Project 4: Disaster Recovery Solution

Overview

Implement a comprehensive disaster recovery solution using Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery. This project covers VM backup, file-level recovery, and cross-region replication for business continuity.

Difficulty: Intermediate
Duration: 3-4 hours
Cost: ~$50-100/month (ASR, backup storage)

Architecture Diagram

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                           PRIMARY REGION (East US)                               │
│  ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │                         VNet: vnet-primary (10.0.0.0/16)                   │  │
│  │  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │  │
│  │  │                     Subnet: snet-workloads (10.0.1.0/24)            │  │  │
│  │  │                                                                      │  │  │
│  │  │  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────────────────┐  │  │  │
│  │  │  │  vm-web-01   │  │  vm-app-01   │  │  vm-sql-01               │  │  │  │
│  │  │  │  Web Server  │  │  App Server  │  │  SQL Server              │  │  │  │
│  │  │  │              │  │              │  │                          │  │  │  │
│  │  │  │ ┌──────────┐ │  │ ┌──────────┐ │  │ ┌──────────────────────┐ │  │  │  │
│  │  │  │ │ Azure    │ │  │ │ Azure    │ │  │ │ Azure Backup         │ │  │  │  │
│  │  │  │ │ Backup   │ │  │ │ Backup   │ │  │ │ + SQL Backup         │ │  │  │  │
│  │  │  │ │ Agent    │ │  │ │ Agent    │ │  │ │                      │ │  │  │  │
│  │  │  │ └────┬─────┘ │  │ └────┬─────┘ │  │ └──────────┬───────────┘ │  │  │  │
│  │  │  └──────┼───────┘  └──────┼───────┘  └────────────┼─────────────┘  │  │  │
│  │  └─────────┼─────────────────┼───────────────────────┼────────────────┘  │  │
│  └────────────┼─────────────────┼───────────────────────┼────────────────────┘  │
│               │                 │                       │                        │
│               └─────────────────┴───────────────────────┘                        │
│                                 │                                                │
│                                 ▼                                                │
│  ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │              RECOVERY SERVICES VAULT (rsv-primary-eastus)                  │  │
│  │  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │  │
│  │  │  Backup Policies:                                                    │  │  │
│  │  │  - Daily backup at 2:00 AM UTC                                       │  │  │
│  │  │  - Retain daily backups: 30 days                                     │  │  │
│  │  │  - Retain weekly backups: 12 weeks                                   │  │  │
│  │  │  - Retain monthly backups: 12 months                                 │  │  │
│  │  │  - Retain yearly backups: 3 years                                    │  │  │
│  │  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │  │
│  │                                                                            │  │
│  │  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │  │
│  │  │  Azure Site Recovery (Replication to DR Region)                      │  │  │
│  │  │  - RPO: 15 minutes                                                   │  │  │
│  │  │  - RTO: < 2 hours                                                    │  │  │
│  │  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │  │
│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                        │
                                        │ Continuous Replication
                                        │ (Azure Site Recovery)
                                        ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                         SECONDARY REGION (West US 2)                             │
│  ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │                         VNet: vnet-dr (10.1.0.0/16)                        │  │
│  │  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │  │
│  │  │                     Subnet: snet-dr (10.1.1.0/24)                    │  │  │
│  │  │                                                                      │  │  │
│  │  │  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────────────────┐  │  │  │
│  │  │  │  vm-web-01   │  │  vm-app-01   │  │  vm-sql-01               │  │  │  │
│  │  │  │  (Replica)   │  │  (Replica)   │  │  (Replica)               │  │  │  │
│  │  │  │  STANDBY     │  │  STANDBY     │  │  STANDBY                 │  │  │  │
│  │  │  │              │  │              │  │                          │  │  │  │
│  │  │  │  Powered off │  │  Powered off │  │  Powered off             │  │  │  │
│  │  │  │  until       │  │  until       │  │  until                   │  │  │  │
│  │  │  │  failover    │  │  failover    │  │  failover                │  │  │  │
│  │  │  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘  └──────────────────────────┘  │  │  │
│  │  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │  │
│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                                                                                  │
│  ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │             GRS Storage (Backup Data Replication)                          │  │
│  │             - Automatic geo-replication of backup data                     │  │
│  │             - Cross-region restore capability                              │  │
│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Disaster Recovery Flow:
┌──────────┐    ┌──────────┐    ┌──────────┐    ┌──────────────┐
│ Disaster │───▶│  Detect  │───▶│ Failover │───▶│  VMs Active  │
│  Event   │    │  & Alert │    │  to DR   │    │  in DR Region│
└──────────┘    └──────────┘    └──────────┘    └──────────────┘

What You'll Learn

Configure Azure Backup for VMs
Create and manage backup policies
Perform file-level and full VM restore
Set up Azure Site Recovery (ASR)
Execute test failover and planned failover
Implement recovery plans with automation

Prerequisites

Azure subscription
Azure CLI installed
Two Azure regions available

Phase 1: Set Up Primary Infrastructure

Step 1.1: Create Resource Groups

bash

# Set variables
PRIMARY_LOCATION="eastus"
DR_LOCATION="westus2"
RG_PRIMARY="rg-dr-lab-eastus"
RG_DR="rg-dr-lab-westus2"

# Create primary resource group
az group create \
  --name $RG_PRIMARY \
  --location $PRIMARY_LOCATION \
  --tags Project=DisasterRecovery Environment=Lab Role=Primary

# Create DR resource group
az group create \
  --name $RG_DR \
  --location $DR_LOCATION \
  --tags Project=DisasterRecovery Environment=Lab Role=DR

echo "Resource groups created in both regions"

Step 1.2: Create Primary VNet

bash

# Create primary VNet
az network vnet create \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --name vnet-primary \
  --address-prefix 10.0.0.0/16 \
  --subnet-name snet-workloads \
  --subnet-prefix 10.0.1.0/24 \
  --location $PRIMARY_LOCATION

# Add Azure Bastion subnet
az network vnet subnet create \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --vnet-name vnet-primary \
  --name AzureBastionSubnet \
  --address-prefix 10.0.2.0/27

Step 1.3: Create DR VNet

bash

# Create DR VNet (same address space - will be used for failover)
az network vnet create \
  --resource-group $RG_DR \
  --name vnet-dr \
  --address-prefix 10.1.0.0/16 \
  --subnet-name snet-dr \
  --subnet-prefix 10.1.1.0/24 \
  --location $DR_LOCATION

Step 1.4: Deploy Primary VMs

bash

ADMIN_USER="azureadmin"
ADMIN_PASSWORD="P@ssw0rd123!Complex"

# Create Web VM
az vm create \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --name vm-web-01 \
  --vnet-name vnet-primary \
  --subnet snet-workloads \
  --image Win2022Datacenter \
  --size Standard_D2s_v3 \
  --admin-username $ADMIN_USER \
  --admin-password $ADMIN_PASSWORD \
  --public-ip-address "" \
  --no-wait

# Create App VM
az vm create \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --name vm-app-01 \
  --vnet-name vnet-primary \
  --subnet snet-workloads \
  --image Ubuntu2204 \
  --size Standard_D2s_v3 \
  --admin-username $ADMIN_USER \
  --generate-ssh-keys \
  --public-ip-address "" \
  --no-wait

# Create SQL VM
az vm create \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --name vm-sql-01 \
  --vnet-name vnet-primary \
  --subnet snet-workloads \
  --image MicrosoftSQLServer:sql2022-ws2022:standard-gen2:latest \
  --size Standard_D4s_v3 \
  --admin-username $ADMIN_USER \
  --admin-password $ADMIN_PASSWORD \
  --public-ip-address "" \
  --no-wait

# Wait for VMs
echo "Waiting for VMs to be created..."
az vm wait --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY --name vm-web-01 --created
az vm wait --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY --name vm-app-01 --created
az vm wait --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY --name vm-sql-01 --created

echo "All VMs created"

Phase 2: Configure Azure Backup

Step 2.1: Create Recovery Services Vault

bash

# Create Recovery Services Vault
az backup vault create \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --location $PRIMARY_LOCATION

echo "Recovery Services Vault created"

Step 2.2: Configure Vault Settings

bash

# Set vault storage redundancy to Geo-Redundant (GRS)
az backup vault backup-properties set \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --backup-storage-redundancy GeoRedundant

# Enable cross-region restore
az backup vault backup-properties set \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --cross-region-restore-flag Enabled

echo "Vault configured with GRS and cross-region restore"

Step 2.3: Create Backup Policy

bash

# Create enhanced backup policy JSON
cat > backup-policy.json << 'EOF'
{
  "properties": {
    "backupManagementType": "AzureIaasVM",
    "schedulePolicy": {
      "schedulePolicyType": "SimpleSchedulePolicy",
      "scheduleRunFrequency": "Daily",
      "scheduleRunTimes": ["2024-01-01T02:00:00Z"],
      "scheduleWeeklyFrequency": 0
    },
    "retentionPolicy": {
      "retentionPolicyType": "LongTermRetentionPolicy",
      "dailySchedule": {
        "retentionTimes": ["2024-01-01T02:00:00Z"],
        "retentionDuration": {
          "count": 30,
          "durationType": "Days"
        }
      },
      "weeklySchedule": {
        "daysOfTheWeek": ["Sunday"],
        "retentionTimes": ["2024-01-01T02:00:00Z"],
        "retentionDuration": {
          "count": 12,
          "durationType": "Weeks"
        }
      },
      "monthlySchedule": {
        "retentionScheduleFormatType": "Weekly",
        "retentionScheduleWeekly": {
          "daysOfTheWeek": ["Sunday"],
          "weeksOfTheMonth": ["First"]
        },
        "retentionTimes": ["2024-01-01T02:00:00Z"],
        "retentionDuration": {
          "count": 12,
          "durationType": "Months"
        }
      },
      "yearlySchedule": {
        "retentionScheduleFormatType": "Weekly",
        "monthsOfYear": ["January"],
        "retentionScheduleWeekly": {
          "daysOfTheWeek": ["Sunday"],
          "weeksOfTheMonth": ["First"]
        },
        "retentionTimes": ["2024-01-01T02:00:00Z"],
        "retentionDuration": {
          "count": 3,
          "durationType": "Years"
        }
      }
    },
    "instantRpRetentionRangeInDays": 5,
    "timeZone": "UTC"
  }
}
EOF

# Create the policy using Azure Portal or REST API
# CLI alternative: Use default policy and modify
az backup policy set \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --vault-name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --name EnhancedVMPolicy \
  --policy backup-policy.json 2>/dev/null || echo "Use portal to create custom policy"

Step 2.4: Enable Backup for VMs

bash

# Enable backup for Web VM
az backup protection enable-for-vm \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --vault-name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --vm vm-web-01 \
  --policy-name DefaultPolicy

# Enable backup for App VM
az backup protection enable-for-vm \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --vault-name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --vm vm-app-01 \
  --policy-name DefaultPolicy

# Enable backup for SQL VM
az backup protection enable-for-vm \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --vault-name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --vm vm-sql-01 \
  --policy-name DefaultPolicy

echo "Backup enabled for all VMs"

Step 2.5: Trigger Initial Backup

bash

# Get container names
WEB_CONTAINER=$(az backup container list \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --vault-name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --backup-management-type AzureIaasVM \
  --query "[?contains(name, 'vm-web-01')].name" -o tsv)

# Trigger backup for Web VM
az backup protection backup-now \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --vault-name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --container-name $WEB_CONTAINER \
  --item-name vm-web-01 \
  --retain-until $(date -d "+30 days" +%Y-%m-%d) \
  --backup-management-type AzureIaasVM

echo "Initial backup triggered"

Phase 3: Configure Azure Site Recovery

Step 3.1: Create Cache Storage Account

bash

# Create cache storage account for ASR
CACHE_STORAGE="asrcache$(date +%s | tail -c 8)"
az storage account create \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --name $CACHE_STORAGE \
  --location $PRIMARY_LOCATION \
  --sku Standard_LRS \
  --kind StorageV2

echo "Cache storage account created: $CACHE_STORAGE"

Step 3.2: Configure Site Recovery (Azure Portal)

Portal Configuration Required

Some ASR configurations are easier through the Azure Portal. Follow these steps:

Navigate to Recovery Services Vault:
- Go to rsv-primary-eastus
- Click "Site Recovery" → "Prepare Infrastructure"

Configure Protection Goal:

yaml

Where are your machines located: Azure
Where do you want to replicate: To Azure

Configure Source Settings:

yaml

Source: East US
Subscription: Your subscription
Resource group: rg-dr-lab-eastus
Deployment model: Resource Manager

Configure Target Settings:

yaml

Target region: West US 2
Target subscription: Same
Target resource group: rg-dr-lab-westus2
Target virtual network: vnet-dr
Cache storage account: asrcache[timestamp]

Step 3.3: Enable Replication via CLI

bash

# Get source VM details
WEB_VM_ID=$(az vm show -g $RG_PRIMARY -n vm-web-01 --query id -o tsv)
APP_VM_ID=$(az vm show -g $RG_PRIMARY -n vm-app-01 --query id -o tsv)

# Get target subnet ID
DR_SUBNET_ID=$(az network vnet subnet show \
  --resource-group $RG_DR \
  --vnet-name vnet-dr \
  --name snet-dr \
  --query id -o tsv)

# Enable replication for Web VM (using portal is recommended for first time)
echo "Enable replication through Portal:"
echo "1. Recovery Services Vault → Site Recovery → Replicated items"
echo "2. Click + Replicate"
echo "3. Select VMs: vm-web-01, vm-app-01, vm-sql-01"
echo "4. Configure target settings"
echo "5. Enable replication"

Step 3.4: Monitor Replication Status

bash

# List replicated items
az site-recovery replicated-item list \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --vault-name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --output table

# Check replication health
az site-recovery replicated-item show \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --vault-name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --replicated-protected-item-name vm-web-01 \
  --query "properties.replicationHealth" -o tsv

Phase 4: Create Recovery Plan

Step 4.1: Create Recovery Plan (Portal)

Navigate to Recovery Services Vault → Recovery Plans
Click "+ Recovery plan"
Configure:

yaml

Name: rp-webapp-dr
Source: East US
Target: West US 2
Allow items with deployment model: Resource Manager
Select items:
  Group 1: vm-sql-01 (Database - start first)
  Group 2: vm-app-01 (Application tier)
  Group 3: vm-web-01 (Web tier - start last)

Step 4.2: Add Pre/Post Actions

Add automation runbooks to recovery plan:

Pre-failover script (sample):

powershell

# pre-failover.ps1
param(
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
    [string]$RecoveryPlanContext
)

# Parse context
$context = ConvertFrom-Json $RecoveryPlanContext

# Send notification
$webhook = "https://your-webhook-url"
$body = @{
    text = "DR Failover initiated for $($context.RecoveryPlanName)"
} | ConvertTo-Json

Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $webhook -Method Post -Body $body -ContentType "application/json"

Post-failover script (sample):

powershell

# post-failover.ps1
param(
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
    [string]$RecoveryPlanContext
)

$context = ConvertFrom-Json $RecoveryPlanContext

# Update DNS records
# Connect to DNS provider API and update records

# Verify services are running
# Test application endpoints

Write-Output "Post-failover tasks completed"

Phase 5: Testing Disaster Recovery

Step 5.1: Test Failover (Non-disruptive)

bash

# Perform test failover via CLI
az site-recovery recovery-plan test-failover \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --vault-name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --name rp-webapp-dr \
  --direction PrimaryToRecovery \
  --network-type VmNetworkAsInput

Or via Portal:

Go to Recovery Plans → rp-webapp-dr
Click "Test failover"
Select recovery point (Latest processed recommended)
Select test VNet (creates isolated environment)
Click OK

Step 5.2: Validate Test Failover

bash

# List VMs in DR region (test VMs will have -test suffix)
az vm list --resource-group $RG_DR --output table

# Verify test VMs are running
az vm get-instance-view \
  --resource-group $RG_DR \
  --name vm-web-01-test \
  --query instanceView.statuses[1].displayStatus -o tsv

Validation Checklist:

[ ] VMs are powered on
[ ] Network connectivity works
[ ] Applications respond correctly
[ ] Data is consistent

Step 5.3: Cleanup Test Failover

bash

# Cleanup test failover
az site-recovery recovery-plan test-failover-cleanup \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --vault-name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --name rp-webapp-dr

echo "Test failover cleanup initiated"

Phase 6: File-Level Recovery

Step 6.1: Generate Recovery Script

bash

# Get latest recovery point
az backup recoverypoint list \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --vault-name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --container-name $WEB_CONTAINER \
  --item-name vm-web-01 \
  --output table

# Note the recovery point name (e.g., "12345678901234")

Step 6.2: Mount Recovery Volume (Portal)

Go to Recovery Services Vault → Backup Items → Azure Virtual Machine
Select vm-web-01
Click "File Recovery"
Select recovery point
Download and run the executable on a Windows machine
Mounted disks appear as additional drives
Browse and copy needed files
Click "Unmount Disks" when done

Phase 7: Full VM Restore

Step 7.1: Restore VM to New Location

bash

# Get recovery point
RECOVERY_POINT=$(az backup recoverypoint list \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --vault-name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --container-name $WEB_CONTAINER \
  --item-name vm-web-01 \
  --query "[0].name" -o tsv)

# Restore VM
az backup restore restore-disks \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --vault-name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --container-name $WEB_CONTAINER \
  --item-name vm-web-01 \
  --rp-name $RECOVERY_POINT \
  --storage-account $CACHE_STORAGE \
  --target-resource-group $RG_PRIMARY

echo "Disk restore initiated. Monitor progress in portal."

Step 7.2: Cross-Region Restore

bash

# Restore to secondary region (requires cross-region restore enabled)
az backup restore restore-disks \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --vault-name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --container-name $WEB_CONTAINER \
  --item-name vm-web-01 \
  --rp-name $RECOVERY_POINT \
  --storage-account "storage-in-westus2" \
  --target-resource-group $RG_DR \
  --use-secondary-region

Phase 8: Monitoring and Alerts

Step 8.1: Configure Backup Alerts

bash

# Create action group
az monitor action-group create \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --name ag-backup-alerts \
  --short-name BackupAlrt \
  --action email admin admin@contoso.com

# Configure backup alerts in vault
# This is done via Portal: 
# Recovery Services Vault → Monitoring → Alerts → Manage alert rules

Step 8.2: View Backup Reports

bash

# Configure diagnostic settings
VAULT_ID=$(az backup vault show \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --query id -o tsv)

# Create Log Analytics workspace
az monitor log-analytics workspace create \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --workspace-name law-backup

LAW_ID=$(az monitor log-analytics workspace show \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --workspace-name law-backup \
  --query id -o tsv)

# Enable diagnostics
az monitor diagnostic-settings create \
  --resource $VAULT_ID \
  --name "backup-diagnostics" \
  --workspace $LAW_ID \
  --logs '[
    {"category": "AzureBackupReport", "enabled": true},
    {"category": "CoreAzureBackup", "enabled": true},
    {"category": "AddonAzureBackupJobs", "enabled": true},
    {"category": "AddonAzureBackupAlerts", "enabled": true},
    {"category": "AddonAzureBackupPolicy", "enabled": true},
    {"category": "AddonAzureBackupStorage", "enabled": true},
    {"category": "AddonAzureBackupProtectedInstance", "enabled": true}
  ]'

DR Metrics Summary

Metric	Target	Configuration
RPO (Recovery Point Objective)	15 minutes	ASR continuous replication
RTO (Recovery Time Objective)	< 2 hours	Recovery plan automation
Backup Frequency	Daily	2:00 AM UTC
Retention - Daily	30 days
Retention - Weekly	12 weeks
Retention - Monthly	12 months
Retention - Yearly	3 years

Cleanup

bash

# Disable replication first
# Portal: Replicated items → Select VMs → Disable replication

# Stop backup protection
az backup protection disable \
  --resource-group $RG_PRIMARY \
  --vault-name rsv-primary-eastus \
  --container-name $WEB_CONTAINER \
  --item-name vm-web-01 \
  --delete-backup-data true \
  --yes

# Delete resource groups
az group delete --name $RG_PRIMARY --yes --no-wait
az group delete --name $RG_DR --yes --no-wait

echo "Cleanup initiated"

Key Takeaways

RPO vs RTO: Understand business requirements
GRS Storage: Automatic geo-replication of backups
ASR: Near-zero RPO with continuous replication
Recovery Plans: Orchestrated failover with automation
Test Failovers: Regular DR testing is essential
Cross-Region Restore: Recover anywhere, anytime

Next Steps

Implement Azure Backup for Azure SQL
Configure backup for Azure Files
Set up Azure Automation runbooks for DR
Implement Azure Traffic Manager for DNS failover

Project 4: Disaster Recovery Solution ​

Overview ​

Architecture Diagram ​

What You'll Learn ​

Prerequisites ​

Phase 1: Set Up Primary Infrastructure ​

Step 1.1: Create Resource Groups ​

Step 1.2: Create Primary VNet ​

Step 1.3: Create DR VNet ​

Step 1.4: Deploy Primary VMs ​

Phase 2: Configure Azure Backup ​

Step 2.1: Create Recovery Services Vault ​

Step 2.2: Configure Vault Settings ​

Step 2.3: Create Backup Policy ​

Step 2.4: Enable Backup for VMs ​

Step 2.5: Trigger Initial Backup ​

Phase 3: Configure Azure Site Recovery ​

Step 3.1: Create Cache Storage Account ​

Step 3.2: Configure Site Recovery (Azure Portal) ​

Step 3.3: Enable Replication via CLI ​

Step 3.4: Monitor Replication Status ​

Phase 4: Create Recovery Plan ​

Step 4.1: Create Recovery Plan (Portal) ​

Step 4.2: Add Pre/Post Actions ​

Phase 5: Testing Disaster Recovery ​

Step 5.1: Test Failover (Non-disruptive) ​

Step 5.2: Validate Test Failover ​

Step 5.3: Cleanup Test Failover ​

Phase 6: File-Level Recovery ​

Step 6.1: Generate Recovery Script ​

Step 6.2: Mount Recovery Volume (Portal) ​

Phase 7: Full VM Restore ​

Step 7.1: Restore VM to New Location ​

Step 7.2: Cross-Region Restore ​

Phase 8: Monitoring and Alerts ​

Step 8.1: Configure Backup Alerts ​

Step 8.2: View Backup Reports ​

DR Metrics Summary ​

Cleanup ​

Key Takeaways ​

Next Steps ​

Project 4: Disaster Recovery Solution

Overview

Architecture Diagram

What You'll Learn

Prerequisites

Phase 1: Set Up Primary Infrastructure

Step 1.1: Create Resource Groups

Step 1.2: Create Primary VNet

Step 1.3: Create DR VNet

Step 1.4: Deploy Primary VMs

Phase 2: Configure Azure Backup

Step 2.1: Create Recovery Services Vault

Step 2.2: Configure Vault Settings

Step 2.3: Create Backup Policy

Step 2.4: Enable Backup for VMs

Step 2.5: Trigger Initial Backup

Phase 3: Configure Azure Site Recovery

Step 3.1: Create Cache Storage Account

Step 3.2: Configure Site Recovery (Azure Portal)

Step 3.3: Enable Replication via CLI

Step 3.4: Monitor Replication Status

Phase 4: Create Recovery Plan

Step 4.1: Create Recovery Plan (Portal)

Step 4.2: Add Pre/Post Actions

Phase 5: Testing Disaster Recovery

Step 5.1: Test Failover (Non-disruptive)

Step 5.2: Validate Test Failover

Step 5.3: Cleanup Test Failover

Phase 6: File-Level Recovery

Step 6.1: Generate Recovery Script

Step 6.2: Mount Recovery Volume (Portal)

Phase 7: Full VM Restore

Step 7.1: Restore VM to New Location

Step 7.2: Cross-Region Restore

Phase 8: Monitoring and Alerts

Step 8.1: Configure Backup Alerts

Step 8.2: View Backup Reports

DR Metrics Summary

Cleanup

Key Takeaways

Next Steps