Synchronous replication is a critical technology for ensuring data consistency and high availability in storage systems. Both Tintri and VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) offer synchronous replication capabilities, but they differ in their implementation and features. In this article, we will compare synchronous replication in Tintri and SRM, exploring their advantages, limitations, and use cases.

1. Tintri Synchronous Replication: Tintri’s synchronous replication feature, known as Synchronous Replication for VMstores (SRVM), provides real-time data replication between primary and secondary Tintri storage systems. Here are some key aspects of Tintri’s synchronous replication:

a. Data Consistency: Tintri SRVM ensures data consistency between the primary and secondary storage systems by synchronously mirroring all writes to both systems. This guarantees that both systems have identical data at all times, eliminating the risk of data loss or corruption.

b. Continuous Availability: Tintri SRVM enables continuous availability by allowing seamless failover between the primary and secondary storage systems. In the event of a failure or maintenance activity on the primary system, the secondary system takes over seamlessly, ensuring uninterrupted access to data.

c. Zero RPO: Tintri SRVM achieves a zero Recovery Point Objective (RPO) by synchronously replicating data in real-time. This means that any data written to the primary storage system is instantly replicated to the secondary system, eliminating the risk of data loss.

d. Simplified Management: Tintri SRVM provides a user-friendly interface to configure and manage synchronous replication. Administrators can easily set up replication policies, monitor replication status, and perform failover or failback operations through the Tintri management console.

2. VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) Synchronous Replication: VMware SRM offers synchronous replication through its integration with storage array-based replication technologies. Here are some key aspects of SRM’s synchronous replication:

a. Integration with Storage Arrays: SRM leverages the synchronous replication capabilities provided by storage array vendors. It relies on the storage arrays’ replication features to ensure data consistency and synchronization between the primary and secondary sites.

b. Failover and Failback: SRM enables seamless failover and failback operations between the primary and secondary sites. In the event of a disaster or planned maintenance, SRM can automatically switch operations to the secondary site and later revert back to the primary site when it is ready.

c. Application Consistency: SRM ensures application-consistent replication by coordinating with the virtualization and application layers. It integrates with VMware vSphere’s vCenter Server and VMware Tools to quiesce and freeze virtual machines and applications before replication, ensuring data integrity.

d. Disaster Recovery Orchestration: SRM provides advanced orchestration capabilities for disaster recovery scenarios. It automates the recovery process, including powering on VMs, reconfiguring networking, and managing IP address changes, to streamline the failover and failback operations.

3. Comparison: Tintri Synchronous Replication vs. SRM Synchronous Replication:

a. Ease of Use: Tintri SRVM offers a simplified and intuitive interface for configuring and managing synchronous replication, making it easier for administrators to set up and monitor replication. SRM, on the other hand, requires integration with storage arrays and additional configuration steps.

b. Zero RPO: Both Tintri SRVM and SRM’s synchronous replication aim to achieve a zero RPO by replicating data in real-time. However, the actual achievement of a zero RPO depends on the latency and performance of the underlying storage infrastructure.

c. Flexibility and Compatibility: Tintri SRVM is limited to replicating data between Tintri storage systems, while SRM can work with various storage arrays that support synchronous replication. SRM’s compatibility with multiple storage vendors provides more flexibility in choosing the storage infrastructure.

d. Disaster Recovery Automation: SRM excels in disaster recovery orchestration, providing comprehensive automation capabilities for failover and failback operations. Tintri SRVM focuses mainly on data replication and failover, requiring additional tools or processes for complete disaster recovery orchestration.

Use Cases ::

Synchronous replication is a critical component of disaster recovery strategies, ensuring data consistency and high availability. Tintri and VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) offer synchronous replication capabilities, each with its own strengths and use cases. In this article, we will explore the use cases for synchronous replication in Tintri and SRM, highlighting their advantages and scenarios where they excel.

1. Tintri Synchronous Replication Use Cases: Tintri’s synchronous replication, known as Synchronous Replication for VMstores (SRVM), provides real-time data replication between primary and secondary Tintri storage systems. Here are some use cases where Tintri’s synchronous replication excels:

a. Mission-critical Applications: Tintri SRVM is ideal for mission-critical applications that require continuous availability and zero data loss. Applications such as financial systems, healthcare databases, or online transaction processing (OLTP) systems can benefit from Tintri SRVM’s real-time replication, ensuring data consistency and minimizing downtime in case of a primary site failure.

b. High Transactional Workloads: Synchronous replication in Tintri is well-suited for environments with high transactional workloads. As data is synchronously replicated in real-time, any changes made to the primary storage system are immediately mirrored to the secondary system, ensuring data integrity and consistency for applications that heavily rely on real-time data updates.

c. Zero Data Loss Requirements: Tintri SRVM achieves a zero Recovery Point Objective (RPO) by synchronously replicating data in real-time. This makes it an excellent choice for organizations that have strict data loss requirements and cannot afford any data loss in case of a disaster or site failure.

d. Simplified Management: Tintri SRVM provides a user-friendly interface for configuring and managing synchronous replication. Administrators can easily set up replication policies, monitor replication status, and perform failover or failback operations through the Tintri management console. This simplicity in management makes Tintri SRVM suitable for organizations with limited resources or expertise in disaster recovery management.

2. VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) Synchronous Replication Use Cases: VMware SRM offers synchronous replication through its integration with storage array-based replication technologies. Here are some use cases where SRM’s synchronous replication excels:

a. Heterogeneous Storage Environments: SRM’s synchronous replication capabilities are compatible with various storage array vendors that support synchronous replication. This makes SRM a suitable choice for organizations with heterogeneous storage environments, allowing them to leverage existing storage investments while ensuring data consistency and high availability.

b. Disaster Recovery Orchestration: SRM excels in disaster recovery orchestration, automating the failover and failback process. It coordinates with VMware vSphere’s vCenter Server and VMware Tools to ensure application-consistent replication and manages the recovery process, including powering on VMs, reconfiguring networking, and managing IP address changes. This makes SRM an excellent choice for organizations that require comprehensive disaster recovery automation.

c. Scalability and Flexibility: SRM’s synchronous replication capabilities provide scalability and flexibility in disaster recovery planniing. It allows organizations to replicate critical VMs or entire virtualized environments to a secondary site, ensuring high availability and business continuity.