VMware vCenter Server

Module 4

2011 VMware Inc. All rights reserved

Importance

VMware vCenter Server allows you to centrally manage

multiple VMware ESXi hosts and their virtual machines.
Failure to properly install, configure, and manage vCenter
Server could result in reduced administrative efficiency or
possible VMware ESXi host and virtual machine downtime.

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Module Lessons

Lesson 1: vCenter Server Architecture

Lesson 2: Manage vCenter Server Inventory

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Lesson 1:
vCenter Server Architecture

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Learner Objectives

After this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

Describe the architecture of vCenter Server.
Discuss how ESXi hosts communicate with vCenter Server.
Identify additional vCenter Server components and modules.

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vCenter Server: Management Platform

vCenter Server is a service that

acts as a central administration
point for ESXi hosts and their
virtual machines, connected on a
network:

VMware vCenter Server

Manage

Up to 1,000 hosts per

vCenter Server instance
Up to 10,000 powered-on
virtual machines per
vCenter Server instance

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vSphere

VMware
vSphere

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vSphere

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vCenter Architecture

ESXi host

ESXi host

ESXi host

* NIS also supported

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ESXi and vCenter Server Communication

vCenter Server

vpxa

hostd
ESXi host

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vCenter Server Components

distributed services

Active Directory /
NIS Services

Additional Services :
Update manager

database
server

Orchestrator

user
access
control

vSphere
API

core services
VMware ESX/ESXi management

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Default vCenter Server Plug-Ins

vCenter Server is installed with a set of default plug-ins.
To install a new plug-in, use the Plug-in Manager in the vSphere
Client.

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Review of Learner Objectives

You should be able to do the following:

Describe the architecture of vCenter Server.
Discuss how ESXi hosts communicate with vCenter Server.
Identify additional vCenter Server components and modules.

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Additional vCenter Server Configuration Options

There are many other configuration options that are beyond the
scope of this discussion.

The other tabs offer various configuration options. For example:

Configure HTTP/HTTPS ports

Change appliance password
Reboot or shutdown the appliance
Configure logging and core file storage
Modify IP address, DNS, and hostname

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Lab 4

In this lab, you will perform basic vCenter Server inventory

operations.
1. Configure the vCenter Server appliance with a Web browser.
2. Configure vCenter Server appliance to use directory services.
3. Register VMware vSphere Web Client with vCenter Server
appliance.
4. Connect to the vCenter Server appliance with the vSphere Client.

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Review of Learner Objectives

You should be able to do the following:

Import the vCenter Server appliance into an existing
infrastructure.
Configure and deploy the vCenter Server appliance.

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Lesson 2:
Manage vCenter Server Inventory

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Learner Objectives

After this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

Create and organize vCenter Server inventory objects
Navigate using the vSphere Client
Add license keys to vCenter Server
View vCenter Server logs and events
Create a vCenter Server administrator

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Datacenter Object

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Organizing Inventory Objects into Folders

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Navigating the vSphere Client

Home page
search box

navigation bar

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vCenter Server Views: Hosts and Clusters, VMs, and Templates

Virtual machines and templates

inventory view

Hosts and clusters

inventory view

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vCenter Server Views: Datastores and Networks

Datastores and datastore clusters

inventory view

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Networking inventory view

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Adding a Host to the vCenter Server Inventory

To add an ESXi host to

the vCenter Server
inventory, use the Add
Host wizard and
specify:
Fully qualified
domain name
User name and
password
Lockdown mode
enabled

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vCenter License Overview

Licenses are managed and monitored from vCenter Server.
Licensing consists of:
Product License to use a vSphere software component or
feature
License key 25-character string that corresponds to a product
Asset Machine on which a product is installed

product
license
key
assets

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vCenter Server Events

event search

details of
selected
event

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vCenter Server System Logs

log search

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Lab 5

In this lab, you will perform basic vCenter Server inventory

operations.
1. Install vSphere license keys.
2. Create a vCenter Server inventory datacenter object.
3. Create vCenter Server inventory folder objects.
4. Add your ESXi host to the vCenter Server inventory.

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Review of Learner Objectives

You should be able to do the following:

Create and organize vCenter Server inventory objects
Navigate using the vSphere Client
Add license keys to vCenter Server
View vCenter Server logs and events
Create a vCenter Server administrator

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Key Points

The vCenter Server appliance is a Linux based appliance that

you can deploy as an alternative to the standard, Windowsbased vCenter Server software.
The VMware vCenter architecture consists of vCenter Server,
the vCenter Server database, Active Directory, and managed
ESXi hosts.
Use the inventory views to organize inventory objects in a
meaningful way.

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