Managing Protection During VMware Host Maintenance
When a host machine requires VMware maintenance, at least for the duration of the maintenance, to ensure continuous protection:
For a host machine on the protected site – Remove affinity rules for protected virtual machines on the host that requires maintenance and vMotion these machines to any other host with a VRA installed. When the host tries to enter maintenance mode, the VRA will wait for the virtual machines to be removed from the host, or for a period of 10 minutes, whichever occurs first. The VRA will then shut down. When the host exits maintenance mode, the VRA must be manually powered on.
Note: If the protected virtual machines are powered off, and not vMotioned to another host, the VRA will wait 10 minutes before shutting down.
For a host machine on the recovery site – VRA data and recovery volumes maintained by the VRA on the host should be moved to another machine, by changing the destination host for all the virtual machines being recovered to that host, as described in
Changing a Recovery VRA. Once host attempts to enter maintenance mode, the VRA is automatically shut down. When the host exists maintenance mode, the VRA must be manually powered on.
The VRA shutdown will not complete if you cancel the host maintenance mode task.
Note: If the host is put into maintenance mode via the VMware’s vSphere Update Manager, the VRA is powered on automatically when the host exits maintenance mode.
Note: Changing the VPG default host does not change the hosts for virtual machines already included in the VPG. These virtual machine hosts must be changed directly by configuring the individual virtual machines in the VPG definition.
To enable VMware host maintenance for a VRA both protecting and recovering virtual machines:
1. Remove affinity rules for protected virtual machines on the host that requires maintenance and vMotion these machines to any other host with a VRA installed.
2. Change the host for all virtual machines in VPGs recovering to this VRA to another host as described in
Changing a Recovery VRA.
3. Wait for any synchronization to complete.
4. Enter VMware host into maintenance mode.
If prompted, do not migrate powered-off virtual machines. The VRA is automatically shut down.
5. (Optional) Remove the host from the cluster; place it under the data center entity, rather than the cluster entity.
6. Perform required maintenance. For example, upgrading the host.
7. Exit VMware host maintenance mode.
8. Power on the VRA.
Note: If the host is put into maintenance mode via the VMware’s vSphere Update Manager, the VRA is powered on automatically when the host exits maintenance mode.
9. Wait for the Zerto Virtual Manager to connect to the local VRAs. You can monitor the alerts to determine when the connections have been established.
10. (Optional) Add the host back into the cluster.
Note: If you do not remove the host from the cluster, a delta sync may accrue once the VMs are vMotioned back to the host.