> ## 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.

# DR Testing

> Validate XDR protection plans with isolated DR tests — confirm recovery procedures and measure actual RTO without impacting production workloads.

## Overview

DR tests validate your protection plan without impacting production. Test instances
are brought up in an isolated network environment on the DR site, allowing you to
confirm recovery procedures and measure actual RTO. Xloud recommends running DR tests
at least quarterly.

<Tip>
  Regular DR tests are the only way to verify that your RPO and RTO targets are
  achievable and that recovery runbooks remain accurate as workloads evolve. A
  DR plan that has never been tested is not a reliable DR plan.
</Tip>

<Note>
  **Prerequisites**

  * An active protection plan with replication in `ACTIVE` status
  * DR site is healthy and has sufficient capacity for the test instances
  * Notify the operations team before starting a test — test traffic will appear in monitoring
</Note>

***

## Running a DR Test

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dashboard" icon="gauge">
    <Steps titleSize="h3">
      <Step title="Start a DR test" icon="flask-conical">
        Navigate to **Disaster Recovery → Protection Plans**, select the plan, and click
        **Test Failover**. The test brings up recovered instances in an isolated network
        segment — production traffic is not affected.

        | Option             | Description                                           |
        | ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------- |
        | **Recovery Point** | Which snapshot to use for the test — usually `latest` |
        | **Test Network**   | Isolated network segment for test instances           |
        | **Test Duration**  | Maximum time before auto-cleanup                      |
      </Step>

      <Step title="Validate recovered workloads" icon="circle-check">
        Access the test instances through the isolated DR test network. Run your
        application validation scripts to confirm the service is operational and
        data is intact.

        | Validation Check     | What to Verify                                    |
        | -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
        | Instance status      | All instances show `ACTIVE` on DR site            |
        | Data integrity       | Application-level health checks pass              |
        | Service connectivity | Intra-app communication works in isolated network |
        | Recovery time        | Actual RTO measured against configured target     |

        <Note>
          Test instances run in an isolated network — they cannot reach production
          services or external systems. This isolation is intentional and prevents
          DR test instances from interfering with production.
        </Note>
      </Step>

      <Step title="End the test" icon="x-circle">
        Click **End Test** to terminate the test instances and release the isolated
        environment. No changes are made to production — the protection plan remains
        active throughout.

        <Check>DR test report generated with measured RTO and pass/fail for each validation check.</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
      run DR tests and review test results.
    </Info>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Test Report

After each DR test, XDR generates a report including:

| Report Field            | Description                                            |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Test Date**           | When the test was executed                             |
| **Recovery Point Used** | Age of data at test time                               |
| **Measured RTO**        | Actual time from test start to all resources validated |
| **Target RTO**          | Configured target for comparison                       |
| **Pass/Fail**           | Whether measured RTO met the configured target         |
| **Resource Status**     | Per-resource recovery outcome                          |
| **Script Results**      | Output from pre/post recovery validation scripts       |

Export DR test reports from **Disaster Recovery → Reports** by selecting the test
report type and choosing PDF or CSV format. See [Compliance](/services/disaster-recovery/admin-guide/compliance)
for scheduled report delivery.

***

## DR Test Schedule

| Frequency             | Trigger              | Scope                                          |
| --------------------- | -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| Quarterly             | Calendar             | Full protection plan test for all plans        |
| After major changes   | Change event         | Any plan whose workloads changed significantly |
| After site changes    | Infrastructure event | After DR site hardware or network changes      |
| After runbook updates | Policy change        | When pre/post recovery scripts are modified    |

<Warning>
  XIMP can alert when a DR test has not been run within the configured interval.
  Navigate to **Monitoring → Alerting → Alert Rules** and create a rule sourcing
  `xdr_last_test_age_days > 90` to ensure tests are not missed.
</Warning>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Protection Plans" href="/services/disaster-recovery/user-guide/protection-plans" color="#197560">
    Update protection plans based on test results
  </Card>

  <Card title="Failover" href="/services/disaster-recovery/user-guide/failover" color="#197560">
    Full failover procedure when an actual disaster event occurs
  </Card>

  <Card title="XDR Admin — Compliance" href="/services/disaster-recovery/admin-guide/compliance" color="#197560">
    Generate RPO/RTO compliance reports from DR test history (administrator)
  </Card>

  <Card title="Troubleshooting" href="/services/disaster-recovery/user-guide/troubleshooting" color="#197560">
    Diagnose DR test failures and instance access issues
  </Card>
</CardGroup>