Virtual Lab Multi-Host Help

Hi

To be able to use Advanced Multi lab, you first need to configure Distributed Switches on your environment, so the lab can talk across the Hosts, so first, have a great look at the Vmware DVS.

Also, if you want, you can describe and paint the environment to us, just in case there is an easiest way to do what you want.

cheers.

Ah yes you need vDS for this.  Good catch.

Hi @crothermel 

be careful to create the DVS without physical uplinks connected, it must be an isolated DVS. 

Advanced Multi-Host Virtual Labs - User Guide for VMware vSphere (veeam.com)

@Link State

How can you use Multi-Host virtual Labs without physical uplinks? Without a physical uplink, the hosts cannot talk to each other. :)

@Mildur is right here, I was actually using vDS based SureBackup in the lab yesterday, and here’s my notes:

• This feature has some key limitations, but they’re limitations of vDS rather than Veeam.
• vDS doesn’t work cross datacenter, as vDS is defined at a VMware vCenter datacenter entity level, not at the root of the vCenter. It’s called out as a limitation here: https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backup/vsphere/surereplica_advanced_mutihost.html?ver=110. To work around this, you’d need to use standard vSwitch, which brings the single host limitations
• You’ll need to configure your underlying switching to support whichever isolated VLANs you want to define. For example if your production VLANs were 1-100, you might decide to use 1001-1100 as options for isolated networks. The switches need to be configured to allow these VLAN(s), otherwise they’d drop any such packets from the hosts, and crucially the hosts need the VLANs as well, but Veeam is handling that via the multi-host configuration steps: https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backup/vsphere/surereplica_multihost_portgroup_vlan_id.html?ver=110
• These VLANs require no routing from your underlying switch/router/firewall perspective (as appropriate for your L3 needs), instead the virtual lab will be responsible for the transition of data from your production network (communication between virtual lab & VBR) to the isolated networks, so you don’t need to worry about grand scheme changes here!

@Mildur & @MicoolPaul 

Maybe I expressed myself wrong, the DVS must be isolated, it must not talk to the production VDS net\vlan.
as per sshot DVS isolated.

I meant this: Isolated Networks on DVS - User Guide for VMware vSphere (veeam.com)

Thanks for all the responses @Chris.Childerhose  @Link State  @Mildur @MicoolPaul and @HunterLF 

And for @crothermel I recommend you start as small as possible and build from there; won’t beat around the bust - this is the hardest part of Veeam to comprehend!

Before proceeding to a DataLab, the advice is to do a LLTD on paper.
To be clear about the network\firewall flow of the infrastructure to be tested.
I attach an example

I think I was able to figure things out.  Thank you everyone for your help!!

Glad you figured it out.  Be sure to mark one of the responses as the answer to help others.