A Protection Domain exists with a VM, but no new snapshots are being created and replication never starts. Which is the most likely DR setup issue?

A schedule is the primary trigger for automated data protection within a Nutanix Protection Domain. It defines the Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and dictates when snapshots of the protected entities are taken. If a Protection Domain is created but no schedule is configured, the system will not automatically create new snapshots. Since replication is the process of sending these snapshots to a remote site, the absence of new snapshots means the replication process will never be initiated. This directly accounts for both symptoms described in the question.

A. The Protection Domain has no entities that are protected

The question explicitly states that the Protection Domain exists "with a VM," meaning it does contain a protected entity.

C. The remote site has no vStore mapping

A missing container (vStore) mapping would cause the replication job to fail, but it would not prevent the local snapshot from being created by its schedule.

D. Bandwidth throttling is set too low

Low bandwidth would slow down or cause replication to time out, but it would not stop the scheduled creation of the local snapshot.

1. Nutanix Data Protection and Recovery with Prism Element Guide (for AOS 6.5): In the "Asynchronous Replication" chapter, section "Configuring a Protection Domain (Async DR)", the procedure explicitly includes the step "To create a schedule for this protection domain to take snapshots, click New Schedule." This highlights that a schedule is a necessary component to initiate the snapshot and replication process.

2. Nutanix University - Nutanix Certified Professional - Business Continuity (NCP-BC) 6.5 Study Guide: In the section "Module 2: Data Protection," it details the configuration of Protection Domains. The guide emphasizes that a schedule must be created to define the RPO and trigger snapshots automatically. Without a schedule, only manual snapshots are possible, and no automated replication will occur.

3. Nutanix Bible by Steven Poitras: In the "Data Protection" section, under "Protection Domains," it is explained that "Protection Domains are configured with a schedule which defines the RPO." This confirms the schedule's role as the trigger for the entire data protection workflow, including snapshot creation and subsequent replication.