Mappings are used to specify how SRM maps virtual machine resources on the protected site to resources on the recovery site. Site-wide mappings can be configured to map objects in the vCenter Server inventory on the protected site to corresponding objects in the vCenter Server inventory on the recovery site. Through the wizard, SRM can create the reverse objects automatically for the user. The following resources are needed:
- Network Mappings
- Folder Mappings
- Resource Mappings
- Storage Policy Mappings (advanced optional configuration)
When the user runs a recovery plan, VMware has to know in what cluster or folder the VMs should be placed and on what network they should run. Mappings do not require identical names, nor must the resources be equal on both sides. For example, two folders on the protection site can map to the same folder on the recovery site. The next section covers, by example, how one of these mappings is done.