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Replication Data Paths

VM replication can work over two data paths:

Direct data path
Over a pair of WAN accelerators

Replication Data Paths Note:

Replication over WAN accelerators is supported only for snapshot replicas.

Direct Data Path

Replication over a direct data path is recommended if you replicate VMs over the LAN or fast connections. In this case, Veeam Backup & Replication transports data directly from the source host or off-host backup proxy to the target host.

Replication over WAN Accelerators

If you have a weak WAN link, you can replicate VM data over a pair of WAN accelerators. WAN accelerators provide advanced technologies to optimize VM data transfer:

Global data caching and deduplication
Resume on disconnect for uninterrupted data transfer

WAN accelerators add a new layer in the backup infrastructure — a layer between the source Veeam Data Mover and target Veeam Data Mover. The data flow goes from the source host or off-host backup proxy over a pair of WAN accelerators to the target host.

To replicate VMs over WAN accelerators, you must deploy a WAN accelerator at each end of the WAN link:

Source WAN accelerator must be deployed in the source site. The source WAN accelerator must have access to the backup server, source host or off-host backup proxy and target WAN accelerator.
Target WAN accelerator must be deployed in the target site. The target WAN accelerator must have access to the backup server, source WAN accelerator and target host.