RMAD DR STRATEGY

HI Pramod,   I'm not exactly sure what you are asking, but the answer to this question varies depending on which Edition of RMAD you have. 

One feature is multi-console support.  You can replicate backup information between consoles (basically the target console will know of the backups the source console created), or you can make a 2ndary "failover" RMAD console that will have all the computer collection (backup) configuration replicated to it so you can simply enable the schedules if the primary RMAD console fails. 

Forest Edition (FE) does not include any additional DR-related features for the RMAD console itself. 

Disaster Recovery Edition (DRE) adds the ability to "secure" backups from ransomware using either an on-prem "Secure Storage" server (essentially air-gapping them), or by placing them in an immutable cloud storage location under your / subscription. 

As for advice?;   Air-gap your backups and store them in multiple geographical regions.   In the event of a disaster (physical or cyber), backups are the critical component.   The RMAD console itself can be installed on a new Windows Server and the backups are easily registered to it for use.  Without backups, RMAD cannot help you.   

You can air-gap your backups using the features I described in DRE above. 

Hope this helps! 

we are on version 10.2.0

Thanks Pramod: Version is not the same as edition. There are 3 editions: 

• RMAD (what we call “standard edition”)
• RMADFE - or “Forest Edition”
• RMADDRE - or “Disaster Recovery Edition”

you can see the features these editions have from what I listed in my first reply. 

... And just to clarify:  RMAD and RMAD-FE cannot recover from a ransomware attack.  Only RMAD-DRE was designed for this.  

Thanks Pramod: Version is not the same as edition. There are 3 editions: 

• RMAD (what we call “standard edition”)
• RMADFE - or “Forest Edition”
• RMADDRE - or “Disaster Recovery Edition”

you can see the features these editions have from what I listed in my first reply. 

... And just to clarify:  RMAD and RMAD-FE cannot recover from a ransomware attack.  Only RMAD-DRE was designed for this.  

I understand that it's possible to create a copy of the server with the configuration settings. In an environment where the server is virtual and there is a DR site, it's also possible to replicate the VM to the DR site. Is this replication possible, or is only the process of replicating the configuration settings supported?
It's worth considering that backups would also be part of this replication, as they are stored on a virtual disk on the RMAD server.

Replicating configuration settings means I must also replicate the backup data content.

Hi claudio lopes ,

This sounds like a new question.  I can answer it here, but in the future please create a new post, rather than just replying to an existing thread.  :) 

RMAD's Replication feature is an application-level replication.  It does not replicate an entire VM, and it will not replicate backup data content.  

Whether you can do VM replication is outside the scope of RMAD, but I can tell you where you will struggle: 

• Scheduled backups.  RMAD uses Task Manager to schedule backup tasks.  Those tasks are not transferrable to the other (new?) server via replication.
• RMAD also uses the computer's DPAPI key as a seed to encrypt any sensitive data. This means that Job schedules, and any other sensitive data (e.g. credentials entered on the agent tab of a computer collection) will NOT replicate. 

A better way to accomplish your goal may be to have the RMAD server simply write a copy of the backup to a folder on the DR site, or to leverage Secure Storage or cloud storage that the DR Site can then access in the event of a disaster.  RMAD allows you to store a backup in up to 4 "Primary" locations, plus 3 "Secondary" location types. By utilizing multiple storage locations and making sure one or more of those locations are air-gapped (Secure Storage) or Immutable (cloud storage) you can ensure recovery even if your DR site is taken down along with your production network.  

You can read about RMAD's Full Replication and Backup Consolidation replication in the User's guide. 

I do hope this helps!