description VMware vSAN Stretched Cluster Overview
VMware vSAN Stretched Cluster is a solution that replicates virtualized workloads across two separate VMware vSAN clusters located in different physical locations. This synchronous replication provides immediate disaster recovery capabilities and supports continuous application availability. It’s primarily utilized by organizations needing robust business continuity strategies and those requiring seamless data access regardless of location, benefiting IT teams managing hybrid cloud environments.
help VMware vSAN Stretched Cluster FAQ
How many locations are required to set up a vSAN Stretched Cluster?
A properly configured stretched cluster requires two active data centers placed within low-latency distance of each other, usually under 5 milliseconds. It also requires a third location, known as a 'witness host,' to act as a tie-breaker in the event of a network split.
What is the maximum distance between the two main data sites in a stretched cluster?
VMware officially supports up to a physical distance of roughly 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) between the two preferred and secondary data sites. This distance limitation ensures that synchronous replication can occur without causing high application latency.
How does a vSAN Stretched Cluster handle a site failure?
If the primary site fails, the cluster automatically promotes the synchronous data copies at the secondary site to a read/write state. This allows virtual machines to immediately restart on the surviving ESXi hosts, ensuring near-instantaneous disaster recovery.
What is the purpose of the witness appliance in this configuration?
The witness host is usually deployed at a third geographic location to store only metadata and tie-breaking votes. It is critical for maintaining the quorum required by VMware vSAN to prevent split-brain scenarios during connectivity loss.
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