Migration and failback considerations

Last published : Jun 12, 2026
To keep VM migration, failover, and failback smooth, the DR workflow leaves persistent storage on the source cluster even if VMs are removed during a DR event. This protects application data and allows fast, consistent recovery.
Persistent volume retention
Configure each VM's PersistentVolume (PV) with spec: persistentVolumeReclaimPolicy: Retain.
  • This setting makes sure the PV is not deleted when its PVC or VM is removed during migration or failover.
  • Keeping the PV lets the VM reattach to its original data during restore or failback. It reduces recovery time and prevents data loss.
Automatic policy correction
If the DR workflow sees that Retain is not set:
  • It finds the VM's DataVolume (DV).
  • It locates the related PVs and updates their reclaim policy to Retain.
This keeps failover and failback consistent and safe, even if the original PV was misconfigured.
Recommended storage practices
  • For best results, create and link DVs and PVs to VirtualMachines using standard OpenShift Virtualization workflows.
  • Manually created DVs or PVs may not be updated automatically by the DR workflow. They can miss reclaim policy fixes. Using integrated provisioning simplifies recovery and avoids storage inconsistencies during DR operations.