Specify network configurations for disaster recovery

When planning and administering Azure for SAP workloads, it is crucial to establish network configurations for disaster recovery to ensure business continuity and data protection. By implementing the right network setup, you can minimize downtime, protect data integrity, and achieve high availability. In this article, we will explore some essential network configurations for disaster recovery in Azure.

1. Azure Virtual Network (VNet)

The first step is to create an Azure Virtual Network (VNet) to establish a secure network infrastructure. This VNet will contain all the necessary resources for running your SAP workloads. You can define address spaces and subnets within the VNet to organize your resources logically.

Here’s an example of creating a VNet using Azure CLI:

az network vnet create \
--name myVNet \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--address-prefixes 10.0.0.0/16 \
--subnet-name mySubnet \
--subnet-prefix 10.0.0.0/24

2. Virtual Network Peering

To ensure disaster recovery readiness, you can establish virtual network peering between your primary and secondary regions. This enables communication between the VNets in different regions, facilitating data replication and failover operations.

Creating a virtual network peering between two VNets can be done using Azure CLI:

az network vnet peering create \
--name myVNetPeering \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--vnet-name myVNet \
--remote-vnet mySecondaryVNet \
--allow-vnet-access

3. ExpressRoute or VPN Gateway

To establish connectivity between your on-premises infrastructure and Azure, you have two options: ExpressRoute or VPN Gateway. ExpressRoute provides a dedicated private connection, offering higher bandwidth and lower latency. VPN Gateway, on the other hand, is a software-based solution over the internet.

Here’s an example of creating an ExpressRoute circuit using Azure CLI:

az network express-route circuit create \
--name myCircuit \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--location 'West US' \
--service-provider 'Equinix' \
--sku-family MeteredData \
--sku-tier Standard

4. Load Balancer

To distribute incoming traffic across multiple backend servers and ensure high availability, you can configure a load balancer. This can be beneficial during disaster recovery scenarios when you need to redirect incoming requests to the secondary region.

Creating a basic load balancer using Azure CLI can be done as follows:

az network lb create \
--name myLoadBalancer \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--sku Standard

5. Traffic Manager

Azure Traffic Manager provides global load balancing and DNS-based traffic routing capabilities. By configuring Traffic Manager, you can distribute traffic between primary and secondary regions based on various traffic-routing policies, including performance, failover, and weighted distribution.

Creating a Traffic Manager profile can be achieved with Azure CLI:

az network traffic-manager profile create \
--name myTrafficManagerProfile \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--routing-method Priority \
--unique-dns-name myuniqueapp \
--ttl 30

By implementing these network configurations for disaster recovery, you can ensure the availability and integrity of your SAP workloads in Azure. Remember to test your disaster recovery plan regularly to validate its effectiveness.