ioReplicate: Three-Click Disaster Recovery Built Into VergeOS
ioReplicate replicates entire Virtual Data Centers, with their VMs, networking, storage settings and policies, to a second VergeOS site. Recovery from a DR test or a declared disaster takes three clicks, runs on whatever hardware the DR site has and needs no third-party replication product.
Too Much Hardware, Too Many Tools, Too Little Testing
Traditional DR requires duplicate hardware and software, stitches together fragmented tools, lets configurations drift out of date and makes testing risky for production. VM-centric replication misses the network and storage settings a workload needs. Site-wide replication offers no granularity at all.
| Recovery Element | VM-Centric Replication | Site-Wide Replication | ioReplicate + VDCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Network settings | Manual reconfiguration | Sometimes included, no granularity | Encapsulated per VDC |
| Storage settings | Manual reconfiguration | Sometimes included, no granularity | Encapsulated per VDC |
| Interrelated VM dependencies | Missed or tracked by hand | Included, cannot isolate | Automatic consistency groups |
| Recovery granularity | Per VM, many moving parts | All or nothing | Per VDC, right-sized groups |
| Recovery prioritization | Manual triage at the DR site | Difficult | VDC-level priority sequencing |
| Post-failover configuration | Extensive | Minimal but inflexible | Three clicks, no reconfiguration |
Snapshot-Driven, Deduplicated, Whole-Environment Replication
ioReplicate is built into VergeOS and driven by IOclone snapshots. Whenever a protected snapshot is created, VergeOS sends the changed data to the remote site. Global inline deduplication runs across the WAN, so only unique blocks travel, which keeps bandwidth low and replication times short.
- Whole VDCs. Each VDC replicates with its VMs, networks, IP addressing, storage policies and security settings as one synchronized object.
- Automatic consistency groups. Interrelated VMs inside a VDC replicate and recover together.
- Configurable frequency. Set replication intervals to meet strict RPOs, with RPO and RTO windows of just minutes.
- Many-to-one. Dozens of edge or branch sites replicate to one central DR site without high-speed links.
Deduplication across the WAN keeps replication light.
The Network Fails Over With the Workload
Most DR plans break at the network. ioReplicate includes VergeFabric, the software-defined networking built into VergeOS, so firewalls, routing, microsegmentation and VPNs replicate inside each VDC. The DR site needs no identical networking hardware.
- Virtualized firewalls, routing, microsegmentation and VPNs
- Automated failover with Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) and dynamic routing
- Different switches and hardware at the DR site, with no rework
VergeFabric fails the network over with the VDC.
No Identical Hardware Required
A VDC brings its own networking and storage configuration, so it runs correctly on whatever servers the DR site has. That breaks the most expensive rule of traditional DR: buying a second copy of production.
Commodity or Existing Servers
Run the DR site on last-generation or commodity x86 servers. VergeOS uses that hardware efficiently, so workloads perform well even on older equipment.
Bare-Metal Service Providers
Place the DR site at a bare-metal or colocation provider running VergeOS instead of building a second data center.
Many Sites, One Target
Replicate edge, branch and regional sites to one central DR location, with deduplication across the WAN.
Put the DR Site to Work Every Day
Workload portability turns DR from a pure expense into an investment. Moving a VDC between sites takes three clicks, fast enough to act on in real time.
Test and Stage
Spin up a test VDC at the DR site, validate updates, then promote the validated VDC back to production. No separate lab to buy.
Absorb Peak Loads
Move lower-priority VDCs, or the peak workload itself, to the DR site during demand spikes, with no new hardware.
Recover Only What Failed
Traditional DR forces a choice: fail over everything or wait for repairs. VergeOS adds a third option. When failures exceed local protection, restart only the affected VDCs at the DR site, and unaffected workloads keep running in production.
- No full-site failover for a partial failure
- The DR site is the third layer of VergeFS data retrieval, after the local replica and ioGuardian
- VDC-level priority sequencing brings critical workloads back first
Right-Size Protection, Then Add Veeam for Retention
VergeOS 26.1 Granular DR
Per-resource replication and tag-based snapshots let teams build protection tiers instead of over-protecting some workloads and under-protecting others. Watch the session →
Two-Layer Protection With Veeam
VergeOS handles the first 60 seconds to 60 minutes of a crisis with rollback, immutable snapshots and DR. Veeam Backup & Replication 13.1 supports VergeOS natively and handles long-term retention and off-platform restores.
Watch the ioReplicate Live Demo
See a Virtual Data Center replicate to a DR site and recover in three clicks, network failover included.
- VDC replication with deduplication across the WAN
- Three-click recovery on different hardware
- DR testing without touching production
Go deeper: Download the ioReplicate white paper
Watch the Demo
Frequently Asked Questions About ioReplicate and Disaster Recovery
What is ioReplicate?
ioReplicate is the replication and disaster recovery service built into VergeOS. It replicates entire Virtual Data Centers, including VMs, networking, storage settings and security policies, to a second VergeOS site, where they recover in three clicks.
What is disaster recovery?
Disaster recovery is the process of restoring IT systems, data and infrastructure after a disruptive event such as a natural disaster, cyberattack or hardware failure. The goal is to minimize downtime, protect data integrity and restore operations quickly.
How does disaster recovery differ from business continuity?
Disaster recovery restores IT systems and data after a disruption. Business continuity is the broader plan to keep every part of the business running during and after a disaster. DR is a subset of business continuity planning.
What is the difference between RPO and RTO?
Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is the maximum acceptable data loss measured in time. Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the maximum time it should take to restore operations. ioReplicate delivers RPO and RTO windows of just minutes.
Why replicate Virtual Data Centers instead of individual VMs?
VM-centric replication misses network settings, storage configuration and the dependencies between related VMs, so administrators must rebuild them at the DR site. A VDC replicates all of it as one object and acts as an automatic consistency group, so the workload restarts exactly as it ran in production.
Does the DR site need the same hardware as production?
No. A VDC brings its own networking and storage configuration, so it runs correctly on different servers, storage and networking at the DR site. Organizations use commodity or older servers, or a bare-metal service provider.
How much bandwidth does ioReplicate use?
ioReplicate is driven by IOclone snapshots and sends only changed data. Global inline deduplication runs across the WAN, so only unique blocks travel between sites, which makes many-to-one replication from edge and branch locations practical without high-speed links.
How does the network fail over?
ioReplicate includes VergeFabric, the software-defined networking in VergeOS. Firewalls, routing, microsegmentation and VPNs replicate inside each VDC, and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) automates network failover to the DR site.
Do I have to fail over the whole site?
No. When failures exceed local protection, VergeOS can restart only the affected VDCs at the DR site, and unaffected workloads keep running in production.
Can the DR site do useful work when there is no disaster?
Yes. Teams spin up test VDCs at the DR site to validate updates and promote them back to production, or move workloads there to absorb peak demand. Moving a VDC between sites takes three clicks.
Disaster Recovery You Can Test Every Week
Replicate whole Virtual Data Centers, fail the network over with them and recover in three clicks on the hardware you already have.