What is a Connector

The Connector is one of the fundamental elements for the operation of the  Disaster Recovery.

The Connector’s function is twofold:

• Under standard operating conditions, it monitors the status of the devices integrated into the Disaster Recovery Plan;
• When the Emergency Procedure is activated, it establishes a network link between the company infrastructure and the restored resources, ensuring accessibility without requiring changes to the existing network configuration.

How it works

By default, the WAN network card is configured for DHCP (it can be set statically), while the Cloud Extension Interface (“LAN” on physical NanoPi devices) is part of an empty bridge with no IP address.

Both interfaces can be connected to the same network segment without causing loops or malfunctions. It is essential that there is connectivity in the WAN and that the Cloud Extension Interface is connected to the segment containing the server or workstation to be recovered in the event of a disaster.

When the Disaster Recovery procedure is initiated, a VXLAN interface is enabled on the Connector and placed within the Cloud Extension Interface bridge. This allows for a Layer 2 connection between the recovered cloud resource and the site where the Connector is installed.

Connection example (NanoPi R2S)

The connection is similar on other physical/virtual devices.

Web Interface

Within the Connector, in addition to the various service components, there is a web interface that allows the user to check operational status, change the network configuration, and perform diagnostic operations.

Different types of connector are currently available:

• x86_64 devices
• Mikrotik devices
• OpenWrt x86_64
• NanoPI R2S / R3S