Uptime (VMware and Business Continuity)

Site Recovery Manager 1.0 Update 1 was recently released (just in time for December holiday shopping!).  The full details of what’s new can be found in the release notes at http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/srm_pubs.html.  Here are some highlights:

• Expanded platform support for VMware Infrastructure.  Site Recovery Manager 1.0 U1 adds support for ESX 3.5 Update 2 and Update 3 as well as vCenter Server 2.5 Update 2 and Update 3.  It also adds support for ESXi for FibreChannel storage.  See the Site Recovery Manager Compatibility Matrix for full details of supported versions and required patches.
• Full support for RDM devices.  This release provides full support for virtual machines that use raw disk mapping (RDM) devices.  This enables support for adding virtual machines that are used with third-party clustering software such as Microsoft Clustering Services to a Site Recovery Manager recovery plan.
• Bulk entry for IP address reconfiguration.  This release includes a tool that allows you to specify IP properties (network settings) for any or all of the virtual machines in a recovery plan to make it easier to enter a large number of IP address changes.
• More granular permissions.   SRM now has separate permissions for testing a recovery plan and for running a recovery plan so that you can control access to both of those functions independently.
• Single-click reconfiguration of protection for multiple virtual machines.  This release introduces a “Configure All” button that applies existing inventory mappings to all virtual machines that have a status of “Not Configured”.
• Improved internationalization.  Non-ASCII characters are now allowed in many fields during installation and operation.
• Simplified Log Collection.  This release introduces new utilities that retrieve log and configuration files from the server and collect them in a compressed (zipped) folder on your desktop.

We’re excited about the continued momentum around Site Recovery Manager and looking forward to seeing people start to take advantage of Update 1.  If you are testing or deploying this update, let us know your feedback!

Jon