Implement Disaster Recovery with Azure Site Recovery
MS Learn module: Introduction to Azure Site Recovery (
learn.intro-to-azure-site-recovery). Learning objectives: learn Azure Site Recovery capabilities; determine whether ASR meets your org’s needs; understand the difference between Azure Site Recovery and Azure Backup.
Overview (why this module matters)
This module completes the path with disaster recovery: keeping your workload running when the primary region/site fails. Site Recovery continuously replicates VMs to a secondary region and orchestrates test failover / failover / failback — distinct from backup, which protects against data loss, not downtime.
Units / lessons covered
- What Site Recovery does and when to choose it.
- Azure→Azure and on-prem→Azure replication scenarios.
- Replication policies (RPO, retention), test failover vs failover vs failback.
- Site Recovery vs Azure Backup — the critical distinction.
Concepts introduced (link each term note)
- Azure Site Recovery — continuous replication + automated DR orchestration.
- Recovery Services vault — hosts Site Recovery replication data & policies (shared with backup).
- Azure Backup — the complement, for restore of lost/corrupt data (not DR).
- Azure VM — the replicated workload; and RTO/RPO as the design targets.
Key terms / commands
- Enable DR from the Recovery Services vault → Site Recovery → replicate a VM to a target region.
- Replication policy sets RPO (smallest = ~15s) & recovery point retention.
- Cache storage (staging) in source region; target storage/network in the destination region.
- Test failover (
az site-recovery) validates DR; real failover then failback complete the cycle.
Hands-on / what to try
- In the Recovery Services vault, enable Site Recovery on a VM, choose target region, and set a replication policy.
- Run a test failover (isolated validation, no production impact) and observe the replica boots.
- Explain the scenario: if primary region fails, failover starts the replica; after recovery, failback.
Exam focus
- THE distinction question: Site Recovery = DR replication (keep it running); Azure Backup = backup/restore (recover data). ASR has low RPO/RTO; Backup is for restores.
- Replication policy controls RPO (max data loss) and retention; test failover is the safe validation.
- Enable both from the Recovery Services vault — one vault serves backup and DR.
Related
Path MOC · azure-site-recovery · recovery-services-vault · azure-backup · Prev: backups