1.7 vSphere in the SDDC: vCenter Converter, vSphere Replication & SRM
Key Takeaways
In the software-defined data center, vSphere virtualizes compute, and vCenter is the management plane that storage (vSAN), networking (NSX), and operations tools build on.
vCenter Converter Standalone is a free tool that converts powered-on physical Windows and Linux machines, Hyper-V VMs, and VMware Workstation or Fusion VMs into VMware virtual machines.
vSphere Replication 8.x replicates individual VMs asynchronously with an RPO from 5 minutes to 24 hours and keeps up to 24 point-in-time instances.
Site Recovery Manager (renamed VMware Live Site Recovery) automates recovery plans using vSphere Replication or array-based replication through storage replication adapters.
SRM test recovery runs a recovery plan into an isolated test network without affecting production VMs or replication.
1.7 vSphere in the SDDC: vCenter Converter, vSphere Replication & SRM
vSphere's Role in the Software-Defined Data Center (2.1)
A software-defined data center (SDDC) virtualizes every layer of the data center and manages it through software and APIs:
| SDDC Layer | VMware Component | What It Virtualizes |
|---|---|---|
| Compute | vSphere (ESXi hosts managed by vCenter) | CPU and memory, pooled into clusters |
| Storage | vSAN, vVols, and SPBM | Storage, consumed through policies |
| Networking and security | NSX (plus vSphere distributed switching) | Switching, routing, firewalling |
| Management and automation | Aria (VCF) Operations and Automation | Monitoring, capacity, self-service |
vSphere is the foundation. ESXi abstracts the hardware, and vCenter is the management plane that the other layers plug into: NSX, vSAN, lifecycle tools, and the Supervisor. Broadcom now packages the full stack as VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) and a smaller compute-and-storage bundle as vSphere Foundation (VVF). Either way, the vSphere skills in this exam are the base.
vCenter Converter Standalone (2.3)
vCenter Converter Standalone is a free tool that creates VMware virtual machines from other sources. Broadcom brought it back in 2022 (versions 6.3-6.6) and released Converter Standalone 9.0 in August 2025.
| Use Case | Example |
|---|---|
| Physical-to-virtual (P2V) | Convert a running physical Windows or Linux server to a VM on ESXi or vCenter |
| Virtual-to-virtual (V2V) | Convert Microsoft Hyper-V VMs, or VMware Workstation and Fusion VMs, into vSphere VMs |
| Target desktop hypervisors | Produce a VM that runs in VMware Workstation, for example a copy of a Hyper-V VM for a developer's laptop |
| Reconfigure or resize | Change disk sizes, disk layout, or hardware settings during conversion |
How it works:
- For powered-on sources, Converter installs an agent on the source and hot-clones it, using a quiesced snapshot so the source keeps running without a reboot. A final synchronization can copy changes made during the clone.
- For powered-off VMware VMs, Converter reads the source files directly.
- The output can go to vCenter, a standalone ESXi host, or a Workstation-compatible format.
Official sample pattern: A Hyper-V VM must run as a copy in VMware Workstation on a laptop that cannot reach the data center network. The answer is vCenter Converter: convert the VM to the right format and deploy it in Workstation. Hyper-V exports and backups are not VMware formats.
Replication Options (2.4.1)
| Option | How It Replicates | Recovery Point |
|---|---|---|
| vSphere Replication | Hypervisor-based, per VM, asynchronous, from the ESXi host to a target datastore | 5 minutes to 24 hours in vSphere Replication 8.x (9.0 allows lower with a subscription) |
| Array-based replication | The storage array replicates whole LUNs or volumes | Depends on the array (synchronous or asynchronous) |
| vVols replication | Array replication controlled by storage policies per VM | Set in the policy |
| vSAN stretched cluster | Synchronous mirroring between two sites of one cluster | Zero data loss (RPO 0) |
vSphere Replication details worth knowing:
- It is deployed as an appliance that registers with vCenter and is configured per VM from the vSphere Client.
- It supports multiple point-in-time (MPIT) instances, up to 24 per VM, that become snapshots after recovery.
- Options include guest OS quiescing (better consistency but limits the RPO), network compression, and encryption of replication traffic.
- It works between two sites or within one site, for example to a second datastore. By itself, recovery is a manual, per-VM action.
vCenter HA is not disaster recovery. It protects vCenter from host failure inside one site.
Site Recovery Manager (2.4.2)
VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM), renamed VMware Live Site Recovery in the VCF 9 era, orchestrates disaster recovery on top of a replication engine:
- Replication: vSphere Replication, or array-based replication through vendor Storage Replication Adapters (SRAs).
- Protection groups: The VMs replicated together. SRM creates placeholder VMs at the recovery site.
- Recovery plans: Ordered startup using priority groups (1-5) and VM dependencies, IP customization for the recovery network, and custom steps or scripts.
| Workflow | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Test | Runs the plan at the recovery site into an isolated test network; production and replication keep running |
| Cleanup | Removes the test environment |
| Planned migration | Shuts down protected VMs cleanly, performs a final sync, and recovers them with no data loss |
| Disaster recovery | Recovers from the most recent replica when the protected site is down |
| Reprotect | Reverses replication so you can fail back later |
Use cases include DR, planned data center migrations, and regular non-disruptive DR testing for compliance.
Choosing the Right Tool
| Requirement | Best Fit |
|---|---|
| Move a running physical Windows server into vSphere with minimal downtime | vCenter Converter (hot clone plus final synchronization) |
| Protect 30 VMs against a site loss with an RPO of 15 minutes, no array replication | vSphere Replication, orchestrated by SRM if recovery must be automated |
| Zero data loss between two metro sites | vSAN stretched cluster or synchronous array replication |
| Prove the DR plan works every quarter without an outage | SRM test recovery into an isolated network |
| Keep vCenter available through a host failure | vCenter HA, which is not DR |
| Migrate a whole data center over a weekend with no data loss | SRM planned migration |
Exam Traps
- vSphere Replication alone recovers VMs one at a time, manually. The automation, ordering, and testing come from SRM.
- RPO is not RTO. vSphere Replication's 5-minute minimum (8.x) limits how much data you can lose, not how fast VMs come back.
- Converter is not a backup tool. It creates a new VM, and the source keeps running.
A developer needs a copy of a VM that currently runs on a Microsoft Hyper-V server. The copy must run in VMware Workstation on a laptop that cannot connect to the data center network. How should the administrator provide it?
Export the VM from Hyper-V and import the exported files directly into VMware Workstation
Restore the VM's latest backup into VMware Workstation
Use vCenter Converter to convert the VM to a format VMware Workstation runs, then deploy the result on the laptop
Clone the VM in vCenter and export the clone to the laptop
An application team requires disaster protection for 40 VMs with a recovery point of no more than 15 minutes, using only the hypervisor without array replication. Which vSphere Replication setting meets this, and what is the replication range in vSphere Replication 8.x?
Set an RPO of 15 minutes; vSphere Replication 8.x supports RPOs from 5 minutes to 24 hours
Set an RPO of 15 seconds; vSphere Replication 8.x supports RPOs from 1 second to 1 hour
Enable synchronous replication; vSphere Replication 8.x supports only RPO 0
Set an RPO of 15 minutes; vSphere Replication 8.x supports RPOs from 1 hour to 7 days
A compliance team must prove quarterly that the disaster recovery plan works, without shutting down production VMs or interrupting replication. Which Site Recovery Manager workflow should be used?
Planned migration
Test recovery
Reprotect
Disaster recovery
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.