kristoffer.sheather | Twitter: > http://twitter.com/kristofferjon > > > > ---------------------------------------- > From: "Geoff Higginbottom" <geoff.higginbot...@shapeblue.com> > Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2014 7:57 AM > To: "users@cloudstack.apache.org" <users@cloudstack.apache.org>, > "k...@cloudcentral.com.au" <k...@cloudcentral.com.au> > Subject: RE: CloudStack DR Approach (not HA) > ShapeBlue are currently working on a solution for Zone Failover of VMs, I > cannot confirm which version it will be included in, but 4.5 is a possibility. > > With regards to the replication of volume snapshots, that is effectively > available today using the S3 backed secondary storage feature. > > Regards > > Geoff Higginbottom > > D: +44 20 3603 0542 | S: +44 20 3603 0540 | M: +447968161581 > > geoff.higginbot...@shapeblue.com > > -----Original Message----- > From: Kristoffer Sheather @ CloudCentral > [mailto:kristoffer.sheat...@cloudcentral.com.au] > Sent: 24 March 2014 20:53 > To: users@cloudstack.apache.org > Subject: re: CloudStack DR Approach (not HA) > > Hi Jim, > > Very good questions and I am keen to see the answers as well. CloudStack > definitely needs to support this scenario (I don't believe it currently > does). Cross zone replication of snapshots with the ability to bring up VM's > from those snapshots is something I'd like to see too. > > Regards, > > Kristoffer Sheather > Cloud Central > Scale Your Data Center In The Cloud > Phone: 1300 144 007 | Mobile: +61 414 573 130 | Email: > k...@cloudcentral.com.au > LinkedIn: | Skype: kristoffer.sheather | Twitter: > http://twitter.com/kristofferjon > > ---------------------------------------- > From: "Jim Jones" <cloudfanatic...@gmail.com> > Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2014 6:11 AM > To: users@cloudstack.apache.org > Subject: CloudStack DR Approach (not HA) Hello, > > I am interested to know what everyone is using to provide disaster recovery > for VMs running in CloudStack? > > Note, I am talking about true DR to another data center, not HA. I have seen > the previous thread where someone asked about DR, but the answer provided > only talked about HA of VMs within the same Cluster or Zone. This is not my > question. > > I am looking for a method to maintain an up-to-date copy of a running VM, > including its data, in another Zone or Region, such that if the first Zone is > destroyed, the VM can be brought up in the other Zone and continue production. > > Before cloud, DR for virtualized environments was typically handled using SAN > replication. The VMs would be quiesced and snapshotted at regular intervals > (e.g. hourly), and the SAN LUNs would be continuously replicated > asynchronously. Following this approach, if the primary site was destroyed, > the SAN LUNs would be enabled for read-write at the secondary location, and > the VMs could then be started there, using the last successful snapshot (the > last consistency point). > > I have looked at what Amazon and Rackspace provide for their Clouds, and the > approach seems to be user-initiated quiesced cloud snapshots, combined with > Secondary Storage that is automatically replicated and available throughout > their Clouds. Therefore, if the site where the VM is running gets destroyed, > the latest VM snapshot can be deployed from Secondary Storage to any other > Zone. > > I would like to know if anybody has experience/insights using this approach > on CloudStack, particularly using XenServer hosts. > > Is there a mechanism available for end-users to create quiesced CloudStack > snapshots of running production VMs, such that applications and filesystems > are put into a consistent state prior to the snapshot being created? > > Also, can anybody offer insight into how to automatically or continuously > replicate Secondary Storage across Zones or Regions, using NFS-based > Secondary Storage (not object storage), such that CloudStack users will see > any be able to deploy their Snapshots in any other Zone or Region? > > If what I am describing is not yet possible with CloudStack, I would be like > to be pointed towards the part of the CloudStack roadmap that discusses the > planned architecture. > > Thanks, > JJ > > Need Enterprise Grade Support for Apache CloudStack? > Our CloudStack Infrastructure > Support<http://shapeblue.com/cloudstack-infrastructure-support/> offers the > best 24/7 SLA for CloudStack Environments. > > Apache CloudStack Bootcamp training courses > > **NEW!** CloudStack 4.2.1 > training<http://shapeblue.com/cloudstack-training/> > 18th-19th February 2014, Brazil. > Classroom<http://shapeblue.com/cloudstack-training/> > 17th-23rd March 2014, Region A. 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