1.2 Supported Configurations

1.2.1 Supported Windows Workloads

PlateSpin Protect supports most Windows-based workloads.

Both file-level  and block-level replications are supported, with certain restrictions. See Section 5.4, Data Transfer.

Table 1-1 Supported Windows Workloads

Operating System

Remarks

Servers
  • Windows Server 2012 R2
  • Windows Server 2012

 
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)
  • Windows Server 2008 (64-bit)
  • Windows Server 2008 latest SP (32-bit)

Including domain controllers (DC) and Small Business Server (SBS) editions
  • Windows Server 2003 R2 (64-bit)
  • Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit)
  • Windows Server 2003 latest SP (64-bit)
  • Windows Server 2003 latest SP (32-bit)

Windows 2003 requires SP1 or higher for Block-based replication.

Clusters

Windows 2008 R2 Server-based Microsoft Failover Cluster

 

Desktops
  • Windows 8.1
  • Windows 8

WARNING:You must select the High Performance power plan on the Windows 8 source so that the workload failover and failback function correctly.

To configure this power plan from the Windows Control Panel:

  1. Select All Control Panel Items > Power Options.

  2. In the Choose or customize power plan dialog box, select Show additional plans > High Performance.

  3. Close the control panel.

Windows Cluster Support: See Protecting Windows Clusters for specific cluster configurations supported.

Supported international versions: French, German, Japanese, Chinese Traditional, and Chinese Simplified.

HINT:Other international versions have limited support: updating system files could be affected in languages other than those listed above.

Workload Firmware (UEFI and BIOS) Support: PlateSpin Protect mirrors the Microsoft support of UEFI or BIOS-based Windows workloads. It transfers workloads (both Block and File transfers are supported) from source to target while enforcing the supported firmware for the respective source and target operating systems. It does the same for the failback to a physical machine. When any transition (failover and failback) between UEFI and BIOS systems are initiated, Protect analyzes the transition and alerts you about its validity.

NOTE:If you are protecting a UEFI-based workload and you want to continue using the same firmware boot mode throughout the protected workload lifecycle, you need to target a vSphere 5.0 container or newer.

The following are examples of Protect behavior when protecting and failing back between UEFI and BIOS-based systems:

  • When transferring a UEFI-based workload to a VMware vSphere 4.x container (which does not support UEFI), Protect transitions the workload’s UEFI firmware at failover time to BIOS firmware. Then, when failback is selected on a UEFI-based physical machine, Protect reverses the firmware transition from BIOS to UEFI.

  • If you attempt to failback a protected Windows 2003 workload to a UEFI-based physical machine, Protect analyzes the choice and notifies you that it is not valid (that is, the firmware transition from BIOS to UEFI is not supported – Windows 2003 does not support the UEFI boot mode).

  • When protecting a UEFI-based source on a BIOS-based target, Protect migrates the UEFI system’s boot disks, which were GPT, to MBR disks. Failing back this BIOS workload to a UEFI-based physical machine converts the boot disks back to GPT.

1.2.2 Supported Linux Workloads

PlateSpin Protect supports a number of Linux distributions.

Table 1-2 Supported Linux Workloads

Operating System

Remarks

Servers

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6.2

Block-based transfer only.

RHEL 5.0-5.5, 6.0

Block-based transfer only.

RHEL 5.6-5.8, 6.3

Block-based transfer only. You must compile the PlateSpin blkwatch driver before inventorying these workloads.

RHEL 4 (32-bit)

Block-based transfer only.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 9, 10, 11 (SP1, SP2, SP3)

NOTE:Kernel version 3.0.13 of SLES 11 SP3 is not supported. Upgrade to kernel version 3.0.27 or later before inventorying the workload.

Novell Open Enterprise Server (OES) 11 SP1 and SP2

NOTE:The default kernel version 3.0.13 of OES 11 SP2 is not supported. Upgrade to kernel version 3.0.27 or later before inventorying the workload. Block-based transfer only.

OES 2 (SP2 and SP3)

Block-based transfer only.

Oracle Enterprise Linux (OEL)

Block-based transfer only. Same level of support as that for workloads running RHEL.

Replication is done at the block level, for which your PlateSpin software requires a blkwatch driver compiled for a particular Linux distribution being protected. For a list of distributions that include the blkwatch driver, see Section A.0, Linux Distributions Supported by Protect. If your distribution does not include the blkwatch driver, you can create a custom driver by following the steps found in the Knowledgebase Article KB 7005873.

Supported Linux File Systems

EXT2, EXT3, EXT4, REISERFS, and NSS (OES 2 and OES 11 workloads) file systems are supported, block-based transfer only.

NOTE:Encrypted volumes of workloads on the source are decrypted in the failover VM.

1.2.3 Supported VM Containers

A container is a protection infrastructure that acts as the host of a protected workload’s regularly-updated replica. That infrastructure can be either a VMware ESXi Server or a VMware DRS Cluster.

Table 1-3 Platforms Supported as VM Containers

Container

Notes

VMware ESXi 5.5 (GA, Update 1)

  • Supported as a protection and failback container

  • Includes support for VMware DRS cluster. The DRS configuration must be either Partially Automated or Fully Automated (it must not be set to Manual)

  • As a VM Container, the DRS Cluster must consist of ESXi 5.5 servers only, and can be managed by vCenter 5.5 only.

VMware ESXi 5.1 (GA, Update 1)

  • Supported as a protection and failback container

  • Includes support for VMware DRS cluster. The DRS configuration must be either Partially Automated or Fully Automated (it must not be set to Manual)

  • As a VM Container, the DRS Cluster must consist of ESXi 5.1 servers only, and can be managed by vCenter 5.1 only.

VMware ESXi 4.1 (GA, Update 3)

  • Supported as a protection and failback container

  • Includes support for VMware DRS cluster. The DRS configuration must be either Partially Automated or Fully Automated (it must not be set to Manual)

  • As a VM Container, the DRS Cluster must consist of ESXi 4.1 servers only, and can be managed by vCenter 4.1 only.

NOTE: ESXi versions must have a paid license; protection is unsupported with these systems if they are operating with a free license.

1.2.4 Supported System Firmware

PlateSpin Protect mirrors the Microsoft support of UEFI. For more information see Section 1.2.1, Supported Windows Workloads.