Zerto Replication – Install ZVM

Zerto Replication – Install ZVM

One of my favorite aspects regarding Zerto Replication is the ease of deployment. In this series, we will run through the installation and configuration of Zerto 5.5 for VMware environments. The series will consist of three parts to get Zerto Replication up and running. Zerto Virtual Manager (ZVM) Install Virtual Replication Appliance (VRA) Deployment/Site Pairing Virtual Protection Group (VPG) Setup for Virtual Machines The focus of today’s post is the Zerto Virtual Manager (ZVM) installation. If you are unfamiliar with…

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Zerto Duplicate MoRef Issue

Zerto Duplicate MoRef Issue

Today, Zerto released a field notice for customers running Zerto 5.0 or 5.5 in VMware vSphere environments. The issue pertains to duplicate MoRef entries residing in the Zerto Virtual Manager database. These duplicate entries are being created by the ZVM or by the installer during an installation. Alone the presence of duplicate MoRefs doesn’t cause the issue. However, certain tasks or changes on the duplicated object can cause disruptions to synchronization or replication. This could force VPGs into an error state;…

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Downgrade VMware VM Hardware Version

Downgrade VMware VM Hardware Version

A few weeks back, we discussed how to downgrade ESXi versions. These downgrades or rollbacks will often time bring compatibility issues into play. One such issue is the compatibility between the ESXi version and virtual machine hardware version. If a virtual machine with a higher version of hardware resides on an unsupported (lower) ESXi version, you will receive an error and not be able to start the machine. The error will state – This virtual machine uses hardware version x,…

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How to Downgrade/Roll Back ESXi 6.5

How to Downgrade/Roll Back ESXi 6.5

Occasionally, an issue or bug will require admins to revert to a previous build or version of ESXi. In the event you patch your hosts (as opposed to fresh installs), it is possible to rollback to a prior installed version via the GUI. Rollbacks should not be taken lightly. If you are reverting in a production environment, discuss options with support first. A few housekeeping items before we jump into the rollback process. Compatibility – If you are leveraging new…

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Install Nested ESXi 6.5 on Ravello

Install Nested ESXi 6.5 on Ravello

Recently, I had the opportunity to test a nested lab deployment on Oracle’s Ravello Cloud Service. If you are unfamiliar with Oracle’s Ravello offering, it enables you to deploy your VMware or KVM workloads on Oracle Public Cloud, AWS, or Google Cloud. Ravello seamlessly runs your environment on top of their own nested hypervisor, HVX. HVX, in turn, is run on resources provisioned by Oracle, AWS, or Google Cloud. Utilizing Ravello’s HVX hypervisor allows the underlying cloud infrastructure to behave like your traditional datacenter; thus, enabling…

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