VMware vCenter Server 4.0

Module 1-3 Lessons

– Lesson 1 – vSphere Upgrade

– Lesson 2 – ESX 4.0 Install

– Lesson 3 – vCenter Server 4.0

– Lesson 4 – vSphere 4.0 Licensing

– Lesson 5 – Remote CLI

Module 1-3 Lessons

– Lesson 1 – Overview of vCenter Server 4.0

– Lesson 2 – vCenter Server 4.0 Hardware requirements

– Lesson 3 – Supported Databases

– Lesson 4 – Preparing VC Databases

– Lesson 5 – Maintaining VC Database

– Lesson 6 – Installing VC 4.0

– Lesson 7 – Installing vSphere Client

– Lesson 8 – Linked-Mode Groups

– Lesson 9 – ADAM ( Active Directory Application Mode )

– Lesson 10 – vCenter 4.0 Log collection

vSphere Components

ESX

vCenter Server

vCenter Server Plugin

vSphere Client

Web Access

Databases

vCenter Server Hardware Requirements

– The vCenter Server is a physical machine or virtual machine configured with access to a supported database.

– The vCenter Server hardware must meet the following requirements:• Processor – 2.0GHz or higher Intel or AMD x86 processor.

Processor requirements can be larger if your database is run on the same hardware. Consult Database documentation.

• Memory – 2GB RAM minimum. RAM requirements can be larger if your database is run on the same hardware.

• Disk storage – 1GB minimum, 2GB recommended.

• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express disk requirements – The bundled database requires up to 2GB free disk space to decompress the installation archive.

– However, approximately 1.5GB of these files are deleted after the installation is complete.

• Networking – 1 GB recommended.

vSphere Client Hardware Requirements

– The vSphere Client hardware must meet the following requirements:

• Processor – 266MHz or higher Intel or AMD x86 processor (500MHz recommended).

• Memory – 256MB RAM minimum, 512MB recommended.

• Disk Storage – 150MB free disk space required for basic installation. You must have 55MB free on the destination drive for installation of the program, and you must have 100MB free on the drive containing your %temp% directory.

• Networking – 1 Gb recommended.

vSphere Client and vCenter Server Software Requirements

– For any operating system except Windows Server 2003 SP1, install Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1, otherwise your vCenter Server installation can fail.

– See http://support.microsoft.com/?id=893803 for information on downloading Windows Installer 3.1.

– The vSphere Client requires the Microsoft .NET 3.0 SP1 Framework and Microsoft Visual J# 2.0 Second Edition. If your system does not have these installed, the vSphere Client installer installs them.

Supported Operating Systems

Supported Operating Systems

vSphere Web Access Requirements

– VMware vSphere Web Access is a browser-based application designed to manage virtual machines on ESX/ ESXi and vCenter Server deployments.

vCenter Server Database Requirements– IBM DB2 Support

• IBM DB2 Express-C v9.5

• IBM DB2 Express Edition v9.5

• IBM DB2 Workgroup Server Edition v9.5

• IBM DB2 Enterprise Server Edition v9.5

– Microsoft SQL server Database Support

• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express

• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Standard edition (SP2)

• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Enterprise edition (SP2)

• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Enterprise edition (SP2) x64

• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition

• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Enterprise Edition

• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Enterprise Edition (x64)

vCenter Server Database Requirements

– Oracle Database Support

• Oracle 10g Standard edition (Release 1 [10.1.0.3.0])

• Oracle 10g Enterprise edition (Release 1 [10.1.0.3.0])

• Oracle 10g Standard edition (Release 2 [10.2.0.1.0])

• Oracle 10g Enterprise edition (Release 2 [10.2.0.1.0])

• Oracle 10g Enterprise edition (Release 2 [10.2.0.1.0]) x64

• Oracle 11g Standard edition

• Oracle 11g Enterprise edition

Supported Guest Operating Systems

– The VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide includes information on supported guest operating systems.

– ESX offers support for a number of 64-bit guest operating systems.

• Specific hardware requirements for 64-bit guest operating system

– AMD Opteron-based systems, the processors must be Opteron Rev E and later

– Intel Xeon-based systems, the processors must include support for Intel Virtualization Technology (VT).

– CPUs with VT support might ship with VT disabled by default

– To determine whether your server has the necessary support, you can use a CPU Compatibility Tool at http://www.vmware.com/download/vi/drivers_tools.html

Virtual Machine Requirements

– Each Virtual Machine has the following requirements.

• Virtual processor

– Intel Pentium II or later (dependent on system processor)

– One, two, four or eight processors per virtual machineNOTE If you create a two-processor virtual machine, your ESX machine must have at least two physical processors. For a four-processor virtual machine, your ESX machine must have at least four physical processors.

• Virtual chip set — Intel 440BX-based motherboard with NS338 SIO chip

• Virtual BIOS — PhoenixBIOS 4.0 Release 6

ESX and vCenter Server and Client Compatibility

– Use this section to look up the ESX/ESXi versions that are compatible with vCenter Server 4.0

ESX and vCenter Server and Client Compatibility– ESX/ESXi versions compatible with the vSphere Client 4.0

vCenter Required Ports

Configure vCenter Server to Use Evaluation Mode

– When you run vCenter Server in evaluation mode, vCenter Server behaves for 60 days as if it has a vCenter Server edition license.

– The vCenter Server and evaluation editions of vCenter Server allow you to manage an unlimited number of hosts and use Linked-Mode vCenter Server.

– To configure vCenter Server to use evaluation mode

• If you install vCenter Server and do not enter a license key during the installation, vCenter Server is installed in evaluation mode. When the install wizard prompts you for a license key, leave the license-key field blank and click Next.

• If vCenter Server is licensed and you want to convert vCenter Server to evaluation mode, you can do so.

Licensing vCenter Server After the Evaluation Expires– After the 60-day evaluation period expires, unless you obtain licenses for

your software, you are no longer able to perform most operations in vCenter Server and ESX.

Switching vCenter Server to Licensed Mode

– When you switch your vCenter Server and ESX from evaluation mode to the licensed mode, consider the following:

• If vCenter Server is managing vSphere 3 hosts (for example, ESX 3.0.x or ESXi 3.5), vCenter Server must have access to the VMware License Server. You can download the VMware License Server from the VMware Web site.

• When you assign a license to a machine on which a vSphere component is installed, the license must be compatible with all of the resources and features that you configure during the evaluation period.

Preparing vSphere Databases

– VMware recommends using a separate database for vCenter Server and vCenter Update Manager

– vCenter Server and vCenter Update Manager require databases to store and organize server data.

– vSphere supports Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server and IBM DB2 databases.

• IBM DB2 database only supported for vCenter, no support for Update Manager or any plug-in that requires a database.

– You must have administration credentials (ID and password) to log in to an Oracle, SQL Server or IBM DB2 database.

– Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express is intended to be used for small deployments of up to 5 hosts and 50 virtual machines.

Supported Database Types

Supported Database Types

Maintaining Your vCenter Server Database

– After your vCenter Server database instance and vCenter Server are installed and operational, perform standard database maintenance processes. These include:

• Monitoring the growth of the log file and compacting the database log file, as needed. See the documentation for the database type you are using.

• Scheduling regular backups of the database.

• Backing up the database before any vCenter Server upgrade.

– See your database documentation for information on backing up your database.

vCenter Server Prerequisites

– Before you begin the installation procedure, ensure that you have done the following:

• Make sure that your hardware meets vCenter Server Hardware Requirements.

• Make sure that the system you use for your vCenter Server installation belongs to a domain rather than a workgroup. – To determine whether the system belongs to a workgroup or a domain,

right-click My Computer and click Properties and the Computer Name tab. The Computer Name tab displays either a Workgroup label or a Domain label.

• Create a vCenter Server database, unless you want to use SQL Server 2005 Express.

• Static IP address and host name to the Windows server. This IP address must have a valid (internal) DNS registration that resolves properly from all managed ESX hosts.

• You can deploy vCenter Server behind a firewall. However, make sure there is no Network Address Translation (NAT) firewall between vCenter Server and the hosts it will manage.

vCenter Server Account Considerations

– The vCenter Server install wizard gives you the option to use the Windows system account or a user-specified account for the purpose of running vCenter Server.

– The primary reason to use a user-specified account is to enable the use of Windows authentication for SQL Server.

– If you choose this option,

• The user-specified account must be an Administrator on the local machine

• You must specify the account name as DomainName\Username in the vCenter Server install wizard

• You must configure the SQL Server database to allow the domain account access to SQL Server.

vCenter Server Account Considerations

– Another reason to use a user-specified account is security.

• The built-in system account has more permissions and rights on the server than vCenter Server needs, which can contribute to security problems.

– Even if you do not plan to use Windows authentication for SQL Server or you are using an Oracle database, you might want to set up a local user-specified account for vCenter Server.

– The only requirement is that the user-specified account is an Administrator on the local machine.

vCenter Server Install Notes– To ensure a smooth installation of vCenter Server, review the following

lists that you will be prompted for during the installation.

vCenter Server Install Notes

Install vCenter Server1 In the software installer directory, double-click the autorun.exe file.

2 Click vCenter Server.

3 Choose a language for the installer and click OK.

4 When the Welcome screen appears, click Next.

5 Select I agree to the terms in the license agreement and click Next.

6 Type your user name, organization, and vCenter Server license key, and click Next.If you omit the license key, the installer installs vCenter Server in evaluation mode.

7 Choose the type of database that you want to use.• If you want to use the bundled database, click Install SQL Server 2005 Express

instance.

• If you want to use an existing database, click Use an existing database server and select your database from the list of available DSNs. Enter the user name and password for the DSN and click Next.

Install vCenter Server

8 Choose the account type and click Next.

9 Either accept the default destination folders or click Change to select another location, and click Next.

10 Select Standalone vCenter Server Instance or Join Group and click Next.

Join a Linked Mode group to enable the vSphere Client to view, search, and manage data across multiple vCenter Server systems.

11 If you join a group, enter the fully qualified domain name and LDAP port number of any remote vCenter Server system and click Next.

In some cases, you can enter the IP address instead of the fully qualified domain name.

12 Enter the port numbers that you want to use or accept the default port numbers and click Next.

13 Click Install.

14 Click Finish.

Install the vSphere Client

1 In the software installer directory, double-click the autorun.exe file.

2 Click VMware vSphere Client.

3 Choose a language for the installer and click OK.

4 When the Welcome screen appears, click Next.

5 SelectI agree to the terms in the license agreement and click Next.

6 Type your user name and company name and click Next.

7 Select Install VMware vSphere Host Update Utility if you want to manage host patches, updates, and upgrades from this machine and click Next.

8 Accept the default installation location and click Next, or click Change to select a different location and click Next.

9 Click Install to begin the installation.

10 Click Finish to complete the installation.

Install the vSphere Host Update Utility

– The vSphere Host Update Utility is for patching ESXi hosts and upgrading ESX 3.x/ESXi 3.5 hosts & ESXi 4.0

– vSphere Host Update Utility is bundled with the vSphere Client. You can install vSphere Host Update Utility when you install the vSphere Client.

1 Open a command window:• a Select Start > Run.

• b Enter cmd.

2 Navigate to the folder that contains VMware-viclient.exe.E.g. C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\vSphere Client\Launcher\

3 Run the VpxClient.exe executable with the following command: VpxClient.exe /S /V"/qr INSTALL_VIUPDATE=1 /L*v %temp%\vim-viu-launch.log"

The vSphere Host Update Utility is installed.

Linked-Mode Product Overview

Core Features Standard vSphere Client can access inventory across multiple vCenter

Servers

Query combined inventory of a group of vCenter Servers

vCenter Servers in linked mode share replicated data

Replicated Group Data

• Role and privilege definitions

• Licenses

vSphere Client

DB

VC 2VC 2

LDAP

Inventory SearchInventory Search

Security ManagerSecurity Manager

Inventory CacheInventory Cache

DB

VC 3VC 3

LDAP

Inventory SearchInventory Search

Security ManagerSecurity Manager

Inventory CacheInventory Cache

DB

VC 1VC 1

LDAP

Inventory SearchInventory Search

Security ManagerSecurity Manager

Inventory CacheInventory Cache

Linked-Mode Product Overview

– 2 Installation Methods

• Standalone vCenter instance– First instance of vCenter to be installed

• Join to a vCenter Linked-Mode group

– Add vCenter Server to an existing vCenter Linked-Mode group

– Isolate from a vCenter Linked-Mode group

• Roles and privilege information are retained

– Join an existing linked-mode group ( Post Install )

• Join an existing group of VCs, after installing as standalone

• Roles and privilege information are retained

Linked-Mode Components

•ADAM Instance

•Tomcat Web Services

•VWS application

•Other webapps

•Stats Reporter, SMS

ADAM Instance (VMware VCMSDS)

VCServer

Tomcat Web Services /

VWS

ADAM Instance (VMware VCMSDS)

VCServer

Tomcat Web Services /

VWS

ADAM Fundamentals

– Implementation of Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)

– Loose consistency across instances

– Consistency achieved through replication

– Forms of replication:

• Configuration/Schema replication

– Attempts to paint a uniform global picture for all servers (instances)

• Data replication

– Attempts to keep data across all instances synchronized

Active Directory Application Mode (ADAM)

– Shared distributed store for:

• Global data

• Connection information to available services

– All vCenters (VIMAPI)

– All query services (VIMWEBSVC)

– Installer installs ADAM with every install of vCenter Server

• Runs the ‘jointool’ java application

– Stores Roles and Privileges across VCs

– Stores Licensing information

Linked-Mode Jointool

– Installer calls into the Jointool application

– Runs a bunch of pre-operative validations

– For all linked mode operations:

• Finds at least one reachable remote instance to connect to

• Validates write privileges for current user on remote instance

• Validates clock synchronization (clocks cannot be more than 5 mins out of sync)

• Validates DNS name and name lookup

–Runs ADAM installer

–Does post-operative validations• Forces replication of unreplicated data from remote instances

• Verifies if basic information VC Server needs to startup is present

Linked-Mode Jointool (contd.)

Recovery and rollback

– On all errors

• Attempts to reset local and remote ADAM state

Data in ADAMUsing ADSI Edit

Data in ADAMData partition : dc=virtualcenter,dc=vmware,dc=int

• Roles data under OU=Roles, Privileges data under OU=Privileges

• Licensing information under OU=Licenses

• Connection information under OU=Instances

ADAM prerequisites for Linked mode

– Domain membership

• If on different domains

– trust relationship between machines on different domains

– Machines should be able to ‘ping’ each other with fully qualified domain name,

• i.e. ping xyz.abc.com

• Pinging by IP address is not a strong enough guarantee!

– Install should be done using domain accounts

– Domain accounts should have privileges on local machine (on all Linked mode vCenters) to install into ‘join mode’

Backing up ADAM data to DB

– vCenter has an internal thread that backs up ADAM data

• periodically (every 12 hours)

• Note: Replication is done every 15 minutes AD

– In case VC has trouble starting up due to a detected ADAM error

• Attempts to load most recent backup

• Verify integrity of backup

• Restore ADAM DB files from backup

Back up directory: C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VirtualCenter Server\VMwareVCMSDS\

• Restart ADAM service

• On any failure, re-attempts backup with next older backup

On vCenter Server Startup (vpxd logs )[2008-11-06 15:39:35.326 05252 info 'App'] [LdapBackup] Backing up directory: C:\Program Files\ADAM\

VMwareVCMSDS\

[2008-11-06 15:39:38.311 05252 verbose 'App'] [LdapBackup] Device name: \\?\GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy74

[2008-11-06 15:39:42.686 05252 info 'App'] [LdapBackup] Deleted snapshot

Install issues with ADAM

– Jointool reports errors it encounters

• C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\status.txt

• See jointool-0.log as well

– C:\Documents and Settings\<User>\Local Settings\Temp

– List of operations performed by jointool

– Usual errors:

• Pre-operative validation errors:

– Name resolution errors

– Clock out-of-sync errors

Install issues with ADAM

– ADAM install errors:• “Insufficient privileges…”

• Unable to remove NTDS Settings object

– Implies a previous instance existed on this machine, not removed cleanly

– Should delete entry mentioned in error manually

• “The list of RPC servers available for the binding of auto handles has been exhausted”

– Connectivity issues, firewall problems

– Post-operative validation errors:• Replication failure errors

– Permission/privilege problems on the data partition

– Domain membership problems

Debugging problems with ADAM

–Run Knowledge Consistency Checker C:\WINDOWS\adam\repadmin.exe /kcc remote-host.eng.vmware.com:389

Debugging problems with ADAM

–Attempt to force replication:C:\WINDOWS\adam\repadmin.exe /replicate localhost1.eng.vmware.com:389 remote-host.eng.vmware.com:389 dc=virtualcenter,dc=vmware,dc=int

Debugging problems with ADAM

–Attempt to force replication:C:\WINDOWS\adam\repadmin.exe /replicate localhost1.eng.vmware.com:389 remote-host.eng.vmware.com:389 dc=vCenter Server,dc=vmware,dc=int

DsReplicaSync() failed with status 1772 (0x6ec):

The list of RPC servers available for the binding of auto handles has been exhausted.

• This is actually a connectivity problem.

– Check if the remote machine is reachable, and the ADAM service is running.

– Check for firewall being turned on.

– Machine on domain or not

ADAM Logs

– ADAM install and uninstall logs are under %windir%\debug folder

– Jointool-0.log and Status.txt in %TEMP% folder• Created by Join tool. Contains Action/Error messages when Creating directory

services instance VMwareVCMSDS

About Linked-Mode Groups

– A Linked Mode group allows you to log in to any single instance of vCenter Server and view and manage the inventories of all the vCenter Server systems in the group.

– Using peer-to-peer networking, the vCenter Server instances in a group replicate shared global data to the LDAP directory. The global data includes the following information for each vCenter Server instance:

• Connection information (IP and ports)

• Certificates and thumbprints

• Licensing information

• User roles

All vCenter Server 4.0 instances in a Linked-Mode group can access a common view of the global data.

Requirements and Limitations for Linked-Mode Groups

–The following requirements apply to each vCenter Server that is a member of a Linked-Mode group:• Each vCenter Server user sees vCenter Server instances on which

they have valid permissions.

• Each vCenter Server instance in a Linked-Mode group must be part of a domain, rather than a workgroup.

• The vCenter Server instances can be in different domains if the domains have a two-way trust relationship.

• When you have multiple vCenter Server instances, each instance of vCenter Server must have a working relationship with the domain controller.

– Each instance must not conflict with another machine that is in the domain.

Requirements and Limitations for Linked-Mode Groups• The vCenter Server instances in a Linked-Mode group do not need to

have the same domain user login. – The instances can run under different domain accounts.

– By default, they run as the LocalSystem account of the machine on which they are running, which means they are different accounts.

• A vCenter Server machine that is a domain controller cannot join a Linked- Mode group.

• DNS must be operational for Linked-Mode replication to work.

• The DNS name of the machine must match with the actual machine name.

• During vCenter Server installation, if you enter an IP address for the remote instance of vCenter Server, the installer converts it into a fully qualified domain name.

• You do not need to freshly install a database for your vCenter Server installation to work. During the installation, you can point vCenter Server to any existing supported database.

Requirements and Limitations for Linked-Mode Groups

• A standalone vCenter Server the machine need not be joined to a domain. – At a later time another vCenter Server is to be joined to this standalone

instance, the standalone instance must be joined to the domain, and a domain user must be added as an administrator.

• On each system that is running vCenter Server, the domain user account must be set up with the following permissions:

– Member of the Administrators group

– Act as part of the operating system

– Log on as a service (account)

• A vCenter Server instance cannot join a Linked Mode group if the system on which vCenter Server is running is a terminal server.

• All vCenter Server instances should have good clock synchronization. The vCenter Server installer validates that the machine clocks are not more than 5 minutes apart.

Joining a Linked-Mode Group

– You can join a machine to a Linked-Mode group during or after the installation of vCenter Server 4.0.

– Suppose you have three machines on which you want to install vCenter Server 4.0. You want the three instances of vCenter Server to be members of a Linked-Mode group.

This is how it works:

• On Machine 1, you install vCenter Server 4.0 and do not join a group. When you install vCenter Server on the first machine, you must select a standalone installation because there is no remote vCenter Server 4.0 machine yet to point to.

• On Machine 2, you install vCenter Server 4.0 and point to Machine 1.

• Machine 2 copies the global data from Machine 1.

Joining a Linked-Mode Group

• Machine 1 and Machine 2 are now members of a Linked-Mode group.

• On Machine 3, you install vCenter Server 4.0 and point to either Machine 1 or Machine 2.

• Machine 3 copies its global data from either Machine 1 or Machine 2.

• Machine 1, Machine 2, and Machine 3 are now members of a Linked-Mode group.

– It may take several minutes for the global data (such as user roles) that are changed on one machine to be visible on the other machines.

– It may take a few minutes for a new vCenter Server instance to be recognized and published by the existing instances, because group members do not read the global data very often.

Join a Linked-Mode Group After Installation

If you have a machine that is already running vCenter Server 4.0, you can join the machine to a Linked-Mode group.

1 Select Start > All Programs > VMware > vCenter Server Linked Mode Configuration.

2 Click Next.

3 Select Modify Linked-Mode configuration and click Next.

4 Click Join this vCenter Server instance to an existing Linked-Mode group or another instance and click Next.

Join a Linked-Mode Group After Installation

5 Enter the server name and LDAP port number of any remote vCenter Server that is or will be a member of the group and click Next.

6 Click Finish.

Isolate from a Linked-Mode Group

You can isolate a vCenter Server instance from a Linked-Mode group.

– To isolate from a Linked-Mode group

1 Click Select Start > All Programs > VMware > vCenter Server Linked Mode Configuration

2 Click Modify linked mode configuration and click Next

3 Click Isolate vCenter Server from a group and click Next.

4 Click Continue and click Finish.

The vCenter Server instance is no longer part of the Linked Mode group.

Linked Mode Troubleshooting

– If you are having trouble with your Linked Mode group, consider the following points.

• When you have multiple vCenter Server instances, each instance must have a working relationship with the domain controller and not conflict with another machine that is in the domain.

– Conflicts can occur, for example, when you clone a vCenter Server instance that is running in a virtual machine and you do not use sysprep or a similar utility to ensure that the cloned vCenter Server instance has a globally unique identifier (GUID).

• The DNS name of the machine must match with the actual machine name. Symptoms of machine name not matching the DNS name are data replication issues, ticket errors when trying to search, and missing search results from remote instances.

Linked Mode Troubleshooting

– If a vCenter Server instance is no longer reachable by remote instances of vCenter Server, the following symptom might occur:

• Clients logging in to other vCenter Server systems in the group cannot view the information that belongs to the vCenter Server system on which you changed the domain name because the users cannot log in to the system.

• Any users that are currently logged in to the vCenter Server system might be disconnected.

• Search queries do not return results from the vCenter Server system.

Linked Mode Troubleshooting

– To resolve this issue, make sure the vCenter.VimApiUrl key points to the location where the vSphere Client and SDK clients can access the vCenter Server system, and the vCenter.VimWebServicesUrl key points to the location where vCenter Server Webservices is installed.

Menu -> Administration -> vCenter Server Settings -> Advanced Settings

Fixing duplicate/erroneous VC instances

ADAM data gets into a bad state– Multiple unclean install/uninstall cycles

– VC machines getting hosed• Leaves an extra entry (GUID) in ADAM

• Look for duplicates under CN=VIMAPI,CN=<GUID>,OU=Instances

– The ‘vmw-vc-URL’ attributes represent VC connection endpoints

– Remove the entire GUID under OU=Instances• Might need to restart VC server for this to

get reflected in vSphere Client

Communication Between vCenter Server Components

– vCenter Server must be able to send data to every vCenter Server managed host and receive data from each vSphere Client.

– To enable any migration or provisioning activities between vCenter Server managed hosts, the source and target hosts must be able to receive data from each other. Port 443 is required for communication from vCenter Server to ESX hosts.

– If a firewall exists between any of these elements, a hole must be created to allow data transfer to these designated ports.

Connecting to vCenter Server through a Firewall

– The default ports that the vCenter Server uses to listen for connections from the vSphere Client are ports 80, 443, and 902.

– The vCenter Server also uses port 443 to listen for data transfer from the VI Web Access Client and other SDK clients

– To enable the vCenter Server to receive data from the vSphere Client, open ports 80, 443, and 902 in the firewall to allow data transfer from the vSphere Client to the vCenter Server.

– To enable the vCenter Server to receive data from the VI Web Access Client, open port 443 in the firewall.

Connect to Your Managed Hosts Through a Firewall

– Port 902 is the default port that vCenter Server uses to send data to the managed hosts.

– If you have a firewall between your vCenter Server and vCenter Server managed host, you must configure a means for the vCenter Server to send data to the vCenter Server managed host.

– If you have a firewall between two vCenter Server managed hosts and you want to perform any source or target activities, such as migration or cloning, you must configure a means for the managed hosts to receive data.

– Managed hosts also send a regular heartbeat over UDP port 902 to the vCenter Server. This port must not be blocked by firewalls.

Install vCenter Server in a Virtual Machine

– You can install your vCenter Server components in a Windows virtual machine, which runs on an ESX host. Deploying your vCenter Server in the virtual machine has the following advantages:

• Rather than dedicating a separate server to your vCenter Server, you can place it in a virtual machine running on the same ESX host where your other virtual machines run.

• You can provide high availability for the vCenter Server by using VMware HA.

• You can migrate the virtual machine containing your vCenter Server from one host to another, enabling maintenance and other activities.

• You can create snapshots of the vCenter Server virtual machine and use them for backups, archiving.

To install vCenter Server in a Virtual Machine

To install vCenter Server in a Virtual Machine

• On a standalone server, install the ESX.

• On any machine that has network access to your ESX host, install the vSphere Client.To install only the vSphere Client, perform a custom installation

• Using the vSphere Client, access the ESX host directly to create the virtual machine for hosting vCenter Server.

• Install a supported Guest Operating system

• In the virtual machine, install vCenter Server following procedures described earlier

For more details on installing and running vCenter Server in a virtual machine, see Running vCenter Server in a Virtual Machine at www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_vc_in_vm.pdf

vCenter Server log Collection– There are 2 methods to collect vCenter Server logs

• Export Diagnostic Data from the vSphere Client

• Run the vc-support.wsf script ( if vCenter will not start )

– Logs can only be collected from one vCenter at a time

– You have the option to collect ESX logs when you use the Export Diagnostic Data from the vSphere Client

– Export Diagnostic Data will save the resulting log in a folder specfied

– Running the vc-support.wsf will save the Logs on the Desktop where it is being run

– Run cscript vc-support.wsf /? for a list of command line options

Lesson 1-3 Summary

– Learn how to install VC 4.0

– Download and Install vSphere Client

– Supported Databases

– VC 4.0 and communication through Firewalls

Review Questions

Which database, either DB2 or Oracle 11g can support both upgrades and installations?

– 11g

vCenter Linked Mode uses what technology and port(s)?

– ADAM, 389, ssl (636)

ADSI Edit connects to vCenter ADAM instance using the string?

1. dc=vcenter,dc=vmware,dc=int

2. dc=virtualcenter,dc=vmware,dc=int