---
title: RamenDR Starter Kit
date: 2025-11-13
tier: sandbox
summary: This pattern demonstrates the use of Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundations for Virtualization Regional Disaster Recovery
rh_products:
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform
- Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux
- Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation
- Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation MultiCluster Orchestrator
- Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation DR Hub Operator
- Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management
industries: []
focus_areas:
- Resilience
- Data
- Virtualization
aliases: /ramendr-starter-kit/
pattern_logo: ansible-edge.png
links:
  github: https://github.com/validatedpatterns/ramendr-starter-kit/
  install: getting-started
  bugs: https://github.com/validatedpatterns/ramendr-starter-kit/issues
  feedback: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScI76b6tD1WyPu2-d_9CCVDr3Fu5jYERthqLKJDUGwqBg7Vcg/viewform
  demo: Qla3IzaQVM9yQP27TWDU
ci: ramendr-starter-kit
---

:toc:
:imagesdir: /images
:_content-type: ASSEMBLY
include::modules/comm-attributes.adoc[]

== RamenDR Regional Disaster Recovery with Virtualization Starter Kit

This pattern sets up three clusters as recommended for OpenShift Data Foundations Regional Disaster Recovery as 
documented link:https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_openshift_data_foundation/4.18/html-single/configuring_openshift_data_foundation_disaster_recovery_for_openshift_workloads/index[here].

Of additional interest is that the workload that it sets up protection for and can failover involves running virtual
machines.

The setup process is relatively intricate; the goal of this pattern is to handle all the intricate parts and present
a functional DR-capable starting point for Virtual Machine workloads. In particular this pattern takes care to sequence
installations and validate pre-requisites for all of the core components of the Disaster Recovery system.

You might fork the repository to customize chart values (for example `aws.region` in
link:https://github.com/validatedpatterns/ramendr-starter-kit/blob/main/charts/hub/rdr/values.yaml[`charts/hub/rdr/values.yaml`])
or to select a non-default install variant. The link:/patterns/ramendr-starter-kit/getting-started/[Getting started] page describes variant
selection, BYOC, required secrets, and verification steps.

[id="install-variants"]
=== Install variants

The pattern ships three install variants under `variants/` in the repository. Set `main.variant` in
link:https://github.com/validatedpatterns/ramendr-starter-kit/blob/main/values-global.yaml[`values-global.yaml`]
before install. The default is `odf`.

[cols="1,1,3",options="header"]
|===
| Variant | `main.variant` | Purpose
| `odf` | `odf` (default) | Full {ocp-data-short} Regional DR with {VirtProductName} workloads, MirrorPeer, and failover-capable VMs
| `drpartner-s4` | `drpartner-s4` | Partner CSI foundation with hub S4 object storage: OADP, {VirtProductName}, Ramen/Multicluster Orchestrator; infrastructure DRClusters and a `2m-novm` DRPolicy without DRPC or VMs; Submariner disabled
| `drpartner-minimal` | `drpartner-minimal` | Partner CSI foundation without S4, Submariner, or DRCluster sync/validation: OADP, {VirtProductName}, and Ramen/Multicluster Orchestrator only (Hive or BYOC bring-up)
|===

Spoke configuration files nest under each variant as `variants/<variant>/values-<managedClusterGroup.name>.yaml`.
See link:/patterns/ramendr-starter-kit/installation-details/#variant-installation-differences[Installation details] for what each variant deploys on the hub and managed clusters.
For component schematics, connectivity paths, and TLS/CA handling, see link:/patterns/ramendr-starter-kit/architecture/[Architecture] and link:/patterns/ramendr-starter-kit/connectivity/[Connectivity].

=== Background

It would be ideal if all applications in the world understood availability concepts natively and had their own 
integrated regional failover strategies. However, many workloads do not, and users who need regional disaster recovery
capabilities need to solve this problem for the applications that cannot solve it for themselves.

This pattern uses OpenShift Virtualization (the productization of Kubevirt) to simulate the Edge environment for VMs.

==== Solution elements

==== Red Hat Technologies

* Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform (Kubernetes)
* Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management (RHACM)
* Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundations (ODF, including Multicluster Orchestrator)
* Submariner (VPN)
* Red Hat OpenShift GitOps (ArgoCD)
* OpenShift Virtualization (Kubevirt)
* Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 (on the VMs)

==== Other technologies this pattern Uses

* HashiCorp Vault (Community Edition)
* External Secrets Operator (Community Edition)

=== Architecture overview

The default `odf` variant deploys a three-cluster Regional DR layout with {ocp-data-short}, Submariner, DRPC-protected VMs, and failover workflows documented in link:/patterns/ramendr-starter-kit/getting-started/[Getting started].

.ramendr-architecture-diagram
image::/images/ramendr-starter-kit/ramendr-architecture-odf.png[ramendr-starter-kit-architecture,title="RamenDR Starter Kit architecture (odf)"]

draw.io source: link:/images/ramendr-starter-kit/ramendr-architecture-odf.drawio[`ramendr-architecture-odf.drawio`]

Partner variants use different S3 and replication models. See link:/patterns/ramendr-starter-kit/architecture/[Architecture] for per-variant schematics and draw.io sources, and link:/patterns/ramendr-starter-kit/connectivity/[Connectivity] for hub-to-managed network paths and ports.

=== Next steps

* link:/patterns/ramendr-starter-kit/architecture/[Architecture] — Component schematics, TLS/CA, draw.io sources
* link:/patterns/ramendr-starter-kit/connectivity/[Connectivity] — Hub-to-managed connectivity by variant
* link:/patterns/ramendr-starter-kit/getting-started/[Getting started] — Prerequisites, variant selection, BYOC, and deployment
* link:/patterns/ramendr-starter-kit/installation-details/[Installation details] — Install sequence and pattern scripts