MN 3020 3283 2671 Draft 06

vSphere 5 Installation and Setup
vSphere 5.0 ESXi 5.0 vCenter 5.0
This document supports the version of each product listed and supports all subsequent versions until the document is replaced by a new edition. To check for more recent editions of this document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
EN--00
You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at: http://www.vmware.com/support/ The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates. If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to: docfeedback@vmware.com
Copyright 2010, 2011 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. VMware products are covered by one or more patents listed at http://www.vmware.com/go/patents. VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.
VMware, Inc. 3401 Hillview Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94304 www.vmware.com
VMware, Inc.
Contents
About vSphere Installation and Setup
7 9
1 Introduction to vSphere Installation and Setup
How vSphere 5 Differs from vSphere 4 9 Overview of the vSphere Installation and Setup Process 10 Options for Installing ESXi 11 Options for Locating the ESXi Installation Media 13 PXE Booting the ESXi Installer 16
2 System Requirements 25
ESXi Hardware Requirements 25 Tested Software and Firmware for CreatingESXi Installation Media 27 vCenter Server and vSphere Client Hardware Requirements 28 vCenter Server Software Requirements 30 vSphere Client Software Requirements 30 Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems 31 Requirements for Creating Virtual Machines 31 Required Ports 31 Supported Remote Management Firmware Versions 32
3 Installing ESXi Using the Interactive Option 35

Boot Commands 35 Install ESXi Using the Interactive Option 36
4 Installing ESXi Using a Script 39
Approaches for Scripted Installation 40 About Installation Scripts 40 About Default Installation Scripts 40 Default ks.cfg Script 40 Installation Script Commands 41 Disk Device Names 46 Install ESXi Using the Scripted Mode 47
5 Installing ESXi Using VMware Auto Deploy
49
Understanding VMware Auto Deploy 49 Preparing for VMware Auto Deploy 56 Managing Auto Deploy with Auto Deploy PowerCLI Cmdlets 61 Provisioning ESXi Systems With VMware Auto Deploy 63
6 Setting Up ESXi 69
ESXi Autoconfiguration 69
VMware, Inc.
About the Direct Console ESXi Interface 70 Configuring the BIOS Boot Settings 72 Network Access to Your ESXi Host 74 Configure the Network Settings on a Host that Is Not Attached to the Network. Managing ESXi Remotely 75 Configuring Network Settings 75 Storage Behavior 80 About ESXi Evaluation Mode 81 Recording the ESXi License Key 82 View System Logs 82 Redirect System Log Files to a Remote Host 83 Set the Password for the Administrator Account 83 Configure Lockdown Mode 83 Configure Troubleshooting Services with the Direct Console User Interface 84 Reset the System Configuration 85 Convert an ESXi Host to Evaluation Mode 85 Remove All Custom Packages on ESXi 85 Disable ESXi 86
74
7 After You Install and Set Up ESXi 87

Download the vSphere Client 87 Licensing the Host 87 Backing Up and Restoring ESXi 88
8 Preparing vCenter Server Databases 93
vCenter Server Database Patch and Configuration Requirements 93 Create a 64-Bit DSN 95 Configure vCenter Server to Communicate with the Local Database After Shortening the Computer Name to 15 Characters or Fewer 95 About the Bundled Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express Database Package 96 Maintaining a vCenter Server Database 96 Configure DB2 Databases 96 Configure Microsoft SQL Server Databases 105 Configure Oracle Databases 112
9 Introduction to Installing vCenter Server 119
vCenter Server Prerequisites 119 Required Information for Installing vCenter Server 120 Using a User Account for Running vCenter Server 122 Installing vCenter Server on IPv6 Machines 123 Configure the URLs on a Standalone vCenter Server System 123 Running the vCenter Server and vSphere Client Installers from a Network Drive
123
10 Installing vCenter Server 125
vCenter Server Components and Support Tools 125 Download the vCenter Server Installer 126 Install vCenter Server 126 Install vCenter Server in a Virtual Machine 128
VMware, Inc.
Contents
Download and Deploy the vCenter Server Appliance 128
11 After You Install vCenter Server 131
Install Additional vCenter Server Components 132 Creating vCenter Server Linked Mode Groups 139
Index 147
VMware, Inc.
VMware, Inc.
About vSphere Installation and Setup

Draft comment filepath: GUID-7C9A1E23-7FCD-4295-9CB1-C932F2423C63.xml
vSphere Installation and Setup describes how to install new configurations of VMware vCenter Server and ESXi Installable. This installation information covers ESXi Installable and vCenter Server only. It does not include setup or installation information for ESXi Embedded.
Intended Audience
vSphere Installation and Setup is intended for anyone who needs to install vCenter Server, and install and set up ESXi 5 Installable. The information in this book is written for experienced Windows or Linux system administrators who are familiar with virtual machine technology and datacenter operations.
VMware Technical Publications Glossary

VMware Technical Publications provides a glossary of terms that might be unfamiliar to you. For definitions of terms as they are used in VMware technical documentation, go to http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
Document Feedback
VMware welcomes your suggestions for improving our documentation. If you have comments, send your feedback to docfeedback@vmware.com.
VMware vSphere Documentation

The vSphere documentation consists of the combined VMware vCenter Server and ESX/ESXi documentation set.
VMware, Inc.
Technical Support and Education Resources

The following technical support resources are available to you. To access the current version of this book and other books, go to http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs. Online and Telephone Support To use online support to submit technical support requests, view your product and contract information, and register your products, go to http://www.vmware.com/support. Customers with appropriate support contracts should use telephone support for the fastest response on priority 1 issues. Go to http://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.html. Support Offerings To find out how VMware support offerings can help meet your business needs, go to http://www.vmware.com/support/services. VMware Education Services courses offer extensive hands-on labs, case study examples, and course materials designed to be used as on-the-job reference tools. Courses are available onsite, in the classroom, and live online. For onsite pilot programs and implementation best practices, VMware Consulting Services provides offerings to help you assess, plan, build, and manage your virtual environment. To access information about education classes, certification programs, and consulting services, go to http://www.vmware.com/services.
VMware Professional Services
VMware, Inc.
Introduction to vSphere Installation and Setup

Draft comment filepath: GUID-A71D7F56-6F47-43AB-9C4E-BAA89310F295.xml
vSphere 5 provides various options for installation and setup. To ensure a succesful vSphere deployment, understand the installation and setup options and the sequence of tasks required. You can choose from a range of options for installing and setting up ESXi, for managing vSphere with vCenter Server and the vSphere Client, and for the database setup you use with vCenter Server. This chapter includes the following topics:
n n n n n
How vSphere 5 Differs from vSphere 4, on page 9 Overview of the vSphere Installation and Setup Process, on page 10 Options for Installing ESXi, on page 11 Options for Locating the ESXi Installation Media, on page 13 PXE Booting the ESXi Installer, on page 16
How vSphere 5 Differs from vSphere 4

Draft comment filepath: GUID-E8768F10-B289-4F59-9BCB-92ACEC8FBB7F.xml
vSphere 5 is a major upgrade from vSphere 4. The following changes from vSphere 4 affect vSphere installation and setup. For a complete list of new features in vSphere 5, see the release notes. An ESXi Installable host is a physical server that contains an ESXi image installed on a local hard drive or loaded into memory as an image. Stateless installation and upgrades Service Console is removed New Flex-based vSphere Client New partitioning and VMFS update vCenter Server for Linux vSphere 5 provides a new way to install and upgrade ESXi hosts### ###tbd ###tbd ###tbd ###tbd
VMware, Inc.
Disk-Loaded and Memory-Loaded ESXi Hosts

Draft comment filepath: GUID-50197801-62EA-413B-8B6F-E113CFF9BB5A.xml
Before ESXi 5, ESXi was installed onto the physical disk of each ESXi host. ESXi 5 adds the option to load an ESXi host image into memory by using the VMware Auto Deploy feature. Auto Deploy allows you to rapidly provision or update a large number of hosts. When you use Auto Deploy to provision hosts, the host state is not stored on the host disk. Instead, Auto Deploy loads the ESXi image into the memory of the host machine. The specific nature of that image is determined by a host or image profile managed by Auto Deploy. See xxx x-ref Auto Deploy section
Overview of the vSphere Installation and Setup Process

Draft comment filepath: GUID-B64AA6D3-40A1-4E3E-B03C-94AD2E95C9F5.xml
vSphere is a sophisticated product with multiple components to install and set up. To ensure a successful vSphere deployment, understand the sequence of tasks required. Installing vSphere includes the following tasks, which are explained in detail in separate topics: 1 2 3 4 5 Determine the ESXi installation option to use. See Options for Installing ESXi, on page 11. Make sure your system meets vSphere hardware and software requirements. See Chapter 2, System Requirements, on page 25. Determine where you will locate the installation media. Options for Locating the ESXi Installation Media, on page 13 If you are PXE-booting the installer, understand the PXE boot setup and requirements. See PXE Booting the ESXi Installer, on page 16PXE Booting the ESXi Installer, on page 16. Install ESXi: see the section for the installation option you are using:
n n n
Chapter 3, Installing ESXi Using the Interactive Option, on page 35 Chapter 4, Installing ESXi Using a Script, on page 39 Understanding VMware Auto Deploy, on page 49
6 7 8 9
Configure and back up ESXi boot and network settings, the direct console, and various other settings. See Chapter 6, Setting Up ESXi, on page 69 and Backing Up and Restoring ESXi, on page 88.
If you are using vCenter Server, set up vCenter Server databases. See Chapter 8, Preparing vCenter Server Databases, on page 93 Install vCenter Server, the vSphere Client, and vCenter Server support tools. Connect to vCenter Server from the vSphere Client. See Chapter 10, Installing vCenter Server, on page 125 and Chapter 11, After You Install vCenter Server, on page 131 (Optional) Create or join the vCenter Server to a Linked Mode Group. See Creating vCenter Server Linked Mode Groups, on page 139.
10
10
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 1 Introduction to vSphere Installation and Setup
Options for Installing ESXi

Draft comment filepath: GUID-6E6BCACF-33CA-4466-90B7-73CCA37BB5E1.xml
ESXi can be installed in several ways. To ensure the best vSphere deployment, understand your options thoroughly before beginning the installation. ESXi installation options are designed to accommodate a range of deployment sizes. Depending on the installation option you choose, different options are available for accessing the installation media and booting the installer.
Interactive ESXi Installation Option

Draft comment filepath: GUID-1182A045-2AF7-45A0-B523-B1C08C9F17F6.xml
Interactive installations are recommended for small deployments (fewer than five hosts). You boot the installer from a CD or DVD, or PXE boot the installer from a network location. Then you follow the prompts in the installation wizard to install ESXi to disk. See Chapter 3, Installing ESXi Using the Interactive Option, on page 35 Figure 1-1. Interactive and Scripted Installations interactive
boot from CD boot by PXE CD
scripted
PXE
HTTP HTTPS FTP NFS
follow the prompts in the installation wizard
set up media depot
create kickstart file
boot and issue kickstart command by modifying kernel line
Scripted ESXi Installation Option

Draft comment filepath: GUID-00224A32-C5C5-4713-969A-C50FF4DED8F8.xml
Running a script is an efficient way to deploy multiple ESXi hosts with an unattended installation. The installation script contains the host configuration settings. You can use the script to configure multiple hosts with the same settings. See Chapter 4, Installing ESXi Using a Script, on page 39.
VMware, Inc.
11
VMware Auto Deploy ESXi Installation Option

Draft comment filepath: GUID-71F8AE6C-FF4A-419B-93B7-1D318D4CB771.xml
The VMware Auto Deploy ESXi Installation option enables you to provision and reprovision hundreds or thousands of ESXi hosts very efficiently with vCenter Server. Using the Auto Deploy feature, vCenter Server loads the ESXi image directly into the host memory. Unlike the other installation options, Auto Deploy does not store ESXi state on the host disk. vCenter Server stores and manages ESXi updates and patching through an image profile, and, optionally, the host configuration through a host profile. The first time you install a host with Auto Deploy, the host PXE boots and establishes contact with the Auto Deploy server, which streams the image profile and host profile, if any, to the host. The host boots, using the image profile, and Auto Deploy assigns the host to the appropriate vCenter Server system. Subsequently, when the administrator reboots the host, vCenter Server uses the Auto Deploy feature to provision the host with its image and host profile. If the image profile changes, as for an update or patch, the administrator can propagate the change to all hosts provisioned with Auto Deploy and managed by a vCenter Server system. This makes Auto Deploy an extremely efficient option for provisioning and reprovisioning large numbers of hosts, and for enforcing compliance to a master ESXi image. See Understanding VMware Auto Deploy, on page 49. Figure 1-2. Auto Deploy Installation, First Boot Auto Deploy first boot
PXE
HTTP HTTPS FTP NFS
host sends hardware & network Information
Auto Deploy server streams components to the host
host boots using image profile
host assigned to registered vCenter Server
12
VMware, Inc.
Figure 1-3. Auto Deploy Installation, Subsequent Boots Auto Deploy subsequent boots
subsequent boot with no update reboot host (optional) subsequent boot with image update edit and update rule set
use updated image profile
check for affected hosts
vCenter Server provisions host using image profile
update the host image profile stored in vCenter Server
About ESXi Evaluation Mode

Draft comment filepath: GUID-17862A54-C1D4-47A9-88AA-2A1A32602BC6.xml
Evaluation mode gives you access to the full ESXi feature set. In evaluation mode, you can use vMotion, HA, DRS, and other features, even if you have not licensed those features. ESXi is always installed in evaluation mode. The evaluation period is 60 days and begins when you power on the ESXi machine, even if you start in license mode rather than evaluation mode. To make full use of the 60-day evaluation period, decide as soon as possible whether to use evaluation mode. You can convert from license mode to evaluation mode to take advantage of the evaluation period. See Convert an ESXi Host to Evaluation Mode, on page 85.
Options for Locating the ESXi Installation Media

Draft comment filepath: GUID-9DC85D9E-C9F5-4B38-B6F5-2A2E39BC6F8D.xml
The installation media must be accessible to the system on which you are installing ESXi. The following locations are supported for the installation media:
n n n
Local DVD Local USB USB CD/DVD drive. This is useful if you cannot burn a CD/DVD image or the host does not have a CD/DVD drive. USB flash drive Remote media (See Using Remote Management Applications, on page 23). Remote location (media depot), accessible by HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, or NFS
n n n
VMware, Inc.
13
Download the ESXi ISO Image and Burn the Installation CD/DVD
Draft comment filepath: GUID-048CCB07-7E27-4CE8-9E6A-1BF655C33DAC.xml
If you do not have an ESXi installation CD/DVD, you can create one. Procedure 1 2 Download the ISO image for ESXi from the VMware download page at http://www.vmware.com/download/. Burn the ISO image onto CD or DVD media.
Creating a Media Depot

Draft comment filepath: GUID-B4307376-5F2A-4875-AED6-06E588950825.xml
The media depot is a network-accessible location that contains the ESXi installation media. You can use HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, or NFS to provide access to the depot. The depot must be populated with the entire contents of the ESXi installation DVD. For a scripted installation, you must point to the media depot in the script by including the install command with the nfs or url option. The following code snippet from an ESXi installation script demonstrates how to format the pointer to the media depot if you are using HTTP:
install http://example.com/VMware/ESXi
Create a USB Flash Drive for Storing the ESXi Installation Media and Script
Draft comment filepath: GUID-7D1EF9C8-EE56-48E4-B722-D7E9514C2072.xml
A USB flash drive is one of the location options for storing the ESXi installation media and installation script that will be used during scripted installation of ESXi. When multiple USB flash drives are present on the installation machine, the installation software searches for the installation media and the installation script on all attached USB flash drives. NOTE Do not use the same USB flash drive as the storage location for the installation media and as the installation boot device. Prerequisites You must have the following files and hardware to create the USB with ESXi installation media and script:
n n n
ISO image for ESXi Installation script (kickstart file) USB flash drive
Procedure 1 2 3 4 Attached the USB flash drive to the installation machine. Format the USB flash drive as Fat32 by running mkfs.vfat -F 32 USB device name at the command line. Create a partition on the USB flash drive as Fat32 by running fdisk USB device name =>n=>p=>1=>default=>t=>4=>w at the command line. Mount the USB flash drive by running mount USB device name esxi_usb at the command line.
14
VMware, Inc.
5 6
Copy the ESXi ISO image and installation script (kickstart file) to the USB flash drive. Unmount the USB flash drive.
The USB flash drive contains the installation media and installation script for ESXi. What to do next When you boot the ESXi installer, point to this location for the installation media and script.
Format a USB Flash Drive to Boot the ESXi Installation

Draft comment filepath: GUID-33C3E7D5-20D0-4F84-B2E3-5CD33D32EAA8.xml
You can format a USB flash drive to boot the ESXi installation. NOTE Do not use the same USB flash drive as the storage location for the installation media and as the installation boot device. Prerequisites You must have the following files and hardware to create the USB with ESXi installation media and script:
n n initrid.img, vmlinuz, and isolinux.cfg from the ESXi ISO image
USB flash drive
Procedure 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Attached the USB flash drive to the installation machine. Verify that the installation machine has detected the USB flash drive by running lsusb at the command line. (Optional) Determine the name of the USB flash drive by running fdisk -l at the command line. Format the USB flash drive by running mkfs.vfat -F 16 -n USB USB device name -I at the command line. (Optional) Verify that the USB flash drive is formatting by running fdisk -l USB device name at the command line. Run syslinux USB device name -I at the command line. Partition the USB flash drive by running fdisk USB device name -I at the command line. Mount the USB flash drive by running mount USB device name /usbdisk -I at the command line. Copy the files initrid.img, vmlinuz, and isolinux.cfg to the USB flash drive. Run mv isolinux.cfg syslinux.cfg at the command line. Unmount the USB flash drive.
The USB flash drive can now boot the ESXi installer. What to do next Install ESXi using scripted mode.
VMware, Inc.
15
PXE Booting the ESXi Installer

Draft comment filepath: GUID-B9DB94CA-4857-458B-B6F1-6A688726AED0.xml
Use the preboot execution environment (PXE) to boot a host and launch the ESXi installer from a network interface. PXE uses DHCP and Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) to boot an operating system (OS) over a network. Network booting with PXE is similar to booting with a DVD, but it requires some network infrastructure and a machine with a PXE-capable network adapter. Most machines that are capable of running ESXi have network adapters that are able to PXE boot. After the ESXi installer is booted, it works like a DVD-based installation, except that you must specify the location of the ESXi installation media (the contents of the ESXi DVD). A host first makes a DHCP request to configure its network adapter and then downloads and executes a kernel and support files. PXE booting the installer provides only the first step to installing ESXi. To complete the installation, you must provide the contents of the ESXi DVD either locally or on a networked server through HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, or NFS. (See GUID-B54F116F-4FDE-413E-973F-B9AEDEB43B2B#GUIDB54F116F-4FDE-413E-973F-B9AEDEB43B2B.)
About the TFTP Server, PXELINUX, and gPXE

Draft comment filepath: GUID-443051EE-683C-46CE-B6BF-31893080D375.xml
TFTP is a light-weight version of the FTP service, and is typically used only for network booting systems or loading firmware on network devices such as routers. Most Linux distributions come with a copy of the tftp-hpa server. You can also obtain one at http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/network/tftp/. If your TFTP server will run on a Microsoft Windows host, use tftpd32 version 2.11 or later. See http://tftpd32.jounin.net/. Previous versions of tftpd32 were incompatible with PXELINUX and gPXE. The PXELINUX and gPXE environments allow your target machine to boot the ESXi Installer. PXELINUX is part of the SYSLINUX package, which can be found at http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/boot/syslinux/, although many Linux distributions include it. Many versions of PXELINUX also include gPXE. Some distributions, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 5.3, include older versions of PXELINUX that do not include gPXE. If you do not use gPXE, you might experience issues while booting the ESXi installer on a heavily loaded network. This is because TFTP is not a robust protocol and is sometimes unreliable for transferring large amounts of data. If you use gPXE, only the gpxelinux.0 binary and configuration file are transferred via TFTP. gPXE enables you to use a Web server for transferring the kernel and ramdisk required to boot the ESXi installer. If you use PXELINUX without gPXE, the pxelinux.0 binary, the configuration file, and the kernel and ramdisk are transferred via TFTP. NOTE VMware tests PXE booting with PXELINUX version 3.63. This is not a statement of limited support.
Conceptual Overview for PXE Booting the ESXi Installer

Draft comment filepath: GUID-1BB6E1F7-1CC0-4F8C-BC30-8CB93B86D9F2.xml
An overview shows you how all the pieces fit together when you PXE boot the ESXi installer. The network infrastructure for PXE booting the installer includes the following services.
n n
DHCP server TFTP server
16
VMware, Inc.
n n
PXELINUX/gPXE (SYSLINUX) Network Server (NFS, HTTP or FTP)
Figure 1-4 shows the flow of the interaction between the components if you are using PXELINUX with gPXE. The scripts depot and the media depot are optional. You do not need them if you are performing an interactive installation with installation media that is stored locally on a DVD or USB. Figure 1-4. Overview for PXE Booting the ESXi Installer Using PXELINUX with gPXE
ESXi target host
UDP DHCP server IP & TFTP
Give me an IP
UDP TFTP server gpxelinux.0
Give me the network boot loader
TCP Web server kernel and ramdisk
Give me kernel and ramdisk
TCP scripts depot ks.cfg
Give me a script
Installer starts
TCP media depot RPMs
Give me media
ESXi host
Figure 1-5 shows the flow of the interaction between the components if you are using PXELINUX without gPXE. The scripts depot and the media depot are optional. You do not need them if you are performing an interactive installation with installation media that is stored locally on a DVD or USB.
VMware, Inc.
17
Figure 1-5. Overview for PXE Booting the ESXi Installer Using PXELINUX without gPXE
ESX target host
UDP DHCP server IP & TFTP
Give me an IP
UDP TFTP server pxelinux.0
Give me the network boot loader
UDP TFTP server kernel and ramdisk
Give me kernel and ramdisk
TCP scripts depot ks.cfg
Give me a script
Installer starts
TCP media depot RPMs
Give me media
ESX host
In the case presented in the illustrations, PXE works as follows: 1 2 3 4 The target ESXi host (the PXE client) is booted. The target ESXi host makes a DHCP request. The DHCP server responds with the IP information and provides information about the location of a TFTP server. When the client receives the information, it contacts the TFTP server requesting the file that the DHCP server how did it "tell?" There has to have been some process done.specified (in this case, the network boot loader). The TFTP server sends the network boot loader, and the client executes it.
18
VMware, Inc.
PXELINUX or gPXE searches for a configuration file on the TFTP server, and boots a kernel according to that configuration file. In our case, the configuration file instructs PXE to load the kernel (vmlinuz) and a ramdisk (initrd.img). The client downloads the files it needs and then loads them. The system boots the ESXi installer. The installer runs interactively or scripted, as directed by the PXE configuration file. The installer uses the installation media, either from a media depot stored on the network, or locally using DVD or USB. ESXi is installed.
7 8 9 10 11
PXE Boot the ESXi Installer

Draft comment filepath: GUID-5B132E25-0CFC-40D0-993D-40A83981E0E5.xml
You can use a TFTP server to PXE boot the ESXi installer. Prerequisites Verify that your environment has the following components:
n n n
TFTP server that supports PXE boot PXELINUX gPXE, which is part of the SYSLINUX package. If you have a newer version of SYSLINUX, gPXE is already built. If you are building gPXE from source, you can unpack it on most Linux machines and run the make command. For gPXE, a Web server that is accessible by your target ESXi hosts DHCP server configured for PXE booting (Optional) ESXi installation script Network adapter with PXE support on the target ESXi host IPv4 networking (IPv6 is not supported for PXE booting.)
n n n n n
Procedure 1 On a Linux machine, install TFTP server software that supports PXE booting. If your environment does not have a TFTP server, you can use one of the packaged appliances on the VMware Marketplace. If you do this, note that certain functions, such as correct operation of the text menu system, are operating system dependent. 2 Put the menu.c32 file in an accessible place in a supported location.
n
For gPXE, put the menu.c32 file on a Web server. For example, you can use the httpd package in RHEL5, which contains Apache. The HTML documents are placed in /var/www/html, which is where you can copy menu.c32. For PXELINUX without gPXE, put the menu.c32 file on a TFTP server.
On the Linux machine, install PXELINUX. PXELINUX is included in the SYSLINUX package. Extract the files, locate the file pxelinux.0 or gpxelinux.
0, and copy it to the /tftpboot directory on your TFTP server.
VMware, Inc.
19
Configure the DHCP server. The DHCP server sends the following information to your client hosts:
n n
The name or IP address of your TFTP server. The name of your initial boot file. This is pxelinux.0gpxelinux.0.
Copy the following files from the directory on the ESXi installation DVD to a supported location: menu.c32, mboot.c32, vmkboot.gz, vmkernel.gz, sys.vgz, cim.vgz, ienviron.vgz, and install.vgz.
n n
Web server, if you are using gPXE.

/var/lib/tftpboot directory on the TFTP server, if you are using PXELINUX without gPXE.
6 7
Create the /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg directory on your TFTP server. Create a PXE configuration file. This file defines how the host boots when no operating system is present. The PXE configuration file references the boot files. For more information and an example, see Creating a PXE Configuration File, on page 22.
Save the PXE configuration file in /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg on the TFTP server.
You now have an environment that you can use for PXE booting the ESXi installer.
Sample DHCP Configuration

Draft comment filepath: GUID-91E32FD0-A33C-4302-9FAB-B52B8A5CEFBC.xml
To PXE boot the ESXi installer, the DHCP server must send the address of the TFTP server and a pointer to the pxelinux.0 or gpxelinux.0 directory. The DHCP server is used by the target machine to obtain an IP address. The DHCP server needs to know whether the target machine is allowed to boot and the location of PXELINUX binary (which usually resides on a TFTP server). When the target machine first boots, it broadcasts a packet across the network requesting this information to boot itself. The DHCP server responds. CAUTION VMware does not recommend setting up a new DHCP server if your network already has one. If multiple DHCP servers respond to DHCP requests, machines can obtain incorrect or conflicting IP addresses, or can fail to receive the proper boot information. Talk to a network administrator before setting up a DHCP server. Many DHCP servers are capable of PXE booting hosts. The following examples are for ISC DHCP version 3.0, which is included with many Linux distributions. If you are using a version of DHCP for Microsoft Windows, refer to the DHCP server documentation to determine how to pass the next-server and filename arguments to the target machine.
gPXE Example
This sample shows how to configure the ISC DHCP server to enable gPXE.
allow booting; allow bootp; # gPXE options option space gpxe; option gpxe-encap-opts code 175 = encapsulate gpxe; option gpxe.bus-id code 177 = string class "pxeclients" { match if substring(option vendor-class-identifier, 0, 9) = "PXEClient";
20
VMware, Inc.
next-server <TFTP server address>; if not exists gpxe.bus-id { filename "/gpxelinux.0"; } } subnet <Network address> netmask <Subnet Mask> { range <Starting IP Address> <Ending IP Address>; }
When a machine attempts to PXE boot, the DHCP server provides an IP address and the location of the gpxelinux.0 binary on the TFTP server. The IP address assigned will be in the range defined in the subnet section of the configuration file.
PXELINUX (without gPXE) Example

This sample shows how to configure the ISC DHCP server to enable PXELINUX.
# # DHCP Server Configuration file. # see /usr/share/doc/dhcp*/dhcpd.conf.sample # ddns-update-style ad-hoc; allow booting; allow bootp; class "pxeclients" { match if substring(option vendor-class-identifier, 0, 9) = "PXEClient"; next-server xxx.xxx.xx.xx; filename = "pxelinux.0"; } subnet 192.168.48.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 { range 192.168.48.100 192.168.48.250; }
When a machine attempts to PXE boot, the DHCP server provides an IP address and the location of the pxelinux.0 binary on the TFTP server. The IP address assigned will be in the range defined in the subnet section of the configuration file.
Kernel Image and Ramdisk Directory

Draft comment filepath: GUID-B6772350-BB31-4529-916C-571E24F87667.xml
The kernel image and ramdisk directory contains files that that must be loaded across the network to enable PXE booting of the ESXi installer. The following files are used for booting.
n n n n n n
menu.c32 mboot.c32 vmkboot.gz vmkernel.gz sys.vgz cim.vgz
VMware, Inc.
21
n n
ienviron.vgz install.vgz
These files come from the ESXi installation CD/DVD, under the root directory. You reference the files from the PXE configuration file. The following code snippet shows how you reference the files in the PXE configuration script:
label 1 kernel esxi/mboot.c32 append esxi/vmkboot.gz ks=http://xx.xx.xxx.xxx/kickstart/ks.cfg --- esxi/vmkernel.gz --esxi/sys.vgz --- esxi/cim.vgz --- esxi/ienviron.vgz --- esxi/install.vgz
Creating a PXE Configuration File

Draft comment filepath: GUID-6040E595-86BA-418F-9159-6F60BA383D72.xml
The PXE configuration file defines the menu displayed to the target ESXi host as it boots up and contacts the TFTP server. You need a PXE configuration file for PXE booting the ESXi installer. The TFTP server is always listening for PXE clients on the network. When it detects that a PXE client is asking for PXE services, it sends the client a network package that contains this boot menu.
Example: PXELINUX without gPXE

Following is an example of a PXE configuration file that you might use for PXELINUX without gPXE. See also the /isolinux/isolinux.cfg file on the ESXi installation CD. In this example, the path to the required files test/ is relative to /tftpboot. The actual path is /tftpboot/test/ on the TFTP server.
default 1 prompt 1 menu title VMware VMvisor Boot Menu timeout 50 label 1 kernel esxi/mboot.c32 append esxi/vmkboot.gz ks=http://xx.xx.xxx.xxx/kickstart/ks.cfg --- esxi/vmkernel.gz --esxi/sys.vgz --- esxi/cim.vgz --- esxi/ienviron.vgz --- esxi/install.vgz label 0 localboot 0x80
Required Files
In the PXE configuration file, you must include paths to the following files:
n n mboot.c32 is the boot loader kernel code.
The following files are needed for booting the installer: menu.c32, vmkboot.gz, vmkernel.gz, sys.vgz, cim.vgz, ienviron.vgz, and install.gz
22
VMware, Inc.
Installation Mode
Draft comment filepath: GUID-6040E595-86BA-418F-9159-6F60BA383D72.xml ks=http://xx.xx.xxx.xx/ks.cfg is the path to the ESXi installation script. In a scripted installation, your script
includes all the necessary responses to complete the script, including the location of the installation media. All of the responses must be filled ifor the scripted installation to work. In an interactive installation, omit the ks= option.
Filename for the PXE Configuration File

For the filename of the PXE configuration file, choose one of the following:
n n n 01-mac_address_of_target_ESXi_host. For example, 01-23-45-67-89-0a-bc
The target ESXi host IP address in hexadecimal notation.

default
The initial boot file, pxelinux.0 (or gpxelinux.0) tries to load a PXE configuration file. It tries with the MAC address of the target ESXi host, prefixed with its ARP type code (01 for Ethernet). If that fails, it tries with the hexadecimal notation of target ESXi system IP address. Ultimately, it tries to load a file named default.
File Location for the PXE Configuration File

Save the file in var/lib/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/ on the TFTP server. For example, you might save the file on the TFTP server at /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/01-00-21-5a-ce-40-f6. The MAC address of the network adapter on the target ESXi host is 00-21-5a-ce-40-f6.
Using Remote Management Applications

Draft comment filepath: GUID-0E82A6CA-202A-4C5D-8811-53A7CF8D5CDC.xml
Remote management applications allow you to install ESXi on server machines that are in remote locations. Remote management applications supported for installation include HP Integrated Lights-Out (iLO), Dell Remote Access Card (DRAC), IBM management module (MM), and Remote Supervisor Adapter II (RSA II). For a list of currently supported server models and remote management firmware versions, see Supported Remote Management Firmware Versions, on page 32. Administrators use remote management applications to perform GUI-based, remote installations of ESXi. However, you can use a remote management application for scripted installations as well. If you use remote management applications to install ESXi, the virtual CD might encounter corruption problems with systems or networks under load. If a remote installation from an ISO image fails, complete the installation from the physical CD media.
VMware, Inc.
23
24
VMware, Inc.
System Requirements
Draft comment filepath: GUID-BE89A906-6D49-4793-88BB-C63112E3B131.xml
Systems running vCenter Server and ESXi instances must meet specific hardware and operating system requirements. This chapter includes the following topics:
n n n n n n n n n
ESXi Hardware Requirements, on page 25 Tested Software and Firmware for CreatingESXi Installation Media, on page 27 vCenter Server and vSphere Client Hardware Requirements, on page 28 vCenter Server Software Requirements, on page 30 vSphere Client Software Requirements, on page 30 Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems, on page 31 Requirements for Creating Virtual Machines, on page 31 Required Ports, on page 31 Supported Remote Management Firmware Versions, on page 32
ESXi Hardware Requirements

Draft comment filepath: GUID-DEB8086A-306B-4239-BF76-E354679202FC.xml
Make sure the host meets the minimum hardware configurations supported by ESXi 5. You need the following hardware and system resources to install and use ESXi 5:
n n n
Supported server platform (for a list of supported platforms, see the Systems Compatibility Guide) VMware ESXi 5 will install and run only on servers with 64-bit x86 CPUs. Known 64-bit processors:
n n
All AMD Opteron processors All Intel Xeon 3000/3200, 3100/3300, 5100/5300, 5200/5400, 5500/5600, 7100/7300, 7200/7400, and 7500 processors
Author: Administrator Wed Aug 11 12:21:01 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status: as per PR 597514
n
2GB RAM minimum. For upgrades, 3GB RAM is required if the ESXi host is managed by vCenter Server.
VMware, Inc.
25
One or more Gigabit or 10Gb Ethernet controllers. For a list of supported network adapter models, see the Hardware Compatibility Guide at http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility. One or more of the following controllers (any combination can be used):
n
Basic SCSI controllers Adaptec Ultra-160 or Ultra-320, LSI Logic Fusion-MPT, or most NCR/Symbios SCSI. RAID controllers Dell PERC (Adaptec RAID or LSI MegaRAID), HP Smart Array RAID, or IBM (Adaptec) ServeRAID controllers.
n n
SCSI disk or a local (non-network) RAID LUN with unpartitioned space for the virtual machines. For Serial ATA (SATA), a disk connected through supported SAS controllers or supported on-board SATA controllers. NOTE You cannot connect a SATA CD-ROM device to a virtual machine on an ESXi 5 host. To use the SATA CD-ROM device, you must use IDE emulation mode.
ESXi 5 Installable supports installing on and booting from the following storage systems:
n
SATA disk drives SATA disk drives connected behind supported SAS controllers or supported on-board SATA controllers. Supported SAS controllers include:
n n n n n
LSI1068E (LSISAS3442E) LSI1068 (SAS 5) IBM ServeRAID 8K SAS controller Smart Array P400/256 controller Dell PERC 5.0.1 controller
Supported on-board SATA include:

n n n
Intel ICH9 NVIDIA MCP55 ServerWorks HT1000
NOTE Sharing VMFS datastores on SATA disks across multiple ESXi 4.1 hosts is not supported.
n
Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) disk drives Supported for installing ESXi 4.1 and for storing virtual machines on VMFS partitions. Fibre Channel or iSCSI USB devices Supported for installing ESXi 4.1. For a list of supported USB devices, see the Hardware Compatibility Guide at http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility.
n n
Recommendation for Enhanced ESXi Performance

Draft comment filepath: GUID-FF4F7C0F-FDED-4256-8331-037EC5A91A22.xml
To enhance performance, VMware recommends that you install ESXi on a robust system with more RAM than the minimum required and with multiple physical disks. Consider the following recommendations for enhanced performance:
n
RAM ESXi hosts require more RAM than typical servers. An ESXi host must be equipped with sufficient RAM to run concurrent virtual machines.
26
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 2 System Requirements
For example, operating four virtual machines with Red Hat Enterprise Linux or Windows XP requires at least 3GB of RAM for baseline performance. This includes approximately 1024MB for the virtual machines (256MB minimum for each operating system as recommended by vendors). Running these four virtual machines with 512MB RAM requires that the ESXi host be equipped with approximately 4GB RAM, which includes 2048MB for the virtual machines. These calculations do not take into account possible memory savings from using variable overhead memory for each virtual machine. See the Resource Management Guide.
n
Dedicated Fast Ethernet adapters for virtual machines Place the management network and virtual machine networks on different physical network cards. Dedicated Gigabit Ethernet cards for virtual machines, such as Intel PRO 1000 adapters, improve throughput to virtual machines with high network traffic. Disk location Place all data used by your virtual machines on physical disks allocated specifically to virtual machines. Performance is better when you do not place your virtual machines on the disk containing the ESXi boot image. Use physical disks that are large enough to hold disk images used by all the virtual machines. VMFS3 partitioning The ESXi installer creates the initial VMFS volumes automatically on blank local disks. To add disks or modify the original configuration, use the vSphere Client. This application ensures that the starting sectors of partitions are 64K-aligned, which improves storage performance. NOTE For SAS-only environments, the installer might not format the disks. For some SAS disks, it is difficult to identify whether the disks are local or remote. After the installation, you can use the vSphere Client to set up VMFS.
Processors Faster processors improve ESXi performance. For certain workloads, larger caches improve ESXi performance. Hardware compatibility Use devices in your server that are supported by ESXi 5 drivers. See the Hardware Compatibility Guide at http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility.
Tested Software and Firmware for CreatingESXi Installation Media

Draft comment filepath: GUID-4FCA971F-66BB-48E0-A0D9-E9D1E0B77DE1.xml
Before you install ESXi, you might need to burn the ESXi installation ISO image onto DVD or USB media. Review the firmware and software that VMware has tested and has confirmed works. VMware has tested these combinations for burning the ESXi installation ISO image onto DVD and USB media. Table 2-1. Tested Combinations for DVD
DVD Drive (Make, Model, and BIOS) Phillips + RW DVD8801 Philips PLDS DVD + RW DH-16A6S Philips PLDS DVD + RW DH-16W1S Philips BenQ PBDS + RW DH-16W1S HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GSA-H53N Dell/_NEC DVD +-RW ND-3530A Dell/_NEC DVD +-RW ND-3530A Software to Burn DVD Roxio Creator Classic version: 6.1.1.48 Roxio Creator version: 3.3.0 Roxio Creator version: 3.3.0 Roxio Creator version: 3.3.0 Burn4Free V.4.6.0.0 Roxio Creator Classic version: 6.1.1.48 Roxio Creator Classic version: 6.1.1.48 DVD Media SONY DVD +RW 120min / 4.7 GB SONY DVD+RW SONY DVD+RW SONY DVD+RW SONY DVD+RW Memorex DVD-R Office Depot DVD+RW
VMware, Inc.
27
Table 2-1. Tested Combinations for DVD (Continued)

DVD Drive (Make, Model, and BIOS) Dell/_NEC DVD +-RW ND-3530A Dell/_NEC DVD +-RW ND-3530A Software to Burn DVD Roxio Creator Classic version: 6.1.1.48 Roxio Creator Classic version: 6.1.1.48 DVD Media Ativa DVD-RW TDK DVD+R Verbatim DVD+R SONY DVD-R Maxell DVD+R
Table 2-2. Tested Combinations for USB

External USB DVD Drive Iomega LaCie LG 8x portable DVD Rewriter SONY DVD+- R 20X Firmware Version Rev: XY13 Rev: LA00 Rev: KE01 Rev: SS01
vCenter Server and vSphere Client Hardware Requirements

Draft comment filepath: GUID-67C4D2A0-10F7-4158-A249-D1B7D7B3BC99.xml
The vCenter Server system is a physical machine or virtual machine with access to a supported database. The vCenter Server system must meet specific requirements. Also make sure that the vCenter Server machines meet the hardware requirements.
Minimum Requirements for vCenter Server

Draft comment filepath: GUID-67C4D2A0-10F7-4158-A249-D1B7D7B3BC99.xml n n
CPU Two 64-bit CPUs or one 64-bit dual-core processor. Processor 2.0GHz or faster Intel 64 or AMD 64 processor. The Itanium (IA64) processor is not supported. Processor requirements might be higher if the database runs on the same machine. Memory 3GB RAM. Memory requirements might be higher if the database runs on the same machine. vCenter Server includes a service called VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices. This service requires 512MB to 4.4GB of additional memory. The maximum Webservices JVM memory can be specified during the installation depending on the inventory size.
Disk storage 3GB. Disk requirements might be higher if the vCenter Server database runs on the same machine. Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express disk requirements Up to 2GB free disk space to decompress the installation archive. Approximately 1.5GB of these files are deleted after the installation is complete. Networking Gigabit connection recommended.
NOTE Installing vCenter Server on a network drive or USB flash drive is not supported. See your database documentation for the hardware requirements of your database. The database requirements are in addition to the vCenter Server requirements if the database and vCenter Server run on the same machine.
Requirements for vCenter Server Appliance

The vCenter Server Appliance requires at least 7GB of disk space, and is limited to a maximum size of 80GB.
28
VMware, Inc.
vSphere Client Minimum Hardware Requirements and Recommendations

Draft comment filepath: GUID-67C4D2A0-10F7-4158-A249-D1B7D7B3BC99.xml n n n n
CPU 1 CPU Processor 500MHz or faster Intel or AMD processor (1GHz recommended) Memory 1GB RAM Disk Storage 1.5GB free disk space for a complete installation, which includes the following components:
n n n
Microsoft .NET 2.0 Microsoft .NET 3.0 SP1 Microsoft Visual J# Remove any previously installed versions of Microsoft Visual J# on the system where you are installing the vSphere Client.
vSphere Client
If you do not have any of these components already installed, you must have 400MB free on the drive that has the %temp% directory. If you have all of the components already installed, 300MB of free space is required on the drive that has the %temp% directory, and 450MB is required for vSphere Client.
n
Networking Gigabit connection recommended
System Recommendations for Performance Based on Deployment Size

The number of hosts and powered-on virtual machines in your environment affects performance. The following system requirements should be used as minimum guidelines for reasonable performance. For increased performance, you can configure systems in your environment with values greater than those listed here. Processing requirements are listed in terms of hardware CPU cores. Only physical cores are counted. In hyperthreaded systems, logical CPUs do not count as separate cores. IMPORTANT The recommended disk sizes assume default log levels. If you configure more granular log levels, more disk space is required. Table 2-3. Medium Deployment Up to 50 Hosts and 500 Powered-On Virtual Machines
Product vCenter Server vSphere Client Cores 2 1 Memory 4GB 200MB Disk 5GB 1.5GB
Table 2-4. Large Deployment Up to 300 Hosts and 3000 Powered-On Virtual Machines
VMware, Inc.
29
Table 2-5. Extra-Large Deployment Up to 1000 Hosts and 10000 Powered-On Virtual Machines
Requirements for Installing vCenter Server on a Custom Drive

If you install vCenter Server on any custom drive, note the following space requirements:
n n
1GB on the custom drive for vCenter Server 1.13GB on the C:\ drive for Microsoft .NET 3.0 SP1, Microsoft ADAM, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express (optional), and Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable 375MB for the custom drive %temp% directory
vCenter Server Software Requirements

Draft comment filepath: GUID-F2C3B932-21BB-4A87-B49C-D988B5D16C52.xml
Make sure that your operating system supports vCenter Server. vCenter Server requires a 64-bit operating system, and the 64-bit system DSN is required for vCenter Server to connect to its database. The vCenter Server host machine must have one of the following supported operating systems:
n n n n
Windows Server 2003 [Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter] 64-bit (SP2 required) Windows Server 2003 R2 [Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter] 64-bit (SP2 required) Windows Server 2008 [Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter] 64-bit SP2 Windows Server 2008 [Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter] 64-bit R2
vCenter Server requires the Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP1 Framework. If your system does not have it installed, the vCenter Server installer installs it. The .NET 3.5 SP1 installation might require Internet connectivity to download additional files. If you plan to use the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express database that is bundled with vCenter Server, Microsoft Windows Installer version 4.5 (MSI 4.5) is required on your system. You can download MSI 4.5 from the Microsoft Web site. The vCenter Server Appliance can be deployed only on hosts that are running ESX version 4.x or ESXi version 4.x or later.
vSphere Client Software Requirements

Draft comment filepath: GUID-CC4604E4-B9A4-40FE-B0FA-3807906AFF85.xml
Make sure that your operating system supports the vSphere Client. For a list of supported operating systems, see the vSphere Compatibility Matrixes on the VMware vSphere documentation Web site. The vSphere Client requires the Microsoft .NET 3. 5 SP1 Framework. If your system does not have it installed, the vSphere Client installer installs it. The .NET 3. 5 SP1 installation might require Internet connectivity to download additional files.
30
VMware, Inc.
Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems

Draft comment filepath: GUID-7A9B1A4B-618D-4DB8-BF80-F6CF7C9E5455.xml
ESXi offers support for several 64-bit guest operating systems. See the Guest Operating System Installation Guide for a complete list. Hosts running virtual machines with 64-bit guest operating systems have the following hardware requirements:
n n
For AMD Opteron-based systems, the processors must be Opteron Rev E or later. For Intel Xeon-based systems, the processors must include support for Intel Virtualization Technology (VT). Many servers that include CPUs with VT support might ship with VT disabled by default, so you must enable VT manually. If your CPUs support VT but you do not see this option in the BIOS, contact your vendor to request a BIOS version that lets you enable VT support.
To determine whether your server has 64-bit VMware support, you can download the CPU Identification Utility at the VMware downloads page: http://www.vmware.com/download/shared_utilities.html.
Requirements for Creating Virtual Machines

Draft comment filepath: GUID-20DD795F-F1EE-49B3-94ED-1A44A6CCD84D.xml
To create a virtual machine, the ESXi host must be able to support a virtual processor, a virtual chip set, and a virtual BIOS. Each ESXi machine has the requirements shown in Table 2-6. Table 2-6. Requirements for Creating Virtual Machines
Component Virtual processor Requirements One, two, four, or eight processors per virtual machine NOTE If you create a two-processor virtual machine, your ESXi machine must have at least two physical processors. For a four-processor virtual machine, your ESXi machine must have at least four physical processors. Intel 440BX-based motherboard with NS338 SIO chip PhoenixBIOS 4.0 Release 6
Virtual chip set Virtual BIOS
Required Ports
Draft comment filepath: GUID-925370DD-E3D1-455B-81C7-CB28AAF20617.xml
The VMware vCenter Server system must be able to send data to every managed host and receive data from every vSphere Client. To enable migration and provisioning activities between managed hosts, the source and destination hosts must be able to receive data from each other. VMware uses designated ports for communication. Additionally, the managed hosts are listening for data from the vCenter Server system on designated ports. If a firewall exists between any of these elements and Windows firewall service is in use, the installer opens the ports during the installation. For custom firewalls, you must manually open the required ports. If you have a firewall between two managed hosts and you want to perform source or target activities, such as migration or cloning, you must configure a means for the managed hosts to receive data. NOTE In Microsoft Windows Server 2008, a firewall is enabled by default. Table 2-7 lists the default ports that are required for communication between components.
VMware, Inc.
31
Table 2-7. Required Ports

Port 80 389 Description vCenter Server requires port 80 for direct HTTP connections. Port 80 redirects requests to HTTPS port 443. This is useful if you accidentally use http://server instead of https://server. This port must be open on the local and all remote instances of vCenter Server. This is the LDAP port number for the Directory Services for the vCenter Server group. The vCenter Server system needs to bind to port 389, even if you are not joining this vCenter Server instance to a Linked Mode group. If another service is running on this port, it might be preferable to remove it or change its port to different port. You can run the LDAP service on any port from 1025 through 65535. If this instance is serving as the Microsoft Windows Active Directory, change the port number from 389 to an available port from 1025 through 65535. The default port that the vCenter Server system uses to listen for connections from the vSphere Client. To enable the vCenter Server system to receive data from the vSphere Client, open port 443 in the firewall. The vCenter Server system also uses port 443 to listen for data transfer from the vSphere Web Access Client and other SDK clients. If you use another port number for HTTPS, you must use <ip-address>:<port> when you log in to the vCenter Server system. For vCenter Linked Mode, this is the SSL port of the local instance. If another service is running on this port, it might be preferable to remove it or change its port to different port. You can run the SSL service on any port from 1025 through 65535. The default port that the vCenter Server system uses to send data to managed hosts. Managed hosts also send a regular heartbeat over UDP port 902 to the vCenter Server system. This port must not be blocked by firewalls between the server and the hosts or between hosts. Ports 902 and 903 must not be blocked between the vSphere Client and the hosts. These ports are used by the vSphere Client to display virtual machine consoles. Web Services HTTP. Used for the VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices. Web Services HTTPS. Used for the VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices. Web Service change service notification port Query Service HTTPS Author: Administrator Mon Oct 18 11:26:53 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status: Reviewers: Should we add more specific detail about how the Query Service and Reverse Proxy ports are used? If so, I need input from you. Query Service Service Management Query Service Linked Mode Communication Reverse Proxy HTTP. Common entry point for some of the vCenter Server Web Services Reverse Proxy HTTPS. Common entry point for some of the vCenter Server Web Services
443
636
902
902/903 8080 8443 60099 10443
10109 10111 11000 11100
If you want the vCenter Server system to use a different port to receive vSphere Client data, see the VMware vSphere Datacenter Administration Guide. For a discussion of firewall configuration, see the ESX Configuration Guide.
Supported Remote Management Firmware Versions

Draft comment filepath: GUID-D87A2B7B-7649-43BF-BEE5-3AC4AA5196F0.xml
You can use remote management applications for installing ESXi or for remote management of hosts. Table 2-8 lists the remote management firmware versions that are supported for installing ESXiremotely.
32
VMware, Inc.
Table 2-8. Supported Remote Management Server Models and Firmware Versions
Remote Controller Make and Model DRAC 5 Firmware Version 1.4 1.45 (08.10.06) 1.40 (08.08.22) 1.20 (07.03.02) 1.33 1.32 (07.12.22) 1.0 (06.05.12) 1.32 1.2 1.45 (09.01.16) 1.3 1.33 DRAC 4 ILO 1.7 .26 1.7 ILO2 1.91 (07/26/2009) 1.29 (2/28/2007) RSA 1.09 1.06 Java Not applicable 2.1,0,14 2,1,0,14 1.4.2_06 1.6.0_07 1.4.2_13 1.4.2_13 1.6.0_11 1.6.0_11 1.6.0_11 1.6.0_11 1.6.0_11 1.4.2_06 1.6.0_11 1.4.2_19 1.6.0_07 1.4.2_13 1.6.0_11 1.6.0_11 ActiveX 1.4.2_19 1.6.0.50 1.6.0_11 2,1,0,13 2,1,0,14 2,1,0,13 2,1,0,13 2,1,0,14 2,1,0,14 2,1,0,14 2,1,0,14 2,1,0,13 2,1,0,14 2,1,0,14 Not applicable 2,1,0,14 Not applicable 2,1,0,14 2,1,0,14
VMware, Inc.
33
34
VMware, Inc.
Installing ESXi Using the Interactive Option

Draft comment filepath: GUID-2EC758E9-1BA5-40D9-A476-18B62C7A13D6.xml
The installer reformats and partitions the target disk and installs the ESXi boot image. All data located on this drive is overwritten, including hardware vendor partitions, operating system partitions### check about partitioning, previous versions of ESXi, and associated data. To ensure that you do not lose any data, migrate the data to another machine before you install ESXi. This chapter includes the following topics:
n n
Boot Commands, on page 35 Install ESXi Using the Interactive Option, on page 36
Boot Commands
Draft comment filepath: GUID-82E56BD0-85DE-4E35-AD6B-07CFB802E673.xml
Before the ESXi installer Welcome screen appears, the installer displays a boot prompt where you can enter boot commands to pass arguments to the installer. When the mode selection screen appears, quickly press Tab to stop the timeout counter. If the mode selection screen times out, the default interactive mode is launched. Boot commands must be entered after the file vmkboot.gz rather than at the end of the line. For example,
append vmkboot.gz ks=http://00.00.00.00/kickstart/ks-osdc-pdp101.cfg nameserver=00.00.0.0 ip=00.00.00.000 netmask=255.255.255.0 gateway=00.00.00.000 --- vmkernel.gz --- sys.vgz --cim.vgz --- ienviron.vgz --- install.vgz
The supported bootstrap commands and subcommands are listed in Table 3-1. Table 3-1. Bootstrap Commands for ESXi Installation
Command BOOTIF=<hwtype>-<MAC address> gateway=<ip address> ip=<ip address> Description Accepts the format for the boot network adapter as supplied by PXELINUX. Sets this network gateway as the default gateway during the install. Specifies a static IP address to be used for downloading the script and the installation media. The IPAPPEND option is also supported if you PXE boot the installer. Performs a scripted installation with the script at <path>, which resides on the CD in the CD-ROM drive. Performs a scripted installation with the script at <path>, which resides inside the initial ramdisk image.
ks=cdrom:/<path> ks=file://<path>
VMware, Inc.
35
Table 3-1. Bootstrap Commands for ESXi Installation (Continued)

Command ks=<protocol>://<server><path> ks=usb ks=usb:/<path> ksdevice=<device> nameserver=<ip address> netdevice=<device> Description Performs a scripted installation with a script located at the given URL. <protocol> can be http, https, ftp, or nfs. Performs a scripted installation with the default script (ks.cfg file), which resides on USB. Performs a scripted installation with the script file at specified path, which resides on USB. Same as netdevice Specifies a domain name server as the nameserver during the install. Tries to use a network adapter <device> when looking for an installation script and installation media. Specify as a MAC address (for example, 00:50:56:C0:00:01). This can also be a vmnicNN name. If not specified and files need to be retrieved over the network, the installer defaults to the first discovered network adapter. Specifies subnet mask for the network interface that downloads the installation media.
netmask=<subnet mask>
Install ESXi Using the Interactive Option

Draft comment filepath: GUID-6FFA928F-7F7D-4B1A-B05C-777279233A77.xml
You use the ESXi CD/DVD to install the ESXi software onto a SAS, SATA, or SCSI hard drive. Prerequisites
n
You must have the ESXiInstallable ISO file on CD or DVD media. If you do not have the installation CD/DVD, you can create one. See Download the ESXi ISO Image and Burn the Installation CD/DVD, on page 14. Verify that the server hardware clock is set to UTC. This setting is in the system BIOS. Verify that a keyboard and monitor are attached to the machine on which the ESXi software will be installed. Consider disconnecting your network storage. This action decreases the time it takes the installer to search for available disk drives. ESXi Embedded must not be on the host. ESXi Installable and ESXi Embedded cannot exist on the same host.
n n
Procedure 1 2 3 Insert the ESXi Installable CD/DVD into the CD/DVD-ROM drive. Restart the machine. Set the BIOS to boot from the CD-ROM device. See your hardware vendor documentation for information on changing boot order. 4 5 On the Welcome screen, press Enter to continue with the installation. Read the VMware end-user license agreement and accept it by pressing F11.
36
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 3 Installing ESXi Using the Interactive Option
In the Select a Disk screen, select the disk drive on which to install ESXi and press Enter. Press F1 for information about the selected disk. NOTE Do not rely on the disk order in the list to select a disk. The disk order is determined by the BIOS and might be out of order. This might occur on systems where drives are continuously being added and removed. If the disk you selected contains data, the Confirm Disk Selection screen displays.
7 8 9
Press F11 to start the installation. When the installation is complete, remove the installation CD/DVD. Press Enter to reboot the host. During the reboot operation, VFAT scratch and VMFS partitions are created on the disk.
10
Set the first boot device to be the drive on which you installed ESXi (in Step 6). See your hardware vendor documentation for information on changing boot order.
After the installation is complete, you can migrate existing VMFS data to the ESXi Installable host. You can boot a single machine from each ESXi image. Booting multiple devices from a single shared ESXi image is not supported.
VMware, Inc.
37
38
VMware, Inc.
Installing ESXi Using a Script

Draft comment filepath: GUID-870A07BC-F8B4-47AF-9476-D542BA53F1F5.xml
You can quickly deploy ESXi hosts using scripted, unattended installations. Scripted installations provide an efficient way to deploy multiple hosts. The installation script contains the installation settings for ESXi. You can apply the script to all your hosts that will have a similar configuration. Scripted installations include the following steps: 1 2 3 Create a script using the supported commands. Edit the installation script as needed to change settings that are unique for each host. Run the scripted installation.
The installation script can reside in one of the following locations:

n n n n n n
Default installation script FTP HTTP/HTTPS NFS USB flash drive CDROM
This chapter includes the following topics:

n n n n n n n
Approaches for Scripted Installation, on page 40 About Installation Scripts, on page 40 About Default Installation Scripts, on page 40 Default ks.cfg Script, on page 40 Installation Script Commands, on page 41 Disk Device Names, on page 46 Install ESXi Using the Scripted Mode, on page 47
VMware, Inc.
39
Approaches for Scripted Installation

Draft comment filepath: GUID-4DFAA5D6-D1E8-41C9-BCB4-8633551CD8BC.xml
You can install ESXi onto multiple machines using a single script for all of them or using a separate script for each machine. Author: Administrator Fri Oct 8 10:40:23 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status: This topic is about IP setup --DHCP vs static, one script vs multiple. change title, ect. ### One of the settings that you can configure in a script is the IP setting, which can be static IP or DHCP for the host on which you are installing ESXi. Choose one of the following approaches:
n
Create multiple scripts, each containing unique network identification information. The unique network information includes the static IP address and host name of each ESXi host. Create one script (or use a default script) that uses DHCP to set up multiple ESXi hosts. After you complete a scripted installation, you can configure each ESXi host separately to assign a unique host name and IP address. VMware recommends that you use static IP addresses.
About Installation Scripts

Draft comment filepath: GUID-341A83E4-2A6C-4FB9-BE30-F1E19D12947F.xml
The installation script is a text file, for example ks.cfg, that contains supported commands. The command section of the script contains the options specified for the ESXi installation. This section is required and must appear first in the script.
About Default Installation Scripts

Draft comment filepath: GUID-C3F32E0F-297B-4B75-8B3E-C28BD08680C8.xml
Default installation scripts simplify the task of using scripted mode to perform ESXi installations. Instead of writing a script, you can use default scripts. The installation media contains the following default installation scripts: ks.cfg Installs ESXi on the first detected disk.
When you install ESXi using ks.cfg, the default root password is mypassword.
Default ks.cfg Script

Draft comment filepath: GUID-5B70AB2A-106B-44A6-96FE-F276B61E57C9.xml
The ESXi installer includes a default installation script that performs a standard installation to the first hard drive. The default ks.cfg script is located at /etc/vmware/weasel/ks.cfg. To run the default, press Tab on boot menu, and type ks=file:path to file. You cannot modify the default script on the installation media. If you run the default script, the root password is mypassword. After the installation, you can log in to the ESXi host and modify the default settings using the vSphere Client.
40
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 4 Installing ESXi Using a Script
The default script contains the following commands:

# Accept the VMware End User License Agreement vmaccepteula # Set the root password for the DCUI and Tech Support Mode rootpw mypassword # Choose the first discovered disk to install onto autopart --firstdisk --overwritevmfs # The installation media is in the CD-ROM drive install cdrom # Set the network to DHCP on the first network adapater network -- bootproto=dhcp --device=vmnic0 # A sample post-install script %post -- unsupported -- interpreter=python -- ignorefailure=true import time stampFile = file('/finished.stamp', mode='w' stampFile.write( time.asctime() )
Installation Script Commands

Draft comment filepath: GUID-61A14EBB-5CF3-43EE-87EF-DB8EC6D83698.xml
To modify the default installation script or create your own script, use supported commands. Use the following commands in the installation script (kickstart file), which you specify with a boot command when you boot the installer.
accepteula or vmaccepteula (required)

Accepts the ESXi license agreement.
autopart (required)
Compared to kickstart, the behavior of the ESXi 4.1 autopart command is significantly different. Carefully edit the autopart command in your existing scripts. Specifies the disk onto which ESXi is installed. Clears the specified disk and creates the default partitions, including a VMFS datastore that occupies all available space after the other partitions are created.
--disk= or --drive= --firstdisk= <disk-type1>, [<disk-type2>,...]
Specifies the disk to partition. Partitions the first non-USB disk found. This is the same disk as found by the clearpart --firstdisk command. You can add an optional string argument to the --firstdisk flag to select the disk types. You can use the following strings :
n n n
local remote Device driver name in the vmkernel
VMware, Inc.
41
You can combine multiple values in a comma-separated list to concatenate other matches onto the list of matches. For example, --firstdisk=local,remote selects the first detected local disk or, if none are available, the first remote disk. This is the default behavior. To prefer a disk with the device driver named mptspi over any other local disks, use --firstdisk=mptspi,local.
--overwritevmfs
Required if a VMFS partition exists on the disk before installation.
clearpart (optional)
Compared to kickstart, the behavior of the ESXi 4.1 clearpart command is significantly different. Carefully edit the clearpart command in your existing scripts. Removes partitions from the system before creating new partitions.
--drives= --alldrives
Specifies which drives to clear partitions from. Ignores the --drives= requirement and allows clearing of partitions on every drive. Removes partitions on all drives except those specified. Required unless the --drives= or --alldrives flag is specified. Overwrites VMFS partitions on the specified drives. Required if the disk contains a VMFS partition. Initializes the disk label to the default for your architecture. Clears partitions on the first non-USB disk found. This is the same disk as found by autopart --firstdisk command. You can add an optional string argument to the --firstdisk flag to select the disk types. You can use the following strings:
n n n
--ignoredrives=
--overwritevmfs
--initlabel --firstdisk= <disk-type1>, [<disk-type2>,...]
dryrun (optional)
Parses and checks the installation script. Does not perform the installation.
42
VMware, Inc.
install (required)
Specifies that this is a fresh installation. (All scripted installations are fresh installations.)
<cdrom|nfs|url> <cdrom|usb|nfs|url>
Specifies the type of installation. The values are:

n cdrom installs from the DVD-ROM drive. For example: install cdrom n nfs.
Installs from the specified NFS server. For example:

install nfs --server=example.com --dir=/nfs3/VMware/ESXi/41 n url downloads across the network. For example: install url http://example.com n usb
Installs from the first USB media found to contain the installation image. For example:
install usb --server= --dir= <url>
Specifies which NFS server to connect to. Use with nfs. Specifies which directory on the NFS server to mount. Use with nfs. Defines the location of the runtime environment. Use with url (http/https/ftp/nfs).
keyboard (optional)
Sets the keyboard type for the system.

<keyboardType>
Specifies the keyboard map for the selected keyboard type. keyboardType must be one of the following types.
n n n n n
Default French German Japanese Russian
serialnum or vmserialnum (optional)

Configures licensing. If not included, ESXi installs in evaluation mode.

--esx=<license-key>
Specifies the vSphere license key to use. The format is 5 five-character groups (XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX).
VMware, Inc.
43
network (optional)
Configures network information for the system.

--bootproto=[dhcp|static] --device=
Specifies network settings. Specifies either the MAC address of the network card or the device name, as in vmnic0. Sets an IP address for the machine to be installed. Required with the --bootproto=static option. Designates the default gateway as an IP address. Required with the --bootproto=static option. Designates the primary name server as an IP address. Used with the --bootproto=static option. Omit this option if you do not intend to use DNS. The --nameserver option can accept two IP addresses. For example: -nameserver="10.126.87.104,10.126.87.120"
--ip=
--gateway=
--nameserver=
--netmask=
Specifies the subnet mask for the installed system. Used with the --bootproto=static option. If you omit this option, the default is the standard netmask for the given IP address. Specifies the host name for the installed system. Only works with --bootproto=static. Specifies a VLAN to use for networking. Set to an integer between 0 and 4095. Specifies whether to add the VM Network port group, which is used by virtual machines. The default value is 1.
--hostname=
--vlanid=<vlanid> --addvmportgroup=(0|1)
paranoid (optional)
Causes any warning messages to interrupt the installation. If you omit this command, warning messages are logged.
part or partition (optional)

Compared to kickstart, the behavior of the ESXi 4.1 part or partition command is significantly different. Carefully edit the part or partition command in your existing scripts. Creates an additional VMFS datastore on the system. Only one datastore per disk can be created. Cannot be used on the same disk as autopart, because autopart automatically creates a datastore on its disk.
<datastore name> --size= --grow
Specifies the name for the datastore. Defines the minimum partition size in megabytes. Allows the partition to grow to fill any available space or up to the maximum size setting. Specifies the maximum size in megabytes for a partition to grow.
--maxsize=
44
VMware, Inc.
--ondisk= or --ondrive= --onfirstdisk= <disk-type1>, [<disk-type2>,...]
Specifies the disk on which partitions are created. Partitions the first non-USB disk found. This is the same disk as found by the autopart -firstdisk command. You can add an optional string argument to the --firstdisk flag to select the disk types. The strings that you can use are as follows:
n n n
--fstype=
Sets the file system type for the partition. Only for VMFS3.
rootpw (required)
Sets the root password for the system. Can be between 6 and 64 characters.
--iscrypted <password>
Specifies that the password is encrypted. Specifies the password value.
%include or include
Specifies an additional installation script to parse. You can add several include commands to your script. When you use the %include command, put the <filename> argument on the same line as the command.
<filename>
For example: %include part.cfg
%pre (optional)
Specifies a script to be executed before the kickstart configuration is evaluated. For example, a %pre script can generate include files, as shown here:
# Partitioning %include part.cfg ... %pre --unsupported cat > /tmp/part.cfg <<EOF part datastore2 --fstype=vmfs3 --size=20000 --onfirstdisk="remote" part datastore3 --fstype=vmfs3 --size=10000 --grow --ondisk="mpx.vmhba1:C0:T0:L0" EOF --interpreter
VMware, Inc.
45
=[python|busybox] --unsupported(required)
Specifies an interpreter to use. The default is busybox. Required argument that acknowledges the command is unsupported.
%post (optional)
Executes the specified script after package installation has been completed. If you specify multiple %post sections, they are executed in the order they appear in the installation script. For example:
%post --unsupported MY_MAC=`esxcfg-nics -l | tail -1 | awk '{print $7}'` CONF_URL="http://example.com/$MY_MAC" python -c "import urllib; urllib.urlretrieve('$CONF_URL', '/tmp/myconfig.sh')" sh /tmp/myconfig.sh --interpreter =[python|busybox] --timeout=secs
Specifies an interpreter to use. The default is busybox. Specifies a timeout for executing the script. If the script has not finished when the timeout expires, the script is forcefully terminated. If true, the installation is considered a success even if the %post script terminated with an error. Required argument that acknowledges the command is unsupported.
--ignorefailure =[true|false] --unsupported(required)
%firstboot
Creates an init script which executes during the first boot only. If you specify multiple %firstboot sections, assign the order of execution by setting the --level argument.
--interpreter =[python|busybox] --level=level
Specifies an interpreter to use. The default is busybox. Determines the order that the init script will be executed in. Set the level high enough so that other init scripts, such as loading drivers, can run first. The default is 999. Required argument that acknowledges the command is unsupported.
--unsupported(required)
NOTE There is no way to check the semantics of %firstboot script until the system boots for the first time. If the script contains errors, they will not be exposed unti lafter the installation is complete.
Disk Device Names

Draft comment filepath: GUID-E7274FBA-CABC-43E8-BF74-2924FD3EFE1E.xml
Installation script commands such as autopart require the use of disk device names. Table 4-1lists the supported disk device names. Table 4-1. Disk Device Names
Format MPX VML Examples mpx.vmhba0:C0:T0:L0 vml.0000000000766d686261313a303a30 Description The vmkernel device name.
46
VMware, Inc.
Install ESXi Using the Scripted Mode

Draft comment filepath: GUID-A3F70933-B3FE-4A39-963D-100DE84035F8.xml
This procedure describes the steps for running a custom or default script. Prerequisites Before running a scripted installation, verify that the following prerequisites have been met:
n n
The system on which you are installing the product meets the hardware requirements for the installation. You have the installation media on the installation CD/DVD or the installation media is accessible to the system on a media depot or USB flash drive. If you are PXE booting the installer, the correct PXE configuration file is defined. See Creating a PXE Configuration File, on page 22. The default installation script (ks.cfg) or a custom installation script is accessible to the system. You have selected a boot command to run the scripted installation. See Boot Commands, on page 35 for a complete list of boot commands.
n n
Procedure 1 Boot the installer using one of the following methods.

n n
Boot from the CD/DVD using the local CD/DVD-ROM drive. PXE boot the installer.
2 3
When the mode selection page appears, press Tab. In the line following the file vmkboot.gz in the command line, enter a boot command (ks=) that calls the default script (kickstart) file or a script file that you created. The table shows the basic boot commands.
ks= Option ks=cdrom:/ks.cfg ks=file://<path>/ks.cfg ks=ftp://<server>/<path>/ks.cfg ks=http://<server>/<path>/ks.cf g ks=nfs://<server>/<path>/ks.cfg ks=usb:/ks.cfg Description Installation script is located on the DVD-ROM drive attached to the machine. Installation script is at <path> which resides inside the initial ramdisk image. Installation script is located at the given URL. Installation script is located at the given URL. Installation script is located at <path> on a given NFS server. Installation script is located on the local USB.
Press Enter.
The installation runs using the options that you specified.
VMware, Inc.
47
48
VMware, Inc.
Installing ESXi Using VMware Auto Deploy

Draft comment filepath: GUID-CAB84194-3D8E-45F0-ABF9-0277710C8F98.xml
Using the VMware Auto Deploy feature, you can provision and reprovision hundreds or thousands of ESXi hosts very efficiently with vCenter Server. VMware Auto Deploy enables experienced system administrators to manage large vSphere deployments efficiently. With Auto Deploy, vCenter Server loads the ESXi image directly into the host memory. Unlike the other installation options, Auto Deploy does not store ESXi state on the host disk. vCenter Server stores and manages ESXi updates and patching through an image profile, and, optionally, the host configuration through a host profile. This chapter includes the following topics:
n n n n
Understanding VMware Auto Deploy, on page 49 Preparing for VMware Auto Deploy, on page 56 Managing Auto Deploy with Auto Deploy PowerCLI Cmdlets, on page 61 Provisioning ESXi Systems With VMware Auto Deploy, on page 63
Understanding VMware Auto Deploy

Draft comment filepath: GUID-34BE4438-2D04-44AB-89B5-ED7D4FA976E0.xml
VMware Auto Deploy can provision hundreds or thousands of physical hosts with ESXi software. You can specify the image to deploy, the hosts to deploy to, and, optionally, host profiles to apply to the hosts.
Understanding Auto Deploy Boot Operations

Draft comment filepath: GUID-9A827220-177E-40DE-99A0-E1EB62A49408.xml
When a physical host set up for Auto Deploy is turned on, Auto Deploy provisions and customizes that host. No state is stored on the host itself. Understanding how Auto Deploy manages state information and how Auto Deploy components interact is essential for using VMware Auto Deploy.
State Information for ESXi Hosts

VMware Auto Deploy stores the information for the ESXi hosts to be provisioned in the following locations.
VMware, Inc.
49
Table 5-1. Auto Deploy Stores Information for Deployment

Information Type Image state Configuration state Description Executable software to run on an ESXi host. Configurable settings that determine how the host is configured, for example, virtual switches and their settings, driver settings, boot parameters, and so on. Runtime state that is generated by the running software, for example, generated private keys or runtime databases. Virtual machines stored on a host and virtual machine auto-start information (subsequent boots only). Source of State Information Image profile, created with Image Builder PowerCLI. Host profile, created using the host profile UI. Often comes from a template host.
Dynamic state
Stored in host memory and lost during reboot.
Virtual machine state
Managed by vCenter Server system by default. n If the virtual machine is in a VMware HA cluster, VMware Auto Deploy retains this information so deployment works even if the vCenter Server is unavailable. n If the virtual machine is not in a VMware HA cluster, vCenter Server must be available to supply information to Auto Deploy. Information is stored in an answer file. When you apply a host profile to a host using Apply Host Configuration in the vSphere Client, the client prompts for the required information. The information is then saved with the host profile. Only one answer file exists for each host.
User input
State that is based on user input, for example, an IP address the user provides when the system starts up, cannot automatically be included in the host profile.
50
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 5 Installing ESXi Using VMware Auto Deploy
Auto Deploy Architecture

The Auto Deploy infrastructure consists of the following components, shown in Figure 5-1. Auto Deploy server Serves images and host profiles to ESXi hosts. The Auto Deploy server is at the heart of the Auto Deploy infrastructure. Tells the Auto Deploy server which image and which host profile to serve to which host. Administrators use the Auto Deploy PowerCLI to define the rules that assign image profiles and host profiles to hosts. Define the set of VIBs with which the ESXi host is to be booted. You have the following options:
n
Auto Deploy rules engine
Image profiles
VMware and VMware partners make image profiles and VIBs available in public depots. Use the Image Builder PowerCLI to examine the depot and the Auto Deploy rule engine to specify which image profile to assign to which host. VMware customers can create a custom image profile based on the public image profiles and VIBs in the depot and apply that image profile to the host.
Host profiles
Define machine-specific information such as networking or storage setup. Administrators create host profiles by using the host profile UI. You can save the host profile for an individual host and reuse it to reprovision that host, or save the host profile of a template host and use that profile for other hosts. Store information that the user provides during the boot process. When you apply a host profile to a host using Apply Host Configuration, the answer file is saved. Only one answer file exists for each host.
Answer files
Figure 5-1. VMware Auto Deploy Architecture

Rules Engine Power CLI
Host Profiles and answer file
Profile Editor UI
Rules Engine
PowerCLI
Image profiles
Waiter (web server)
host profile engine ESX host
plug-in
Fetch of predefined images profiles and VIBs
HTTP fetch of images/VIBs and host profiles (gPXE boot and update)
VIBs and image profiles public depot
VMware, Inc.
51
Rule Engine, Rules, and Rule sets

The rule engine maps software and configuration settings to hosts based on the attributes of the host. For example, you can deploy image profiles or host profiles to two clusters of hosts by writing two rules that match on the network address of each cluster. The Auto Deploy server checks with the rule engine before serving image profiles and host profiles to Auto Deploy hosts. The rule engine includes rules and rule sets. Rules Rules can assign image profiles and host profiles to a set of hosts, or specify the location (folder or cluster) of a host on the target vCenter Server system. A rule can identify target hosts by MAC address, SMBIOS asset tag, BIOS UIID, fixed DHCP IP address, or static IP address. In most cases, rules apply to multiple hosts. After you create a rule, you must add it to a rule set. By default, the AddDeployRule command adds rules both to the working rule set and to the active rule set. Use the NoActive parameter to add a rule only to the working rule set. When a newly started host contacts the Auto Deploy server with a request for an image profile, the Auto Deploy server checks the active rule set for a rule that assigns an image profile to that host.
Working Rule Set
Active Rule Set
Rules Engine PowerCLI Overview

You specify the rules that assign image profiles and host profiles to hosts using a set of PowerCLI cmdlets that are are included in VMware PowerCLI. You can get help for any command at the PowerShell prompt.
n n
Basic help: Get-Help cmdlet_name Detailed help: Get-Help cmdlet_name -Detailed
Table 5-2. Rule Engine PowerCLI Cmdlets

Command Get-DeployCommand New-DeployRule Set-DeployRule Get-DeployRule Copy-DeployRule Add-DeployRule Description Returns a list of Auto Deploy commands. Creates a new rule with the specified items and patterns. Updates an existing rule with the specified items and patterns. Retrieves the rules with the specified names. Clones an existing rule. Adds one or more rules to the working rule set and, by default, also to the active rule set. Use the NoActive parameter to add a rule only to the working rule set. Removes one or more rules from the working rule set and from the active rule set. Explicitly sets the list of rules in the working rule set. Retrieves the current working rule set or the current active rule set. Activates a rule set so that any new requests are evaluated through the rule set.
Remove-DeployRule Set-DeployRuleset Get-DeployRuleset Switch-ActiveDeployRuleset
52
VMware, Inc.
Table 5-2. Rule Engine PowerCLI Cmdlets (Continued)

Command Get-VMHostMatchingRules Description Retrieves rules matching a pattern. For example, you can retrieve all rules that apply to a host or hosts. Use this cmdlet primarily for debugging. Checks whether the items associated with a specified host are in compliance with the active rule set. Given the output of Test-DeployRulesetCompliance, this cmdlet updates the image profile, host profile, and location for the host. The cmdlet might apply image profiles, apply host profiles, or move hosts to prespecified folders or clusters on the vCenter Server system. Applies the specified image profile to the specified host. Retrieves the image profile in use by a specified host. This cmdlet differs from the Get-VIImageProfile cmdlet in the Image Builder PowerCLI. Use this command only if the Auto Deploy image cache has accidentally been deleted. Retrieves the attributes for a host that are used when evaluating the rules.
Test-DeployRulesetCompliance Repair-DeployRulesetCompliance
Apply-EsxImageProfile Get-VMHostImageProfile
Repair-DeployImageCache Get-VMHostAttributes
Stateless Boot Process

Draft comment filepath: GUID-8C221180-8B56-4E07-88BE-789B25BA372A.xml
When you turn on a host you want to provision or reprovision with VMware Auto Deploy, the Auto Deploy infrastructure supplies the image and, optionally, a host profile and a location for that host. The process is different for hosts that have not yet been provisioned with VMware Auto Deploy (first boot) and for hosts that have been provisioned with VMware Auto Deploy and added to a vCenter Server system (subsequent boot). For subsequent boots, the vCenter Server system stores the information for the host.
First Boot Prerequisites

Before a first boot process, you must set up your system. Setup includes the following tasks, discussed in more detail in Preparing for VMware Auto Deploy, on page 56.
n
Set up a DHCP server that assigns an IP address to each host upon startup and that points the host to the TFTP server to download gPXE from. Identify an image profile to be used in one of the following ways.
n n
Choose an ESXi image profile in a public depot. Create a custom image using the Image Builder PowerCLI, and place the image in a location the Auto Deploy server can access. The image profile must include a base ESXi image.
(Optional) If you have a template host in your environment, save the host profile of the template host and define a rule that applies the host profile to one or more hosts. Specify rules for the deployment of the host and add the rules to the Auto Deploy rules engine.
VMware, Inc.
53
First Boot Overview

When a host that has not yet been provisioned with VMware Auto Deploy boots (first boot), the host interacts with several Auto Deploy components. 1 2 3 4 When the administrator turns on a host, the host starts a PXE boot sequence. The DHCP Server assigns an IP address to the host and instructs the host to contact the TFTP server. The host contacts the TFTP server and downloads the gPXE file and a gPXE configuration file. gPXE starts executing. The configuration file instructs the host to make a HTTP boot request to the Auto Deploy server, sending hardware and network information. In response, the Auto Deploy server performs these tasks: a b 5 6 Queries the rule engine for information about the host. Streams the components specified in the image profile, the optional host profile and optional location information to the host.
The host boots using the image profile. If a host profile was provided by the Auto Deploy server it is applied to the host. Auto Deploy assigns the host to the vCenter Server system that Auto Deploy is registered with. a b If a rule specifies a target folder or cluster on the vCenter Server system, the host is placed in that folder or cluster. If no rule exists, Auto Deploy adds the host to the first datacenter.
(Optional) If the host profile requires the user to specify certain information, such as a static IP address, the host is placed in maintenance mode when the host is added to the vCenter Server system. You must reapply the host profile and answer any questions to have the host exit maintenance mode.
If the host is part of a DRS cluster, virtual machines from other hosts might be assigned to the host after the host has successfully been added to the vCenter Server system.
Give me an IP IP and FTP address Give me a boot loader TFTP Server gPXE file and pointer to gPXE conf Give me an image (and host profile if you have it) Waiter Rule tells me to give you this image (and host profile) Boot complete, whats next? ESX boots
Figure 5-2. First Boot Overview

DHCP Server Physical host
Waiter
VC
Rule tells me you belong to this vCenter Server (If DRS) Here are some VMs
ESX starts VMs
54
VMware, Inc.
Subsequent Boots Without Image Updates

For hosts that are provisioned with Auto Deploy and managed by a vCenter Server system, subsequent boots can become completely automatic. The host is provisioned by the host's vCenter Server system, which stores the information about the image profile and host profile for each host. If the vCenter Server system is unavailable, the host contacts the Auto Deploy server for image and host profiles. However, only hosts participating an an HA cluster are assigned virtual machines after the boot process completes. What actually happens depends on whether the user is prompted for information during first boot. The boot process proceeds as follows. 1 2 3 The administrator reboots the host. As the host boots up, the vCenter Server system provisions the host with its image and host profile. If the host profile specifies that the host requires user-defined information the host is placed in maintenance mode. The administrator uses the vSphere Client to reapply the host profile to the host, answers the question when prompted, exit maintenance mode, and begins using the machine. What happens after the host has booted depends on whether the host belongs to a DRS cluster.
n
DRS cluster host. If the host belongs to a DRS cluster, virtual machines that were successfully migrated to other hosts stay there. Virtual machines for which no host had enough resources are registered to the rebooted host. Standalone host. The vCenter Server system invokes an auto power on call on the host. Virtual machines are powered on according to the autostart rules.
See Reprovisioning Hosts with Simple Reboot Operations, on page 65 and Reprovisioning Hosts that Requires User Input, on page 66.
Subsequent Boots with Image Updates

If you decide to use a different image profile, you can apply that profile to all hosts provisioned with Auto Deploy and managed by a vCenter Server system. The process includes changing rules and testing and repairing the host. 1 2 3 4 5 The administrator edits one or more rules that assign an updated image profile to hosts, and updates the rule set. The administrator runs the Test-DeployRulesetCompliance cmdlet to check whether each host is using the image profile the current rule set specifies. The host returns a PowerCLI object that encapsulates compliance information. The administrator runs the Repair-DeployRulesetCompliance cmdlet to update the image profile the vCenter Server system stores for each host. When a host is rebooted, it uses the updated image profile.
See Test and Repair Rule Compliance, on page 63.
VMware, Inc.
55
Preparing for VMware Auto Deploy

Draft comment filepath: GUID-1CF086BA-3C87-434A-9442-6418F7952156.xml
Before you can start using VMware Auto Deploy, you must prepare your environment. You start with server setup and hardware preparation. You must register the Auto Deploy software with the vCenter Server system that you plan to use for managing the hosts you provision, and install the Auto Deploy PowerCLI.
Prepare Your System for Auto Deploy

Draft comment filepath: GUID-21FF3053-F77C-49E6-81A2-9369B85F5D52.xml
Before you turn on a host for PXE boot with VMware Auto Deploy, you must install prerequisite software and set up the DHCP and TFTP servers that VMware Auto Deploy interacts with. Prerequisites
n n
Obtain the vCenter Server installation media, which include the Auto Deploy installer. Obtain administrative privileges to the DHCP server that manages the vCenter Server system you want to add the hosts to. You can use a DHCP server already in your environment, or install a DHCP server. A DHCP server is included in the vCenter Server on Linux virtual appliance. Install a TFTP server or obtain access to a TFTP server accessible from the DHCP server and the vCenter Server system. A TFTP server is included in the vCenter Server on Linux virtual appliance.
Procedure 1 Install VMware Auto Deploy on a vCenter Server system or a Windows system, or deploy the vCenter Server on Linux virtual appliance to an ESXi system of your choice.
Location vCenter Server system Comment Use the vCenter Server installation media to install Auto Deploy on the same host as the vCenter Server system itself. That vCenter Server system manages all hosts you provision with that Auto Deploy installation. Use the vCenter Server installation media to install Auto Deploy on a Microsoft Windows system that does not have a vCenter Server system installed. The installer prompts you for a vCenter Server system to register Auto Deploy with. That vCenter Server system manages all hosts you provision with that Auto Deploy installation. Deploy the vCenter Server on Linux appliance to the ESXi host of your choice. The appliance includes Auto Deploy and a DHCP and TFTP server. The vCenter Server system on the appliance manages all hosts you provision with that Auto Deploy installation.
Windows system
vCenter Server on Linux appliance
2 3
In a vSphere Client connected to the Auto Deploy vCenter Server system, select Administration > VMware Auto Deploy to display the VMware Auto Deploy page. Click Download TFTP ZIP to download a ZIP file and unzip the file to the directory in which the TFTP server stores files.
56
VMware, Inc.
Set up your DHCP server to point to the TFTP server on which the TFTP ZIP file is located. a b Specify the IP address of the system on which you installed the Auto Deploy waiter and rule engine components as the next-server element or the Boot Server Host Name. Specify the boot file name or insert code to specify boot file information, depending on the type of host.
Boot File Information undionly.kpxe.vmw-hardwired host <hostname> { next-server <Autodeploy IP address>; if exists user-class and option user-class = "gPXE" { filename "https://<Autodeploy_IP_address: 6502/vmw/rbd/tramp"; } else { filename "snponly64.efi"; } hardware ethernet <host MAC address>; fixed-address <host static IP>; } Apple Xserve host <hostname> { next-server <autodeploy IP>; if exists user-class and option user-class = "gPXE" { filename "https://<Autodeploy_IP_address: 6502/vmw/rbd/tramp"; } else { if substring (option vendor-class-identifier, 0, 14) = "AAPLBSDPC/i386" { filename = "snponly64.efi"; option dhcp-parameter-request-list 1,3,17,43,60; if (option dhcp-message-type = 1) { option vendor-class-identifier "AAPLBSDPC/i386"; } if (option dhcp-message-type = 1) { option vendor-encapsulated-options 08:04:81:00:00:67; } } else { filename "undionly.kpxe"; } } hardware ethernet <your server MAC>; fixed-address <Server IP address>; }
Host Type PC-BIOS EFI
5 6
Locate or create an image profile for later deployment. (Optional) Save the host profile of an already configured host for use by VMware Auto Deploy.
VMware, Inc.
57
7 8
Write rules that assign image profiles and optional host profiles to hosts (see Assign an Image Profile to Hosts, on page 61 and Assign a Host Profile to Hosts, on page 62). (Optional) You can use your own Certificate Authority (CA). a b Author: rkempf Wed Sep 8 13:14:09 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status: How do I do this? You specify the CA only once.
When you turn on a host set up for Auto Deploy, it contacts the DHCP server and is directed to the Auto Deploy server, which provisions the host with the image specified in the active rule set. What to do next Set up the host to boot by contacting the DHCP server. See Prepare Hosts for Auto Deploy, on page 58. Install PowerCLI and the Auto Deploy PowerCLI snap-in. See Install PowerCLI, on page 59. Use the Auto Deploy PowerCLI to define a rule that assigns an image profile and optional host profile to the host. See Prepare Your System for Auto Deploy, on page 56.
Prepare Hosts for Auto Deploy

Draft comment filepath: GUID-7CD51639-CEDC-4537-92CC-5F619DBC9C83.xml
You must set up each host you want to boot using VMware Auto Deploy. You perform the setup for each host only once. You can set up hosts before or after you set up your system for Auto Deploy. See Prepare Your System for Auto Deploy, on page 56. Prerequisites Make sure each host meets the hardware requirements listed in the Compatibility Guide. Procedure
u
Regardless of the host type (PC BIOS or EFI), you set the host to network boot. See the manufacturer's documentation for details.
What to do next If your system is not yet set up, and if Auto Deploy has not yet been installed, perform the tasks in Prepare Your System for Auto Deploy, on page 56. You must set up a DHCP server and download files to the TFTP server. Set up your hosts so they write core dump files to a networked server. See Configure Network Coredump for Your Hosts, on page 59. Write a rule that assigns an image to the host. See Assign an Image Profile to Hosts, on page 61.
58
VMware, Inc.
Configure Network Coredump for Your Hosts

Draft comment filepath: GUID-A110CE30-3F30-41FA-B401-8B2586D8E6E8.xml
A core dump is the state of working memory in the event of host failure. By default, a core dump is saved to the local disk. You can configure hosts provisioned using VMware Auto Deploy to use network coredump to keep core dumps for use during debugging. Network coredump is also supported for other ESXi hosts. You can set up the host profile of one host to use network coredump, and then apply that host profile to all other hosts by using Auto Deploy. Prerequisites Install a vSphere Client to access the vCenter Server system that manages the host. Procedure 1 2 3 4 5 Use a vSphere Client to connect to the vCenter Server system. Select a host and select View > Management > Host Profiles. Right-click the profile you want to modify and select Edit Profile. In the Edit Profile dialog, select Network Configuration, select Network Coredump Settings, and click OK. Right-click the profile, select Export Profile, and specify a location the Auto Deploy PowerCLI can access.
What to do next Write a rule that applies this host profile to all hosts that should use network coredump. See Assign a Host Profile to Hosts, on page 62.
Install PowerCLI
Draft comment filepath: GUID-85230345-959D-479A-B3EE-AA747A01DD23.xml
Before you can run Auto Deploy cmdlets to create and modify the rules and rule sets that govern Auto Deploy behavior, you must install VMware PowerCLI and all prerequisite software. The Auto Deploy snap-in is included with the PowerCLI installation. Prerequisites VMware Auto Deploy cmdlets are included in the VMware vSphere PowerCLI installation package. That package requires that you install prerequisite software.
n n
Microsoft .NET 2.0 Microsoft PowerShell 1.0 or 2.0
Author: rkempf Tue Sep 28 10:23:18 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status: Include link to PowerCLI Guide
VMware, Inc.
59
Procedure 1 Install VMware vSphere PowerCLI, which includes the Auto Deploy cmdlets. See the vSphere PowerCLI Installation Guide for detailed instructions. Use the commands in the snap-in and all other PowerShell and PowerCLI commands from the prompt. 2 Use the commands in the snap-in and all other PowerShell and PowerCLI commands from the prompt. The following tips help you come up to speed. See the PowerCLI documentation for details.
n n n n
Get help for any command by running Get-Help cmdlet_name. Remember that PowerShell is not case sensitive. Use tab completion for cmdlets and parameter names. In many cases, a parameter cannot be a string but must point to the object you want to pass in. PowerCLI uses variables to allow access to object content. Use a dollar sign ($) to indicate a variable. For example, $ruleset = Get-DeployRuleset binds the item returned by Get-DeployRuleset to the variable $ruleset. Many examples in this manual illustrate this pattern. Format any variable and command output by using Format-List or Format-Table. See Get-Help
Format-List.
You can use the Auto Deploy cmdlets at the PowerShell prompt to create and examine Rules and Rule sets. See Rules Engine PowerCLI Overview, on page 52 for a list of commands, or run Get-Help cmdlet_name at the shell prompt.
Reregister Auto Deploy

Draft comment filepath: GUID-C52E12FC-DA6F-4F14-B72C-49ACDDEDAF64.xml
If you install Auto Deploy software on the same physical host as a vCenter Server system, Auto Deploy is automatically registered to that vCenter Server system. If you install Auto Deploy on a different physical host, you are prompted for the vCenter Server system to register Auto Deploy with. If the IP address of the registration host changes, you must reregister Auto Deploy. Performing this task is supported during the Beta period for situations when the IP address of the Auto Deploy host. Procedure 1 2
Operating system Windows Task a Edit the setup file located at c:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware vCenter Autodeploy\vmconfig-autodeploy.xml and specify the new IP address. You do not have to edit the file if you reregister for other reasons than a new IP address. Run the autodepoy-register.exe command-line tool, specifying all required options. auto-deploy-register.exe -R -a vCenter-IP -p vCenterPort -u user_name -w password -s setup-file-path vCenter on Linux appliance Restart the Auto Deploy daemon /etc/init.d/vmware-rbd-watchdog
Perform the reregistration task depending on the operating system.
Auto Deploy registration is updated and auto deployed hosts are assigned to the correct vCenter Server system.
60
VMware, Inc.
Managing Auto Deploy with Auto Deploy PowerCLI Cmdlets

Draft comment filepath: GUID-62EB313B-F120-470F-98AA-074EB687DBAB.xml
The Auto Deploy PowerCLI cmdlets allow you to create rules that associate hosts with image profiles, host profiles, and folder locations. You can also test rule compliance and repair compliance issues.
Assign an Image Profile to Hosts

Draft comment filepath: GUID-33635933-F23C-4DFF-A784-B46E670BD0DB.xml
Your rule set must include rules that assign an image profile to each host you want to provision using VMware Auto Deploy. Prerequisites Install VMware PowerCLI and all prerequisite software. Procedure 1 Run the Connect-VIServer PowerCLI cmdlet to connect to the vCenter Server system that Auto Deploy is registered with.
PS > Connect-VIServer 192.XXX.X.XX
The command might return a server certificate warning. In a production environment, make sure no server certificate warnings result. In a development environment, you can ignore the warning. 2 Determine the location of a public software depot, or define a custom image profile using the Image Profile PowerCLI. Author: rkempf Fri Oct 1 16:26:39 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status: Point to Image Profile publication. 3 Run Add-EsxSoftwareDepot to add the software depot that contains the image profile to the PowerCLI session.
Add-ESXSoftwareDepot http://my_depot_url/my_depot_name/
Bind the image profile you want to use to a variable.

$img = Get-EsxImageProfile -Name "My Profile25"
Double quotes are required if a name contains spaces, optional otherwise. 5 Define a rule in which hosts with certain attributes, for example a range of IP addresses, are assigned to the image profile.
$rule = New-DeployRule -Name "testrule" -Item $img -Pattern "vendor=Dell,HP", "ipv4-192.168.1.10-192.168.1.20"
Specify -AllHosts instead of a pattern to apply the item to all hosts. The cmdlet creates a rule named testrule. The rule assigns the image profile specified by $img to all hosts with an IP address inside the specified sequence and with a vendor of Dell or HP. 6 Add the rule to the working rule set.
Add-DeployRule testrule
By default, the working rule set becomes the active rule set, and any changes to the rule set become active when you add a rule. If you use the NoActive parameter, the working rule set does not become the active rule set.
VMware, Inc.
61
What to do next For hosts already provisioned with Auto Deploy, perform the compliance testing and repair operations. See Test and Repair Rule Compliance, on page 63. Turn on unprovisioned hosts to provision them with the new image profile.
Assign a Host Profile to Hosts

Draft comment filepath: GUID-7EDD1093-D1F2-4798-9C51-71D6ABC1485A.xml
VMware Auto Deploy allows you to assign a host profile to one or more hosts. The host profile might include information about storage configuration, network configuration, or other characteristics of the host. The following procedure explains how to write a rule that assigns a host profile to hosts not previously provisioned with VMware Auto Deploy. To assign the host profiles to hosts already provisioned with VMware Auto Deploy, you write a rule and perform a test a repair cycle. See Test and Repair Rule Compliance, on page 63. Prerequisites Install VMware PowerCLI and all prerequisite software. Save the host profile you want to use to a location VMware Auto Deploy can access. Procedure 1 Run the Connect-VIServer PowerCLI cmdlet to connect to the vCenter Server system that Auto Deploy is registered with.
Connect-VIServer 192.XXX.X.XX
The command might return a server certificate warning. In a production environment, make sure no server certificate warnings result. In a development environment, you can ignore the warning. 2 3 Find the location of the host profile. Define a rule in which hosts with certain attributes, for example a range of IP addresses, are assigned to the host profile.
$rule = New-DeployRule -Name "testrule2" -Item myprofile -Pattern "manufacturer=Dell,HP", "ipv4-192.XXX.1.10-192.XXX.1.20"
The specified item is assigned to all hosts with the specified attributes. The example above specifies a rule named testrule. The rule assigns the specified host profile to all hosts with an IP address inside the specified sequence and a manufacturer of Dell or HP. 4 Add the rule to the rule set.
Add-DeployRule testrule2
By default, the working rule set becomes the active rule set, and any changes to the rule set become active when you add a rule. If you use the NoActive parameter, the working rule set does not become the active rule set. What to do next Perform compliance testing and repair on other ESXi hosts to which the rule applies. See Test and Repair Rule Compliance, on page 63. Turn on unprovisioned hosts to provision them with the host profile.
62
VMware, Inc.
Test and Repair Rule Compliance

Draft comment filepath: GUID-4915B724-500E-4FB3-BAC2-0EA46CFBD7EE.xml
When you add a rule to the Auto Deploy rule set or make changes to one or more rules, unprovisioned hosts you boot are automatically provisioned according to the new rules. For all other hosts, the new rules apply only when you test their rule compliance and perform remediation. This task assumes that your infrastructure includes one or more ESXi hosts provisioned with Auto Deploy, and that the host on which you installed the VMware PowerCLI can access those ESXi hosts. Prerequisites Install VMware PowerCLI and all prerequisite software. Procedure 1 Check which Auto Deploy rules are currently available.
Get-DeployRule
The system returns the rules and associated items and patterns. 2 Make a change, such as changing the image and the name of the rule, to one of the available rules.
$newimg = Get-ESXImageProfile -Name "MyProfileUpdate" Copy-DeployRule testrule -ReplaceItem $newimg
Find a host to test rule set compliance for.

$myhost = Get-VMHost -Name hostname
Test the rule set compliance for that host, binding the return value to a variable for later use.
$tr = Test-DeployRuleSetCompliance $myhost
Examine the differences between what is in the rule set and what the host is currently using.
$tr.itemlist
The system returns a table of current and expected items.

CurrentItem ----------My Profile 25 ExpectedItem -----------MyProfileUpdate
Remediate the host to use the revised rule set the next time you boot the host.
Repair-DeployRuleSetCompliance $tr
What to do next Boot your host to achieve compliance between the rule set and the host.
Provisioning ESXi Systems With VMware Auto Deploy

Draft comment filepath: GUID-29A149A2-6D23-4828-A84D-D338BC9D2B87.xml
VMware Auto Deploy can provision hundreds or thousands of physical hosts with ESXi software. You can provision hosts that did not previously run VMware ESXi software (first boot), reboot hosts, or reprovision hosts using a different image profile or host profile. The Auto Deploy process differs depending on the state of the host and on the changes you want to make.
VMware, Inc.
63
Provision a Host (First Boot)

Draft comment filepath: GUID-6677A128-3E94-4894-A1E2-D6B639A8C57C.xml
Provisioning a host that has never been provisioned with Auto Deploy (first boot) differs from subsequent boot processes. You must prepare the host, defined the image using the Image Builder PowerCLI, and fulfill all other prerequisites before you can provision the host. Prerequisites Make sure your host fulfills the hardware requirements. Procedure 1 Prepare the system for VMware Auto Deploy (see Preparing for VMware Auto Deploy, on page 56). When setup is complete, the VMware Auto Deploy server and PowerCLI are installed, DHCP setup is complete, and rules for the host you want to provision are in the active rule set. 2 Turn on the host. The host contacts the DHCP server and downloads gPXE from the location the server points it to. Next, the Auto Deploy server provisions the host with the image specified by the rule engine. The Auto Deploy server might also apply a host profile to the host if one is specified in the rule set. Finally, VMware Auto Deploy adds the host to the vCenter Server system that is specified in the rule set. 3 (Optional) If a host profile is applied to the host, and if the host profile requires user input, such as an IP address, upon startup, the host is put in maintenance mode. You can reapply the host profile using the vSphere Client and provide the user input when prompted. You can then have the host exit maintenance mode. The host is running and managed by a vCenter Server System, which stores the host's image profile and host profile. You can now reboot the host as needed. Each time you reboot, the host is reprovisioned by the vCenter Server system. What to do next Update rules if you want to change the image profile, host profile, or location of the host.
Reprovisioning Hosts
Draft comment filepath: GUID-3B6B50AD-3943-4181-9F54-A7E70C16AD13.xml
VMware Auto Deploy supports multiple reprovisioning options. You can perform a simple reboot or reprovision with a different image or a different host profile. A first boot using VMware Auto Deploy requires that you set up your environment and add rules to the rule set (see Preparing for VMware Auto Deploy, on page 56). Reprovisioning requires less preparation. Several types of reprovisioning operations are available.
n n n n
Simple reboot. Reboot of hosts for which the user answered questions during the boot operation. Reprovision with a different image profile. Reprovision with a different host profile.
64
VMware, Inc.
Reprovisioning Hosts with Simple Reboot Operations

Draft comment filepath: GUID-3E617448-BE3C-414B-8BFF-F768DFDF768C.xml
A simple reboot of a host requires only that all prerequistes are still met. The reboot process differs if user input was required during the first boot process. Setup includes DHCP server setup, writing rules, and making an image available to the Auto Deploy infrastructure. Prerequisites Make sure the setup you performed during the first boot operation is in place. Procedure 1 2 Check that the image profile and host profile for the host are still available, and that the host has the same identfying information (asset tag, IP address) as before. Using the vSphere Client, migrate all virtual machines to different hosts and place the host in maintenance mode. If the host is part of a DRS cluster, VMware DRS migrates virtual machines to appropriate hosts when you place the host in maintenance mode. 3 In the vSphere Client, right-click the host and choose Reboot.
The host shuts down. When the host starts up, it uses the image profile and host profile store by the vCenter Server system. NOTE If the host prompted for user input during the a previous boot, the process differs. See Reprovisioning Hosts that Requires User Input, on page 66.
Reprovision a Hosts with a New Image

Draft comment filepath: GUID-8B9AAAA7-914B-4643-8C2A-FEA5F171BDC8.xml
When you want to update a host that uses VMware Auto Deploy, reprovisioning the host with a new image is the most efficient and least error prone procedure. You can update hosts with VIBs that support live update using an esxcli image command, but you cannot update hosts with other VIBs. Even if you perform a live update, you must also update the image profile the host uses to keep the change for the next reboot the host the next time. It might sometimes be appropriate to apply an image profile to an individual host with the ApplyEsxImageProfile cmdlet during testing. Prerequisites Create the image you want to run on the host. Use the Image Builder PowerCLI, discussed in Author: rkempf Wed Oct 6 14:03:38 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status: Pointer to Image Profile documentation . Make sure the setup you performed during the first boot operation is in place.
VMware, Inc.
65
Procedure 1 At the PowerShell prompt, run the Connect-VIServer PowerCLI cmdlet to connect to the vCenter Server system you installed Auto Deploy on.
Connect-VIServer <server_ip>
The command might return a server certificate warning. In a production environment, make sure no server certificate warnings result. In a development environment, you can ignore the warning. 2 Determine the location of a public software depot that contains the image you want to use, or define a custom image profile using the Image Builder Power CLI. Author: rkempf Fri Oct 1 16:26:39 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status: Point to Image Builder publication. 3 Run Add-EsxSoftwareDepot to add the software depot that contains the image profile to the PowerCLI session.
Add-ESXSoftwareDepot http>//<depot_url>/<depot_name>/
Bind the image profile you want to use to a variable.

$img = GetImageProfile "My Profile25"
Run Copy-DeployRule and specify the ReplaceItem parameter to change the image profile the rule assignes to hosts. Change the rule to assign the new image profile to the host or hosts. The following fragment assumes that the old rule is named myrule, and that the global variable $img has the image you want to use in second position.
Copy-DeployRule myrule -ReplaceItem $img[1]
Test and repair compliance for each host you want to deploy the image to. See Test and Repair Rule Compliance, on page 63.
When you reboot hosts after compliance repair, Auto Deploy provisions the hosts with the new image.
Reprovisioning Hosts that Requires User Input

Draft comment filepath: GUID-0FA7A6D0-1AEA-45E9-A9EF-50922F80DC5E.xml
If a host required user input during a previous boot, or if the host profile that the Auto Deploy server serves to the host is set to require user input during a reboot process, the host is placed in maintenance mode unless you provide the required information. Setup includes DHCP server setup, writing rules, and making an image available to the Auto Deploy infrastructure. Prerequisites Make sure the setup you performed during the first boot operation is in place.
66
VMware, Inc.
Procedure 1 Migrate all virtual machines to different hosts, and place the host into maintenance mode. If the host is part of a VMware DRS cluster, VMware DRS migrates the virtual machines when you place the host into maintenance mode. 2 3 In the vSphere client, right-click the host and choose Reboot. When you are prompted for user input, you have the following choices:
u
Provide the user input. The host completes the boot process. Virtual machines can be added to the host. Do not provide the user input. The host completes the boot process but is placed into maintenance mode. Virtual machnies cannot be added to the host. You must reboot the host and provide the user input to complete the boot process. Author: rkempf Thu Oct 28 14:13:58 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status: Is that correct? If I already applied the host profile, will VC prompt me if I update the image?
VMware, Inc.
67
68
VMware, Inc.
Setting Up ESXi
Draft comment filepath: GUID-41638619-B14E-4074-BB90-DACAA1440C1C.xml
These topics provide information about using the direct console user interface and configuring defaults for ESXi. This chapter includes the following topics:
n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n
ESXi Autoconfiguration, on page 69 About the Direct Console ESXi Interface, on page 70 Configuring the BIOS Boot Settings, on page 72 Network Access to Your ESXi Host, on page 74 Configure the Network Settings on a Host that Is Not Attached to the Network., on page 74 Managing ESXi Remotely, on page 75 Configuring Network Settings, on page 75 Storage Behavior, on page 80 About ESXi Evaluation Mode, on page 81 Recording the ESXi License Key, on page 82 View System Logs, on page 82 Redirect System Log Files to a Remote Host, on page 83 Set the Password for the Administrator Account, on page 83 Configure Lockdown Mode, on page 83 Configure Troubleshooting Services with the Direct Console User Interface, on page 84 Reset the System Configuration, on page 85 Convert an ESXi Host to Evaluation Mode, on page 85 Remove All Custom Packages on ESXi, on page 85 Disable ESXi, on page 86
ESXi Autoconfiguration
Draft comment filepath: GUID-3A409297-517E-4E7D-99D0-DE41386911B3.xml
ESXi differs from ESX in several ways. When you power on the ESXi host for the first time or after resetting the configuration defaults, the host enters an autoconfiguration phase. This phase configures system network and storage devices with default settings.
VMware, Inc.
69
By default, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) configures IP, and all visible blank internal disks are formatted with the virtual machine file system (VMFS) so that virtual machines can be stored on the disks. ### add new partitioning info Author: Administrator Sun Oct 31 05:46:26 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status:
About the Direct Console ESXi Interface

Draft comment filepath: GUID-E64B4311-11E5-44E8-8DB5-B438B4A14289.xml
Use the direct console interface for initial ESXi configuration and troubleshooting. Connect a keyboard and monitor to the host to use the direct console. After the host completes the autoconfiguration phase, the direct console appears on the monitor. You can examine the default network configuration and change any settings that are not compatible with your network environment. Key operations available to you in the direct console include:
n n n
Configuring hosts Setting up administrative access Troubleshooting
You can also use vSphere client applications to manage the host. Table 6-1. Navigating in the Direct Console
Action View and change the configuration Change the user interface to high-contrast mode Shut down or restart the host Move the selection between fields Select a menu item Toggle a value Confirm sensitive commands, such as resetting configuration defaults Save and exit Exit without saving Exit system logs Key F2 F4 F12 Arrow keys Enter Spacebar F11 Enter Esc q
Configure the Keyboard Layout for the Direct Console

Draft comment filepath: GUID-57D559DB-46CB-4480-B5C1-40938E305C80.xml
You can configure the layout for the keyboard that you use with the direct console. Procedure 1 2 3 4 From the direct console, select Configure Keyboard and press Enter. Select the layout to use. Press the spacebar to toggle selections on and off. Press Enter.
70
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 6 Setting Up ESXi
Create a Security Banner for the Direct Console

Draft comment filepath: GUID-E2C939A3-F91F-4A6E-AB46-D04D03B17281.xml
A security banner is a message that is displayed on the direct console Welcome screen. Procedure 1 2 3 4 Log in to the host from the vSphere Client. From the Configuration tab, select Advanced Settings. From the Advanced Settings window, select Annotations. Enter a security message.
The message is displayed on the direct console Welcome screen.
Redirecting the Direct Console to a Serial Port

Draft comment filepath: GUID-C65306C0-DA37-4F45-8A50-31F8D109BB1D.xml
To manage your ESXi host remotely from a serial console, you can redirect the direct console to a serial port. You can redirect the direct console in the following ways:
n
Edit the boot command line manually when the host boots. This redirects the direct console only for the current boot. See Redirect the Direct Console to a Serial Port by Setting the Boot Options Manually, on page 71 Edit the boot options for a PXE boot. This redirects the direct console only for the current boot. Edit the boot options by using the vSphere Client. This redirects the direct console for subsequent boots. See Redirect the Direct Console to a Serial Port Using the vSphere Client, on page 72
n n
vSphere supports the VT100 terminal type and the PuTTy terminal emulator to view the direct console over the serial port.
Redirect the Direct Console to a Serial Port by Setting the Boot Options Manually
Draft comment filepath: GUID-B67A3552-CECA-4BF7-9487-4F36507CD99E.xml
When you redirect the direct console to a serial port by setting the boot options, the change does not persist for subsequent boots. Prerequisites The serial port must not already be in use for serial logging and debugging. Procedure
u
Author: Administrator Tue Oct 5 12:05:06 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status: To reviewers: How does the user access the boot command line? What specific command do they enter, (TTY2=com1?) where/when?
The direct console is redirected to the serial port until you reboot the host. To redirect the direct console for subsequent boots, see Redirect the Direct Console to a Serial Port Using the vSphere Client, on page 72
VMware, Inc.
71
Redirect the Direct Console to a Serial Port by Setting the PXE Boot Options
Draft comment filepath: GUID-7651C4A2-C358-40C2-8990-D82BDB8127E0.xml
When you redirect the direct console to a serial port by setting the boot options, the change does not persist for subsequent boots. Prerequisites The serial port must not already be in use for serial logging and debugging. Procedure
u
Author: Administrator Tue Oct 5 12:24:06 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status: To reviewers: I'm guessing here. Is this actually how to do it? And if so, where do they add the line in the PXE config file? Add one of the following lines to your PXE configuration file: tty2=com1 or tty2=com2, depending on which serial port you want to redirect to. See Creating a PXE Configuration File, on page 22
The direct console is redirected to the serial port until you reboot the host. To redirect the direct console for subsequent boots, see Redirect the Direct Console to a Serial Port Using the vSphere Client, on page 72
Redirect the Direct Console to a Serial Port Using the vSphere Client
Draft comment filepath: GUID-E17AB108-7AA0-43DF-8616-48625CD018DF.xml
When you redirect the direct console to a serial port using the vSphere Client, the boot option you set persists after subsequent reboots. Prerequisites You must be able to access the host from the vSphere Client. The serial port must not already be in use for serial logging and debugging. Procedure 1 2 3 4 5 6 From the vSphere Client, select the host in the inventory. Select the Configuration tab. Under Software, click Advanced Features. In the pane on the left, expand the VMkernel listing and select Boot. In the pane on the right, in the text field for the VMkernel.Boot.tty2Port setting, enter the serial port you want to redirect the direct console to: com1 or com2. Click OK.
You can now manage the ESXi host remotely from a console connected to the serial port.
Configuring the BIOS Boot Settings

Draft comment filepath: GUID-1298D6CC-B7B4-41EE-8F7E-98C58404F133.xml
If your server has multiple drives, you might need to configure the BIOS settings. The BIOS boot configuration determines how your server boots. Generally, the CD-ROM device is listed first. You can change the boot setting by configuring the boot order in the BIOS during startup or by selecting a boot device from the boot device selection menu.
72
VMware, Inc.
When you change the boot order in the BIOS, the new setting affects all subsequent reboots. When you select a boot device from the boot device selection menu, the selection affects the current boot only. Some servers do not have a boot device selection menu, in which case you must change the boot order in the BIOS even for one-time boots, and then change it back again during a subsequent reboot. NOTE The boot device selection menu discussed here is different from the system boot options that you can configure in the vSphere Client. The vSphere Client boot options allow you to configure the boot sequence for floppy, CD-ROM, and hard disk drives only. For some servers, the system BIOS has two options. One is for the boot sequence (floppy, CDROM, hard disk) and another for the hard disk boot order (USB key, local hard disk). When you are using the vSphere Client, the boot options correspond to the BIOS boot sequence (floppy, CD-ROM, hard disk).
Change the BIOS Boot Setting for ESXi

Draft comment filepath: GUID-048776B7-68BC-426C-9965-0DBAAC24A8FD.xml
Configure the BIOS boot setting for ESXi if you want the server to boot into ESXi by default. Prerequisites ESXi Embedded must not be on the host. ESXi Installable and ESXi Embedded cannot exist on the same host. Procedure 1 While the ESXi host is powering on, press the key required to enter your hosts BIOS setup. Depending on your server hardware, the key might be a function key or Delete. The option to enter the BIOS setup might be different for your server. 2 Select the disk on which you installed the ESXi software and move it to the first position in the list. The host boots into ESXi. If the host does not boot into ESXi, you might need to repair the ESXi image, as described in Recover the ESXi Installable Software, on page 89.
Configure the Boot Setting for Virtual Media

Draft comment filepath: GUID-2FD4E804-BE8B-45B0-912E-2269148DB3A2.xml
If you are using remote management software to set up ESXi, you might need to configure the boot setting for virtual media. Virtual media is a method of connecting a remote storage media such as CD-ROM, USB mass storage, ISO image, and floppy disk to a target server that may be anywhere on the network. The target server has access to the remote media, and can read from and write to it as if it were physically connected to the server's USB port. Prerequisites ESXi Embedded must not be on the host. ESXi Installable and ESXi Embedded cannot exist on the same host. Procedure 1 Connect the media to the virtual device. For example, if you are using a Dell server, log in to the Dell Remote Access Controller (DRAC) or a similar remote management interface and select a physical floppy or CD-ROM drive, or provide a path to a floppy image or CD-ROM image. 2 Reboot the server.
VMware, Inc.
73
While the server is powering on, enter the device selection menu. Depending on your server hardware, the key might be a function key or Delete.
Follow the instructions to select the virtual device.
The server boots from the configured device once and goes back to the default boot order for subsequent boots.
Network Access to Your ESXi Host

Draft comment filepath: GUID-6219B45D-036F-4D38-B6A2-BF404A3304EC.xml
The default behavior for networking is for DHCP to configure IP. You can override the default behavior after it takes effect. You can also change any settings that are not compatible with your network environment. Table 6-2 summarizes the network configuration scenarios that ESXi supports. Table 6-2. Network Configuration Scenarios
Scenario You want to accept the DHCP-configured IP settings. One of the following is true: n You do not have a DHCP server. n The ESXi host is not connected to a DHCP server. n Your connected DHCP server is not functioning properly. The ESXi host is connected to a functioning DHCP server, but you do not want to use the DHCPconfigured IP address. Approach Note the IP address that DHCP assigns and use the vSphere Client or another desktop client interface to connect to the ESXi host. During the autoconfiguration phase, the software assigns the link local IP address, which is in the subnet 169.254.x.x/16. The assigned IP address appears on the direct console. You can override the link local IP address by configuring a static IP address using the direct console. During the autoconfiguration phase, the software assigns a DHCPconfigured IP address. You can make the initial connection by using the DHCP-configured IP address. Then you can configure a static IP address. If you have physical access to the ESXi host, you can override the DHCP-configured IP address by configuring a static IP address using the direct console. Follow the setup procedure in Configure the Network Settings on a Host that Is Not Attached to the Network., on page 74.
Your security deployment policies do not permit unconfigured hosts to be powered on the network.
Configure the Network Settings on a Host that Is Not Attached to the Network.
Draft comment filepath: GUID-7046F2C4-A7E6-4D3C-935D-75D6D6F60DCD.xml
Some highly secure environments do not permit unconfigured hosts to be powered on the network. You can configure the host before you attach the host to the network. Procedure 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Make sure that no network cables are connected to the host. Power on the host. Use the direct console to configure the password for the administrator account (root). Use the direct console to configure a static IP address. Connect a network cable to the host. Use the vSphere Client to connect to a vCenter Server system. Add the host to the vCenter Server inventory.
74
VMware, Inc.
Managing ESXi Remotely

Draft comment filepath: GUID-F3A960E9-57DF-4D2E-9127-A65AA670E643.xml
You can manage the host by using the vSphere Client and vCenter Server . To manage the host with vSphere Client and vCenter Server, the applications must be installed on a computer serving as a management station with network access to the ESXi host, and the ESXi host must be booted . For instructions on downloading and installing vCenter Server and the vSphere Client, see Download the vCenter Server Installer, on page 126, Download the vSphere Client, on page 87, Install vCenter Server, on page 126, and Install the vSphere Client, on page 132
Configuring Network Settings

Draft comment filepath: GUID-26F3BC88-DAD8-43E7-9EA0-160054954506.xml
A working IP address is required for ESXi to be fully operational. To configure basic network settings, use the vSphere Client or the direct console. Use the vSphere Client in the following cases:
n n
You are satisfied with the DHCP IP address. You are allowed to use the DHCP IP address temporarily. In this case, connect to this address with the vSphere Client. Then use the vSphere Client to configure any networking changes.
Use the direct console in the following cases:

n n n
You are not satisfied with the DHCP IP address. You are not allowed to use the DHCP IP address. ESXi does not have an IP address. This could happen if the autoconfiguration phase did not succeed in configuring DHCP. The wrong network adapter was autoselected during autoconfiguration phase.
Choose Network Adapters for the Management Network

Draft comment filepath: GUID-1638AAC4-63A1-42F1-8823-E388EE33BF53.xml
Traffic between an ESXi host and any external management software is routed through an Ethernet network adapter on the host. You can use the direct console to choose the network adapters that are used by the management network. Examples of external management software include the vSphere Client, vCenter Server, and SNMP client. network adapters on the host are named vmnic<N>, where N is a unique number identifying the network adapter (for example, vmnic0, vmnic1, and so forth). During the autoconfiguration phase, the ESXi host chooses vmnic0 for management traffic. You can override the default choice by manually choosing the network adapter that carries management traffic for the host. In some cases, you might want to use a Gigabit Ethernet network adapter for your management traffic. Another way to help ensure availability is to select multiple network adapters. Using multiple network adapters enables load balancing and failover capabilities. Procedure 1 2 3 From the direct console, select Configure Management Network and press Enter. Select Network Adapters and press Enter. Select a network adapter and press Enter.
After the network is functional, you can use the vSphere Client to connect to the ESXi host.
VMware, Inc.
75
Set the VLAN ID

Draft comment filepath: GUID-AA24DD2B-B53D-4A7C-AA48-0E601B87842B.xml
You can set the virtual LAN (VLAN) ID number of the ESXi host. Procedure 1 2 3 From the direct console, select Configure Management Network and press Enter. Select VLAN and press Enter. Enter a VLAN ID number from 1 through 4095.
Configuring IP Settings for ESXi

Draft comment filepath: GUID-9B5FBD72-1942-4900-9BD1-36112B0BC7D6.xml
By default, DHCP sets the IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway. For future reference, write down the IP address. For DHCP to work, your network environment must have a DHCP server. If DHCP is not available, the host assigns the link local IP address, which is in the subnet 169.254.x.x/16. No outbound traffic is allowed through the assigned IP address. The assigned IP address appears on the direct console. If you do not have physical monitor access to the host, you can access the direct console using a remote management application. When you have access to the direct console, you can optionally configure a static network address. The default subnet mask is 255.255.0.0.
Configure IP Settings from the Direct Console

Draft comment filepath: GUID-EED14995-3515-40AD-B7EE-09A2046D841B.xml
If you have physical access to the host or remote access to the direct console, you can use the direct console to configure the IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway. Procedure 1 2 3 4 Select Configure Management Network and press Enter. Select IP Configuration and press Enter. Select Set static IP address and network configuration. Enter the IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway and press Enter.
Configure IP Settings from the vSphere Client

Draft comment filepath: GUID-3F02BCA8-EF6C-4F02-9F12-3071AA2D124A.xml
If you do not have physical access to the host, you can use the vSphere Client to configure static IP settings if you are on the same physical subnet and you configure the vSphere Client IP to be on the 169.254.x.x network. Procedure 1 2 3 4 5 6 Select the host in the inventory. Select the Configuration tab and click Networking. Click Properties next to Virtual Switch: vSwitch0. Select Management Network and click Edit. On the General tab, click Use the following IP settings. Enter a static IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway and click OK.
76
VMware, Inc.
Configuring DNS for ESXi

Draft comment filepath: GUID-D69AB84A-84DA-4AD0-851B-3964CAB53E36.xml
You can select either manual or automatic DNS configuration of the ESXi host. The default is automatic. For automatic DNS to work, your network environment must have a DHCP server and a DNS server. In network environments where automatic DNS is not available or not desirable, you can configure static DNS information, including a host name, primary name server, secondary name server, and DNS suffixes.
Configure DNS Settings from the Direct Console

Draft comment filepath: GUID-E34BC8AB-F655-43C1-B61F-B6E8DE49340A.xml
If you have physical access to the host or remote access to the direct console, you can use the direct console to configure DNS information. Procedure 1 2 3 4 Select Configure Management Network and press Enter. Select DNS Configuration and press Enter. Select Use the following DNS server addresses and hostname. Enter the primary server, an alternate server (optional), and the host name.
Configure DNS Settings from the vSphere Client

Draft comment filepath: GUID-1673766D-2428-4ED4-9A6C-60EBDD818B80.xml
If you do not have physical access to the host, you can use the vSphere Client to configure DNS information. Procedure 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Select the host in the inventory. Select the Configuration tab and click Networking. Click Properties next to Virtual Switch: vSwitch0. Select Management Network and click Edit. On the General tab, click Use the following IP settings. Click Edit next to VMkernel Default Gateway. On the DNS Configuration tab, enter a static primary server, alternate server, host name, and DNS suffixes and click OK.
Configure DNS Suffixes

Draft comment filepath: GUID-C24F1938-1930-4D37-998E-02981DE95491.xml
If you have physical access to the host, you can use the direct console to configure DNS information. By default, DHCP acquires the DNS suffixes. Procedure 1 2 3 From the direct console, select Configure Management Network. Select Custom DNS Suffixes and press Enter. Enter new DNS suffixes.
VMware, Inc.
77
Test the Management Network

Draft comment filepath: GUID-0CDC0898-34C2-4DF5-B7F8-49BEE14D0A85.xml
You can use the direct console to do simple network connectivity tests. The direct console performs the following tests.
n n n n
Pings the default gateway Pings the primary DNS name server Pings the secondary DNS nameserver Resolves the configured host name
Procedure 1 2 From the direct console, select Test Management Network and press Enter. Press Enter to start the test.
Restart the Management Agents

Draft comment filepath: GUID-00978746-4F96-4C53-B778-7E4ACB114B86.xml
The management agents synchronize VMware components and let you access the ESXi host through the vSphere Client or vCenter Server. They are installed with the vSphere software. You might need to restart the management agents if remote access is interrupted. Restarting the management agents restarts all management agents and services that are installed and running in /etc/init.d on the ESXi host. Typically, these agents include hostd, ntpd, sfcbd, slpd, wsman, and vobd. The software also restarts the Automated Availability Manager (AAM) if it is installed. Users accessing this host through the vSphere Client or vCenter Server lose connectivity when you restart management agents. Procedure 1 2 From the direct console, select Restart Management Agents and press Enter. Press F11 to confirm the restart.
The ESXi host restarts the management agents and services.
Restart the Management Network

Draft comment filepath: GUID-E46F9F62-D1BB-4485-815D-08DBAE320CC3.xml
Restarting the management network interface might be required to restore networking or to renew a DHCP lease. Restarting the management network will result in a brief network outage that might temporarily affect running virtual machines. If a renewed DHCP lease results in a new network identity (IP address or host name), remote management software will be diconnected. Procedure 1 2 From the direct console, select Restart Management Network and press Enter. Press F11 to confirm the restart.
78
VMware, Inc.
Disable the Management Network

Draft comment filepath: GUID-A8649D15-0E61-4648-B0F4-8FF507C9A25B.xml
The management network synchronizes VMware components and lets you access the ESXi host through the vSphere Client or vCenter Server. It is installed with the vSphere software. You might need to disable the management network to isolate a host from the vCenter Server inventory. Users accessing this host through the vSphere Client or vCenter Server lose connectivity when you disable the management network. One scenario under which you would disable the management network is if you want to isolate an ESXi host from an HA and DRS cluster, but you do not want to lose your static IP and DNS configurations or reboot the host. This operation does not require downtime for virtual machines. The virtual machines continue to run while the host is disconnected from vCenter Server and the vSphere Client. Procedure 1 2 From the direct console, select Disable Management Network and press Enter. Press F11 to confirm.
Restoring the Standard Switch

Draft comment filepath: GUID-7EAF0251-1EEA-49DC-AD71-39E5F25906BF.xml
A vNetwork Distributed Switch functions as a single virtual switch across all associated hosts. This allows virtual machines to maintain a consistent network configuration as they migrate across multiple hosts. If you migrate an existing standard switch (virtual adapter) to a vNetwork Distributed Switch and the vNetwork Distributed Switch becomes unnecessary or stops functioning, you can restore the standard switch to ensure that the host remains accessible. When you restore the standard switch, a new virtual adapter is created and the management network uplink that is currently connected to vNetwork Distributed Switch is migrated to the new virtual switch. You might need to restore the standard switch for the following reasons:
n n
The vNetwork Distributed Switch is no longer needed or is not functioning. The vNetwork Distributed Switch needs to be repaired to restore connectivity to vCenter Server. In the meantime, the hosts need to remain accessible, so the standard switch is needed. You no longer want the host to be managed by vCenter Server. When the host is not connected to vCenter Server, most vNetwork Distributed Switch features are unavailable to the host.
Prerequisites Your management network must be connected to a vNetwork Distributed Switch. Procedure 1 From the direct console, select Restore Standard Switch and press Enter. If the host is already on a standard switch, this selection is grayed-out, and you cannot select it. 2 Press F11 to confirm.
VMware, Inc.
79
Test Connectivity to Devices and Networks

Draft comment filepath: GUID-32CBFFBE-4AD9-4097-8FBF-511EA50B7B79.xml
You can use the direct console to perform some simple network connectivity tests. In addition to the management network, you can specify other devices and networks. Procedure 1 2 3 From the direct console, select Test Management Network and press Enter. Type addresses to ping or another DNS host name to resolve. Press Enter to start the test.
Storage Behavior
Draft comment filepath: GUID-9947C778-0890-40C0-AC9E-FD4E56559F25.xml
When you power on ESXi, the host enters an autoconfiguration phase during which system storage devices are configured with defaults. When you reboot the ESXi host after installing the ESXi image, the host configures the system storage devices with defaults. By default, all visible blank internal disks are formatted with VMFS, so you can store virtual machines on the disks. CAUTION ESXi overwrites any disks that appear to be blank. Disks are considered to be blank if they do not have a valid partition table or partitions. If you are using software that makes use of such disks, in particular if you are using logical volume manager (LVM) instead of (or in addition to) conventional partitioning schemes, ESXi could cause local LVM to be reformatted. Be sure to back up your system data before you power on ESXi for the first time. On the hard drive or USB device from which the ESXi host is booting, the disk-formatting software retains existing diagnostic partitions that are created by the hardware vendor. In the remaining space, the software creates these partitions:
n
One 4GB VFAT scratch partition for system swap, if this partition is not present on another disk. See About the Scratch Partition, on page 81. One VMFS3 partition on the remaining free space.
The VFAT scratch partition is created only on the disk from which the ESXi host is booting. On the other disks, the software creates a VMFS3 partition on each disk spanning the whole disk. When you install on a disk, the installer overwrites the entire disk. When the installer autoconfigures storage, the installer does not overwrite hardware vendor partitions. During ESXi installation, the installer creates a 110MB diagnostic partition for core dumps. You might want to override this default behavior if, for example, your policy is to use shared storage devices instead of local storage. To prevent automatic disk formatting, detach the local storage devices from the host before you install ESXi and power on the host for the first time (or before you power on the host after you reset the host to the configuration defaults). Automatic disk formatting occurs the first time you power on the host and when you power on the host after you reset the host to the configuration defaults. For subsequent reboots, you do not need to detach the local storage devices. If automatic disk formatting already occurred and you want to override the VMFS formatting, you can remove the datastore. See the Server Configuration Guide.
80
VMware, Inc.
About the Scratch Partition

Draft comment filepath: GUID-F149EDB3-F00F-43AB-9508-72331F4FE8DB.xml
During the autoconfiguration phase, a 4GB VFAT scratch partition is created if the partition is not present on another disk. When ESXi boots, the system tries to find a suitable partition on a local disk to create a scratch partition. The scratch partition is not required. It is used to store vm-support output, which you need when you create a support bundle. If the scratch partition is not present, vm-support output is stored in a ramdisk. This might be problematic in low-memory situations, but is not critical. For ESXi Installable, the partition is created during installation and is thus selected. VMware recommends that you leave it unchanged.
Enable the Scratch Partition

Draft comment filepath: GUID-9DD57870-ACB9-431A-BA13-E88CF7B54ECE.xml
If a scratch partition is not present, you might want to create one, especially if you are concerned about lowmemory situations. Prerequisites To enable the scratch partition, you must use the VMware vSphere command-line interface (vSphere CLI). You can install the vSphere CLI on your Microsoft Windows or Linux system or import the vSphere Management Assistant (vMA) virtual appliance onto your ESX/ESXi host. For information about importing or installing the vSphere CLI, see the vSphere Command-Line Interface Installation and Reference Guide. Procedure 1 To get the current state of the scratch partition, use the following commands.
vicfg-advcfg.pl --server <ip-address> --username username --password <password> -s /ScratchConfig/CurrentScratchLocation
To retrieve the scratch location, use the following command.

vicfg-advcfg --server <ip-address> --username username --password <password> -g ScratchConfig.ConfiguredScratchLocation
Reboot the host for the changes to take effect.
About ESXi Evaluation Mode

Draft comment filepath: GUID-17862A54-C1D4-47A9-88AA-2A1A32602BC6.xml
Evaluation mode gives you access to the full ESXi feature set. In evaluation mode, you can use vMotion, HA, DRS, and other features, even if you have not licensed those features. ESXi is always installed in evaluation mode. The evaluation period is 60 days and begins when you power on the ESXi machine, even if you start in license mode rather than evaluation mode. To make full use of the 60-day evaluation period, decide as soon as possible whether to use evaluation mode. You can convert from license mode to evaluation mode to take advantage of the evaluation period. See Convert an ESXi Host to Evaluation Mode, on page 85.
VMware, Inc.
81
Recording the ESXi License Key

Draft comment filepath: GUID-B309C0B1-E377-4725-98C5-6B18F91FDC1F.xml
All ESXi editions have associated license keys. VMware recommends that you write down the license key and tape it to the server, if possible, or put the license key in a secure, easily accessible location. You can access the license key from the direct console or the vSphere Client. If the host becomes inaccessible or unbootable, it is important that you have a record of the license key.
Access the ESXi License Key from the Direct Console

Draft comment filepath: GUID-008AB080-A2D2-4969-AB8E-C0E517F11C9D.xml
If you have physical access to the host or remote access to the direct console, you can use the direct console to access the ESXi license key. Procedure
u
From the direct console, select View Support Information. The license key appears in the form XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX. The physical machine serial number also appears. Do not confuse the license key with the physical machine serial number.
Access the ESXi License Key from the vSphere Client

Draft comment filepath: GUID-B1DEC81E-2AB1-4CEA-941A-2891F3BAF4E5.xml
If you are not local to the host and cannot access the direct console, use the vSphere Client to locate the ESXi license key. Procedure 1 2 From the vSphere Client, select the host in the inventory. Select the Configuration tab and click Licensed Features. The license key appears in the form XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX.
View System Logs

Draft comment filepath: GUID-3BDB5CC2-34F8-4B36-A363-6CF178C74DA2.xml
System logs provide detailed information about system operational events. Procedure 1 2 From the direct console, select View System Logs. Press a corresponding number key to view a log. vCenter Server Agent (vpxa) logs appear if you add the host to vCenter Server. 3 Press Enter or the spacebar to scroll through the messages.
82
VMware, Inc.
Perform a regular expression search. a b c Press the slash key (/). Type the text to find. Press Enter.
The found text is highlighted on the screen. 5 Press q to return to the direct console.
What to do next See also Redirect System Log Files to a Remote Host, on page 83.
Redirect System Log Files to a Remote Host

Draft comment filepath: GUID-219DC2CF-334E-4BE5-BC8A-255B2B725FD5.xml
System logs provide detailed information about system operational events. You can use the vSphere Client to redirect system log files to a remote host. Procedure 1 2 3 4 From the vSphere Client, select a host in the inventory. Select the Configuration tab and click Advanced Settings. Click Syslog. For Syslog.Remote.Hostname, enter a host name to which log files can be forwarded.
What to do next See also View System Logs, on page 82.
Set the Password for the Administrator Account

Draft comment filepath: GUID-CFFACD32-C081-47D2-80CF-8ED5DDAF6BBC.xml
You can use the direct console to set the password for the administrator account (root). The administrative user name for the ESXi host is root. By default, the administrative password is not set. Procedure 1 2 3 4 From the direct console, select Configure Password. (Optional) If a password is already set up, type the password in the Old Password line and press Enter. In the New Password line, type a new password and press Enter. Retype the new password and press Enter.
Configure Lockdown Mode

Draft comment filepath: GUID-557C5824-473B-414D-878F-E4AAFDEE4CFC.xml
To increase the security of your ESXi hosts, you can put them in lockdown mode. When you enable lockdown mode, no users other than vpxuser have authentication permissions, nor can they perform operations against the host directly. Lockdown mode forces all operations to be performed through vCenter Server.
VMware, Inc.
83
When a host is in lockdown mode, you cannot run vCLI commands from an administration server, from a script, or from vMA against the host. External software or management tools might not be able to retrieve or modify information from the ESXi host. NOTE The root user is still authorized to log in to the direct console user interface when lockdown mode is enabled. Enabling or disabling lockdown mode affects which types of users are authorized to access host services, but it does not affect the availability of those services. In other words, if Local Tech Support Mode, Remote Tech Support Mode (SSH), or the Direct Console User Interface services are enabled, they will continue to run whether or not the host is in lockdown mode. You can enable lockdown mode using the Add Host wizard to add an ESXi host to vCenter Server, using the vSphere Client to manage a host, or using the direct console. Lockdown mode is only available on ESXi hosts that have been added to vCenter Server. Procedure 1 2 3 Select Configure Lockdown Mode and press Enter. Press the spacebar to select Enable Lockdown Mode and press Enter. Press Enter.
Configure Troubleshooting Services with the Direct Console User Interface

Draft comment filepath: GUID-F9234F4A-FD6A-477B-B7BA-28EB6B08CE82.xml
Use the direct console user interface to enable troubleshooting services. Procedure 1 2 3 From the direct console user interface, press F2 to access the System Customization menu. Select Troubleshooting Options and press Enter. From the Troubleshooting Mode Options menu, select a troubleshooting service to enable or disable.
n n
Local Tech Support Mode Remote Tech Support Mode
4 5
Press Enter. (Optional) Set the timeout for Tech Support Mode. By default, the timeout for Tech Support Mode is 0 (disabled). The timeout setting is the number of minutes that can elapse before you must log in after Tech Support Mode is enabled. After the timeout period, if you have not logged in, Tech Support Mode is disabled. NOTE If you are logged in when the timeout period elapses, your session will persist. However, Tech Support Mode will be disabled, preventing other users from logging in. a b c From the Troubleshooting Mode Options menu, select Modify Tech Support timeout and press Enter. Enter the timeout in minutes. Press Enter.
84
VMware, Inc.
Reset the System Configuration

Draft comment filepath: GUID-AD450DA3-881B-4916-9231-9B6998AAC3AA.xml
If you are having trouble with your ESXi host, one troubleshooting option is to reset the system configuration. When you reset the configuration, the software overrides all your configuration changes, deletes the password for the administrator account (root), and reboots the host. Configuration changes made by your hardware vendor, such as IP address settings and license configuration, might also be deleted. Resetting the configuration does not remove virtual machines on the ESXi host. Virtual machines are stored on the datastore, not on the USB flash. After you reset the configuration defaults, the virtual machines are not visible, but you can retrieve them by reconfiguring storage and reregistering the virtual machines. CAUTION When you reset the configuration defaults, users accessing the host lose connectivity.
Prerequisites Before resetting the configuration, back up your ESXi configuration in case you want to restore your configuration. Procedure 1 2 3 (Recommended) Back up the configuration using the vSphere CLI vicfg-cfgbackup command. From the direct console, select Reset System Configuration and press Enter. Press F11 to confirm.
The system reboots after all settings are reset to the default values.
Convert an ESXi Host to Evaluation Mode

Draft comment filepath: GUID-09AA1655-4162-49D3-A1BC-945122716145.xml
If ESXi has a license, you can switch to evaluation mode to explore the full functionality of ESXi. Procedure 1 2 3 4 5 6 From the vSphere Client, select the host in the inventory. Click the Configuration tab. Under Software, click Licensed Features. Click Edit next to ESXi License Type. Click Product Evaluation. Click OK to save your changes.
Remove All Custom Packages on ESXi

Draft comment filepath: GUID-F62FD6D2-51AF-497D-8E41-695B76098C74.xml
After adding custom packages, you might decide to remove them. Prerequisites Before you remove custom packages, shut down or migrate running virtual machines off of the ESXi host.
VMware, Inc.
85
Procedure 1 2 3 Reboot the ESXi host. In the direct console, select Remove Custom Extensions and press F11 to confirm. Reboot the host.
All custom packages are removed.
Disable ESXi
Draft comment filepath: GUID-F56728A0-3C1D-4CF6-98D5-F128ADE7B4F4.xml
If you do not want your server to be an ESXi host, you can deactivate the ESXi setup. Procedure 1 2 3 Remove VMFS datastores on the internal disks so that the internal disks are no longer set up to store virtual machines. Change the boot setting in the BIOS so that the host no longer boots into ESXi. Install another operating system in its place.
86
VMware, Inc.
After You Install and Set Up ESXi

Draft comment filepath: GUID-427E7614-1D84-44D4-AFE3-186EE4962C27.xml
After ESXi is set up, you must consider host management through the vSphere Client, licensing, and adding and removing custom extensions. ###rewrite### You should also back up your vCenter Server configuration. This chapter includes the following topics:
n n n
Download the vSphere Client, on page 87 Licensing the Host, on page 87 Backing Up and Restoring ESXi, on page 88
Download the vSphere Client

Draft comment filepath: GUID-B15F4221-ABDB-4CA7-A6C4-6C96E72F04A5.xml
The vSphere Client is a Windows program that you can use to configure the host and to operate its virtual machines. You can download vSphere Client from any host. Prerequisites You must have the URL of the host, which is the IP address or host name. The system must have an Internet connection. Procedure 1 2 From a Windows machine, open a Web browser. Enter the URL or IP address for the vCenter Server or host. For example, http://exampleserver.example.com or http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx. 3 4 Click Download the vSphere Client under Getting Started. Click Save to download the vSphere Client installer.
The vSphere Client installer is downloaded to the system. What to do next Install the vSphere Client.
Licensing the Host

Draft comment filepath: GUID-BDEC4A88-590C-4E1E-88B7-3FD88AE432BE.xml
After you purchase a host license, VMware provides a vSphere license key. For more information, see the Datacenter Administration Guide.
VMware, Inc.
87
Backing Up and Restoring ESXi

Draft comment filepath: GUID-2EF7D8E3-8DE2-48A5-9393-A33F81D13452.xml
You can back up and restore the ESXi configuration and recover the ESXi boot image if it becomes damaged. In addition, you can remove ESXi from the host.
About Backing Up and Restoring an ESXi Configuration

Draft comment filepath: GUID-A7A4B949-A861-4AB1-864C-A957A4DEA449.xml
After you configure an ESXi host, it is important to back up your configuration. You can back up the ESXi host configuration data after preliminary tasks are completed. Always back up your host configuration after you change the configuration or upgrade the ESXi image. When you perform a configuration backup, the serial number is backed up with the configuration and is restored when you restore the configuration. The serial number is not preserved when you run the Recovery CD (ESXi Embedded) or perform the repair operation (ESXi Installable). For this reason, the recommended procedure is to first back up the configuration, run the Recovery CD or repair operation, and then restore the configuration. You perform the backup by using the vicfg-cfgbackup command, which you run from the vSphere CLI. You can install the vSphere CLI on your Microsoft Windows or Linux system . For information about importing or installing the vSphere CLI, see the vSphere Command-Line Interface Installation and Reference Guide.
Considerations When Using the vSphere CLI Virtual Appliance

Draft comment filepath: GUID-332EC732-E8FD-47BE-80AD-DAD7A5FFC89E.xml
When you restore a host configuration, you must perform the operation from a remote host. When you back up the host configuration, you can run the vicfg-cfgbackup command from a vSphere CLI virtual appliance that is running on the target host (the host that you are backing up or restoring), or on a remote host. To restore a configuration on the target host, you must run the vSphere CLI virtual appliance from a remote host. When you restore the configuration, the target host must be in maintenance mode, which means all virtual machines (including the vSphere CLI virtual appliance) must be powered off. For example, suppose you have two ESXi hosts (host1 and host2) and you import the virtual appliance into both hosts. To back up the host1 configuration, run the vicfg-cfgbackup command in the vSphere CLI on either host1 or host2 and point to host1 in the --server command-line option. Likewise, to back up the host2 configuration, run the vicfg-cfgbackup command in the vSphere CLI on either host1 or host2 and point to host2 in the --server command-line option. To restore the host1 configuration, run the vicfg-cfgbackup command in the vSphere CLI on host2 and point to host1 in the --server command-line option. To restore the host2 configuration, run the vicfg-cfgbackup command in the vSphere CLI on host1 and point to host2 in the --server command-line option.
Back Up ESXi Configuration Data

Draft comment filepath: GUID-6EA8B00C-3F20-43F2-B136-93923ABD4AA2.xml
After you configure your ESXi host, you might want to create a backup of the configuration. The following procedure describes how to back up your ESXi configuration data. The --portnumber and --protocol options are optional. If you exclude them, the defaults are port 443 and protocol HTTPS.
88
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 7 After You Install and Set Up ESXi
If your administrative password includes special characters, such as $ or &, you must include a backslash escape character (\) before each special character. For the backup filename, include the build number that is currently running on the host that you are backing up. If you are running the vSphere CLI as a virtual appliance, the backup file is saved locally on the virtual appliance. Local storage for backup files is safe because virtual appliances are stored in the /vmfs/volumes/<datastore> directory, which is separate from the ESXi image and configuration files. Procedure 1 2 Start the vSphere CLI. Run the vicfg-cfgbackup command with the -s flag to save the host configuration to the specified backup filename.
vicfg-cfgbackup --server <ESXi-host-ip> --portnumber <port_number> --protocol <protocol_type> --username username --password <password> -s <backup-filename>
Restore ESXi Configuration Data

Draft comment filepath: GUID-9F890795-E3E1-4A5C-8D61-23FB0236B81A.xml
You can restore the ESXi 4.1 host configuration data if you have created a backup. The --portnumber and --protocol options are optional. If you exclude them, the defaults are port 443 and protocol HTTPS. If your administrative password includes special characters, such as $ or &, you must include a backslash escape character (\) before each special character. Procedure 1 2 Power off any virtual machines that are running on the host that you want to restore. (Optional) Restore the host to the ESXi build that was running when you created the configuration backup. When you restore configuration data, the build number currently running on the host must be the same as the build number that was running when you created the backup file. You can override this requirement by including the -f (force) flag with the vicfg-cfgbackup command. 3 4 On a host other than the host that you are restoring, start the vSphere CLI virtual appliance. Run the vicfg-cfgbackup command with the -l flag to load the host configuration from the specified backup file.
vicfg-cfgbackup --server <ESXi_host_IP> --portnumber <port_number> -protocol <protocol_type>--username username --password <password> -l <backup_filename>
The host you are restoring reboots and the backup configuration is restored.
Recover the ESXi Installable Software

Draft comment filepath: GUID-6309C46E-6D04-4372-803E-723E6076B568.xml
You can restore the ESXi Installable software by running the ESXi installation CD in repair mode. If the host does not boot into ESXi, the file partitions or master boot record on the installation disk might be corrupted. To resolve this problem, you can restore the software by running the installation CD in repair mode. (No separate Recovery CD is available for ESXi 5 Installable.) Run the installer in repair mode only when directed to do so by VMware Customer Service.
VMware, Inc.
89
When you run the installer in repair mode, all host configuration data is overwritten by system defaults. If you backed up the configuration, you can restore it after you perform the repair operation. CAUTION If your system uses logical volume management (LVM) instead of (or in addition to) conventional partitioning schemes, ESXi recovery could cause local LVM to be reformatted. Be sure to back up your system data before you recover ESXi. Before you run the repair operation, back up your existing VMFS as a precaution. During the repair operation, your existing ESXi Installable VMFS datastore is preserved if it is in its original location on the ESXi boot disk, or if it is located on another disk (separate from the boot disk). If you changed the VMFS location on the boot disk, it is preserved if it is located beyond the 900MB partition. In situations where the partition table is corrupt, the VMFS cannot be recovered automatically by the repair operation. In this case, call VMware customer service for help in recovering your VMFS. If you do not have the original installation CD, contact your hardware vendor for help obtaining the appropriate ISO file. After you obtain the ISO file, you can burn it onto a blank CD. Procedure 1 2 Insert the ESXi 5 Installable installation CD into an ESXi Installable host CD-ROM drive. Use the system BIOS to change the boot order so that the CD-ROM drive is listed first. To modify the boot sequence: a b c Reboot the host. While the host is powering on, press a function key or Delete to open the BIOS setup. Select the CD-ROM drive and move it to the first position in the list.
The option to open the BIOS setup might be different for your server. You might need to open the BIOS configuration screens to modify the boot setting. As the host continues to power on, the installation Welcome screen appears. 3 4 Press R to repair ESXi . Read the VMware end-user license agreement and accept it by pressing F11. You cannot reinstall this product unless you accept the license agreement. 5 From the Select A Disk screen, choose the disk drive that contained the original installation of ESXi . NOTE If you do not choose the same installation disk, the damaged ESXi image is not fixed and a new image is installed. a b c Use the up and down arrow keys to navigate in the disk list. Highlight the row containing the disk. Press Enter.
The Confirm Disk Selection screen displays, warning you that the data on the selected disk is about to be overwritten. If you did not change the default partitions created during the ESXi installation, the data existing in the third and fourth primary partitions is preserved. This includes your VMFS datastore. 6 Do one of the following:
n n
To confirm the disk you chose for repair, press Enter. To change the target disk, press Backspace and repeat Step 5.
90
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 7 After You Install and Set Up ESXi
In the Confirm Repair screen, confirm you are ready to install ESXi . CAUTION This is your last opportunity to cancel the reinstallation. If you continue, the installer reformats the disk and installs the ESXi software. Press F11 to start the recovery.
When the operation is complete, one of the following screens displays.

Option Repair Complete Description The ESXi image was repaired successfully and the partition table was restored. The installer recreated the partition table to recover your VMFS partitions or custom partitions. The repair operation added these entries in the partition table. The ESXi image was repaired successfully, but the partition table could not be restored. The installer could not recreate the partition table to recover your VMFS partitions or custom partitions. You must manually add the partition entries to the partition table to recover your data. Call VMware support for help.
Repair Incomplete
9 10
Remove the installation CD from the CD drive. Press Enter to reboot the machine.
Your disk storage area might have changed during the reboot and your virtual machines might not be visible in the vSphere Client inventory. If your storage area is visible but your virtual machines are not visible, do one of the following:
n n
Reregister the virtual machines with vSphere Client. See the vSphere Client Help. Restore your host configuration data. This option is available only if you backed up your host configuration data. See the ESXi Configuration Guide.
If your storage area is not visible, the ESXi repair operation did not complete successfully. Do not try to recreate your data storage area because this might overwrite existing data and could destroy your virtual machines. Call VMware support for help in recovering your existing datastore.
VMware, Inc.
91
92
VMware, Inc.
Preparing vCenter Server Databases

Draft comment filepath: GUID-55F7FFDB-01B8-4C18-AA89-DC28BD9B1E9F.xml
vCenter Server and vCenter Update Manager require databases to store and organize server data. Each vCenter Server instance must have its own database. vCenter Server instances cannot share the same database schema. Multiple vCenter Server databases can reside on the same database server, or they can be separated across multiple database servers. For Oracle databases, which have the concept of schema objects, you can run multiple vCenter Server instances in a single database server if you have a different schema owner for each vCenter Server instance, or use a dedicated Oracle database server for each vCenter Server instance. You do not need to install a new database server for the vCenter Server installation to work. During installation, you can point the vCenter Server system to any existing supported database. vCenter Server supports IBM DB2, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server databases. vCenter Update Manager supports Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server databases. For detailed information about supported database server versions, see the vSphere Compatibility Matrixes on the VMware vSphere documentation Web site. CAUTION If you have a VirtualCenter database that you want to preserve, do not perform a fresh installation of vCenter Server. See the vSphere Upgrade Guide. VMware recommends using separate databases for vCenter Server and vCenter Update Manager. For a small deployments, a separate database for vCenter Update Manager might not be necessary. This chapter includes the following topics:
n n n
vCenter Server Database Patch and Configuration Requirements, on page 93 Create a 64-Bit DSN, on page 95 Configure vCenter Server to Communicate with the Local Database After Shortening the Computer Name to 15 Characters or Fewer, on page 95 About the Bundled Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express Database Package, on page 96 Maintaining a vCenter Server Database, on page 96 Configure DB2 Databases, on page 96 Configure Microsoft SQL Server Databases, on page 105 Configure Oracle Databases, on page 112
n n n n n
vCenter Server Database Patch and Configuration Requirements

Draft comment filepath: GUID-5CD7D461-E778-4771-9339-72FFCAB23CB5.xml
After you choose a database type, make sure you understand the configuration and patch requirements for the database. vCenter Server databases require a UTF codeset.
VMware, Inc.
93
Contact your DBA for the appropriate database credentials. Table 8-1. Configuration and Patch Requirements for Databases Supported with vCenter Server
Patch and Configuration Requirements Author: Administrator Sat Oct 30 07:13:37 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status: Updated with information from bug 630932, needs review If the database is not local to the vCenter Server system, install the IBM Data Server Runtime Client. Install the IBM DB2 native client according to the IBM instructions for your DB2 version. If you are not running DB2 with DB2 9.5 fix pack 5, install Hotfix 22318 for DB2 9.5.0 on the system where you are installing vCenter Server. Ensure that C:\Program Files\IBM\SQLLIB\BIN is in the system path. DB2 might be installed at a different location. You might need to restart the Microsoft Windows machine for the service to recognize the change in the environment variable. Ensure that the machine has a valid ODBC data source name (DSN) entry. Ensure that fix pack 2 is installed. Bundled database that you can use for small deployments of up to 5 hosts and 50 virtual machines. 32-bit and 64-bit versions, with SP3. Ensure that the machine has a valid ODBC DSN entry. If Microsoft SQL Server 2005 is not already installed and the machine has MSXML Core Services 6.0 installed, remove MSXML Core Services 6.0 before installing Microsoft SQL Server 2005. If you cannot remove it using the Add or Remove Programs utility, use the Windows Installer CleanUp utility. See http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968749. Microsoft SQL Server 2008: 32-bit and 64-bit versions, with SP1 Ensure that the machine has a valid ODBC DSN entry. If necessary, first apply patch 10.2.0.4 (or later) to the client and server. Then apply patch 5699495 to the client. Ensure that the machine has a valid ODBC DSN entry. For the Oracle Instant client, copy ojdbc14.jar to the vCenter Server tomcat directory (<vCenter install location>\Infrastructure\tomcat\lib) The Oracle 10g client comes with ojdbc14.jar (<Oracle client install location>\oracle\product\10.2.0\<instance_name>\jdbc\lib). The vCenter Server copies the file from the Oracle client install location to the vCenter Server tomcat directory (<vCenter install location>\Infrastructure\tomcat\lib) If the ojdbc14.jar file is not found in the Oracle 10g client location, the vCenter Serverinstaller prompts you to copy the file manually. You can download the file from http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/tech/java/sqlj_jdbc/htdocs/jdbc101040.html. Oracle 11g Oracle 11g R1 11.1.0.7 Oracle 11g R2 11.2.0.2 with patch 5 (9966926) Ensure that the machine has a valid ODBC DSN entry. For the Oracle Instant client, copy ojdbc14.jar to the vCenter Server tomcat directory (<vCenter install location>\Infrastructure\tomcat\lib) The Oracle 11g client comes with ojdbc14.jar (<Oracle client install location>\app\Administrator\product\11.1.0\<instancename>\sqldeveloper\jd bc\lib). The vCenter Server installer copies the file from the Oracle client install location to the vCenter Server tomcat directory (<vCenter install location>\Infrastructure\tomcat\lib) If the ojdbc14.jar file is not found in the Oracle 11g client location, the vCenter Server installer prompts you to copy the file manually. You can download the file from http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/tech/java/sqlj_jdbc/htdocs/jdbc101040.html.
Database Type IBM DB2 9.5
IBM DB2 9.7 Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express Microsoft SQL Server 2005
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Oracle 10g R2
94
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 8 Preparing vCenter Server Databases
Create a 64-Bit DSN

Draft comment filepath: GUID-33460995-D02B-4F1F-8A76-41B3CBA67088.xml
The vCenter Server system must have a 64-bit DSN. This requirement applies to all supported databases. Procedure 1 Author: Administrator Fri Aug 13 10:03:10 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status: removed step one info as per PR598575 Select Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC). 2 Use the application to create a system DSN for the SQL Native Client driver and test the connectivity.
The system now has a DSN that is compatible with vCenter Server. When the vCenter Server installer prompts you for a DSN, select the 64-bit DSN.
Configure vCenter Server to Communicate with the Local Database After Shortening the Computer Name to 15 Characters or Fewer
Draft comment filepath: GUID-1DE73EE0-94EB-4E91-9987-97EB38A3235E.xml
The machine on which you install or upgrade to vCenter Server must have a computer name that is 15 characters or fewer. If your database is located on the same machine on which vCenter Server will be installed, and you have recently changed the name of this machine to comply with the name-length requirement, make sure the vCenter Server DSN is configured to communicate with the new name of the machine. Changing the vCenter Server computer name impacts database communication if the database server is on the same computer with vCenter Server. If you have changed the machine name, verify that communication remains intact by completing the following procedure. The name change has no impact on communication with remote databases. You can skip this procedure if your database is remote. NOTE The name-length limitation applies to the vCenter Server system. The data source name (DSN) and remote database systems can have names with more than 15 characters. Check with your database administrator or the database vendor to make sure all components of the database are working after you rename the server. Prerequisites
n n
Make sure the database server is running. Make sure that the vCenter Server computer name is updated in the domain name service (DNS). One way to test this is by pinging the computer name. For example, if the computer name is host-1.company.com, run the following command in the Windows command prompt:
ping host-1.company.com
If you can ping the computer name, the name is updated in DNS. Procedure 1 2 Update the data source information, as needed. Verify the data source connectivity.
VMware, Inc.
95
About the Bundled Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express Database Package
Draft comment filepath: GUID-F7223D36-E17B-4BCF-AE02-6F8E566CDC3F.xml
The bundled Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express database package is installed and configured when you select the bundled database during vCenter Server installation or upgrade. To install the bundled Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express database, Microsoft Windows Installer version 4.5 (MSI 4.5) is required on your system. You can download MSI 4.5 from the Microsoft Web site.
Maintaining a vCenter Server Database

Draft comment filepath: GUID-ED4B7EEF-C98E-4873-9E3F-8039CA4FE234.xml
After your vCenter Server database instance and vCenter Server are installed and operational, perform standard database maintenance processes. The standard database maintenance processes include the following:
n
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.
n n
Configure DB2 Databases

Draft comment filepath: GUID-5482E916-222D-4DE6-ABC0-1839DFAB4DF0.xml
If you use a DB2 database for your vCenter Server repository, you need to configure your database to work with vCenter Server. Procedure 1 Configure an IBM DB2 Database User and Group on page 97 To use an IBM DB2 database when you install vCenter Server, you must configure the database user and group. 2 Add the Database Instance Registry Variables on page 98 After connecting to the server as DB2 instance owner, you can configure the DB2 registry variables on the database server. 3 Add the Client Instance Registry Variable on page 99 After connecting to the server as DB2 instance owner, you can configure the DB2 registry variables on the vCenter Server. 4 Use a Script to Create a DB2 Database on page 99 When you use a DB2 database with vCenter Server, the database must have certain buffer pools, table spaces, and privileges. To simplify the process of creating the database, you can run a DB2 script. 5 Use a Script to Create the DB2 Database Schema (Optional) on page 101 The vCenter Server installer creates the schema during installation. Experienced database administrators who need more control over schema creation due to environmental constraints can optionally use a script to create their database schema.
96
VMware, Inc.
Configure a Connection to a Local DB2 Database on Microsoft Windows on page 103 You can configure a DB2 database for vCenter Server locally on the same Microsoft Windows machine as vCenter Server.
Configure a Connection to a Remote DB2 Database on Linux, UNIX, or Microsoft Windows on page 104 You can configure a DB2 database for vCenter Server remotely on a network-connected Microsoft Windows, Linux, or UNIX host.
Configure an IBM DB2 Database User and Group

Draft comment filepath: GUID-CCE9A4E5-F9FD-4114-B023-61EB1F5CC0F3.xml
To use an IBM DB2 database when you install vCenter Server, you must configure the database user and group. You can configure a DB2 database for vCenter Server either locally on the same Microsoft Windows machine as vCenter Server or remotely on a network-connected Linux, UNIX, or Windows host. Prerequisites
n n
Review the software requirements for vCenter Server with DB2. Verify that a DB2 instance is created and configured for incoming TCP connections. See the DB2 documentation Web site. Make sure that you created a user called vcx. The DB2 database server must use codeset UTF-8.
n n
Procedure 1 Create an initial user on the operating system. By default, DB2 uses the operating system authentication for all its database users. 2 3 4 If the database is hosted on a Microsoft Windows machine, add the user vcx as a member of the group DB2USERS. Create a user group called DBSYSMON and add the user vcx as a member. Open a DB2 command window or Command Line Processor (CLP) as the DB2 instance owner.
n
On Microsoft Windows, select Start > IBM DB2 > DB2Copy1 > Command Line Tools > Command Window. On Linux or UNIX, open a terminal and switch your user to the DB2 instance owner.
In the DB2 command window, run the following command to add the group DBSYSMON to the group of users capable of database system monitoring:
db2 update dbm cfg using sysmon_group dbsysmon
This command affects all databases in this instance. You now have a DB2 database user that you can reference in the vCenter Server installer. What to do next Add the database instance registry variables.
VMware, Inc.
97
Add the Database Instance Registry Variables

Draft comment filepath: GUID-917099DA-3F33-4647-90C1-E1C1791F9091.xml
After connecting to the server as DB2 instance owner, you can configure the DB2 registry variables on the database server. Prerequisites Make you that you configure an IBM DB2 database user and group. Procedure 1 Open a DB2 Command window or Command Line Processor (CLP) as the DB2 instance owner.
n
Start the DB2 instance.

db2start
Enable the DB2 administrative task scheduler.

db2set DB2_ATS_ENABLE=YES
Enable the DB2 database system to ignore uncommitted insertions.

db2set DB2_SKIPINSERTED=ON
Enable the table or index access scans to defer or avoid row locking until a data record is known to satisfy predicate evaluation.
db2set DB2_EVALUNCOMMITTED=ON
Enable the DB2 database system to skip deleted keys during index access and skip deleted rows during table access.
db2set DB2_SKIPDELETED=ON
Stop and restart the database instance.

db2stop force db2start
These commands affect all databases in this instance. All the required registry variables are set up. What to do next Add the client instance registry variable.
98
VMware, Inc.
Add the Client Instance Registry Variable

Draft comment filepath: GUID-7BAF88F8-74FE-45F9-8EC6-E7F40324B702.xml
After connecting to the server as DB2 instance owner, you can configure the DB2 registry variables on the vCenter Server. Prerequisites
n n n
Configure an IBM DB2 database user and group. Add the database instance registry variables. Make sure that the DB2 runtime client is installed on the Windows machine that will host vCenter Server. If the database server and the vCenter Server are running on the same machine, you do not have to install the runtime client separately.
Procedure 1 Open a DB2 Command window or Command Line Processor (CLP) as the DB2 instance owner.
n
To configure the vSphere Client to behave as a Unicode application, set the DB2CODEPAGE registry variable to 1208.
db2set DB2CODEPAGE=1208
NOTE If you are configuring the DB2 database on the same machine as the one that is running vCenter Server, you need to run the db2set command after connecting to the database server (which is the same as the vCenter Server host). What to do next Create the DB2 database, including all necessary buffer pools, table spaces, and privileges.
Use a Script to Create a DB2 Database

Draft comment filepath: GUID-F8B90F26-BEB1-4934-A6B8-C7BE82B6FCDA.xml
When you use a DB2 database with vCenter Server, the database must have certain buffer pools, table spaces, and privileges. To simplify the process of creating the database, you can run a DB2 script. Prerequisites
n n n
Configure an IBM DB2 database user and group. Add the database instance registry variables. Add the client instance registry variable.
VMware, Inc.
99
Procedure 1 Copy the following DB2 script into a text editor and save it with a descriptive filename, such as vcdbcreate.sql. The script is located in the /<installation
directory>/vpx/dbschema/db2_prereq_connection_configuration.txt vCenter Server installation
package file.
CREATE DATABASE VCDB AUTOMATIC STORAGE YES ON 'C:\' DBPATH ON 'C:\' USING CODESET UTF-8 TERRITORY US COLLATE USING SYSTEM PAGESIZE 4096; UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE DB CFG FOR VCDB USING AUTO_MAINT ON; DB CFG FOR VCDB USING AUTO_TBL_MAINT ON; DB CFG FOR VCDB USING AUTO_RUNSTATS ON; DB CFG FOR VCDB USING logprimary 32 logsecond 6 logfilsiz 2048; ALERT CFG FOR DATABASE ON VCDB USING db.db_backup_req SET THRESHOLDSCHECKED YES; ALERT CFG FOR DATABASE ON VCDB USING db.tb_reorg_req SET THRESHOLDSCHECKED YES; ALERT CFG FOR DATABASE ON VCDB USING db.tb_runstats_req SET THRESHOLDSCHECKED YES;
CONNECT TO VCDB; grant select on sysibmadm.applications to user vcx; CREATE BUFFERPOOL VCBP_8K IMMEDIATE SIZE 250 AUTOMATIC PAGESIZE 8K; CREATE LARGE TABLESPACE VCTS_8k PAGESIZE 8K MANAGED BY AUTOMATIC STORAGE EXTENTSIZE 32 OVERHEAD 12.67 PREFETCHSIZE 32 TRANSFERRATE 0.18 BUFFERPOOL VCBP_8K; CREATE BUFFERPOOL VCBP_16K IMMEDIATE SIZE 250 AUTOMATIC PAGESIZE 16K; CREATE LARGE TABLESPACE VCTS_16k PAGESIZE 16K MANAGED BY AUTOMATIC STORAGE EXTENTSIZE 32 OVERHEAD 12.67 PREFETCHSIZE 32 TRANSFERRATE 0.18 BUFFERPOOL VCBP_16K; CREATE BUFFERPOOL VCBP_32K IMMEDIATE SIZE 250 AUTOMATIC PAGESIZE 32K; CREATE LARGE TABLESPACE VCTS_32k PAGESIZE 32K MANAGED BY AUTOMATIC STORAGE EXTENTSIZE 32 OVERHEAD 12.67 PREFETCHSIZE 32 TRANSFERRATE 0.18 BUFFERPOOL VCBP_32K; CREATE TABLESPACE SYSTOOLSPACE IN IBMCATGROUP MANAGED BY AUTOMATIC STORAGE EXTENTSIZE 4; CREATE USER TEMPORARY TABLESPACE SYSTOOLSTMPSPACE IN IBMCATGROUP MANAGED BY AUTOMATIC STORAGE EXTENTSIZE 4; CREATE SYSTEM TEMPORARY TABLESPACE VCTEMPTS_8K PAGESIZE 8K MANAGED BY AUTOMATIC STORAGE BUFFERPOOL VCBP_8K; CREATE SYSTEM TEMPORARY TABLESPACE VCTEMPTS_16K PAGESIZE 16K MANAGED BY AUTOMATIC STORAGE BUFFERPOOL VCBP_16K; CREATE SYSTEM TEMPORARY TABLESPACE VCTEMPTS_32K PAGESIZE 32K MANAGED BY AUTOMATIC STORAGE BUFFERPOOL VCBP_32K; GRANT USE OF TABLESPACE VCTS_16K TO USER vcx WITH GRANT OPTION; GRANT USE OF TABLESPACE VCTS_32K TO USER vcx WITH GRANT OPTION; GRANT USE OF TABLESPACE VCTS_8K TO USER vcx WITH GRANT OPTION;
100
VMware, Inc.
commit work; connect reset; terminate;
Customize the following values in the script.

n n n
Database name: VCDB. You must use the same value for the ODBC setup. Database path: C:\ for Microsoft Windows, or a UNIX path with sufficient permissions. User name: vcx. You must use the same value for the ODBC setup.
Do not modify the script in any other way. Changing the setup for table spaces or buffer pools might prevent successful installation of vCenter Server. 3 Run the script in a DB2 Command window.
db2 -svtf vcdbcreate.sql
You now have a DB2 database that you can use with vCenter Server. What to do next Configure a connection to a local or remote database.
Use a Script to Create the DB2 Database Schema (Optional)

Draft comment filepath: GUID-D28AA22A-C527-484E-B6E9-1D1FD810A1B6.xml
The vCenter Server installer creates the schema during installation. Experienced database administrators who need more control over schema creation due to environmental constraints can optionally use a script to create their database schema. To have the vCenter Server installer create your schema for you, see Configure a Connection to a Local DB2 Database on Microsoft Windows, on page 103 or Configure a Connection to a Remote DB2 Database on Linux, UNIX, or Microsoft Windows, on page 104, depending on your environment. Prerequisites Create the DB2 database and user. You can create the DB2 database manually or by using scripts. Procedure 1 Open a DB2 Command Editor window and log in as the user that you created on the vCenter Server database. a b c 2 Open DB2 Control Center. Select the database. Right-click the database and select Menu > Query.
In the directory of the vCenter Server installation package /<installation directory>/vpx/dbschema, locate the dbschema scripts.
VMware, Inc.
101
In the DB2 Command Editor window, open the SQL files one at a time and press Ctrl+Enter to run each SQL file query in the order shown here.
VCDB_db2.sql TopN_DB_db2.sql
For the following files, change the statement termination character from ; to @.
load_stats_proc_db2.sql purge_stat1_proc_db2.sql purge_stat2_proc_db2.sql purge_stat3_proc_db2.sql purge_usage_stats_proc_db2.sql stats_rollup1_proc_db2.sql stats_rollup2_proc_db2.sql stats_rollup3_proc_db2.sql cleanup_events_db2.sql delete_stats_proc_db2.sql upsert_last_event_proc_db2.sql load_usage_stats_proc_db2.sql calc_topn1_proc_db2.sql calc_topn2_proc_db2.sql calc_topn3_proc_db2.sql calc_topn4_proc_db2.sql clear_topn1_proc_db2.sql clear_topn2_proc_db2.sql clear_topn3_proc_db2.sql clear_topn4_proc_db2.sql rule_topn1_proc_db2.sql rule_topn2_proc_db2.sql rule_topn3_proc_db2.sql rule_topn4_proc_db2.sql process_license_snapshot_db2.sql job_schedule1_db2.sql job_schedule2_db2.sql job_schedule3_db2.sql job_cleanup_events_db2.sql job_topn_past_day_db2.sql job_topn_past_week_db2.sql job_topn_past_month_db2.sql job_topn_past_year_db2.sql job_property_bulletin_db2.
You now have a database schema that is compatible with vCenter Server.
102
VMware, Inc.
4 5
On the machine on which you intend to install vCenter Server, create a data source name (DSN) that points to the database server with the schema. Run the vCenter Server installer. a If a database reinitialization warning message appears in the vCenter Server installer, select Do not overwrite, leave my existing database in place and continue the installation. This message appears if you are using a database that has vCenter Server tables created by a previous installation. The message does not appear if the database is clean. If you leave your existing database in place, you cannot join the vCenter Server to a Linked Mode group during the installation. You can join after the installation is complete. (See Join a Linked Mode Group After Installation, on page 141.) b When prompted, provide the database user login.
Configure a Connection to a Local DB2 Database on Microsoft Windows

Draft comment filepath: GUID-C333D627-9FC3-417D-9874-2B3C5F61EC18.xml
You can configure a DB2 database for vCenter Server locally on the same Microsoft Windows machine as vCenter Server. Prerequisites
n n n n
Configure a user and group for the database. Add the database instance registry variables. Add the client instance registry variable. Create the database with the required buffer pools, table spaces, and privileges.
Procedure 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 On the Microsoft Windows machine that will host vCenter Server, click Start > Run to open the Microsoft ODBC Administrator utility. Enter odbcad32.exe. On the System DSN tab, click Add. Select the driver that corresponds to your database (for example, IBM DB2 ODBC Driver VCDB2Add) and click Finish. Enter a name for the DSN (for example, VCDB2) and select your database from the menu. To make sure that the database connection works, select the DSN and click Configure. Enter the database user name (for example, vcx) and password. You do not need to save the user name and password. 8 Click Connect.
The DB2 database is configured. What to do next You can now install vCenter Server. When the vCenter Server installer prompts you for a DSN, point to the DSN that you created in this procedure.
VMware, Inc.
103
Configure a Connection to a Remote DB2 Database on Linux, UNIX, or Microsoft Windows

Draft comment filepath: GUID-725BBDA5-A254-49CD-9A9B-7981E7EFEA7F.xml
You can configure a DB2 database for vCenter Server remotely on a network-connected Microsoft Windows, Linux, or UNIX host. Prerequisites
n
Download the IBM Data Server Driver for ODBC and CLI at http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/db2/express/. Make sure that fix pack level 5 is applied to DB2 9.5 or install Hotfix 22318 to DB2 9.5 On the remote machine, configure a database user and group. On the remote machine, create the database with the required buffer pools, table spaces, and privileges. On the remote machine, add the database instance registry variables. On the machine where vCenter Server will be installed, add the client instance registry variable. On the machine where vCenter Server will be installed, make sure that the IBM Data Server Runtime Client is installed. On the machine where vCenter Server will be installed, catalog the server node and the database. a In the command window, run the following command:
db2 catalog tcpip node name remote DB Server host name or IP Address server Port number used
n n n n n n
In the command window, run the following command:

db2 catalog db database name at node name authentication SERVER
Procedure 1 2 3 4 On the Microsoft Windows machine that will host vCenter Server, select Start > Run and enter odbcad64.exe to open the Microsoft ODBC Administrator utility. On the System DSN tab, click Add. Select the driver that corresponds to your database (for example, IBM DB2 ODBC Driver - VCDB2_remote) and click Finish. In the IBM DB2 Driver Add dialog box, configure the database values.
n n n
Database name. The default value is vcdb. Database alias. The database alias can be the same as the database name. DSN name. For example, VCDB2.
You have completed the DB2 database configuration. What to do next You can now install vCenter Server. When the vCenter Server installer prompts you for a DSN, point to the DSN that you created in this procedure.
104
VMware, Inc.
Configure Microsoft SQL Server Databases

Draft comment filepath: GUID-36B92A8C-074A-4657-9938-62AB97225B91.xml
If you use a Microsoft SQL database for your vCenter Server repository, you need to configure your database to work with vCenter Server. Procedure 1 2 Create a SQL Server Database and User for vCenter Server on page 105 You must create a database and user for vCenter Server. To simplify the process, you can use a script. Set Database Permissions By Manually Creating Database Roles and the VMW Schema (Recommended Option) on page 106 By using this option, available beginning with vCenter Server 5, the vCenter Server database administrator can set permissions for vCenter Server users and administrators to be granted through Microsoft SQL Server database roles. 3 Use a Script to Create the Microsoft SQL Server Database Schema (Recommended Option) on page 107 For experienced database administrators who need more control over schema creation because of environmental constraints, you can optionally use a script to create your database schema. 4 Set Database Permissions by Using the dbo Schema and the db_owner Database Role (Alternate Option) on page 109 If you use Microsoft SQL Server database, the simplest way to assign permissions for a vCenter Server database user is through the database role db_owner. Assign the db_owner role to the vCenter Server database user on both the vCenter and MSDB databases. 5 Use a Script to Create a vCenter Server User by Using the dbo Schema and db_owner Database Role (Alternate Option) on page 109 If you set database permissions by Using the dbo schema and db_owner database role, you can use a script to create a vCenter Server user with the db_owner database role. 6 Configure a SQL Server ODBC Connection on page 110 After you create a vCenter Server user, establish a connection with a SQL Server database. This connection is required to install a vCenter Server system. 7 Configure Microsoft SQL Server TCP/IP for JDBC on page 111 If the Microsoft SQL Server database has TCP/IP disabled and the dynamic ports are not set, the JDBC connection remains closed. This causes the vCenter Server statistics to malfunction. You can configure the server TCP/IP for JDBC.
Create a SQL Server Database and User for vCenter Server

Draft comment filepath: GUID-BBA11020-58CB-44EC-86CA-F8B15625041E.xml
You must create a database and user for vCenter Server. To simplify the process, you can use a script. In the script, you can customize the location of the data and log files. The user created by this script is not subject to any security policy. Change the passwords as appropriate.
VMware, Inc.
105
Procedure 1 2 Log in to a Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio session as the sysadmin (SA) or a user account with sysadmin privileges. Run the following script. The script is located in the vCenter Server installation package at /<installation directory>/vpx/dbschema/DB_and_schema_creation_scripts_MSSQL.txt.
use [master] go CREATE DATABASE [VCDB] ON PRIMARY (NAME = N'vcdb', FILENAME = N'C:\VCDB.mdf', SIZE = 2000KB, FILEGROWTH = 10% ) LOG ON (NAME = N'vcdb_log', FILENAME = N'C:\VCDB.ldf', SIZE = 1000KB, FILEGROWTH = 10%) COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS go use VCDB go sp_addlogin @loginame=[vpxuser], @passwd=N'vpxuser!0', @defdb='VCDB', @deflanguage='us_english' go ALTER LOGIN [vpxuser] WITH CHECK_POLICY = OFF go CREATE USER [vpxuser] for LOGIN [vpxuser] go use MSDB go CREATE USER [vpxuser] for LOGIN [vpxuser] go
You now have a Microsoft SQL Server database that you can use with vCenter Server. What to do next Set Database Permissions By Manually Creating Database Roles and the VMW Schema (Recommended Option), on page 106.
Set Database Permissions By Manually Creating Database Roles and the VMW Schema (Recommended Option)
Draft comment filepath: GUID-42194A63-DD8B-4ACF-A480-4B0002260969.xml
By using this option, available beginning with vCenter Server 5, the vCenter Server database administrator can set permissions for vCenter Server users and administrators to be granted through Microsoft SQL Server database roles. This option is recommended, because it removes the requirement to set up the database role dbo and db_owner schema for vCenter Server users who install and upgrade vCenter Server. Alternatively, you can assign vCenter Server database permissions to by creating and assigning the dbo role and letting the vCenter Server installer create the default schema that assigns database user permissions to that role. See Set Database Permissions by Using the dbo Schema and the db_owner Database Role (Alternate Option), on page 109. Prerequisites Create the vCenter Server database. See Create a SQL Server Database and User for vCenter Server, on page 105
106
VMware, Inc.
Procedure 1 2 3 4 Create the database schema VMW. Assign the default schema VMW to the [vpxuser] user. In the vCenter Server database, create the user role VC_ADMIN_ROLE. In the vCenter Server database, grant privileges to the VC_USER_ROLE. a b 5 6 7 8 9 10 Grant the schema permissions ALTER, REFERENCES, and INSERT. Grant the permissions CREATE TABLE, VIEW, and CREATE PROCEDURES.
In the vCenter Server database, create the VC_USER_ROLE. In the vCenter Server database, grant the schema permissions SELECT, INSERT, DELETE, UPDATE, and EXECUTE to the VC_USER_ROLE. Grant the VC_ADMIN_ROLE to the user [vpxuser]. In the MSDB database, create the user [vpxuser]. In the MSDB database, create the user role VC_ADMIN_ROLE. Grant privileges to VC_ADMIN_ROLE in MSDB. a b On the MSDB tables syscategories, sysjobsteps, and sysjobs, grant the SELECT permission to the user [vpxuser]. On the MSDB stored procedures sp_add_job, sp_delete_job, sp_add_jobstep, sp_update_job, sp_add_jobserver, and sp_add_jobsche, grant the EXECUTE permission to the role VC_ADMIN_ROLE.
11 12 13 14 15
In the MSDB database, grant the VC_ADMIN_ROLE to user VCadmin. Connect to the vCenter Server database as user [vpxuser] and create the ODBC DSN. Install vCenter Server. After the installation is complete, you can grant the VC_USER_ROLE to user [vpxuser] in the vCenter Server database Revoke the VC_ADMIN_ROLE from the user [vpxuser] in vCenter Server database
The hardcoded dbo role is removed from VCDB_mssql.sql. What to do next Use a Script to Create the Microsoft SQL Server Database Schema (Recommended Option), on page 107
Use a Script to Create the Microsoft SQL Server Database Schema (Recommended Option)
Draft comment filepath: GUID-56DFA839-2148-475B-8D6D-1064F7C3073C.xml
For experienced database administrators who need more control over schema creation because of environmental constraints, you can optionally use a script to create your database schema. Prerequisites Create the SQL Server database and user for vCenter Server. You can create the database manually or by using a script. See Create a SQL Server Database and User for vCenter Server, on page 105
VMware, Inc.
107
Procedure 1 2 Log in to a Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio session as the sysadmin (SA) or a user account with sysadmin privileges. Run the following script. The script is located in the vCenter Server installation package at /installation directory/vpx/dbschema/DB_and_schema_creation_scripts_MSSQL.txt
CREATE SCHEMA [VMW] go ALTER USER [vpxuser] WITH DEFAULT_SCHEMA =[VMW] go if not exists (SELECT name FROM sysusers WHERE issqlrole=1 AND name = 'VC_ADMIN_ROLE') CREATE ROLE VC_ADMIN_ROLE; GRANT ALTER ON SCHEMA :: [VMW] to VC_ADMIN_ROLE; GRANT REFERENCES ON SCHEMA :: [VMW] to VC_ADMIN_ROLE; GRANT INSERT ON SCHEMA :: [VMW] to VC_ADMIN_ROLE; GRANT CREATE TABLE to VC_ADMIN_ROLE; GRANT CREATE VIEW to VC_ADMIN_ROLE; GRANT CREATE Procedure to VC_ADMIN_ROLE; if not exists (SELECT name CREATE ROLE VC_USER_ROLE go GRANT SELECT ON SCHEMA :: go GRANT INSERT ON SCHEMA :: go GRANT DELETE ON SCHEMA :: go GRANT UPDATE ON SCHEMA :: go GRANT EXECUTE ON SCHEMA :: go FROM sysusers WHERE issqlrole=1 AND name = 'VC_USER_ROLE')
[VMW] to VC_USER_ROLE [VMW] to VC_USER_ROLE [VMW] to VC_USER_ROLE [VMW] to VC_USER_ROLE [VMW] to VC_USER_ROLE
sp_addrolemember VC_ADMIN_ROLE , [vpxuser] go use MSDB go if not exists (SELECT name FROM sysusers WHERE issqlrole=1 AND name = 'VC_ADMIN_ROLE') CREATE ROLE VC_ADMIN_ROLE; go GRANT SELECT on msdb.dbo.syscategories to VC_ADMIN_ROLE go GRANT SELECT on msdb.dbo.sysjobsteps to VC_ADMIN_ROLE go GRANT SELECT ON msdb.dbo.sysjobs to VC_ADMIN_ROLE go GRANT EXECUTE ON msdb.dbo.sp_add_job TO VC_ADMIN_ROLE go GRANT EXECUTE ON msdb.dbo.sp_delete_job TO VC_ADMIN_ROLE go GRANT EXECUTE ON msdb.dbo.sp_add_jobstep TO VC_ADMIN_ROLE
108
VMware, Inc.
go GRANT EXECUTE ON go GRANT EXECUTE ON go GRANT EXECUTE ON sp_addrolemember go
msdb.dbo.sp_update_job TO VC_ADMIN_ROLE msdb.dbo.sp_add_jobserver TO VC_ADMIN_ROLE msdb.dbo.sp_add_jobschedule TO VC_ADMIN_ROLE VC_ADMIN_ROLE , [vpxuser]
Set Database Permissions by Using the dbo Schema and the db_owner Database Role (Alternate Option)
Draft comment filepath: GUID-527E76B1-1571-415C-BB15-FF2970B6C94C.xml
If you use Microsoft SQL Server database, the simplest way to assign permissions for a vCenter Server database user is through the database role db_owner. Assign the db_owner role to the vCenter Server database user on both the vCenter and MSDB databases. Alternatively, experienced database administrators can set permissions by creating database roles and the VMW schema manually. See Set Database Permissions By Manually Creating Database Roles and the VMW Schema (Recommended Option), on page 106 and Use a Script to Create the Microsoft SQL Server Database Schema (Recommended Option), on page 107. That option, available beginning with vSphere 5, is recommended, because it gives the database administrator greater control over database permissions. That option removes the requirement to set up the database role dbo and db_owner schema for vCenter Server users who install and upgrade vCenter Server. Prerequisites Create the vCenter Server database. See Create a SQL Server Database and User for vCenter Server, on page 105 Procedure 1 2 Assign the role dbo to the vCenter Server and Microsoft SQL databases. For any user who will install or upgrade vCenter Server, assign the user the default schema dbo
When you install vCenter Server, the installer uses the default dbo schema to assign permissions to the db_owner role.
Use a Script to Create a vCenter Server User by Using the dbo Schema and db_owner Database Role (Alternate Option)
Draft comment filepath: GUID-89FB881E-3856-4473-BE03-4971DBA035B6.xml
If you set database permissions by Using the dbo schema and db_owner database role, you can use a script to create a vCenter Server user with the db_owner database role. Alternatively, experienced database administrators can set permissions by creating database roles and the VMW ande SQL Server database schemas. See Set Database Permissions By Manually Creating Database Roles and the VMW Schema (Recommended Option), on page 106Use a Script to Create the Microsoft SQL Server Database Schema (Recommended Option), on page 107. That option, available beginning with vSphere 5, is recommended, because it gives the database administrator greater control over database permissions. That option removes the requirement to set up the database role dbo and db_owner schema for vCenter Server users who install and upgrade vCenter Server. Prerequisites Create the vCenter Server database. See Create a SQL Server Database and User for vCenter Server, on page 105
VMware, Inc.
109
Procedure 1 2 Log in to a Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio session as the sysadmin (SA) or a user account with sysadmin privileges. Run the following script. The script is located in the vCenter Server installation package /<installation directory>/vpx/dbschema/DB_and_schema_creation_scripts_MSSQL.txt file.
use VCDB go sp_addrolemember @rolename = 'db_owner', @membername = 'vpxuser' go use MSDB go sp_addrolemember @rolename = 'db_owner', @membername = 'vpxuser' go
What to do next Configure a SQL Server ODBC Connection, on page 110
Configure a SQL Server ODBC Connection

Draft comment filepath: GUID-E83D153B-F6DB-4355-8806-357C8E1F01CF.xml
After you create a vCenter Server user, establish a connection with a SQL Server database. This connection is required to install a vCenter Server system. If you use SQL Server for vCenter Server, do not use the master database. See your Microsoft SQL ODBC documentation for specific instructions regarding configuring the SQL Server ODBC connection. If you are using a named instance of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition with vCenter Server, do not name the instance MSSQLSERVER. If you do, the JDBC connection does not work, and certain features, such as Performance Charts, are not available. Prerequisites
n
Review the required database patches specified in vCenter Server Database Patch and Configuration Requirements, on page 93. If you do not prepare your database correctly, the vCenter Server installer displays error and warning messages. Create a database using SQL Server Management Studio on the SQL Server. See Create a SQL Server Database and User for vCenter Server, on page 105 Set database permissions using one of the following options:
n
Option 1 (recommended): Follow the procedures in Set Database Permissions By Manually Creating Database Roles and the VMW Schema (Recommended Option), on page 106 and Use a Script to Create the Microsoft SQL Server Database Schema (Recommended Option), on page 107 Option 2 (alternative not recommended): Follow the procedures in Set Database Permissions by Using the dbo Schema and the db_owner Database Role (Alternate Option), on page 109 and Use a Script to Create a vCenter Server User by Using the dbo Schema and db_owner Database Role (Alternate Option), on page 109
110
VMware, Inc.
Procedure 1 2 On your vCenter Server system, select Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC). Select the System DSN tab and do one of the following.
n
To modify an existing SQL Server ODBC connection, select the connection from the System Data Source list and click Configure. To create a new SQL Server ODBC connection, click Add, select SQL Native Client, and click Finish.
Type an ODBC datastore name (DSN) in the Name text box. For example, VMware vCenter Server.
4 5
(Optional) Type an ODBC DSN description in the Description text box. Select the server name from the Server drop-down menu and click Next. Type the SQL Server host name in the text box if it is not in the drop-down menu.
6 7 8 9
Select one of the authentication methods. If you selected SQL authentication, type your SQL Server login name and password and click Next. Select the database created for the vCenter Server system from the Change the default database to menu and click Next. Click Finish.
What to do next For SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008 editions, test the data source by selecting Test Data Source and clicking OK from the ODBC Microsoft SQL Server Setup menu. Ensure that the SQL Agent is running on your database server.
Configure Microsoft SQL Server TCP/IP for JDBC

Draft comment filepath: GUID-B15AB8CF-A123-482D-8988-F73A836EE4A7.xml
If the Microsoft SQL Server database has TCP/IP disabled and the dynamic ports are not set, the JDBC connection remains closed. This causes the vCenter Server statistics to malfunction. You can configure the server TCP/IP for JDBC. This task applies to remote Microsoft SQL Server database servers. You can skip this task if your database is local. Procedure 1 2 3 4 5 Select Start > All Programs > Microsoft SQL Server > Configuration Tool > SQL Server Configuration Manager. Select SQL Server Network Configuration > Protocols for <Instance name>. Enable TCP/IP. Open TCP/IP Properties. On the Protocol tab, make the following selections.
n n n
Enabled: Yes Listen All: Yes Keep Alive: 30000
VMware, Inc.
111
On the IP Addresses tab, make the following selections.

n n
Active: Yes TCP Dynamic Ports: 0
7 8
Restart the SQL Server service from SQL Server Configuration Manager > SQL Server Services. Start the SQL Server Browser service from SQL Server Configuration Manager > SQL Server Services.
Configure Oracle Databases

Draft comment filepath: GUID-592AFD76-A85E-46FE-9A10-C35599DD6295.xml
If you use an Oracle database for your vCenter Server repository, you need to configure your database to work with vCenter Server. Procedure 1 Use a Script to Create a Local or Remote Oracle Database on page 112 When you use an Oracle database with vCenter Server, the database must have certain table spaces and privileges. To simplify the process of creating the database, you can run a script. You also can create the database manually. 2 Configure an Oracle Database User on page 113 If you plan to use an Oracle database when you install vCenter Server, you must configure the database user. 3 Use a Script to Create the Oracle Database Schema (Optional) on page 114 The vCenter Server installer creates the schema during installation. For experienced database administrators who need more control over schema creation because of environmental constraints, you can optionally use a script to create your database schema. 4 Configure an Oracle Connection for Local Access on page 115 Configure a connection for local access if you install vCenter Server on the same system as the Oracle database. 5 6 Configure an Oracle Connection for Remote Access on page 116 A vCenter Server system can access the database remotely. Connect to an Oracle Database Locally on page 117 A vCenter Server system can access the database locally.
Use a Script to Create a Local or Remote Oracle Database

Draft comment filepath: GUID-46455798-CD16-432E-9B5B-FFB84A9F5301.xml
When you use an Oracle database with vCenter Server, the database must have certain table spaces and privileges. To simplify the process of creating the database, you can run a script. You also can create the database manually. When using the script, you can customize the location of the data and log files. The user created by this script does not follow any security policy. The passwords are provided only for convenience. Change the passwords as appropriate.
112
VMware, Inc.
Procedure 1 2 Log in to a SQL*Plus session with the system account. Run the following script. The script is located in the vCenter Server installation package /<installation directory>/vpx/dbschema/DB_and_schema_creation_scripts_oracle.txt file.
CREATE SMALLFILE TABLESPACE "VPX" DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/vcdb/vpx01.dbf' SIZE 1G AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 10M MAXSIZE UNLIMITED LOGGING EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL SEGMENT SPACE MANAGEMENT AUTO;
For a Windows installation, change the directory path to the vpx01.dbf file. You now have an Oracle database that you can use with vCenter Server. What to do next You can run a script to create the database schema.
Configure an Oracle Database User

Draft comment filepath: GUID-572F448F-E0EC-4E6E-9064-8398E7DB7B20.xml
If you plan to use an Oracle database when you install vCenter Server, you must configure the database user. You can configure an Oracle database for vCenter Server either locally on the same Microsoft Windows machine as vCenter Server or remotely on a network-connected Linux, UNIX or Microsoft Windows host. Prerequisites Review the software requirements for vCenter Server with Oracle. Procedure 1 2 Log in to a SQL*Plus session with the system account. Run the following SQL command to create a vCenter Server database user with the correct permissions. The script is located in the vCenter Server installation package /<installation directory>/vpx/dbschema/DB_and_schema_creation_scripts_oracle.txt file. In this example, the user name is VPXADMIN.
CREATE USER "VPXADMIN" PROFILE "DEFAULT" IDENTIFIED BY "oracle" DEFAULT TABLESPACE "VPX" ACCOUNT UNLOCK; grant connect to VPXADMIN; grant resource to VPXADMIN; grant create view to VPXADMIN; grant create sequence to VPXADMIN; grant create table to VPXADMIN; grant grant grant grant create materialized view to VPXADMIN; execute on dbms_lock to VPXADMIN; execute on dbms_job to VPXADMIN; unlimited tablespace to VPXADMIN;
By default, the RESOURCE role has the CREATE PROCEDURE, CREATE TABLE, and CREATE SEQUENCE privileges assigned. If the RESOURCE role does not have these privileges, explicitly grant them to the vCenter Server database user. You now have an Oracle database user that you can reference in the vCenter Server installer.
VMware, Inc.
113
What to do next Create the Oracle database, including all necessary table spaces and privileges.
Use a Script to Create the Oracle Database Schema (Optional)

Draft comment filepath: GUID-A49F5FA4-0947-403F-940C-F3990E76C2B7.xml
The vCenter Server installer creates the schema during installation. For experienced database administrators who need more control over schema creation because of environmental constraints, you can optionally use a script to create your database schema. To have the vCenter Server installer create your schema for you, see Configure an Oracle Connection for Local Access, on page 115 or Configure an Oracle Connection for Remote Access, on page 116, depending on your environment. Prerequisites Create the Oracle database and user. You can create the Oracle database and user manually or by using scripts. Procedure 1 2 3 Open a SQL*Plus window with a user that has schema owner rights on the vCenter Server database. Locate the dbschema scripts in the vCenter Server installation package /<installation directory>/vpx/dbschema directory. In SQL*Plus, run the scripts in sequence on the database.
<path> is the directory path to the /<installation directory>/vpx/dbschema folder. @<path>/VCDB_oracle.SQL @<path>/load_stats_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/purge_stat1_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/purge_stat2_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/purge_stat3_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/purge_usage_stats_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/stats_rollup1_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/stats_rollup2_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/stats_rollup3_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/cleanup_events_oracle.sql @<path>/delete_stats_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/load_usage_stats_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/TopN_DB_oracle.sql @<path>/calc_topn1_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/calc_topn2_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/calc_topn3_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/calc_topn4_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/clear_topn1_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/clear_topn2_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/clear_topn3_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/clear_topn4_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/rule_topn1_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/rule_topn2_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/rule_topn3_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/rule_topn4_proc_oracle.sql @<path>/process_license_snapshot_oracle.sql.sql
114
VMware, Inc.
For all supported editions of Oracle Server, run these scripts to set up scheduled jobs on the database.
@<path>/job_schedule1_oracle.sql @<path>/job_schedule2_oracle.sql @<path>/job_schedule3_oracle.sql @<path>/job_cleanup_events_oracle.sql @<path>/job_topn_past_day_oracle.sql @<path>/job_topn_past_week_oracle.sql @<path>/job_topn_past_month_oracle.sql @<path>/job_topn_past_year_oracle.sql @<path>/job_property_bulletin_oracle.sql
You now have a database schema that is compatible with vCenter Server. 5 6 On the machine where you are installing vCenter Server, create a DSN that points to the database server with the schema. Run the vCenter Server installer. a If a database reinitialization warning message appears in the vCenter Server installer, select Do not overwrite, leave my existing database in place and continue the installation. This message appears if you are using a database that has vCenter Server tables created by a previous installation. The message does not appear if the database is clean. If you leave your existing database in place, you cannot join a Linked Mode group during the installation. You can join after the installation is complete. (See Join a Linked Mode Group After Installation, on page 141.) .) b When prompted, provide the database user login.
Configure an Oracle Connection for Local Access

Draft comment filepath: GUID-76A6CBC6-306E-4CB1-8246-75D459E4178F.xml
Configure a connection for local access if you install vCenter Server on the same system as the Oracle database. Prerequisites Review the required database patches specified in vCenter Server Database Patch and Configuration Requirements, on page 93. If you do not prepare your database correctly, the vCenter Server installer displays error and warning messages. Procedure 1 2 3 Download Oracle 10g or Oracle 11g from the Oracle Web site. Install Oracle 10g or Oracle 11g, and create a database. Configure the TNS Service Name option in the ODBC DSN. The TNS Service Name is the net service name for the database to which you want to connect. You can find the net service name in the tnsnames.ora file located in the NETWORK\ADMIN folder in the Oracle database installation location. The database is configured for local access.
VMware, Inc.
115
Configure an Oracle Connection for Remote Access

Draft comment filepath: GUID-25AD990F-3E1C-4F34-84E1-C0B311F80808.xml
A vCenter Server system can access the database remotely. Prerequisites Review the required database patches specified in vCenter Server Database Patch and Configuration Requirements, on page 93. If you do not prepare your database correctly, the vCenter Server installer displays error and warning messages. Procedure 1 2 3 Install the Oracle client on the vCenter Server system machine. Download and install the ODBC driver. Create a new tablespace for a vCenter Server system using a SQL statement such as the following statement.
CREATE TABLESPACE "VPX" DATAFILE 'C:\Oracle\ORADATA\VPX\VPX.dat' SIZE 1000M AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 500K;
Create a user, such as vpxAdmin, for accessing the tablespace through ODBC.
CREATE USER vpxAdmin IDENTIFIED BY vpxadmin DEFAULT TABLESPACE vpx;
Either grant dba permission to the user, or grant the following permissions to the user.
grant grant grant grant grant grant grant grant grant connect to <user> resource to <user> create view to <user> create sequence to <user> create table to <user> create materialized view to <user> execute on dbms_lock to <user> execute on dbms_job to <user> unlimited tablespace to <user> # To ensure space is sufficient
By default, the RESOURCE role has the CREATE PROCEDURE, CREATE TABLE, and CREATE SEQUENCE privileges assigned. If the RESOURCE role does not have these privileges, explicitly grant them to the vCenter Server database user. 6 Use a text editor or the Net8 Configuration Assistant to edit the tnsnames.ora file located in the directory C:\Oracle\Oraxx\NETWORK\ADMIN, where xx is either 10g or 11g. Add the following entry, where HOST is the managed host to which the client must connect.
VPX = (DESCRIPTION = (ADDRESS_LIST = (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=vpxd-Oracle)(PORT=1521)) ) (CONNECT_DATA = (SERVICE_NAME = VPX) ) )
Configure the TNS Service Name option in the ODBC DSN. The TNS Service Name is the net service name for the database to which you want to connect, in this case, VPX. You can find the net service name in the tnsnames.ora file.
116
VMware, Inc.
Connect to an Oracle Database Locally

Draft comment filepath: GUID-DFE8D776-803D-4D0B-A5EF-56126E257BE6.xml
A vCenter Server system can access the database locally. Procedure 1 Create a new tablespace for a vCenter Server system using a SQL statement such as the following statement.
CREATE TABLESPACE "VPX" DATAFILE 'C:\Oracle\ORADATA\VPX\VPX.dat' SIZE 1000M AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 500K;
Create a user, such as vpxAdmin, for accessing the tablespace through ODBC.
CREATE USER vpxAdmin IDENTIFIED BY vpxadmin DEFAULT TABLESPACE vpx;
Either grant dba permission to the user, or grant the following permissions to the user.
grant grant grant grant grant grant grant grant grant connect to <user> resource to <user> create view to <user> create sequence to <user> create table to <user> create materialized view to <user> execute on dbms_lock to <user> execute on dbms_job to <user> unlimited tablespace to <user> # To ensure space is sufficient
By default, the RESOURCE role has the CREATE PROCEDURE, CREATE TABLE, and CREATE SEQUENCE privileges assigned. If the RESOURCE role does not have these privileges, explicitly grant them to the vCenter Server database user. 4 Create an ODBC connection to the database. These are example settings.
Data Source Name: VMware vCenter Server TNS Service Name: VPX User Id: vpxAdmin
You now have a database that you can connect to locally. What to do next Install vCenter Server.
VMware, Inc.
117
118
VMware, Inc.
Introduction to Installing vCenter Server

Draft comment filepath: GUID-BEFF9A8A-EEC1-4B19-B81D-D5E3F56C78CE.xml
You can install vCenter Server on a physical system or on a virtual machine running on an ESXi host. You can also download the vCenter Server Virtual Appliance, a preconfigured Linux-based virtual machine optimized for running vCenter Server. This chapter includes the following topics:
n n n n n n
vCenter Server Prerequisites, on page 119 Required Information for Installing vCenter Server, on page 120 Using a User Account for Running vCenter Server, on page 122 Installing vCenter Server on IPv6 Machines, on page 123 Configure the URLs on a Standalone vCenter Server System, on page 123 Running the vCenter Server and vSphere Client Installers from a Network Drive, on page 123
vCenter Server Prerequisites

Draft comment filepath: GUID-C6AF2766-1AD0-41FD-B591-75D37DDB281F.xml
Before installing vCenter Server, review the prerequisites.

n
You must have the installation DVD or download the vCenter Server installer. See Download the vCenter Server Installer, on page 126. Your system must meet the requirements listed in vCenter Server and vSphere Client Hardware Requirements, on page 28 and vCenter Server Software Requirements, on page 30, and the required ports must be open, as discussed in Required Ports, on page 31. Your database must meet the database requirements. See vCenter Server Database Patch and Configuration Requirements, on page 93 and Chapter 8, Preparing vCenter Server Databases, on page 93. Gather the information that the vCenter Server installation wizard requires. See Required Information for Installing vCenter Server, on page 120. If the machine on which you are installing vCenter Server has VirtualCenter installed, you might want to upgrade instead of performing a fresh installation of vCenter Server. IMPORTANT If you want to keep your existing VirtualCenter configuration, see the Upgrade Guide.
No Network Address Translation (NAT) must exist between the vCenter Server system and the hosts it will manage. Create a vCenter Server database, unless you plan to install the bundled SQL Server 2008 R2 Express.
VMware, Inc.
119
The system that you use for your vCenter Server installation must belong to a domain rather than a workgroup. If assigned to a workgroup, the vCenter Server system is not able to discover all domains and systems available on the network when using some features . 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. During the installation, the connection between the machine and the domain controller must be working. The computer name cannot be more than 15 characters. The NETWORK SERVICE account is required on the folder in which vCenter Server is installed and on the HKLM registry. The DNS name of the machine must match the actual computer name. Make sure the system on which you are installing vCenter Server is not an Active Directory domain controller. On each system that is running vCenter Server, make sure that the domain user account has the following permissions:
n n n
n n n
n n
Member of the Administrators group Act as part of the operating system Log on as a service
Consider whether the vCenter Server instance will be standalone or in a Linked Mode group. See Creating vCenter Server Linked Mode Groups, on page 139. vCenter Server, like any other network server, should be installed on a machine with a fixed IP address and well-known DNS name, so that clients can reliably access the service. Assign a static IP address and host name to the Windows server that will host the vCenter Server system. This IP address must have a valid (internal) domain name system (DNS) registration that resolves properly from all managed hosts. If you use DHCP instead of a static IP address for vCenter Server, make sure that the vCenter Server computer name is updated in the domain name service (DNS). One way to test this is by pinging the computer name. For example, if the computer name is host-1.company.com, run the following command in the Windows command prompt:
ping host-1.company.com
If you can ping the computer name, the name is updated in DNS.
Required Information for Installing vCenter Server

Draft comment filepath: GUID-200B9E03-D46B-44A9-9B0E-4863D067CFFF.xml
Prepare for the vCenter Server installation by recording the values that the vCenter Server system requires. The vCenter Server installation wizard prompts you for this information. Keep a record of the values entered, in case you must reinstall vCenter Server. VMware Knowledge Base article 1010023 contains a linked worksheet that complements this topic.
120
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 9 Introduction to Installing vCenter Server
Table 9-1. Data Required for vCenter Server Installation

Data Setup Language Default English Comments Chinese (Simplified) English (United States) French (France) German (Germany) Japanese (Japan) User name and organization vCenter Server license key Your organizations name None Follow your organizations policy. If you omit the license key, vCenter Server is installed in evaluation mode. After you install vCenter Server, you can enter the vCenter Server license in the vSphere Client. The default location varies depending on your system drive. You can change the default location during the installation. Join a Linked Mode group to enable the vSphere Client to view, search, and manage data across multiple vCenter Server systems. Required if this instance of vCenter Server is joining a group. This is the name of a remote instance of vCenter Server. The local and remote instances will be members of a Linked Mode group. Required if this instance of vCenter Server is joining a Linked Mode group. This is the remote instances LDAP port. See Required Ports, on page 31. Required to use an existing database. Not required if you are using the bundled database.
vCenter Server install location
C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastr ucture Standalone
Standalone or join group
Fully qualified domain name of Directory Services for the vCenter Server group LDAP port for the Directory Services for the remote vCenter Server instance Data source name (DSN) Database user name Database password JDBC URL for database.
None
389
None None None None
Required to use an existing database. The vCenter Server installer should generate and validate the JDBC URL for the vCenter Server database. If the installer fails to connect to the database using the generated JDBC URL, the installer will prompt you to specify the JDBC URL. You can use the following sample JDBC URLs as a model: n With integrated security: jdbc:sqlserver://localhost\\SQLEXP_VIM;data baseName=VIM_VCDB;integratedSecurity=true Without integrated security: jdbc:sqlserver://localhost\\SQLEXP_VIM;data baseName\=VIM_VCDB (user name / password / dbtype to be passed seperately) n With port: jdbc:sqlserver://localhost: 1422;databaseName\=VIM_VCDB (user name/password/ dbtype to be passed seperately) VMware vCenter Server JDBC configuration for Microsoft SQL Server might not work by default with direct IPv6 addresses. You must use one of the following forms: n The hostname form for a standard Type-4 JDBC URL (recommended): jdbc:sqlserver://database-fully-qualifiedhost-name:port
n n
Direct IPv6 address format: jdbc:sqlserver://;serverName=IPv6-address
For more information, including port and instance configuration options, see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms378428.aspx
VMware, Inc.
121
Table 9-1. Data Required for vCenter Server Installation (Continued)

Data vCenter Server account information Can be the Microsoft Windows system account or a userspecified account Query Service install location Default Microsoft Windows system account Comments Use a user-specified account if you plan to use Microsoft Windows authentication for SQL Server. See Using a User Account for Running vCenter Server, on page 122.
C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastr ucture 443 80 902 8080 8443 60099 389
You can change the default location during the installation. See Required Ports, on page 31.
HTTPS port HTTP port Heartbeat port (UDP) used for sending data to ESX/ESXi hosts VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices Web Services change service notification port LDAP port for the Directory Services for the local vCenter Server instance SSL port for the Directory Services for the local vCenter Server instance Query Service HTTPS port Query Service service management port Query Service linked mode communication port Reverse Proxy HTTP port Reverse Proxy HTTPS port
636
10443 10109 10111 11000 11100
Using a User Account for Running vCenter Server

Draft comment filepath: GUID-A93112F3-5827-4DC3-B785-C64E66A4D007.xml
You can use the Microsoft Windows built-in system account or a user account to run vCenter Server. With a user account, you can enable Windows authentication for SQL Server, and it provides more security. The user account must be an administrator on the local machine. In the installation wizard, you specify the account name as DomainName\Username. You must configure the SQL Server database to allow the domain account access to SQL Server. The Microsoft Windows built-in system account has more permissions and rights on the server than the vCenter Server system needs, which can contribute to security problems. For SQL Server DSNs configured with Windows authentication, use the same user account for the VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices service and the DSN user. Even if you do not plan to use Microsoft Windows authentication for SQL Server or you are using an Oracle or DB2 database, you might want to set up a local user account for the vCenter Server system. In this case, the only requirement is that the user account is an administrator on the local machine.
122
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 9 Introduction to Installing vCenter Server
If you install an instance of vCenter Server as a local system account on a local SQL Server database with Integrated Windows NT Authentication, and you add an Integrated Windows NT Authentication user to the local database server with the same default database as vCenter Server, vCenter Server might not start. To resolve this problem, remove the Integrated Windows NT Authentication user from the local SQL database server, or change the default database for the local system user account to the vCenter Server database for the SQL Server user account setup.
Installing vCenter Server on IPv6 Machines

Draft comment filepath: GUID-F8BDC929-BFBA-41F7-9B9D-3508D2B3BBE9.xml
If the system on which you install vCenter Server is configured to use IPv6, vCenter Server uses IPv6. When you connect to that vCenter Server system or install additional modules, you must specify the server address in IPv6 format, unless you use the fully qualified domain name.
Configure the URLs on a Standalone vCenter Server System

Draft comment filepath: GUID-191D86C8-EEF4-4198-9C11-2E0F25D2AB89.xml
If you are joining a standalone vCenter Server system to a Linked Mode group, the domain name of the system must match the machine name. If you change either name to make them match, you must configure the vCenter Server URLs to make them compatible with the new domain name and machine name. If you do not update the URLs, remote instances of vCenter Server cannot reach the vCenter Server system, because the default vCenter Server URL entries are no longer accurate. The vCenter Server installer configures default URL entries as follows:
n n
For the VirtualCenter.VimApiUrl key, the default value is http(s)://<FQDN of VC machine>/sdk. For the Virtualcenter.VimWebServicesUrl key, the default value is https://<FQDN of VC machine>:<installed-webservices-port>/vws.
Procedure 1 2 3 4 From the vSphere Client, connect directly to the vCenter Server instance on which you have changed the domain or host name. Select Administration > vCenter Server Settings. Click Advanced Settings. For the VirtualCenter.VimApiUrl key, change the value to point to the location where the vSphere Client and SDK clients can access the vCenter Server system. For example: http(s)://<machine-name/ip>:<vc-port>/sdk. 5 For the VirtualCenter.VimWebServicesUrl key, change the value to point to the location where vCenter Server Webservices is installed. For example: https://<machine-name/ip>:<webservices-port>/vws. 6 For the VirtualCenter.Instancename key, change the value so that the modified name appears in the vCenter Server inventory view.
Running the vCenter Server and vSphere Client Installers from a Network Drive
Draft comment filepath: GUID-BA4E7A79-7252-498D-A00B-9860B031D611.xml
You can run the installers from a network drive, but you cannot install the software on a network drive. In Windows, you can run the installers from the network drive and install the software on the local machine.
VMware, Inc.
123
124
VMware, Inc.
Installing vCenter Server

Draft comment filepath: GUID-BC044F6C-4733-4413-87E6-A00D3BDEDE58.xml
10
After you install vCenter Server and the vSphere Client, you can configure communication between them. This chapter includes the following topics:
n n n n n
vCenter Server Components and Support Tools, on page 125 Download the vCenter Server Installer, on page 126 Install vCenter Server, on page 126 Install vCenter Server in a Virtual Machine, on page 128 Download and Deploy the vCenter Server Appliance, on page 128
vCenter Server Components and Support Tools

Draft comment filepath: GUID-78933728-7F02-43AF-ABD8-0BDCE10418A6.xml
When you install vCenter Server, additional components are also installed. In some cases, you can control which components are installed. T he following components are installed when you install vCenter Server: VMware vCenter Server Microsoft.NET 3. 5 SP1 Framework VMware vCenter Orchestrator Windows service to manage ESXi and legacy ESX hosts. Software used by the Database Upgrade wizard and the vSphere Client. Also used by vCenter Server if you are using the bundled database. vCenter Server module that provides a set of tools to manage your virtual IT environment. vCenter Orchestrator module is not supported on IPv6-only operating systems. If you install vCenter Server in a mixed environment (both IPv4 and IPv6 enabled), the vCenter Orchestrator module can be configured using IPv4. See the vCenter Orchestrator Administration Guide. Free, bundled version of the Microsoft SQL Server database for smaller scale applications. If you choose to use an existing database, the installer does not install the bundled database.
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express (optional)
The vCenter Server autorun.exe application includes links to install the following optional components: vSphere Client vSphere Web Client Client application used to connect to an ESXi or legacy ESX host directly, or indirectly through a vCenter Server. Client application used to connect by browser to an ESXi or legacy ESX host directly, or indirectly through a vCenter Server.
VMware, Inc.
125
vCenter Update Manager VMware ESXi dump collector
vCenter Server component that provides security monitoring and patching support for hosts and virtual machines. vCenter Server support tool. ESXi can be configured to dump the vmkernel memory to a network server, rather than to a disk, when the system has encountered a critical failure. The VMware ESXi dump collector collects such memory dumps over the network. vCenter Serversupport tool that provides a unified architecture for system logging and enables network logging and combining of logs from multiple hosts. vCenter Server support tool that provisions and customizes physical hosts by loading the ESXi image directly into memory. This makes it possible to provision and reprovision hundreds or thousands of ESXi hosts very efficiently with vCenter Server. vCenter Serversupport tool that enables ESXi hosts to join a domain without using Active Directory credentials. This enhances security for PXE-booted hosts and hosts that are provisioned using VMware Auto Deploy, by removing the need to store Active Directory credentials in the host configuration.
VMware Syslog Collector VMware Auto Deploy
vSphere Authentication Proxy
Download the vCenter Server Installer

Draft comment filepath: GUID-E1C9910A-D336-4DED-B28F-285EF5676892.xml
You must download the installer for vCenter Server, the vSphere Client, and additional vCenter components and support tools. Procedure 1 2 Download the zip file for vCenter Server from the VMware product page at http://www.vmware.com/products/. Extract the files from the zip archive.
Install vCenter Server

Draft comment filepath: GUID-2420AEAC-6299-44D6-8212-239E5DFE3663.xml
vCenter Server allows you to centrally manage hosts from either a physical or virtual Windows machine, and enables the use of advanced features such as VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), VMware High Availability (HA), VMware vMotion, and VMware Auto Deploy. Prerequisites See vCenter Server Prerequisites, on page 119. Gather the information you need to complete the installation wizard. See Required Information for Installing vCenter Server, on page 120. vCenter Server requires the Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP1 Framework. If your system does not have it installed, the vCenter Server installer installs it. The .NET 3.5 SP1 installation might require Internet connectivity to download additional files. Procedure 1 2 Start the vCenter Server installer. In the software installer directory, double-click the autorun.exe file. Select vCenter Server.
126
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 10 Installing vCenter Server
Follow the prompts in the installation wizard to choose the installer language, agree to the end user patent and license agreements, enter your username, organization name, and license key. If you omit the license key, vCenter Server will be in evaluation mode, which allows you to use the full feature set. After installation, you can convert vCenter Server to licensed mode by entering the license key using the vSphere Client.
Choose the type of database that you want to use.

n
If you want to use the bundled database, click Install a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express instance (for small-scale deployments) . This database is suitable for deployments of up to 5 hosts and 50 virtual machines.
If you want to use an existing database, click Use an existing supported database and select your database from the list of available DSNs. Enter the user name and password for the DSN and click Next. If your database is a local SQL Server database using Windows NT authentication, leave the user name and password fields blank. If you specify a remote SQL Server database that uses Windows NT authentication, the database user and the logged-in user on the vCenter Server machine must be the same.
A dialog box might appear warning you that the DSN points to an older version of a repository that must be upgraded. If you click Yes, the installer upgrades the database schema, making the database irreversibly incompatible with previous VirtualCenter versions. See the vSphere Upgrade Guide. 5 Set the login information for vCenter Server.
n
If you are using a non-bundled database, enter the administrator name and password that you use when you log in to the system on which you are installing vCenter Server and click Next. If you are using the bundled SQL Server database, select Use SYSTEM Account and click Next.
You need the user name and password entered here to log in to vCenter Server after you have installed it. 6 Either accept the default destination folders or click Change to select another location, and click Next. The installation path cannot have commas (,) or periods (.). NOTE To install the vCenter Server on a drive other than C:, verify that there is enough space in the C: drive to install the Microsoft Windows Installer .msi file. If you do not have enough space, your vCenter Server installation might fail. 7 Select Create a standalone VMware 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. See Creating vCenter Server Linked Mode Groups, on page 139. This option does not appear if you are upgrading the VirtualCenter or vCenter Server database schema. If it does not appear, you can join a Linked Mode group after the installation is complete. 8 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. To help ensure connectivity, the best practice is to use the fully qualified domain name. For IPv6, unless both the local and the remote machine are in IPv6 mode, you must enter the fully qualified domain name of the remote machine instead of the IPv6 address. If the local machine has an IPv4 address and the remote machine has an IPv6 address, the local machine must support IPv4 and IPv6 mixed mode. The domain name server must be able to resolve both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses if your environment has both addressing types in a single Linked Mode group.
VMware, Inc.
127
Enter the port numbers that you want to use or accept the default port numbers and click Next. See Required Ports, on page 31.
10
Select the amount of memory to allocate to the vCenter JVM in Tomcat, according to the number of hosts in your environment. You can adjust this setting after installation if the number of hosts in your environment changes.
11
Click Install. Installation might take several minutes. Multiple progress bars appear during the installation of the selected components.
12
Click Finish.
What to do next See Chapter 11, After You Install vCenter Server, on page 131.
Install vCenter Server in a Virtual Machine

Draft comment filepath: GUID-3108FECC-854F-40A1-8EA5-11DE45E6D31E.xml
You can install vCenter Server in a Microsoft Windows virtual machine that runs on an ESXi host. Deploying the vCenter Server system in the virtual machine has the following advantages:
n
Rather than dedicating a separate server to the vCenter Server system, 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 system by using VMware HA. You can migrate the virtual machine containing the vCenter Server system 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, and so on.
n n
Prerequisites See vCenter Server Prerequisites, on page 119. Procedure 1 2 3 On any machine that has network access to your ESXi host, install the vSphere Client. Using the vSphere Client, access the ESXi host directly and create the virtual machine for hosting vCenter Server. In the virtual machine, install vCenter Server. See Install vCenter Server, on page 126.
Download and Deploy the vCenter Server Appliance

Draft comment filepath: GUID-25FCBA87-5D2F-4CB6-85D7-88899B4AC174.xml
As an alternative to installing vCenter Server on a Windows machine, you can download the vCenter Server Appliance, a preconfigured Linux-based virtual machine optimized for running vCenter Server and associated services. The vCenter Server Appliance is deployed with the default user name root and password vmware. For more information about configuring the Center Server Appliance, see Configuring vCenter Server in vCenter Server and Host Management . Author: Administrator Sat Oct 30 06:04:35 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status:
128
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 10 Installing vCenter Server
Waiting for confirmation from Rebekah about the topic to reference. Prerequisites You must have vSphere Client installed. The vCenter Server Appliance can be deployed only on hosts that are running ESX version 4.x or ESXi version 4.x or later. The vCenter Server Appliance requires at least 7GB of disk space, and is limited to a maximum size of 80GB. Procedure 1 2 3 Log on to VMware Communities, using your VMware store account. From the vSphere 5 Release Candidate page, download the .VMDK and .OVF files for the vCenter Server appliance . Click Download Beta to save the .VMDK and .OVF files onto your system. Save the .VMDK and .OVF files in the same folder. 4 5 In the vSphere Client, select File > Deploy OVF Template and enter the path to the .OVF file on your system. Follow the prompts in the Deploy OVF Template wizard to create the vCenter Server Appliance. If you do not want to commit to using the maximum 80GB of disk space at deployment, deploy the OVF with thin provisioning. In the Disk Format panel of the wizard, select Thin provisioned format.
VMware, Inc.
129
130
VMware, Inc.
After You Install vCenter Server

Draft comment filepath: GUID-5C6223B4-3E9E-4DD1-82D2-DCC78DFD5C18.xml
11
After you install vCenter Server, consider the postinstallation options that you might want address before adding inventory for the vCenter Server to manage.
n n
Install the vSphere Client and make sure that you can access the vCenter Server instance. Check the license server configuration. A license server is required if this vCenter Server is managing ESX 3.x/ESXi 3.5 hosts. For information about installing the VMware License Server, see the documentation for VMware Infrastructure 3. For environments that require strong security, VMware recommends that you replace the default certificates on your vCenter Server system with certificates signed by a commercial Certificate Authority (CA). See the vSphere technical note Replacing vCenter Server Certificates at http://www.vmware.com/resources/techresources/. When vCenter Server and the database are installed on the same machine, after rebooting the machine, the VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices service might not start. To start the service manually, select Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services > VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices and start the service. The machine might require several minutes to start the service. For Oracle databases, note the following:
n
For the Oracle Instant client, copy ojdbc14.jar to the vCenter Server tomcat directory (<vCenter install location>\Infrastructure\tomcat\lib) The Oracle 10g client and Oracle 11g client come with ojdbc14.jar (<Install location>\oracle\product\10.2.0\<instance_name>\jdbc\lib or <Install
location>\app\Administrator\product\11.1.0\<instance_name>\sqldeveloper\jdbc\lib). The
vCenter Server installer copies the file from the Oracle client install location to the vCenter Server tomcat directory (<vCenter install location>\Infrastructure\tomcat\lib)
n
If the ojdbc14.jar file is not found in the Oracle 10g or Oracle 11g client location, the vCenter Server installer prompts you to copy the file manually. You can download the file from http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/tech/java/sqlj_jdbc/htdocs/jdbc101040.html.
This chapter includes the following topics:

n n
Install Additional vCenter Server Components, on page 132 Creating vCenter Server Linked Mode Groups, on page 139
VMware, Inc.
131
Install Additional vCenter Server Components

Draft comment filepath: GUID-E5C1CB2F-822F-42C2-8D39-57C511C06412.xml
You can install additional vCenter Server components on the same machine that hosts vCenter Server or on remote machines.
Download the vSphere Client

Draft comment filepath: GUID-B15F4221-ABDB-4CA7-A6C4-6C96E72F04A5.xml
The vSphere Client is a Windows program that you can use to configure the host and to operate its virtual machines. You can download vSphere Client from any host. Prerequisites You must have the URL of the host, which is the IP address or host name. The system must have an Internet connection. Procedure 1 2 From a Windows machine, open a Web browser. Enter the URL or IP address for the vCenter Server or host. For example, http://exampleserver.example.com or http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx. 3 4 Click Download the vSphere Client under Getting Started. Click Save to download the vSphere Client installer.
The vSphere Client installer is downloaded to the system. What to do next Install the vSphere Client.
Install the vSphere Client

Draft comment filepath: GUID-1F4EB138-3301-4AC9-9B48-61166E0EBE24.xml
The vSphere Client enables you to connect to an ESXi host and to a vCenter Server system. Prerequisites
n n n
You must have the vCenter Server installer or the vSphere Client installer. You must be a member of the Administrators group on the system. The system must have an Internet connection.
Procedure 1 Run the vSphere Client installer.

n
Start the vCenter Server installer. In the software installer directory, double-click the autorun.exe file and select vSphere Client. If you downloaded the vSphere Client, double-click the VMware-viclient-build number.exe file.
Follow the prompts in the wizard to complete the installation.
You can use the vSphere Client to connect to an ESXi host or to connect to a vCenter Server system.
132
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 11 After You Install vCenter Server
Start the vSphere Client

Draft comment filepath: GUID-31BD3873-D2AD-4B3C-BE32-DE12760D5803.xml
After you install the vSphere Client, you can connect to an ESXi host and to a vCenter Server system. NOTE Do not use the Windows built-in Guest account to start the vSphere Client. By default, the Guest account is disabled. When you use the Guest account to log in to Windows, you cannot access the applications that are already installed on the computer. Procedure 1 2 Select Start > Programs > VMware > vSphere Client. In the vSphere Client login window, do one of the following:
Option Log in to an ESXi host Log in to a vCenter Server system as the administrator. Description Log in as root or as a normal user. a b Enter the vCenter Server IP address or host name. Enter your user name and password.
When you connect to the vCenter Server, use the vCenter Server IP address with your Windows login user name and password. Use the login credentials appropriate to the Windows machine on which vCenter Server is installed. 3 Click Login. If you cannot connect to the vCenter Server system, start the VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices service manually. Select Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services > VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices and start the service. The machine might require several minutes to start the service. 4 To ignore the security warnings that appear, click Ignore. Security warning messages appear because the vSphere Client detects certificates signed by the ESXi host or vCenter Server system (default setting).
Install and Start the vSphere Web Client

Draft comment filepath: GUID-74AA3EF1-BDF3-4752-89DB-A522CDE30A66.xml
The vSphere Web Client enables you to connect to an ESXi host and to a vCenter Server system through a browser. Prerequisites
n n n
You must download the vCenter Server installer. You must be a member of the Administrators group on the system. The system must have an Internet connection.
Procedure 1 2 3 Start the vCenter Server installer. In the software installer directory, double-click the autorun.exe file. Select vSphere Web Client. Follow the wizard prompts to complete the installation.
VMware, Inc.
133
When the vSphere Web Client installation is finished, a browser is launched. Log into vSphere Web Client in the browser. If the browser fails to launch or display the vSphere Web Client login correctly, launch the shortcut manually. From the Windows Start menu, select Programs > VMware > VMware vSphere Web Client > vSphere Administration Application.
Install VMware vCenter Update Manager

Draft comment filepath: GUID-B7EB76AB-F5AD-400B-BAE4-2D30F1CB8AC7.xml
vCenter Update Manager is for environments with vCenter Server. Using vCenter Update Manager, you can orchestrate steps of an upgrade process sequentially, based on compliance baselines at the host, virtual machine, and datastore level. This procedure describes how to install vCenter Update Manager as an additional module (sometimes called a plug-in) on the same machine that hosts vCenter Server or on a remote machine. Prerequisites Before you install vCenter Update Manager, download the software installer and install vCenter Server on the local machine or on a machine that is reachable by the local machine. vCenter Update Manager requires a supported database. The database requirements are the same as vCenter Server, except that DB2 is not supported. You can use a supported database that is configured to work with vCenter Update Manager, or you can install the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express database that is bundled with vCenter Update Manager. vCenter Update Manager can use the same database as vCenter Server, but VMware recommends that you have separate databases for vCenter Server and vCenter Update Manager. NOTE Although the vCenter Update Manager server can be installed only on 64-bit machines, vCenter Update Manager is a 32-bit application and requires a 32-bit DSN. Procedure 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 In the software installer directory, double-click the autorun.exe file at C:\<vc-installer location>\. Click vCenter Update Manager. Choose a language for the installer and click OK. When the Welcome screen appears, click Next. Review the End-User Patent Agreement and click Next. Read the license agreement. If you agree to the terms, select I agree to the terms in the license agreement and click Next. Enter the connection information for the vCenter Server system to which vCenter Update Manager will be an extension. a b c 8 Enter the IP address. By default, the IP address is that of the local host. Enter the port number that the vCenter Server system is configured to use for HTTP. By default, vCenter Server uses port 80. Enter the user name and password for the vCenter Server system.
Choose the type of database that you want to use for vCenter Update Manager.
n
To use the bundled database, click Install a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express instance and click Next. This database is suitable for small deployments of up to 5 hosts and 50 virtual machines.
To use an existing database, click Use an existing supported database, select your database from the list of available DSNs, and click Next.
134
VMware, Inc.
If you chose to use an existing database, enter the user name and password for the DSN and click Next. If your database is a local SQL Server database using Microsoft Windows NT authentication, leave the user name and password fields blank.
10
Select the fully qualified domain name or IP address to identify this instance of vCenter Update Manager on the network. Make sure that the fully qualified domain name is accessible by the vCenter Server system and by all the ESX/ESXi hosts managed by the vCenter Server system.
11 12 13 14
Enter the port numbers that you want to use or accept the default port numbers. (Optional) Select Yes, I have an Internet connection, and I want to configure proxy settings now. Click Next. Enter the proxy server name and port number. If the local machine has proxy settings configured, the installer uses these settings by default.
15 16 17 18 19
(Optional) Select Authenticate proxy using the credentials below, and enter the user name and password to use for authentication. Accept the default installation location or click Change to select a different location. Accept the default location for patch downloads or click Change to select a different location, and click Next. Click Install to begin the installation. Click Finish to complete the installation.
The vCenter Update Manager is installed. What to do next Install the Update Manager client plug-in. See the vCenter Update Manager Administration Guide.
Install the VMware ESXi dump collector

Draft comment filepath: GUID-64213886-7181-4767-9ED5-D8C989B9ECAE.xml
ESXi can be configured to dump the vmkernel memory to a network server, rather than to a disk, when the system has encountered a critical failure. Install VMware ESXi dump collector to collect such memory dumps over the network. For instructions on configuring ESXi to dump kernel memory to the network server, see Configure Network Coredump for Your Hosts, on page 59. The ESXi dump collector is most useful for datacenters where ESXi hosts are configured using the VMware Auto Deploy process, and thus might not have local storage. However, you can also install the ESXi dump collector for ESXi hosts that do have local storage, as an additional location where vmkernel memory dumps can be redirected when critical failures occur. You can install the ESXi dump collector on the same machine as the associated vCenter Server, or on a different machine that has network connection to the vCenter Server. The ESXi dump collector supports both IPv4 and IPv6. Prerequisites Before installing the ESXi dump collector, review the prerequisites.
n n
You must have administrator privileges The host machine must have Windows Installer 3.0 or later.
VMware, Inc.
135
The host machine must have a supported processor and operating system. The ESXi dump collector supports the same processors and operating systems as vCenter Server. See vCenter Server Software Requirements, on page 30 and vCenter Server and vSphere Client Hardware Requirements, on page 28. If you are using a network location for the ESXi dump collector repository, make sure the network location is mounted.
Gather the following information to complete the installation:

n n n
The location to install the dump collector to, if you are not using the default location. The location for the dump collector repository where the dump files will be stored. (Optional) The maximum size for the dump collector repository. The specified network location must have at least that much free space. Whether to install the dump collector as a standalone instance or to integrate the dump collector with a vCenter Server. If the dump collector is integrated with a vCenter Server, the address and credentials for the vCenter Server: IP address or name, HTTP port, user name, and password. The ESXi dump collector server port, if you are not using the default setting. The host name or IP address to identify the dump collector on the network.
n n
Procedure 1 2 3 Start the vCenter Server installer. In the software installer directory, double-click the autorun.exe file. Select VMware ESXi dump collector. Follow the wizard prompts to complete the installation.
Install the VMware Syslog Collector

Draft comment filepath: GUID-471EFE67-9035-473E-8217-6B67E493A518.xml
Install the VMware Syslog Collector to enable ESXi system logs to be directed to a server on the network, rather than to a local disk. You can install the VMware Syslog Collector on the same machine as the associated vCenter Server, or on a different machine that has network connection to the vCenter Server. The VMware Syslog Collector supports both IPv4 and IPv6. Prerequisites Before installing the VMware Syslog Collector, review the prerequisites.
n n n
You must have administrator privileges. The host machine must have Windows Installer 3.0 or later. The host machine must have a supported processor and operating system. The VMware Syslog Collector supports the same processors and operating systems as vCenter Server. See vCenter Server Software Requirements, on page 30 and vCenter Server and vSphere Client Hardware Requirements, on page 28.

n n n
The location to install the Syslog Collector to, if you are not using the default location. The location for the Syslog Collector repository where the syslog files will be stored. (Optional) The maximum size for the Syslog Collector repository. The specified network location must have at least that much free space.
136
VMware, Inc.
n n
(Optional) The maximum number of Syslog Collector log rotations to keep. Whether to install the Syslog Collector as a standalone instance or to integrate the Syslog Collector with a vCenter Server. If the Syslog Collector is integrated with a vCenter Server, the address and credentials for the vCenter Server: IP address or name, HTTP port, user name, and password. The Syslog Collector server port, if you are not using the default setting, and whether to use TCP and UDP protocols for this port. The Syslog Collector server SSL port, if you are not using the default setting, and whether to use secure connection (SSL) for this port. The host name or IP address to identify the Syslog Collector on the network.
Procedure 1 2 3 Start the vCenter Server installer. In the software installer directory, double-click the autorun.exe file. Select VMware Syslog Collector. Follow the wizard prompts to complete the installation.
Install VMware Auto Deploy

Draft comment filepath: GUID-C71AB37F-9375-4DAE-8CBF-44884E69083E.xml
Install VMware Auto Deploy to provision and customize physical hosts by loading the ESXi image directly into memory. This makes it possible to provision and reprovision hundreds or thousands of ESXi hosts very efficiently with vCenter Server The Auto Deploy feature must be installed separately for each instance of vCenter Server you plan to use the feature with. Prerequisites Before installing VMware Auto Deploy, review the prerequisites.
n n n
You must have administrator privileges The host machine must have Windows Installer 3.0 or later. The host machine must have a supported processor and operating system. VMware Auto Deploy supports the same processors and operating systems as vCenter Server. See vCenter Server Software Requirements, on page 30 and vCenter Server and vSphere Client Hardware Requirements, on page 28.

n n n
The location to install Auto Deploy to, if you are not using the default location. The location for the Auto Deploy repository. (Optional) The maximum size for the Auto Deploy repository. The specified network location must have at least that much free space. (Optional) The maximum number of Syslog Collector log rotations to keep. The address and credentials for the vCenter Server you are installing the Auto Deploy feature for: IP address or name, HTTP port, user name, and password. The Auto Deploy server port, if you are not using the default setting. The host name or IP address to identify Auto Deploy on the network.
n n
n n
VMware, Inc.
137
Procedure 1 2 3 Start the vCenter Server installer. In the software installer directory, double-click the autorun.exe file. Select VMware Auto Deploy. Follow the wizard prompts to complete the installation.
Install the vSphere Authentication Proxy

Draft comment filepath: GUID-EA920335-2608-4127-9B57-DB3809BA4BB9.xml
Install the vSphere Authentication Proxy to enable ESXi hosts to join a domain without using Active Directory credentials. The vSphere Authentication Proxy enhances security for PXE-booted hosts and hosts that are provisioned using VMware Auto Deploy, by removing the need to store Active Directory credentials in the host configuration. You can install the vSphere Authentication Proxy on the same machine as the associated vCenter Server, or on a different machine that has network connection to the vCenter Server. The vSphere Authentication Proxy supports both IPv4 and IPv6. For more information, see vSphere Security. Prerequisites Before installing the vSphere Authentication Proxy, review the prerequisites.
n n n
You must have administrator privileges The host machine must have Windows Installer 3.0 or later. The host machine must have a supported processor and operating system. The vSphere Authentication Proxy supports the same processors and operating systems as vCenter Server. See vCenter Server Software Requirements, on page 30 and vCenter Server and vSphere Client Hardware Requirements, on page 28.

n n
The location to install the vSphere Authentication Proxy to, if you are not using the default location. The address and credentials for the vCenter Server that the vSphere Authentication Proxy will connect to: IP address or name, HTTP port, user name, and password. The host name or IP address to identify the vSphere Authentication Proxy on the network.
Procedure 1 2 3 Start the vCenter Server installer. In the software installer directory, double-click the autorun.exe file. Select vSphere Authentication Proxy. Follow the wizard prompts to complete the installation.
Uninstall VMware vSphere Components

Draft comment filepath: GUID-390546F8-A394-495E-A353-53261AAFEC87.xml
The VMware vSphere components and Support Tools are uninstalled separately, even if they are on the same machine. You must have administrator privileges to uninstall VMware vCenter Server CAUTION Uninstalling a vCenter Server system while it is running disrupts the vSphere Client connections, which can cause data loss. Uninstalling the vCenter Server system or the vSphere Client does not uninstall any of the other components, such as the bundled database or Microsoft .NET Framework. Do not uninstall the other components if other applications on your system depend on them.
138
VMware, Inc.
Procedure 1 2 3 4 5 If you are uninstalling the vCenter Server system, remove the hosts from the Hosts and Clusters inventory. As Administrator on the Microsoft Windows system, select Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs. Select the component to remove from the list and click Remove. Click Yes to confirm that you want to remove the program. Click Finish.
Creating vCenter Server Linked Mode Groups

Draft comment filepath: GUID-4394EA1C-0800-4A6A-ADBF-D35C41868C53.xml
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. You can join multiple vCenter Server systems to form a Linked Mode group. You can configure a Linked Mode group during vCenter Server installation or after vCenter Server is installed. To join a vCenter Server group, you enter the fully qualified domain name (or IP address) of a remote machine on which vCenter Server is running. The remote machine can be any vCenter Server instance that is or will become a member of the Linked Mode group. You must also provide the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) port number of the remote vCenter Server instance. 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:
n n n n
Connection information (IP and ports) Certificates Licensing information User roles
NOTE Joining a version 5 vCenter Server to older versions of vCenter Server is not supported. Author: Administrator Mon Oct 18 13:44:09 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status: addresses bug 606119
Linked Mode Prerequisites

Draft comment filepath: GUID-7634B78B-07E5-44EC-B5A0-CBEE842A20FD.xml
Prepare the system for joining a Linked Mode group. All the requirements for standalone vCenter Server systems apply to Linked Mode systems. The following requirements apply to each vCenter Server system that is a member of a Linked Mode group:
n
The vCenter Server instances in the Linked Mode group group you are joining must be vCenter Server version 5. Joining a version 5 vCenter Server to older versions of vCenter Server is not supported. DNS must be operational for Linked Mode replication to work. The vCenter Server instances in a Linked Mode group can be in different domains if the domains have a two-way trust relationship. Each domain must trust the other domains on which vCenter Server instances are installed.
n n
VMware, Inc.
139
When adding a vCenter Server instance to a Linked Mode group, the installer must be run by a domain user who is an administrator on both the machine where vCenter Server is installed and the target machine of the Linked Mode group. All vCenter Server instances must have network time synchronization. The vCenter Server installer validates that the machine clocks are not more than five minutes apart.
Linked Mode Considerations

Draft comment filepath: GUID-473CD830-F8F2-4FF1-A714-8EC1A6AEB298.xml
There are several considerations to take into account before you configure a Linked Mode group.
n n
Each vCenter Server user sees the vCenter Server instances on which they have valid permissions. When first setting up your vCenter Server Linked Mode group, you must install the first vCenter Server as a standalone instance because you do not yet have a remote vCenter Server machine to join. Subsequent vCenter Server instances can join the first vCenter Server or other vCenter Server instances that have joined the Linked Mode group. If you are joining a vCenter Server to a standalone instance that is not part of a domain, you must add the standalone instance to a domain and add a domain user as an administrator. 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. 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 cannot join a Linked Mode group during the upgrade procedure when you are upgrading from VirtualCenter 25 to vCenter Server 5. You can join after the upgrade to vCenter Server is complete. See vSphere Upgrade .
Configure the URLs on a Linked Mode vCenter Server System

Draft comment filepath: GUID-C3E022D9-C720-4FC7-8940-54B0CD113666.xml
If you connect a vCenter Server system to a Linked Mode group and the vCenter Server system has a machine name that does not match the domain name, several connectivity problems arise. This procedure describes how to correct this situation. If you do not update the URLs, remote instances of vCenter Server cannot reach the vCenter Server system, because the default vCenter Server URL entries are no longer accurate. The vCenter Server installer configures default URL entries as follows:
n
For the Virtualcenter.VimApiUrl key, the default value is http(s)://Fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of vCenter Server machine/sdkvCenter Server. For the Virtualcenter.VimWebServicesUrl key, the default value is https://FQDN of vCenter Server machine:installed-webservices-port/vwsvCenter Server.
Procedure 1 Isolate the vCenter Server system from the Linked Mode group. See Isolate a vCenter Server Instance from a Linked Mode Group, on page 142. 2 3 4 Change the domain name or the machine name to make them match. From the vSphere Client, connect directly to the vCenter Server instance on which you have changed the domain or machine name. Select Administration > vCenter Server Settings and click Advanced Settings.
140
VMware, Inc.
For the Virtualcenter.VimApiUrl key, change the value to point to the location where the vSphere Client and SDK clients can access the vCenter Server system. For example: http(s)://machine-name/IP address:vc-port/sdk.
For the Virtualcenter.VimWebServicesUrl key, change the value to point to the location where vCenter Server Webservices is installed. For example: https://machine-name/ip:webservices-port/vws.
7 8
For the Virtualcenter.Instancename key, change the value so that the modified name appears in the vCenter Server inventory view. Rejoin the vCenter Server system to the Linked Mode group. See Join a Linked Mode Group After Installation, on page 141.
Joining to a Linked Mode Group During and After Installation

Draft comment filepath: GUID-1B5D904D-D1AE-40A2-8783-5255DC7DA90C.xml
You can join a system to a Linked Mode group during or after installing vCenter Server For example, suppose you have three machines on which you want to install vCenter Server. You want the three instances to be members of a Linked Mode group. 1 2 3 On Machine 1, you install vCenter Server as a standalone instance because you do not yet have a remote vCenter Server machine to join. On Machine 2, you install vCenter Server, choose to join a Linked Mode group, and provide the fully qualified domain name of Machine 1. On Machine 3, you upgrade to vCenter Server 5. After the upgrade, you configure Machine 3 to join either Machine 1 or Machine 2. Machine 1, Machine 2, and Machine 3 are now members of a Linked Mode group.
Join a Linked Mode Group After Installation

Draft comment filepath: GUID-BF843C0B-3621-4FC3-809E-DF04ECEC590F.xml
You can join a vCenter Server to a Linked Mode group after installing vCenter Server. vCenter Server 5 , Prerequisites See Linked Mode Prerequisites, on page 139 and Linked Mode Considerations, on page 140. NOTE Joining a version 5 vCenter Server to older versions of vCenter Server is not supported. Author: Administrator Mon Oct 18 13:44:09 PDT 2010 Disposition: / Status: addresses bug 606119 Procedure 1 2 3 4 Select Start > All Programs > VMware > vCenter Server Linked Mode Configuration. Click Next. Select Modify linked mode configuration and click Next. Click Join this vCenter Server instance to an existing linked mode group or another instance and click Next.
VMware, Inc.
141
Enter the server name and LDAP port number of a remote vCenter Server instance that is a member of the group and click Next. If you enter an IP address for the remote server, the installer converts it into a fully qualified domain name.
If the vCenter Server installer detects a role conflict, select how to resolve the conflict.
Option Yes, let VMware vCenter Server resolve the conflicts for me Description Click Next. The role on the joining system is renamed to vcenter_namerole_name, where vcenter_name is the name of the vCenter Server system that is joining the Linked Mode group, and role_name is the name of the original role. To resolve the conflicts manually: a Using the vSphere Client, log in to one of the vCenter Server systems using an account with Administrator privileges. b Rename the conflicting role. c Close the vSphere Client session and return to the vCenter Server installer. d Click Back and click Next. The installation continues without conflicts.
No, I'll resolve the conflicts myself
A conflict results if the joining system and the Linked Mode group each contain a role with the same name but with different privileges. 7 Click Finish. vCenter Server restarts. Depending on the size of your inventory, the change to Linked Mode might take from a few seconds to a few minutes to complete. The vCenter Server instance is now part of a Linked Mode group. After you form a Linked Mode group, you can log in to any single instance of vCenter Server and view and manage the inventories of all the vCenter Servers in the group. It might take several seconds for the global data (such as user roles) that are changed on one machine to be visible on the other machines. The delay is usually 15 seconds or less. It might 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. What to do next For information about configuring and using your Linked Mode group, see the vCenter Server and Host Management.
Isolate a vCenter Server Instance from a Linked Mode Group

Draft comment filepath: GUID-6B9C176B-66A2-4A50-8C9F-EDB9ED2D8D4E.xml
You can isolate a vCenter Server instance from a Linked Mode group. Procedure 1 2 3 4 Select Start > All Programs > VMware > vCenter Server Linked Mode Configuration. Click Modify linked mode configuration and click Next. Click Isolate this vCenter Server instance from linked mode group and click Next. Click Continue and click Finish. vCenter Server restarts. Depending on the size of your inventory, the change to Linked Mode configuration might take from a few seconds to a few minutes to complete. The vCenter Server instance is no longer part of the Linked Mode group.
142
VMware, Inc.
Linked Mode Troubleshooting

Draft comment filepath: GUID-F0AC178E-204A-4B8A-B9C7-F3AF43F4E558.xml
If you are having trouble with your Linked Mode group, consider the following points.
n
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). If the domain controller is unreachable, vCenter Server might be unable to start. You might be unable to make changes to the Linked Mode configuration of the affected vCenter Server system. If this occurs, resolve the problem with the domain controller and restart vCenter Server. If resolving the problem with the domain controller is not possible, you can restart vCenter Server by removing the vCenter Server system from the domain and isolating the system from its current Linked Mode group.
The DNS name of the machine must match with the actual machine name. Symptoms of machine names not matching the DNS name are data replication issues, ticket errors when trying to search, and missing search results from remote instances. There is correct order of operations for joining a Linked Mode group. a b c Verify that the vCenter Server domain name matches the machine name. If they do not match, change one or both to make them match. Update the URLs to make them compatible with the new domain name and machine name. Join the vCenter Server system to a Linked Mode group. If you do not update the URLs, remote instances of vCenter Server cannot reach the vCenter Server system, because the default vCenter Server URL entries are no longer accurate. See Configure the URLs on a Linked Mode vCenter Server System, on page 140. If a vCenter Server instance is no longer reachable by remote instances of vCenter Server, the following symptom might occur:
n
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.
n n
To resolve this issue, make sure that the Virtualcenter.VimApiUrl key points to the location where the vSphere Client and SDK clients can access the vCenter Server system, and the Virtualcenter.VimWebServicesUrl key points to the location where vCenter Server Webservices is installed. For the Virtualcenter.Instancename key, change the value so that the modified name appears in the vCenter Server inventory view.
n
If you cannot join a vCenter Server instance, you can resolve the problem with the following actions:
n
Ensure that the machine is grouped into the correct organizational unit in the corresponding domain controller. When you install vCenter Server, ensure that the logged in user account has administrator privileges on the machine.
VMware, Inc.
143
To resolve trust problems between a machine and the domain controller, remove the machine from the domain and then add it to the domain again. To ensure that the Windows policy cache is updated, run the gpupdate /force command from the Windows command line. This command performs a group policy update.
If the local host cannot reach the remote host during a join operation, verify the following:
n n n
Remote vCenter Server IP address or fully qualified domain name is correct. LDAP port on the remote vCenter Server is correct. VMwareVCMSDS service is running.
Make sure your Windows and network-based firewalls are configured to allow Linked Mode.
Configure a Windows Firewall to Allow a Specified Program Access

Draft comment filepath: GUID-4048C3D8-A514-423D-95F4-E39F3D6196DB.xml
vCenter Server uses Microsoft ADAM/AD LDS to enable Linked Mode, which uses the Windows RPC port mapper to open RPC ports for replication. When you install vCenter Server in Linked Mode, the firewall configuration on the local machine must be modified. Incorrect configuration of firewalls can cause licenses and roles to become inconsistent between instances. Prerequisites
n
The Windows version must be earlier than Windows Server 2008. For Windows Server 2008, Windows automatically configures the firewall to permit access. There must be no network-based firewalls between vCenter Server Linked Mode instances. For environments with network-based firewalls, see Configure Firewall Access by Opening Selected Ports, on page 144.
Procedure 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Select Start > Run. Type firewall.cpl and click OK. Make sure that the firewall is set to allow exceptions. Click the Exceptions tab. Click Add Program. Add an exception for C:\Windows\ADAM\dsamain.exe and click OK. Click OK.
Configure Firewall Access by Opening Selected Ports

Draft comment filepath: GUID-77EFF5CA-3DBF-4798-9268-3B248BF7137B.xml
vCenter Server uses Microsoft ADAM/AD LDS to enable Linked Mode, which uses the Windows RPC port mapper to open RPC ports for replication. When you install vCenter Server in Linked Mode, the firewall configuration on any network-based firewalls must be modified. Incorrect configuration of firewalls can cause licenses and roles to become inconsistent between instances.
144
VMware, Inc.
Procedure
u
Configure Windows RPC ports to generically allow selective ports for machine-to-machine RPC communication. Choose one of the following methods.
n n
Change the registry settings. See http://support.microsoft.com/kb/154596/en-us. Use Microsoft's RPCCfg.exe tool. See http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908472/en-us.
VMware, Inc.
145
146
VMware, Inc.
Index
Symbols
/root/ks.cfg 40 %include command 41 %post command 41 %pre command 41
C
CD-ROM, booting from virtual 73 CD/DVD, burning the ESXi ISO image 14 clearpart command 41 clients, firewall 31 components included with the vCenter Server installer 125 computer name Oracle 95 SQL Server 95 configuration backup and restore 88, 89 configuration defaults, resetting 85 configuration options 35 configuring a DB2 database 97 configuring ports 31 configuring the keyboard 70 Connect-VIServer cmdlet 61, 62 connecting Oracle database 116, 117 SQL Server database 110 core dump 59 creating a DB2 database 99 creating a SQL Server database 105 creating an Oracle database 112 custom packages, removing 85
Numerics
3rd-party modules, removing 85 64-bit DSN requirement 95
A
accepteula command 41 access, restricting 83 administrative password 83 append 14 askmedia 22 Authentication Proxy, See vSphere Authentication Proxy Auto Deploy installation option 12 See also VMware Auto Deploy Auto Deploy PowerCLI 61 Auto Deploy rules 62 Auto Deploy, boot operations 49 Auto Deploy, DHCP server 56 Auto Deploy, TFTP server 56 Auto Deploy, user input 65 autopart command 41
D
data source name 95 database roles, setting vCenter user rights 106 databases maintaining 96 Oracle 115 preparing 139 SQL Server 110, 111 DB2, creating the schema 101 DB2 database client instance registry variables 99 configure for remote connection 104 configure locally on Microsoft Windows 103 database instance registry variables 98 script for creating 99 user and group 97 DB2 database configuration 96 DBO privileges 105 deactivating ESXi 86
B
back up ESXi 88 backing up configurations 88 banner, security 71 BIOS 72, 73 boot commands 35 boot operations 49 boot options 14 boot process, Auto Deploy 53 boot prompt 35 boot setting 72, 73 bootloader kernel options 35 bundled database 96
VMware, Inc.
147
default installation scripts 40 default root password 40 default storage behavior 80 defaults, restoring 85 DHCP direct console 76, 77 for PXE booting the ESX installer 20 vSphere Client 76, 77 DHCP server for Auto Deploy 56 direct console boot setting 73 configuring the keyboard 70 DHCP 76, 77 DNS 77 IP addressing 76, 77 management network 74, 75 navigating 70 network adapters 75 network settings 74, 75 password configuration 83 redirecting by setting the boot options 71 redirecting to a serial port 71, 72 security banner 71 static addressing 76, 77 testing management network 78, 80 VLAN ID 76 Directory Services 141, 142 disabling the management network 79 DNS 77, 143 DNS suffixes, direct console 77 domain controller 143 download the vCenter Server installer 126 DRAC 32 dryrun command 41 DSN, 64-bit requirement 95 Dump Collector, See VMware ESXi Dump Collector DVD media 27
restoring 88 restoring the configuration 88 system requirements 25 ESXi installation media 14 ESXi ISO image, burning on a CD/DVD 14 ESXi setup, post-setup 87 ESXi, evaluation mode 85 Etherboot Project 16 evaluation mode 13, 81
F
F2 14 factory defaults, restoring 85 firewall network-based 144 Windows 144 floppy, booting from virtual 73 FTP 16
G
global data 141, 142 gpupdate /force command 143 gPXE 16, 22 group policy update 143 groups, requirements 139 guest operating systems 31 GUID 143
H
hardware requirements for ESXi 25 for vCenter Server 28 vCenter Server Virtual Appliance 28 hardware requirements for the vSphere Client 28 hardware requirements, ESXi 26 host licensing 87 Host profiles, assign using Auto Deploy 62 host provisioning 49 hosts firewall 31
E
ESX, scripted installation 47 ESX installation script, about 40 ESXi about 69 backing up 88 backing up the configuration 88 deactivating 86 installation options 11 installing 35, 36 managing remotely 75 recovering 89 removing from the host 88
I
IBM DB2, requirements 93 IDE disks 25, 26 ILO 32 include command 41 initrd.img 21 install command 14, 41 installation media locations 13 Installation overview 10 installation script, creating 40 installation scripts, default 40
148
VMware, Inc.
Index
installing ESXi 35, 36 vCenter Server 126 vCenter Server in a virtual machine 128 VirtualCenter Server 139 vSphere Client 132 vSphere Web Client 133 installing ESX, scripted 39, 47 interactive installation 14 interactive installation option 11 IP, on a detached host 74 IP addressing direct console 76, 77 vSphere Client 76, 77 IPv6 123
J
JDBC 111
K
kernel 21 keyboard command 41 keyboard, localizing 70 kickstart commands 46 kickstart file, creating 40 ks-first.cfg 40
disabling 79 restarting 78 testing 78, 80 media depot 14 memory, ESXi requirements 25, 26 message, security 71 Microsoft .NET 59 Microsoft .NET Framework 30, 125 Microsoft PowerShell 59 Microsoft SQL database permissions, setting by using the dbo schema and db_owner database role 109 Microsoft SQL Native Client 96 Microsoft SQL Server, requirements 93 Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express 96, 125 Microsoft SQL Server database schema 107 Microsoft Windows authentication for SQL Server 122 system account 122 mypassword 40
N
navigating, direct console 70 netdump 59 network adapters, direct console 75 network command 22, 41 network drive, installing from 123 network settings, direct console 74, 75 New-DeployRule cmdlet 61, 62
L
LDAP 141 license key 82 licensing, host 87 Linked Mode and databases 140 and permissions 140 reachability 123, 140, 143 requirements 139 troubleshooting 143, 144 Linux-based vCenter Server Appliance 128 listening ports 31 local Oracle database 115, 117 local SQL Server database 105 localizing, keyboard 70 lockdown mode 83 log files, redirecting 83 logical volume management 80 LVM 80
O
ODBC databases 110 Oracle database changing the computer name 95 remote access 116 requirements 93 script for creating 112 user 113 Oracle database schema 114 Oracle, preparing database 115 OS repository 14
P
paranoid command 41 part command 41 partition command 41 partitions 80, 81 password, administrative 83 plug-ins for vCenter Server 132 Policy-Based Storage Management 125 port 389 31 port 443 31
M
MAC address 22 maintaining the database 96 management agents, restarting 78 management network direct console 74, 75
VMware, Inc.
149
port 636 31 port 80 31 ports configuring 31 firewall 31 ports 1025 through 65535 31 ports used by vCenter Server 31 PowerCLI 61 PowerShell 59 Preface 7 preparing database 117 prerequisites for installing vCenter Server 119 PXE configuration files 22 prerequisites 19 setup procedure 19 PXE boot, overview 16
RPCCfg.exe 144 RSA 32
S
SAS disks 25, 26 SATA disks 25, 26 schema, for DB2 101 scratch partition 81 scratch storage 80, 81 script, for installing ESX 40 script for DB2 database 99 script for Oracle database 112 script for SQL Server database 105 scripted database schema creation, for DB2 101 scripted installation, first detected disk 40 scripted installation of ESX 39, 47 scripted installation option 11 SCSI 25, 26 SDK 123, 140, 143 security 122 security banner 71 serial port redirecting the direct console to 71 redirecting the direct console using the vSphere Client 72 serialnum command 41 snap-in 59 specifications ESXi hardware requirements 25, 26 performance recommendations 25, 26 SQL Server changing the computer name 95 Microsoft Windows authentication 122 preparing the database 110, 111 script for creating 105 Standard switch, restoring 79 starting the vSphere Client 133 state 49 static addressing, about 74, 75 static DNS 77 static DNS, direct console 77 static DNS, vSphere Client 77 static IP 76 storage 80 subnet mask 76 support information 82 Syslog Collector, See VMware Syslog Collector system requirements, vCenter Server database 93 system swap 80, 81
R
ramdisk 21 RCLI, See vSphere CLI recovering ESXi 89 redirecting log files 82, 83 registry settings 144 reinstalling vCenter Server 138 remote access, restricting 83 Remote CLI, See vSphere CLI remote management applications 23 remote management of ESXi 75 remote Oracle database 116 remote SQL Server database 105 remove ESXi from the host 88 removing 3rd-party modules 85 removing custom packages 85 removing vCenter Server 138 Repair-DeployRuleSetCompliance 63 repairing ESXi 89 requirements for virtual machines 31 requirements for vSphere Client 30 reregister 60 resetting configuration defaults 85 restarting the management agents 78 restarting the management network 78 restore ESXi 88 restoring a configuration 88, 89 factory defaults 85 restricting access 83 ROM image 16 root access, restricting 83 root password 83 rootpw command 41
150
VMware, Inc.
Index
T
TCP/IP setup for SQL Server 111 testing management network, direct console 80 TFTP 16 TFTP Server for Auto Deploy 56 tftp-hpa 16 tftpd32 16 troubleshooting, Linked Mode 140, 143 troubleshooting for Linked Mode 123 Troubleshooting services 84
U
uninstalling vCenter Server 138 URLs, configuring 123, 140, 143 USB media 27 USB, bootable ESXi installation 15 USB, ESXi installation media 14 user and group for DB2 database 97 user and group for Oracle database 113 user input for Auto Deploy hosts 65 using the vSphere CLI 89
V
vCenter Orchestrator 125 vCenter Server additional components 132 components 125 configuring URLs 123, 140, 143 DB2 database (local) 103 DB2 database (remote) 104 downloading the installer 126 hardware requirements 28 install procedure 126 installing 119, 125 installing from a network drive 123 installing in a virtual machine 128 installing on IPv6 machine 123 joining a group 141, 142 Linked Mode 139 plug-ins 132 ports 31 prerequisites for installing 119 required information for installation 120 required information for vCenter Server installation 120 requirements for joining a group 139 setting user rights through database roles 106 software requirements 30 system requirements 25 vCenter Server Appliance, downloading and deploying 128
vCenter Server database Microsoft SQL Server 105 Oracle 112 vCenter Server installation, post-installation 131 vCenter Server Virtual Appliance, hardware requirements 28 vCenter Update Manager 93, 125, 134 vCenterServer.VimApiUrl 123, 140, 143 vCenterServer.VimWebServicesUrl 123, 140, 143 viewing, log files 82 virtual appliance, vSphere CLI 88 virtual CD 23 virtual machine, installing vCenter Server in 128 virtual machines RAM requirements 25, 26 requirements 31 virtual media 73 VirtualCenter Management Webservices 131 VLAN ID, direct console 76 vMA 81 vmaccepteula command 41 VMFS 80 vmkernel module, removing 85 vmlinuz 21 vmserialnum command 41 VMware Auto Deploy installing 137 installing ESXi with 49 VMware ESXi Dump Collector 125 VMware ESXi dump collector, installing 135 VMware Syslog Collector, installing 136 vSphere 5, changes from vSphere 4 9 vSphere Authentication Proxy, installing 138 vSphere CLI 81, 88 vSphere Client DHCP 76, 77 DNS 77 downloading 87, 132 hardware requirements 28 installing 132 installing from a network drive 123 requirements 30 starting 133 static addressing 76, 77 vSphere installation and setup, introduction 9 vSphere Web Client, installing and starting 133 VWS 123, 140, 143
VMware, Inc.
151
152
VMware, Inc.

MN 3020 3283 2671 Draft 06

Transféré par

Informations du document

Description originale:

Titre original

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

MN 3020 3283 2671 Draft 06

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

vSphere 5 Installation and Setup

vSphere 5.0 ESXi 5.0 vCenter 5.0

vSphere 5 Installation and Setup

VMware, Inc. 3401 Hillview Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94304 www.vmware.com

About vSphere Installation and Setup

1 Introduction to vSphere Installation and Setup

3 Installing ESXi Using the Interactive Option 35

4 Installing ESXi Using a Script 39

5 Installing ESXi Using VMware Auto Deploy

vSphere 5 Installation and Setup

7 After You Install and Set Up ESXi 87

8 Preparing vCenter Server Databases 93

9 Introduction to Installing vCenter Server 119

10 Installing vCenter Server 125

Download and Deploy the vCenter Server Appliance 128

11 After You Install vCenter Server 131

vSphere 5 Installation and Setup

About vSphere Installation and Setup

VMware Technical Publications Glossary

VMware vSphere Documentation

vSphere 5 Installation and Setup

Technical Support and Education Resources

VMware Professional Services

Introduction to vSphere Installation and Setup

How vSphere 5 Differs from vSphere 4

vSphere 5 Installation and Setup

Disk-Loaded and Memory-Loaded ESXi Hosts

Overview of the vSphere Installation and Setup Process

Chapter 1 Introduction to vSphere Installation and Setup

Options for Installing ESXi

Interactive ESXi Installation Option

follow the prompts in the installation wizard

set up media depot

create kickstart file

boot and issue kickstart command by modifying kernel line

Scripted ESXi Installation Option

vSphere 5 Installation and Setup

VMware Auto Deploy ESXi Installation Option

host sends hardware & network Information

Auto Deploy server streams components to the host

host boots using image profile

host assigned to registered vCenter Server

Chapter 1 Introduction to vSphere Installation and Setup

use updated image profile

check for affected hosts

vCenter Server provisions host using image profile

update the host image profile stored in vCenter Server

About ESXi Evaluation Mode

Options for Locating the ESXi Installation Media

vSphere 5 Installation and Setup

Creating a Media Depot

Chapter 1 Introduction to vSphere Installation and Setup

Format a USB Flash Drive to Boot the ESXi Installation

USB flash drive

vSphere 5 Installation and Setup

PXE Booting the ESXi Installer

About the TFTP Server, PXELINUX, and gPXE

Conceptual Overview for PXE Booting the ESXi Installer

DHCP server TFTP server

Chapter 1 Introduction to vSphere Installation and Setup

PXELINUX/gPXE (SYSLINUX) Network Server (NFS, HTTP or FTP)

ESXi target host