How to Configure Storage Replica in Windows Server 2022

Posted on 19th June 2023

Windows Server 2022 includes a new feature called Storage Replica (SR) that allows you to replicate data between servers or clusters for disaster recovery or scale-out purposes. This guide will show you how to configure SR on your Windows Server 2022 system.

Prerequisites

Before you can configure SR, you will need to meet the following prerequisites:

  • You must have two servers or clusters that are running Windows Server 2022. These servers must be connected via Fibre Channel, iSCSI, or another high-speed network connection.
  • Both servers must have storage devices that are configured as storage pools. These storage pools can be created using Windows Server’s Storage Spaces feature.
  • If you are using Fibre Channel storage, you must have at least one HBAs installed in each server. If you are using iSCSI storage, you must have at least one iSCSI initiator installed in each server. If you are using another type of storage, you must have the appropriate hardware and software installed on each server.
  • You must have a valid domain account that has been added to the local administrators group on both servers.

Configuring Storage Replica

Once you have met the prerequisites, you can begin configuring Storage Replica on your Windows Server system. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Server Manager console and select the File and Storage Services option.
  2. Select the Storage Pools option.
  3. Select the storage pool that you want to use for SR and click the Create Replication Group button.
  4. Enter a name for the replication group and click Next.
  5. Select the type of replication that you want to use. You can choose from Synchronous or Asynchronous replication. Synchronous replication will replicate data in real-time, while asynchronous replication will replicate data on a schedule. Click Next.
  6. Select the storage devices that you want to use for the replication group. You can use one or more storage devices. Click Next.
  7. Configure the network settings for the replication group. You will need to specify the network interface that will be used for replication traffic, as well as the bandwidth limit. Click Next.
  8. Review the settings for the replication group and click Create.
  9. Repeat steps 1-9 on the second server or cluster.

Testing Storage Replica

Once you have configured SR on both servers, you can test the replication by creating a file on one server and verifying that it is replicated to the other server. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. On one of the servers, create a text file in the replication group’s storage pool. You can use any text editor for this.
  2. Wait a few minutes and then check the other server to see if the file has been replicated. You should find the file in the same location on the other server.
  3. If the file has been replicated, Storage Replica is working correctly.

Conclusion

Storage Replica is a useful feature in Windows Server 2022 that allows you to replicate data between servers or clusters. This guide has shown you how to configure SR on your system and test the replication.

Storage Replica is a new feature in Windows Server 2022 that allows you to replicate storage between servers. This can be used for disaster recovery, or to simply keep a second copy of your data. Storage Replica is easy to configure and use, and can be a great addition to any business’s server infrastructure.

To configure Storage Replica, you’ll need to have two servers with Windows Server 2022 installed. One of these servers will be the “primary” server, and the other will be the “secondary” server. You’ll need to have storage attached to both servers that you want to replicate. This storage can be either local storage, or storage attached via iSCSI, Fiber Channel, or another storage protocol.

Once you have your two servers set up, open the Server Manager console on the primary server. In the left-hand pane, click on the “Storage” node. In the main pane, click on the “Storage Replica” link. This will open the Storage Replica configuration page.

Click on the “Enable Storage Replica” checkbox. This will enable the feature on both the primary and secondary servers.

Click on the “Configure” button. This will open the “Configure Storage Replica” wizard.

On the “Introduction” page, click on the “Next” button.

On the “Transport Type” page, select the type of transport that you want to use for replication. The options here are iSCSI, Fiber Channel, or SMB. Select the type of transport that you have set up between your two servers.

Click on the “Next” button.

On the “Storage” page, select the storage that you want to replicate. This can be either local storage, or storage attached to the server via iSCSI, Fiber Channel, or another storage protocol.

Click on the “Next” button.

On the “Network” page, select the network that you want to use for replication. This should be a dedicated network between your two servers. Storage Replica will use this network for replication traffic, so it should be fast and have low latency.

Click on the “Next” button.

On the “Confirmation” page, review your settings. If everything looks correct, click on the “Create” button.

Once the wizard has completed, you’ll see the new replication relationship in the “Storage Replica” console. You can now begin replicating storage between your two servers.

Prerequisites

Before you configure Storage Replica, review the following prerequisites:

Configure Storage Replica

Use the following steps to configure Storage Replica:

  1. In the failover cluster manager, select the replica set that you want to configure for Storage Replica.
  2. In the replica set details pane, click the Configure Storage Replica option.
  3. In the Configure Storage Replica wizard, click Next.
  4. On the Specify Replication Mode page, select the desired replication mode, and click Next.
  5. On the Configure Replication Partners page, add the replication partners for the replica set. For each replication partner, specify the following:

    • The partner cluster
    • The storage used for replication
    • The replication mode
    • The synchronization frequency
    • The log size
  6. On the Specify Storage Layout page, select the desired storage layout, and click Next.
  7. On the Configure Log Settings page, configure the log settings for the replica set, and click Next.
  8. On the Configure Synchronization Settings page, configure the synchronization settings for the replica set, and click Next.
  9. On the Pre-Create Witness page, specify whether to create a witness for the replica set, and click Next.
  10. Review the settings on the Summary page, and click Finish to create the replica set.

Verify Configuration

After you configure Storage Replica, verify the configuration by doing the following:

  1. In the failover cluster manager, select the replica set.
  2. In the replica set details pane, click the View Details option.
  3. In the replica set details pane, click the View Replication Partners option.
  4. In the replication partner details pane, verify the following:

    • The replication partner cluster
    • The storage used for replication
    • The replication mode
    • The synchronization frequency
    • The log size
  5. In the failover cluster manager, select the replica set.
  6. In the replica set details pane, click the View Storage Layout option.
  7. In the storage layout details pane, verify the storage layout for the replica set.

Copyright © 2024 The Gadget Gazette