> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.xloud.tech/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Protection Plans

> Create and activate XDR protection plans that define which workloads are replicated, the replication mode, and your RPO and RTO targets.

## Overview

A protection plan defines which workloads are protected, how they are replicated to
the DR site, and in what order they recover during a failover. Creating a well-structured
plan is the foundation of an effective DR strategy.

<Note>
  **Prerequisites**

  * An active Xloud account with project access
  * At least one DR site registered and connected (contact your administrator if no DR site is configured). Your administrator can configure this through [XDeploy](/deployment).
  * Instances and volumes you want to protect must exist in the project

  **Key Concepts**

  | Term                  | Definition                                                                        |
  | --------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
  | **RPO**               | Recovery Point Objective — maximum acceptable data loss measured in time          |
  | **RTO**               | Recovery Time Objective — maximum acceptable recovery time                        |
  | **Replication Mode**  | `Asynchronous` (lower overhead) or `Synchronous` (zero data loss, higher latency) |
  | **Consistency Group** | Resources that must recover together atomically                                   |
</Note>

***

## Creating a Protection Plan

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dashboard" icon="gauge">
    <Steps titleSize="h3">
      <Step title="Navigate to Protection Plans" icon="shield">
        Log in to the **Xloud Dashboard** (`https://connect.<your-domain>`) and navigate to
        **Project → Disaster Recovery → Protection Plans**. Click **Create Plan**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Define plan settings" icon="settings">
        | Field                | Description                                       |
        | -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
        | **Plan Name**        | Descriptive label (e.g., `prod-web-tier-dr`)      |
        | **RPO Target**       | Maximum data loss tolerance (e.g., `15 minutes`)  |
        | **RTO Target**       | Maximum acceptable recovery time (e.g., `1 hour`) |
        | **Replication Mode** | `Asynchronous` or `Synchronous`                   |
        | **DR Site**          | Target site where workloads recover               |

        <Tip>
          Synchronous replication guarantees zero data loss (RPO = 0) but adds write
          latency proportional to the round-trip time between sites. Use asynchronous
          mode for sites separated by more than 10ms RTT.
        </Tip>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Add protected resources" icon="plus">
        Click **Add Resource** and select the instances, volumes, or application groups
        to include. For each resource, configure:

        * **Recovery Priority** — order in which this resource starts during failover
        * **Consistency Group** — group resources that must recover together atomically
        * **Pre/Post Scripts** — optional automation hooks for application quiesce and validation
      </Step>

      <Step title="Review and activate" icon="circle-check">
        Review the plan summary and click **Activate**. XDR begins replicating all
        protected resources to the DR site immediately. Initial sync time depends on
        data volume.

        <Check>Plan status shows **Active** and initial replication sync begins.</Check>
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CLI" icon="terminal">
    <Info>
      XDR disaster recovery operations are managed exclusively through the XDR Dashboard.
      CLI access is not available for DR operations. Use the **Dashboard** tab above to
      create and activate protection plans.
    </Info>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Managing Existing Plans

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dashboard" icon="gauge">
    Navigate to **Project → Disaster Recovery → Protection Plans** to see all plans
    with their current status and replication lag.

    Available actions per plan:

    * **Edit** — update RPO/RTO targets or add resources
    * **Deactivate** — pause replication without deleting the plan
    * **Delete** — permanently remove the plan (stops replication)
    * **Failover** — initiate failover (see [Failover](/services/disaster-recovery/user-guide/failover))
    * **Test Failover** — run a DR test (see [DR Testing](/services/disaster-recovery/user-guide/test-dr))
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CLI" icon="terminal">
    <Info>
      XDR disaster recovery operations are managed exclusively through the XDR Dashboard.
      CLI access is not available for DR operations. Use the **Dashboard** tab above to
      manage existing protection plans.
    </Info>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Replication Health

Monitor replication health to ensure your RPO targets are achievable before an actual
disaster event:

| Metric              | Healthy       | Warning                | Action                        |
| ------------------- | ------------- | ---------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Replication lag     | \< RPO target | Approaching RPO target | Investigate network bandwidth |
| Plan status         | `ACTIVE`      | `DEGRADED`             | Review event log for errors   |
| Last recovery point | \< RPO ago    | > RPO ago              | Check connectivity to DR site |

Monitor replication lag for all plans from the **Disaster Recovery → Protection Plans** list
view, which displays current lag alongside each plan.

<Warning>
  If replication lag consistently exceeds your RPO target, actual data loss on failover
  will exceed the configured target. Escalate to your storage administrator immediately.
</Warning>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Failover" href="/services/disaster-recovery/user-guide/failover" color="#197560">
    Execute failover when a primary site failure is confirmed
  </Card>

  <Card title="DR Testing" href="/services/disaster-recovery/user-guide/test-dr" color="#197560">
    Validate your protection plan without impacting production
  </Card>

  <Card title="XDR Admin — Recovery Plans" href="/services/disaster-recovery/admin-guide/recovery-plans" color="#197560">
    Define ordered resource groups and automation hooks (administrator)
  </Card>

  <Card title="Troubleshooting" href="/services/disaster-recovery/user-guide/troubleshooting" color="#197560">
    Diagnose replication lag and plan activation issues
  </Card>
</CardGroup>