In this guide, we\u2019ll discuss exactly how cross-region replication works in Azure and provide some examples of services that support it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before we dive in, it\u2019s worth noting that Azure\u2019s approach to cross-region replication has some limitations<\/strong>. Mainly these limitations are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the second part of this guide, we\u2019ll also show you how\u00a0Resilio Active Everywhere<\/a> (formerly Connect)\u00a0\u2014 our WAN-optimized data replication, sync, and file gateway solution \u2014 overcomes these challenges to achieve incredibly fast, reliable, and predictable replication.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Specifically, you\u2019ll learn how Resilio Platform can help you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Brands like Exxon Mobil, 2K Games, Warner Brothers, Cisco, and KFC use Resilio Platform to achieve industry-leading transfer, sync, and <\/em>replication<\/em> speeds across regions, cloud providers, and on-prem environments. For more details on how our solution can help your organization, <\/em>schedule a demo with our team<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n By default, Azure regions are designed to offer protection against local disasters. Azure does this by building multiple availability zones (i.e., groups of data centers) inside the same region, so your data doesn\u2019t get lost in the event of a fire, earthquake, or another local disaster.<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cross-region replication adds another layer of protection on top of that by replicating your apps and data across different Azure regions in an asynchronous way. This is great if you\u2019re looking to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, not all <\/strong>Azure services<\/strong> offer <\/strong>cross-region replication<\/strong>. If you need this capability when using a service, make sure to go over the documentation to see if it’s available. Also, note that each service comes with its own pricing which typically includes extra costs for cross-region replication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some of the most popular services that can replicate Azure resources across regions and help you fail over critical applications: <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Regional pairings are another key aspect of cross-region replication in Azure. Different<\/strong> Azure regions<\/strong> are paired together for <\/strong>cross-region replication<\/strong> by default<\/strong>. This means you can\u2019t freely choose where your data gets replicated in a cross-region scenario. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: <\/em><\/strong>You can <\/em>see all <\/em>Azure regional pairs<\/em> for <\/em>Azure<\/em> NetApp Files here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite its benefits, cross-region replication in Azure has three key downsides for teams that want flexible, fast, and cost-effective replication:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Resilio Platform is a real-time replication solution that delivers the fastest replication speeds in the industry, thanks to its unique P2P Architecture and proprietary, UDP-based WAN optimization technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brands like Wargaming<\/a>, VoiceBase<\/a>, and Skywalker Sound<\/a> use our software to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the next section, we\u2019ll explore five key benefits of using Resilio Platform for your data replication, sync, and transfer needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most traditional replication<\/a> and file transfer solutions<\/a>, including AzCopy, Azure File Sync, and other storage replication services offered by Azure, have two central issues:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Point-to-point architectures come in one of two flavors \u2014 client-server and \u201cfollow-the-sun\u201d replication \u2014 both of which have serious downsides:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In both cases, replication is always limited to two devices at a time. This results in much lower (and unpredictable) <\/strong>replication<\/strong> speeds<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And, because replication can only occur between two devices, each of them is a single point of failure and potential bottleneck<\/strong>. For example, if the hub server experiences an outage, network failure, or any other issue, the replication process to all other servers can be interrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, performance degrades as you add more endpoints or increase the volume of data that has to be replicated. In these cases, scaling up your environment is also costly because you need to buy new servers and figure out ways to distribute the load between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there\u2019s the issue of using TCP for long-range replication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While TCP can work well for transfers over LANs (local area networks), its performance degrades due to even small levels of <\/strong>latency<\/strong> and packet loss<\/strong>. Since latency and packet loss are defining characteristics of WANs (wide area networks), TCP isn\u2019t a good choice for companies looking to replicate data all over the globe quickly and make the most out of expensive WAN networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Resilio Platform uses a unique P2P architecture and UDP-based WAN optimization to overcome these challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Resilio\u2019s P2P (peer-to-peer) architecture, each device in your environment that\u2019s running a Resilio agent can take part in the <\/strong>replication<\/strong> process<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that instead of data needing to be transferred from Device A to Device B to Device C and so on, once Device A sends data to Device B, both of those devices can participate in sending the data to other devices in the network<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a result, with Resilio\u2019s P2P replication, the more servers you have, the faster the replication times because you have more devices that can transfer data simultaneously. In stark contrast, in a point-to-point environment, transfer speeds slow down with more devices because transfer only ever happens between two of them at a time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To speed up replication even more, Resilio Platform also uses a process called file chunking. This lets our solution separate files into chunks and transfer them independently from each other<\/p>\n\n\n\n The combination of P2P replication and chucking results in 3-10x faster <\/strong>replication<\/strong> speeds<\/strong> than traditional replication solutions because every server in your environment can replicate data at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n This combination of capabilities also has a few other key advantages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Resilio doesn\u2019t rely on TCP for long-range data replication. Instead, we have a proprietary, UDP-based WAN optimization technology that\u2019s designed to optimize transfers across any network, while overcoming <\/strong>latency<\/strong> and packet loss<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is possible thanks to our proprietary UDP-based transfer protocol called Zero Gravity Transport\u2122 (ZGT). ZGT analyzes the underlying network and measures packet loss, latency, and throughput, allowing it to automatically adjust<\/strong> replication<\/strong> parameters and utilize 100% of the available bandwidth<\/strong> \u2014 whether that\u2019s across broadband, VSats, cell (3g, 4g, 5g), Wi-Fi, or any other network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, because ZGT is optimized for unreliable networks, you can always rely on it to replicate, sync, or transfer data from the edge to a centralized location in the cloud or in your data centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ZGT works by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re interested in how much time this technology can save your business, check out the free speed calculator on our website<\/a>. It shows you how faster Resilio Platform is compared to other solutions for different use cases, like server sync, file send, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a few examples of the power of Resilio Active Everywhere P2P architecture and WAN optimization technology:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Resilio Platform is a cloud-agnostic software that builds on open standards, open file formats, and a multi-cloud architecture. This means you can use it to ingest, transfer, sync, and <\/strong>replicate data<\/strong> across any cloud provider, on-prem infrastructure, or hybrid cloud setup.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With Resilio Active Everywhere, you have the flexibility to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Resilio Platform is also an agent-based, software-only solution.<\/strong> There\u2019s no need to buy new hardware and train your team on it. Instead, you can install Resilio on your existing infrastructure, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanks to these flexible deployment options and Resilio\u2019s software-only nature, you can set up our solution on your existing infrastructure and begin <\/strong>replicating<\/strong> data in as little as 2 hours<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s easy for complexity to creep up on you when using Azure, AWS, or any other cloud provider, as they all offer a plethora of services for ingesting, transferring, replicating, and syncing data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you can use Azure Data Box devices or the Azure Import\/Export service to get your data into the cloud. You can then use geo-redundant storage to ensure it\u2019s being replicated to a secondary region, alongside services like AzCopy, Azure Data Box Gateway<\/a>, and Azure Data Factory to transfer it across regions and services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While it\u2019s good to have options for different use cases, it\u2019s often very difficult and time-consuming to find the right service (or combination of services) for your needs. Resilio Platform takes a drastically simpler approach by letting you control every aspect of data <\/strong>replication<\/strong>, sync, and transfer from our <\/strong>Central<\/strong> Management Console.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no need to learn and constantly jump between different services or dashboards, even if you\u2019re replicating across Azure geographies, cloud providers, and on-prem infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n For example, you can use it to configure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The console can also be stored anywhere you like, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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How Cross-Region Replication Works in Azure: Regions, Services, and Benefits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Azure](\"https:\/\/blog.resilio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/cross-region-replication-Azure-4.png\")
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The Limitations of Azure\u2019s Approach to Cross-Region Replication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How Resilio Platform Delivers Superior Cross-Region Replication<\/h2>\n\n\n
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1. Speed, Scalability, and Fault-Tolerance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Faster and More Reliable Replication<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"GIF](\"https:\/\/blog.resilio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image2.gif\")
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![\"Hot\/Live](\"https:\/\/blog.resilio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/hot-dr-warm-dr-cold-dr-and-offsite-copy-699x1024.png\")
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![\"Cross](\"https:\/\/blog.resilio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/cross-region-replication-Azure-3-1024x668.png\")
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2. Deployment and Replication Versatility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Storage](\"https:\/\/blog.resilio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-1024x776.png\")
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3. Simplicity and Centralized Management<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Edit](\"https:\/\/blog.resilio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/cross-region-replication-Azure-5.png\")
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![\"How](\"https:\/\/blog.resilio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/always-keep-on-this-device-option-761x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"Mutual](\"https:\/\/blog.resilio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image7.png\")
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