Zerto Client Install and Site Pairing

Overview

Description

This informational document is intended to guide an Expedient client who subscribes to Host-to-Host Virtual Server Replication through the process of initial installation and configuration of the underlying products used to deliver this Expedient service.

Underlying Products

Zerto Virtual Manager (ZVM) is the management service for the Zerto Virtual Replication (ZVR) platform, which is an integral part of Expedient's Host-to-Host Virtual Server Replication service. The ZVM is a Windows-based application that provides installation, management, and orchestration services for Zerto and the corresponding Virtual Replication Appliances (VRA). ZVM is also responsible for site pairing and acts as a management interface to the virtual hypervisor environment.

Preconditions

This informational document assumes the following preconditions:

• An active VPN tunnel or MAN connection with bidirectional access to the protected Zerto Virtual Manager (ZVM) site and ZVM replication site.
• Zerto Replications Appliances (ZRAs) have been established, and they are passing traffic.
• A Zerto Cloud Connector (ZCC) or Zerto Virtual Manager (ZVM) IP address has been provided by Expedient.
• The source environment is managed by vCenter (standalone ESXi is not supported)
• Permissions: 
  1. Administrative access to the local vCenter server.
  2. Root access to the local ESXi servers.
• VMware virtual machine hardware version: 
  1. The VM source and destination host servers (ESXi) must support the virtual machine hardware version.
• A dedicated virtual machine to Zerto Virtual Manager (ZVM) is present. 
  1. Windows Server 2016 or higher (2019 is preferred).
  2. Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.2 or higher (included with ZVR if not already installed).
  3. At least 4 GB of RAM
  4. At least 2 vCPUs
  5. At least 20 GB of free disk available on installation hard disk.

NOTE: The above specifications are minimums specified by Zerto. We have found that in some instances, it may be needed to increase RAM, CPU, or disk based on the performance you are seeing.

Installation

Download

The Expedient public download site changes over time. Thus, the file contents and directory structure may change periodically and not accurately reflect the image within this document. Therefore, please download the correct file as your Expedient technician or engineer directs.

***Contact your Project Manager for credentials and download location if this has not already been provided.

• Download the latest Zerto archive file (unless otherwise directed).
  
  

• Once the archive file completes downloading and, if not already present to the server, copy the downloaded file to the server that will become the Zerto Virtual Manager (ZVM).

• Next, use a method to extract the archive file.
  
   The archive is of compression type ".zip." Therefore, the native Windows Server archive or any third-party archive extraction tool will work.

Install

• Double-click on the executable "Zerto Virtual Replication Installer," and if a security warning window appears, review it, and click "Run."
• On the "Welcome to Zerto Virtual Replication" screen, click "Next."

• On the "Accept license agreement" screen, select "I accept the licensing agreement" and click "Next."

• On the "Select Destination" screen, accept the default installation location and click "Next."

• On the "Installation type" screen, select "Custom Installation" and click "Next."

• Choose Stand-alone installation

• On the "Service user" screen, select "Local System account," then click "Next."

• On the "Database Type" screen, select "Use embedded database, installed by this installer" and click "Next."

• On the "vCenter Server Connectivity" screen, enter the following values: 
  • IP / Host Name: The IP address or hostname of the vCenter server/appliance in your environment.
  • User Name: The user name for a user with administrator-level privileges to the vCenter server. Note: you can enter the name in the following formats: Administrator or DOMAIN\Administrator.
  • Password: A valid password for the given user name.

• On the "vCloud Director Connectivity" screen, click "Next." Leave the box labeled "Enable vCDBC/DR" unchecked. Click "Next." Note: Expedient does not use vCD to offer DR services.

• On the "Zerto Virtual Manager Site Details" screen, enter values that make descriptive sense to fit your specific situation and click "Next."

• On the "Zerto Virtual Manager Communication" screen, please enter the correct IP address used by the Zerto user interface. Expedient requests that you DO NOT change any of the preset port values. 
  • IP/Host Name Used by the Zerto User Interface: The IP address to access the Zerto Virtual Manager from the vSphere Client console or Zerto standalone UI. Select the appropriate IP address from the list if the machine has more than one NIC. Otherwise, the IP address that is displayed is the only option.
  • HTTP Port (ZVM): The port used for inbound communication between the Zerto Virtual Manager, Zerto APIs, cmdlets, and a VSS Agent.
  • HTTPS Port (clients<->ZVM): The port used for inbound communication between the vSphere Client console, Zerto standalone UI, and the Zerto Virtual Manager.
  • TCP Port (ZVM<->ZVM): The port used for communication between Zerto Virtual Managers. Both the protected and recovery sites belong to the same enterprise.
  • TCP Port (ZVM -> VBA): The port used for communication from Zerto Virtual Managers to the VBA.

• Click "Next."
• On the "Online Services and Zerto Mobile Application" screen, UN-SELECT "Enable Online Services and Zerto Mobile Application."

• Click "Next."
• The installation performs a series of checks to make sure that the installation can proceed successfully.

• The installation checks will fail if the ZVM communication has issues or the vCenter credentials are incorrect.
• Click on the link in the "Result" column to review/correct the error and make the appropriate changes.
• Once the settings have been updated with the correct information, select the "Recheck" button.

• After completing the checks, click "Run" to start the installation.

• Once the installation has been completed, select the checkbox for "Open the Zerto Virtual Manager Interface," which will launch the Zerto web console.

Post Installation

• If the server runs any antivirus software, set it so it WILL NOT SCAN the folder where Zerto Virtual Replication (ZVR) is installed. 
  • This will typically include %ProgramData%\Zerto\Data\ and C:\Program Files\Zerto\Zerto Virtual Replication\ and subfolders.
• After installing the Zerto Virtual Manager (ZVM), add the machine to the relevant host boot configuration so that on starting up a host, the machine running the ZVM is also powered on automatically.
• Click on the "Zerto" tab to view the "Site Pairing" dialog box (this only needs to be done once).
• You can also access the site pairing/licensing options from the Web Console, launched during the installation's last step. You can launch the Web Console by opening a web browser and typing in the IP address of your ZVM server followed by port 9669 (i.e., https://[yourZVMIP]:9669).

Install Virtual Replication Appliance

The Virtual Replication Appliance (VRA) is a vendor custom build Debian-based Linux virtual machine that communicates with the virtual hypervisor. It reads input/output changes and writes them to a journal. The VRA is in a 1:1 ratio with the ESXi hosts in your environment. For example, if you have four ESXi hosts, you must install four VRA appliances (one on each host).

• From the main "Zerto" panel, select the "Setup" tab and if not already, select the "VRAs" tab.

From the "VRAs" column, select the host you need to create a ZRA for, and then click "NEW VRA."

• There will be a prompt to enter the settings of the ZRA: 
  • Host: Select an ESXi host for the VRA installation (each host will need a VRA deployed).
  • Select the option, "Use credentials to connect to host."
  • Host Root Password: Enter the root password for the hosts.
  • Datastore: Pick a datastore in your environment with available space.
  • Network: Pick the applicable Zerto ZVM Replication network.
  • Amount of VRA RAM: 3 GB
  • VRA Group: Leave as the default "default_group."
  • Configuration: Static
  • Address: Pick an available IP address on your network.
  • Subnet Mask: Enter the relevant subnet mask. (i.e. 255.255.255.0)
  • Default Gateway: Enter the appropriate gateway for the network.
    
    
• Once the information is all complete, click "Install." Note: Please repeat the last few steps for all hosts in your VMware environment.

• Remember, you can also access the "Zero Panel" from a web browser. To access from a Flash-capable browser, use the following link: https://[ServerIP]:9669/zvm, where "[ServerIP]" is the IP address of the server on which the Zerto Virtual Manager is installed.

Firewall Considerations

If you wish to restrict traffic between clouds via Firewall rules, please review the baseline requirements for Zerto Replication traffic:

* you can change the default port provided during the ZVR installation.

** When the same vCenter server is used for both the protected and recovery sites, ZVR is installed on one site only, and you can ignore this port.

Future Upgrades

Please note that both the source and destination ESXi host servers must support the replicated virtual machine's hardware version. When either performing upgrades to the ESXi hosts or upgrading virtual machine hardware versions, please first verify the compatibility of the virtual machine's hardware version.
 For example:

• vSphere 5.5 supports hardware versions 7, 8, 9 and 10
• vSphere 6.0 supports hardware versions 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11
• vSphere 6.5 supports hardware versions 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 13
• vSphere 6.7u2+ supports hardware 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, and 15
• vSphere 7.0 u2 supports hardware 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, and 19