In this section:
Recovery refers to the action of replicating your primary environment into a secondary (or recovery) environment. This action is also known as a failover.
Restore (or restoration) refers to the action of replicating your environment from the secondary environment to the primary environment. A restoration means returning to your primary environment.
I had Continuous Server Replication (Disaster Recovery) in my Gen 3 (my.armor.com) environment. Do I need to order this add-on product again in my Gen 4 (amp.armor.com) environment?
In short, no. As part of the upgrade process, any virtual machine that was subscribed to Continuous Server Replication (Disaster Recovery) in Gen 3 will retain that service in Gen 4.
For any Gen 3 virtual machine that did not have Continuous Server Replication (Disaster Recovery), or for newly created Gen 4 virtual machines, you must order Continuous Server Replication (Disaster Recovery) in AMP.
To learn how to order, see Disaster Recovery (upgraded users) (external draft).
How do I order Continuous Server Replication (Disaster Recovery) and request a recovery?
You can order the Continuous Server Replication (Disaster Recovery) add-on product in the Armor Management Portal (AMP). Once this add-on product has been fully provisioned, you can submit a support ticket to request a recovery. Armor Support will coordinate with you to establish expectations and timelines.
To learn how to order Continuous Server Replication (Disaster Recovery), as well as request a recovery, see Disaster Recovery (upgraded users) (external draft).
If my primary environment (data center) is experiencing an outage, does Armor automatically perform a recovery?
Armor will never perform a recovery without an authorized user's request.
Although Armor will notify you about a data center outage, you are still responsible for communicating a recovery request to Armor.
Similarly, while Armor will notify you about the end of a data center outage, you must contact Armor to request a restoration of your primary environment.
If I make a change in my recovery environment, will that change be reflected in my primary environment after a restoration?
Any change that you make in the Armor Management Portal (AMP) will not be reflected in the primary environment after a recovery and restoration. For example, any change to your firewall rules will not be replicated in the primary environment.
However, any change in the backend will be replicated, such as a change to your database.
How do I end the recovery process and restore my primary environment?
You must send a support ticket and indicate your interest to restore your primary environment.
During a live recovery and restoration, how are the primary and live recovery virtual machines displayed in AMP?
You will see duplicate virtual machine entries in the Armor Management Portal (AMP). These duplicate entries will depend on the specific screen in AMP.
Review the following tables to understand how virtual machines are displayed in AMP during a recovery and restoration.
| Recovery | Live recovery virtual machine | Primary virtual machine |
|---|---|---|
| Malware Protection screen in recovery | Visible | Visible |
| FIM screen in recovery | Visible | Visible |
| Patching screen in recovery | Visible | Visible |
| Log Management screen in recovery | Visible | Visible |
| Virtual Machines screen in recovery | Visible During a live recovery, the original virtual machine is removed from AMP. As a result, the live recovery virtual machine will contain the same name as the primary virtual machine, along with a yellow icon. | Not visible |
| Restoration | Live recovery virtual machine | Primary virtual machine |
|---|---|---|
| Malware Protection screen in restoration | Visible | Visible |
| FIM screen in restoration | Visible | Visible |
| Patching screen in restoration | Visible | Visible |
| Log Management screen in restoration | Visible | Visible |
| Virtual Machines screen in restoration | Not visible | Visible |
During a test recovery and restoration, how are the primary and test recovery virtual machines displayed in AMP?
You will see duplicate virtual machine entries in the Armor Management Portal (AMP). These duplicate entries will depend on the specific screen in AMP.
Review the following tables to understand how virtual machines are displayed in AMP during a recovery and restoration.
| Recovery | Test recovery virtual machine | Primary virtual machine |
|---|---|---|
| Malware Protection screen in recovery | Visible | Visible |
| FIM screen in recovery | Visible | Visible |
| Patching screen in recovery | Visible | Visible |
| Log Management screen in recovery | Visible | Visible |
| Virtual Machines screen in recovery | Visible During a test recovery, the primary virtual machine will be visible in AMP, along with the test recovery virtual machine. As a result, the name of the test recovery virtual machine will be the name of the primary virtual machine, with - Test added. | Visible |
| Restoration | Test recovery virtual machine | Primary virtual machine |
|---|---|---|
| Malware Protection screen in restoration | Visible | Visible |
| FIM screen in restoration | Visible | Visible |
| Patching screen in restoration | Visible | Visible |
| Log Management screen in restoration | Visible | Visible |
| Virtual Machines screen in restoration | Not visible | Visible |
How do I access a recovery virtual machine?
Similar to accessing a primary virtual machine, to access a recovery virtual machine, you must download and install the SSL/VPN client for Gen 4. You must download the client that corresponds to the correct recovery environment:
- If your primary environment is DFW01, then you should download the client for the PHX01-Recovery environment.
- If your primary environment is PHX01, then you should download the client for the DFW01-Recovery environment.
To access a recovery virtual machine, you cannot use the Gen 3 (my.armor.com) SSL/VPN client. You can only use the Gen 4 (amp.armor.com) SSL/VPN client.
To learn how to download and install an SSL/VPN client in Gen 4, see SSL/VPN.
Who can request a recovery?
Armor Support will only perform a recovery when an authorized user has made the request to Armor.
As a result, when you order Continuous Server Replication (Disaster Recovery), Armor Support will ask via a support ticket the names of your authorized users; only these users can submit a support ticket to request a recovery
What is the difference between a test recovery and a live recover?
A test recovery serves two purposes:
- To verify that the add-on product has been fully provisioned in your environment
- To meet compliance requirements
Additionally, a test recovery does not affect your production environment.
A live recovery serves to troubleshoot during a data center outage. A live recovery will affect your production environment, and as a result, you should only request a live recovery to troubleshoot during a data center outage.
Will a recovery and restoration affect my DNS?
A test recovery will not affect your DNS; however, a live recovery will affect your DNS.
In a live recovery, your primary environment will be replicated in a different data center (recovery environment), which will change the IP address.
- If Armor manages your DNS, then Armor will automatically handle your DNS configurations during the recovery and restoration process.
- If Armor does not handle your DNS, then you must update your DNS after the live recovery, as well as after the restoration.