This is Blog 2 of 5 on Zerto Replication. This blog will cover pairing 2 different sites as well as installing the Zerto Virtual Replication Appliance (VRA). This is needed for replicating VMs from one site to the other.

Recommend prerequisites for VRA
• Have the ZVM already installed at each site as well as have them paired
• 1 VRA per ESXi host at each site
• Have your network, IP addresses and storage ready

I would like to point out one of the cool features of Zerto, the VMware Plugin for the vSphere client. You can access Zerto without having to login through a Web Browser by selecting the Zerto Tab.  It is installed automatically after ZVM has been deployed.

 Pairing the Sites

1. Once you are in Zerto go to the summary tab and select “Pair”

2. Select the “Add New Site” in the upper right hand corner

3. Add Site

4. You will get a Green Check once it is complete. Then you will be able to see the DR site in the “Sites” tab as well as the “Topology” Tab.

Installing the VRA
1. To begin replication you need to install a VRA at both sites. Select you ESXi host and then go to the “VRAs” tab and select “actions” and then “Install”.

2. This is where you put in all of your settings for the VRA

3. The VRA will initialize. The ZVM will deploy a virtual appliance with the settings you put in. Once the VRA is initialized you are finished.

Lets Recap Zerto so far:
• We have installed the Zerto Virtual Replication Manager (ZVM) at both sites
• Paired the sites
• Installed the Zerto Replication Appliance (VRA) at both sites

The next blog will cover Virtual Protection Groups (VPG), which is the last step for setting up recovery with Zerto.