Exemplary methods, apparatuses, and systems include a first host system configuring storage of the first host to serve as a primary cache for a virtual machine running on the first host. A second host system configures storage of the second host to serve as a secondary cache and boots a placeholder virtual machine. The first host transmits, in response to write operations from the virtual machine directed to the primary cache, copies of the write operations to the second host to create mirrored copies on the secondary cache. The first host acknowledges each write operation from the virtual machine when the write operation is committed to both the primary cache and the secondary cache. When the virtual machine is restarted on the second host in response to a failure or migration event, the secondary cache is promoted to serve as a new primary cache for the virtual machine.