Basic Administration Guide

Update 2 and later for

ESX Server 3.5, ESX Server 3i version 3.5, VirtualCenter 2.5

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-000029-07
Basic Administration Guide

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:
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Copyright 20062010 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
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companies.

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

AboutThisBook 13

GettingStarted

1 VMwareInfrastructureComponents 19
TwoApproachestoManagingVirtualMachines 20
ComponentsofVMwareInfrastructure 21
VMwareInfrastructureClientInterfaces 24
OptionalVirtualCenterComponents 24
VirtualCenterModules 26
ManagedComponents 26
FunctionalComponents 28
AccessPrivilegesComponents 29

2 UsingthisDocument 31
GettingStarted 32
VirtualMachineManagement 33
SystemAdministration 33
Appendixes 34

3 StartingandStoppingtheVMwareInfrastructureComponents 35
ESXServer 35
VirtualCenterServer 36
VerifyingThatVirtualCenterServerStarted 37
RestartingtheVirtualCenterServer 37
StoppingtheVirtualCenterServer 38
VIClient 38
StartingtheVIClientandLoggingIn 38
StoppingtheVIClientandLoggingOut 39

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Basic System Administration

VIWebAccess 40
VMwareServiceConsole 41
UsingDHCPfortheServiceConsole 41
ConnectingtotheServiceConsole 42
UsingCommandsontheServiceConsole 42

4 UsingtheVIClient 45
AbouttheVIClient 45
MenuBar 47
PopUpMenus 49
ConsoleMenu 50
NavigationBar 51
InventoryViewTabs 53
GettingStartedTabs 56
UsingtheTutorial 57
Toolbar 57
StatusBar,RecentTasks,andTriggeredAlarms 58
PanelSections 58
SortingandFilteringLists 59
UsingCustomAttributes 61
SelectingandViewingObjects 63
SelectingObjects 63
MonitoringObjects 65
PerformingActionsonObjects 65
ManagingVirtualCenterModules 67

5 SystemConfiguration 69
HostConfigurationforESXServerandVirtualCenter 69
HardwareTab 70
SoftwareTab 71
ESXServerNetworkConfiguration 72
ESXServerStorageConfiguration 72
ViewingSecurityConfigurationInformation 73
ViewingESXServerCommandInformation 74
VirtualCenterConfiguration 74
ConfiguringVirtualCenterCommunication 76
ConfiguringthePortThatVirtualCenterServerUses 77
ConfiguringVirtualCenterCommunicationoveraWebConnection 78
VirtualMachineConfiguration 79
WorkingwithActiveSessions 81

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AboutSNMPandVMwareInfrastructure 83
AboutMIBFiles 83
VMWAREROOTMIB 84
VMWAREENVMIB 84
VMWAREPRODUCTSMIB 85
VMWARERESOURCESMIB 86
VMWARETCMIB 88
VMWARETRAPSMIB 89
VMWAREVMINFOMIB 90
VMWAREVMKERNELMIB 92
UsingSNMPwithVirtualCenterServer 93
UsingSNMPwithESXServer3 94
ConfiguringtheESXServerAgentfromtheServiceConsole 95
ConfiguringSNMPTrapDestinationsforESXServer3 96
UsingSNMPwithESXServer3i 96
ConfiguringSNMPManagementClientSoftware 97
ConfiguringSNMPSecurityforESXServer3 97
SNMPDiagnostics 98
UsingSNMPwithGuestOperatingSystems 99
SystemLogFiles 99
ViewingSystemLogEntries 99
ExternalSystemLogs 101
ConfiguringSyslogonESXServerHosts 102
ExportingDiagnosticData 103
CollectingLogFiles 104

6 ManagingtheVIClientInventory 107
UnderstandingVIClientObjects 108
AddinganInventoryObject 110
MovingObjectsintheInventory 111
RemovinganInventoryObject 112
WorkingwithFilesintheDatastoreBrowser 113
AboutCopyingVirtualMachineDisks 114
PerforminganInitialDatacenterConsolidation 114

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Basic System Administration

VirtualMachineManagement

7 ConsolidatingtheDatacenter 117
AboutDatacenterConsolidation 118
ConsolidationPrerequisites 118
FirstTimeUse 119
AboutConsolidationServices 119
SpecifyingConsolidationSettings 120
FindingPhysicalSystems 120
SpecifyingScope 121
SupplyingSystemlevelAdministratorCredentials 122
ViewingAnalysisResults 122
AbouttheConfidenceMetric 123
ConsolidatingCandidates 123
AboutDiskResizing 124
ViewingConsolidationTasks 125
TroubleshootingConsolidation 125
DisableConsolidation 126
DisabletheCollectorService 126
UninstallGuidedConsolidation 126

8 ManagingHostsinVirtualCenter 127
AboutHosts 128
UnderstandingHostStates 129
AddingaHost 129
ConnectingorDisconnectingaHost 132
ReconnectingHostsAfterChangestotheVirtualCenterSSLCertificate 133
RemovingaHostfromaCluster 133
RemovingaHostfromVirtualCenter 135
MonitoringHostHealthStatus 137
ResettingSensors 138
RefreshingHealthStatusData 138
HostAdvancedConfigurationOptions 138

9 ImportingandExportingVirtualMachines 139
AboutOVF 140
ImportingaVirtualAppliance 140
ExportingaVirtualMachine 141

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10 CreatingVirtualMachines 143
UsingtheNewVirtualMachineWizard 144
PerformingAdditionalConfigurationBeforeCompletion 144
CreatingTypicalVirtualMachines 145
CreatingCustomVirtualMachines 148
MappingaSANLUN 153
InstallingaGuestOperatingSystem 154
InstallingandUpgradingVMwareTools 155
DisplayingtheVMwareToolsPropertiesDialogBox 162
VMwareToolsUpgrades 163
CustomVMwareToolsInstallation 165
WYSEMultimediaSupport 165
InstallingWYSEMultimediaSupportwithVMwareTools 166
InstallingWYSEMultimediaSupportaspartofaVMwareTools
Upgrade 166

11 ManagingVirtualMachines 169
ChangingVirtualMachinePowerStates 169
UnderstandingVirtualMachinePowerStates 170
UnderstandingTransitionalPowerStates 172
ManuallyPoweringaVirtualMachineOnandOff 172
UsingSuspendandResume 173
SchedulingaPowerStateChangeforaVirtualMachine 174
AddingandRemovingVirtualMachines 175
AddingExistingVirtualMachinestoVirtualCenter 175
RemovingVirtualMachinesfromVirtualCenter 175
ReturningaVirtualMachineorTemplatetoVirtualCenter 176
StartingandShuttingDownVirtualMachines 177

12 ConfiguringVirtualMachines 179
VirtualMachinePropertiesEditor 179
ChangingtheHardwareConfigurationofaVirtualMachine 180
ChangingVirtualMachineOptions 186
ChangingVirtualMachineResourceSettings 192
CPUResources 192
AdvancedCPUSettings 193
MemoryResources 194
DiskResources 196

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Basic System Administration

AddingNewHardware 196
LegacyVirtualMachines 201
UpgradingVirtualHardware 202

13 WorkingwithTemplatesandClones 203
UnderstandingTemplates 203
CreatingTemplates 204
EditingaTemplate 206
DeployingVirtualMachinesfromTemplates 207
DeletingTemplates 209
RegainingTemplates 210
CloningVirtualMachines 210
CreatingaScheduledTasktoCloneaVirtualMachine 212

14 CustomizingGuestOperatingSystems 215
PreparingforGuestCustomization 216
VirtualHardwareRequirementsforGuestCustomization 216
WindowsRequirementsforGuestCustomization 217
LinuxRequirementsforGuestCustomization 218
CustomizingaWindowsGuestOperatingSystem 218
CustomizingaLinuxGuestOperatingSystem 222
UsingtheCustomizationSpecificationWizard 224
UsingtheCloneVirtualMachineWizard 228
CompletingaGuestOperatingSystemCustomization 229
CompletingLinuxGuestOperatingSystemCustomization 229
CompletingWindowsGuestOperatingSystemCustomization 229

15 MigratingVirtualMachines 231
AboutMigration 232
ColdMigration 232
MigratingaSuspendedVirtualMachine 233
MigrationwithVMotion 233
HostConfigurationforVMotion 234
SharedStorage 234
VMotionNetworkingRequirements 235
Formoreinformationonhostnetworkingconfiguration,seetheESXServer
3ConfigurationGuideortheESXServer3iConfigurationGuide. 235

8 VMware, Inc.
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AboutCPUCompatibility 235
AboutCPUFamiliesandFeatureSets 237
AboutEnhancedVMotionCompatibility 238
EVCRequirements 238
CreatinganEVCCluster 239
EnablingEVConanExistingCluster 240
AboutCPUCompatibilityMasks 241
VirtualMachineConfigurationRequirementsforVMotion 242
SwapfileLocationCompatibility 242
MigratingVirtualMachineswithSnapshots 243
UsingtheMigrateVirtualMachineWizard 243
AboutMigrationCompatibilityChecks 246
MigrationwithStorageVMotion 248
StorageVMotionRequirementsandLimitations 248
StorageVMotionRemoteCommandLineSyntax 249
DeterminingthePathtoaVirtualMachineConfigurationFile 250
DeterminingthePathtoaVirtualDiskFile 250
StorageVMotionCommandLineExamples 251

16 UsingSnapshots 253
UnderstandingSnapshots 253
RelationshipBetweenSnapshots 254
SnapshotsandOtherActivityintheVirtualMachine 255
TakingaSnapshot 255
ChangingDiskModetoExcludeVirtualDisksfromSnapshots 256
UsingtheSnapshotManager 257
RestoringaSnapshot 259
ParentSnapshot 259
Revert toSnapshotCommand 260

SystemAdministration

17 ManagingUsers,Groups,Permissions,andRoles 265
AccessElements 266
AccessRules 266
HierarchicalInheritance 267
MultiplePermissionSettings 267
TasksRequiringSettingsonMultipleObjects 268

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Basic System Administration

Users 269
Groups 271
Permissions 271
Roles 272
CreatingRoles 275
CloningRoles 276
EditingRoles 277
RemovingRoles 277
RenamingRoles 278
AccessPermissions 278
AssigningAccessPermissions 279
AdjustingtheSearchListinLargeDomains 282
ChangingAccessPermissions 283
RemovingAccessPermissions 284

18 SettingUpandMonitoringPerformanceStatisticsandResource
Maps 285
StatisticsCollection 285
AboutCollectionIntervalsandCollectionLevels 286
CollectionLevelScenarios 288
UsingCollectionLevelsEffectively 289
Howstatisticaldataisstoredinthedatabase 289
ConfiguringStatisticsCollectionIntervals 291
PerformanceCharts 293
ViewingCharts 293
SavingChartDatatoaFile 295
CustomizingChartViews 295
ResourceMaps 297
AboutVMotionResourceMaps 298
MapElementsandIcons 298
ViewingMaps 299
PrintingMaps 300
ExportingMaps 300

19 ManagingTasks,Events,andAlarms 301
ManagingTasks 301
UnderstandingTasks 302
ViewingandPerformingTasks 303
ManagingScheduledTasks 305
ReschedulingaScheduledTask 308

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RemovingaScheduledTask 308
CancelingaTask 309
ManagingEvents 311
ViewingAllEventMessages 311
ViewingSelectedEventMessages 313
SortingandFilteringEventMessages 314
ExportingEventMessages 315
ManagingAlarms 316
UnderstandingAlarms 317
PreparingforEmailMessageSMTPAlarmNotification 319
PreparingforSNMPAlarmNotification 320
CreatingAlarms 321
EditingAlarms 326
RemovingAlarms 327

Appendixes

A DefinedPrivileges 331
Alarms 332
Datacenter 333
Datastore 333
Extensions 334
Folders 334
Global 335
HostCIM 337
HostConfiguration 337
HostInventory 339
HostLocalOperations 341
Network 341
Performance 342
Permissions 342
Resource 343
ScheduledTask 344
Sessions 345
Tasks 345

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Basic System Administration

VirtualMachineConfiguration 346
VirtualMachineInteraction 348
VirtualMachineInventory 350
VirtualMachineProvisioning 350
VirtualMachineState 352

B InstallingtheMicrosoftSysprepTools 353

C PerformanceChartMetrics 357
CPU 358
VirtualMachine 359
Host 360
ResourcePool 360
Cluster 361
Disk 361
HostandVirtualMachine 361
Memory 362
VirtualMachine 362
Host 364
ResourcePool 366
Cluster 368
ClusterServices 369
Cluster 370
Network 370
HostandVirtualMachine 370
System 371

Index 373

12 VMware, Inc.
About This Book

Thismanual,BasicSystemAdministration,describeshowtostartandstoptheVMware
InfrastructureClient(VIClient)components,buildyourVMwareInfrastructure
environment,monitorandmanagetheinformationgeneratedaboutthecomponents,
andsetuprolesandpermissionsforusersandgroupsusingtheVMwareInfrastructure
environment.Thismanualalsoprovidesinformationformanaging,creating,and
configuringvirtualmachinesinyourdatacenter.

Inaddition,thismanualprovidesbriefintroductionstothevarioustasksyoucan
performwithinthesystemaswellascrossreferencestothedocumentationthat
describesallthetasksindetail.

BasicSystemAdministrationcoversbothVMwareESXServer3.5and
VMware ESX Server3i,version3.5.Foreaseofdiscussion,thisbookusesthe
following productnamingconventions:

FortopicsspecifictoESXServer3.5,thisbookusesthetermESXServer3.
FortopicsspecifictoESXServer3iversion3.5,thisbookusestheterm
ESX Server 3i.

Fortopicscommontobothproducts,thisbookusesthetermESXServer.

Whentheidentificationofaspecificreleaseisimportanttoadiscussion,thisbook
referstotheproductbyitsfull,versionedname.

WhenadiscussionappliestoallversionsofESXServerforVMwareInfrastructure3,
thisbookusesthetermESXServer3.x.

VMware, Inc. 13
Basic System Administration

Intended Audience
Theinformationpresentedinthismanualiswrittenforsystemadministratorswhoare
experiencedWindowsorLinuxsystemadministratorsandwhoarefamiliarwith
virtualmachinetechnologyanddatacenteroperations.

Document Feedback
VMwarewelcomesyoursuggestionsforimprovingourdocumentation.Ifyouhave
comments,sendyourfeedbackto:

docfeedback@vmware.com

VMware Infrastructure Documentation

TheVMwareInfrastructuredocumentationconsistsofthecombinedVMware
VirtualCenterandESXServerdocumentationset.

Abbreviations Used in Figures

ThefiguresinthisbookusetheabbreviationslistedinTable 1.

Table 1. Abbreviations
Abbreviation Description

database VirtualCenterdatabase

datastore Storageforthemanagedhost

dsk# Storagediskforthemanagedhost

hostn VirtualCentermanagedhosts

SAN Storageareanetworktypedatastoresharedbetweenmanagedhosts
tmplt Template

user# Userwithaccesspermissions

VC VirtualCenter

VM# Virtualmachinesonamanagedhost

Technical Support and Education Resources

Thefollowingsectionsdescribethetechnicalsupportresourcesavailabletoyou.
To accessthecurrentversionsofthisbookandotherbooks,goto:

http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.

14 VMware, Inc.
 About This Book

Online and Telephone Support

Useonlinesupporttosubmittechnicalsupportrequests,viewyourproductand
contractinformation,andregisteryourproducts.Goto:

http://www.vmware.com/support

Customerswithappropriatesupportcontractsshouldusetelephonesupportforthe
fastestresponseonpriority1issues.Goto:

http://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.html

Support Offerings
FindouthowVMwaresupportofferingscanhelpmeetyourbusinessneeds.Goto:

http://www.vmware.com/support/services

VMware Education Services

VMwarecoursesofferextensivehandsonlabs,casestudyexamples,andcourse
materialsdesignedtobeusedasonthejobreferencetools.Formoreinformationabout
VMwareEducationServices,goto:

http://mylearn1.vmware.com/mgrreg/index.cfm

VMware, Inc. 15
Basic System Administration

16 VMware, Inc.
 Getting Started

VMware, Inc. 17
Basic System Administration

18 VMware, Inc.
 1

VMware Infrastructure
Components 1
ThischapterintroducesVMwareInfrastructurecomponentsandtheoperationsthat
youusewhenmanagingyourvirtualmachinesthroughESXServerorVirtualCenter
Server.

Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

TwoApproachestoManagingVirtualMachinesonpage 20

ComponentsofVMwareInfrastructureonpage 21

VMwareInfrastructureClientInterfacesonpage 24

OptionalVirtualCenterComponentsonpage 24

VirtualCenterModulesonpage 26

ManagedComponentsonpage 26
FunctionalComponentsonpage 28

AccessPrivilegesComponentsonpage 29

VMware, Inc. 19
Basic System Administration

Two Approaches to Managing Virtual Machines

VMwareInfrastructureClient(VIClient)isaflexible,configurablesolutionfor
managingyourvirtualmachines.Therearetwoprimarymethodsformanagingyour
virtualmachines:

DirectlythroughanESXServerhost(asingleorstandalonehost)thatcanmanage
onlythosevirtualmachines,andtheirresources,installedonit.

ThroughaVirtualCenterServerthatmanagesmultiplevirtualmachinesandtheir
resourcesdistributedovermanyESXServerhosts.

ThefigurebelowillustratesthecomponentsinanESXServerVirtualInfrastructure.

Figure 1-1. VMware Infrastructure Components with an ESX Server Host

VI Client VI Client

Host Agent

VM VM VM
ESX Server host

datastore

20 VMware, Inc.
 Chapter 1 VMware Infrastructure Components

ThefigurebelowillustratesthecomponentsinaVirtualCenterServerVirtual
Infrastructure.

Figure 1-2. VMware Infrastructure Components with a VirtualCenter Server

VI Client VI Client VI Client VI Client VI Client

VirtualCenter VirtualCenter
License Server Server VC
database

VirtualCenter VirtualCenter VirtualCenter

Agent Agent Agent

VM VM VM VM VM VM VM VM VM
ESX Server host ESX Server host ESX Server host

datastore shared
datastore

Components of VMware Infrastructure

TorunyourVMwareInfrastructureenvironment,youneedthefollowingitems:

ESXServerAvirtualizationplatformusedtocreatethevirtualmachinesasaset
ofconfigurationanddiskfilesthattogetherperformallthefunctionsofaphysical
machine.

ThroughESXServer,yourunthevirtualmachines,installoperatingsystems,run
applications,andconfigurethevirtualmachines.Configurationincludes
identifyingthevirtualmachinesresources,suchasstoragedevices.

Theserverprovidesbootstrapping,management,andotherservicesthatmanage
yourvirtualmachines.

EachESXServerhasaVIClientavailableforyourmanagementuse.Ifyour
ESX ServerisaregisteredhostwiththeVirtualCenterServer,aVIClientthat
accommodatestheVirtualCenterfeaturesisavailable.

VMware, Inc. 21
Basic System Administration

VirtualCenterAservicethatactsasacentraladministratorforVMware
ESX Serverhoststhatareconnectedonanetwork.VirtualCenterdirectsactionson
thevirtualmachinesandthevirtualmachinehosts(theESXServerhosts).

VirtualCenterServerTheworkingcoreofVirtualCenter.VirtualCenterServerisa
singleWindowsServiceandisinstalledtorunautomatically.AsaWindows
Service,theVirtualCenterServerrunscontinuouslyinthebackground,
performingitsmonitoringandmanagingactivitiesevenwhennoVIClientsare
connectedandevenifnobodyisloggedontothecomputerwhereitresides.
It musthavenetworkaccesstoallthehostsitmanagesandbeavailablefor
networkaccessfromanymachinewheretheVIClientisrun.
VirtualCenterServercanbeinstalledinaWindowsvirtualmachineonan
ESX Serverhost,allowingittotakeadvantageofthehighavailabilityaffordedby
VMwareHA.SeetheInstallationGuidefordetailsonsettingupthisconfiguration.

VirtualCentermodulesApplicationsthatprovideadditionalfeaturesand
functionalitytoVirtualCenter.Typically,modulesconsistofaservercomponent
andaclientcomponent.Aftertheservercomponentofamoduleisinstalled,itis
registeredwiththeVirtualCenterserverandtheclientcomponentisavailableto
VirtualCenterclientsfordownload(seeManagingVirtualCenterModuleson
page 67).AfteramoduleisinstalledonaVirtualCenterclient,itmightalterthe
interfacebyaddingviews,tabs,toolbarbuttons,ormenuoptionsrelatedtothe
addedfunctionality.

ModulesleveragecoreVirtualCentercapabilities,suchasauthenticationand
permissionmanagement,butcanhavetheirowntypesofevents,tasks,metadata,
andprivileges.

ModulesrequireVirtualCenter,buttheycanbeinstalledanytimeafter
VirtualCenterhasbeeninstalled.ModulesandVirtualCentercanbeupgraded
independentofeachother.

VirtualCenterdatabaseApersistentstorageareaformaintainingstatusofeach
virtualmachine,host,andusermanagedintheVirtualCenterenvironment.
The VirtualCenterdatabasecanberemoteorlocaltotheVirtualCenterServer
machine.

ThedatabaseisinstalledandconfiguredduringVirtualCenterinstallation.

IfyouareaccessingyourESXServerhostdirectlythroughaVIClient,andnot
throughaVirtualCenterServerandassociatedVIClient,youdonotusea
VirtualCenterdatabase.

22 VMware, Inc.
 Chapter 1 VMware Infrastructure Components

DatastoreThestoragelocationsforthevirtualmachinefilesspecifiedwhen
creatingvirtualmachines.Datastoreshidetheidiosyncrasiesofvariousstorage
options(suchasVMFSvolumesonlocalSCSIdisksoftheserver,theFibreChannel
SANdiskarrays,theiSCSISANdiskarrays,orNetworkAttachedStorage(NAS)
arrays)andprovideauniformmodelforvariousstorageproductsrequiredby
virtualmachines.

VirtualCenteragentOneachmanagedhost,softwarethatcollects,
communicates,andexecutestheactionsreceivedfromtheVirtualCenterServer.
TheVirtualCenteragentisinstalledthefirsttimeanyhostisaddedtothe
VirtualCenterinventory.

HostagentOneachmanagedhost,softwarethatcollects,communicates,and
executestheactionsreceivedthroughtheVIClient.Itisinstalledaspartofthe
ESX Serverinstallation.

VirtualCenterlicenseserverAserverthatstoressoftwarelicensesrequiredfor
mostoperationsinVirtualCenterandESXServer,suchaspoweringonavirtual
machine.

VMwareInfrastructuresupportsmultiplemodesoflicensing.Notallmodesof
licensingrequirealicenseserver.VirtualCenterandfeaturesthatrequire
VirtualCenter,suchasVMwareVMotion,requirealicenseserver.

FormoreinformationonVirtualCenterandESXServer3licensing,seethe
InstallationGuide.FormoreinformationonESXServer3ilicensing,seetheSetup
GuideforyourESXServer3iproduct.

Forcompleteinformationoninstallingthesecomponents,seetheInstallationGuide.
ForcompleteinformationonconfiguringESXServer3,seetheESXServer3
ConfigurationGuide.ForcompleteinformationonconfiguringESXServer3i,seethe
ESXServer3iConfigurationGuide.

VMware, Inc. 23
Basic System Administration

VMware Infrastructure Client Interfaces

VMwareInfrastructureClientinterfaceoptionsinclude:

VMwareInfrastructureClient(VIClient)Arequiredcomponentandthe
primaryinterfaceforcreating,managing,andmonitoringvirtualmachines,their
resources,andtheirhosts.Italsoprovidesconsoleaccesstovirtualmachines.

VIClientisinstalledonaWindowsmachinewithnetworkaccesstoyour
ESX ServerorVirtualCenterServerinstallation.Theinterfacedisplaysslightly
differentoptionsdependingonwhichtypeofserveryouareconnectedto.
While allVirtualCenteractivitiesareperformedbytheVirtualCenterServer,you
mustusetheVIClienttomonitor,manage,andcontroltheserver.Asingle
VirtualCenterServerorESXServerhostcansupportmultiple,simultaneously
connectedVIClients.

VirtualInfrastructureWebAccess(VIWebAccess)AWebinterfacethrough
whichyoucanperformbasicvirtualmachinemanagementandconfigurationand
getconsoleaccesstovirtualmachines.ItisinstalledwithyourESXServerhost.
SimilartotheVIClient,VIWebAccessworksdirectlywithahostorthrough
VirtualCenter.SeetheVIWebAccessAdministratorsGuideforadditional
information.

VMwareServiceConsoleAcommandlineinterfaceforconfiguringan
ESX Server3host.ForanESXServer3ihost,usetheRemoteCLI.

RemoteCommandLineInterface(RemoteCLI)Acommandlineinterfacefor
configuringanESXServerhost.TheRemoteCLIcanalsobeusedtoperform
StorageVMotionoperationsonbothESXServer3iandESXServer3version3.5
hosts.

Optional VirtualCenter Components

OptionalVirtualCentercomponentsarepackagedandinstalledwiththebaseproduct,
butrequireaseparatelicense.Optionalfeaturesinclude:

VMotionAfeaturethatenablesyoutomoverunningvirtualmachinesfromone
ESXServerhosttoanotherwithoutserviceinterruption.Itrequireslicensingon
boththesourceandtargethost.TheVirtualCenterServercentrallycoordinatesall
VMotionactivities.

VMwareHAAfeaturethatenablesaclusterwithHighAvailability.Ifahostgoes
down,allvirtualmachinesthatwererunningonthehostarepromptlyrestarted
ondifferenthostsinthesamecluster.

24 VMware, Inc.
 Chapter 1 VMware Infrastructure Components

WhenyouenabletheclusterforHA,youspecifythenumberofhostsyouwould
liketobeabletorecover.Ifyouspecifythenumberofhostfailuresallowedas1,
HAmaintainsenoughcapacityacrosstheclustertotoleratethefailureofonehost.
Allrunningvirtualmachinesonthathostcanberestartedonremaininghosts.By
default,youcannotpoweronavirtualmachineifdoingsoviolatesrequired
failovercapacity.SeeResourceManagementGuideformoreinformation.

VMwareDRSAfeaturethathelpsimproveresourceallocationandpower
consumptionacrossallhostsandresourcepools.VMwareDRScollectsresource
usageinformationforallhostsandvirtualmachinesintheclusterandgives
recommendations(ormigratesvirtualmachines)inoneoftwosituations:

InitialplacementWhenyoufirstpoweronavirtualmachineinthecluster,
DRSeitherplacesthevirtualmachineormakesarecommendation.

LoadbalancingDRStriestoimproveresourceutilizationacrossthecluster
byperformingautomaticmigrationsofvirtualmachines(VMotion)orby
providingarecommendationforvirtualmachinemigrations.

VMwareDRSincludesexperimentaldistributedpowermanagement(DPM)
capabilities.WhenDPMisenabled,thesystemcomparesclusterandhostlevel
capacitytothedemandsofvirtualmachinesrunninginthecluster.Basedonthe
resultsofthecomparison,DPMrecommends(orautomaticallyimplements)
actionsthatcanreducethepowerconsumptionofthecluster.

VMwareInfrastructureSDKpackageAPIsformanagingvirtualinfrastructure
anddocumentationdescribingthoseAPIs.TheSDKalsoincludesthe
VirtualCenterWebServiceinterface,WebServicesDescriptionLanguage(WSDL),
andexamplefiles.Thisisavailablethroughanexternallink.TodownloadtheSDK
package,seehttp://www.vmware.com/support/developer.

VMware, Inc. 25
Basic System Administration

VirtualCenter Modules
VirtualCentermodulesextendthecapabilitiesofVirtualCenterbyprovidingadditional
featuresandfunctionality.Somemodulesarepackagedseparatelyfromthebase
productandrequireseparateinstallation.Modulesandthebaseproductcanbe
upgradedindependentlyofeachother.VMwaremodulesinclude:

VMwareUpdateManagerEnablesadministratorstoapplyupdatesandpatches
acrossESXServerhostsandallmanagedvirtualmachines.Thismoduleprovides
theabilitytocreateuserdefinedsecuritybaselineswhichrepresentasetofsecurity
standards.Securityadministratorscancomparehostsandvirtualmachines
againstthesebaselinestoidentifyandremediatesystemsthatarenotin
compliance.

VMwareConverterEnterpriseforVirtualCenterEnablesuserstoconvert
physicalmachines,andvirtualmachinesinavarietyofformats,toESXServer
virtualmachines.ConvertedsystemscanbeimportedintotheVirtualCenter
inventory.

Managed Components
VirtualCentermonitorsandmanagesvariouscomponentsofyourvirtualandphysical
infrastructure.Somecomponentsareavailablefororganizingpotentiallyhundredsof
virtualmachinesandotherobjects.Theycanberenamedtorepresenttheirpurposes;
forexample,theycanbenamedaftercompanydepartmentsorlocationsorfunctions.
Themanagedcomponentsare:

VirtualMachinesandTemplatesAvirtualizedx86personalcomputer
environmentinwhichaguestoperatingsystemandassociatedapplication
softwarecanrun.Multiplevirtualmachinescanoperateonthesamemanagedhost
machineconcurrently.Templatesareadesignatedtypeofvirtualmachine.

HostsTheprimarycomponentuponwhichallvirtualmachinesreside.Ifthe
VMwareInfrastructureClientisconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,allhosts
managedbythatVirtualCenterServerareavailableformanagement.Ifthe
VMwareInfrastructureClientisconnecteddirectlytoanESXServerhost,onlythat
hostisavailableformanagement.

NOTEWhenVirtualCenterreferstoahost,thismeansthephysicalmachineon
whichthevirtualmachinesarerunning.AllvirtualmachineswithintheVMware
InfrastructureenvironmentrunonESXServerorhosts.Thetermhostinthis
manualmeanstheESXServerhostthathasvirtualmachinesonit.

26 VMware, Inc.
 Chapter 1 VMware Infrastructure Components

ResourcepoolsAstructurethatallowsdelegationofcontrolovertheresources
ofahost.Resourcepoolsareusedtocompartmentalizeallresourcesinacluster.
Youcancreatemultipleresourcepoolsasdirectchildrenofahostorclusterand
configurethem.Thendelegatecontroloverthemtootherindividualsor
organizations.ThemanagedresourcesareCPUandmemoryfromahostorcluster.
Virtualmachinesexecutein,anddrawtheirresourcesfrom,resourcepools.

ClustersAcollectionofESXServerhostswithsharedresourcesandashared
managementinterface.Whenyouaddahosttoacluster,thehostsresources
becomepartoftheclustersresources.Theclustermanagestheresourcesofall
hosts.SeetheResourceManagementGuide.

DatastoresVirtualrepresentationsofcombinationsofunderlyingphysical
storageresourcesinthedatacenter.Thesephysicalstorageresourcescancome
fromthelocalSCSIdiskoftheserver,theFibreChannelSANdiskarrays,theiSCSI
SANdiskarrays,orNetworkAttachedStorage(NAS)arrays.

NetworksNetworksthatconnectvirtualmachinestoeachotherinthevirtual
environmentortothephysicalnetworkoutside.

FoldersContainersusedtogroupobjectsandorganizethemintohierarchies.
Thisisnotonlyconvenientbutalsoprovidesanaturalstructureuponwhichto
applypermissions.

Therearethreetypesoffolders,eachofwhichcancontainotherfolders(ofthe
sametype)andexactlyoneothertypeofobject.Theseobjectsare:

Datacenters
Virtualmachines(whichincludetemplates)
Computeresources(whichincludehostsandclusters)

Thedatacenterfoldersformahierarchydirectlyundertherootnodeandallow
userstogrouptheirdatacentersinanyconvenientway.Withineachdatacenteris
onehierarchyoffolderswithvirtualmachinesandtemplatesandonehierarchyof
folderswithhostsandclusters.

VMware, Inc. 27
Basic System Administration

DatacentersUnlikeafolder,whichisusedtoorganizeaspecificobjecttype,a
datacenterisanaggregationofallthedifferenttypesofobjectsneededtodowork
invirtualinfrastructure:hosts,virtualmachines,networks,anddatastores.

Withinadatacentertherearefourseparatehierarchies.

Virtualmachines(andtemplates)
Hosts(andclusters)
Networks
Datastores

Becauseitisnotpossibletoputnetworksordatastoresintofolders,theNetworks
andDatastoreshierarchiesarealwaysflatlists

Datacentersactasthenamespaceboundaryfortheseobjects.Youcannothavetwo
objects(forexample,twohosts)withthesamenameinthesamedatacenter,but
youcanhavetwoobjectswiththesamenameindifferentdatacenters.

Functional Components
ThefunctionalcomponentsmonitorandmanagetasksintheVMwareInfrastructure
environment.Thefunctionalcomponentsareavailablethroughanavigationbuttonbar
intheVIClient.Theoptionsare:

InventoryAviewofallthemonitoredobjectsinVirtualCenter.Monitored
objectsincludedatacenters,resourcepools,clusters,networks,datastores,
templates,hosts,andvirtualmachines.

ScheduledtasksAlistofactivitiesandameanstoschedulethoseactivities.
This isavailablethroughVirtualCenterServeronly.

EventsAlistofalltheeventsthatoccurintheVirtualCenterenvironment.
Use theNavigationoptiontodisplayalltheevents.Useanobjectspecificpanelto
displayonlytheeventsrelativetothatobject.

AdminAlistofenvironmentlevelconfigurationoptions.TheAdminoption
providesconfigurationaccesstoRoles,Sessions,Licenses,Diagnostics,and
SystemLogs.WhenconnectedtoanESXServerhost,onlytheRolesoption
appears.

MapsAvisualrepresentationofthestatusandstructureoftheVMware
Infrastructureenvironmentandtherelationshipsbetweenmanagedobjects.
This includeshosts,networks,virtualmachines,anddatastores.Thisisavailable
onlythroughVirtualCenterServer.

28 VMware, Inc.
 Chapter 1 VMware Infrastructure Components

VariousinformationlistsaregeneratedandtrackedbyyourVMwareInfrastructure
Clientactivity:

TasksTheseactivitiesarescheduledorinitiatedmanually.Tasksgenerateevent
messagesthatindicateanyissuesassociatedwiththetask.

EventsMessagesthatreportVMwareInfrastructureactivity.Eventmessagesare
predefinedintheproduct.

AlarmsSpecificnotificationsthatoccurinresponsetoselectedevents.Some
alarmsaredefinedbyproductdefault.Additionalalarmscanbecreatedand
appliedtoselectedinventoryobjectsorallinventoryobjects.

LogsStoredreferenceinformationrelatedtoselectedeventmessages.Logsare
predefinedintheproduct.Youcanconfigurewhetherselectedlogsaregenerated.

Access Privileges Components

EachuserlogsontoaVirtualCenterServerorahostthroughtheVIClient.Eachuser
isidentifiedtotheserverassomeonewhohasrightsandprivilegestoselectedobjects,
suchasdatacentersandvirtualmachines,withintheVMwareInfrastructure
environment.VirtualCenterServeritselfhasfullrightsandprivilegesonallhostsand
virtualmachineswithintheVMwareInfrastructureenvironment.Theserverpasseson
onlythoseactionsandrequestsfromauserthattheuserhaspermissiontoperform.

TheservergrantsaccesstoeachVMwareInfrastructureClientobject,datacenter,folder,
orvirtualmachine.Todothis,youassignaroleandauser(orgroup)toeachobject.

IndividualpermissionsareassignedthroughtheVIClientbypairingauserandarole
andassigningthispairtoaVMwareInfrastructureClientobject:

UsersandGroupsForVirtualCenter,usersandgroupsarecreatedand
maintainedthroughtheWindowsdomainorActiveDirectorydatabase.Usersand
groupsareregisteredwithVirtualCenter,orcreatedandregisteredwithan
ESX Server,throughtheprocessthatassignsprivileges.

RolesAsetofaccessrightsandprivileges.Thereareselecteddefaultroles.
You canalsocreaterolesandassigncombinationsofprivilegestoeachrole.

VMware, Inc. 29
Basic System Administration

30 VMware, Inc.
 2

Using this Document 2

BasicSystemAdministrationdescribesthetasksyoumustcompletetoconfigurethe
VMwareInfrastructureClient(VIClient)andvirtualmachines.Beforeusingthe
informationinBasicSystemAdministration,readtheIntroductiontoVMware
Infrastructureforanoverviewofsystemarchitectureandthephysicalandvirtual
devicesthatmakeupaVMwareInfrastructuresystem.

Thischaptersummarizestheinformationcontainedinthismanualonthefollowing
topics:

VMwareInfrastructurecomponents

Administrationtools

Systemconfiguration

Virtualmachinemanagementandconfiguration
Accessandpermissionsmanagement

Systemadministrationandmanagement

VMware, Inc. 31
Basic System Administration

Getting Started
Theintroductorydiscussionspanssevenchaptersanddescribesthesystem
components,systemmanagementtools,andthebasictasksyoumustcompleteto
configureyourVMwareInfrastructureClient.Theintroductorypartcontainsthe
followingchapters:

UsingthisDocumentSummarizesthecontentsofthisguidesothatyoucanfind
theinformationyouneed.

VMwareInfrastructureComponentsIntroducesyoutotheVMware
Infrastructurecomponentsandoperationsyouusewhenmanagingyourvirtual
machinesthroughESXServerorVirtualCenterServer.

StartingandStoppingtheVMwareInfrastructureComponentsDescribeshowto
startandstopeachoftheVMwareInfrastructurecomponents.Thisincludesthe
ESXServer,VirtualCenterServer,VMwareInfrastructureClient,Virtual
InfrastructureWebAccess,VirtualCenterhostagent,VirtualCenterlicenseserver,
andtheVMwareServiceConsole.

UsingtheVIClientDescribesthespecificlayoutandnavigationoftheVIClient.

SystemConfigurationContainsinformationforconfiguringadministration
options,VirtualCenterServersettings,andmanaginghostconfigurationoptions.
Italsoincludessomebasicsystemconfigurationinformation,suchashowto
accessandconfigurelogfilesandsetupSNMP.

ManagingtheVIClientInventoryDescribeshowtoperformtaskswithobjectsin
yourVMwareInfrastructureenvironment.Thisincludesfolders,datacenters,
clusters,resourcepools,networks,anddatastores.Theseobjectsareusedto
manageororganizethemonitoredandmanagedhostsandvirtualmachines.

ManagingHostsinVirtualCenterDescribeshowtoperformmanaged
hostrelatedtasks.

32 VMware, Inc.
 Chapter 2 Using this Document

Virtual Machine Management

Thevirtualmachinemanagementdiscussionconsistsofsevenchaptersthatprovidea
basicunderstandingofvirtualmachinesandhowtomanage,configure,andcustomize
them.Thevirtualmachinemanagementpartcontainsthefollowingchapters:

CreatingVirtualMachinesDescribeshowtocreatevirtualmachinesbyusingthe
NewVirtualMachinewizardandbycloningexistingvirtualmachines.

ManagingVirtualMachinesDescribesvirtualmachinetasks,includingaddinga
virtualmachinetoandremovingitfromtheVIClientandpoweringonandoff
virtualmachines.

ConfiguringVirtualMachinesDescribeshowtoeditandconfigureyourexisting
virtualmachines.Italsodiscussesadvancedvirtualmachineconfiguration
options.

UsingSnapshotsExplainshowtocapturetheentirestateofthevirtualmachine
usingthesnapshotsfeature.

WorkingwithTemplatesandClonesDescribescreatingtemplatesandusing
virtualmachinetemplatestocreateandprovisionnewvirtualmachines.

MigratingVirtualMachinesDescribestheprocessofmigratingormovinga
virtualmachinefromonehosttoanother.

CustomizingGuestOperatingSystemsExplainshowtocustomizetheidentity
andnetworksettingsofyourvirtualmachinesguestoperatingsystemsothatitis
readytobeginworkimmediatelyinyourtargetenvironment.

System Administration
Thesystemadministrationpartcontainsthefollowingchapters:

ManagingUsers,Groups,Permissions,andRolesDescribeshowtomanage
accesstoVMwareInfrastructureinventoryobjects.Itexplainshowtoconfigure
users,groups,roles,andpermissions.

SettingUpandMonitoringPerformanceStatisticsandResourceMapsDescribes
theperformancemonitoringpiecesoftheVMwareInfrastructureClientdata
presentedintheVIClient.ItalsodescribestheVMwareInfrastructureClientMaps
feature.

ManagingTasks,Events,andAlarmsDescribeshowtocreate,configure,anduse
tasks,events,andalarms.

VMware, Inc. 33
Basic System Administration

Appendixes
BasicSystemAdministrationprovidesthesefourappendixeswithspecialized
informationyoumightfindusefulwhenconfiguringyourVMwareInfrastructure
environment:

DefinedPrivilegesIncludestableswiththepermissionsandrolesthatare
availablewiththeVMwareInfrastructuresystem.

InstallingtheMicrosoftSysprepToolsDescribeshowtoinstalltheMicrosoft
SyspreptoolsonyourVirtualCenterServermachine.InstallingtheSyspreptools
isarequirementifyouplantocustomizeaWindowsguestoperatingsystem.

PerformanceChartMetricsIncludestableswiththemeasurementoptionsfor
eachresourcemonitoredonahost.

34 VMware, Inc.
 3

Starting and Stopping the

VMware Infrastructure
Components 3
Thischapterincludesinformationonhowtostartandstopeachoneofthemajor
VMwareInfrastructurecomponents,ESXServerandVirtualCenterServer.

Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

ESXServeronpage 35

VirtualCenterServeronpage 36

VIClientonpage 38

VIWebAccessonpage 40

VMwareServiceConsoleonpage 41

ESX Server
WhenyouinstallESXServer,itstartsitselfthroughtheinstallationrebootprocess.
If yourESXServerisshutdown,youmustmanuallyrestartit.

To start your ESX Server

OnthephysicalboxwhereESXServerisinstalled,pressthepowerbuttonuntilthe
poweronsequencebegins.

TheESXServerboots,discoversitsvirtualmachines,andproceedswithitsnormal
ESX Serverfunctions.

Youhavetheoptiontopowerofforrestart(reboot)anyESXServerhostusingthe
VI Client.ESXServer3hostscanalsobepoweredofffromtheserviceconsole.
PoweringoffamanagedhostdisconnectsitfromtheVirtualCenterServerbutdoesnot
removeitfromtheinventory.

VMware, Inc. 35
Basic System Administration

To reboot or shut down your ESX Server

1 ShutdownallvirtualmachinesrunningontheESXServerhost.

2 IfconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,displaytheinventorysHosts&Clusters
panel.Selecttheappropriaterootfolder(bydefaultlabeledHosts&Clusters)or
subfolder.

3 SelecttheappropriateESXServerintheinventorypanel.

4 Fromthemainorrightclickpopupmenu,chooseRebootorShutDown,as
appropriate.

IfRebootisselected,theESXServershutsdownandreboots.

IfShutDownisselected,theESXServershutsdown.Youmustmanually
powerthesystembackon.

5 Provideareasonfortheshutdown.

Thisinformationisaddedtothelog.

To manually stop an ESX Server 3 host

1 LogintotheESXServerserviceconsole.

SeeConnectingtotheServiceConsoleonpage 42forinformationonaccessing
theserviceconsole.

2 Executetheshutdowncommand.

Forexample:
: shutdown -h now

ESXServer3gracefullyshutsdown.Whenitisfinished,amessageindicatesthat
itissafetopoweroffyoursystem.

3 Pressthepowerbuttonuntilthemachinepowersoff.

VirtualCenter Server
VirtualCentermanagesmultiplehoststhatcancontainmultiplevirtualmachines.
To performanyactivitieswiththeVirtualCenter,youmustusethe
VMware InfrastructureClient.

TheVirtualCenterServerstartswhenyoustarttheWindowsmachineonwhichitis
installed.Italsorestartswhenthismachineisrebooted.

36 VMware, Inc.
 Chapter 3 Starting and Stopping the VMware Infrastructure Components

ThefollowingsectionsdiscussstartingandstoppingelementsrelatedtoVirtualCenter:

VerifyingThatVirtualCenterServerStartedonpage 37

RestartingtheVirtualCenterServeronpage 37

StoppingtheVirtualCenterServeronpage 38

NOTEWhenVirtualCenterisinstalled,allusersinthelocalmachinesAdministrators
groupareassignedtheAdministratorrolewithfullprivilegesintheVirtualCenter
environment.AVirtualCenterAdministratormustsetpermissionsforallother
VirtualCenterusers.SeeAssigningAccessPermissionsonpage 279foradditional
information.

Verifying That VirtualCenter Server Started

VirtualCenterisaservice,soproceedtoyourWindowsserviceslistandverifythatthe
servicestarted.

To verify that the VirtualCenter Server is running

1 GototheServicesdisplayforyourversionofWindows.

Forexample,selectControlPanel>AdministrativeTools>Services.Click
VMwareInfrastructureServer.

TheStatuscolumnindicateswhethertheservicestarted.

2 RightclicktheVMwareInfrastructureServerandchooseProperties.Inthe
VMwareVirtualCenterServicesPropertiesdialogbox,clicktheGeneraltaband
viewtheservicestatus.

Restarting the VirtualCenter Server

TheVirtualCenterServerservicestartswhenthemachineonwhichitisinstalledis
booted.IfyouhavemanuallystoppedtheVirtualCenterServerserviceormuststartit
foranyreason,performthestepsbelow.

To restart the VirtualCenter Server through Windows Services

1 GototheServicesdisplayforyourversionofWindows.

Forexample,selectControlPanel>AdministrativeTools>Services.Click
VMwareInfrastructureServer.
2 RightclickVMwareInfrastructureServer,chooseStart,andwaitforstartupto
complete.
3 ClosethePropertiesdialogbox.

VMware, Inc. 37
Basic System Administration

Stopping the VirtualCenter Server

TheVirtualCenterServerisaWindowsservice.YoucanusetheWindowsinterfaceto
selecttheserviceandstopit.

YoushouldnothavetostoptheVirtualCenterServer.ItisbestfortheVirtualCenter
Servertohavecontinuousoperation.Continuousoperationensuresthatallmonitoring
andtaskactivitiesareperformedasexpected.

To stop the VirtualCenter Server

1 GototheServicesdisplayforyourversionofWindows.

Forexample,selectStart>ControlPanel>AdministrativeTools>Services.
Click VMwareVirtualCenterService.

2 RightclicktheVMwareVirtualCenterServer,chooseStop,andwaitforittostop.

3 ClosethePropertiesdialogbox.

VI Client
TheVMwareInfrastructureClientisusedtologintoeitheraVirtualCenterServeror
anESXServerhost.EachserversupportsmultipleVIClientsessions.TheVIClientcan
beinstalledonanymachinethathasnetworkaccesstotheVirtualCenterServeroran
ESXserverhost.

Bydefault,administratorsareallowedtologintoaVirtualCenterServer.
Administratorsherearedefinedtobeeither:

MembersofthelocalAdministratorsgroupiftheVirtualCenterServerisnota
domaincontroller.

MembersofthedomainAdministratorsgroupiftheVirtualCenterServerisa
domaincontroller.

Starting the VI Client and Logging In

TheVIClientistheinterfacetoESXServerhostsandtheVirtualCenterServer.When
youstarttheVIClient,ithasasingleopeningpage.Whenyoulogin,theVIClient
displaysonlythefeaturesandfunctionsthatareappropriatetothetypeofserveryou
loggedonto.

38 VMware, Inc.
 Chapter 3 Starting and Stopping the VMware Infrastructure Components

To start a VI Client session

1 LogintoyourWindowssystem.

2 ThefirsttimeyoustarttheVIClient,loginastheadministrator.

a Ifthemanagedhostisnotadomaincontroller,loginaseither<local host
name>\<user>or<user>,where<user>isamemberofthelocal
Administratorsgroup.

b Ifthemanagedhostisadomaincontroller,youmustloginas
<domain>\<user>,where<domain>isthedomainnameforwhichthe
managedhostisacontrollerand<user> isamemberofthatdomains
DomainAdministratorsgroup.Thispracticeofrunningonadomain
controllerisnotrecommended.

3 LaunchtheVIClient.

DoubleclickashortcutorchoosetheapplicationthroughStart>Programs>
VMware>VMwareInfrastructureClient.

4 Logintotheserver.

Enterorchoosetheservername,yourusername,andyourpasswordforthat
server.ClickLogintocontinue.

NOTEOnlypreviouslytypedserversappearintheServerdropdownmenu.

IfthisisthefirsttimeyouhaveloggedontotheVirtualCenterServer,anempty
Inventoryscreenappears.Addadatacenterandhosttobeginmonitoringand
managingyourvirtualmachinesthroughtheVMwareInfrastructureClient.
See ManagingtheVIClientInventoryonpage 107foradditionalinformation.

Stopping the VI Client and Logging Out

WhenyounolongermustvieworaltertheactivitiesthatVirtualCenterisperforming,
logoutoftheVIClient.

To stop a VI Client session

Clicktheclosebox(X)inthecorneroftheVIClientwindow,orchooseFile>Exit.
TheVIClientshutsdown.TheVIClientisloggedofftheserver.Theserver
continuestorunallitsnormalactivitiesinthebackground.Anyscheduledtasks
aresavedandperformedbytheVirtualCenterServer.

NOTEClosingaVIClientdoesnotstoptheserver.

VMware, Inc. 39
Basic System Administration

VI Web Access
VI WebAccessistheWebinterfacethroughwhichyoucanmanageyourvirtual
machines.VI WebAccessisinstalledwhenyouinstallESXServer.AswiththeVIClient,
VIWebAccesscaneitherbeusedtoconnectdirectlytoanESXServerhostorto
VirtualCenter.ThefunctionalityofVI WebAccessisasubsetofVIClientfunctionality.

TheVI WebAccessconsoleprovidesaremotemousekeyboardscreen(MKS)forthe
virtualmachines.Youcaninteractwithaguestoperatingsystemrunninginavirtual
machineandconnectremotelytothevirtualmachinesmouse,keyboard,andscreen.

ForinformationonhowtouseVI WebAccesstoconfigurevirtualmachinesfor
ESX ServerandVirtualCenter,seetheVirtualInfrastructureWebAccessAdministratorsGuide.

VIWebAccessusesaWebinterfaceandaninternetconnectiontoaccessyour
ESX ServerorVirtualCenterServer.

To log in to VI Web Access

1 LaunchyourWebbrowser.

2 EntertheURLofyourESXServerorVirtualCenterServerinstallation:
https://<host or server name>/ui

TheVIWebAccessloginpageappears.

Theloginpagecontainsfieldsforyourusernameandpassword.Thisusername
andpasswordarethesamecredentialsyouwoulduseifyouconnectedusingthe
VIClient.Also,thesamepermissionsareusedtodetermineifausercanviewand
manipulateobjects.VI WebAccessdoesnothaveitsownconceptofusersor
permissions.

40 VMware, Inc.
 Chapter 3 Starting and Stopping the VMware Infrastructure Components

3 Typeyourusernameandpassword,andclickLogIn.

TheVI WebAccesshomepageappears.

AfteryourusernameandpasswordareauthorizedbyVI WebAccess,theVI Web

Accesshomepageappears.TheVI WebAccesshomepagecontains:

Detailsaboutvirtualmachinesontheservertowhichyouareconnected.

Theoptiontoaccessthedetailspageforavirtualmachinewhereyoufind
informationaboutvirtualdevices,configurationoptions,andasummaryof
recentevents.

To log out of VI Web Access

ClicktheLogOutlinkfoundatthecornerofeverypage.Youarepromptedtoconfirm
thatyouwanttologout.

NOTEIfyouareusinganyremoteclientdevicesthroughVI WebAccess,theyare
disconnectedwhenyoulogout.

VMware Service Console

InpreviousversionsofESXServer,theserviceconsolewasoneoftheinterfacesto
ESX Serverhosts.StartingwithESXServer3,manyofthecommandsaredeprecated.
TheserviceconsoleistypicallyusedonlyinconjunctionwithaVMwaretechnical
supportrepresentative.

ESXServer3idoesnothaveaserviceconsole.Someserviceconsolecommandsare
availableforESXServer3ithroughtheRemoteCLI.

TheVMwareInfrastructureSDKisusedforscriptedmanipulationofyourVMware
Infrastructureinstead.TheVMwareInfrastructureClientistheprimaryinterfacetoall
nonscriptedactivities,includingconfiguring,monitoring,andmanagingyourvirtual
machinesandresources.

Using DHCP for the Service Console

TherecommendedsetupistousestaticIPaddressesfortheserviceconsoleofan
ESX Server3host.YoucansetuptheserviceconsoletouseDHCP,ifyourDNSserver
iscapableofmappingtheserviceconsoleshostnametothedynamicallygenerated
IP address.

VMware, Inc. 41
Basic System Administration

IfyourDNSservercannotmapthehostsnametoitsDHCPgeneratedIPaddress,you
mustdeterminetheserviceconsolesnumericIPaddressyourself.Anothercaution
againstusingDHCPisthatthenumericIPaddressmightchangeasDHCPleasesrun
outorwhenthesystemisrebooted.Forthisreason,VMwaredoesnotrecommend
usingDHCPfortheserviceconsoleunlessyourDNSservercanhandlethehostname
translation.

CAUTIONDonotusedynamic(DHCP)addressingwhensharingthenetworkadapter
assignedtotheserviceconsolewithvirtualmachines.ESXServer3requiresastatic
IP addressfortheserviceconsolewhensharinganetworkadapter.

Connecting to the Service Console

Whetheryouusetheserviceconsolelocallyorthrougharemoteconnection,youmust
loginusingavalidusernameandpassword.

IfyouhavedirectaccesstothecomputerwhereESXServer3isrunning,youcanlogin
tothephysicalconsoleonthatcomputer.

To log in to the ESX Server 3 service console

PressAltF2togettotheloginscreen.

DependingonthesecuritysettingsforyourESXServer3computer,youmightbeable
toconnectremotelytotheserviceconsoleusingSSHorTelnet.Formoreinformation
onthesecuritysettings,seetheESXServer3ConfigurationGuide.

Using Commands on the Service Console

TheserviceconsolerunsamodifiedversionofLinux,andmanyofthecommands
availableonLinuxorUNIXarealsoavailableontheserviceconsole.Detailedusage
notesformostserviceconsolecommandsareavailableasmanualormanpages.

NOTEESXServer3idoesnothaveaserviceconsole.However,manyofthefunctions
providedbytheserviceconsoleareavailablethroughtheRemoteCLI.Seethe
Remote CommandLineInterfaceInstallationandReferenceformoreinformationonusing
andinstallingtheRemoteCLI.

42 VMware, Inc.
 Chapter 3 Starting and Stopping the VMware Infrastructure Components

To view the man page for a particular command

Attheserviceconsolecommandline,typethemancommandfollowedbythenameof
thecommandforwhichyouwanttoseeinformation,forexample:
: man <command>

Foradditionalinformationoncommands,seethefollowingresources:

FormoredetailedinformationonESXServer3relatedcommands,seethe
ESX Server3ConfigurationGuide.

FormoreinformationonLinuxcommands,consultaLinuxreferencebook.

VMware, Inc. 43
Basic System Administration

44 VMware, Inc.
 4

Using the VI Client 4

ThischapterdescribesthespecificlayoutandnavigationoftheVIClient.Italso
containsinformationforconfiguringadminoptions,VirtualCenterServersettings,
managinghostconfigurationoptions,andmanagingmodules.

Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

AbouttheVIClientonpage 45

SortingandFilteringListsonpage 59

UsingCustomAttributesonpage 61

SelectingandViewingObjectsonpage 63

ManagingVirtualCenterModulesonpage 67

About the VI Client

TheVMwareInfrastructureClientadaptstotheconnectedserver.WhentheVIClient
isconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,theVIClientdisplaysalltheoptionsavailableto
theVMwareInfrastructureenvironment,basedonthelicensingyouhaveconfigured
andthepermissionsoftheuser.WhentheVIClientisconnectedtoanESXServerhost,
theVIClientdisplaysonlytheoptionsappropriatetosinglehostmanagement.

ThedefaultVMwareInfrastructureClientlayoutisasinglewindowwithamenubar,
anavigationbar,atoolbar,astatusbar,apanelsection,andpopupmenus.

VMware, Inc. 45
Basic System Administration

Figure 4-1. VMware Infrastructure Client Layout

Main
Menus Toolbar Toolbar Console button Inventory tabs Pop-up menu

Inventory panel Status bar Status panel Information panel

TheVIClientareasarecoveredinthefollowingsections:
MenuBaronpage 47
PopUpMenusonpage 49
ConsoleMenuonpage 50

NavigationBaronpage 51

InventoryViewTabsonpage 53

Toolbaronpage 57

StatusBar,RecentTasks,andTriggeredAlarmsonpage 58

PanelSectionsonpage 58

46 VMware, Inc.
 Chapter 4 Using the VI Client

Menu Bar
Themenubarprovidesaccesstoallcommandsandoperatesinamannerconsistent
withotherWindowsapplications.Thetablesbelowlistallthemenuitemsavailable
fromthesefivemenus.Themenuitemsavailablevarydependinguponwhetherthe
VI ClientisconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServeroranESXServerhost.Themenubar
optionsare:

FileMenuSimilartotheFilemenuinmostapplicationswithtwoexceptions:

AprintmenuitemisnotavailableontheFilemenu.Toprint,usethe
Print ScreenmechanisminWindowstotakeacopyoftheVIClientwindow
orexporttheVirtualCenterdatatoanotherformatandprintfromanother
application.

Asavemenuitemisnotavailable.TheVIClientissimilartoabrowser.
Most usermanipulationsarepersistentinthedisplayoftheVirtualCenterdata.

InTable 41,anasterisk(*)indicatesitemsthatareavailableonlywhenconnected
toVirtualCenterServer.

Table 4-1. File Menu Items

File> New> VirtualMachine|AddHost*|Cluster*|Resource
Pool|Folder*|Datacenter*|Alarm*|Scheduled
Task*|AddPermission

File> Export> ExportEvents*|ExportList|ExportMaps*|

ExportDiagnosticData
File> Report> HostSummary|Performance

File> VirtualAppliance> Import|Export

File> PrintMaps> PrintSettings|PrintPreview|Print

File> Exit

EditMenuDisplaysmenuitemsrelevanttotheselectedobject.

Table 4-2. Edit Menu Items

Edit> Rename|Remove|CustomizationSpecifications|ClientSettings

VMware, Inc. 47
Basic System Administration

ViewMenuControlswhichpanelsarevisible.Thisprovidesamenuitemfor
selectingoneofthenavigationbuttons.

InTable 43,anasterisk(*)indicatesitemsthatareavailableonlywhenconnected
toVirtualCenterServer.

Table 4-3. View Menu Items

View> MainToolbar|Toolbar|StatusBar|Inventory|ScheduledTasks*|Events
|Administration|Maps*|Filtering

WhenconnectedtotheVirtualCenterServer,theView>Inventorymenuparsesthe
inventoryobjectviewsintogroups.

Table 4-4. View Menu > Inventory Items

View> Inventory> Hosts&Clusters|VirtualMachines&Templates|
Networks|Datastores

InventoryMenuDisplaysmenuitemsrelevanttotheselectedobjectinthe
inventorypanel.

InTable 45,anasterisk(*)indicatesitemsthatareavailableonlywhenconnected
toVirtualCenterServer.

Table 4-5. Inventory Menu Items

Inventory> Datacenter> NewFolder|NewCluster|AddHost|Add
Alarm|AddPermission|Remove|Rename

Inventory> VirtualMachine> PowerOn|PowerOff|Suspend|Reset|

ShutDownGuest|StandbyGuest|Restart
Guest|Snapshot|Migrate|Clone|Clone
toTemplate|ConverttoTemplate|Add
Alarm|AddPermission|OpenConsole|
SendCtrl+Alt+Del|AnswerQuestion|
ReportPerformance|InstallVMwareTools|
UpgradeVMwareTools|EditSettings|
Rename|RemovefromInventory|Delete
fromDisk

Inventory> Templates*> PowerOn|PowerOff|Suspend|Reset|

ShutDownGuest|RestartGuest|Snapshot
|Migrate|Clone|ClonetoTemplate|
ConverttoTemplate|OpenConsole|Sent
Ctrl+Alt+Del|AnswerQuestion|Report
Performance|InstallVMwareTools|Edit
Settings|Rename|RemovefromInventory
|DeletefromDisk

48 VMware, Inc.
 Chapter 4 Using the VI Client

Table 4-5. Inventory Menu Items (Continued)

Inventory> Host> NewVirtualMachine|Connect*|
Disconnect*|EnterMaintenanceMode|
ShutDown|Reboot|ReportSummary|
ReportPerformance|AdvancedSettings|
Remove*|RelocateVMFiles
Inventory> Cluster*> AddHost|NewVirtualMachine|New
ResourcePool|EditSettings|Remove|
Rename

Inventory> ResourcePool> NewVirtualMachine|NewResourcePool

|ReportPerformance*|Remove|Rename

Inventory> Datastore*> BrowseDatastore|Rename|Remove|

Refresh

Inventory> Network*> Remove

Inventory> Permission> Add|Delete|Properties

Inventory> Alarm*> Properties|Remove

Inventory> ScheduledTask*> Run|Remove|Properties

AdministrationMenuDisplaysconfigurationoptionsthatapplyacrossthe
VMwareInfrastructureenvironment.

InTable 46,anasterisk(*)indicatesitemsthatareavailableonlywhenconnected
toVirtualCenterServer.

Table 4-6. Administration Menu Items

Administration> CustomAttributes*|VirtualCenterManagementSettings*|
Role|Session*|EditMessageoftheDay*|Export
DiagnosticData*|ConsolidationSettings

PluginsDisplaysoptionsformanagingVirtualCenterplugins.

HelpMenuDisplaystheonlinehelpoptions,linkstotheVMwareWebsite,and
productversioninformation.

Pop-Up Menus
Popupmenusprovidedirectaccesstomanyofthemenuitems.Popupmenusare
availablefrommostobjectsinboththeinventorypanelandtheinformationpanel.

To view a pop-up menu

RightclicktheselectedobjectorpressShift+F10.

VMware, Inc. 49
Basic System Administration

Console Menu
Theconsoleofapoweredonvirtualmachineisavailablethroughaconnectedserver.

To view the virtual machine console

ClicktheInventoryNavigationbutton,clickapoweredonvirtualmachineinthe
Inventorypanel,andclicktheConsoletabintheInformationpanel.

To pop out the virtual machine console

Clickthepopouticoninthenavigationbar.

AcopyoftheConsolewindowseparatesfromtheVIClient.Additionalmenusappear.

AdditionalmenuitemsareavailablefromthepopoutConsolewindow.

The message line indicates the

number of active connections
Additional Console menu
to this virtual machine.

Allconnectionstothevirtualmachineseethesamedisplayinformation.Themessage
lineindicatesifothersareviewingthevirtualmachine.

ThepopoutvirtualmachineConsolehasthefollowingmenuitems.Theembedded
ConsolehassimilarmenuitemsbutdoesnotincludealloftheexternalConsolemenu
items.

Table 4-7. Virtual Machine Pop-Out Console Menu Items

File> Exit

View> AutofitWindow|FitWindowNow|FitGuestNow|FullScreen

VM> PowerOn|PowerOff|Suspend|Reset|ShutDownGuest|RestartGuest
|Snapshot|Migrate|Clone|ClonetoTemplate|ConverttoTemplate|
AddAlarm|AddPermission|SendCtrl+Alt+Del|AnswerQuestion|
ReportPerformance|Install/UpgradeVMwareTools|EditSettings|
Rename|RemovefromInventory|DeletefromDisk

50 VMware, Inc.
 Chapter 4 Using the VI Client

Navigation Bar
Thenavigationbarprovidesshortcutbuttonsthatloadthematchingtoolbarandpanel
intotheVIClientwindow.Thenavigationbarcombinesanddisplaysassociatedtasks
andinformation.Whenabuttonhasbeenselected,itremainsselectedtoindicatethe
currentview.ThebuttonsrepresenttheVIClientfunctionalareas.Dependingupon
whethertheVIClientisconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServeroranESXServerhost,the
listedbuttonsvary.

Eachnavigationbarbuttonhasaprimaryinformationpanelandassociatedtabs.
The Inventorybuttonhasaninventorypanelfromwhichyoucanselectobjects.Each
selectedobjecthasitsownsetofassociatedinformationpaneltabs.Thisinformationis
inoneofthefollowingtwosetsofpanels:

Navigationbarprovidesshortcutstogeneralizedareasofrelatedactivities.Theoptions
areInventoryandAdministration,whentheVIClientisconnectedtoanESXServer
hostoraVirtualCenterServer.WhentheVIClientisconnectedtoaVirtualCenter
Serveradditionaloptionsareavailable:ScheduledTasks,Events,Consolidationand
Maps.TheInventorybuttonalsohasadditionaldropdownmenuitems(Hosts&
Clusters,VirtualMachines&Templates,Networks,andDatastores).

Figure 4-2. Navigation bar shortcuts

To view the Inventory button options

ClickthearrowontheInventorynavigationbarbuttontoseetheinventorygroup
options.ChooseView>Inventory>HostsandClusters(orVirtualMachinesand
Templates,Networks,orDatastores.

SeeManagingtheVIClientInventoryonpage 107forinformationonthedifferences
betweentheInventorybuttonviews.

VMware, Inc. 51
Basic System Administration

InventorybuttonAviewofallthemonitoredobjectsinVirtualCenter.
Monitoredobjectsincludedatacenters,resourcepools,clusters,networks,
datastores,templates,hosts,andvirtualmachines.

TheInventorybuttondisplaysaninventorypanelandaninformationpanel.
The informationpanelcontainsseveraltabs.Thesetoftabsthatisdisplayedvaries
dependingupontheinventoryobjectselectedintheinventorypanel.

TherearefourdifferentInventorybuttonviews:

HostsandClustersdisplaystheinventoryhierarchyofallinventoryobjects
excepttemplates,networks,anddatastores.

VirtualMachinesandTemplatesdisplaysthelistofvirtualmachinesand
templates.

Networksdisplaysthelistofnetworks.

Datastoresdisplaysthelistofdatastores.

AllfouroftheInventoryoptionsaredividedintotwosubpanels,theinventory
panelandtheinformationpanel.ThisInventoryoptiondisplaysalltheobjects
containedwithinVirtualCenter,suchasfolders,datacenters,hosts,clusters,
resourcepoolsandvirtualmachines.WhenconnectedtoanESXServerhostthe
inventoryoptiondisplaysalltheobjectscontainedwithinthehost,suchashost,
resourcepools,andvirtualmachines.Throughselectingobjectsineitherofthetwo
subpanels,youperformandspecifyactions.

Therearefourdifferentinventoryviews.Eachrelatestosomeoftheeightdifferent
inventoryobjects:hosts,clusters,folders,datacenters,virtualmachinesand
templates,resourcepools,networks,anddatastores.

Allfourviewshavethe(single)rootnode.Youcanplacefoldersanddatacenters
belowtherootnode.Belowdatacentersthehierarchyissplitupintonetworks,
datastores,virtualmachineandtemplates,andhosts,clusters,andresourcepools.

ScheduledTasksbuttonAlistofactivitiesandameanstoschedulethose
activities.ThisisavailablethroughVirtualCenterServeronly.
TheScheduledTasksandEventsbuttons,availableonlywhenconnectedtoa
VirtualCenterServer,displayasingleinformationpanel.

EventsbuttonAlistofalltheeventsthatoccurintheVirtualCenterenvironment.
UsetheNavigationoptiontodisplayalltheevents.Useanobjectspecificpanelto
displayonlytheeventsrelativetothatobject.

52 VMware, Inc.
 Chapter 4 Using the VI Client

AdminbuttonAlistofenvironmentlevelconfigurationoptions.TheAdmin
optionprovidesconfigurationaccesstoRoles,Sessions,Licenses,Diagnostics,and
SystemLogs.WhenconnectedtoanESXServeronly,theRolesoptionappears.

TheAdminbuttondisplaysasetoftabbedinformationpanels.Selected
configurationoptionsareavailablethroughthesetabs.

MapsbuttonAvisualrepresentationofthestatusandstructureoftheVMware
Infrastructureenvironment.Thisincludeshosts,networks,virtualmachines,and
datastores.ThisisavailablethroughVirtualCenterServeronly.

TheMapsbutton,availableonlywhenconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,
displaysaninventorypanelandatopologypanel.

ConsolidationAmeanstoconsolidateyourdatacenterandbuildyour
VirtualCenterinventorybyimportingphysicalsystemsasvirtualmachines.
Guidedconsolidationoffersaquick,automatedwayofpopulatinganewvirtual
environment.Fordetails,seeConsolidatingtheDatacenteronpage 117.

To change the look of the navigation bar

Rightclickthenavigationbarandchoosetheappropriateoption.

Inventory View Tabs

Youcanaccessthegeneraldisplayofdataandactivitythroughtheinformationpanel
oftheVIClientwindow.Theinformationpanelisthevisualcenterofyourmonitoring
activities.Throughtheinformationpanel,youcanviewstatus,resourceusage,and
performanceinformationaboutyourhosts,virtualmachines,anddatacenters.Inthe
informationpanel,youcanalsoviewscheduledtasks,availabletemplates,andalistof
events.

WhentheVIClientisconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServeraMapsoptionisalso
available.SeeSettingUpandMonitoringPerformanceStatisticsandResourceMaps
onpage 285forinformationontheMapsfeature.

Whenanobjectisremovedfromtheinventory,itslogandeventhistoryremainsuntil
purgedthroughtheagingprocesses.Dataiskeptforaspecifiedwindowoftime.Asthe
timewindowshifts,olderdataispurged.

AdmintabsAsubsetoftheAdminbutton.TheAdmintabsareasetofpanels
thatdisplayconfigurationorientedinformationpertainingtotheservethatthe
VI Clientisconnectedto.ThetaboptionsareRolesandSystemLogs.Whenthe
VI ClientisconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,aSessionsandLicensestabisalso
available.

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Basic System Administration

InventorytabsAsubsetoftheInventorybutton.TheInventorytabsareasetof
panelsthatdisplaytaskorientedinformationpertainingtotheselectedinventory
object.Eachinventoryobjecthasitsownsetoftabs.Thetaboptionsare:Getting
Started,Summary,Datacenters,VirtualMachines,Hosts,DRSRecommendations,
ResourceAllocation,Performance,Configuration,Tasks&Events,Alarms,
Console,Permissions,andMaps.

WhenyouclicktheInventorybuttoninthenavigationbar,aninformationpanel
appearsontherightsideofthescreen.Whenyouselectanobject(host,virtual
machine,folder,datacenter,cluster,resourcepool)fromtheinventorypanel,the
informationpaneldisplaystabscorrespondingtotheselectedobject.Thisdata
remainsuntilyouclickanotherInventorybutton.

NOTEYoucanuseeitherthenavigationbarortheinformationpaneltabstoview
eventsinformation.

Table 48liststheavailablepanelsandtheirsourcemapping.

Table 4-8. Inventory View Tabs

Client Button, Tab, or
Panel Name Connected To Toggle Description

Admin ESXServer navigationbar Listsselectedconfigurationoptionsand

VirtualCenter button information.

Alarms VirtualCenter inventorypanel Liststheconfiguredalarmsforthe

tab selectedobject.

Alarms VirtualCenter togglebutton Liststhetriggeredalarmsfortheselected

object.

Configuration ESXServer inventorypanel Providesaccesstoconfiguringthe

VirtualCenter tab selectedhost.

Console ESXServer inventorypanel Displaysaremoteconsoletointeract

VirtualCenter tab directlywiththevirtualmachine.
Throughtheremoteconsoleyoucantake
selectedactionsuponthevirtual
machine.

Datacenters VirtualCenter inventorypanel Liststhedatacentersorganizedunderthe

tab selectedfolder.

Datastores VirtualCenter navigationbar Providesaccessformanagingdatastores.

button:Datastores

Events ESXServer inventorypanel Liststheeventmessagesthatreporton

tab thestatusoftheselectedobject.

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 Chapter 4 Using the VI Client

Table 4-8. Inventory View Tabs (Continued)

Client Button, Tab, or
Panel Name Connected To Toggle Description
GettingStarted VirtualCenter inventorypanel Providesinformationaboutthetypeof
tab objectselectedandlinkstoactionsyou
canperformonthatobject.SeeGetting
StartedTabsonpage 56.

Hosts VirtualCenter inventorypanel Liststhehostsassignedtotheselected

tab inventoryobject.
Inventory VirtualCenter navigationbar Providesaccessformanagingallthe
ESXServer button:Hosts& inventoryobjects.
Clusters

Licenses VirtualCenter adminpaneltab Liststhelicensesconfiguredinthe

licenseserver.

Maps VirtualCenter navigationbar Displaysrelationshipsbetweenthe

button selectedinventoryobjects.
DRS VirtualCenter inventorypanel Liststhemigrationssuggestedor
Recommendations tab completedfortheselectedcluster,and
listssuggestedorcompletedpower
managementsuggestions.

Networks VirtualCenter navigationbar Providesaccessformanagingnetworks.

button:Networks

Performance ESXServer inventorypanel Displaystheperformancechartsforthe

VirtualCenter tab selectedhostorvirtualmachine
resources.Thechartsfordatacentersand
hostsdisplaycombinedchartsthatshow
theusageofeachresource.

Permissions ESXServer inventorypanel Liststheusersandgroupsthathave

VirtualCenter tab permissionsontheselectedobjectandat
whatlevelthepermissionwasassigned.

ResourceAllocation ESXServer inventorypanel Liststhedistributionoftheselected

VirtualCenter tab hostsresources:CPU,memory.

Roles ESXServer adminpaneltab Providesaccessforconfiguringuser

VirtualCenter roles.

ScheduledTasks VirtualCenter navigationbar Providesaccessforcreatingand

button managingscheduledtasks.

Sessions VirtualCenter adminpaneltab ListstheVIClientsessionsconnectedto

theVirtualCenterServer.

Summary ESXServer inventorypanel Displaysacollectionofdataforthe

VirtualCenter tab selectedobject.

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Basic System Administration

Table 4-8. Inventory View Tabs (Continued)

Client Button, Tab, or
Panel Name Connected To Toggle Description
SystemLogs ESXServer adminpaneltab Listsselectedlogfilesfortheservers.
VirtualCenter

Tasks VirtualCenter togglebutton Liststherecenttasksfortheselected

object.

Tasks&Events VirtualCenter inventorypanel Liststhetaskscompletedandtheevent

tab messagesthatreportonthestatusofthe
selectedobject.

Templates VirtualCenter navigationbar Providesaccessformanagingtemplates.

button:Virtual
Machines&
Templates

VirtualMachines ESXServer inventorypanel Liststhevirtualmachinesassignedtothe

VirtualCenter tab selecteddatacenterorhostandgroup.To
access,clicktheVirtualMachinestaband
thevirtualmachinesinthegroupare
displayed.

Getting Started Tabs

GettingStartedtabsareavailableforeachtypeofinventoryobject.Theyprovidea
descriptionofthetypeofobjectselected,shortcutstoactionsyoucanperformonthat
object,andlinkstosectionsoftheTutorial(seeUsingtheTutorialonpage 57)that
pertaintothattypeofobject.

InthecasewhereVirtualCenterisnewlyinstalledandnoinventoryobjectshavebeen
added,theGettingStartedtabsguideyouthroughthestepsofaddingitemstothe
inventoryandsettingupthevirtualenvironment.

TodisableGettingStartedtabs:

ClicktheCloseTablinktodisableGettingStartedtabsforthetypeofobject
selected.

SelectEdit>ClientSettingsandclickRemoveAllTabstodisableGettingStarted
tabsforallinventoryobjects.

TorestoreGettingStartedtabs:

SelectEdit>ClientSettingsandclickRestoreAllTabstorestoreGettingStartedtabs
forallinventoryobjects.

56 VMware, Inc.
 Chapter 4 Using the VI Client

Using the Tutorial

Thetutorialprovidesanintroductiontovirtualization.Itisdesignedtohelpnewusers
understandthebasicconceptsofvirtualizationandtorecognizethecomponentsthat
compriseavirtualenvironment.

GettingStartedtabscontainlinkstotutorialpages.Thetutorialisalsoaccessible
throughtheHelpmenu(Help>Tutorial).

Toolbar
Thetoolbarprovidesbuttonsforthemostcommonlyusedactions.

To view or hide a toolbar

ChooseView>MainToolbartotogglethedisplayofthemaintoolbar.

ChooseView>Toolbartotogglethedisplayofthetoolbar.
Differenttoolbarbuttonsaredisplayeddependingonthenavigationtaskand
inventoryobjectselected.Sometoolbaroptionsmightbedimmeddependingonthe
objectselected.

To change the look of the toolbar

Rightclickthetoolbarandchoosetheappropriateoption.

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Basic System Administration

Status Bar, Recent Tasks, and Triggered Alarms

Thestatusbarappearsatthebottomofthewindow.Itcontainsiconstoviewtriggered
alarmsorrecenttasks.TheTasksbuttondisplaysanycurrentlyrunningorrecently
completedactivetasks.Includedisaprogressbarindicatingthepercentagecomplete
ofeachtask.Therecenttasksandthetriggeredalarmpanelsdisplayacrossthebottom
oftheVIClientwindow.

To hide or view the status bar

ChooseView>Statusbar.

To hide or view recent tasks or triggered alarms

ClicktheTasksorAlarmsiconsinthestatusbar.

Panel Sections
InthebodyoftheVIClientpageisapanelsection.Inmostviews,thereisaleftanda
rightpanel:theinventorypanelandtheinformationpanel.Thesepanelscanberesized.

InventorypanelDisplaysahierarchicallistofVMwareInfrastructureobjects
whentheInventoryorMapsbuttonisselectedfromthenavigationbar.

InformationpanelsDisplaylistsandcharts.Dependingonthenavigation
buttonorInventorybuttonitemselected,theinformationpanelisdividedinto
tabbedelements.

To select an object

Singleclicktheappropriateobjectineithertheinventorypanelorontheinformation
panel.

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 Chapter 4 Using the VI Client

To close or open a panel

Clickthearrowinthepanelmenubar.

Whenthepanelishidden,thepanelmenubarisastripalongthesideoftheVIClient
window.

To resize a panel

Clickaresizingpanelsideanddragittoanappropriatesize.

YourchoicesforthepanelsarepersistentacrossVIClientsessions.Ifyourunmultiple
VIClientsessionsusingdifferentusernames,thesettingsfromthelastsessiontoquit
determinethevaluesforthenextVIClientsession.

Sorting and Filtering Lists

SortanylistintheVIClientbyclickingthecolumnlabelheading.Atriangleinthe
columnheadshowsthesortorderasascendingordescending.

Youcanalsofilteralist,sortingandincludingonlyselecteditems.Afilterissortedby
akeyword.Choosethecolumnsyouwanttoincludeinthesearchforthekeyword.

To sort a list

Clickacolumnheadingtosortthelistbyentriesinthatcolumn.Thecurrentselection
doesnotchange.

To change between ascending and descending order

Clickthetriangleinthecolumnheading.

To choose items in a list

Clickanindividualitem.PressShiftclickorCtrlclicktochoosemultipleitems.All
listscanbesorted.

To view or remove columns in a list

Rightclickthecolumnheaderandchoosethecolumnnamefromthelist.

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Basic System Administration

To filter the list view

1 Clickthearrowtoviewalistofattributesfromwhichtochoose.Typetextdirectly
intothefilteringfieldtospecifysearchcriteria.

TheFilterfielddoesnotsupportbooleanexpressionsorspecialcharactersandis
notcasesensitive.

2 ClickOKtodisplayonlythosevirtualmachinesthatmatchthecriteria.ClickClear
tochangethefilter.

NOTEThereisaonesecondintervalbetweenkeystrokes.Ifyoutypeinthetextand
waitforonesecond,thesearchstartsautomatically.YoudonthavetoclickOKorEnter.

Thelistisupdatedbasedonwhetherfilteringisonoroff.Forexample,ifyouareinthe
VirtualMachinestab,youhavefilteredthelist,andthefilteredtextispoweredon,
youseealistonlyofvirtualmachineswhosestateissettopoweredon.Ifthestateof
anyofthesevirtualmachineschangestosomethingelse,theyareremovedfromthelist.
Newvirtualmachinesthatareaddedarealsobeingfiltered.Filteringispersistentfor
theusersession.

To remove a filter

ClickClear,ordeletetheentryinofthefilteringfieldandclickOK.

TheVIClientdisplaysthefulllistofavailableitems.

To choose columns to search for the filtering keyword

Rightclickinthecontainsfield,andselectordeselecttheappropriatecolumnnames.

Filteringisinclusive,notexclusive.Ifthekeywordisfoundinanyoftheselected
columns,thelineitemisincludedinthelist.

To export a list

1 Selectthelisttoexport.

2 ChooseFile>Export>ExportList.

3 Typeafilename,selectafiletypeinthedialogbox,andclickSave.

Afileisstoredinthespecifiedfilename,filetype,andlocation.

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 Chapter 4 Using the VI Client

Using Custom Attributes

Attributesaretheresourcesthataremonitoredandmanagedforallthemanagedhosts
andvirtualmachinesinyourVMwareInfrastructureenvironment.Attributesstatus
andstatesappearonthevariousinventorypanels.

Customattributescanbeusedtoassociateuserspecificmetainformationwithvirtual
machinesandmanagedhosts.Afteryoucreatetheattributes,setthevalueforthe
attributeoneachvirtualmachineormanagedhost,asappropriate.Thisvalueisstored
withVirtualCenterandnotwiththevirtualmachineormanagedhost.Thenusethe
newattributetofilterinformationaboutyourvirtualmachinesandmanagedhosts.
If younolongerneedthecustomattribute,removeit.Acustomattributeisalwaysa
string.

Forexample,supposeyouhaveasetofproductsandyouwanttosortthembysales
representative.Createacustomattributeforsalespersonname,Name.Addthecustom
attribute,Name,columntooneofthelistviews.Addtheappropriatenametoeach
productentry.ClickthecolumntitleNametosortalphabetically.

ThecustomattributesfeatureisavailableonlywhenconnectedtoaVirtualCenter
Server.

To add a custom attribute

1 ChooseAdministration>CustomAttributes.

ThisoptionisnotavailablewhenconnectedonlytoanESXServer.

2 AddacustomattributeandclickAdd.

Theattributeisaddedtothelistofvirtualmachinecharacteristics.

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Basic System Administration

3 Tochangetheattributename,clickintheNamefieldandtypethenameyouwant
toassigntotheattribute.

4 Enterthevaluesforthecustomattribute.

a Selecttheobject(onelevelupthehierarchy)thatcontainstheobjectstowhich
youwanttoapplytheattribute.

Forexample,ifyouwanttoenterattributevaluesformanagedhosts,selectthe
datacenterandtheHoststabforalistofhosts.

b Foreachmanagedhostorvirtualmachine,clickthenewattributescolumn.

Intheinformationpanel,thenewattributeisaddedtotheheader.

c Typetheattributevaluethatisappropriateforeachmanagedhostorvirtual
machine.

Youcanalsoeditcustomattributesandaddannotationsforavirtualmachineorhost
fromtheSummarytabfortheobject.Annotationscanbeusedtoprovideadditional
descriptivetextorcommentsforanobject.

To edit custom attributes and annotations for a virtual machine or host

1 Selectthevirtualmachineorhostintheinventory.

2 ClicktheSummarytabforthevirtualmachineorhost.

3 IntheAnnotationsbox,clicktheEditlink.

TheEditCustomAttributesdialogboxisdisplayed.

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 Chapter 4 Using the VI Client

4 Toaddanattribute:

a ClickAdd.

b IntheNametextbox,typethenameoftheattribute.

c IntheTypedropdownlist,selecttheattributetype:VirtualMachine,Host,
orGlobal.

d IntheValuetextbox,typethevalueyouwanttogivetotheattributeforthe
currentlyselectedobject.

e ClickOK.

Afteryouhavedefinedanattributeonasinglevirtualmachineorhost,itis
availabletoallobjectsofthattypeintheinventory.However,thevalueyou
specifyisappliedonlytothecurrentlyselectedobject.

5 Toeditthevalueofanattributethathasalreadybeendefined,doubleclickthe
Valuefieldforthatattributeandenterthenewvalue.

6 Toaddannotations,entertextintheNotestextbox.

7 ClickOKtosaveyourchanges.

Selecting and Viewing Objects

ThissectiondescribescommonWindowsproceduresthataffecttheVMware
InfrastructureClient.Navigationtopicsarediscussedinthefollowingsections:

SelectingObjectsonpage 63

MonitoringObjectsonpage 65

PerformingActionsonObjectsonpage 65

Selecting Objects
VirtualCenterobjectsaredatacenters,networks,datastores,resourcepools,clusters,
hosts,andvirtualmachines.Selectinganobjectdoesthefollowing:

Allowsyoutoviewthestatusoftheobject.

Enablesthemenussoyoucanchooseactionstotakeontheobject.

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Basic System Administration

To select an object

1 ClicktheappropriatenavigationbaroptionsuchasInventory,ScheduledTasks,
Events,Admin,orMaps.

2 IfyouselectInventory,browsethroughthehierarchyintheinventorypaneluntil
youseetheiconforanobject.Clickit.

Whenanobjectisselected,theobjectlabelintheinventorypanelbackfillsandthe
informationpanelupdatesitsdisplaytoreflectthedatafortheselectedobject.

To view an object menu

Selecttheappropriateobjectandchoosetheappropriateactionfromthemenubar.
Alternatively,rightclicktheobject.

Apopupmenuwiththeobjectsavailableactionsappears.

Foreachtypeofobject,suchasdatacenter,host,orvirtualmachine,acorrespondingset
oftabsappearsintheinformationpanel.Forexample:

Ifyouselectamanagedhostintheinventorypanelwhileconnectedto
VirtualCenter,theinformationpaneldisplaysSummary,VirtualMachines,
ResourceAllocation,Performance,Configuration,Tasks&Events,Alarms,
Permissions,andMapstabs.

IfyouselecttheinventorypanelwhileconnectedtoanESXServer,theinformation
paneldisplaysSummary,VirtualMachines,ResourceAllocation,Performance,
Configuration,Users&Groups,SystemLogs,EventsandPermissionstabs.

Ifyouselectadatacenter,theinformationpaneldisplaysVirtualMachines,Hosts,
Tasks&Events,Alarms,Permissions,andMapstabs.

Theinventorypanelandinformationpanelshareasingleselectionlist.Selectingan
objectinonepaneldeselectsanyotherobjectintheotherpanel.
Menuactions,fromeitherthemenubarorapopupmenu,applytothecurrently
selectedobject.Ifnoobjectisselected,nomenuactionsareavailable.Apopupmenu
canappearonlyforaselectedobject.SeePopUpMenusonpage 49foradditional
informationonthepopupmenuoptions.

To change the name of an object

SelectanitemandpressF2orclickthetextoftheselecteditem.Typethenewname.

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 Chapter 4 Using the VI Client

Monitoring Objects
VIClientmonitorsVirtualCenterorESXServeractivities.Forahosttobemonitoredby
VirtualCenter,itmustberegisteredwiththeVirtualCenterServer.SeeAddingaHost
onpage 129forinformationonaddingobjectstoyourVirtualCenterServer.Ifan
ESX ServerhostisnotregisteredwithaVirtualCenterServer,youcanconnecttothe
hostdirectly,alsousingtheVIClient.

To check the status of an object

1 StarttheVIClient.

2 Clicktheappropriatebuttoninthenavigationbar.

IfyouclicktheInventoryorMapsbutton,navigatethroughtheinventory
panelliststoviewindividualobjectssuchashosts,datacenters,andvirtual
machines.

IfyouclicktheScheduledTasks,Events,orAdminbutton,theinformation
paneldisplaysthescheduledtasks,events,oradministrativewizard
appropriatetothechoice.

3 Clicktheobjecttoviewit.

Whenyouselectanobject,theobjectlabelintheinventorypanelisshowninblue
andtheinformationpanelupdatesitsdisplaytoreflecttheobjectsdata.

4 Clicktheappropriatetabintheinformationpanel.

Thedatacorrespondingtotheobjectandtabselectedisshown.Clickthroughthe
tabstoviewtheinformationabouttheobject,asneeded.

Performing Actions on Objects

ThissectiondescribesonlythebasicprocessforperformingtasksintheVMware
InfrastructureClient.Thissectiondoesnotdescribespecificsettingsandconditions.
Seethechapterorbookspecifictothetaskyouwanttoperformforadditional
information.

Toviewanobject,youmusthavethenecessarypermissionassignedforthatobject.
The typeofactionyoucantakeonanobjectdependsuponthespecificprivileges
assignedtoyourusernameandgroup.

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Basic System Administration

TherearethreemethodsfortakingactionsuponobjectsinVirtualCenter:

SelectingtheactionfromthemenubaratthetopoftheVirtualCenterwindow.
See MenuBaronpage 47.

Selectingtheactionfromtheobjectspopupmenuorbutton.Theprocedurelisted
belowdescribeshowtochoosetheactionfromtheobjectmenuorbutton.

SchedulingtheactionthroughtheScheduledTaskspanel.SeeManaging
ScheduledTasksonpage 305toinformationonschedulingtasks.

To perform an action on a VMware Infrastructure object

1 StarttheVMwareInfrastructureClient.
2 Connecttotheappropriateserver.

3 Toselectanobjectyouwanttovieworuponwhichyouwanttoperformanaction,
selecttheappropriateinventoryview,browsethroughthehierarchyinthe
inventorypaneluntilyouseeitsicon,andclickit.

Anobjectcanbeselectedintheinventorypanelortheinformationpanel.

Iftheobjectisnotintheview:

Verifyyouareloggedontothecorrectserver.

AddthehosttoVirtualCentercontrol,ifneeded.SeeManagingHostsin
VirtualCenteronpage 127forinformation.

4 Afteranobjectisselected:

Chooseamenuitemfromthemainmenu.

Rightclicktheobjectandchoosefromthepopupmenu.

5 Followtheprompts.

Dependingontheactionyouselected,eithertheviewintheinformationpanelchanges
orawizardpromptsyouforinformationtocompletethetransaction.

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 Chapter 4 Using the VI Client

Managing VirtualCenter Modules

Aftertheservercomponentofamoduleisinstalledandregisteredwiththe
VirtualCenterserver,itsclientcomponentisavailabletoVirtualCenterclients.
Client componentinstallationandenablementaremanagedthroughthePlugin
Managerdialogbox(Plugins>ManagePlugins).ThePluginManagerenablesusersto
dothefollowing:

Viewavailablemodulesthatarenotcurrentlyinstalledontheclient.

Viewinstalledmodules.

Downloadandinstallavailablemodules.

Enableanddisableinstalledmodules.

To open the Manage Plugins dialog box:

1 LaunchtheVirtualCenterclientandlogintoaVirtualCenterserver.

2 SelectPlugins>ManagePlugins.

TheAvailabletabdisplaysmodulesthatareavailabletobeinstalled.TheInstalledtab
displayscurrentlyinstalledmodules.

To install modules:

1 SelecttheAvailabletabinthePluginManagerdialogbox.

2 ClickDownloadandInstallforthemoduleyouwant.

3 Followthepromptsintheinstallationwizard.

4 Afterinstallationiscomplete,verifythatthemoduleislistedundertheInstalled
tabandthatitisenabled.

To disable and enable modules:

1 SelecttheInstalledtabinthePluginManagerdialogbox.

2 SelectEnabletoenableamodule,ordeselectEnabletodisableit.

Disablingamoduleindoesnotremoveitfromtheclient.Youmustuninstallthe
moduletoremoveit.

To remove modules:

ModulescanberemovedthroughtheoperatingsystemsAdd/RemovePrograms
controlpanel.Consultyouroperatingsystemsdocumentationforinstructionsonhow
tousetheAdd/RemoveProgramscontrolpanel.

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Basic System Administration

68 VMware, Inc.
 5

System Configuration 5
Thischapterincludesbasicsystemconfigurationinformation,suchashowtoaccess
andconfigurelogfiles,configurefirewalls,andsetupSNMP.Sometopicshave
extensiveinformationdiscussedinseparatechaptersorbooks.Wherethisoccurs,
referencesareprovided.

Someofthetopicsinthischapteraretypicallyonetimeconfigurationtasks,thoughthe
settingscanbealteredwhenneeded.

Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

HostConfigurationforESXServerandVirtualCenteronpage 69

VirtualCenterConfigurationonpage 74

ConfiguringVirtualCenterCommunicationonpage 76

VirtualMachineConfigurationonpage 79
WorkingwithActiveSessionsonpage 81

AboutSNMPandVMwareInfrastructureonpage 83

SystemLogFilesonpage 99

Host Configuration for ESX Server and VirtualCenter

ESXServerhostsareconfiguredandmanagedthroughtheVMwareInfrastructure
Client.SomehostrelatedconfigurationisspecifictoVirtualCenter.Otherhost
configurationappliestostandalonehostsaswellasVirtualCenterregisteredhosts.

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Basic System Administration

TheESXServer3ConfigurationGuidedescribesthetasksyoumustcompleteto
configureESXServer3hostnetworking,storage,andsecurity.TheESXServer3i
ConfigurationGuidedescribesthesetasksforanESXServer3ihost.Inaddition,these
guidesprovideoverviews,recommendations,andconceptualdiscussionstohelpyou
understandthesetasks.TheyexplainhowtodeployanESXServerhosttomeetyour
needs.BeforeusingtheinformationintheESXServer3ConfigurationGuideorthe
ESX Server3iConfigurationGuide,readtheIntroductiontoVMwareInfrastructureforan
overviewofsystemarchitectureandthephysicalandvirtualdevicesthatmakeupa
VMwareInfrastructuresystem.

Thissectionsummarizesthehostconfigurationoptionsandthecontentsofthe
ESX Server3ConfigurationGuideandESXServer3iConfigurationGuidesothatyoucan
findtheinformationyouneed.

SelectahostandtheConfigurationtabforthehost.Theconfigurationtabdisplaysall
oftheconfigurationoptionsavailable.

Hardware Tab
Thehardwaretabdisplaysthefollowingconfigurationoptions:

HealthStatus(ESXServer3ionly)Displaysthestatusofhardwarecomponents
suchasprocessors,memory,andstorage.(SEEUPDATE)

ProcessorsDisplaysthehostsprocessorinformationsuchastype,speed,
manufacturer.Thepropertiesdialogboxallowsyoutoenableordisable
Hyperthreading.

MemoryDisplaysthehostsmemoryconfiguration,includingtotalmemory
available,amountsforthehostssystem,amountsforthevirtualmachines,and
amountsfortheESXServer3serviceconsole.OnanESXServer3host,the
propertiesdialogboxallowsyoutosettheamountdedicatedtotheserviceconsole.

Storage(SCSI,SAN,NFS)Displaysthestoragevolumesconfiguredforthehost
anddetailsabouteachstoragedevice.Thisincludesvolumelabels,filesystem
type,blocksize,extents,andcapacity.TheRefresh,Remove,AddStorage,and
Propertiesdialogboxesallowyoutochangevolumeproperties,addextents,
managepaths,adddiskorLUNdatastores,andaddnetworkfilesystem(NFS)
datastores.

NetworkingDisplayscurrentnetworksattachedtothehost.TheRefresh,Add
Networking,Remove,andPropertiesdialogboxesallowyoutoconfigureports
andnetworkadapters,anddefineconnectiontypestothehostsvirtualmachines
andVMkernel.OnanESXServer3host,youcanalsodefineconnectionstothe
serviceconsole.

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StorageAdaptersDisplaysstorageadapterconfiguration,suchasdevicetype,
SANidentification,LUNidentification,path,andcapacity.TheRescan,Hide
LUNs,andPropertiesdialogboxesallowyoutoscanfornewstoragedevicesor
VMFSvolumes,hidetheLUNinformationforeachselectedstorageadapter,and
viewVMotionconfigurationstatus.

NetworkAdaptersDisplaysnetworkadapterinformation,includingdevice
type,speed,vSwitch,andnetworkidentification.

Software Tab
Thesoftwaretabdisplaysthefollowingconfigurationoptions:

LicensedFeaturesDisplaysthecurrentstatusoflicensingforthecurrently
selectedhost.Thisincludeslicensesources,licensetype,andlicensingforaddons
suchasVMotionorHA.TheEditdialogboxesallowyoutospecifylicensesource,
licensetypes,andlicensingforadditionalfeatures.

TimeConfigurationAllowsyoutosetthetimeontheESXServerhostand
configureNTPservices.

DNSandRoutingDisplaysDNSandroutinginformation.Thisincludeshost
nameanddomain,DNSserversconnectedtothehost,searchdomains,anddefault
gateways.ThePropertiesdialogboxallowsyoutospecifytheseidentification
items.

VirtualMachineStartup/ShutdownDisplaysalistofvirtualmachinesonthe
hostandtheirstartuporshutdownstatus.ThePropertiesdialogboxallowsyouto
configurewhentopoweronandpoweroffeachresidentvirtualmachine.Options
includestartingorstoppingatselectedtimesrelativetothehostpoweringoffor
poweringon.

VirtualMachineSwapfileLocationAllowsyoutoselectthedefaultswapfile
locationforvirtualmachineslocatedonthishost.Youcanchoosetostorevirtual
machineswapfileswiththeothervirtualmachinefiles,ortoplacetheswapfileson
aseparatedatastore.Youcanoverridethisdefaultsettingforindividualvirtual
machinesbyeditingthevirtualmachinesettings.SeeChangingVirtualMachine
Optionsonpage 186.

SecurityProfileDisplaysthefirewallinformationforincomingandoutgoing
connections.ThePropertiesdialogboxallowsyoutodefineremoteaccess
conditions.ThisincludesSecureShell,SNMP,andseveralassociatedclients,
servers,andagentincomingandoutgoingcommunicationportsandprotocols.
MostservicesarenotavailableonESXServer3ihosts.

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Basic System Administration

SystemResourceAllocationDisplaysthehostsresourceallocationsettings.
This includesmemoryandCPUusage.TheEditdialogboxesallowyouto
configureamountsofCPUsharesandmemorysharesarereservedforhostuse.
TheSimple/Advancedtoggleddialogboxallowsyoutoconfigurethehosts
resourcepoolsCPUandmemoryreservedsharesforselectedhostfunctions.

SeetheResourceManagementGuideforcompleteinformationonconfiguringand
usingyourvirtualmachineresources.

AdvancedSettingsDisplaysalistofsettingsthatVMwarerecommendsyouuse
onlywhendirectedtobyVMwaretechnicalsupport.

ESX Server Network Configuration

ThenetworkingchaptersoftheESXServer3ConfigurationGuideandtheESXServer3i
ConfigurationGuideprovideyouwithaconceptualunderstandingofphysicaland
virtualnetworkconcepts,adescriptionofthebasictasksyoumustcompleteto
configureyourESXServerhostsnetworkconnections,andadiscussionofadvanced
networkingtopicsandtasks.Thenetworkingsectioncontainsthefollowingchapters:

NetworkingIntroducesyoutonetworkconceptsandguidesyouthroughthe
mostcommontasksyoumustcompletewhensettingupthenetworkforthe
ESX Serverhost.

AdvancedNetworkingCoversadvancednetworkingtaskssuchassettingup
MACaddresses,editingvirtualswitchesandports,andDNSrouting.Inaddition,
itprovidestipsonmakingyournetworkconfigurationmoreefficient.

NetworkingScenariosandTroubleshooting(IntheESXServer3Configuration
Guideonly)Describescommonnetworkingconfigurationandtroubleshooting
scenarios.

ESX Server Storage Configuration

TheESXServerstoragechaptersoftheESXServer3ConfigurationGuideandthe
ESX Server3iConfigurationGuideprovideyouwithabasicunderstandingofstorage,a
descriptionofthebasictasksyouperformtoconfigureandmanageyourESXServer
hostsstorage,andadiscussionofhowtosetuprawdevicemapping.Thestorage
sectioncontainsthefollowingchapters:

IntroductiontoStorageIntroducesyoutothetypesofstorageyoucanconfigure
fortheESXServerhost.

ConfiguringStorageExplainshowtoconfigurelocalSCSIstorage,Fibre
Channelstorage,andiSCSIstorage.ItalsoaddressesVMFSstorageand
networkattachedstorage.

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ManagingStorageExplainshowtomanageexistingdatastoresandthefile
systemsthatcomprisedatastores.

RawDeviceMappingDiscussesrawdevicemapping,howtoconfigurethistype
ofstorage,andhowtomanagerawdevicemappingsbysettingupmultipathing,
failover,andsoforth.

Viewing Security Configuration Information

TheESXServersecuritychaptersoftheESXServer3ConfigurationGuideandESXServer3i
ConfigurationGuidediscusssafeguardsVMwarehasbuiltintoESXServerandmeasures
youcantaketoprotectyourESXServerhostfromsecuritythreats.Thesemeasures
includeusingfirewalls,leveragingthesecurityfeaturesofvirtualswitches,andsetting
upuserauthenticationandpermissions.Thesecuritysectioncontainsthefollowing
chapters:

SecurityforESXServerSystemsIntroducesyoutotheESXServerfeaturesthat
helpyouensureasecureenvironmentforyourdataandgivesyouanoverviewof
systemdesignasitrelatestosecurity.

SecuringanESXServerConfigurationExplainshowtoconfigurefirewallports
forESXServerhostsandVMwareVirtualCenter,howtousevirtualswitchesand
VLANstoensurenetworkisolationforvirtualmachines,andhowtosecureiSCSI
storage.

AuthenticationandUserManagementDiscusseshowtosetupusers,groups,
permissions,androlestocontrolaccesstoESXServerhostsandVirtualCenter.
It alsodiscussesencryptionanddelegateusers.

ServiceConsoleSecurity(IntheESXServer3ConfigurationGuideonly)Discusses
thesecurityfeaturesbuiltintotheserviceconsoleandshowsyouhowtoconfigure
thesefeatures.

SecurityDeploymentsandRecommendationsProvidessomesample
deploymentstogiveyouanideaoftheissuesyoumustconsiderwhensettingup
yourownESXServerdeployment.Thischapteralsotellsyouaboutactionsyou
cantaketofurthersecurevirtualmachines.

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Basic System Administration

Viewing ESX Server Command Information

TheESXServer3ConfigurationGuideandESXServer3iConfigurationGuideinclude
appendixesthatprovidespecializedinformationyoumightfindusefulwhen
configuringanESXServerhost:

ESXServerTechnicalSupportCommands(IntheESXServer3Configuration
Guideonly)CoverstheESXServer3configurationcommandsthatcanbeissued
throughacommandlineshellsuchasSSH.Whilethesecommandsareavailable
foryouruse,youshouldnotconsiderthemanAPIuponwhichyoucanbuild
scripts.ThesecommandsaresubjecttochangeandVMwaredoesnotsupport
applicationsandscriptsthatrelyonESXServer3configurationcommands.
This appendixprovidesyouwithVMwareInfrastructureClientequivalentsfor
thesecommands.

UsingvmkfstoolsCoversthevmkfstoolsutility,whichyoucanusetoperform
managementandmigrationtasksforvirtualdisksandVMFSvolumes.

VirtualCenter Configuration
Setsofpropertiesandsettingsdialogboxesmakeadjustmentstothecorresponding
VirtualCenterenvironment.

To view the VMware VirtualCenter Configuration

SelectAdministration>VirtualCenterManagementServerConfiguration.

ChangestothissettingapplytothecurrentVirtualCenterServeronly.Ifyoulogout
andlogintoanotherVirtualCenterServer,thesettingsarespecifictothatVirtualCenter
Server.

Thedialogboxtabsdisplayandallowyoutoconfigure:

LicenseServerSpecifythelicenseserverandwhetherahostlicenseserveris
supersededwhenthehostisaddedtotheVirtualCenterinventory.Specifythe
VirtualCenterServerlicenseedition.

SeetheInstallationGuideforESXServer3,ortheSetupGuideforyourESXServer3i
productformoreinformationonlicenseconfiguration.

StatisticsSpecifythecollectionintervals,statisticscollectionthreadlimit,and
statisticscollectionlevel.Specifiesthenumberofthreadsusedforcollecting
performancestatisticsfrommanagedhosts.

Specifiesthelevelofdetailforperformancestatisticscollection.Legalvaluesare
minimal,typical,andfull.Thedefaultisfull.

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Specifieshowoften,inseconds,VirtualCenterchecksifanyscheduledtasksare
readytobeexecutedoralarmsshouldbetriggered.Thedefaultis5seconds.

VerifiesthatallusersandgroupsknowntoVirtualCentercurrentlyexistin
Windows.Forexample,ifuserSmithisassignedpermissionsandinthedomain
theusersnameissubsequentlychangedtoSmith2,VirtualCenterconcludesthat
Smithnolongerexistsandremovespermissionsforthatuser.

SeeAboutCollectionIntervalsandCollectionLevelsonpage 286.

RuntimeSettingsViewtheuniqueruntimesettingsfortheVirtualCenter
installation.ThisincludestheVirtualCenteruniqueIDnumberandthe
VirtualCenterTCP/IPportnumber.
GeneratesuniqueMACaddressesandUUIDsforvirtualmachines.Insomecases,
itispossibletohavemorethanoneVirtualCenterrunninginthesamecompany.
EachoftheseVirtualCenterServersmusthaveitsownuniqueidentification.
By default,anIDvalueisgeneratedrandomly.However,thisvalueiseditable.
The onlyrequirementisthatitbeauniquenumberfrom0to63.

SpecifiestheportthroughwhichaVirtualCenterclientsendsdatatothe
VirtualCenterServer.

SeeConfiguringVirtualCenterCommunicationonpage 76.

ActiveDirectorySpecifytheactivedirectorytimeout,maximumnumberofusers
andgroupstodisplayintheAddPermissionsdialogbox,andthefrequencyfor
performingasynchronizationandvalidationofVirtualCentersknownusersand
groups.

SpecifiesthemaximumnumberofusersandgroupstheVirtualCenterstoresfrom
theselecteddomain.Tospecifynomaximumlimit,enterzero(0).

Specifies,inseconds,themaximumtimeVirtualCenterallowsthesearchtorunon
theselecteddomain.Searchingverylargedomainscantakeaverylongtime.
This valuemustbegreaterthanzero(0).

SeeChapter 17,ManagingUsers,Groups,Permissions,andRoles,onpage 265.

MailSpecifytheSMTPserverandmailaccount.

SeeManagingEventsonpage 311.

SNMPSpecifytheSNMPreceiverURLs,ports,andcommunitystrings.

SeeAboutSNMPandVMwareInfrastructureonpage 83.

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Basic System Administration

WebServiceSpecifytheHTTPandHTTPSportsfortheWebServicetouse.
You canalsospecifywhetheryouwanttomaintaincompatibilitywiththe
VirtualCenter1.xversionoftheSDKWebService.

SeeConfiguringVirtualCenterCommunicationonpage 76.

TimeoutSettingsSpecifytheVIClientconnectiontimeoutvaluesfornormal
operationsandlongoperations.Timeoutnormalspecifieshowlong,inseconds,
theVirtualCenterclientwaitsforaresponsefromtheVirtualCenterServerbefore
timingout.Thedefaultis30seconds.Timeoutlongspecifieshowlong,inseconds,
theVirtualCenterclientwaitsforaresponsefromtheVirtualCenterServerforlong
operations.Thedefaultis120seconds.

SeeStartingtheVIClientandLoggingInonpage 38.

LoggingOptionsSpecifythedegreeofdetailandextentoflogscollectedduring
normalVirtualCenteroperations.Specifiesverboseloggingwhensetto1.Usedfor
advanceddebuggingandtroubleshooting.Usethisfieldonlywhendirectedby
VMwaretechnicalsupport.

SeeSystemLogFilesonpage 99.

DatabaseSpecifythepasswordrequiredtoaccesstheVirtualCenterdatabase
andthemaximumnumberofdatabaseconnectionstobecreated.

SSLSpecifywhetheryouwanttheVirtualCenterserverandVirtualCenterclients
toverifytheSSLcertificatesoftheremotehostwhenestablishingremote
connections.VMwarerecommendsenablingtheCheckhostcertificatesoption.

AdvancedSettingsSpecifyadvancedsettings.Itishighlyrecommendedthat
youdonotchangethesesettingswithoutcontactingVMwaretechnicalsupport.

Configuring VirtualCenter Communication

TheVirtualCenterServerandESXServerreceivesdatatransmissionsfromtheVIClient
onport902.EnsurethisisproperlyconfiguredpriortoconnectingyourVIClientto
yourVirtualCenterServerorESXServer.

NOTETheproceduresdescribedherearenotavailableforcommunicationwithan
ESX Server.ESXServeronlyusesport902.Youcannotchangetheportnumber
ESX ServerusestocommunicatewitheitheraVIClientortheVirtualCenterServer.
See theESXServer3ConfigurationGuideortheESXServer3iConfigurationGuidefor
completeinformationonsecurity,communication,andportconfigurationwithan
ESX Serverhost.

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IfafirewallispreventingtheVIClientfromconnectingtotheVirtualCenterServer,you
havethreeoptionsforcorrectingthis:

ReconfigureyourfirewalltoallowtheVIClienttocommunicatethroughport902
ontheVirtualCenterServerorESXServer.Seetheinstructionsforyourfirewall.

Usesomeportotherthan902(andifnecessary,configureyourfirewalltoopenthis
otherport).TheVIClientandtheVirtualCenterServermustbothbeconfiguredto
usethesameport.

SeeConfiguringthePortThatVirtualCenterServerUsesonpage 77for
informationonchangingthisportnumberinyourVirtualCenterServer.

IfneitheroftheprecedingoptionsispossibleandyourfirewallallowsWebtraffic
topasstotheserver,youcanconnecttheVIClienttotheVirtualCenterServer
usingastandardWebconnection.

CAUTIONIfyouusethisoptiontoopenacommunicationchannelbetweenyour
VirtualCenterServerandVIClient,theVirtualCenterconsoledoesnotwork.

SeeConfiguringVirtualCenterCommunicationoveraWebConnectionon
page 78forinformationonsettinguptheWebsiteport.

Configuring the Port That VirtualCenter Server Uses

Thereisadefaultportnumberassigned,902.Thisprocedureappliesonlyto
communicationbetweenaVIClientandaVirtualCenterServer.Donotusethisto
attempttochangetheportnumberforcommunicationbetweenaVIClientandan
ESX Server.

NOTEChangingtheportnumberisaveryrareoperation.

To change the default port number

1 StarttheVIClientandlogintotheVirtualCenterServer.

SeeUsingtheVIClientonpage 45.

2 ChooseAdministration>VirtualCenterManagementServerConfiguration.

3 ClicktheRuntimeSettingsoption.

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Basic System Administration

4 EntertheportnumberyourVIClientisusingtocommunicatewiththe
VirtualCenterServer.ClicktheFinishoption.ClicktheFinishbutton.

Theportmustbelessthan64000.

5 Toacceptthechanges,restarttheVirtualCenterServer.

SeeVirtualCenterServeronpage 36.

Configuring VirtualCenter Communication over a Web

Connection
OnealternativetoconnectingtheVirtualCenterServerandVIClientonoppositesides
ofafirewallisthroughastandardWebconnection.

CAUTIONIfyouusethisoptiontoopenacommunicationchannelbetweenyour
VirtualCenterServerandVIClient,theVirtualCenterconsoledoesnotwork.

ToenableyourVIClienttoconnectwiththeVirtualCenterServeracrossafirewall
usingaWebtunnel,changetheWebsiteportaddressonyourVirtualCenterServer.

To open a Web port between the VirtualCenter Server and the VI Client using IIS

1 OntheVirtualCenterServer,installInternetInformationServices(IIS)Manager.

Typically,thisisinstalledbydefaultwiththeMicrosoftWindowsoperating
system.

2 EnableIIS.

Forexample,chooseStart>ControlPanel>AdministrativeTools>Internet
ServicesManager.SelectInternetInformationServices.

3 FromtheIISmanager,opentheWindowsdialogbox.

4 Expandthe<server_name>.RightclickonDefaultWebSite.ChooseProperties>
WebSitetab.

5 SettheportvaluefortheVirtualCenterservice.

6 IntheWebSiteDescriptionblock,enterthevalueoftheTCPPortor,ifallowed,the
SSLport.

Avalueof80isthedefaultnonsecureTCPWebsiteport.Avalueof443isthe
defaultsecureSSLWebsiteport.

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7 (SEEUPDATE)Setthedlldirectory.

a Ifneeded,createthedirectory:
C:\inetpub\wwwroot\vpx\

b Setthepermissionsforthisdirectorytoallowexecution.

c CopythefileVmdbHttpProxy.dlltothisdirectory.

Thefileisin\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VirtualCenter
Server\.

8 Verifythatthechangehasbeenapplied.

9 StopandrestartthedefaultWebsite.

10 EachtimeyouupdatetheVirtualCenterversion,repeatthisprocess.

WhenyoustarttheVIClient,entertheVirtualCenterServerWebsiteaddressas
listedintheServerfield.

IfyouareusingthesecureWebportoranyothernondefaultport,usethefull
name:http:<server name>:<port>.

Forexample,http:vcserver:443.

IfyouareusingthedefaultnonsecureWebsiteport,anyofthefollowing
combinationswork:http:<server name>,<server name>80,orhttp:<server
name>:80.

Virtual Machine Configuration

Setsofpropertiesandsettingsdialogboxesmakeadjustmentstothecorresponding
virtualmachineelement.

To view the resources of a virtual machine

Selectavirtualmachine.ClicktheSummarytab.SeetheResourcessectionofthe
Summarytab.

ListedarethecurrentCPUandmemoryusage,inadditiontothedatastoresand
networksassociatedwiththeselectedvirtualmachine.

SeetheResourceManagementGuideforcompleteinformationonconfiguringandusing
yourvirtualmachineresources.

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Basic System Administration

To view the virtual machines on a host

Selectahost.ClicktheVirtualMachinestab.

Thisisalistofallthevirtualmachinesrunningontheselectedmanagedhostandthe
percentageofresourcesallocatedtothevirtualmachine.

To view the configuration of a virtual machine

SeethechaptersinVirtualMachineManagementonpage 115forcomplete
informationaboutcreatingvirtualmachinesandeditingtheconfigurationofvirtual
machines.

SelectavirtualmachineandchooseEditSettings.

ThisdisplaystheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogbox.Fromthisdialogboxyoucan
editthefollowingvirtualmachineconfigurationitems:

HardwareAddsorremovesthehardwareelementstoyourvirtualmachine:

Memory
CPU
Floppydrive
CD/DVDdrive
Networkadapter
SCSIcontroller
Harddisk
Serialport
Parallelport
SCSIdevice

OptionsListssomegeneralvirtualmachinesettings,actionstotakeduringa
powerstatechange,andactionstakenfordebuggingduringaprocess.

GeneralContainsvirtualmachinename,virtualmachineconfigurationfile
pathandname,virtualmachineworkinglocation,guestoperatingsystem,
andversionoftheguestoperatingsysteminstalled.

VMwareToolsContainspowercontrolsettingsforthevirtualmachines
toolbarpowericonsandarunscriptsoptionspecifyingifandwhentoruna
VMwareToolsscript.

PowerManagementAllowsyoutospecifythevirtualmachinesresponse
whentheguestoperatingsystemisonstandby.

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AdvancedOptionsunderthisheadingcontroladvancedvirtualmachine
optionsasfollows:

GeneralContainssettingsforacceleration,logging,debugging.
Also allowsyoutosetadvancedvirtualmachineconfigurationparameters.

CPUIDMaskContainssettingsforconfiguringCPUIDmasksfor
increasingVMotioncompatibility.

BootOptionsContainsoptionsforsettingbootdelayandforcingthe
virtualmachinetoenterBIOSsetuponboot.

ParavirtualizationAllowsyoutoturnonVMIparavirtualization.

FibreChannelNPIVContainssettingsforconfiguringNPortID
Virtualizationidentifiers.

VirtualizedMMUAllowsyoutoconfigurewhethervirtualmachines
makeuseofhardwarepagetablevirtualizationcapabilities.

SwapfileLocationAllowsyoutosetthelocationinwhichthevirtual
machineswapfileisstored.

ResourcesModifiestheresourcesharesonthemanagedhostofavirtualmachine.

CPUAllowsyoutospecifytheCPUresourceallocationshares,reservation,
andlimitfortheselectedvirtualmachine.

MemoryAllowsyoutospecifythememoryresourceallocationshares,
reservation,andlimitfortheselectedvirtualmachine.

DiskAllowsyoutospecifythediskresourceallocationsharesandshares
valuefortheselectedvirtualmachine.

AdvancedCPUAllowsyoutospecifythehyperthreadingandscheduling
affinityfortheCPUrunningtheselectedvirtualmachine.

AdvancedMemoryAllowsyoutosetlowleveloptionsfordistributionof
virtualmachinememorytoNUMA(nonuniformmemoryaccess)memory
nodes.ThispageappearsonlyifthevirtualmachineshostsupportsNUMA
memoryarchitecture.

Working with Active Sessions

WhenyourVIClientisconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,youcanviewthelistof
usersloggedontotheserver.ThisisnotavailablewhenyourVIClientisconnectedto
anESXServerhost.

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Basic System Administration

To view the users that are currently logged on to a VirtualCenter Server

FromtheVIClientconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,clicktheAdminbuttoninthe
navigationbar.ThenclicktheSessionstab.

To terminate an active session

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,clicktheAdminbuttonin
thenavigationbar.ThenclicktheSessionstab.

2 Rightclickthesessiontoclose.ChooseTerminate.

3 Toconfirmthetermination,clickOK.

To send a message to all users logged on to an active session

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,clicktheAdminbuttonin
thenavigationbar.ThenclicktheSessionstab.

2 TypeintotheMessageofthedayfield.

3 ClicktheChangebutton.

Thetextissentasanoticemessagetoallactivesessionusersandtonewusers
whentheylogin.

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About SNMP and VMware Infrastructure

SimpleNetworkManagementProtocol(SNMP)allowsmanagementprogramsto
monitorandcontrolavarietyofnetworkeddevices.ManageddevicesrunSNMP
agents,whichcanprovideinformationtoamanagementprograminatleastoneofthe
followingways:

Inresponsetoagetoperation,whichisaspecificrequestforinformationfromthe
managementsystem.

Bysendinganotification,whichisanalertsentbytheSNMPagenttonotifythe
managementsystemofaparticulareventorcondition.

VirtualCenterServer,ESXServer3i,andESXServer3eachhaveanSNMPagent.
The agentsprovidedwitheachproducthavedifferingcapabilities.

About MIB Files

(SEEUPDATE)ManagementInformationBase(MIB)filesdefinetheinformationthatcan
beprovidedbymanageddevices.TheMIBfilescontainobjectidentifiers(OIDs)and
variablesarrangedinahierarchy.Currently,VMwareprovidestheMIBfileslistedin
Table 51forusewithVI3.

Table 5-1. VMware MIB Files

MIB File Description

VMWARE-ROOT-MIB.mib ContainsVMwaresenterpriseOIDandtoplevelOID
assignments.

VMWARE-ENV-MIB.mib Definesvariablesandtraptypesusedtoreporthardware
environmentstatus.(ESXServer3ihostsonly)
VMWARE-PRODUCTS-MIB.mib DefinesOIDstouniquelyidentifyeachSNMPagentoneach
VMwareplatform.

VMWARE-RESOURCES-MIB.mib Definesvariablesusedtoreportinformationonresource
usageoftheVMkernel,includingmemory,CPU,anddisk
utilization.

VMWARE-SYTEM-MIB.mib TheVMWARE-SYSTEM-MIB.mibfileisobsolete.Usethe
SNMPv2MIBtoobtaininformationfromsysDescr.0and
sysObjecID.0.

VMWARE-TC-MIB.mib DefinescommontextualconventionsusedbyVMwareMIB
files.

VMWARE-TRAPS-MIB.mib Definesvirtualmachinepowerrelatedtrapssentby
ESX ServerandtrapssentbyVirtualCenter.

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Basic System Administration

Table 5-1. VMware MIB Files (Continued)

MIB File Description

VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB.mib Definesvariablesforreportinginformationaboutvirtual
machines.

VMWARE-VMKERNEL-MIB.mib Definesvariablesforreportinginformationaboutthestate
oftheVMkernel.

VMWARE-ROOT-MIB
TheVMWARE-ROOT-MIB.mibfiledefinesVMwaresenterpriseOIDandtoplevelOID
assignments.

Table 52liststheidentificationmappingforVMWARE-ROOT-MIB.mib.

Table 5-2. Definition Mapping for VMWARE-ROOT-MIB.mib

Label Identification Mapping
vmware enterprises 6876

vmwSystem vmware 1

vmwVirtMachines vmware 2
vmwResources vmware 3

vmwProductSpecific vmware 4

vmwTraps vmware 50

vmwOID vmware 60

vmwExperimental vmware 700

VMWARE-ENV-MIB
TheVMWARE-ENV-MIB.mibdefinesvariablesandtraptypesusedtoreportonthestate
ofphysicalcomponentsofthehostcomputer.Thevariablesandtrapsdefinedinthis
fileareusedonlybyESXServer3ihosts.

VMWARE-ENV-MIB.mibdefinesasingletrap,vmwEnvHardwareEvent,whichissent
whenanESXServer3ihosthasdetectedamaterialchangeinthephysicalconditionof
thehardware.

Table 53liststhevariablesdefinedin VMWARE-ENV-MIB.mib.

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 Chapter 5 System Configuration

Table 5-3. Variable Definitions in VMWARE-ENV-MIB

Variable ID Mapping Description

vmwEnv vmwProductSpecific 20 DefinestheOIDrootforthisMIB

module.

vmwEnvNumber vmwEnv 1 Numberofconceptualrowsin

vmwEnvTable.

vmwEnvLastChange vmwEnv 2 Thevalueof sysUptimewhena

conceptualrowwaslastaddedtoor
deletedfromvmwEnvTable.

vmwEnvTable vmwEnv 3 Thistableispopulatedbymonitoring

subsystemssuchasIPMI.

vmwEnvEntry vmwEnvTable 1 Oneentryiscreatedinthetablefor

eachphysicalcomponentreporting
itsstatustoESXServer3i.

vmwEnvIndex vmwEnvEntry 1 Auniqueidentifierforthephysical

component.Thisidentifierdoesnot
persistacrossmanagementrestarts.
vmwSubsystemType vmwEnvEntry 2 Thetypeofhardwarecomponentthat
isreportingitsenvironmentalstate.

vmwHardwareStatus vmwEnvEntry 3 Thelastreportedstatusofthe

component.

vmwEventDescription vmwEnvEntry 4 Adescriptionofthelastreported

eventforthishardwarecomponent.

vmwHardwareTime vmwEnvEntry 5 ThevalueofsysUptimewhen

vmwHardwareStatuswasreported.

VMWARE-PRODUCTS-MIB
TheVMWARE-PRODUCTS-MIB.mibfiledefinesOIDstouniquelyidentifyeachSNMPagent
oneachVMwareplatform.TheidentificationmappingsforthisfilearelistedinTable 54.

Table 5-4. Identification Mappings for VMWARE-PRODUCTS-MIB.mib

Label Identification Mapping

oidESX vmwOID 1

vmwESX vmwProductSpecific 1

vmwEmbeddedESX vmwProductSpecific 2

vmwVC vmwProductSpecific 3

vmwServer vmwProductSpecific 4

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Basic System Administration

VMWARE-RESOURCES-MIB
TheVMWARE-RESOURCES-MIB.mibfiledefinesvariablesusedtoreportinformationon
resourceusage.Table 55liststheidentificationmappingsdefinedinthisfile.

Table 5-5. Identification Mappings for VMWARE-RESOURCES-MIB

Variable ID Mapping Description

CPU Subtree

vmwCPU vmwResources 1 DefinestherootOIDforthesubtreeof

variablesusedtoreportCPU
information.

numCPUs vmwCPU 1 ThenumberofphysicalCPUspresenton

thesystem.

cpuTable vmwCPU 2 AtableofCPUusagebyeachvirtual

machine.

cpuEntry cpuTable 1 AnentryincpuTablethatrecordsCPU

usageforasinglevirtualmachine.

cpuVMID cpuEntry 1 Theidentificationnumberallocatedto

thevirtualmachinebytheVMkernel.

cpuShares cpuEntry 2 TheshareoftheCPUallocatedtothe

virtualmachinebytheVMkernel.

cpuUtil cpuEntry 3 Amountoftimethevirtualmachinehas

beenrunningontheCPU(inseconds).

Memory Subtree

vmwMemory vmwResources 2 DefinestherootOIDforthesubtreeof

variablesusedtoreportmemory
information.

memSize vmwMemory 1 Amountofphysicalmemorypresenton

thehost(inKB).

memCOS vmwMemory 2 Amountofphysicalmemoryusedbythe

serviceconsole(inKB).Thisvariabledoes
notapplytoESXServer3ihosts,which
donothaveaserviceconsole.

memAvail vmwMemory 3 Theamountoffreephysicalmemory

availableonthehost.

memTable vmwMemory 4 Atableofmemoryusagebyeachvirtual

machine.

memEntry memTable 1 AnentryinmemTablethatrecords

memoryusagebyasinglevirtual
machine.

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 Chapter 5 System Configuration

Table 5-5. Identification Mappings for VMWARE-RESOURCES-MIB (Continued)

Variable ID Mapping Description

memVMID memEntry 1 Theidentificationnumberallocatedto

thevirtualmachinebytheVMkernel.

memShares memEntry 2 Thesharesofmemoryallocatedtothe

virtualmachinebytheVMkernel.

memConfigured memEntry 3 Theamountofmemorythevirtual

machinewasconfiguredwith(inKB).

memUtil memEntry 4 Theamountofmemorycurrentlyusedby

thevirtualmachine(inKB).

Disk Subtree

vmwHBATable vmwResources 3 Atableusedforreportingdiskadapter

andtargetinformation.

hbaEntry vmwHBATable 1 ArecordforasingleHBAconnectedto

thehostmachine.

hbaIdx hbaEntry 1 IndexfortheHBAtable.

hbaName hbaEntry 2 Astringdescribingthedisk.Format:
<devname#>:<tgt>:<lun>.

hbaVMID hbaEntry 3 Theidentificationnumberallocatedto

therunningvirtualmachinebythe
VMkernel.

diskShares hbaEntry 4 Shareofdiskbandwidthallocatedtothis

virtualmachine.

numReads hbaEntry 5 Numberofreadstothisdisksincethe

diskmodulewasloaded.

kbRead hbaEntry 6 Kilobytesreadfromthisdisksincethe

diskmodulewasloaded.

numWrites hbaEntry 7 Numberofwritestothisdisksincethe

diskmodulewasloaded.

kbWritten hbaEntry 8 Numberofkilobyteswrittentothisdisk

sincethediskmodulewasloaded.

Net Subtree

vmwNetTable vmwResources 4 Atableusedforreportingnetwork

adapterstatistics.
netEntry vmwNetTable 1 Arecordforasinglenetworkadapteron
thevirtualmachine.

netIdx netEntry 1 Indexforthenetworktable.

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Basic System Administration

Table 5-5. Identification Mappings for VMWARE-RESOURCES-MIB (Continued)

Variable ID Mapping Description

netName netEntry 2 Astringdescribingthenetworkadapter.

netVMID netEntry 3 Theidentificationnumberallocatedto

therunningvirtualmachinebythe
VMkernel.

ifAddr netEntry 4 TheMACaddressofthevirtual

machinesvirtualnetworkadapter.

netShares netEntry 5 Shareofnetworkbandwidthallocatedto

thisvirtualmachine.Thisobjecthasnot
beenimplemented.

pktsTx netEntry 6 Thenumberofpacketstransmittedon

thisnetworkadaptersincethenetwork
modulewasloaded.SeeSMIv2version
for64bitpackets.

kbTx netEntry 7 Thenumberofkilobytessentfromthis

networkadaptersincethenetwork
modulewasloaded.SeeSMIv2version
for64bitpackets.
pktsRx netEntry 8 Thenumberofpacketsreceivedonthis
networkadaptersincethenetwork
modulewasloaded.SeeSMIv2version
for64bitpackets.

kbRx netEntry 9 Kilobytesreceivedonthisnetwork

adaptersincethenetworkmodulewas
loaded.SeeSMIv2versionfor64bit
packets.

VMWARE-TC-MIB
The VMWARE-TC-MIB.mibfileprovidescommontextualconventionsusedbyVMware
MIBfiles.
VMWARE-TC-MIB.mibdefinesthefollowingintegervaluesforVmwSubsystemTypes:

unknown(1)

chassis(2)

powerSupply(3)

fan(4)

cpu(5)

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 Chapter 5 System Configuration

memory(6)

battery(7)

temperatureSensor(8)

raidController(9)

voltage(10)

VMWARE-TC-MIB.mibdefinesthefollowingintegervaluesforVmwSubsystemStatus:

unknown(1)

normal(2)

marginal(3)

critical(4)

failed(5)

VMWARE-TRAPS-MIB
VMWARE-TRAPS-MIB.mibdefinestrapsusedbyESXServerandVirtualCenter.
All notificationsdefinedinthisfilearesentbyVMwareagentsusingtheSNMPv1trap
format.Table 56liststhetraps.

Table 5-6. Traps Defined in VMWARE-TRAPS-MIB

Trap Description
ESX Server Traps

vmPoweredOn Thistrapissentwhenavirtualmachineispoweredonfroma
suspendedorpoweredoffstate.

vmPoweredOff Thistrapissentwhenavirtualmachineispoweredoff.

vmHBLost Thistrapissentwhenavirtualmachinedetectsalossinguest
heartbeat.VMwareToolsmustbeinstalledintheguest
operatingsysteminorderforthisvaluetobevalid.

vmHBDetected Thistrapissentwhenavirtualmachinedetectsorregainsthe
guestheartbeat.VMwareToolsmustbeinstalledintheguest
operatingsysteminorderforthisvaluetobevalid.

vmSuspended Thistrapissentwhenavirtualmachineissuspended.

VirtualCenter Server Traps

vpxdTrap Thistrapissentwhenanentitystatushaschanged.

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VMWARE-TRAPS-MIB.mibalsodefinesvariablesusedbythesetraps.Table 57liststhe
variablesdefinedinthisfile.

Table 5-7. Variables Defined in VMWARE-TRAPS-MIB

Variable ID Mapping Description

ESX Server Trap Variables

vmID vmwTraps 101 TheIDoftheaffectedvirtualmachinegenerating

thetrap.IfthereisnovirtualmachineID
(for example,ifthevirtualmachinehasbeen
poweredoff),thevmIDis1.

vmConfigFile vmwTraps 102 Theconfigurationfileofthevirtualmachine

generatingthetrap.

VirtualCenter Server Trap Variables

vpxdTrapType vmwTraps 301 ThetraptypeoftheVirtualCentertrap.

vpxdHostName vmwTraps 302 Thenameoftheaffectedhost.

vpxdVMName vmwTraps 303 Thenameoftheaffectedvirtualmachine.

vpxdOldStatus vmwTraps 304 Thepriorstatus.

vpxdNewStatus vmwTraps 305 Thenewstatus.

vpxdObjValue vmwTraps 306 Theobjectvalue.

VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB
TheVMWARE-VMINFO-MIB.mibfiledefinesvariablesforreportingvirtualmachine
information.Table 58liststhevariablesdefinedinthisfile.

Table 5-8. Identification Mappings for VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB

Variable ID Mapping Description

vmTable vmwVirtMachines 1 Atablecontaininginformationonthe

virtualmachinesthathavebeen
configuredonthesystem.

vmEntry vmTable 1 Therecordforasinglevirtualmachine.

vmIdx vmEntry 1 Anindexforthevirtualmachineentry.

vmDisplayName vmEntry 2 Thedisplaynameforthevirtualmachine.

vmConfigFile vmEntry 3 Thepathtotheconfigurationfileforthis

virtualmachine.

vmGuestOS vmEntry 4 Theguestoperatingsystemrunningon

thevirtualmachine.

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Table 5-8. Identification Mappings for VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB (Continued)

Variable ID Mapping Description

vmMemSize vmEntry 5 Thememory(inMB)configuredforthis

virtualmachine.

vmState vmEntry 6 Thevirtualmachinepowerstate(onoroff).

vmVMID vmEntry 7 Anidentificationnumberassignedto

runningvirtualmachinesbythe
VMkernel.Poweredoffvirtualmachines
tonothavethisID.

vmGuestState vmEntry 8 Thestateoftheguestoperatingsystem

(onoroff).

hbaTable vmwVirtMachines 2 Atableofdiskadaptersvisibletoavirtual

machine.

hbaEntry hbaTable 1 RecordforasingleHBA.

hbaVmIdx hbaEntry 1 Anumbercorrespondingtothevirtual

machinesindexinthevmTable.
hbaIdx hbaEntry 2 ThevirtualmachinesvirtualSCSI
adapternumber.

hbaNum hbaEntry 3 ThedevicenumberfortheHBA.

hbaVirtDev hbaEntry 4 ThevirtualdevicetypeforthisHBA.

hbaTgtTable vmwVirtMachines 3 ThetableofSCSItargetsvisibletoa

virtualmachine.

hbaTgtEntry hbaTgtTable 1 RecordforasingleSCSItarget.

hbaTgtVmIdx hbaTgtEntry 1 Anumbercorrespondingtothevirtual

machinesindexinthevmTable.
hbaTgtIdx hbaTgtEntry 2 ThevirtualSCSItargetnumber.

hbaTgtNum hbaTgtEntry 3 TheSCSItargetdescription.

netTable vmwVirtMachines 4 Atableofnetworkadaptersseenbya

virtualmachine.

netEntry netTable 1 Arecordforasinglenetworkadapter.

netVmIdx netEntry 1 Anumbercorrespondingtothevirtual

machinesindexinthevmTable.

netIdx netEntry 2 Indexforthistable.

netNum netEntry 3 Thedevicenumberforthenetwork

adapter.

netName netEntry 4 Thedevicenameforthenetworkadapter.

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Table 5-8. Identification Mappings for VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB (Continued)

Variable ID Mapping Description

netConnType netEntry 5 Connectiontype(userormonitordevice).

floppyTable vmwVirtMachines 5 Atableoffloppydrivesvisibletoavirtual

machine.

floppyEntry floppyTable 1 Arecordforasinglefloppydevice.

fdVmIdx floppyEntry 1 Anumbercorrespondingtothevirtual
machinesindexinthevmTable.

fdIdx floppyEntry 2 Indexforthefloppytable.Givestheorder

ofthefloppydeviceonthevirtualmachine.

fdName floppyEntry 3 Thedevicenumberornameforthefloppy

device.

fdConnected floppyEntry 4 Indicateswhetherthefloppydeviceis

connected.

cdromTable vmwVirtMachines 6 AtableofCDROMdrivesvisibletoa

virtualmachine.
cdromEntry cdromTable 1 ArecordforasingleCDROMdrive.

cdVmIdx cdromEntry 1 Anumbercorrespondingtothevirtual

machinesindexinthevmTable.

cdromIdx cdromEntry 2 IndexfortheCDROMtable.Givesthe

orderofCDROMdevicesonthevirtual
machine.
cdromName cdromEntry 3 Thedevicenumberornameforthe
CDROMdevice.

cdromConnected cdromEntry 4 IndicateswhethertheCDROMdeviceis

connected.

VMWARE-VMKERNEL-MIB
TheVMWARE-VMKERNEL-MIB.mibfiledefinesvariablesusedtoreporttheVMkernel
state.Table 59liststhevariablesdefinedinthisfile.

Table 5-9. Identification Mappings for VMWARE-VMKERNEL-MIB

Variable ID Mapping Description

esxVMKernel vmwESX 1 TherootOIDforVMkernelvariables.

vmkLoaded esxVMKernel 1 IndicateswhethertheVMkernelhasbeen
loaded.Notethatifthevalueofthisvariable
isNo,thenallothervariablesreportedfor
ESXServer3areinvalid.

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Using SNMP with VirtualCenter Server

TheSNMPagentincludedwithVirtualCenterServercanbeusedtosendtrapswhen
analarmistriggeredontheVirtualCenterServer.TheVirtualCenterSNMPagent
functionsonlyasatrapemitter,anddoesnotsupportotherSNMPoperations,such
as get.AlltrapssentbytheVirtualCenterServerSNMPagentareSNMPversion1traps.

TheSNMPenterprisetraptypeforVMwareVirtualCenteris201.Itsendsnogeneric
traps.

TousetheVirtualCenterSNMPtraps,youmustdothefollowing:

ConfiguretheSNMPsettingsonVirtualCenterServer.

ConfigureyourmanagementsoftwaretoaccepttrapsfromVirtualCenterServer.

To configure SNMP settings on VirtualCenter Server

1 IntheVIClientconnectedtoVirtualCenterServer,chooseAdministration>
VirtualCenterManagementServerConfiguration.

TheVirtualCenterManagementServerConfigurationdialogboxisdisplayed.

2 SelectSNMPtodisplaytheSNMPpage.

3 IntheReceiverURLtextbox,entertheDNSnameorIPaddressoftheSNMP
receiver.

4 Intheadjacenttextbox,entertheportnumberoftheSNMPreceiver.

Iftheportvalueisleftempty,thedefaultvalueof162isused.
5 IntheCommunityStringtextbox,enterthecommunityidentifier.

6 ToenableadditionalSNMPreceivers,selecttheappropriatecheckbox,andrepeat
Steps3through5forthatreceiver.

7 ClickOKtoclosethedialogboxandsavethesettings.

ThetrapssentbyVirtualCenterServeraretypicallysenttoothermanagement
programs.YoumustconfigureyourmanagementservertointerprettheSNMPtraps
sentbyVirtualCenterServer.

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To configure your management program to interpret VirtualCenter SNMP traps

1 (SEEUPDATE)CopytheMIBfilestothelocationrequiredbyyourmanagement
software.To interpretVirtualCenterServertraps,onlythefollowingMIBfilesare
needed:

VMWARE-ROOT-MIB.mib
VMWARE-TRAPS-MIB.mib

TheMIBdefinitionfilescanbefoundatC:\Program
Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VirtualCenter Server\MIBSwhenthe
defaultinstallationdirectoryisused.
2 ModifyyourmanagementprogramtoincludeandinterprettheVMwareMIBs.

SeeyourmanagementprogramdocumentationforinformationonaddingMIB
definitionstoyourprogram.

Using SNMP with ESX Server 3

ESXServer3shipswithtwoSNMPagents.ThefirstisanSNMPagentbasedon
NetSNMPwithenhancementstosupportdataspecifictoESXServer3.Thesecond
agentisidenticaltothatwhichshipswithESXServer3i,andcanbeusedand
configuredinthesamemanner.SeeUsingSNMPwithESXServer3ionpage 96for
moreinformationonthisagent.

TheNetSNMPbasedagentiscompiledforversion5.0.9.2.30E.19ofNetSNMP.
ThatversionofNetSNMPisinstalledintheESXServer3serviceconsoleby
default.BackgroundinformationonNetSNMPisavailableat
netsnmp.sourceforge.net.

(SEEUPDATE)TheESXServer3NetSNMPbasedagentcanbeusedwithany
managementsoftwarethatcanloadandcompileamanagementinformationbase
(MIB)inSMIv1formatandcanunderstandSNMPv1trapmessages.TheESXServer3
NetSNMPbasedagentsupportsbothtrapsandSNMPgets.

TheNetSNMPbasedagentreportsthefollowingsysObjectID:

SNMPv2-MIB::sysDescr.0 = STRING: VMware ESX Server 0 VMware,

Inc. 0 0 i686
SNMPv2-MIB::sysObjectID.0 = OID: SNMPv2-SMI::mib-2.6786.4.1
YoucanchoosetouseSNMPwithorwithoutanyESXServerMIBitems.

TheVMwarespecificMIBmodulesareinstalledwhenyouinstallESX Server3.
By defaultonafreshinstall,ESXServercomponentsareenabledinSNMP,and
VMwaretrapsareonbydefault.YoumustconfigureatrapsinktoreceiveSNMPtraps.

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Configuring the ESX Server Agent from the Service Console

(SEEUPDATE)Thefollowingproceduresmustbeperformedafterinstallingor
upgradingthirdpartymanagementapplications.

To enable or disable VMware MIBs on ESX Server 3

1 Logintotheserviceconsoleastherootuser.

2 Editthe /etc/snmp/snmpd.confconfigurationfile.

3 AddorremovethefollowinglinetoenableordisableVMwareMIBitems:
dlmod SNMPESX /usr/lib/vmware/snmp/libSNMPESX.so

To start the ESX Server 3 SNMP agent automatically

YoucansettheSNMPdaemontostartwheneverESXServer3bootsbylogginginas
therootuserontheserviceconsoleandrunningthechkconfigcommand:
chkconfig snmpd on

To start the ESX Server 3 SNMP agent manually

IfyoumuststarttheSNMPagentmanually,loginasrootintheserviceconsoleandrun
thefollowingcommand:
/etc/rc.d/init.d/snmpd start

Bydefault,theagentstartsandrunsasbackgroundprocesses.

To enable and disable traps on ESX Server 3

1 Edittheconfig.xmlfile.

Theconfigurationparametersnmp/generateTrapsinthe
/etc/vmware/hostd/config.xmlfiledetermineswhethertogenerateatrap.
By default,atrapisgenerated.

2 Todisabletraps,addthefollowingentrytothefile:
<plugins>
<snmpsvc><generateTraps>false</generateTraps></snmpsvc>
</plugins>

3 Toreenabletraps,removetheentryfromthefile.

4 Restartvmware_hostdtoseethechangetakeeffect.

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Configuring SNMP Trap Destinations for ESX Server 3

VMwaretrapsaregeneratedtothedestinationsspecifiedintheconfigurationfile.

To configure traps

1 Logintotheserviceconsoleastherootuser.

2 Modifythe/etc/snmp/snmpd.conffile.

3 Usingatexteditor,addthefollowingline,replacingmercury.solar.comwiththe
nameofthehostonyournetworkthatwillreceivetraps.
trapsink example.com

Repeatthislinetospecifymorethanonedestination.

4 Addthefollowingline,replacingpublicwithacommunitynameofyourchoice:
trapcommunity public.

Onlyoneinstanceofthislineisallowed.

5 Saveyourchanges.

Using SNMP with ESX Server 3i

ESXServer3ishipswithanSNMPmanagementagentdifferentfromthatwhichruns
intheserviceconsoleofESXServer3.Currently,thisSNMPagentsupportsonlySNMP
traps,notGETS.Thisagentisoffbydefault.Tousethisagent,youmustenablethe
SNMPservice,specifyatleastonecommunity,andconfigureatrapdestinationusing
theRemoteCLIcommandvicfg-snmp.

Table 510liststhecommandoptionsandsyntaxforthevicfg-snmpcommand.
You musttargetthevicfg-snmpcommanddirectlytotheESXServer3ihost.
You cannotusethiscommandwithaVirtualCenterServer.Formoreinformationon
installingandusingtheRemoteCLI,seetheRemoteCommandLineInterfaceInstallation
andReference.

Table 5-10. vicfg-snmp Command Options

Option Description

--communities <comm1>[, ...] Specifiescommunitiesseparatedbycommas.

-c <comm1>[, ...] The settingsspecifiedusingthisflagoverwriteany
previoussettings.

--disable StopstheSNMPservice.
-D

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Table 5-10. vicfg-snmp Command Options (Continued)

Option Description

--enable StartstheSNMPservice.
-E

--port <port-number> SetstheportusedbytheSNMPagent.Thedefaultis

-p <port-number> udp/162.

--reset Clearsallpreviouslyspecifiedcommunitiesand
-r targets.

--show
-s
--targets <hostname[@port]>
</community>[, ...]
-t <hostname[@port]>
</community>[, ...]
DisplaysthecurrentSNMPconfiguration.
Setsthedestinationfor(notifications)traps.
The settingsspecifiedusingthisflagoverwriteany
previoussettings.

--test Sendsatestnotificationthatcanbeusedtovalidatethe
-T SNMPconfiguration.

Configuring SNMP Management Client Software

TouseyourSNMPmanagementsoftwarewiththeESXServer3orESXServer3iagents,
takethestepsneededtoaccomplishthefollowing:

Inyourmanagementsoftware,specifytheESXServermachineasanSNMPbased
manageddevice.

Setupappropriatecommunitynamesinthemanagementsoftware.Thesemust
correspondtothevaluessetinthemasterSNMPagentsconfigurationfile,for
example,rocommunity,trapcommunity,andtrapsink.

LoadtheESXServerMIBsintothemanagementsoftwaresoyoucanviewthe
symbolicnamesfortheESXServervariables.YoucanfindtheMIBfileson
ESX ServerSW,inthe/usr/lib/vmware/snmp/mibsdirectory.

Configuring SNMP Security for ESX Server 3

TheESXServerSNMPpackagetakesthesimplestapproachtoSNMPsecurityinthe
defaultconfiguration.Itsetsupasinglecommunitywithreadonlyaccess.Thisis
denotedbytherocommunityconfigurationparameterintheconfigurationfileforthe
snmpd daemon,snmpd.conf.Youshouldchangethisfile.

OtherenhancementstotheSNMPsecuritymechanismallowanadministratortosetup
amoreelaboratepermissionsscheme.Seethesnmpd.conf(5)manpagefordetails.

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SNMP Diagnostics
YoucanusethefollowingtoolstodiagnoseproblemswithSNMPconfiguration.

Typevicfg-snmp -TattheRemoteCLItoprompttheESXServer3iagenttosend
atesttrap.

TheSNMPv2-MIBfileprovidesanumberofcounterstoaidindebuggingSNMP
problems.Table 511listssomeofthesediagnosticcounters.

Table 5-11. Diagnostic Counters from SNMPv2-MIB

Variable ID Mapping Description
snmpInPkts snmp 1 ThetotalnumberofmessagesdeliveredtotheSNMP
entityfromthetransportservice.

snmpInBadVersions snmp 3 ThetotalnumberofSNMPmessagesthatweredelivered

totheSNMPentityandwereforanunsupportedSNMP
version.

snmpInBadCommunityNames snmp 4 ThetotalnumberofcommunitybasedSNMPmessages

deliveredtotheSNMPentitythatusedaninvalidSNMP
communityname.

snmpInBadCommunityUses snmp 5 ThetotalnumberofcommunitybasedSNMPmessages

deliveredtotheSNMPentitythatrepresentedanSNMP
operationthatwasnotallowedforthecommunitynamed
inthemessage.

snmpInASNParseErrs snmp 6 ThetotalnumberofASN.1orBERerrorsencounteredby

theSNMPentitywhendecodingreceivedSNMP
messages.

snmpEnableAuthenTraps snmp 30 IndicateswhethertheSNMPentityispermittedto

generateauthenticationFailuretraps.Thevalueofthis
objectoverridesanyconfigurationinformation.It
thereforeprovidesameansofdisablingall
authenticationFailuretraps.

snmpSilentDrops snmp 31 ThetotalnumberofConfirmedClassPDUsdeliveredto

theSNMPentitythatweresilentlydroppedbecausethe
sizeofareplycontaininganalternateResponseClassPDU
withanemptyvariablebindingsfieldwasgreaterthan
eitheralocalconstraintorthemaximummessagesize
associatedwiththeoriginatoroftherequest.

snmpProxyDrops snmp 32 ThetotalnumberofConfirmedClassPDUsdeliveredto

theSNMPentitythatweresilentlydroppedbecausethe
transmissionofthemessagetoaproxytargetfailedina
mannerotherthanatimeoutsuchthatnoResponse
ClassPDUcouldbereturned.

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Using SNMP with Guest Operating Systems

TouseSNMPtomonitorguestoperatingsystemsorapplicationsrunninginvirtual
machines,installtheSNMPagentsyounormallywoulduseforthatpurposeinthe
guestoperatingsystems.NospecialconfigurationisrequiredonESXServer.

Thevirtualmachineusesitsownvirtualhardwaredevices.Youshouldnotinstall
agentsintendedtomonitorhardwareonthephysicalcomputerinthevirtualmachine.

System Log Files

Inadditiontolistsofeventsandalarms,VMwareInfrastructurecomponentsgenerate
assortedlogs.Theselogscontainadditionalinformationaboutactivitiesinyour
VMwareInfrastructureenvironment.

Thefollowingsectionsdiscusssystemlogfiles:

ViewingSystemLogEntriesonpage 99

ExternalSystemLogsonpage 101

ConfiguringSyslogonESXServerHostsonpage 102

ExportingDiagnosticDataonpage 103

CollectingLogFilesonpage 104

Viewing System Log Entries

Thefollowingtwoproceduresdescribehowtoaccessandviewsystemlogs.

To view system log entries

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoeitheraVirtualCenterServeroranESXServer,
displaytheadministrationpanelandviewthesystemlogtab.
2 ClicktheAdminbuttoninthenavigationbar.ClicktheSystemLogstab.

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Basic System Administration

3 Fromthedropdownlist,choosethelogandentryyouwanttoview.

To search and list selected items

1 Withthelogyouwanttofilterdisplayed,chooseView>Filteringtorefertothe
filteringoptions.

2 Entertextintothedatafield.ClickCleartoemptythedatafield.

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 Chapter 5 System Configuration

External System Logs

VMwaretechnicalsupportmightrequestseveralfilestohelpresolveanyissuesyou
havewiththeproduct.Thissectiondescribesthetypesandlocationsoflogfilesfound
onvariousVI3componentsystems.

NOTEOnWindowssystems,severallogfilesarestoredintheLocalSettingsdirectory,
whichislocatedatC:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Local Settings\.
Thisfolderishiddenbydefault.Toviewitscontents,openMyComputer,chooseTools
>FolderOptions,clicktheViewtab,andchooseShowHiddenFilesandFolders.

Table 512listslogfilesassociatedwithESXServersystems.

Table 5-12. ESX Server System Logs

Component Location

ESXServer2.xServicelog /var/log/vmware/vmware-serverd.log

ESXServer3.xServicelog /var/log/vmware/hostd.log

VIClientAgentlog /var/log/vmware/vpx/vpxa.log

VirtualMachineKernelCorefile /root/vmkernel-core.<date>
and
/root/vmkernel-log.<date>
Thesefilesarepresentafteryourebootyourmachine.

Sysloglog /var/log/messages

ServiceConsoleAvailability /var/log/vmkernel
report

VMkernelMessages /var/log/vmkernel

VMkernelAlertsandAvailability /var/log/vmkernel
report

VMkernelWarning /var/log/vmkwarning

VirtualMachinelogfile vmware.loginthesamedirectoryasthe.vmxfileforthe
virtualmachine

VirtualMachineConfiguration <virtual_machine_name>/<virtual_machine_name>.
file vmx locatedonadatastoreassociatedwiththemanaged
host.Usedthevirtualmachinesummarypageinthe
VI Clienttodeterminethedatastoreonwhichthisfileis
located.

Table 513listslogfilesassociatedwiththeVIClientmachine.

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Basic System Administration

Table 5-13. VI Client System Logs

Component Location

VIClient TempdirectoryontheVIClientmachine.
Installationlog Example:
C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Local
Settings\Temp\vmmsi.log

VIClient \vpxdirectoryinthetempdirectoryontheVIClientmachine.
Servicelog Example:
C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Local
Settings\Temp\vpx\viclient-x.log
x(=0, 1, ... 9)

Configuring Syslog on ESX Server Hosts

AllESXServerhostsrunasyslogservice(syslogd),whichlogsmessagesfromthe
VMkernelandothersystemcomponentstoafile.OnanESXServer3host,youcan
configuresyslogbehaviorbyeditingthe/etc/syslog.conffile.OnanESXServer3i
host,youcanusetheVIClientortheRemoteCLIcommandvicfg-advcfgto
configurethefollowingoptions:

LogfilepathSpecifiesadatastorepathtoafileinwhichsyslogdlogsallmessages.

RemotehostSpecifiesaremotehosttowhichsyslogmessagesareforwarded.
Youcanalsospecifytheportonwhichtheremotehostreceivesmessages.

To configure syslogd on an ESX Server 3i host

1 SelectthehostintheVIClientinventory.

2 ClicktheConfigurationtabtodisplayit.

3 ClickAdvancedSettings.

4 SelectSysloginthetreecontrol.

5 IntheSyslog.Local.DatastorePathtextbox,enterthedatastorepathforthefileto
whichsyslogwilllogmessages.

Thedatastorepathshouldbeoftheform[<datastorename>]</path/to/file>,where
thepathisrelativetotherootofthevolumebackingthedatastore.Forexample,
thedatastorepath[storage1] var/log/messageswouldmaptothepath
/vmfs/volumes/storage1/var/log/messages.

Ifnopathisspecified,thedefaultpathis/var/log/messages.

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6 IntheSyslog.Remote.Hostnametextbox,enterthenameoftheremotehostto
whichsyslogdatawillbeforwarded.

Ifnovalueisspecified,noforwardingtakesplace.

Inordertoreceivetheforwardedsyslogmessages,yourremotehostmusthavea
syslogserviceinstalledandcorrectlyconfigured.Consultthedocumentationfor
thesyslogserviceinstalledonyourremotehostforinformationonconfiguration.

7 IntheSyslog.Remote.Porttextbox,entertheportontheremotehosttowhich
syslogdatawillbeforwarded.

Bydefault,thisoptionissetto514,whichisthedefaultUDPportusedbysyslog.
ChangestothisoptiontakeeffectonlyifSyslog.Remote.Hostnameisconfigured.

8 ClickOK.

Changestothesyslogoptionstakeeffectimmediately.

SeetheRemoteCommandLineInterfaceInstallationandReferenceformoreinformationon
installingandusingtheRemoteCLI.

Exporting Diagnostic Data

Thereisanoptionforexportingallorpartofyourlogfiledata.

To export diagnostic data

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServerorESXServer,choose
Administration>ExportDiagnosticData.

2 IftheVIClientisconnectedtoVirtualCenterServer,specifythehostwhoselogs
youwanttoexportandthelocationforstoringthelogfiles.

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Basic System Administration

3 IftheVIClientisconnectedtoanESXServer,specifythelocationforthelogfiles.

4 ClickOK.

Afileiscreatedoftheselecteddataandstoredatthespecifiedlocation,usingthe
vm-supportscript.Ifnofileextensionisprovided,thedefaultisatextfile.Thefile
containsType,Time,andDescription.

Collecting Log Files

VMwaretechnicalsupportmightrequestseveralfilestohelpresolveyourproblem.
Thefollowingdescribesscriptprocessesforgeneratingandcollectingsomeofthese
files.

To set VirtualCenter verbose logging in the VMware Infrastructure Client

1 ChooseAdministration.ClickServerSettings>LoggingOptions.

2 ChooseVerbosefromthepopupmenu.

3 ClickOK.

To collect VMware Infrastructure log files

Choosefromtheoptions:

Toviewtheviclient-*.logfiles,changetothedirectory,%temp%.

IfyouarerunningtheVIClientontheVirtualCenterServermachine,download
thelogbundle.

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 Chapter 5 System Configuration

To collect ESX Server VMkernel files

IftheVMkernelfails,normallyanerrormessageappearsforaperiodoftimeand
thenthevirtualmachinereboots.

IfyouspecifiedaVMwarecoredumppartitionwhenyouconfiguredyourvirtual
machine,theVMkernelalsogeneratesacoredumpanderrorlog.

MoreseriousproblemsintheVMkernelcanfreezethemachinewithoutanerror
messageorcoredump.

To collect ESX Server log files using the Service Console

Runthefollowingscriptontheserviceconsole:

/usr/bin/vm-support

ThisscriptcollectsandpackagesallrelevantESXServer3systemand
configurationinformationandESXServerlogfiles.Thisinformationcanbeused
toanalyzetheproblemyouareencountering.

Theresultingfilehasthefollowingformat:

esx-<date>-<unique-xnumber>.tgz

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 6

Managing the VI Client

Inventory 6
ThischapterdescribeshowtomanagetheobjectsinyourVMwareInfrastructure
environment.Thisincludesfolders,datacenters,clusters,resourcepools,networks,
anddatastores.Theseobjectsareusedtohelpmanageororganizethemonitoredand
managedhostsandvirtualmachines.

NOTETheviewsandcapabilitiesdisplayedvarydependingonwhethertheVIClient
isconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServeroranESXServerhost.Unlessindicated,the
process,task,ordescriptionappliestoallkindsofVIClientconnections.

Thischapterdescribeshowtoaddorremoveinventoryobjects.Includedisareference
tothedocumentationthatdescribestheseitemsandrelatedactivitiesindetail.

EachobjectintheVMwareInfrastructureClienthasitsplaceintheoverallhierarchy.
Anobjectspositionisdeterminedbytheobjectsfunctionality.

Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

UnderstandingVIClientObjectsonpage 108

AddinganInventoryObjectonpage 110

MovingObjectsintheInventoryonpage 111

RemovinganInventoryObjectonpage 112

WorkingwithFilesintheDatastoreBrowseronpage 113

PerforminganInitialDatacenterConsolidationonpage 114

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Basic System Administration

Understanding VI Client Objects

Thereareseveralwaystogetinsightintotherelationshipsbetweendifferentobjects:

ViewingthroughtheMapsfeatureshowstheinventoryobjectrelationshipsin
graphicalform.

Clickinganobjectintheinventoryprovidesalistoftabbedcontentthatlists
relatedobjects.

Forexample,adatastorehasavirtualmachinetabthatliststhevirtualmachines
thatusethedatastore.Thereisalsoahosttabthatlistthehoststhatcanaccessthe
datastore.

ViewingInventory>HostsandClustersprovidesaviewofthesetofvirtual
machinesthatrunonaparticularhost,cluster,orresourcepool.Eachobjecthasa
tabthatdisplaysallthevirtualmachinesassociatedorcontainedwithinin.

However,theHostsandClustersviewisnotacompletelistofavailablevirtual
machinesandtemplates.OnlytheInventory>VirtualMachinesandTemplates
optiondisplaysallthevirtualmachineandtemplates.Throughthisviewyoucan
organizevirtualmachinesintoarbitraryfolderhierarchies.

TheVMwareInfrastructureClientobjectsareasfollows:

RootfolderInVirtualCenterServeronly.Childobjectsaredatacentersor
subfolders.TherootfolderissetasadefaultforeveryVirtualCenterServer.
You canchangethename,butnotaddorremoveit.

FoldersInVirtualCenterServeronly.Childobjectsaredatacenters,hosts,
clusters,virtualmachines,templates,orsubfolders.

DatacentersInVirtualCenterServeronly.Childobjectsarefolders,clusters,or
hosts.

Adatacentercontainsclusters,hosts,andvirtualmachines.Allactionstakenupon
managedhostsandvirtualmachinesareappliedwithintheirdatacenter.Withina
datacenter,youcanmonitorandmanagevirtualmachinesseparatelyfromtheir
hostsanduseVMotion.

ClustersInVirtualCenterServeronly.Childobjectsarehosts,virtualmachines,
orresourcepools.

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 Chapter 6 Managing the VI Client Inventory

Ifyoursystemislicensed,youcanenablethefollowingclusterfeatures:

VMwareHAAllowsVirtualCentertomigrateandrestartavirtualmachine
whenahostfails.VMwareHAisnotlistedasaninventoryobjectitself,butit
allowstheclusterobjecttobeseen.

VMwareDRSMonitorstheVirtualCenterenvironment,makesinitialplacement
recommendations,makesvirtualmachinemigrationrecommendations,makes
distributedpowermanagementrecommendations,andenablesVirtualCenterto
automaticallyplaceandmigratevirtualmachinesonhoststoattainthebestuseof
clusterandpowerresources.VMwareDRSisnotlistedasaninventoryobject
itself,butitallowstheclusterobjecttobeseen.

EnhancedVMotionCompatibility(EVC)AllowsVirtualCentertoenforce
VMotioncompatibilitybetweenallhostsintheclusterbyforcinghostswithto
exposeacommonsetofCPUfeaturestovirtualmachines.

SeetheResourceManagementGuideforcomprehensiveinformationonusing
VMwareInfrastructureClientclusters.

HostsChildobjectsarevirtualmachinesorresourcepools.HostsareESXServer
systems.Thetermhostreferstothevirtualizationplatformthatisthehosttothe
virtualmachines.HostisthedefaulttopstructureforastandaloneESXServer
machine.

WhentheVirtualCenterServerisconnectedtotheVMwareInfrastructureClient,
allESXServersystemsregisteredwithVirtualCenterarereferredtoashosts.
ESX ServersystemsdirectlyconnectedtotheVMwareInfrastructureClientare
referredtoasstandalonehosts.

SeetheESXServer3ConfigurationGuideorESXServer3iConfigurationGuidefor
comprehensiveinformationonconfiguringyourESXServersystem.

ResourcepoolsChildobjectsarevirtualmachinesorresourcepools.Resource
poolsareavailableonESXServerhostsaswellasthroughVirtualCenterServers.

AVMwareInfrastructureClientresourcepoolisusedtoallocatehostprovided
CPUandmemorytothevirtualmachinesresidenttothehost.

SeetheResourceManagementGuideforcomprehensiveinformationonusing
resourcepools.

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Basic System Administration

VirtualmachinesLocatedwithinahost,virtualdisksonadatastore,associated
withinaclusterorresourcepool.Canbelistedasachildobjecttohosts,clusters,
orresourcepools.Canbemovedbetweenhostsorclusters.Whenaddingtoa
clusterorresourcepool,youmustspecifyorhaveintheclusterorresourcepoola
designatedtargethost.

TemplatesAtemplateisamastercopyofavirtualmachinethatcanbeusedto
createandprovisionnewvirtualmachines.

NetworksInVirtualCenterServeronly.Childobjecttodatacenters.Networksare
discoveredwhenhostsareaddedtotheVMwareInfrastructureenvironment.

SeetheESXServer3ConfigurationGuideorESXServer3iConfigurationGuidefor
comprehensiveinformationonconfiguringESXServernetworks.

DatastoresInVirtualCenterServeronly.Childobjecttodatacenters.Datastores
arediscoveredwhenhostsareaddedtotheVMwareInfrastructureenvironment.
Thisincludesthediscoveryofdatastoresthatarelocaltothemanagedhostaswell
asdatastoresontheSANorNAS.

SeetheESXServer3ConfigurationGuideorESXServer3iConfigurationGuidefor
comprehensiveinformationonconfiguringESXServerdatastores.

Adding an Inventory Object

Eachinventoryobjectcanbeaddedonlytoitscorrespondinghierarchicalparent.
Only permissibleobjectsarelistedontheparentmenus.Thesepairingsareasfollows:

To add an inventory object

1 FromaVIClient,displaytheappropriateinventoryview.

2 Selecttheappropriateparenticonintheinventorypanel.Fromthepopupmenu,
chooseNew <Object>where<Object>isafolder,datacenter,cluster,resource
pool,host,orvirtualmachine.

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 Chapter 6 Managing the VI Client Inventory

Ifthenewobjectisafolderordatacenter,anewiconisaddedtotheinventory.
Forexample,anewdatacenterisaddedtothehierarchy.Typeinausefulname.

Iftheobjectisacluster,resourcepool,host,orvirtualmachine,awizardappears.
AnswerthepromptsandclickFinish.

Foradditionalinformation,seetheappropriatemanual:

ClusterSeetheResourceManagementGuide.

ResourcepoolSeetheResourceManagementGuide.

HostSeeManagingHostsinVirtualCenteronpage 127.

VirtualmachineSeeManagingVirtualMachinesonpage 169.

Moving Objects in the Inventory

Someobjectscanbemanuallymovedbetweenfolders,datacenters,resourcepools,and
hosts.

To move an object using drag-and-drop

1 FromaVIClient,displaytheappropriateinventoryview.

2 Selecttheobjecttobemovedfromtheappropriateinventoryviewbyclickingit.

Aboxisdisplayedaroundit.Thisindicatestheobjectisselected.

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3 Dragthemovingobjecttothetargetobject.

Ifthemovingobjectisallowedtomovetothetarget,thetargetobjectis
displayedwithaboxaroundit,indicatingitisselected.

Ifthemovingobjectisnotallowedtomovetothetarget,anaughtsign(zero
withaslash)appears,andtheobjectisnotmoved.

Theinventoryobjectscanbemovedasfollows:

Rootfolder,roothost(ESXServer),networks,anddatastoresCannotbe
moved.

FoldersCanbemovedwithinadatacenter.

DatacenterCanbemovedtofoldersatasiblingorparentlevel.

ClusterCanbemovedbetweenfoldersandwithindatacentersatasibling
orparentlevel.

HostWhenmanagedbyaVirtualCenterServer,ifahostisinacluster,all
virtualmachinesonthehostmustbeshutdownandthehostmustbeplaced
intomaintenancemodebeforeitcanbemovedfromthecluster.Ahostcanbe
movedbetweenclustersanddatacenters.

ResourcepoolsCanbemovedtootherresourcepoolsandfolders.

VirtualmachinesCanbemovedtootherresourcepools,clusters,folders,
datacenters,orhosts.Whenaddingtoanythingotherthanahost,youmust
specifyatargethost.

4 Correcttheconditionalsituation,ifneeded.

Whenyoureleasethemousebuttonafterdraggingtheobjectmovestothenew
locationoranerrormessageindicateswhatneedstobedonetopermitthemove.

Removing an Inventory Object

Whenyouremoveanobject(suchasafolder,datacenter,cluster,orresourcepool),
VirtualCenterremovesallchildinventoryobjects(suchasdatacenters,clusters,hosts,
andvirtualmachinescontainedwithintheobject).Alltheassociatedtasksandalarms
arealsoremoved.Assignedprocessorandmigrationlicensesarereturnedtoavailable
status.Virtualmachinesthatwereonamanagedhostremainonthehost,butareno
longermanagedbyVirtualCenter.

NOTETheremoveoptiondoesnotdeletevirtualmachinesfromitsdatastore.

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 Chapter 6 Managing the VI Client Inventory

To remove an inventory object

1 FromaVIClient,displaytheappropriateinventoryview.

2 Selecttheobject.Fromthepopupmenu,chooseRemove.

3 Toconfirmthatyouwanttoremovetheobject,clickYesandfollowtheprompts,
asneeded.

Whenconfirmed,VirtualCenterremovesallclusters,hosts,andvirtualmachines
withinthedatacenterfromthemanagedinventory.Inaddition,alltheassociated
tasks,alarms,andeventsarealsoremoved.Assignedprocessorandmigration
licensesarereturnedtoavailablestatus.Virtualmachinesthatwereonthe
managedhostremainonthehost.Therootfoldercannotberemoved.

Working with Files in the Datastore Browser

TheDatastoreBrowserallowsyoutomanagethecontentsofdatastoresintheVIClient
inventory.YoucanusetheDatastoreBrowsertodothefollowing:

Vieworsearchthecontentsofadatastore.

AddavirtualmachineortemplatestoredonadatastoretotheVIClientinventory.

Copyormovefilesfromonelocationtoanother,includingtoanotherdatastore.

Uploadafilefromtheclientcomputertoadatastore.

Downloadafilefromadatastoretotheclientcomputer.

Deleteorrenamefilesonadatastore.

TheDatastoreBrowseroperatesinamannersimilartofilesystemapplicationslike
WindowsExplorer.Itsupportsmanycommonfilesystemoperations,including
copying,cutting,andpastingfiles.TheDatastoreBrowserdoesnotsupport
draganddropoperations.

FordetailedinstructionsonusingtheDatastoreBrowser,seetheVIClientonlinehelp.

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About Copying Virtual Machine Disks

YoucanusetheDatastoreBrowsertocopyvirtualmachinediskfilesbetweenhosts.
Diskfilesarecopiedasis,withoutanyformatconversion.Diskscopiedfromonetype
ofhosttoadifferenttypeofhostmightrequireconversionbeforetheycanbeusedon
thenewhost.

Youcandownloadvirtualdisksfromadatastoretolocalstorage,butyoucannot
uploadvirtualdisksfromlocalstoragetoadatastore,becausethediskformatcannot
beverifiedduringtheupload.

Performing an Initial Datacenter Consolidation

VirtualCenterincludesafeaturethatenablesyoutobuildyourinventorybyimporting
physicalsystemsintoVirtualCenterasvirtualmachines.Thisfeatureoffersaquick,
automatedwayofpopulatinganewvirtualenvironment.Fordetails,see
ConsolidatingtheDatacenteronpage 117.

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 7

Consolidating the
Datacenter 7
ThischapterdescribestheGuidedConsolidationfeature,afeaturerecommendedfor
smallerITenvironmentstogetsetupandrunningwithVMwareInfrastructure.
This featureenablesyoutoconsolidatephysicalsystemsinyourdatacenterby
convertingthemtovirtualmachinesandimportingthemintoVirtualCenter.

Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

AboutDatacenterConsolidationonpage 118

ConsolidationPrerequisitesonpage 118

FirstTimeUseonpage 119

AboutConsolidationServicesonpage 119

SpecifyingConsolidationSettingsonpage 120

FindingPhysicalSystemsonpage 120
ViewingAnalysisResultsonpage 122

ConsolidatingCandidatesonpage 123

ViewingConsolidationTasksonpage 125

TroubleshootingConsolidationonpage 125

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About Datacenter Consolidation

AccesstheGuidedConsolidationfeaturebyclickingtheConsolidationnavigation
button.

GuidedConsolidation,recommendedforsmallerITenvironments,enablesyouto
streamlineyourdatacenterbymovingbusinessapplications,spreadacrossmultiple
disparatephysicalsystems,intoacentrallymanagedvirtualenvironment.Inthe
virtualizedenvironment,thephysicalsystemsthatrunyourbusinessapplicationsare
transformedintovirtualmachines.Multiplevirtualmachinescanbehostedonasingle
physicalsystem,enablingmoreefficientuseofcomputingresources.Consolidating
yourdatacenterinvolvesthefollowingprocess:

FindYousearchforandselectthephysicalsystemsinyourdatacenterthatyou
wantanalyzed.SeeFindingPhysicalSystemsonpage 120.

AnalyzeSelectedphysicalsystemsareanalyzedandperformancedataoneach
selectedsystemiscollected.Generally,thelongerthedurationoftheanalysis
phasethehighertheconfidenceintheVirtualCentersrecommendations.
See ViewingAnalysisResultsonpage 122.

ConsolidatePerformancedataiscomparedtotheresourcesavailableonthe
virtualmachinehostsystems.Theselectedphysicalsystemsareconvertedto
virtualmachinesandimportedintoVirtualCenterontherecommendedhosts
wheretheyaremanagedalongwithothercomponentsofyourvirtual
environment.SeeConsolidatingCandidatesonpage 123.

Usetheconsolidationfeaturetostartbuildingyourvirtualenvironment,ortofurther
consolidateyourdatacenterasitgrows.IfyouareusingtheConsolidationfeaturefor
thefirsttime,seeConsolidationPrerequisitesonpage 118.

Consolidation Prerequisites
BeforeyouusetheConsolidationfeature,ensurethatthefollowingprerequisitesare
met:

Atleastonedatacenterinventoryobjectexists.SeeAddinganInventoryObject
onpage 110.

AtleastonehostisregisteredwithVirtualCenter.SeeAddingaHoston
page 129.

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 Chapter 7 Consolidating the Datacenter

ConsolidationservicesrequirelocaladministratorprivilegesontheVirtualCenter
server.Specifically,thecollectorservicemustberunwithlocaladministrator
privileges.Additionally,theaccountusedmustalsobegrantedtheLogonas
serviceprivilege.IfActiveDirectoryisdeployedonyournetwork,thecredentials
usedtorunconsolidationservicesmustalsohavesufficientprivilegestoquerythe
ActiveDirectorydatabase.SupplyVirtualCenterwithyourcredentialsbeforeyou
beginaconsolidationproject.SeeSpecifyingConsolidationSettingson
page 120.

Consolidationservicesalsorequireadministratoraccesstothesystemsselectedfor
analysis.Specifically,thecollectorserviceusesthesecredentialstoconnecttoand
retrieveconfigurationandperformancedatafromthephysicalsystemsunder
analysis.SeeSupplyingSystemlevelAdministratorCredentialsonpage 122.

First Time Use

ThefirsttimeyouusetheConsolidationfeature,youarepromptedtospecify
consolidationsettings(seeSpecifyingConsolidationSettingsonpage 120).Awizard
stepsyouthroughtheprocessofspecifyingthesesettings.Youcanchangethese
settingsatanytimebyselectingAdministration>ConsolidationSettings>
Credentialstab.

About Consolidation Services

ConsolidationservicesareinstalledtogetherwithVirtualCenterServer.Consolidation
servicesincludethefollowing:

VMwareCapacityPlannerServiceDiscoversdomainsandsystemswithin
domains.Collectsperformancedataonsystemsselectedforanalysis.Itisreferred
toasthecollectorserviceinthisdocument.

VMwareConverterEnterpriseServiceConvertsphysicalsystemstovirtual
machines.VirtualCenterprovidesthisservicewithinformationaboutthe
destinationandotherparameters,andVMwareConverterEnterpriseService
handlestheconversionoperation.Thisservicecanbeinstalledthesamemachine
astheVirtualCenterServer,oronaseparatemachine.

SeeConsolidationPrerequisitesonpage 118forinformationabouttheuser
privilegesrequiredbyeachserviceforproperfunctioning.

To view active consolidation services

SelectAdministration>ConsolidationSettings>ServiceStatustab.

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Basic System Administration

Specifying Consolidation Settings

Consolidationsettingsenableyoutospecifythecredentialsnecessarytorun
Consolidationservicesandtospecifydefaultsystemlevelcredentials
(see ConsolidationPrerequisitesonpage 118).

To specify consolidation settings

1 SelectAdministration>ConsolidationSettings>Credentialstab.

2 ClickChangeinoneofthefollowingareas:

ServiceCredentialsUsedtorunthecollectorserviceontheVirtualCenter
Server.Ensurethatthisaccounthasadministratorprivilegesonthe
VirtualCenterserverand,ifActiveDirectoryisdeployed,thattheyalsohave
thenecessaryprivilegestoqueryActiveDirectory.Furthermore,thisaccount
mustbegrantedtheuserrighttoLogonasaservice.Thisisaccomplished
throughtheLocalSecurityPolicyutility(Start>AdministrativeTools>Local
SecurityPolicy).

DefaultCredentialsUsedtoaccesssystemsthatareselectedforanalysisbut
forwhichnoadministratorcredentialsarespecified.

3 Enteradomainqualifiedusername(forexample,DOMAIN\username)andpassword.

4 ConfirmthepasswordandclickOK.

Finding Physical Systems

Findingphysicalsystemsinvolvesthefollowingprocess:

SpecifyingScopeonpage 121

SupplyingSystemlevelAdministratorCredentialsonpage 122

NOTEInformationaboutdiscoveredsystemsiscached,andaverylargecachecan
negativelyimpactVirtualCenterperformance.Itisrecommendedthatyoudonotrun
GuidedConsolidationovermorethan20,000systemswithoutclearingthecache.
For informationaboutdisablingGuidedConsolidation,andaboutclearingthecache,
seeTroubleshootingConsolidationonpage 125.

To find physical systems in your datacenter

1 IntheVIClienttoolbar,clickConsolidationtodisplaytheConsolidationview.

2 IntheGettingStartedtabclickAnalyzephysicalcomputersforconsolidation,or
intheAnalysistab,clickStartAnalysis.

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 Chapter 7 Consolidating the Datacenter

TheAddtoAnalysisdialogboxisdisplayed.Ifthisisthefirsttimeyouareusing
thisfeature,seeFirstTimeUseonpage 119.

3 Selectthesystemsyouwanttoanalyze.SeeSpecifyingScopeonpage 121for
detailsaboutusingtheAddtoAnalysisdialogbox.

4 ClickAddtoAnalysis.TheSetAuthenticationdialogboxisdisplayed.See
SupplyingSystemlevelAdministratorCredentialsonpage 122fordetailsabout
usingtheSetAuthenticationdialogbox.

5 SpecifyauthenticationcredentialsandclickOK.Theselectedsystemsareanalyzed
andresultsaredisplayedintheAnalysistab.ProceedtoViewingAnalysis
Resultsonpage 122.

Specifying Scope
TheAddtoAnalysisdialogboxenablesyoufindsystemsonyournetworkandselect
theonesyouwanttoanalyze.Youcanspecifythesystemsyouwanttoanalyzeby
computername,IPaddressorrangeofIPaddresses,orfilename.Youcanalsosearch
forallsystemswithinadomain,thenselecttheonesyouwanttoanalyze.Ifthereare
manysystemsinthedomainandyouarehavingtroublefindingtheonesyouwant,you
canfilterthelistbycomputername,IPaddress,domain,orbysystemsunderanalysis.

NOTEUpto100systemscanbesimultaneouslyanalyzed.

Also,thefirsttimeadomainisselected,itmighttakesometimeforVirtualCenterto
discoverandlistthesystemsitfinds.Afterthat,thelistiscachedsothatsubsequent
searchestakelesstime.

To manually specify systems to consolidate

1 SelectManuallyspecifythecomputerstoconsolidate.

2 Dooneofthefollowing:
EntercomputernamesorIPaddresses.Separatemultipleentrieswith
commas.

EnteranIPrange.Multiplerangesarenotpermitted.

Enterthefullyqualifiedpathtoatextfilethatcontainsalistofcomputer
namesorIPaddresses.EachcomputernameorIPaddressmustbeona
separatelineinthefile.ThefilemustbeaccessibletotheVIClient.

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Basic System Administration

To find systems in a domain

1 SelectadomainfromtheDomaindropdownmenu.

2 Optionallyfilterthelistbyselectingfiltersandenteringyourcriteriaintothetext
field.Youcanturnfiltersonandoffbyclickingthedownarrowtotheleftofthe
textbox.

3 Optionallysortthelistbyclickingonacolumnheading.

4 Selectthesystemsyouwanttoanalyze.

5 ClickAddtoAnalysis.Youmightbeaskedforadministratorauthentication
credentials(seeSupplyingSystemlevelAdministratorCredentialson
page 122).

Supplying System-level Administrator Credentials

VirtualCenterrequiresadministratoraccesstothesystemsselectedforanalysisbefore
itcanbegintoanalyzethem.Youcanspecifycredentialsonasystembysystembasis,
andyoucanspecifydefaultcredentialsthatVirtualCentercanusewhencredentials
havenotbeenexplicitlyspecified.Defaultcredentialscanbespecifiedatanytime
throughConsolidationSettings(SpecifyingConsolidationSettingsonpage 120).

To specify credentials for a specific system

1 IntheSetAuthenticationdialogbox,enteradomainqualifiedusername(for
example,DOMAIN\username)andpassword.

YouaccesstheSetAuthenticationdialogboxduringtheAddtoAnalysisphase,or
aftersystemshavebeenaddedtoanalysisbyselectingsystemsintheAnalysistab
andclickingSetAuthentication.

2 ClickOK.

Viewing Analysis Results

AnalysisresultsaredisplayedintheAnalysistab.Whenanalysisiscomplete,the
followinginformationisdisplayed:

PhysicalComputerDisplaysthehostnameofthephysicalsystembeing
analyzedorimported.

CPUInfoDisplaysthenumberofCPUsandtheirclockspeed.

MemoryInfoDisplaystheamountofRAMonthesystem.

StatusDisplaystheprogressoftheanalysis.

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 Chapter 7 Consolidating the Datacenter

ConfidenceIndicatesthedegreetowhichVirtualCenterisabletogather
performancedataaboutthesystemandhowgoodacandidatethesystemisbased
ontheavailabledata.

CPUUsageDisplaysthesystemsaverageCPUusageovertime.

MemoryUsageDisplaysthesystemsaveragememoryusageovertime.

Afterreviewinganalysisresults,youcanproceedbycreatingaconsolidationplan.
See ConsolidatingCandidatesonpage 123.

About the Confidence Metric

OneimportantmetricdisplayedintheAnalysistabistheConfidencemetric.During
theanalysisphase,performancedataabouteachselectedsystemiscollected.Thisdata
iscomparedtohostresourcestodeterminearecommendationforeachcandidate.The
recommendationindicateshowwellsuited,basedonthecollecteddata,acandidateis
toaparticularvirtualmachinehostsystem.Confidencereferstothereliabilityofthe
recommendationanditisafunctionofthedurationoftheanalysis.Recommendations
basedonlongerperiodsofanalysisandthereforemoreperformancedatareceivea
higherlevelofconfidence.

NOTEAfter24hoursofanalysis,VirtualCenterindicatesahighlevelofconfidencein
itsrecommendations.However,thiscanbemisleadingifasystemsworkloadvaries
significantlyoverweeksormonths.Toensureahighlevelofconfidenceina
recommendation,allowthedurationoftheanalysisphasetoencompassanamountof
timethatincludesrepresentativepeaksandtroughsinthesystemsworkload.Analysis
canrunuptoonemonth.

Consolidating Candidates
Afteryouhaveanalyzedyourdatacenter,youarereadytoconvertcandidatestovirtual
machines.Inthisphase,youselectthesystemsyouwanttoconvert.VirtualCenter
selectsappropriatedestinationsandconfigurationparametersforeachresultantvirtual
machine.Ifmorethanonevirtualmachinehostisavailable,youcanselectthehostyou
want.

NOTEItishighlyrecommendedthatyouvirtualizeonecandidateatatime.
Consolidatingmultiplecandidatessimultaneouslycouldcauseallvirtualization
operationstofailifthehostdoesnotcontainanadequateamountofstoragespace.

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Basic System Administration

To convert systems using VirtualCenter recommendations

1 IntheAnalysistab,selectthesystemsyouwanttoconsolidateandclick
Plan Consolidation.

Adialogboxisdisplayed.

2 Selectasystem.

3 OptionallychangethenamedisplayedinthePhysicalComputercolumnby
doubleclickingitandenteringanewname.Yourentrywillbeusedasthename
fortheresultantvirtualmachine.

4 Optionallychangedestinations,ifalternativedestinationsareavailable,by
clickingintheDestinationscolumnandselectingfromthedropdownmenu.

ThenumberofstarsdisplayedintheDestinationRatingcolumnindicatethe
degreetowhichthehostsystemcancomfortablyaccommodatetheestimated
resourceneedsoftheresultantvirtualmachine.

5 ClickConsolidate.

Aconversiontaskisinstantiated.YoucanviewtaskprogressintheRecentTasks
pane.YouviewadditionalinformationaboutthetaskintheTaskstab.See
ViewingConsolidationTasksonpage 125.

To convert systems manually

1 IntheAnalysistab,rightclickonasystemandselectConverttoVirtualMachine>
Manually.ThemenuoptionisavailableonlyiftheVMwareConverterEnterprise
ClientisinstalledandenabledonyourVIClient.YoucanverifywhetherVMware
ConverterEnterpriseClientisinstalledandenabledthroughthePluginManager
(Plugins>PluginManager>Installedtab).

TheImportWizardisdisplayed.

2 Completethewizardtomanuallyspecifyvirtualmachineproperties.

About Disk Resizing

Duringtheconversionprocess,physicaldisksaretypicallyresizedtoconservespaceon
thedatastorewhileprovidingroomforgrowthontheresultantvirtualdisk.
The followingformulaisusedtoresizeconverteddisks:
amount of space used on physical disk * 1.25 = resultant virtual disk size

Virtualdiskscannotbesmallerthan4GB.

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 Chapter 7 Consolidating the Datacenter

Viewing Consolidation Tasks

Ataskiscreatedforeachsystembeingconverted.Recenttasksaredisplayedinthe
RecentTaskspane.TheTaskstablistsallconsolidationtasks.Youcanviewdetailed
informationaboutataskbyselectingit.Informationabouteventsrelatedtotheselected
taskaredisplayedintheTaskDetailspane.

Youcanfilterthelistoftasksbyenteringcriteriainthesearchfieldandselectingany
combinationofthefollowing:

Name

Target

Status

Initiatedby

StartTime

CompleteTime

Troubleshooting Consolidation
GuidedConsolidationtasksareresourceintensive.Ifyounoticeanegativeimpacton
VirtualCenter,considerthefollowing:

GuidedConsolidationcachesinformationaboutdiscoveredsystems,andavery
largecachecannegativelyimpactVirtualCenterperformance.DonotrunGuided
Consolidationagainstmorethan20,000systems.

Upto100systemscanbesimultaneouslyanalyzed.Ifyouselectmorethan
100 systems,systemswillbeadded,intheordertheyappear,untilthemaximum
numberofsystemsisreached.

Usethefollowingoptionstoremedyperformanceissues:

Disableconsolidationandcontinuetorunthecollectorservice.Thismethod
preventsconsolidationtasksfromstarting,butdoesnotstopthecollectorservice
fromgatheringdata.

Disableconsolidation,andstopanddisablethecollectorservice.Thismethod
preventsconsolidationtasksfromstarting,andstopsthecollectorservicefrom
gatheringdata.Thecollecteddataisnotdestroyedandcanbeusediftheserviceis
startedagain.

Uninstallthecollectorservice.ThismethodremovesGuidedConsolidation,and
thedataithascollectedwillnolongerbeusable.

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Basic System Administration

Disable Consolidation
To disable consolidation

1 SelectAdministration>VirtualCenterManagementServerConfiguration.

2 SelectAdvancedSettings.

3 ClickAddRow.

4 EnterthefollowingintheKeyfield:

dontStartConsolidation

5 EnterthefollowingintheValuefield:

true

6 RestarttheVirtualCenterServer.

Thecollectorserviceisstillactiveandwillcontinuetoperiodicallyprobesystems
thatarebeinganalyzed.

Disable the Collector Service

To disable the collector service

1 OpentheServicescontrolpanel.

2 StoptheVMwareCapacityPlannerService.

3 DisabletheVMwareCapacityPlannerService.

Uninstall Guided Consolidation

To uninstall Guided Consolidation
1 OpentheAddorRemoveProgramscontrolpanel.

2 RemoveVMwareCapacityPlannerforVirtualCenter.

3 (Optional)RemoveVMwareConverterEnterpriseforVirtualCenter.

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 8

Managing Hosts in
VirtualCenter 8
ThischapterdescribeshowtomanagehostsusingVirtualCenter.Forinformationon
configurationmanagementofESXServerhosts,seetheESXServer3ConfigurationGuide
orESXServer3iConfigurationGuide.

NOTETheviewsandcapabilitiesdisplayedvarydependingonwhethertheVIClient
isconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServeroranESXServerhost.Unlessindicated,the
process,task,ordescriptionappliestoallkindsofVIClientconnections.

Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

AboutHostsonpage 128

UnderstandingHostStatesonpage 129

AddingaHostonpage 129

ConnectingorDisconnectingaHostonpage 132
ReconnectingHostsAfterChangestotheVirtualCenterSSLCertificateon
page 133

RemovingaHostfromVirtualCenteronpage 135

MonitoringHostHealthStatusonpage 137

HostAdvancedConfigurationOptionsonpage 138

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Basic System Administration

About Hosts
Ahostisavirtualizationplatform,anESXServersystem,thatsupportsvirtual
machines.AVirtualCentermanagedhostisanESXServerhostthatisregisteredwith
VirtualCenter.ThetaskofmanagingahostisaccomplishedthroughtheVMware
InfrastructureClient.ThisVIClientcanbeconnectedeitherdirectlytoanESXServer
hostorindirectlytohoststhroughaconnectiontoaVirtualCenterServer.

WhenESXServerhostsareconnectedtotheVIClientdirectly,youmanagethem
individuallyasstandalonehosts.Mostofthehostconfigurationandvirtualmachine
configurationfeaturesstillapply.Featuresthatrequiremultiplehosts,suchas
migrationwithVMotionofavirtualmachinefromonehosttoanother,arenotavailable
throughthestandalonehostconnection.

WhenESXServerhostsaremanagedbyVirtualCenter,theyareaddedtotheVMware
InfrastructureenvironmentthroughaVIClientconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer.
Managedhostsarehierarchicallyplacedindatacenters,folders,orclustersunderthe
rootnodefolder.

CAUTIONIfanESXServerhostisconnectedwithaVirtualCenterServerandyou
attachedaVIClienttomanagetheESXServerhostdirectly,youreceiveanerror
messagebutareallowedtoproceed.Thismightresultinconflictsonthehost,especially
ifthehostispartofacluster.Thisactionisstronglydiscouraged.

Allvirtualmachinesonmanagedhostsarediscoveredandimportedinto
VirtualCenter.Whenyouaddmultiplemanagedhosts,theVirtualCenterServer
identifiesanynamingconflictsthatexistbetweenvirtualmachinesandalertsthe
systemadministrator,whocanthenrenamevirtualmachinesasnecessary.Configure
thevirtualmachinedisplaynames.Thenamecanbeupto80characterslongandmay
containalphanumericcharactersandtheunderscore(_)andhyphen()characters.
The namemustalsobeuniqueacrossallvirtualmachineswithinavirtualmachine
group.Namesarecaseinsensitive:thenamemy_vmisidenticaltoMy_Vm.

WhentheVirtualCenterServerconnectstoamanagedhost,itdoessoasaprivileged
user.TheindividualVMwareInfrastructureClientuserdoesnotnecessarilyneedtobe
anadministrativeuseronthemanagedhost.SeeAssigningAccessPermissionson
page 279forinformationonsettingupVMwareInfrastructureClientusers.

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 Chapter 8 Managing Hosts in VirtualCenter

Understanding Host States

Actionstakenuponamanagedhostrequirethatthemanagedhostbeinaspecificstate.
Wheneveranoperationisperformedonamanagedhost,thehoststatechanges.
While thestateisintransition,thestatefielddisplaysatermthatdescribesthetransition.

NOTEDisconnectingamanagedhostdiffersfromremovingthemanagedhostfrom
theVirtualCenterServer.Disconnectingamanagedhostdoesnotremoveitfromthe
VirtualCenterServer;ittemporarilysuspendsallVirtualCenterServermonitoring
activities.Themanagedhostanditsassociatedvirtualmachinesremaininthe
VirtualCenterServerinventory.Removingamanagedhostremovesthemanagedhost
andallitsassociatedvirtualmachinesfromtheVirtualCenterServerinventory.

Adding a Host
Virtualmachinesexistonmanagedhostswithinthenetwork.Hostsareaddedtothe
VMwareInfrastructureenvironment.TheVirtualCenterServerdiscoversandaddsall
thevirtualmachinescontainedwithinthatmanagedhosttotheVMwareInfrastructure
environment.

IfyouareconnectingyourVIClienttoanESXServerdirectly,theproceduresinthis
sectiondonotapply.

NOTEWhenaddingorremovinghosts,makesureNFSmountsareactive.
If NFS mountsareunresponsive,theoperationfails.(SEEUPDATE)

To add a host to the VirtualCenter Server

1 Ensureacommunicationchannelthroughafirewall,ifneeded.

IfanymanagedhostintheVirtualCenterenvironmentisbehindafirewall,ensure
thatthemanagedhostcancommunicatewiththeVirtualCenterServerandwith
allotherhostsonport902oranotherconfiguredport.SeetheInstallationGuidefor
ESXServer3ortheSetupGuideforyourESXServer3iproduct,andtheESXServer
3ConfigurationGuideorESXServer3iConfigurationGuideforadditional
information.

2 ClicktheInventorybuttoninthenavigationbar.Expandtheinventoryasneeded,
andclicktheappropriatedatacenter,folder,orcluster.

3 Selecttheappropriatedatacenterorcluster,andchooseNewHostfromthemain
orpopupmenu.

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4 Enterthemanagedhostconnectionsettings.

a TypethenameofthemanagedhostintheHostnamefield.

b EntertheUsernameandPasswordforauseraccountthathasadministrative
privilegesontheselectedmanagedhost.

VirtualCenterusestherootaccounttologintothesystemandthencreatesa
specialuseraccount.VirtualCenterthenusesthisaccountforallfuture
authentication.

5 ToconfirmtheHostSummaryinformation,clickNext.

6 Ifyouareaddingthehosttoacluster:

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a Specifywhatshouldhappentotheresourcepoolsonthehost.

Theoptionsare:

Putallthehostsvirtualmachinesintotheclustersrootresourcepool.

Createnewresourcepoolforthehostsvirtualmachines.Thedefault
resourcepoolnameisderivedfromthehostsname.Typeoverthetextto
supplyyourownname.

b ClickNext.

SeetheResourceManagementGuideformoreinformationonclusters.
7 Ifyouareaddingthehosttoadatacenter:

a Identifythelocationofthehostsvirtualmachines.

b SelectfromthelistofinventoryobjectsdisplayedintheSelectionbox.

8 ToconfirmcompletingtheAddHostwizard,clickFinish.

WhenthedialogboxiscompleteandyouclickNext,VirtualCenterdoesthe
following:

Searchesthenetworkforthespecifiedmanagedhostandidentifiesallthe
virtualmachinesonthemanagedhost.IfyouclickCancel,thehostisremoved
fromtheVirtualCenterinventory.

Connectstothemanagedhost.Ifthewizardcannotconnecttothemanaged
host,themanagedhostisnotaddedtotheinventory.

Verifiesthatthemanagedhostisnotalreadybeingmanaged.Ifitisalready
beingmanagedbyanotherVirtualCenterServer,VirtualCenterdisplaysa
message.Ifthewizardcanconnecttothemanagedhostbutforsomereason
cannotremainconnectedtotheVirtualCenterServer,thehostisadded,butis
inadisconnectedstate.Thisoccurs,forexample,ifthehostisalreadybeing
managedbyanotherVirtualCenterServer.

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Readsthenumberofprocessorsonthemanagedhostandallocatesthe
appropriatenumberoflicenses.Thenumberofprocessorsisstoredinthe
VirtualCenterdatabaseandisverifieduponeachmanagedhostreconnection
andVirtualCenterstartup.

NOTENewerprocessorshavetwoCPUcoresineachprocessorpackage.
SystemswithdualcoreprocessorsmustuseESXServer2.5.2orlater.
VirtualCenterlicensesareissuedbypairsofprocessorpackages,notby
processorcores.Therefore,ifthesystemisusingtwodualcoreprocessorsor
twosinglecoreprocessors,thesystemrequiresasingle2processor
VirtualCenterlicense.

Verifiesthatthemanagedhostversionissupported.Ifitisnot,andthe
managedhostversioncanbeupgraded,VirtualCenterpromptsyouto
performanupgrade.

Importsexistingvirtualmachines.

Connecting or Disconnecting a Host

Youhavetheoptiontodisconnectandreconnectamanagedhostthatisbeingmanaged
byaparticularVirtualCenterServer.Thissectiondescribeshowtoreconnecta
managedhost.

NOTEDisconnectingamanagedhostdiffersfromremovingthemanagedhostfrom
VirtualCenter.DisconnectingamanagedhostdoesnotremoveitfromVirtualCenter;it
temporarilysuspendsallVirtualCentermonitoringactivities.Themanagedhostandits
associatedvirtualmachinesremainintheVirtualCenterinventory.Removinga
managedhostremovesthemanagedhostandallitsassociatedvirtualmachinesfrom
theVirtualCenterinventory.

To connect or disconnect a managed host

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,clicktheInventorybutton
inthenavigationbar.Expandtheinventoryasneeded,andclicktheappropriate
managedhost.

2 Selecttheappropriatemanagedhosticonintheinventorypanel,andchoose
ConnectorDisconnectfromthepopupmenu.

3 Whendisconnecting,confirmtheaction.ClickYes.

WhenthemanagedhostsconnectionstatustoVirtualCenterischanged,the
statusesofthevirtualmachinesonthatmanagedhostareupdatedtoreflectthe
change.

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Ifthemanagedhostisdisconnected,theworddisconnectedisappendedtothe
objectnameinparentheses,andtheobjectisdimmed.Allassociatedvirtual
machinesaresimilarlydimmedandlabeled.

Reconnecting Hosts After Changes to the VirtualCenter

SSL Certificate
TheVirtualCenterServerusesanSSLcertificatetoencryptanddecrypthostpasswords
storedintheVirtualCenterdatabase.Ifthecertificateisreplacedorchanged,the
VirtualCenterServercannotdecrypthostpasswords,andthereforecannotconnectto
managedhosts.

IftheVirtualCenterServerfailstodecryptahostpassword,thehostisdisconnected
fromtheVirtualCenterServer.Youmustreconnectthehostandsupplythelogin
credentials,whichwillbeencryptedandstoredinthedatabaseusingthenew
certificate.SeeConnectingorDisconnectingaHostonpage 132.

Removing a Host from a Cluster

Hostscanberemovedfromaclusterbyselectingthemfromeithertheinventoryorlist
viewsanddraggingthemtoanewlocationwithintheinventory(eithertoafolderasa
standalonehostortoanothercluster).Whenahostisremovedfromacluster,the
resourcesitprovidesaredeductedfromthetotalclusterresources.Thevirtual

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machinesdeployedonthehostareeithermigratedtootherhostswithintheclusteror
remainwiththehostandareremovedfromthecluster,dependingontheircurrent
state.Hostscanberemovedfromaclusteronlyifallofthevirtualmachinesonitare
poweredoff,andthehostisplacedintomaintenancemode.

SeetheResourceManagementGuideforcompleteclusterinformation.

To remove a host from a cluster

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,displaytheinventory.

2 ToremovetheVirtualCenteragentfromthemanagedhost,ensurethatthe
managedhostisinaconnectedstate.
3 Poweroffallvirtualmachinesonthehost,ormigratethevirtualmachinestoanew
hostusingVMotion.

4 Selecttheappropriatemanagedhosticonintheinventorypanel,andchoose
Enter MaintenanceModefromthepopupmenu.ClickYes.

Thehosticonchangesandthetermmaintenancemodeisaddedtothenamein
parentheses.

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5 Movethehost:

a Selectthehosticonintheinventorypanel,anddragittothenewlocation.

Thehostcanbemovedtoanotherclusteroranotherdatacenter.Whenthenew
locationisselected,ablueboxsurroundstheclusterordatacentername.

b Releasethemousebutton.

VirtualCentermovesthehosttothenewlocation.

6 Selectthehost,andfromthepopupmenuchooseExitMaintenanceMode.

7 Restartanyvirtualmachines,asneeded.

Removing a Host from VirtualCenter

RemovingamanagedhostfromVirtualCenterbreakstheconnectionandstopsall
monitoringandmanagingfunctionsofthatmanagedhostandofallthevirtual
machinesonthatmanagedhost.Themanagedhostanditsassociatedvirtualmachines
areremovedfromtheinventory.HistoricaldataremainsintheVirtualCenterdatabase.

NOTEIfatallpossible,removemanagedhostswhiletheyareconnected.Removinga
disconnectedmanagedhostdoesnotremovetheVirtualCenteragentfromthe
managedhost.

Removingamanagedhostdiffersfromdisconnectingthemanagedhostfrom
VirtualCenter.DisconnectingamanagedhostdoesnotremoveitfromVirtualCenter;it
temporarilysuspendsallVirtualCentermonitoringactivities.Themanagedhostandits
associatedvirtualmachinesremainintheVirtualCenterinventory.

RemovingamanagedhostfromVirtualCenterdoesnotremovethevirtualmachines
fromthemanagedhostordatastore.ItremovesonlyVirtualCentersaccesstothe
managedhostandvirtualmachinesonthatmanagedhost.

Thefigurebelowillustratestheprocessforremovingamanagedhostfrom
VirtualCenter.Intheexamplehere,noticethelostlinkbetweentheVirtualCenter
Serverandtheremovedmanagedhost,whilethemanagedhostfilesremainonthe
datastore.

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Figure 8-1. Removing a Host

1. Registered host and virtual machines

host A
VM1

VM2 VM1.dsk
VM2.dsk
VirtualCenter
host B VM3.dsk
VM3
VM4.dsk
VM4

shared datastore

2. Remove host. Virtual machines stay on the hosts datastore.

host A
VM1
VirtualCenter
VM2 VM1.dsk
VM2.dsk

host B VM3.dsk
VM3
VM4.dsk
VM4

shared datastore

To remove a managed host

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,displaytheinventory.
2 ToremovetheVirtualCenteragentfromthemanagedhost,ensurethatthe
managedhostisinaconnectedstate.

Themanagedhostcanbeinaconnectedordisconnectedstatewhenyouremove
it.However,removingamanagedhostwhileitisdisconnecteddoesnotremove
theVirtualCenteragentfromthemanagedhost.

3 Poweroffallvirtualmachinesonthehost,ormigratethevirtualmachinestoanew
hostusingVMotion.

4 Ifthehostispartofacluster,selecttheappropriatemanagedhosticoninthe
inventorypanelandchooseEnterMaintenanceModefromthepopupmenu.
Confirmplacement.ClickYes.

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5 Selecttheappropriatemanagedhosticonintheinventorypanel,andchoose
Removefromthepopupmenu.

6 ClickYestoremovethemanagedhost.ClickNotokeepthemanagedhost.

IfyouclickYes,VirtualCenterremovesthemanagedhostandassociatedvirtual
machinesfromtheVirtualCenterenvironment.VirtualCenterthenreturnsall
associatedprocessorandmigrationlicensestoavailablestatus.

Monitoring Host Health Status

Thehosthealthmonitoringtoolallowsyoutomonitorthehealthofavarietyofhost
hardwarecomponentsincluding:

CPUprocessors

Memory

Fans

Temperature

Voltage

Softwarecomponents

ThehosthealthmonitoringtoolpresentsdatagatheredusingSystemsManagement
ArchitectureforServerHardware(SMASH)profiles.Theinformationdisplayed
dependsonthesensorsavailableonyourserverhardware.

To monitor the health of a host

1 LogintoaVirtualCenterServerusingtheVIClient,andselectthehostinthe
inventory.

2 ClicktheConfigurationtabandclickHealth Status.

Thesensordataisdisplayedinatree.Therootofthetreedisplaystheoverallhost
healthstatus.

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Ifacomponentisfunctioningnormally,thestatusindicatorisgreen.Thestatus
indicatorchangestoyelloworredifasystemcomponentviolatesaperformance
thresholdorisnotfunctioningproperly.Generally,ayellowindicatorsignifies
degradedperformance.Aredindicatorsignifiesthatacomponentstoppedoperating
orexceededthehighestthreshold.

TheReadingcolumndisplaysthecurrentvaluesforthesensors.Forinstance,thecolumn
displaysrotationsperminute(RPM)forfansanddegreesCelsiusfortemperature.

Youcansetanalarmtotriggerbasedontheoverallhealthstatusofthehost.Formore
information,seeCreatingAlarmsonpage 321.

Resetting Sensors
Somehosthardwaresensorsdisplaydatathatiscumulativeovertime.Youcanreset
thesesensorstoclearthedatainthemandbegincollectingnewdata.

To reset sensors

1 LogintoaVirtualCenterServerusingtheVIClient,andselectthehostinthe
inventory.

2 OnthehostConfigurationtab,clickHealth Status.

3 ClickReset Sensors.

Refreshing Health Status Data

TheVIClientrefreshesthedatafromhosthealthsensorsautomaticallyeveryfew
minutes.Youcanalsorefreshdatamanually.

To refresh health status data

1 LogintoaVirtualCenterServerusingtheVIClient,andselectthehostinthe
inventory.

2 OnthehostConfigurationtab,clickHealth Status.

3 ClickRefresh.

Host Advanced Configuration Options

SeetheResourceManagementGuideforcompleteinformationonconfiguringandusing
theresourceallocationfeatures,whichincludeVMwareHAandVMwareDRS.

SeetheESXServer3ConfigurationGuideorESXServer3iConfigurationGuidefor
completeinformationonconfiguringESXServerhosts.

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Importing and Exporting

Virtual Machines 9
TheVMwareInfrastructureClient(VIClient)allowsyoutoimportandexportvirtual
appliancesstoredinOpenVirtualMachineFormat(OVF).Anapplianceisa
preconfiguredvirtualmachinethattypicallyincludesapreinstalledguestoperating
systemandothersoftware.

Importingvirtualappliancesallowsyoutoaddpreconfiguredvirtualmachinesto
yourVirtualCenterorESXServerinventory.Importingavirtualapplianceissimilarto
deployingavirtualmachinefromatemplate.However,youcanimportavirtual
appliancefromanylocalfilesystemaccessiblefromtheVIClientmachine,orfroma
remoteWebserver.Thelocalfilesystemscanincludelocaldisks(suchasC:),removable
media(suchasCDsorUSBkeychaindrives),andsharednetworkdrives.

Exportingvirtualmachinesallowsyoutocreatevirtualappliancesthatcanbeimported
byotherusers.Youcanusetheexportfunctiontodistributepreinstalledsoftwareasa
virtualappliance,orasameansofdistributingtemplatevirtualmachinestousers,
includinguserswhocannotdirectlyaccessandusethetemplatesinyourVirtualCenter
inventory.
Thischapterdiscussesthefollowingtopics:

AboutOVFonpage 140

ImportingaVirtualApplianceonpage 140

ExportingaVirtualMachineonpage 141

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About OVF
OVFisafileformatthatallowsforexchangeofvirtualappliancesacrossproductsand
platforms.TheOVFformatoffersthefollowingadvantages:

OVFfilesarecompressed,allowingforfasterdownloads.

TheVIClientvalidatesaOVFfilebeforeimportingit,andensuresthatitis
compatiblewiththeintendeddestinationserver.Iftheapplianceisincompatible
withtheselectedhost,itcannotbeimportedandanerrormessageisdisplayed.

Importing a Virtual Appliance

YoucanimportavirtualappliancestoredinOVFformatfromalocalfilesystem
accessibletotheVIClientmachine,orfromaWebURL.

NOTEToimportavirtualmachinethatwascreatedbyanotherVMwareproductand
isnotinOVFformat,usetheVMwareConverterEnterprisemodule.SeetheVMware
ConverterEnterpriseforVirtualCenterdocumentationformoreinformation.

To import a virtual appliance

1 IntheVIClient,chooseFile>VirtualAppliance>Import.

TheImportVirtualAppliancewizardisdisplayed.

2 Selectoneofthefollowingoptions:

ImportfromFileBrowseyourfilesystemforanappliance.

ImportfromURLSpecifyaURLtoanappliancelocatedontheinternet.
Example:http://vmware.com/VMTN/appliance.ovf

ImportfromVMwareVirtualApplianceMarketplaceSelectfromVMware
appliancesavailableontheVMwareVirtualApplianceMarketplaceWebsite.

3 ClickNext.
TheVirtualApplianceDetailspageisdisplayed.

4 ClickNext.

5 Iflicenseagreementsarepackagedwiththeappliance,theEndUserLicense
Agreementpageisdisplayed.Agreetoacceptthetermsofthelicensesandclick
Next.

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6 (Optional)Editthenameandselectadatacenter.

Adefaultnamemightbeprovided.Youcanoptionallyeditthename.Thename
canbeupto80characterslongandcancontainalphanumericcharactersandthe
underscore(_)andhyphen()characters.Itshouldalsobeuniquewithinthe
virtualmachinefolder.Namesarecasesensitive.(SEEUPDATE)

7 ClickNext.

8 OntheHost/Cluster/ResourcePoolpage,selectthehost,cluster,orresourcepool
(ifapplicable)inwhichyouwanttorunthevirtualmachineandclickNext.

9 Ifyouselectedaclusteroraresourcepoolonthepreviouspage,andDRSis
disabledorisinmanualmode,theSpecificHostpageappears.Selectthehoston
whichyouwanttorunthisvirtualmachine,andclickNext.

10 Chooseadatastoreforthevirtualmachine,andclickNext.

Thevirtualmachineconfigurationfileandvirtualdiskfilesarestoredonthe
datastore.Chooseadatastorelargeenoughtoaccommodatethevirtualmachine
andallofitsvirtualdiskfiles.

11 Ifyourinfrastructurecontainsmultiplenetworks,mapeachnetworkspecifiedin
theOVFfiletoanetworkinyourinfrastructure.

12 ClickNext.

13 ReviewyoursettingsandclickFinish.

TheprogressoftheimporttaskisdisplayedintheVIClientStatuspanel.

Exporting a Virtual Machine

YoucanexportavirtualmachinetoOVFformattomakeitavailabletootherusersto
importintotheirinventory.

To export a virtual machine

1 IntheVIClientinventory,selectthevirtualmachineyouwanttoexport.
2 ChooseFile>VirtualAppliance>Export.

3 IntheDirectorytextbox,enterthelocationtostoretheexportedvirtualmachine.

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4 TocreateanewfolderfortheOVFfile,selectMakeNewFolder.

5 (Optional)EnteradescriptionofthevirtualmachineintheDescriptiontextbox.

Bydefault,thetextfromtheNotespaneonthevirtualmachinesSummarytab
appearsinthistextbox.

6 ClickOK.

TheprogressoftheexporttaskisdisplayedintheVIClientStatuspanel.

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Creating Virtual Machines 10

TheVMwareInfrastructureClient(VIClient)enablesyoutodeployandmanage
virtualmachines.TheVIClientprovidesseveralwaystocreatevirtualmachines:

ImportingYoucanimportavirtualmachinestoredinOVFformat.See
Chapter 9,ImportingandExportingVirtualMachines,onpage 139.

ConsolidateYoucanconsolidateexistingphysicalsystemsbyconvertingthem
tovirtualmachinesandimportingthoseintoVirtualCenter.SeeConsolidating
theDatacenteronpage 117.

CreateNewYoucanmanuallyconfigureentirelynewvirtualmachines.
See UsingtheNewVirtualMachineWizardonpage 144.

CloneYoucancreateexactreplicasofexistingvirtualmachines.SeeChapter 13,
WorkingwithTemplatesandClones,onpage 203.

DeployfromTemplatesYoucancreatevirtualmachinesfromtemplatesthat
provideabaseconfigurationwhichyoucancustomize.SeeChapter 13,Working
withTemplatesandClones,onpage 203.
Foreachtypeofcreationprocess,awizardguidesyouthroughthestepstoproducea
completeandworkingvirtualmachine.

NOTEAfteryoucreateavirtualmachine,youmustinstalltheguestoperatingsystem
andVMwareTools.Noneofthecreationprocessesdescribedaboveinstallsguest
operatingsystemsforyou.Also,checktheinstallationnotesforyourguestoperating
systembeforeyouinstallit.YoucanfindthisinformationintheGuestOperatingSystem
InstallationGuide.

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Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

UsingtheNewVirtualMachineWizardonpage 144

InstallingaGuestOperatingSystemonpage 154

InstallingandUpgradingVMwareToolsonpage 155

Youmusthavetheappropriateprivilegesbeforeyoucancreatevirtualmachines.
ConsultyourVirtualCenteradministratorifyouarenotsurewhetheryouhavethe
necessaryprivileges.

Using the New Virtual Machine Wizard

YoucanaccesstheNewVirtualMachinewizardfrommanydifferentlocations.
The instructionsinthischapterseeonemethodofstartingthewizard.Inmostcontexts,
therightclickpopupmenuforthefollowingGUIobjectsincludesanoptionthat
enablesyoutolaunchtheNewVirtualMachinewizard:

Resourcepools
Clusters
Hosts
Virtualmachinefolders

AswiththeVIClientasawhole,theNewVirtualMachinewizardiscontextsensitive
anditsscreensandconfigurationoptionschangedependingonyourhostenvironment
andyourselections.Onlythosescreensandoptionsthatareapplicabletothecurrent
contextareenabled;itemsthatarenotapplicabletothecontextareeitherremovedor
disabled.

AfteryoulaunchtheNewVirtualMachinewizard,youmustchooseoneofthe
followingpaths:

TypicalThispathshortenstheprocessbyskippingsomechoicesthatrarely
needchangingfromtheirdefaults.SeeCreatingTypicalVirtualMachineson
page 145.

CustomThecustompathprovidesmoreflexibilityandoptions.SeeCreating
CustomVirtualMachinesonpage 148.

Performing Additional Configuration Before Completion

Thefinalwizardscreenforeachpathenablesyoutoreviewyourconfiguration
selectionsandoptionallyopentheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogboxtosetfurther
configurationoptions,suchasaddingadditionaldisks,beforeinstantiatingthevirtual
machine.

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ToopentheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogboxfromtheNewVirtualMachine
wizard,selecttheEditthevirtualmachinesettingsbeforecompletioncheckboxand
clickNext.ForinformationabouttheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogbox,
see VirtualMachinePropertiesEditoronpage 179.

Creating Typical Virtual Machines

Thetypicalpathisabbreviatedbecausesomeassumptionsaremadeaboutthevirtual
machineconfiguration.Ifyouwanttofullycustomizeyourvirtualmachine,
see CreatingCustomVirtualMachinesonpage 148.

To create a new virtual machine through the typical path

1 FromtheVirtualCenterclient,clickInventoryinthenavigationbarandexpand
theinventoryasneeded.

2 Intheinventorylist,selectthemanagedhosttowhichyouwanttoaddthenew
virtualmachine.

TheSummarytabforthehostappears.

3 ChooseFile>New>VirtualMachine.

TheNewVirtualMachinewizardappears.

4 SelectTypical,andclickNext.

5 Typeavirtualmachinename,andclickNext.

ThenameyouenterintheVirtualMachineNamefieldisthenamethatislisted
intheVirtualCenterclientinventory.Itisalsousedasthenameofthevirtual
machinesfiles.Thenamecanbeupto80characterslongandmaycontain
alphanumericcharactersandtheunderscore(_)andhyphen()characters.
This namemustbeuniquewithinthefolder.Namesarecaseinsensitive:thename
my_vmisidenticaltoMy_Vm.

6 Selectafolderortherootofadatacenter,andclickNext.

7 Iftheresourcepooloptionisavailable,expandthetreeuntilyoulocatethe
resourcepoolinwhichyouwanttorunthevirtualmachine,highlightit,and
click Next.

Resourcepoolsallowyoutomanageyourcomputingresourceswithinahostor
hostsbysettingthemupinameaningfulhierarchy.Virtualmachinesandchild
resourcepoolssharetheresourcesoftheparentresourcepool.Formore
informationonresourcepools,seetheResourceManagementGuide.

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8 Selectadatastoreinwhichtostorethevirtualmachinefiles,andclickNext.

Youshouldchooseadatastorelargeenoughtoholdthevirtualmachineandallof
itsvirtualdiskfiles.ForESXServerhosts,theDatastoreisconfiguredonthathost,
includingVMFS,NAS,andiSCSIvolumes.

9 UnderGuestOperatingSystem,selecttheoperatingsystemfamily(Microsoft
Windows,Linux,NovellNetWare,Solaris,orOther),selecttheversionfromthe
dropdownmenu,andclickNext.IfyouselectOther,enteradisplaynamefor
youroperatingsystem.Youcanchangethisnameafterthevirtualmachinehas
beencreatedbyopeningtheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogboxandeditingthe
Optionstab>Advanced>General>ConfigurationParameters>
guestOSAltNameparameter.

Thisistheoperatingsystemforyourvirtualmachine.Yourchoiceshouldbebased
onyourplanneduseofthevirtualmachine.Theselectedguestoperatingsystem
affectsthesupporteddevicesandnumberofvirtualCPUsavailableforthevirtual
machine.

SeetheGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuidefordetails.

Thewizarddoesnotinstalltheguestoperatingsystemforyou.TheNewVirtual
Machinewizardusesthisinformationtoselectappropriatedefaultvalues,suchas
theamountofmemoryneeded.

10 Selectthenumberofvirtualprocessorsinthevirtualmachinefromthedropdown
menu,andclickNext.

LicensingforVMwareVirtualSMPisrequiredtopoweronmultipleCPU
virtualmachines.SeetheInstallationGuideforESXServer3,ortheSetupGuidefor
yourESXServer3iproduct,moreinformationonlicensing.

NOTETheVirtualCPUspagedoesnotappearifthehostissingleprocessororthe
guestoperatingsystemdoesnotsupportSMP(forexample,NetWareand
WindowsNT4.0).

11 Configurethevirtualmachinesmemorysizebyselectingthenumberof
megabytes.

Theminimum,recommended,maximumforbestperformance,andmaximum
sizesarebasedontheguestoperatingsystem.Regardlessoftheguestoperating
system,theminimummemorysizeis4MB.Themaximumdependsonthehost,
butforESXServer3.5andESXServer3iversion3.5itis65532MB(64GBminus4MB).
Thememorysizemustbeamultipleof4MB.

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Thecoloredtrianglesalongthesliderrepresenttheseamountsasindicatedbythe
keyonthewizard.Youcanalsodragthesliderorselectthenumberusingtheup
anddownarrows.Themaximumforbestperformancerepresentsthethreshold
abovewhichthehostsphysicalmemoryisinsufficienttorunthevirtualmachine
atfullspeed.Thisvaluefluctuatesasconditionsonthehostchange(asvirtual
machinesarepoweredonoroff,forexample).

12 ClickNext.

13 Choosethenetworkstoconnecttoandtheiroptionsbyselectinghowmany
networkadapters(NICs)youwanttoconnectto,thenamesofthenetworks,and
whetheryouwanttoconnecttothematpoweron.

TheNetworkdropdownmenuliststheportgroupsthatareconfiguredforvirtual
machineuseonthehost.Ifnovirtualmachineportgroupsareconfigured,a
warningdialogboxappears,andyouarenotallowedtoconfigureanyvirtual
networkcards.

NOTEExercisecautionwhenyouconfigureavirtualmachinetoconnectto
multiplenetworks.Becausevirtualmachinessharetheirphysicalnetwork
hardwarewiththehost,theaccidentalormaliciousbridgingoftwonetworksbya
virtualmachinecanoccur.MinimumSpanningTreeprotocolcannotprotect
againsttheseoccurrences.

14 ClickNext.

15 Specifythesizeofthevirtualdisk.

Enterthedisksizeinmegabytes(MB)orgigabytes(GB).Thedefaultis4GB.
The availablespaceontheselectedVMFSvolumeislisted.Youcanconfigurea
diskfromassmallas1MBtoaslargeas2TB(2048GB),usingawholenumberof
MB or GB.

Thevirtualdiskshouldbelargeenoughtoholdtheguestoperatingsystemandall
ofthesoftwarethatyouintendtoinstallwithroomfordataandgrowth.

Youcannotchangethevirtualdisksmaximumcapacitylater,butyoucaninstall
additionalvirtualdiskslaterbyusingtheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogbox.

Forexample,youneedabout1GBofactualfreespaceonthefilesystemcontaining
thevirtualdisktoinstallWindowsServer2003andapplications,suchas
Microsoft Office,insidethevirtualmachine.

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16 ClickNext.

17 OntheReadytoCompleteNewVirtualMachinepage,reviewyourselectionsand
specifythefollowingoption:

Editthevirtualmachinesettingsbeforesubmittingthecreationtask

CheckthisoptionifyouwanttoopentheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialog
boxtosetfurtherconfigurationoptions,suchasaddingadditionaldisks
(see PerformingAdditionalConfigurationBeforeCompletiononpage 144).

NOTEBeforeyoucanuseyournewvirtualmachine,youmustfirstpartition
andformatthevirtualdrive,installaguestoperatingsystem,theninstall
VMwareTools.Typically,theoperatingsystemsinstallationprogramhandles
partitioningandformattingthevirtualdrive.

SeeInstallingaGuestOperatingSystemonpage 154andInstallingand
UpgradingVMwareToolsonpage 155.

Creating Custom Virtual Machines

ThissectiondescribesthestepstakenwhenyouselectthecustompathintheNew
VirtualMachinewizard.

To create a new virtual machine through the custom path

1 FromtheVirtualCenterclient,clickInventoryinthenavigationbar,andexpand
theinventoryasneeded.

2 Intheinventorylist,selectthemanagedhosttowhichyouwanttoaddthenew
virtualmachine.

3 ChooseFile>New>VirtualMachine.

TheNewVirtualMachinewizardappears.

4 SelectCustom,andclickNext.

5 Typeavirtualmachinename,andclickNext.

ThenameyouenterintheVirtualMachineNamefieldisthenamethatislisted
intheVirtualCenterclientinventory.Itisalsousedasthenameofthevirtual
machinesfiles.Thenamecanbeupto80characterslongandmaycontain
alphanumericcharactersandtheunderscore(_)andhyphen()characters.
This nameshouldbeuniqueacrosstheentiredatacenterandmustbeuniquewithin
thefolder.Namesarecaseinsensitive:thenamemy_vmisidenticaltoMy_Vm.

6 Selectafolderortherootofadatacenter,andclickNext.

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 Chapter 10 Creating Virtual Machines

7 Iftheresourcepooloptionisavailable,expandthetreeuntilyoulocatethe
resourcepoolinwhichyouwanttorunthevirtualmachine,highlightit,and
click Next.

Resourcepoolsallowyoutomanageyourcomputingresourceswithinahostor
hostsbysettingthemupinameaningfulhierarchy.Virtualmachinesandchild
resourcepoolssharetheresourcesoftheparentresourcepool.Formore
informationonresourcepools,seetheResourceManagementGuide.

8 Selectadatastoreinwhichtostorethevirtualmachinefiles,andclickNext.

Chooseadatastorelargeenoughtoholdthevirtualmachineandallofitsvirtual
diskfiles.ForESXServerhosts,theDatastoreisconfiguredonthathost,including
VMFS,NAS,andiSCSIvolumes.

9 UnderGuestoperatingsystem,selecttheoperatingsystemfamily
(Microsoft Windows,Linux,NovellNetWare,Solaris,orOther).

10 Choosetheversionfromthedropdownmenu.

Thisistheoperatingsystemforyourvirtualmachine.Yourchoiceshouldbebased
onyourplanneduseofthevirtualmachine.Theselectedguestoperatingsystem
affectsthesupporteddevicesandnumberofvirtualCPUsavailableforthevirtual
machine.

Thewizarddoesnotinstalltheguestoperatingsystemforyou.TheNewVirtual
Machinewizardusesthisinformationtoselectappropriatedefaultvalues,suchas
theamountofmemoryneeded.

11 ClickNext.

12 Selectthenumberofvirtualprocessorsinthevirtualmachinefromthedropdown
menu,andclickNext.

NOTETheNumberofVirtualCPUspagedoesnotappearifthehostis
singleprocessorortheguestoperatingsystemdoesnotsupportSMP(forexample,
NetwareandWindowsNT4.0).

13 Configurethevirtualmachinesmemorysizebyselectingthenumberof
megabytes.

Theminimum,recommended,andmaximumsizesarebasedontheguest
operatingsystem.Regardlessoftheguestoperatingsystem,theminimum
memorysizeis4MB.Themaximumdependsonthehost,butforESXServer3.5
andESXServer3iversion3.5itis65532MB(64GBminus4MB).Thememorysize
mustbeamultipleof4MB.

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14 ClickNext.

15 ChoosethenetworkstoconnecttoandtheiroptionsbyselectinghowmanyNICs
youwanttoconnectto,thenamesofthenetworks,andwhetheryouwantto
connecttothematpoweron.

Ifyoudonotwantthevirtualnetworkadaptertoconnectwhenthevirtual
machineispoweredon,deselecttheConnectatPowerOncheckbox.

TheNetworkdropdownmenuliststheportgroupsthatareconfiguredforvirtual
machineuseonthehost.Ifnovirtualmachineportgroupsareconfigured,a
warningdialogboxappears,andyouarenotallowedtoconfigureanyvirtual
networkcards.

NOTEExercisecautionwhenyouconfigureavirtualmachinetoconnectto
multiplenetworks.Becausevirtualmachinessharetheirphysicalnetwork
hardwarewiththehost,theaccidentalormaliciousbridgingoftwonetworksbya
virtualmachinecanoccur.MinimumSpanningTreeprotocolcannotprotect
againsttheseoccurrences.

16 ClickNext.

17 ChoosethetypeofSCSIadapteryouwanttousewiththevirtualmachine.

TwoIDEadaptersandaSCSIadapterareinstalledinthevirtualmachine.TheIDE
adapterisalwaysATAPI.FortheSCSIadapter,youcanchoosebetweenaBusLogic
orLSILogicSCSIadapter.

IntheSelectI/OAdapterTypespage,thedefaultforyourguestoperatingsystem
isalreadyselected.OlderguestoperatingsystemsdefaulttotheBusLogicadapter.
TheLSILogicadapterhasimprovedperformance,worksbetterwithnondisk
SCSIdevices,andisincludedwithWindowsServer2003.

YoucandownloadthedriverfromtheLSILogicWebsite.SeetheGuestOperating
InstallationGuidefordetailsaboutthedriverandtheguestoperatingsystemyou
plantoinstallinthisvirtualmachine.

NOTEThechoiceofSCSIadapterdoesnotaffectwhetheryourvirtualdiskisan
IDEorSCSIdisk.

18 Selectthetypeofdisk,andclickNext.

Youcanstorevirtualmachinedatainanewvirtualdisk,anexistingvirtualdisk,
oramappedstorageareanetwork(SAN)logicalunitnumber(LUN).

Avirtualdiskcomprisesoneormorefilesonthefilesystemthatappearasasingle
harddisktotheguestoperatingsystem.Thesedisksareportableamonghosts.

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MappingaSANLUNgivesyourvirtualmachinedirectaccesstothatSAN,
allowingyoutouseexistingSANcommandstomanagestorageforthedisk.

Youalsohavetheoptionofcreatingyourvirtualmachinewithoutadisk.

SeetheSANConfigurationGuidefordetailsaboutSANLUNconfiguration.

Ifyouchoosetocreateanewvirtualdisk,gotoStep 19.

Ifyouchoosetouseanexistingvirtualdisk,gotoStep 24.

IfyouchoosetocreateamappedSANLUN,gotoMappingaSANLUNon
page 153.

Ifyouchoosetocreateavirtualmachinewithoutadisk,gotoStep 23.

19 Ifyouchosetocreateanewvirtualdisk,youmustselectthesizeofthevirtual
disk,specifyadatastorelocationforthedisk,andclickNext.

Enterthedisksizeinmegabytes(MB)orgigabytes(GB).Thedefaultis4GB.
The availablespaceontheselectedVMFSvolumeislisted.Youcanconfigurea
diskfromassmallas1MBtoaslargeas2TB(2048GB),usingawholenumberof
MBorGB.

Thevirtualdiskshouldbelargeenoughtoholdtheguestoperatingsystemandall
ofthesoftwarethatyouintendtoinstallwithroomfordataandgrowth.

Youcannotchangethevirtualdisksmaximumcapacitylater,butyoucaninstall
additionalvirtualdiskslaterbyusingtheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogbox.

Forexample,youneedabout1GBofactualfreespaceonthefilesystemcontaining
thevirtualdisktoinstallWindowsServer2003andapplications,suchas
Microsoft Office,insidethevirtualmachine.

Youcanlocatethevirtualdiskonthesamedatastoreasthevirtualmachineor
selectadatastoreinanotherlocation.UsetheBrowsebuttontolocateadatastore.
TheBrowseforDatastoredialogboxappears.

20 SelectTheVirtualdevicenodeanddiskmodeforthevirtualdisk.
21 IfyouselectIndependentdiskmode,chooseoneofthefollowing:

a PersistentChangesareimmediatelyandpermanentlywrittentothedisk.

b NonpersistentChangestothediskarediscardedwhenyoupoweroffor
reverttothesnapshot.

22 ClickNext.

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23 OntheReadytoCompleteNewVirtualMachinepage,reviewyourselectionsand
specifythefollowingoption:

Editthevirtualmachinesettingsbeforesubmittingthecreationtask

CheckthisoptionifyouwanttoopentheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialog
boxtosetfurtherconfigurationoptions,suchasaddingadditionaldisks(see
PerformingAdditionalConfigurationBeforeCompletiononpage 144).

NOTEBeforeyoucanuseyournewvirtualmachine,youmustfirstpartition
andformatthevirtualdrive,installaguestoperatingsystem,theninstall
VMwareTools.Typically,theoperatingsystemsinstallationprogramhandles
partitioningandformattingthevirtualdrive.

SeeInstallingaGuestOperatingSystemonpage 154andInstallingand
UpgradingVMwareToolsonpage 155.

24 Ifyouchosetouseanexistingvirtualdisk,clickBrowseandnavigatetothe
virtualdiskyouwanttouse.ClickNext.

25 Selectwhichvirtualdevicenodeshouldbeusedbyyourvirtualdisk.

26 IfyouselectIndependentmode,chooseoneofthefollowing:

a PersistentChangesareimmediatelyandpermanentlywrittentothedisk.

b NonpersistentChangestothediskarediscardedwhenyoupoweroffor
reverttothesnapshot.

27 ClickNext.

28 OntheReadytoCompleteNewVirtualMachinepage,reviewyourselectionsand
specifythefollowingoption:

Editthevirtualmachinesettingsbeforesubmittingthecreationtask

CheckthisoptionifyouwanttoopentheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialog
boxtosetfurtherconfigurationoptions,suchasaddingadditionaldisks(see
PerformingAdditionalConfigurationBeforeCompletiononpage 144).

NOTEBeforeyoucanuseyournewvirtualmachine,youmustfirstpartition
andformatthevirtualdrive,installaguestoperatingsystem,theninstall
VMwareTools.Typically,theoperatingsystemsinstallationprogramhandles
partitioningandformattingthevirtualdrive.

SeeInstallingaGuestOperatingSystemonpage 154andInstallingand
UpgradingVMwareToolsonpage 155.

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Mapping a SAN LUN

ForvirtualmachinesrunningonanESXServerhost,insteadofstoringvirtualmachine
datainavirtualdiskfile,youcanstorethedatadirectlyonaSANLUN.Thisisuseful
ifyouarerunningapplicationsinyourvirtualmachinesthatmustknowthephysical
characteristicsofthestoragedevice.

WhenyoumapaLUNtoaVMFSvolume,VirtualCentercreatesafilethatpointstothe
rawLUN.EncapsulatingdiskinformationinafileallowsVirtualCentertolockthe
LUNsothatonlyonevirtualmachinecanwritetoit.

NOTEThisfilehasa.vmdkextension,butthefilecontainsonlydiskinformation
describingthemappingtotheLUNontheESXServersystem.Theactualdataisstored
ontheLUN.

YoucannotdeployavirtualmachinefromatemplateandstoreitsdataonaLUN;you
canonlystoreitsdatainavirtualdiskfile.

To map a SAN LUN

1 FromtheSelectaDiskpage,selectMappedSANLUN.

2 ClickNext.

3 SelectaLUNfortherawdisk.

4 ClickNext.

5 SelectadatastoreontowhichtomaptheLUN.

6 ClickNext.

7 Selectacompatibilitymode,eitherphysicalorvirtual.
Physicalcompatibilitymodeallowstheguestoperatingsystemtoaccessthe
hardwaredirectly.PhysicalcompatibilityisusefulifyouareusingSANaware
applicationsinthevirtualmachine.However,aLUNconfiguredforphysical
compatibilitycannotbecloned,madeintoatemplate,ormigratedifthe
migrationinvolvescopyingthedisk.

VirtualcompatibilitymodeallowsthevirtualmachinetouseVMware
snapshotsandotheradvancedfunctionality.Virtualcompatibilityallowsthe
LUNtobehaveasifitwereavirtualdisk,soyoucanusefeatureslikedisk
modes.Whenyouclonethedisk,makeatemplateoutofit,ormigrateit(ifthe
migrationinvolvescopyingthedisk),thecontentsoftheLUNarecopiedinto
avirtualdisk(.vmdk)file.

Subsequentscreensofferdifferentoptions,dependingonyourchoice.

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8 OntheSpecifyAdvancedOptionspage,youcanchangethevirtualdevicenode
andclickNext.

9 OntheReadytoCompleteNewVirtualMachinepage,reviewyourselections.
ClickFinishtocompleteyourvirtualmachine,oroptionallyperformadditional
configuration(seePerformingAdditionalConfigurationBeforeCompletionon
page 144).

Installing a Guest Operating System

Anewvirtualmachineislikeaphysicalcomputerwithablankharddisk.Beforeyou
canuseit,youmustpartitionandformatthevirtualdiskandinstallanoperating
system.Theoperatingsystemsinstallationprogrammighthandlethepartitioningand
formattingstepsforyou.

Installingaguestoperatingsysteminsideyourvirtualmachineisessentiallythesame
asinstallingitonaphysicalcomputer.Thebasicstepsforatypicaloperatingsystem
aredescribedbelow.SeeGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuideformoreinformation
onindividualguestoperatingsystems.

NOTEItissometimesnecessarytochangethebootorderinthevirtualmachinesBIOS
settings.However,sometimesavirtualmachinesbootsequenceprogressestooquickly
forausertoopenaconsoletothevirtualmachineandenterBIOSsetup.Ifthishappens,
youcanmodifythevirtualmachinespropertiestoslowitsbootsequence,orforceitto
enterBIOSsetup.SeeChangingVirtualMachineOptionsonpage 186.Forprior
versionsofVirtualCenterthatdonotcontaintheseoptionsintheGUI,youcanuse
Ctrl+Alt+Insert(orCtrl+Alt+DeletefornonWindowssystems)tosoftresetthevirtual
machine.

To install a guest operating system

1 StartVMwareVirtualCenter.

2 InserttheinstallationCDROMforyourguestoperatingsystem,orcreateanISO
imagefilefromtheinstallationCDROM.UsetheVirtualMachineSettingseditor
toconnectthevirtualmachinesCDROMdrivetotheISOimagefileandpoweron
thevirtualmachine.

NOTEYoumightneedtochangethebootorderinthevirtualmachineBIOSso
thatthevirtualmachineattemptstobootfromtheCD/DVDdevicebeforetrying
otherbootdevices.Todoso,pressF2whenpromptedduringvirtualmachine
startup.

UsinganISOimageisfasterthanusingaCDROM.

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3 Topoweronyourvirtualmachine,clickthePowerOnbutton.

Whenavirtualmachineispoweredon,agreenrightarrowisdisplayednexttothe
virtualmachineiconintheinventorylist,andtheoptionsintheCommandspanel
changeasshowninthefollowingimage:

4 Followtheinstructionsprovidedbytheoperatingsystemvendor.

Tocustomizeaguestoperatingsystem,seeCustomizingGuestOperating
Systemsonpage 215.

Installing and Upgrading VMware Tools

VMwareToolsisasuiteofutilitiesthatenhancestheperformanceofthevirtual
machinesguestoperatingsystemandimprovesmanagementofthevirtualmachine.
InstallingVMwareToolsintheguestoperatingsystemisvital.Althoughtheguest
operatingsystemcanrunwithoutVMwareTools,youloseimportantfunctionalityand
convenience.

WhenyouinstallVMwareTools,youinstall:

TheVMwareToolsservice(VMwareService.exeonWindowsguestsor
vmware-guestdonLinuxandSolarisguests).Thisservicesynchronizesthetime
intheguestoperatingsystemwiththetimeinthehostoperatingsystem.
On Windowsguests,italsocontrolsgrabbingandreleaseingthemousecursor.

AsetofVMwaredevicedrivers,includinganSVGAdisplaydriver,thevmxnet
networkingdriverforsomeguestoperatingsystems,theBusLogicSCSIdriverfor
someguestoperatingsystems,thememorycontroldriverforefficientmemory
allocationbetweenvirtualmachines,thesyncdrivertoquiesceI/Ofor
ConsolidatedBackup,andtheVMwaremousedriver.

TheVMwareToolscontrolpanel,whichletsyoumodifysettings,shrinkvirtual
disks,andconnectanddisconnectvirtualdevices.

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Asetofscriptsthathelpsyoutoautomateguestoperatingsystemoperations.
The scriptsrunwhenthevirtualmachinespowerstatechangesifyouconfigure
themtodoso.

TheVMwareuserprocess(VMwareUser.exeonWindowsguestsorvmware-user
onLinuxandSolarisguests),whichenablesyoutocopyandpastetextbetweenthe
guestandmanagedhostoperatingsystems.

OnLinuxandSolarisguests,thisprocesscontrolsgrabbingandreleaseingthe
mousecursorwhentheSVGAdriverisnotinstalled.

TheVMwareToolsuserprocessisnotinstalledonNetWareoperatingsystems.
Instead,thevmwtoolprogramisinstalled.Itcontrolsthegrabbingandreleasingof
themousecursor.Italsoallowsyoucopyandpastetext.

YoucanoptionallyinstallWYSEMultimediaRedirector,whichimprovesstreaming
videoperformanceinWindowsguestoperatingsystemsrunningonWYSEthinclient
devices.

ConfiguretheguestoperatingsystembeforeinstallingorreinstallingVMwareTools.
ThisenablesVMwaretoolstodeterminethecorrectmouseconfigurationandmodule
configuration.

NOTEIftheguestoperatingsystemisinstalledbutnotcorrectlyconfiguredwhenyou
installVMwareTools,theVMwareToolsinstallationdoesnotworkcorrectly.Thiscan
causetheguestoperatingsystemtocrash.

VMwareToolshasthefollowinglimitations:

Shrinkdiskisnotsupported.

ForMicrosoftWindowsNT,thedefaultscriptsforsuspendandresumedonot
work.

ThemousedriverinstallationfailsinXwindowsversionsearlierthan4.2.0.
Thissectionincludesthefollowinginformation:
DisplayingtheVMwareToolsPropertiesDialogBoxonpage 162

VMwareToolsUpgradesonpage 163

NOTEIfyoudonothaveVMwareToolsinstalledinyourvirtualmachine,youcannot
usetheshutdownorrestartoptions.YoucanuseonlythePoweroptions.Ifyouwant
toshutdowntheguestoperatingsystem,shutitdownfromwithinthevirtualmachine
consolebeforeyoupoweroffthevirtualmachine.

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TheinstallersforVMwareToolsforWindows,Linux,Solaris,andNetWareguest
operatingsystemsarebuiltintoESXServerasISOimagefiles.AnISOimagefilelooks
likeaCDROMtoyourguestoperatingsystemandevenappearsasaCDROMdiscin
WindowsExplorer.YoudonotuseanactualCDROMdisctoinstallVMwareTools,nor
doyouneedtodownloadtheCDROMimageorburnaphysicalCDROMofthis
imagefile.

WhenyouchoosetoinstallVMwareTools,VMwareVirtualCentertemporarily
connectsthevirtualmachinesfirstvirtualCDROMdiskdrivetotheISOimagefile
thatcontainstheVMwareToolsinstallerforyourguestoperatingsystem.Youareready
tobegintheinstallationprocess.

NOTEIfyouareusingaWYSEthinclientdeviceandwanttoinstallWYSEMultimedia
SupportalongwithVMwareTools,seeCustomVMwareToolsInstallationon
page 165.YoumustusethecustominstallationpathinordertoinstallWYSE
MultimediaSupport.

To install or upgrade VMware Tools on a Windows Guest

1 Openaconsoletothevirtualmachine.

2 Poweronthevirtualmachine.

3 Aftertheguestoperatingsystemstarts,rightclickthevirtualmachineandchoose
InstallVMwareTools.

4 Frominsidethevirtualmachine,clickOKtoconfirmthatyouwanttoinstall
VMwareToolsandlaunchtheInstallShieldwizard.

Ifyouhaveautorunenabledinyourguestoperatingsystem(thedefault
settingforWindowsoperatingsystems),adialogboxappears.

Ifautorunisnotenabled,runtheVMwareToolsinstaller.ClickStart>Run
andenterD:\setup.exe,whereD:isyourfirstvirtualCDROMdrive.

5 Followtheonscreeninstructions.

OnWindowsServer2003,theSVGAdriverisinstalledautomatically,andthe
guestoperatingsystemusesitafteritreboots.

AfteryouinstallVMwareTools,Windows2000andWindowsXPguest
operatingsystemsmustberebootedtousethenewdriver.

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To install or upgrade VMware Tools on a Linux guest from X with the RPM
installer

1 Openaconsoletothevirtualmachine.

2 Poweronthevirtualmachine.

3 Aftertheguestoperatingsystemstarts,rightclickthevirtualmachineandchoose
InstallVMwareTools.

Theremainingstepstakeplaceinsidethevirtualmachine.

4 Dooneofthefollowing:

IfyouseeaVMwareToolsCDicononthedesktop,doubleclickit,andafter
itopens,doubleclicktheRPMinstallerintherootoftheCDROM.

Ifyouseeafilemanagerwindow,doubleclicktheRPMinstallerfile.

InsomeLinuxdistributions,theVMwareToolsCDiconmightfailtoappear.
In thiscase,continueinstallVMwareToolsfromthecommandline.

5 Whenprompted,entertherootpasswordandclickOK.
Theinstallerpreparesthepackages.(SEEUPDATE)

6 ClickContinuewhentheinstallerpresentsadialogboxthatshows
Completed SystemPreparation.

Adialogboxappearswithaprogressbar.Whentheinstallerisdone,VMware
Toolsisinstalled.Thereisnoconfirmationorfinishbutton.

7 InanXterminal,asroot(su -),runthefollowingfiletoconfigureVMwareTools:
vmware-config-tools.pl

Respondtothequestionstheinstallerdisplaysonthescreen.PressEntertoaccept
thedefaultvalue.

8 Whendone,exitfromtherootaccount:
exit

9 InanXterminal,opentheVMwareToolsPropertiesdialogbox:
vmware-toolbox &

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To install or upgrade VMware Tools on a Linux guest with the tar installer or
RPM installer

1 Openaconsoletothevirtualmachine.

2 Poweronthevirtualmachine.

3 Aftertheguestoperatingsystemstarts,rightclickthevirtualmachineandchoose
InstallVMwareTools.

Theremainingstepstakeplaceinsidethevirtualmachine.

4 Asroot(su -),mounttheVMwareToolsvirtualCDROMimageandchangetoa
workingdirectory(forexample,/tmp),asfollows.

NOTESomeLinuxdistributionsautomaticallymountCDROMs.Ifyour
distributionusesautomounting,donotusethemountandumountcommands
describedinthisprocedure.YoustillmustuntartheVMwareToolsinstallerto
/tmp.

SomeLinuxdistributionsusedifferentdevicenamesororganizethe/dev
directorydifferently.Modifythefollowingcommandstoreflecttheconventions
usedbyyourdistribution:
mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
cd /tmp

NOTEIfyouhaveapreviousinstallation,deletetheprevious
vmware-tools-distribdirectorybeforeinstalling.Thedefaultlocationofthis
directoryis:
/tmp/vmware-tools-distrib

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5 UncompresstheinstallerandunmounttheCDROMimage.

DependingonwhetheryouareusingthetarinstallerortheRPMinstaller,doone
ofthefollowing:

Forthetarinstaller,atthecommandprompt,enter:
tar zxpf /mnt/cdrom/VMwareTools-5.0.0-<xxxx>.tar.gz
umount /dev/cdrom

Where <xxxx> isthebuild/revisionnumberoftheWorkstationrelease.

FortheRPMinstaller,atthecommandprompt,enter:
rpm -Uhv /mnt/cdrom/VMwareTools-5.0.0-<xxxx>.i386.rpm
umount /dev/cdrom

Where <xxxx> isthebuild/revisionnumberoftheWorkstationrelease.

NOTEIfyouattempttoinstallanrpminstallationoveratarinstallationorthe
reversetheinstallerdetectsthepreviousinstallationandmustconvertthe
installerdatabaseformatbeforecontinuing.

6 DependingonwhetheryouareusingthetarinstallerortheRPMinstaller,doone
ofthefollowing:(SEEUPDATE)

Forthetarinstaller,runtheVMwareToolstarinstaller:
cd vmware-tools-distrib
./vmware-install.pl

Respondtotheconfigurationquestionsonthescreen.PressEntertoacceptthe
defaultvalue.

FortheRPMinstaller,configureVMwareTools:
vmware-config-tools.pl

Respondtothequestionstheinstallerdisplaysonthescreen.PressEnterto
acceptthedefaultvalue.
7 Logofftherootaccount.
exit

8 Startyourgraphicalenvironment.

9 InanXterminal,opentheVMwareToolsPropertiesdialogbox:
vmware-toolbox &

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To install or upgrade VMware Tools on a Solaris guest

1 Openaconsoletothevirtualmachine.

2 Poweronthevirtualmachine.

3 Aftertheguestoperatingsystemstarts,rightclickthevirtualmachineandchoose
InstallVMwareTools.

Theremainingstepstakeplaceinsidethevirtualmachine.

4 Loginasroot(su -)and,ifnecessary,mounttheVMwareToolsvirtualCDROM
image,asfollows.

Usually,theSolarisvolumemanagervoldmountstheCDROMunder
/cdrom/vmwaretools.IftheCDROMisnotmounted,restartthevolume
managerusingthefollowingcommands:
/etc/init.d/volmgt stop
/etc/init.d/volmgt start

5 AftertheCDROMismounted,changetoaworkingdirectory(forexample,/tmp)
andextractVMwareTools,asfollows:
cd /tmp
gunzip -c /cdrom/vmwaretools/vmware-solaris-tools.tar.gz | tar xf -

6 RuntheVMwareToolstarinstaller:
cd vmware-tools-distrib
./vmware-install.pl

Respondtotheconfigurationquestionsonthescreen.PressEntertoacceptthe
defaultvalue.

7 Logoffoftherootaccount.
exit

8 Startyourgraphicalenvironment.

9 InanXterminal,opentheVMwareToolsPropertiesdialogbox:
vmware-toolbox &

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To install VMware Tools in a NetWare virtual machine

1 Openaconsoletothevirtualmachine.

2 Poweronthevirtualmachine.

3 Aftertheguestoperatingsystemstarts,rightclickthevirtualmachineandchoose
InstallVMwareTools.

Theremainingstepstakeplaceinsidethevirtualmachine.

4 LoadtheCDROMdriversotheCDROMdevicemountstheISOimageasavolume.

Dooneofthefollowing:

InthesystemconsoleforaNetWare6.5virtualmachine,enter:
LOAD CDDVD

InthesystemconsoleforaNetWare6.0orNetWare5.1virtualmachine,enter:
LOAD CD9660.NSS

Whenthedriverfinishesloading,youcanbegininstallingVMwareTools,as
describedinthenextstep.

5 Inthesystemconsole,enterthefollowingcommand:
vmwtools:\setup.ncf

Whentheinstallationfinishes,themessageVMware Tools for NetWare are now

runningappearsintheLoggerScreen(NetWare6.5andNetWare6.0guests)orthe
ConsoleScreen(NetWare5.1guests).

Displaying the VMware Tools Properties Dialog Box

UsetheVMwareToolsPropertiesdialogboxtoconfigureVMwareToolsinsideyour
virtualmachine.Instructionsfordisplayingthisdialogboxvary,dependingonthe
guestoperatingsystem.

Usethisdialogboxtoconfiguresuchthingsastimesynchronizationbetweenhostand
guest,notificationsofVMwareToolsupdates(forWindowsandLinuxguestsonly),
andspecifyingwhichscriptstorunwhenthevirtualmachinespowerstatechanges.

ForinstructionsonusingtheVMwareToolsPropertiesdialogbox,clicktheHelp
buttoninsidethedialogbox.

To display the VMware Tools Properties dialog box on Windows guests

OpenaconsoletothevirtualmachineanddoubleclicktheVMwareToolsiconinthe
systemtrayfrominsidetheguestoperatingsystem.

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To display the VMware Tools Properties dialog box on Linux and Solaris guests

Openaconsoletothevirtualmachineandthenopenaterminalwindowandenterthe
command:
/usr/bin/vmware-toolbox &

To display the VMware Tools dialog box on NetWare 5.1 or higher guests

ChooseNovell>Settings>VMwareToolsforNetWare.

VMware Tools Upgrades

YoucanupgradeVMwareToolsmanually,oryoucanconfigurevirtualmachinesto
automaticallycheckforandinstallnewerversionsofVMwareTools(seeChanging
VirtualMachineOptionsonpage 186).Thefollowingarerequiredforautomatic
upgrades:

VirtualmachinesmusthaveaversionofVMwareToolsshippedwith
ESX Server 3.0.1orgreaterinstalled.

VirtualmachinesmustbehostedonanESXServer3.0.1orgreater,andthe
VirtualCenterservermustbeversion2.0.1orgreater.

VirtualmachinesmustberunningaLinuxorWindowsguestOSthatissupported
byESXServer3.0.1orgreaterandVirtualCenter2.0.1orgreater.

Virtualmachinesmustbepoweredon.

To manually upgrade VMware Tools:

1 LaunchtheVIclientandlogintotheVirtualCenterserver.

2 SelecttheInventory>HostsandClustersview.
3 Selectthehostorclusterthatcontainsthevirtualmachinesyouwanttoupgrade.

4 SelecttheVirtualMachinestab.

5 Selectthevirtualmachinesyouwanttoupgradeandpowerthemoff.

6 RightclickyourselectionsandselectInstall/UpgradeTools.

7 (Optional)EntercommandlineoptionsintheAdvancedfield
(see CommandLineOptions (SEEUPDATE)onpage 164).

8 ClickOK.

VMwareToolscanalsobemanuallyupgradedfromwithinthevirtualmachines
operatingsystembyopeningtheVMwareToolsPropertiesdialogbox(doubleclickthe
iconinthesystemtray)andclickingUpgradeintheOptionstab.

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Table 10-1. Command-Line Options (SEE UPDATE)

Option Description

-u user Specifiesauserwithsufficientprivilegesonthetargetvirtualmachine,
includingVirtualMachine.Config.*,VirtualMachine.Interact.*,and
VirtualMachine.Provisioning.*

-p password Specifiesapasswordonthecommandline.Ifthisisomitted,thetool
immediatelypromptsforapassword.

-n vmname Thenameofthevirtualmachinetoupgrade.Thisnamecorresponds
tothedisplaynameofavirtualmachine.Specifymultiplevirtual
machinesusingmultiplenparameters.Thenoptionisignoredifh
isspecified.

-h host Attemptstoupgradeallthevirtualmachinesonaparticularhost.Fails
ifthespecifiedhostifnotversionESX3.0orgreater.
-m maxpowerons Onaparticularhost,powerononlythisnumberofvirtualmachines
atatime.

-o port SpecifiestheVirtualCenterServerport,ifoneotherthanthedefault
port902hasbeenconfigured.
-t maxpowerontime Afterthetoolsupgradeisscheduledonavirtualmachine,thevirtual
machineispoweredonandallowedtorunthroughthetools
installationprocess.Inmostcases,theguestpowersoffthemachine
whentheprocesscompletes.Thisparameterallowsausertosetthe
maximumamountoftimeforavirtualmachinetobepoweredonin
casetheguestisunabletoshutdownthemachineitself.

-s Skipsthetoolsanddoesonlythevirtualhardwareupgrade.

-q Worksquietly.Doesntproducestatusorcompletionmessageson
shutdown.

To configure virtual machines to automatically upgrade VMware Tools:

1 OpentheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogboxforthevirtualmachineyouwant
toupgrade.

2 SelectOptionstab>VMwareTools.
3 SelecttheCheckandupgradeToolsbeforeeachpoweronoptionunder
AutomaticVMwareToolsUpgrade.

4 ClickOK.

Thenexttimethevirtualmachineispoweredon,itcheckstheESXServerhostfora
newerversionofVMwareTools.Ifoneisavailable,itisinstalledandtheguest
operatingsystemisrestarted(ifrequired).

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Custom VMware Tools Installation

YoucanuseacustomVMwareToolsinstallationpathtoinstalloptionaldriversorother
softwarethatmightimprovetheperformanceofparticularvirtualmachines,suchas
WYSEMultimediaSupport.

To perform a custom VMware Tools installation on a Windows Guest

1 Openaconsoletothevirtualmachine.

2 Poweronthevirtualmachine.

3 Aftertheguestoperatingsystemstarts,rightclickthevirtualmachineandchoose
InstallVMwareTools.

4 Frominsidethevirtualmachine,clickOKtoconfirmthatyouwanttoinstall
VMwareToolsandlaunchtheInstallShieldwizard.

Ifyouhaveautorunenabledinyourguestoperatingsystem(thedefault
settingforWindowsoperatingsystems),adialogboxappears.

Ifautorunisnotenabled,runtheVMwareToolsinstaller.ClickStart>Run
andenterD:\setup.exe,whereD:isyourfirstvirtualCDROMdrive.

5 ClickNext.

TheSetupTypepageisdisplayed.
6 SelectCustom,andclickNext.

TheCustomSetuppageisdisplayed.

7 ClicktheredXnexttoeachoptionalfeatureyouwanttoinstall,andselect
This featurewillbeinstalledonlocalharddrive.

8 ClickNext.

Aprogressbarisdisplayedshowingtheprogressoftheinstallation.
9 ClickFinish.

WYSE Multimedia Support

IfyouareusingaWYSEthinclientdevicetoconductremotedesktopsessionsusing
VMwareVDI,installingWYSEMultimediaSupportintheguestoperatingsystem
improvestheperformanceofstreamingvideo.WYSEMultimediaSupportallows
streamingvideotobedecodedontheclientratherthanonthehost,therebyconserving
networkbandwidth.

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WYSEMultimediaSupportissupportedontheWindows2003andWindowsXPguest
operatingsystemsonly.WYSEMultimediaSupportisinstalledaspartofaVMware
Toolsinstallationorupgrade.

Installing WYSE Multimedia Support with VMware Tools

WhenyouinstallVMwareToolsinaWindows2003orWindowsXPguestoperating
systemforthefirsttime,youcaninstallWYSEMultimediaSupportatthesametimeby
choosingacustominstallationpath.

To install WYSE Multimedia Support as part of a first-time installation of VMware

Tools

FollowtheinstructionsforthecustominstallationpathasdescribedinCustom
VMwareToolsInstallationonpage 165.OntheCustomSetuppage,selectWYSE
MultimediaRedirectorforinstallation.

Installing WYSE Multimedia Support as part of a VMware Tools Upgrade

ForvirtualmachinesthatalreadyhaveVMwareToolsinstalled,WYSEMultimedia
SupportcanbeinstalledaspartofaVMwareToolsupgradeusingtheWindowsAdd
orRemoveProgramsfeature.

To install WYSE Multimedia Support using Add or Remove Programs

1 Openaconsoletoapoweredonvirtualmachine.

2 Inthevirtualmachine,chooseStart>Settings>ControlPanel>AddorRemove
Programs.

3 Inthelistofprograms,selectVMwareToolsandclickChange.

TheVMwareToolsInstallationwizardisdisplayed.
4 ClickNext.

TheProgramMaintenancepageisdisplayed.

5 SelectModifyandclickNext.

TheCustomSetuppageisdisplayed.

6 ClicktheredXnexttoWYSEMultimediaRedirectorandselectThisfeaturewill
beinstalledonlocalharddrive.

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7 ClickNext.

8 ClickModifytobegintheinstallation.

Aprogressbarisdisplayedshowingtheprogressoftheinstallation.

9 ClickFinish.

ForvirtualmachinesonESXServer3.0.1orlaterhostsmanagedbyVirtualCenter2.0.1
orlater,WYSEMultimediaSupportcanbeinstalledaspartofaVMwareToolsupgrade
startedfromtheVIClient.

To install WYSE Multimedia Support as part of a VMware Tools Upgrade

1 RightclickapoweredonvirtualmachineandchooseUpgradeVMwareTools.

2 IntheAdvancedtextbox,typesetup.exe /s /vINSTALL_WYSE=1.

3 ClickOK.

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 11

Managing Virtual Machines 11

Thischapterdescribesvirtualmachinetasks,includingaddingandremovingvirtual
machinesandpoweringvirtualmachinesonandoff.

NOTETheviewsandcapabilitiesdisplayedvarydependingonwhethertheVIClient
isconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServeroranESXServerhost.Unlessindicated,the
process,task,ordescriptionappliestobothkindsofVIClientconnections.

Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

ChangingVirtualMachinePowerStatesonpage 169

AddingandRemovingVirtualMachinesonpage 175

StartingandShuttingDownVirtualMachinesonpage 177

Changing Virtual Machine Power States

Thepowerstateofavirtualmachineindicateswhetherthevirtualmachineisactiveand
functional.Therearethreebasicstates:on,off,andsuspend.Toachievetheonstate,
youcanpoweronthemachine,resetthemachine,orresumeactivityfromasuspended
state.Toachievetheoffstate,youcanpoweroffthemachineorsuspendallvirtual
machineactivity.Eachvirtualmachinepowerstatechangehasadifferenteffectonthe
guestoperatingsysteminthevirtualmachine.

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Therearealsoseveralaccesspointsformakingchangestothesepowerstates.Youcan
changeapowerstatechangeby:

SelectingthevirtualmachineandthepoweroptionfromtheInventory>Virtual
Machinemenu.

SelectingPoweronfromtheCommandsarea.

Selectingthepoweroptionfromthepopupmenu.

SchedulingapowerstatechangethroughtheScheduledTasksbuttoninthe
navigationbar.

Thepowerstatetopicsarecoveredinthefollowingsections:

UnderstandingVirtualMachinePowerStatesonpage 170

UnderstandingTransitionalPowerStatesonpage 172

ManuallyPoweringaVirtualMachineOnandOffonpage 172

UsingSuspendandResumeonpage 173

SchedulingaPowerStateChangeforaVirtualMachineonpage 174

Understanding Virtual Machine Power States

Thebasicpowerstateoptionsinclude:

PoweronPowersonthevirtualmachineandbootstheguestoperatingsystemif
theguestoperatingsystemisinstalled.

PoweroffPowersoffthevirtualmachine.Thevirtualmachinedoesnotattempt
toshutdowntheguestoperatingsystemgracefully.

SuspendPausesthevirtualmachineactivity.Alltransactionsarefrozenuntilyou
issuearesumecommand.

ResumeAllowsvirtualmachineactivitytocontinueandreleasestheSuspended
state.

ResetShutsdowntheguestoperatingsystemandrestartsit.Thisoperation
dependsontheoperatingsystembeingshutdown.Ifshutdownisnotautomatic
forthatoperatingsystem,VMwareToolsmustbeinstalled.

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Thefollowingpoweroptionsperformextrafunctionsinadditiontothebasicvirtual
machinepoweroperations.VMwareToolsmustbeinstalledinthevirtualmachineto
performthesefunctions:

ShutdownguestShutsdowntheguestoperatingsystemgracefully.

StandbyguestSuspendstheguestoperatingsystemandrunVMwaretools
suspendscripts.

RestartguestShutsdownandrestartstheguestoperatingsystemwithout
poweringoffthevirtualmachine.

Toolbarpowerbuttonsperformasfollows:

PoweroffPowersoffthevirtualmachine.Apoweroffoperationdisplaysa
confirmationdialogboxindicatingthattheguestoperatingsystemmightnotshut
downproperly.

PoweronPowersonavirtualmachinewhenavirtualmachineisstopped,or
resumesthevirtualmachineandrunsascriptwhenitissuspendedandVMware
Toolsisinstalledandavailable.Resumesthevirtualmachineanddoesnotruna
scriptwhenVMwareToolsisnotinstalled.

SuspendSuspendsthevirtualmachinewithoutrunningascriptwhenVMware
Toolsisnotinstalled,orrunsascript,andsuspendsthevirtualmachinewhen
VMwareToolsisinstalledandavailable.

ResetResetsthevirtualmachinewhenVMwareToolsisnotinstalled,and
restartstheguestoperatingsystemwhenVMwareToolsisinstalledandavailable.
Aresetoperationdisplaysaconfirmationdialogboxindicatingthattheguest
operatingsystemisnotshutdownproperly.

NOTEThespecificformofthepowerstateactioncanbemodifiedtoincludeguest
operatingsystemshutdownsornotandtoincluderunningscriptsornot.
To configurepoweroperationsettingschoosehost>Configuration>Virtual
Machinestartup/shutdown.

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Understanding Transitional Power States

Actionstakenonavirtualmachinerequirethatthevirtualmachinebeinspecificpower
states.Wheneverapoweroperationisperformedonavirtualmachine,thevirtual
machinepowerstatechangesandallothercommandsarelockedoutuntilthefirst
commandiscompleted.

Thefigurebelowillustratesstates,transitions,andstatechangingcommandsfor
virtualmachines.

Figure 11-1. Virtual Machine Power State Changes

powered off remove

power on power off

powered on

resume suspend

state
suspended command

Manually Powering a Virtual Machine On and Off

Beforechanginganypowerstateonavirtualmachine,youmusthaveaddedthevirtual
machinetoyourVMwareInfrastructureenvironment.SeeAddingandRemoving
VirtualMachinesonpage 175.

To manually change the power state of a virtual machine

1 ClicktheInventorybuttoninthenavigationbar.

2 Expandtheinventoryasneeded,andselectavirtualmachine.

3 Usethepowerstatebuttonsinthetoolbar,orrightclickonthevirtualmachineand
selectanpowerstateoption

NOTEPowerOffisliketurningofftheelectricitytoaphysicalmachineand
alwaysshutsdownthevirtualmachine.ShutDownGuestattemptstogracefully
shutdownthevirtualmachine

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Using Suspend and Resume

Thesuspendandresumefeatureismostusefulwhenyouwanttosavethecurrentstate
ofyourvirtualmachineandpickupworklaterwiththevirtualmachineinthesame
state.

Afteryouresumeanddoadditionalworkinthevirtualmachine,youcannotreturnto
thestatethevirtualmachinewasinatthetimeyoususpended.Topreservethestateof
thevirtualmachinesoyoucanreturntothesamestaterepeatedly,takeasnapshot.
See UsingSnapshotsonpage 253formoreinformation.

Thespeedofthesuspendandresumeoperationsdependsonhowmuchdatachanged
whilethevirtualmachinewasrunning.Ingeneral,thefirstsuspendoperationtakesa
bitlongerthansubsequentsuspendoperationsdo.

Whenyoususpendavirtualmachine,afilewitha.vmssextensioniscreated.Thisfile
containstheentirestateofthevirtualmachine.Whenyouresumethevirtualmachine,
itsstateisrestoredfromthe.vmssfile.

To suspend a virtual machine

1 Ifyourvirtualmachineisrunninginfullscreenmode,returntowindowmodeby
pressingtheCtrlAltkeycombination.

2 ClickSuspendontheVMwareInfrastructureClienttoolbar.

WhenVMwareInfrastructureClientcompletesthesuspendoperation,itissafeto
exitVMwareInfrastructureClient.

3 ChooseFile>Exit.

To resume a virtual machine that you have suspended

1 StartVMwareInfrastructureClient,andselectavirtualmachinethatyouhave
suspended.
2 ClickthePowerOnbuttonontheVMwareInfrastructureClienttoolbar,orchoose
thePowerOnoptionfromthepopupmenuortheCommandswindow.

NOTEApplicationsyouwererunningatthetimeyoususpendedthevirtual
machinearerunning,andthecontentisthesameasitwaswhenyoususpended
thevirtualmachine.

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Scheduling a Power State Change for a Virtual Machine

Dependinguponyourpermissions,youcancreateascheduledtasktochangethe
powerstateofthevirtualmachineintheVIClient.

To create a scheduled task that changes the power state

1 ClicktheScheduledTasksbuttoninthenavigationbar.

Thelistofscheduledtasksappears.

2 RightclickandchooseNewScheduledTask,orchooseFile>New>Scheduled
Task.

TheSelectaTasktoSchedulewindowappears.

3 SelectChangethepowerstateofavirtualmachine,andclickOK.
TheChangeaVirtualMachinesPowerStatewizardappearsanddisplaysthe
SelectVirtualMachinepage.

4 Selectthevirtualmachinewhosestateyouwanttochange.

TheSelectaPowerOperationpageappears.

5 SelectaPowerOperationoption,andclickNext.

6 IfyouselectedaPowerOnoperation,theSelectHostpageappears.Selectthehost
whichwillpoweronthevirtualmachine.
7 ClickNext.

TheScheduletheTaskscreenappears.

8 Namethetask,giveadescription,andspecifythetimingofthetask.

Todisplaytothecalendar,selectLater,andclickthedropdownarrowtochoosea
datefromthedisplayedcalendar.Aredcircleindicatestodaysdateandadark
circleindicatesthescheduleddate.

9 ClickNext.

10 ClickFinish.

VMwareInfrastructureClientaddsthenewtasktothescheduledtasklistand
completesitatthedesignatedtime.Whenyoucreateascheduledtask,
VirtualCenterverifiesthatyouhavethecorrectpermissionstoperformtheactions
ontherelevantdatacenters,hosts,andvirtualmachines.Oncethetaskiscreated,
thetaskisperformedevenifyounolongerhavepermissiontoperformthetask.

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Adding and Removing Virtual Machines

VirtualmachinescanbeaddedtotheVirtualCenterServerinventorythroughtheir
managedhosts.TheycanberemovedfromVirtualCenterServercontrolandoptionally
fromtheirmanagedhostsstorage.

Thefollowingsectionsdiscussaddingandremovingvirtualmachines:

AddingExistingVirtualMachinestoVirtualCenteronpage 175

RemovingVirtualMachinesfromVirtualCenteronpage 175

ReturningaVirtualMachineorTemplatetoVirtualCenteronpage 176

Adding Existing Virtual Machines to VirtualCenter

WhenyouaddamanagedhosttoVMwareInfrastructureClient,itdiscoversallthe
virtualmachinesonthatmanagedhostandaddsthemtotheVirtualCenterinventory.
Ifamanagedhostisdisconnected,thealreadydiscoveredvirtualmachinescontinueto
belistedintheinventory.

Ifamanagedhostisdisconnectedandreconnected,anychangestothevirtual
machinesonthatmanagedhostareidentified,andVMwareInfrastructureClient
updatesthelistofvirtualmachines.Forexample,ifnode3isremovedandnode4is
added,thenewlistofvirtualmachinesaddsnode4andshowsnode3asorphaned.

Removing Virtual Machines from VirtualCenter

RemovingVirtualMachinesfrominventoryunregistersthemfromthehostand
VirtualCenter.Virtualmachinefilesremainatthesamestoragelocationandthevirtual
machinecanbereregisteredusingthedatastorebrowser.

RemovingVirtualMachinesfromdisk,ontheotherhand,purgesthevirtualmachine
anditsfiles.

To remove a virtual machine from VirtualCenter but not the datastore

1 FromtheVIClient,clicktheInventorybuttoninthenavigationbar.

2 Expandtheinventoryasneeded,andclicktheappropriatevirtualmachine.

3 Makesurethatthevirtualmachineispoweredoff.

4 Selectthevirtualmachineintheinventorypanel.

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5 ChooseInventory>VirtualMachine>Remove,orrightclickonthevirtual
machineandselectRemovefromInventory.

6 Toconfirmthatyouwanttoremovethevirtualmachinefromtheinventory,
click OK.

VirtualCenterServerremovesreferencestothevirtualmachineandnolonger
tracksitscondition.

NOTETheRemovefromInventorycommandremovesthevirtualmachineonly
fromVirtualCenterinventory.Itdoesnotremovethevirtualmachinefromits
datastore.

To remove a virtual machine from VirtualCenter and the datastore

CAUTIONThisproceduredeletesallthefilesfortheselectedvirtualmachine,including
theconfigurationfileandthevirtualdiskfiles.Ifothervirtualmachinessharedisks
withthevirtualmachineyouwanttodelete(target),removetheshareddisksfromthe
targetbeforedeletingit.SeeChangingtheHardwareConfigurationofaVirtual
Machineonpage 180.

1 FromtheVIClient,clicktheInventorybuttoninthenavigationbar.

2 Expandtheinventoryasneeded,andclicktheappropriatevirtualmachine.

3 Makesurethatthevirtualmachineispoweredoff.

4 RightclickonthevirtualmachineandselectDeletefromDisk.

5 ClickOKintheconfirmationdialogbox.

VirtualCenterdeletesthevirtualmachinefromitsdatastore.

Returning a Virtual Machine or Template to VirtualCenter

IfyouhaveremovedavirtualmachineortemplatefromaVirtualCenterserverbutdid
notremoveitfromthemanagedhostsdatastoreandyouwanttoreturnitto
VirtualCenter,usetheDatastoreBrowser.

To return a virtual machine or template to VirtualCenter

1 RightclickonthedatastoreandchooseBrowseDatastore.

TheDatastoreBrowserdialogboxisdisplayed.

2 Navigatetothevirtualmachineortemplatethatyouwanttoaddtoinventory.

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3 RightclickonthevirtualmachineortemplateandchooseAddtoInventory.

4 FollowthestepsintheAddtoInventorywizardtofinishaddingthevirtual
machineortemplate.

Starting and Shutting Down Virtual Machines

Youcanconfigureyourvirtualmachinetostartupandshutdownautomatically,oryou
candisablethisfunction.Youcanalsosetthedefaulttimingaswellasthestartuporder
forspecifiedvirtualmachineswhenthesystemhoststarts.

To configure virtual machine startup and shutdown

1 SelecttheInventorybutton.

2 Selectahostmachine.

3 ClicktheConfigurationtab.

Configurationinformationforthehostappears.

4 ClicktheVirtualMachineStartup/Shutdownlink.

Thevirtualmachinestartupandshutdowninformationappears.

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5 ClickProperties.

TheVirtualMachineStartupandShutdowndialogboxappears.

6 Ifyouwanttoallowvirtualmachinestostartandstopautomatically,clickthe
checkboxatthetopofthedialogboxandenteratimeinsecondsforthedefault
startupdelayandthedefaultshutdowndelay.

7 Ifyouwanttheoperatingsystemtostartafterabriefdelay,specifyadelaytimein
theDefaultStartupDelaybox.

ThisallowstimeforVMwareToolsorthebootingsystemtorunscripts.

8 Clickthecheckboxifyouwanttheoperatingsystemtobootimmediatelyafter
VMwareToolsstarts.

9 Next,specifytheorderinwhichthevirtualmachinesstartwhenthesystemstarts.
UsetheMoveUp,MoveDown,andEditbuttonstorearrangethevirtual
machinesinthedisplay.

VirtualmachineslistedunderManualStartupdonotautomaticallystartuporshut
down.Inordertoautomaticallystartuporshutdownavirtualmachine,youmust
moveitsothatitislistedundereitherAutomaticStartuporAnyOrder.

Thevirtualmachinesarestoppedinreverseorder.

10 ClickOKtoexitthedialogboxwhenyouarethroughchangingthesystem
settings.

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Configuring Virtual
Machines 12
ThischapterdescribestheVirtualMachinePropertieseditorandtheAddHardware
wizard.Theseallowyoutoeditandconfigureyourvirtualmachines.Italsodiscusses
advancedvirtualmachineconfigurationoptions.Theseactivitiescanbeperformed
duringthevirtualmachinecreationprocessorafteryoucreatethevirtualmachineand
installtheguestoperatingsystem.Someoperationscanbeperformedwhilethevirtual
machineispoweredon;othersonlywhenthevirtualmachineispoweredoff.This
chapteralsodescribeslegacyvirtualmachinesandhowtoupgradethemtothecurrent
virtualmachinehardwareversion.Youmusthavesufficientpermissiontoperformthe
activitiesdescribedinthischapter.

Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

VirtualMachinePropertiesEditoronpage 179

AddingNewHardwareonpage 196
LegacyVirtualMachinesonpage 201

UpgradingVirtualHardwareonpage 202

Virtual Machine Properties Editor

TheVirtualMachinePropertiesEditorallowsyoutochangenearlyeverycharacteristic
thatyouchoosewhenyoucreatedthevirtualmachine.Thissectiondescribeshowto
usethiseditor.

To edit an existing virtual machine configuration

1 FromtheVIClient,clickInventoryinthenavigationbar.

2 Expandtheinventoryasneeded,andselectthevirtualmachineyouwanttoedit.

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3 (Optional)Poweroffthevirtualmachine.

Mostofthepropertiesofavirtualmachinecanbechangedonlywhileitispowered
off,butyoucanopenthepropertieseditorregardlessofthepowerstate.Manyof
thecontrolsarereadonlyifthevirtualmachineisnotpoweredoff.

4 TodisplaytheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogbox,clicktheEditSettingslinkin
theCommandspanel.

TheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogboxisdisplayed.Therearethreetabs:
Hardware,Options,andResources.

5 Selectatabandproceedtooneofthefollowingsections:

ChangingtheHardwareConfigurationofaVirtualMachineonpage 180

ChangingVirtualMachineOptionsonpage 186

ChangingVirtualMachineResourceSettingsonpage 192

Changing the Hardware Configuration of a Virtual Machine

Thissectiondescribeshowtochangetheconfigurationofexistingvirtualhardware
devicesinavirtualmachine.

Youcanadd,edit,orremovehardwarefromyourvirtualmachineusingthiswizard.
Thestatusofthedevice,suchaseditedoradding,isdisplayedinparenthesesnextto
thehardwarelisting.Theselectedguestoperatingsystemdeterminesthedevicesthat
areavailabletobeaddedtoagivenvirtualmachine.Thedevicesthatcanbeaddedare:

Serialport
Parallelport
Floppydrive
DVD/CDROMdrive
Ethernetadapter
Harddisk
SCSIdevice

To change the DVD/CD-ROM drive configuration

1 ClicktheHardwaretab.

2 ClicktheDVD/CDROMdriveintheHardwarelist.

3 Makechangesasneededtothedevicestatus,connection,orvirtualdevicenodefor
thevirtualmachinetouse.

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4 IfyoudonotwanttheCDROMdriveconnectedwhenthevirtualmachinestarts,
deselectConnectatpoweron.

5 SelecttheUsephysicaldriveradiobuttontoconnectthevirtualmachinesdriveto
aphysicaldriveonthehostcomputer.

YoucanaccessaclientCDROMdeviceorhostCDROMdevice.Therearetwo
typesofDVD/CDROMaccess:

a UsePassthrough(raw)modeonlyforremoteclientdeviceaccess.

b UseATAPIemulationtoaccessahostCDROMdevice.

ThelocalorhostCDROMdeviceisaccessedthroughemulationmode.
PassthroughmodeisnotfunctionalforlocalhostCDROMaccess.Youcan
writeorburnaremoteCDonlythroughpassthroughmodeaccess,butin
emulationmodeyoucanonlyreadaCDROMfromahostCDROMdevice.

6 Ifyouelectedtouseaphysicaldrive,choosethedrivetousefromthedropdown
list.

7 Alternatively,selectUseISOImagetoconnectthevirtualmachinesdrivetoan
ISOimagefile.

8 IfyouselectedUseISOImage,clickBrowsetonavigatetothefile.

9 UnderVirtualdevicenode,usethedropdownmenutochoosethedevicenodethe
driveusesinthevirtualmachine.

10 ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethedialogbox.

To change the floppy drive configuration

1 ClicktheHardwaretab.
2 ClickthefloppydriveintheDevicelist.

3 UnderDeviceStatus,selectConnectatpowerontoconnectthisvirtualmachine
tothefloppydrivewhenthevirtualmachineispoweredon.

4 UnderConnection,selectUsephysicaldrivetouseaphysicaldrive,choose
Client orHost,andchoosethedrivefromthelist.

5 Touseafloppyimage,selectUseexistingfloppyImageorCreateanewfloppy
image,andbrowsetothefloppyimage.

6 ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethedialogbox.

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To change the SCSI device configuration

1 ClicktheHardwaretab.

2 SelecttheSCSIdeviceinthehardwarelist.

3 ToconnectthisvirtualmachinetotheserversSCSIdevicewhenthevirtual
machineispoweredon,selectConnectatpoweron.

4 UnderConnection,selectthephysicaldeviceyouwanttouse.

UnderVirtualdevicenode,selectthevirtualdevicenodewhereyouwantthis
devicetoappearinthevirtualmachine.

5 ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethedialogbox.

To change the virtual disk configuration

Youcanadddisksandextenddisksevenwhilethevirtualmachineisrunning.
To changediskmode,thevirtualmachinemustbepoweredoff.

1 ClicktheHardwaretab.

2 ClicktheappropriateHardDiskintheHardwarelist.

3 Ifthevirtualmachineispoweredon,youcandoanyofthefollowing:

Changedisksize.

Addnewdisk.

4 Ifthevirtualmachineispoweredoff,youcandoanyofthefollowing:

Changedisksize.

Addnewdisk.
Changethevirtualdevicenode.

TurnonoroffIndependentmode.DisksrunninginIndependentmodeare
unaffectedbysnapshots.ChoosePersistentorNonpersistentmodeto
determinethepersistenceofchanges.

5 ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethedialogbox.

NOTETheManagePathsfeatureforRDMdisksisnotavailableforvirtualmachines
onlegacyhostsrunningversionsofESXServerpriortorelease3.0.

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To change the memory configuration

1 ClicktheHardwaretab.

2 ClickMemoryintheHardwarelist.

3 Adjusttheamountofmemoryallocatedtothevirtualmachine.

(SEEUPDATE)Therangeofmemorysupportedis128MBto16384MBandisnot
limitedtothephysicalmemoryofthehostwherethevirtualmachineresides.

4 ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethedialogbox.

To change the virtual Ethernet adapter (NIC) configuration

1 ClicktheHardwaretab.

2 ClicktheappropriateNICintheHardwarelist.

3 ToconnectthevirtualNICwhenthevirtualmachineispoweredon,select
Connect atpoweron.

4 UnderNetworkconnection,usethedropdownmenutochoosethenetworklabel
youwantthevirtualmachinetouse.

5 ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethedialogbox.

To change the parallel port configuration

1 ClicktheHardwaretab.

2 ClicktheappropriateParallelportintheHardwarelist.

3 DeselecttheConnectatpoweroncheckboxifyoudonotwanttheparallelport
devicetobeconnectedwhenthevirtualmachinepowerson.

ThedefaultsettingisConnectatpoweron.
4 UnderConnection,selectaradiobuttontoindicateaphysicalparallelportorto
connectthevirtualparallelporttoafile.
a IfyouselectUsephysicalparallelport,choosetheportfromthedropdown
menu.

b IfyouselectUseoutputfile,browsetothefilelocation.
5 ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethedialogbox.

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To change the SCSI controller configuration

YoucanchangetheSCSIcontrollerconfigurationforavirtualmachineonan
ESX Serverhostonly.

CAUTIONChangingtheSCSIcontrollertypemightresultinavirtualmachineboot
failure.

YoucanalsospecifywhethertheSCSIbusisshared.Dependingonthetypeofsharing,
virtualmachinescanaccessthesamevirtualdisksimultaneouslyonthesameserveror
anyserver.

1 ClicktheHardwaretab.

2 ClicktheappropriateSCSIControllerintheDevicelist.

3 SelecttheSCSIcontrollertypeinthelist.

CAUTIONChangingtheSCSIcontrollertypemightresultinavirtualmachine
bootfailure.

4 SelectthetypeofsharingintheSCSIBusSharinglist:

NoneVirtualdiskscannotbesharedbyothervirtualmachines.

VirtualVirtualdiskscanbesharedbyvirtualmachinesonsameserver.

PhysicalVirtualdiskscanbesharedbyvirtualmachinesonanyserver.

5 ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethedialogbox.

To change the serial port configuration (SEEUPDATE)

1 ClicktheHardwaretab.

2 ClicktheappropriateSerialportintheHardwarelist.

3 IfyouselectedUsephysicalserialport,usethedropdownmenutochoosetheport
onthehostcomputerthatyouwanttouseforthisserialconnection.

4 IfyouselectedUseoutputfile,browsetothelocationofthefileonthehostthat
youwanttousetostoretheoutputofthevirtualserialport.

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5 IfyouselectedUsenamedpipe,usethedefaultpipenameorenteranotherpipe
nameofyourchoiceinthePipeNamelist.

ForaserialpipeforavirtualmachineonanESXServerhostforLinuxhost,enter
/tmp/<socket>oranotherUNIXsocketnameofyourchoice.

Thendecidewhetheryouareconnectingtwovirtualmachinesorconnectinga
virtualmachinetoanapplicationonthehost.

6 Ifyouareconnectingtwovirtualmachines,youmustconfigureaserialportasa
namedpipeintwovirtualmachines:aservervirtualmachineandaclientvirtual
machine.

a Fortheservervirtualmachine,selectServerintheNearendlist.

b Fortheclientvirtualmachine,selectClientintheNearendlist.

c SelectAvirtualmachineintheFarendlist.

7 Ifyouareconnectingtoanapplicationonthehost,dothefollowing:

a SelectServerorClientintheNearendlist.Ingeneral,selectServerifyouplan
tostartthisendoftheconnectionfirst.

b SelectAnapplicationintheFarendlist.

Bydefault,theserialportisconnectedwhenyoupoweronthevirtualmachine.
YoumightdeselecttheConnectatpoweroncheckbox(optional).

8 UnderI/OMode,decidewhethertoconfigurethisserialporttouseinterrupt
modeorpolledmode.

Polledmodeisofinterestprimarilytodeveloperswhoareusingdebuggingtools
thatcommunicateoveraserialconnection.

Polledmodecausesthevirtualmachinetoconsumeadisproportionateshareof
processor(orCPU)time.Thismakesthehostandotherguestsrunsluggishly.To
maintainbestperformanceforapplicationsonthehost,selecttheYieldCPUon
pollcheckbox.Thisforcestheaffectedvirtualmachinetouseinterruptmode,
whichyieldsprocessor(orCPU)timeiftheonlytaskitistryingtodoispollthe
virtualserialport.

9 ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethedialogbox.

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To change the virtual processor or CPU configuration

IfthevirtualmachineisonanESXServerhostandyouhaveVirtualSMPfor
ESX Server,whichsupportssymetricmultiprocessors(SMP),youcanconfigurea
virtualmachinetohaveuptofourvirtualprocessorsorCPUs.VirtualSMPcanuse
twowayorfourwaySMP.VirtualmachinescannothavemorevirtualCPUsthanthe
actualnumberoflogicalCPUsonthehostthatis,thenumberofphysicalprocessor
coresifhyperthreadingisdisabledortwotimesthenumberofphysicalprocessorcores
ifhyperthreadingisenabled.FormoreinformationaboutusingSMP,consultthe
VMwareKnowledgeBase.

NOTENotallguestoperatingsystemssupportSMP,andsomethatdorequire
reinstallationifthenumberofCPUschanges.

(SEEUPDATE)Changingthenumberofprocessorsanimportedvirtualmachineusesis
notsupported.

1 ClicktheHardwaretab.

2 ClickVirtualProcessororCPUintheHardwarelist.

3 Selectthenumberofvirtualprocessorsforthevirtualmachine.

YoumusthaveVMwareVirtualSMPforESXServerifyouwantmorethanone
virtualprocessororCPUforthevirtualmachine.IfyoudonothaveVMware
VirtualSMPforESXServer,thevirtualmachinecanhaveonlyonevirtual
processororCPU.

4 ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethedialogbox.

Changing Virtual Machine Options

YoucanchangethefollowingsettingsintheOptionstab:

GeneralOptionsVirtualmachinedisplaynameandtypeofguestoperating
system.(Readonly)locationofvirtualmachineanditsconfigurationfile.

VMwareToolsPowerControlsbehavior,VMwareToolsscriptsandautomatic
updates.

PowerManagementVirtualmachineSuspendbehavior.

Advanced>GeneralAcceleration,logging,debuggingandstatistics.

Advanced>CPUIDMaskNxflagandadvancedidentificationmaskoptions.

Advanced>BootOptionsVirtualmachinebootoptions.

Advanced>ParavirtualizationVMIparavirtualizationenablement.

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Advanced>FibreChannelNPIVVirtualnodeandportworldwide
names (WWNs).

Advanced>VirtualizedMMUSettingsforenablingHardwarePageTable
Virtualization.

Advanced>SwapfileLocationSwapfilelocation.

To change general settings

1 ClicktheOptionstab.

2 SelectGeneralOptionsintheSettingslist.

ThevirtualmachinenameisdisplayedintheVirtualmachinenamefield.

Changingthenamedoesnotchangethenameofanyvirtualmachinefilesorthe
associateddirectory.

3 Selectanoperatingsystemandversion.

4 ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethedialogbox.

To change VMware Tools options

NOTEVMwareToolsoptionscannotbechangedwhilethevirtualmachineis
poweredon.

1 ClicktheOptionstab.

2 SelectVMwareToolsintheSettingslist.

Thestopbuttononthetoolbarcanbeconfiguredtopoweroffthevirtualmachine,
shutdowntheguestoperatingsystem,orusethesystemdefault.Thepausebutton
onthetoolbarcanbeconfiguredtosuspendthevirtualmachineorusethesystem
default.Theresetbuttononthetoolbarcanbeconfiguredtoresetthevirtual
machine,restarttheguestoperatingsystem,orusethesystemdefault.

3 SelecttheactionsyouwantfromthedropdownmenusunderPowerControls.

4 (Optional)ConfigureVMwareToolsscriptstorunwhenyouchangethevirtual
machinespowerstatebyselectingoptionsunderRunVMwareToolsscripts.

NOTEForESXServervirtualmachines,therearenoscriptsforresumingand
suspendingvirtualmachines.

5 (Optional)ConfigureVMwareToolstocheckforandinstallupdatesbeforeeach
poweronbyselectingtheCheckandupgradeToolsbeforeeachpoweronoption
underAutomaticVMwareToolsUpgrade.

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6 (Optional)Configuretheguestoperatingsystemtosynchronizetimewiththehost
byselectingtheSynchronizeguesttimewithhostoption.

7 ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethedialogbox.

To change power management settings

1 ClicktheOptionstab.

2 SelectPowerManagementintheSettingslist.

GuestPowerManagementallowsyoutodeterminehowthevirtualmachine
respondswhentheguestoperatingsystemisplacedonstandby.

3 UnderGuestPowerManagement,selecteitherSuspendthevirtualmachineor
Puttheguestoperatingsysteminstandbymodeandleavethevirtualmachine
poweredon.

4 (Optional)Ifyouchosetoleavethevirtualmachineon,selectWakeonLANfor
virtualmachinetrafficonyourvirtualmachinenetworkbyselectingthecheck
box.

NotallguestoperatingsystemssupportWakeonLAN.Onlythefollowingtypes
ofNICssupportWakeonLAN:

Flexible(VMwareToolsrequired).
vmxnet
Enhancedvmxnet

Optionsaredisablediftheyarenotsupported.

5 ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethedialogbox.

To change advanced virtual machine settings

1 ClicktheOptionstab.

2 SelectAdvanced>GeneralintheSettingslist.

a Todisableacceleration,selecttheDisableaccelerationcheckbox.

Youcanenableanddisableaccelerationwhilethevirtualmachineisrunning.

Inrareinstances,youmightfindthatwhenyouinstallorrunsoftwareinside
avirtualmachine,thevirtualmachineappearstohang.Generally,the
problemoccursearlyintheprogramsexecution.Inmanycases,youcanget
pasttheproblembytemporarilydisablingaccelerationinthevirtualmachine.

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Thissettingslowsdownvirtualmachineperformance,souseitonlyfor
gettingpasttheproblemwithrunningtheprogram.Aftertheprogramstops
encounteringproblems,deselectDisableacceleration.Youmightthenbeable
toruntheprogramwithacceleration.

b Toenableloggingmode,selecttheEnableloggingcheckbox.

c Toenabledebuggingmode,selectanoptionfromtheDebuggingand
Statisticssection.Debugginginformationandstatisticscanbehelpfulto
VMwaretechnicalsupportinresolvingissues.

d Tosetadvancedconfigurationparameters,clickConfigurationParameters.
Generally,youshouldonlychangethesesettingsifyouintendtouse
experimentalfeaturesorwheninstructedtodosobyaVMwaretechnical
supportrepresentative.

3 SelectAdvanced>CPUIDMask.

a SpecifywhetheryouwanttohidethehostsCPUNxflagfromtheguest
operatingsystem.

HidingtheNxflagpreventstheguestoperatingsystemfrommakinguseof
thisCPUfeature,butenablesthevirtualmachinetobemovedtohoststhatdo
notincludetheNxfeature.WhentheNxflagisvisible,theguestoperating
systemcanmakeuseofthefeature,butthevirtualmachinecanbemovedonly
tohostswiththeNxcapability.

b ClickAdvancedtoaccesstheCPUIdentificationMaskdialogbox.An
explanationofthesymbolsinthisdialogboxisavailablebyclickingLegend.

NOTEThevirtualmachinemustbepoweredoffbeforeyoucanchange
this setting.

4 SelectAdvanced>BootOptions.

a Specifythedurationinmillisecondsyouwanttodelayenteringtheboot
sequencewhenthevirtualmachineispoweredonorrestarted.

b SelecttheoptionunderForceBIOSSetuptohavethevirtualmachineenter
BIOSsetupwhenitboots.

TheseoptionsareusefulwhenyouneedtoenterthevirtualmachinesBIOS
setupbecausesometimestheconsoleattachestothevirtualmachineafterthe
bootsequencepassesthepointwhereyoucanenterBIOS.

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5 SelectAdvanced>Paravirtualization.SelectSupportVMIParavirtualizationto
enableVMIParavirtualizationtoenableit,ordeselectittodisablethisfeature.

VMIisaparavirtualizationstandardthatenablesimprovedperformanceforvirtual
machinescapableofutilizingit.Currently,thisfeatureisavailableonlyforthose
versionsoftheLinuxguestoperatingsystemwhichsupportVMIparavirtualization.

NOTEEnablingparavirtualizationutilizesoneofthevirtualmachinessixvirtual
PCIslots.Also,enablingparavirtualizationcanlimithowandwherethevirtual
machinecanbemigrated.Considerthefollowingbeforeenablingthisfeature:

ThesehostssupportVMIparavirtualization:ESXServer3.5andgreater,
ESX Server3iversion3.5andgreater,andWorkstation6.0andgreater.
Hardwareversion4virtualmachineswithparavirtualizationenabledthatare
createdonESXServerhostscanbemigratedtoVMwareServerand
Workstationhostswithoutlossoffunctionality.

Avirtualmachinewithparavirtualizationenabledandthatispoweredoffcan
bemovedmanuallytoahostthatdoesnotsupportparavirtualization.
However,thiscanresultinreducedperformance.

Avirtualmachinewithparavirtualizationenabledandthatispoweredonor
inasuspendedpowerstatecannotbemigratedtoahostthatdoesnotsupport
paravirtualization.

AutomatedVirtualCenterDRSmigrationsofvirtualmachineswith
paravirtualizationenabledtohoststhatdonotsupportparavirutualization
arenotallowed.

6 SelectAdvanced>FibreChannelNPIVSettings.

NportIDvirtualization(NPIV)providestheabilitytoshareasinglephysicalFibre
ChannelHBAportamongmultiplevirtualports,eachwithuniqueidentifiers.This
allowscontrolovervirtualmachineaccesstoLUNsonapervirtualmachinebasis.

Eachvirtualportisidentifiedbyapairofworldwidenames(WWNs):aworld
wideportname(WWPN)andaworldwidenodename(WWNN).TheseWWNs
areassignedbytheVirtualCenterServer.

NPIVsupportissubjecttothefollowinglimitations:

NPIVmustbeenabledontheSANswitch.Contacttheswitchvendorfor
informationaboutenablingNPIVontheirdevices.

NPIVissupportedonlyforvirtualmachineswithRDMdisks.Virtual
machineswithregularvirtualdiskscontinuetousetheWWNsofthehosts
physicalHBAs.

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ThephysicalHBAsontheESXServerhostmusthaveaccesstoaLUNusing
itsWWNsinorderforanyvirtualmachinesonthathosttohaveaccesstothat
LUNusingtheirNPIVWWNs.Ensurethataccessisprovidedtoboththehost
andthevirtualmachines.

ThephysicalHBAsontheESXServerhostmustsupportNPIV.Ifthephysical
HBAsdonotsupportNPIV,thevirtualmachinesrunningonthathostwillfall
backtousingtheWWNsofthehostsphysicalHBAsforLUNaccess.

Eachvirtualmachinecanhaveupto4virtualports.NPIVenabledvirtual
machinesareassignedexactly4NPIVrelatedWWNs,whichareusedto
communicatewithphysicalHBAsthroughvirtualports.Therefore,virtual
machinescanutilizeupto4physicalHBAsforNPIVpurposes.

TovieworeditavirtualmachinesWWNs:

a ToeditthevirtualmachinesWWNs,poweroffthevirtualmachine.

b EnsurethatthevirtualmachinehasadatastorecontainingaLUNthathas
beenmadeavailabletothehost.
c SelecttheOptionstab.

d SelectFibreChannelNPIV.

e CurrentlyassignedWWNsaredisplayedintheWWNAssignmentsbox.

f Dooneofthefollowing:

ToleaveWWNsunchanged,selectLeaveunchanged.

TohaveVirtualCenterortheESXServerhostgeneratenewWWNs,select
GenerateNewWWNs.

ToremovethecurrentWWNassignments,selectRemoveWWN
assignment.

g ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethedialogbox.

NOTEAvirtualmachinewithWWNsthatarealreadyinuseonthestorage
networkispreventedfrompoweringon.Tosolvethisissue,generatenewWWNs
orremovethem.

ProvidetheWWNassignmentstoyourSANadministrator.Theadministrator
needsthoseassignmentstoconfigurevirtualmachineaccesstotheLUN.Formore
informationonhowtoconfigureanvirtualmachinetouseNPIV,seethe
ESX Server3ConfigurationGuideorESXServer3iConfigurationGuide.

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7 SelectAdvanced>VirtualizedMMUandspecifywhethertodisablethefeature,
alwaysusethefeaturewhereavailable,orhavethehostsystemdeterminewhether
thefeatureshouldbeused.

8 SelectAdvanced>SwapfileLocation.

Chooseoneofthefollowingoptions:

DefaultStorethevirtualmachineswapfileatthedefaultlocationdefined
bythehostorclusterswapfilesettings.SeeHostConfigurationforESX
ServerandVirtualCenteronpage 69formoreinformationonhostswapfile
settings.SeetheResourceManagementGuideformoreinformationoncluster
settings.

AlwaysstorewiththevirtualmachineStorethevirtualmachineswapfile
inthesamefolderasthevirtualmachineconfigurationfile.

StoreinthehostsswapfiledatastoreStorethevirtualmachineswapfilein
theswapfiledatastoredefinedbythehostorclusterswapfilesettings.

Changing Virtual Machine Resource Settings

IntheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogbox,youcanadjustthehostresource
allocationfortheselectedvirtualmachine.YoucanchangeCPU,memory,disk,and
advancedCPUresourcesfromthistab.

Formoreinformationonresources,seetheResourceManagementGuide.

CPU Resources
TheCPUResourcespanelletsyouallocateprocessorresourcesforavirtualmachine,
specifyingreservations,limits,andshares.Youcaneditsomeofthesameinformation
ontheResourcePoolstabofthemainVIClientwindow,whichyoumightdotoedit
resourcesettingsatthesametimeyoueditedothervirtualmachinesettings.

To change CPU settings

1 ClicktheResourcestab.

2 SelectCPUintheSettingslist.

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3 Selectasharesvalue,whichrepresentsarelativemetricforallocatingCPU
capacity.

SharesThevaluesLow,Normal,High,andCustomarecomparedtothe
sumofallsharesofallvirtualmachinesontheserverand,onESXServer3
hosts,theserviceconsole.Shareallocationsymbolicvaluescanbeusedto
configuretheirconversionintonumericvalues.

ReservationGuaranteedCPUallocationforthisvirtualmachine.

LimitUpperlimitforthisvirtualmachinesCPUallocation.Select
Unlimitedtospecifynoupperlimit.

Formoreinformationonsharevalues,seetheResourceManagementGuide.

4 ClickOKtosaveyourchanges.
TheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogboxcloses.

Advanced CPU Settings

TheAdvancedCPUResourcespanelletsyousetlowleveloptionsthatinvolve
schedulingthevirtualmachineprocessingtophysicalprocessorcoresand
hyperthreads.ThispaneldoesnotappearforvirtualmachinesinaDRSclusterorwhen
thehosthasonlyoneprocessorcoreandnohyperthreading.

NOTEHyperthreadingtechnologyallowsasinglephysicalprocessortobehavelike
twologicalprocessors.Theprocessorcanruntwoindependentapplicationsatthesame
time.Whilehyperthreadingdoesnotdoubletheperformanceofasystem,itcan
increaseperformancebybetterutilizingidleresources.Fordetailedinformationabout
hyperthreadinganditsuseinVMwareInfrastructure,seetheResourceManagement
Guide(chooseHelp>Manuals).

VMwareESXServergenerallymanagesprocessorschedulingwell,evenwhen
hyperthreadingisenabled.Thesettingsonthispageareusefulonlyforfinegrained
tweakingofcriticalvirtualmachines.

TheHyperthreadingSharingoptionprovidesdetailedcontroloverwhetheravirtual
machineshouldbescheduledtoshareaphysicalprocessorcore(assuming
hyperthreadingisenabledonthehostatall).

TheSchedulingAffinityoptionallowsfinegrainedcontroloverhowvirtualmachine
CPUsaredistributedacrossthehostsphysicalcores(andhyperthreadsif
hyperthreadingisenabled).

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To change Advanced CPU settings

1 ClicktheResourcestab.

2 SelectAdvancedCPUintheSettingslist.

3 ChooseHyperthreadingSharingModefromthedropdownmenu.Theoptionsare:

Any(default)ThevirtualCPUsofthisvirtualmachinecanfreelysharecores
withothervirtualCPUsofthisorothervirtualmachines.

NoneThevirtualCPUsofthisvirtualmachinehaveexclusiveuseofa
processorcorewhenevertheyarescheduledtoit.Theotherhyperthreadof
thecoreishaltedwhilethisvirtualmachineisusingthecore.

InternalOnavirtualmachinewithexactlytwovirtualprocessors,thetwo
virtualprocessorsareallowedtoshareonephysicalcore(atthediscretionof
theESXServerscheduler),butthisvirtualmachineneversharesacorewith
anyothervirtualmachine.Ifthisvirtualmachinehasanyothernumberof
processorsotherthantwo,thissettingisthesameastheNonesetting.

4 ChoosetoscheduleaffinitybyselectingtheRunonprocessor(s)radiobutton.

NOTEThisoptionisnotallowedwhenthevirtualmachineresidesonaDRS
cluster,anditsvaluesareclearedwhenavirtualmachineismigratedtoanewhost.
Thevalueoftheoptionisonlyintuningtheperformanceofaprecisesetofvirtual
machinesonthesamehost.

Thecheckboxesfortheindividualprocessorsrepresentphysicalcoresif
hyperthreadingisdisabledorlogicalcores(twoperphysicalcore)if
hyperthreadingisenabled.Checkingalltheboxesisthesameasnotapplyingany
affinity.Youmustprovideatleastasmanyprocessoraffinitiesasthenumberof
virtualCPUsinthevirtualmachine.

5 ClickOKtosaveyourchanges.

TheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogboxcloses.

Memory Resources
TheMemoryResourcespanelletsyouallocatememoryresourcesforavirtualmachine
andspecifyreservations,limits,andshares.Youcaneditsomeofthesameinformation
ontheResourcePoolstabofthemainVIClientwindow,whichyoumightdotoedit
resourcesettingsatthesametimeasothervirtualmachinesettings.

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To change memory settings

1 ClicktheResourcestab.

2 SelectMemoryintheSettingslist.

3 FromthedropdownmenuintheResourceallocationpanel,choosearelative
metricforallocatingmemorytoallvirtualmachines.

SymbolicvaluesLow,Normal,High,andCustomarecomparedtothesumofall
sharesofallvirtualmachinesontheserverand,onanESXServer3host,theservice
console.Shareallocationsymbolicvaluescanbeusedtoconfiguretheirconversion
intonumericvalues.
4 IntheResourceallocationpanel,usetheslidertoselecttheamountofreserved
memoryandthememorylimit,orusetheupanddownarrowstoenterthe
numberofMBsallocated.

Formoreinformationonmemoryvalues,seethememmanpage.

5 ClickOKtosaveyourchanges.
TheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogboxcloses.

Advanced Memory Resources

TheAdvancedMemoryResourcespageletsyousetlowleveloptionsthatinvolve
distributionofvirtualmachinememorytoNUMAmemorynodes.

ThispageisdisplayedonlyifthehostutilizestheNUMAmemoryarchitecture.
Becauseaffinitysettingsaremeaningfulonlywhenusedtotweaktheperformanceofa
specificsetofvirtualmachinesononehost,thispagealsoisnotdisplayedwhenthe
virtualmachineresidesonaDRScluster.Theoptionvaluesareclearedwhenthevirtual
machineismovedtoanewhost.

NUMAmemorynodeaffinityenablesfinegrainedcontroloverhowvirtualmachine
memoryisdistributedtohostphysicalmemory.Checkingalltheboxesisthesameas
applyingnoaffinity.

ConsulttheResourceManagementGuidefordetailsaboutNUMAandadvanced
memoryresources.

NOTESpecifynodestobeusedforfuturememoryallocationsonlyifyouhavealso
specifiedCPUaffinity.Ifyoumakemanualchangesonlytothememoryaffinity
settings,automaticNUMArebalancingdoesnotworkproperly.

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To associate memory allocations with a NUMA node

1 SelecttheResourcestab,andchooseMemory.

2 IntheNUMAMemoryAffinitypanel,setmemoryaffinity.

Disk Resources
TheDiskResourcespanelletsyouallocatehostdiskI/Obandwidthtothevirtualhard
disksofthisvirtualmachine.DiskI/Oisahostcentricresourceandcannotbepooled
acrossacluster.However,CPUandmemoryresourcesaremuchmorelikelyto
constrainvirtualmachineperformancethandiskresources.

To change disk settings

1 ClicktheResourcestab.

2 SelectDiskintheSettingslist.
Onthisdialogbox,youcanadjustthehostdiskallocationforthisvirtualmachine.

3 IntheResourceAllocationpanel,selectthevirtualharddiskfromthelist.

4 ClickintheSharesfield.Usethedropdownmenutochangethevaluetoallocate
anumberofsharesofitsdiskbandwidthtothevirtualmachine.

Sharesisavaluethatrepresentstherelativemetricforcontrollingdiskbandwidth
toallvirtualmachines.ThevaluesLow,Normal,High,andCustomarecompared
tothesumofallsharesofallvirtualmachinesontheserverand,onanESXServer3
host,theserviceconsole.Shareallocationsymbolicvaluescanbeusedtoconfigure
theirconversionintonumericvalues.

5 ClickOKtosaveyourchanges.

Adding New Hardware

YoucanaddvirtualhardwaretoavirtualmachineusingtheAddHardwarewizard.
ThevirtualhardwarethatyouaddappearsinthehardwarelistdisplayedintheVirtual
MachinePropertieswizard.Theselectedguestoperatingsystemdeterminesthe
devicesthatareavailabletobeaddedtoagivenvirtualmachine.

To start the wizard

1 FromtheVirtualCenterclient,clickInventoryinthenavigationbar.Expandthe
inventoryasneeded,andclicktheappropriatevirtualmachine.

2 TodisplaytheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogbox,clicktheEditSettingslink
intheCommandspanel.

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3 ClicktheHardwaretab.

4 ClickAddtostarttheAddHardwarewizard.

Followthestepsinthefollowingsectionstoaddvarioustypesofvirtualhardware
toyourvirtualmachine.

To add a serial port

1 StarttheAddHardwarewizard.

2 SelectSerialPort,andclickNext.

3 Selectthetypeofmediayouwantthevirtualporttoaccess:useaphysicalserial
portonthehost,outputtoafile,orconnecttoanamedpipe.

4 ClickNext.

5 IfyouselectedUsephysicalserialportonthehost,usethedropdownmenuto
choosetheportonthehostcomputerthatyouwanttouseforthisserial
connection.

6 IfyouselectedOutputtofile,browsetothefileonthehostthatyouwanttouseto
storetheoutputofthevirtualserialport.

7 IfyouselectedConnecttonamedpipe,enterapipenameinthePipeNamefield
andusethedropdownmenustochoosethenearandfarendsofthepipe.

Theoptionsforthenearendareclientorserver.Theoptionsforthefarendarea
processoravirtualmachine.

Bydefault,theserialportisconnectedwhenyoupoweronthevirtualmachine.
8 (Optional)DeselecttheConnectatpoweroncheckboxifyoudonotwantthe
serialporttoconnectwhenthevirtualmachineispoweredon.

9 (Optional)DeselecttheI/OmodeYieldCPUonpollcheckboxifyouwantto
configurethisserialporttouseinterruptmodeasopposedtopolledmode.

Polledmodeisofinterestprimarilytodeveloperswhoareusingdebuggingtools
thatcommunicateoveraserialconnection.Polledmodecausesthevirtualmachine
toconsumeadisproportionateshareofCPUtime.Thismakesthehostandother
guestsrunsluggishly.

10 (Optional)Tomaintainbestperformanceforapplicationsonthehost,selectthe
YieldCPUonpollcheckbox.

Thisforcestheaffectedvirtualmachinetouseinterruptmode,whichyieldsCPU
timeiftheonlytaskitistryingtodoispollthevirtualserialport.

11 ReviewtheinformationontheReadytoCompletewindow,andclickFinish.

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To add a parallel port

1 StarttheAddHardwarewizard.

2 SelectParallelPort,andclickNext.

3 SelectphysicalparallelportonthehostorOutputtofile.

4 ClickNext.

5 IfyouselectedUsephysicalparallelportonthehost,choosetheportfromthe
dropdownmenu.IfyouselectedOutputtofile,browsetothelocationofthefile.

6 UnderDevicestatus,deselecttheConnectatpoweroncheckboxifyoudonot
wanttheparallelportdevicetobeconnectedwhenthevirtualmachinepowerson.

7 ClickNext.
8 ReviewtheinformationontheReadytoCompletewindow,andclickFinish.

To add a DVD/CD-ROM drive

1 StarttheAddHardwarewizard.

2 SelectDVD/CDROMDrive,andclickNext.

3 SelecteitherUsephysicaldriveorUseISOimage.

a IfyouselectedUsephysicaldrive,selecteitherclientorhostasthedevice
location.Choosethedriveyouwanttousefromthedropdownmenu.

Selectpassthroughandusethecheckboxtoindicatewhethertoconnect
exclusivelytothevirtualmachine,orselectATAPIemulation.

b IfyouselectedUseISOImage,enterthepathandfilenamefortheimagefile,
orclickBrowsetonavigatetothefile.

4 IfyoudonotwanttheCDROMdriveconnectedwhenthevirtualmachinestarts,
deselectConnectatpoweron.

5 ClickNext.
6 Specifythevirtualdevicenodethedriveusesinthevirtualmachine,andclick
Next.

7 ReviewtheinformationontheReadytoCompletewindow,andclickFinishor
Backifyouwanttochangeanyinformation.

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To add a floppy drive

1 StarttheAddHardwarewizard.

2 SelectFloppyDrive,andclickNext.

3 Selectthetypeoffloppymediatouse:

Aphysicalfloppydrivetogivetheguestaccesstothefloppyonthehost.

Afloppyimage,whichisafileonthehostthatstoresdatainthesameformat
asaphysicalfloppydisk.

Ablankfloppyimagetocreateanduseablankfloppyimage.

4 ClickNext.

5 IfyouselectedUseaphysicalfloppydrive,selecteitherclientorhostasthedevice
locationandchoosethedrivefromthedropdownmenu.
a IfyouselectedUseafloppyimage,browsetothefloppyimage.

b IfyouselectedCreateablankfloppyimage,browsetothefloppyimage.

6 Tohavethefloppydriveconnectedtothevirtualmachinewhenyoupoweriton,
selectConnectatpoweron.
7 ClickNext.

8 ReviewtheinformationontheReadytoCompletewindow,andclickFinish.

To add an Ethernet adapter (NIC)

1 StarttheAddHardwarewizard.

2 SelectEthernetAdapter,andclickNext.

3 IntheNetworkconnectionpanel,chooseeitheranamednetworkwithaspecified
labeloralegacynetwork.
4 ToconnectthevirtualNICwhenthevirtualmachineispoweredon,selectConnect
atpoweron.

5 Tocompletethewizard,clickFinish.

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To add a hard disk

1 StarttheAddHardwarewizard.

2 SelectHardDisk,andclickNext.

3 Selectthetypeofstorageforthevirtualmachinesdisk,andclickNext.

Youcanstorevirtualmachinedatainanewvirtualdisk,anexistingvirtualdisk,
oraMappedSANLUN.Avirtualdisk,whichappearsasasingleharddisktothe
guestoperatingsystem,iscomposedofoneormorefilesonthehostfilesystem.
Virtualdiskscaneasilybecopiedormovedonthesamehostorbetweenhosts.

4 IfyouselectedCreateanewvirtualdisk,dothefollowing:
a Enterthediskcapacity.

b SelectthelocationaseitherStorewiththevirtualmachineorSpecifya
datastore.

c IfyouselectedSpecifyadatastore,browseforthedatastorelocation,andclick
Next.ContinuewithStep 7.

5 Ifyouselectedanexistingdisk,browseforthediskfilepathandclickNext.

6 IfyouselectedMappedSANLUN:

a SelecttheLUNthatyouwanttousefortherawdisk,andclickNext.

b SelectadatastoreandclickNext.

c Selectthecompatibilitymode:physicaltoallowtheguestoperatingsystemto
accessthehardwaredirectlyorvirtualtoallowthevirtualmachinetouse
VMwaresnapshotsandotheradvancedfunctions.ClickNext.

7 Specifythevirtualdevicenode.

8 Setvirtualdiskmodeoptions:

a SelectIndependenttomakethediskindependent.Independentdisksarenot
affectedbysnapshots.

b IfyouselectedIndependent,selectoneofthetwomodesforindependent
disks:

PersistentThediskoperatesnormallyexceptthatchangestothedisk
arepermanentevenifthevirtualmachineisrevertedtoasnapshot.

NonpersistentThediskappearstooperatenormally,butwheneverthe
virtualmachineispoweredofforrevertedtoasnapshot,thecontentsof
thediskreturntotheiroriginalstate.Alllaterchangesarediscarded.

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9 ClickNext.

10 Reviewtheinformation,andclickFinish.

To add a SCSI device

1 StarttheAddHardwarewizard.

2 SelectSCSIDevice,andclickNext.

3 UnderConnection,usethedropdownmenutochoosethephysicaldeviceyou
wanttouse.

4 ToconnectthisvirtualmachinetotheserversSCSIdevicewhenthevirtual
machineispoweredon,selectConnectatpoweron.

5 UnderVirtualdevicenode,selectthevirtualdevicenodewhereyouwantthis
devicetoappearinthevirtualmachine.

Youcanalsoselectthecheckboxtoindicatethatthevirtualdeviceissetupinthe
samewayasthephysicalunit.

6 ReviewtheinformationintheReadytoCompletewindow,andclickFinish.

Legacy Virtual Machines

VirtualmachinescreatedonanESXServer2.xhostcanrunonanESXServer3.xhost
inlegacymode.Thesevirtualmachinesuseanoldervirtualhardwareversionthanthat
supportedbyESXServer3.xandarereferredtoaslegacyvirtualmachines.Alegacy
virtualmachineisproducedbyanyofthefollowingoperations:

YoucreateavirtualmachineonanESXServer2.xhost,andthenmigrateittoan
ESXServer3.xhost.

YoucreateanewvirtualmachineonanESXServer3.xhostusinganexisting
virtualdiskthatwascreatedonanESXServer2.xhost.

YouaddavirtualdiskcreatedonanESXServer2.xhosttoanexistingnonlegacy
virtualmachine.

LegacyvirtualmachinescontinuetorunonESXServer3.xhosts,buthavereduced
performanceandcapabilities.Inparticular,youcannotaddorremovevirtualdevices
onlegacyvirtualmachines.Tomakefulluseofthesevirtualmachines,upgradethe
virtualhardwareasdescribedintheUpgradeGuide.

NOTEVirtualmachinescreatedonESXServer1.xhosts,orusingotherVMware
productssuchasVMwareWorkstation,mustbeconvertedtorunonESXServer3.x
hosts.SeetheVirtualMachineMobilityPlanningGuideformoreinformation.

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Upgrading Virtual Hardware

Toallowlegacyvirtualmachinestotakefulladvantageofthecapabilitiesofferedby
ESXServer3.x,youmustupgradetheirvirtualhardwaretothecurrentversion.See
LegacyVirtualMachinesonpage 201formoreinformation.Youcandetermine
whetheravirtualmachineneedstobeupgradedbydeterminingitshardwareversion.

To determine the virtual hardware version for a virtual machine

1 Selectthevirtualmachineintheinventory.

2 ClickEditSettings.

Thevirtualmachinehardwareversionisdisplayedatthetoprightcornerofthe
VirtualMachinePropertiesdialogbox.

To upgrade virtual hardware

1 FromtheVIClient,rightclickavirtualmachineintheinventory,andchoose
UpgradeVirtualHardwarefromthedropdownmenu.

Aconfirmationdialogboxappearswiththemessage,Thisoperationwillcause
thevirtualhardwareyourguestoperatingsystemrunsontochange.Itisan
irreversibleoperationthatwillmakeyourvirtualmachineincompatiblewith
earlierversionsoftheVMwaresoftwareproducts.Itisstronglyrecommendedthat
youmakeabackupcopyofyourdisk(s)beforeproceeding.Areyousureyouwant
toupgradeyourconfiguration?

2 ClickYes.

AprogressbarappearsintheRecentTaskspaneatthebottomoftheclient
window.

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Working with Templates and

Clones 13
Thischapterdescribescreatingtemplatesandcloningvirtualmachines.

Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

UnderstandingTemplatesonpage 203

CreatingTemplatesonpage 204

EditingaTemplateonpage 206

DeployingVirtualMachinesfromTemplatesonpage 207

DeletingTemplatesonpage 209

RegainingTemplatesonpage 210

CloningVirtualMachinesonpage 210

CreatingaScheduledTasktoCloneaVirtualMachineonpage 212

Understanding Templates
Atemplateisamastercopyofavirtualmachinethatcanbeusedtocreateand
provisionnewvirtualmachines.Thisimagetypicallyincludesaspecifiedoperating
systemandconfigurationthatprovidesvirtualcounterpartstohardwarecomponents.
Typically,atemplateincludesaninstalledguestoperatingsystemandasetof
applications.

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Templatescoexistwithvirtualmachinesatanylevelwithinthetemplateandvirtual
machinedomain.Youcanordercollectionsofvirtualmachinesandtemplatesinto
arbitraryfoldersandapplyavarietyofpermissionstobothvirtualmachinesand
templates.Virtualmachinescanbetransformedintotemplateswithoutrequiringafull
copyofthevirtualmachinefilesandthecreationofanewobject.

Youcanusetemplatestocreatenewvirtualmachinesbydeployingthetemplateasa
virtualmachine.Whencomplete,thedeployedvirtualmachineisaddedtothefolder
chosenbytheuserwhenthetemplatewascreated.

Toviewtemplates,selectthedatacenterandselecttheVirtualMachinestab.Allvirtual
machinesandtemplatesforthedatacenterarevisiblefromhere.Virtualmachinesand
templateshavedifferenticons.

virtual machine icon template icon

Creating Templates
Therearethreewaystocreateatemplate:

Usinganexistingvirtualmachineinplace.Thisprocessconvertstheoriginal
virtualmachine.

Cloningavirtualmachinetoatemplate.

Cloninganexistingtemplate.

Youdonotneedtopoweroffavirtualmachineinordertocloneittoatemplate.

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To convert an existing virtual machine to a template

1 StarttheVIClientandlogintotheVirtualCenterServer.

2 ClicktheInventorybuttoninthenavigationbar.

Theinventorypanelandtheinformationpaneldisplayinformationabout
manageddatacenters,hosts,resourcepools,andvirtualmachines.Theinventory
toolbarappears.

3 Expandtheinventoryasneeded,andselectavirtualmachine.

4 Turnoffthevirtualmachineusingtheshutdownorpoweroffoptions.

5 FromtheCommandsareaorthepopupmenu,clickConverttoTemplate.

VirtualCentermarksthatvirtualmachineasatemplateanddisplaysthetaskinthe
RecentTaskspane.

To clone a virtual machine to a template

1 StarttheVIclient,andlogintotheVirtualCenterServer.

2 ClickInventoryinthenavigationbartodisplaytheinventorypanel.

3 RightclickthevirtualmachineandclickClonetoTemplate.

IftheClonetoTemplateoptionisnotenabled,youmayneedtopoweroffthe
virtualmachine.Youcannotcloneasuspendedvirtualmachine.

TheCloneVirtualMachinetoTemplatewizardappears.

4 Givethenewtemplateaname,selectitsinventorylocation,andclickNext.

Enterausefulnamethatdescribesthetemplate.Thenamecanbeupto80
characterslongandcancontainalphanumericcharactersandtheunderscore(_)
andhyphen()characters.Itshouldalsobeuniqueacrossalltemplatesandvirtual
machinesinthedatacenter.Namesarecaseinsensitive:thenamemy_vmis
identicaltoMy_Vm.

5 Passthroughthetargetlocationpage.ClickNext.

6 ClickFinish.
VirtualCenterdisplaystheTasksinventorypanelforreferenceandaddsthecloned
templatetothelistintheinformationpanel.

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To clone an existing template

1 StarttheVIclient,andlogintotheVirtualCenterServer.

2 ClicktheInventorybuttoninthenavigationbar.

3 Selectthedatacenterthatcontainsthetemplate.

Thevirtualmachinesandtemplatesassociatedwiththedatacenterappearinthe
datacenterpanel.

4 RightclickthetemplateandchooseClone.

TheCloneTemplatewizardappears.

5 Givethenewtemplateauniquenameanddescription,andclickNext.

Enterausefulnameandabriefdescriptionofthetemplate.Description
informationcaninclude,forexample,theoperatingsystem,applications,versions,
andintendedusesforthetemplate.Thenamecanbeupto80characterslong,and
cancontainalphanumericcharactersandtheunderscore
(_)andhyphen()characters.Itshouldalsobeuniqueacrossalltemplatesand
virtualmachinesinthedatacenter.Namesarecaseinsensitive:thenamemy_vm
isidenticaltoMy_Vm.

6 Selectthehostorcluster,andclickNext.

7 Chooseadatastoreforthetemplate.ClickNext.

8 SelectaradiobuttontoeitherleavethevirtualdisksintheirNormalvirtual
machineformatortoCompactthevirtualdiskstominimizestorage.ClickNext.

9 OntheReadytoCompletewindow,reviewtheinformationforyournewvirtual
machine,andclickFinish.

Youcannotusethenewtemplateuntilthecloningtaskcompletes.VirtualCenter
addstheclonedtemplatetothelistintheVirtualMachinestab.

Editing a Template
Youmightwanttoedityourtemplate(toupgradeanapplication,forexample).
However,templatescannotbeeditedastemplates.Youmustconvertthetemplatetoa
virtualmachine,editit,andconverttheeditedvirtualmachinetoatemplate.

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To edit the template

1 Convertthetemplatetoavirtualmachine.

2 Editthevirtualmachine.

3 Convertthevirtualmachinetoatemplate.

Youcandirectlychangethenameofatemplateusingtheprocedurebelow.

To change the name of a template

1 FromtheVirtualCenterclient,clicktheInventorybutton.

2 Selectthedatacenterthatcontainsthetemplate.

3 SelecttheVirtualMachinestab.

4 Clickonthetemplate.Clickthetemplateagain.

5 Thenameofthevirtualmachineisnowaneditablefield.

6 Changethename,andclickoutsidethefield.

Deploying Virtual Machines from Templates

Thisproceduredeploysavirtualmachinefromanexistingtemplate.

NOTEWhenatemplatethatresidesonalegacyVMFS2datastoreisconvertedtoa
virtualmachine,theresultingvirtualmachinemustberegisteredonthehostwherethe
templatewascreated.Selectthishostasthedestinationforthenewvirtualmachine.

To deploy a virtual machine from a template

1 StarttheVIClient,andlogintotheVirtualCenterServer.

2 ClicktheInventorybuttoninthenavigationbar.

Theinventorypanelandtheinformationpaneldisplayinformationabout
manageddatacenters,hosts,resourcepools,andvirtualmachines.Theinventory
toolbarappears.

3 Selectthedatacenterthatcontainsthetemplate,andclicktheVirtualMachinestab.

Thevirtualmachinesandtemplatesassociatedwiththedatacenterappearinthe
datacenterpanel.

4 Rightclickthetemplate,andchooseDeployVirtualMachinefromthis
Template.

TheDeployTemplatewizardappears.

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5 Givethenewvirtualmachineaname,selectalocation,andclickNext.

Thenamecanbeupto80characterslongandcancontainalphanumericcharacters
andtheunderscore(_)andhyphen()characters.Itshouldalsobeuniqueacross
alltemplatesandvirtualmachinesinthedatacenter.Namesarecaseinsensitive:
thenamemy_vmisidenticaltoMy_Vm.

6 OntheHost/Clusterpage,selectthehostonwhichyouwanttostorethetemplate
andclickNext.

7 Selectaresourcepool(ifapplicable)inwhichyouwanttorunthevirtualmachine,
andclickNext.

Resourcepoolsallowhierarchicalmanagementofresourceswithinahostor
cluster.Virtualmachinesandchildpoolssharetheresourcesoftheirparentpool.

8 Chooseadatastoreforthevirtualmachine,andclickNext.
Youarechoosingthedatastoreinwhichtostorethefilesforthevirtualmachine.
Youshouldchooseonethatislargeenoughtoaccommodatethevirtualmachine
andallofitsvirtualdiskfilessothattheycanallresideinthesameplace.

TheAdvancedbuttonallowsyoutostoreindividualfilesinseparatelocations.
To returntothedatastoreselectionpage,clicktheBasicbutton.

9 IntheSelectGuestCustomizationOptionpage,performoneoftheseactions:

Ifyoudonotwanttocustomizeyourguestoperatingsystem,selectDonot
customizeandclickNext.

Ifyouwanttocustomizeyourguestoperatingsystem,clickoneoftheother
selectionsasappropriate.Youcustomizeguestoperatingsystemsthroughthe
wizardorbyusinganexistingcustomizationspecificationthatyoucreate.
For instructions,seeCustomizingGuestOperatingSystemsonpage 215.

NOTECustomizationisnotsupportedforallguestoperatingsystems.
Additionally,someguestoperatingsystemsrequireMicrosoftSyspreptools.
See InstallingtheMicrosoftSysprepToolsonpage 353.

10 IntheReadytoCompletepage,reviewtheinformationforyournewvirtual
machine,selectthePoweronthenewVirtualMachineaftercreationcheckboxif
youwanttopoweronthevirtualmachineimmediately,andclickFinish.

AfteryouclickFinish,youcannotuseoreditthevirtualmachineuntilthetask
completes.Thismighttakeseveralminutes.Thevirtualmachineisaddedtothe
datastore.

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To convert a template to a virtual machine

1 StartVirtualCenterclient,andlogintotheVirtualCenterServer.

2 ClicktheInventorybuttoninthenavigationbar.

Theinventorypanelandtheinformationpaneldisplayinformationabout
manageddatacenters,hosts,resourcepools,andvirtualmachines.Theinventory
toolbarappears.

3 Selectthedatacenterthatcontainsthetemplate.

Thevirtualmachinesandtemplatesassociatedwiththedatacenterappearinthe
datacenterpanel.

4 ClicktheVirtualMachinestab.

5 RightclickonthetemplateandchooseConverttoVirtualMachine.
Thetemplateisconvertedtoavirtualmachine.

Deleting Templates
To remove templates from the VirtualCenter inventory

Thisprocedureunregistersthetemplate.Itdoesnotremovethetemplatefilesfromthe
datastore.

1 ClicktheInventorybutton.
2 Selecttheappropriatetemplate.

3 Rightclickthetemplate,andchooseRemovefromInventory.

4 ClickOKtoconfirmremovingthetemplatefromtheVirtualCenterdatabase.

AllnondatastoretemplatefilesareremovedfromtheVirtualCenterinventory.

To delete a template from disk

CAUTIONAfteratemplateisdeletedfromahost,thereisnowaytorecoverit.

1 StartVirtualCenterclient,andlogintotheVirtualCenterServer.

2 ClicktheInventorybuttoninthenavigationbar,andselectthehostthatcontains
thetemplate.

3 Selectthedatastorethatcontainsthetemplate,andclicktheVirtualMachinetab.

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4 Rightclickthetemplate,andchooseDeletefromDisk.

5 ClickOKtoconfirmremovingthetemplatefromtheVirtualCenterdatabase.

Thetemplateisdeletedfromthediskandcannotberecovered.

Regaining Templates
Templatesareassociatedwithhosts,andtheonlywaytoregainorregistertemplates
afterremovingandaddingahostistousethedatastorebrowsertolocatethetemplate.
Thenusetheinventorywizardtonameandregisterthe.vmtxfileasatemplateback
intoVirtualCenter.

NOTEIfyouwantthetemplatetoretainitsoriginalname,donotenteranameinthe
AddtoInventorywizard.VirtualCenterwillusetheoriginalnameifthefieldinthe
wizardisleftblank.

To regain a template

1 StartVirtualCenterclient,andlogintotheVirtualCenterServer.

2 ClicktheInventorybuttoninthenavigationbar,andselectthehostthatcontains
thetemplate.

3 RightclickthedatastorethatcontainsthetemplateandselectBrowseDatastore.

4 Browsethroughthedatastorefolderstofindthe.vmtxfile.

5 Rightclickthe.vmtxfileandselectAddtoInventory.

TheAddtoInventorywizardappears.

6 Enteratemplatemachinename,selectalocation,andclickNext.

Selectahostorclusteronwhichtostorethetemplate,andclickNext.
7 Reviewyourselections,andclickFinish.

8 ThetemplateisregisteredtothehostandcanbeviewedfromthehostsVirtual
Machinetab.

Cloning Virtual Machines

Acloneisacopypluscustomizationofavirtualmachine.Whenyoucreateaclone,
VirtualCenterprovidesanoptiontocustomizetheguestoperatingsystemofthat
virtualmachine.Youcanplacethenewcloneonanyhostwithinthesamedatacenter
astheoriginalvirtualmachine,oryoucanplaceitinadifferentdatacenter.

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Youcanhotcloneavirtualmachineinanypowerstate.Youdonotneedtopoweroff
thevirtualmachineinordertocloneit.However,youcannotcloneasuspendedvirtual
machine.

To clone a virtual machine

1 StartVirtualCenterandlogintotheVirtualCenterServer.

2 Fromtheinventorypanel,clicktheInventorybuttoninthenavigationbar.

Theinventorypanelandtheinformationpaneldisplaythedatastores,resource
pools,hosts,andvirtualmachineinformation.Theinventorytoolbarappears.

3 Expandtheinventoryasneeded,andclickthesourcevirtualmachine.

4 TostarttheCloneaVirtualMachinewizard,clicktheClonetoNewVirtual
MachinelinkintheCommandsarea,orchooseClonefromthepopupmenu.

IftheCloneoptionisnotenabled,youmayneedtopoweroffthevirtualmachine.
Youcannotcloneasuspendedvirtualmachine.

TheCloneVirtualMachinewizardappears.
5 Enteravirtualmachinename,selectalocation,andclickNext.

6 Selectahostorclusteronwhichtoruntheclone,andclickNext.

7 Ifyouchooseacluster,youmustchooseaspecifichostwithinthecluster,andclick
Next.
8 Selectaresourcepoolinwhichtoruntheclone,andclickNext.

9 Selectthedatastorelocationwhereyouwanttostorethevirtualmachinefiles,and
clickNext.

10 ClicktheAdvancedbuttonformoreoptions,andclickNext.

TheSelectGuestCustomizationOptionpageappears.Youcanchooseto
customizetheguestoperatingsystemusingthewizardorusinganexisting
customizationspecification.Youcanalsochoosenottocustomize.

Formoreinformation,seeCustomizingGuestOperatingSystemsonpage 215.

11 Selecttheappropriateradiobutton,andclickNext.

12 Reviewyourselections,andclickFinish.

OntheReadytoCompleteNewVirtualMachinepage,youcanselectthecheckbox
topoweronthenewvirtualmachineaftercreation.AfteryouclickFinish,you
cannotuseoreditthevirtualmachineuntilthetaskcompletes.Ifthetaskinvolves
thecreationofavirtualdisk,itcouldtakeseveralminutestocomplete.

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Creating a Scheduled Task to Clone a Virtual Machine

Thisprocedurecreatesascheduledtasktocloneavirtualmachine.

To create a scheduled task to clone a virtual machine

1 ClicktheScheduledTasksbuttoninthenavigationbar.

Thelistofscheduledtasksappears.

2 ChooseFile>New>ScheduledTask,orclicktheNewbutton.

TheSelectaTasktoScheduledialogboxappears.

3 UsethedropdownmenutochooseCloneavirtualmachine,andclickOK.

TheCloneVirtualMachinewizardappears.

4 Selectthevirtualmachinetoclone,andclickNext.

5 Followthewizardthroughthesamestepsasthoseintheprevioustaskinwhich
youclonedavirtualmachine.ThepageafterGuestCustomizationistheSchedule
theTaskpage.

6 Enteranameandataskdescriptioninthetextbox.

7 Selectthefrequencyofthetask.

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8 SelecttheradiobuttonforNoworLater.Iflater,enterthetimeanddatewhenyou
wantthevirtualmachinetobedeployed,andclickNext.

Toseethecalendar,clickLater,andclickthedropdownarrowtoselectadatefrom
thedisplayedcalendar.Aredcircleindicatestodaysdate,andadarkcircle
indicatesthescheduleddate.

9 ReviewtheinformationontheReadytoCompleteNewVirtualMachinepage,
andclickFinish.

Optionally,youcanselectthecheckboxtopoweronthenewvirtualmachineafter
itiscreated.

VirtualCenteraddsthenewtasktothescheduledtasklistandcompletesitatthe
designatedtime.Whenitistimetoperformthetask,VirtualCenterfirstverifies
thattheuserwhocreatedthetaskstillhaspermissiontocompletethetask.Ifthe
permissionlevelsarenotacceptable,VirtualCentersendsamessagetothelogand
thetaskisnotperformed.

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Customizing Guest
Operating Systems 14
Nowthatyouhavecreatedandconfiguredavirtualmachine,youhavetheoptionto
customizetheidentityandnetworksettingsofyourvirtualmachinesguestoperating
systemsothatitisreadytobeginworkimmediatelyinyourtargetenvironment.

Youcansaveyourvirtualmachinesettingsinaspecificationthatyoucanrecalllater
andreuse.Youdothisusingthecustomizationwizard.Therearetwowaystoaccess
thecustomizationwizard:usingthecustomizationspecificationmanager,whichlets
youcreatespecificationsandstoretheminthedatabaseforlateruse,andusingthe
wizardwhenyourecloninganewvirtualmachine.

NOTEVirtualmachinesmustberegisteredintheVirtualCenterinventorybeforeyou
cancustomizetheirguestoperatingsystems.

ThischapterdescribeshowtousetheCustomizationSpecificationManagerto
customizeyourguestoperatingsystems.

Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:
PreparingforGuestCustomizationonpage 216

CustomizingaWindowsGuestOperatingSystemonpage 218

UsingtheCustomizationSpecificationWizardonpage 224

UsingtheCloneVirtualMachineWizardonpage 228

CompletingaGuestOperatingSystemCustomizationonpage 229

Formoredetailsoninstallingaguestoperatingsystem,seetheGuestOperatingSystem
InstallationGuide.

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Preparing for Guest Customization

Whenyoudeployanewvirtualmachinefromatemplateorcloneanexistingvirtual
machine,youhavetheopportunitytocustomizethenewguestoperatingsystem.
The GuestCustomizationwizardguidesyouthroughtheconfigurationoptions.

BeforeyouruntheGuestCustomizationwizard,ifyouintendtoperformaguest
customization,dothefollowing:

Verifythatyoursystemmeetstheguestcustomizationrequirements.Ifyouplanto
customizeaWindowsguestoperatingsystem,youmustinstallthecomponents
requiredtosupportaWindowsguestoperatingsystemcustomization.Thisis
describedinAppendix B,InstallingtheMicrosoftSysprepTools,onpage 353.

InstalltherequiredcomponentsontheWindowsmachinewheretheVirtualCenter
serverisinstalled.

NOTEAfterdeployingandcustomizingnonvolumelicensedversionsof
Windows XPorWindows 2003,youmightneedtoreactivateyour
Microsoft operatingsystemonthenewvirtualmachine.

Virtual Hardware Requirements for Guest Customization

Guestcustomizationrequiresthatthesourcevirtualmachineusedtocreatetheclone
ortemplateshasthefollowing:

VMwareToolsinstalled.

SCSIdisks.

ThedefaultconfigurationforVMwareWorkstation,andVMwareServercreating
aWindowsXPorWindowsServer2003virtualmachineisIDEdisks.Ifyouare
customizingavirtualmachinewithIDEdisks,itcanbedeployedonlytoa
VMwareServerhost.
VirtualCentercustomizationoperatesonthediskattachedtothevirtualSCSInode
withthelowestaddressontheSCSIcontrollerwiththelowestindex.Asaresult,
youmustmakesurethattheguestoperatingsystembeingcustomizedresideson
adiskattachedasSCSI0:0nodeinthevirtualmachineconfiguration.

NOTEIfavirtualmachinehasmixedIDEandSCSIdisks,thefirstIDEdiskis
consideredthebootdisk,andVirtualCenterpassesittothecustomizer.Firstis
incontroller:deviceorder,thatis,ide0:0,ide0:1,scsi0:0,scsi0:1,andsoon.

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ForWindowsguestoperatingsystems:Ifthevirtualmachineresidesonahost
runningESXServer3.0.xorearlier,boththeactivepartition(thepartition
containingboot.ini)andthesystempartition(thepartitioncontainingthe
systemdirectory,forexample,\WINNTor\WINDOWS),areonthesamevirtualdisk
andattachedtheSCSI0:0virtualSCSInode.

NOTEItisnotarequirementthatactiveandsystempartitionsbethesamepartition.

ForLinuxguests:IfthevirtualmachineresidesonahostrunningESXServer3.0.x
orearlier,thevirtualdiskcontainingthesystempartition(thepartitioncontaining
the/etcdirectory)mustresideontheSCSI0:0node.

32bitor64bithardwarecorrespondingtothe32bitor64bitoperatingsystem
beinginstalled.

Windows Requirements for Guest Customization

GuestcustomizationofaWindowsguestoperatingsystemcanoccurif:(SEEUPDATE)

Theguestoperatingsystemisnotaprimaryorbackupdomaincontroller.

ThecloneortemplatehasoneofthefollowingWindowsversionsinstalled:

Windows2000Server,AdvancedServer,orProfessional(including64bit
versions)

WindowsXPProfessional(including64bitversions)

WindowsServer2003,Web,Standard,orEnterpriseEditions(including64bit
versions)

WindowsVista(including64bitversions)

NOTEWindowsXPHomeorWindowsNT4operatingsystemguestcustomization
isnotsupported.WindowsVistacustomizationissupportedonlyonhosts
runningESXServer3.5andgreaterorESXServer3iversion3.5andgreater.

ThemostrecentversionofVMwareToolsisinstalledintheguestoperating
system.

TheMicrosoftSyspreptoolsareinstalledontheVirtualCenterserver.

IfthevirtualmachineresidesonahostrunningESXServer3.0.xorearlier,boththe
activepartition(thepartitioncontainingboot.ini)andthesystempartition(the
partitioncontainingthesystemdirectory,forexample,\WINNTor\WINDOWS),
mustbeonthesamevirtualdisk.

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MicrosoftSyspreptoolshavecertainrequirementsandimposecertainrestrictionson
thesourcemachine.SeetheMicrosoftSysprepdocumentationforadditional
information.

Linux Requirements for Guest Customization

GuestcustomizationofaLinuxguestoperatingsystemcanoccurif:(SEEUPDATE)

ThecloneortemplatehasoneofthefollowingLinuxversionsinstalled:

RedHatEnterpriseLinuxASversions2through5(including64bitversions)

RedHatApplicationServerversions2through5(including64bitversions)

SUSELINUXEnterpriseServer8,9,or10

NOTECustomizationforRedHatLinuxversion4andgreaterandSUSE
LINUXEnterpriseServerversion9andgreaterissupportedonlyonhosts
runningESXServer3.5andgreaterorESXServer3iversion3.5andgreater.

ThemostrecentversionofVMwareToolsisinstalledintheguestoperating
system.

Thecloneortemplatehasarootvolumeformattedwithanext2,ext3,orReiserFS
filesystem.

Customizing a Windows Guest Operating System

Thecustomizingprocessvaries,dependingupontheguestoperatingsystemtobeused
inthenewvirtualmachine.TocustomizeaWindowsoperatingsystemwhile
deployingatemplateorcloningavirtualmachine,performthefollowingsteps.

To customize a Windows guest operating system

TheGuestCustomizationwizardstartsindirectlyfromtheDeployTemplatewizardor
CloneVirtualMachinewizard,oryoucanstartthewizardbyselectingavirtual
machineandthenselectingEdit>CustomizationSpecifications.

1 StarttheGuestCustomizationwizard.

2 OntheRegistrationInformationpage,enterthevirtualmachineownersname
andorganization.ClickNext.

Thisinformationisforguestoperatingsystemregistrationpurposes.Itis
displayedintheguestoperatingsystemSystemProperties.IntheNamefield,you
canenterthenameofaperson,user,orgroup.

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3 OntheComputerNamepage,specifytheComputerNameforthevirtual
machine.ClickNext.

Thecomputernameisthenamegiventotheparticularinstanceofaguest
operatingsystem.Theoperatingsystemusesthisnametoidentifyitselfonthe
network.OnWindowssystems,itiscalledthecomputername.Onmostother
operatingsystems,itiscalledthehostname.Thisisnotthesameasthevirtual
machinenamethatwasdeclaredearlierintheDeployTemplatewizardorClone
VirtualMachinewizard.Youcansetthecomputernameusingthefollowing
options:

UseaspecificnameThenamecancontainalphanumericcharactersandthe
underscore(_)andhyphen()characters.Itcannotcontainperiods(.)or
blankspacesandcannotbemadeupofdigitsonly.Ifyouwanttoensurethat
thenameisuniquesothatyoudonotincurconflicts,selectAppendanumeric
valuetoensureuniqueness.Namesarecaseinsensitive:thenamemy_vm
isidenticaltoMy_Vm.

UsethevirtualmachinesnameThecomputernamethatVirtualCenter
createsisidenticaltothenameofthevirtualmachineonwhichtheguest
operatingsystemisrunning.

PrompttheuserforanameintheDeploywizardTheVIClientpopulates
theDeployVirtualMachinewizardwithapromptforthecomputername
afteryoucompleteallthestepsinthewizard.

UseacustomapplicationconfiguredwiththeVirtualCenterServerto
generateanameEnteraparameterthatcanbepassedtothecustom
application.

4 OntheWindowsLicensepage,specifytheWindowslicensekeyforthenewguest
operatingsystem.ClickNext.

IfyouarecustomizingaWindowsServeroperatingsystem,selecttheappropriate
licensemode,PerseatorPerserver.IfyouselectPerserver,specifythemaximum
numberofsimultaneousconnectionsyouwanttheservertoaccept.

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5 OntheAdministratorPasswordpage,typeandconfirmtheadministrator
passwordforthevirtualmachine.ClickNext.

Ifyouleavethepasswordblank,theVIClientasksyoutoconfirmthat
Administratorusersarentrequiredtoprovideapassword.

NOTEYoucanonlychangetheadministratorpasswordiftheadministrator
passwordonthesourceWindowsvirtualmachineisblank.Ifyouspecifyanew
administratorpasswordandthesourceWindowsvirtualmachineortemplate
alreadyhasone,theoldadministratorpassworddoesnotchange.

Ifyouwanttoautomaticallyloginasadministratorwhenthevirtualmachine
boots,selectAutomaticallylogonastheadministratorandspecifyhowmany
timesautomaticloginistobeperformed.Thisisusefulifyouknowyouwillhave
aseriesofrebootsbeforethevirtualmachineisreadyfornormalloginusers.

6 OntheTimeZonepage,choosethetimezoneforthevirtualmachine.ClickNext.

7 OntheRunOncepage,typeanycommandsyouwanttorunaspartofthefirst
startupforthenewvirtualmachine.Afteryoutypeeachcommand,clickAdd.Use
theDeleteandMoveoptionstocreatetherunorderforthecommands.Whenyou
aredonewiththecommandlist,clickNext.

NOTESeeMicrosoftWindowsSysprepdocumentationformoreinformationon
theRunOncecommands.

8 IfyouwantVirtualCentertoautomaticallyconfigureallnetworkinterfacesfroma
DHCPserver,selectTypicalsettingsontheNetworkpage.ClickNext.

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9 IftypicalVirtualCenterconfigurationisnotappropriateforyourenvironment,
selectCustomsettings,selectthenetworkinterfacecard(NIC)tocustomizeand
clickCustomizetomakeadditionalspecifications.

TheNetworkPropertiesdialogboxopens.

UsetheNetworkPropertiesdialogboxtoperformthesesteps:

a OntheGeneraltab,selectwhetheryouwanttouseDHCPtoobtainan
IP addressautomaticallyorentertheIPaddressesmanually.Alsoselect
whetheryouwanttouseDHCPtoobtainanDNSserveraddress
automaticallyorentertheDNSserveraddressesmanually.

b OntheDNStab,specifytheDNSconnectionsbyenteringDNSsuffixes.
For eachDNSsuffixyouenter,clickAdd.IfyouareaddingmultipleDNS
connections,useMoveUpandMoveDowntospecifytheorderinwhicha
virtualmachineistousetheconnections.

c OntheWINStab,specifytheprimaryandsecondaryWINSaddressesby
typingtheIPaddressesintheentryboxes.

d ClickOKtoreturntothepreviousdialogbox.ClickNextontheNetwork
GuestCustomizationsdialogbox.

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10 OntheWorkgrouporDomainpage,completeoneofthesesteps:

Tojoinaworkgroup,selectWorkgroup,typetheworkgroupname,andclick
Next.

Tojoinadomain,selectWindowsServerDomain,specifytheusernameofa
userwhocanaddcomputerstotheWindowsdomain,andspecifytheusers
password.ClickNext.

11 OntheOperatingSystemOptionspage,selectGenerateNewSecurityID(SID)
togenerateanewsecurityIDforthevirtualmachine.

12 ClickNext.

13 (Optional)OntheSaveSpecificationpage,savethecustomizedoptionsasan
.xmlfilebycompletingthesesteps:
a SelectSavethiscustomizationspecificationforlateruse.

b Specifythenameforthespecification,andclickNext.

VirtualCentersavesthecustomizedconfigurationparametersintheVirtualCenter
database.Ifthecustomizationsettingsaresaved,theadministrator,anddomain
administrator,passwordsarestoredinencryptedformatinthedatabase.Because
thecertificateusedtoencryptthepasswordsisuniquetoeachVirtualCenter
Server,reinstallingtheVirtualCenterServer,orattachinganewinstanceofthe
servertothedatabase,invalidatestheencryptedpasswords.Thepasswordsmust
bereenteredbeforetheycanbeused.

14 ClickFinishtosaveyourchangesandexittheGuestCustomizationwizard.

15 ClickFinishtodeploythevirtualmachineandexittheDeployTemplatewizardor
CloneVirtualMachinewizard.

Customizing a Linux Guest Operating System

To customize a Linux guest operating system

YoucannotstarttheGuestCustomizationwizardfromamenuortoolbaroption.
The GuestCustomizationwizardstartsindirectlyfromtheDeployTemplatewizardor
CloneVirtualMachinewizard.

1 StarttheGuestCustomizationwizard.
2 OntheComputerNamepage,specifytheComputerNameandtheDomainName
forthevirtualmachine.ClickNext.

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Thecomputernameisthenamegiventotheparticularinstanceofaguest
operatingsystem.Theoperatingsystemusesthisnametoidentifyitselfonthe
network.OnLinuxsystems,itiscalledthehostname.Thisisnotthesameasthe
VMwareVI3virtualmachinenamethatwasdeclaredearlierintheDeploy
TemplatewizardorCloneVirtualMachinewizard.Youcansetthecomputername
usingthefollowingoptions:

UseaspecificnameThenamecancontainalphanumericcharactersandthe
underscore(_)andhyphen()characters.Itcannotcontainperiods(.)or
blankspacesandcannotbemadeupofdigitsonly.Ifyouwanttoensurethat
thenameisuniquesothatyoudonotincurconflicts,selectAppendanumeric
valuetoensureuniqueness.Namesarecaseinsensitive:thenamemy_vm
isidenticaltoMy_Vm.

UsethevirtualmachinesnameThecomputernamethatVirtualCenter
createsisidenticaltothenameofthevirtualmachineonwhichtheguest
operatingsystemisrunning.

PrompttheuserforanameintheDeploywizardTheVIClientpopulates
theDeployVirtualMachinewizardwithapromptforthecomputername
afteryoucompleteallthestepsinthewizard.

UseacustomapplicationconfiguredwiththeVirtualCenterServerto
generateanameEnteraparameterthatcanbepassedtothecustom
application.

3 IfyouwantVirtualCentertoautomaticallyconfigureallnetworkinterfacesfroma
DHCPserver,selectTypicalsettingsontheNetworkpage.ClickNext.

4 IfVirtualCenterconfigurationisnotappropriateforyourenvironment,select
Customsettings,andclickNext.

5 Selectthenetworkinterfacecard(NIC)tocustomizeandclickCustomizetomake
additionalspecifications.
UsetheNetworkPropertiesdialogboxtoperformthesesteps:

a OntheGeneraltab,selectwhetheryouwanttouseDHCPtoobtainan
IP addressautomaticallyorentertheIPaddressesmanually.Alsoselect
whetheryouwanttouseDHCPtoobtainanDNSserveraddressautomatically
orentertheDNSserveraddressesmanually.

b ClickOKtoreturntothepreviousdialogbox.ClickNextontheNetwork
GuestCustomizationspage.

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6 OntheDNSandDomainsettingspage,entertheIPaddressesfortheDNSservers.
SpecifytheDNSconnectionsbyenteringDNSsuffixes.ForeachDNSsuffixyou
enter,clickAdd.IfyouareaddingmultipleDNSconnections,useMoveUpand
MoveDowntospecifytheorderinwhichavirtualmachineistousethe
connections.

7 (Optional)OntheSaveSpecificationpage,savethecustomizedoptionsasan
.xmlfilebycompletingthesesteps:

a SelectSavethiscustomizationspecificationforlateruse.

b Specifythefilenameforthespecification,andclickNext.
VirtualCentersavesthecustomizedconfigurationparametersintheVirtualCenter
database.Ifthecustomizationsettingsaresaved,theadministrator,anddomain
administrator,passwordsarestoredinencryptedformatinthedatabase.Because
thecertificateusedtoencryptthepasswordsisuniquetoeachVirtualCenter
Server,reinstallingtheVirtualCenterServer,orattachinganewinstanceofthe
serverthedatabase,invalidatestheencryptedpasswords.Thepasswordsmustbe
reenteredbeforetheycanbeused.

8 ClickFinish.

VirtualCenterclosestheGuestCustomizationwizardandreturnsyoutothe
DeployTemplatewizardorCloneVirtualMachinewizard.

9 ClickFinishtodeploythevirtualmachinefromthetemplateorcreatetheclone.

Using the Customization Specification Wizard

Thefollowingprocedurehelpsyousetupacustomizationspecificationthatcanbe
usedlatertocustomizeaguestoperatingsystem.

To start the Guest Customization wizard

1 ChooseEdit>CustomizationSpecifications.

TheCustomizationSpecificationManagerwindowappears.Fromhere,youcan
viewthepropertiesofaspecificationandcreate,edit,copy,delete,import,or
exportspecifications.UsetheRefreshbuttontorefreshthedisplay.

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 Chapter 14 Customizing Guest Operating Systems

2 Tocreateanewspecification,clicktheNewicon.

TheGuestCustomizationwizardappears.

3 Choosethetargetvirtualmachineoperatingsystemfromthedropdownmenu.

4 SelectthecheckboxifyouwanttouseacustomSysprepanswerfile.

5 Typeanameforthenewcustomizationspecificationandanoptionaldescription.
ClickNext.

6 Typetheownersnameandorganizationtoregisterthiscopyoftheguest
operatingsystem.ClickNext.

TheComputerNamepageappears.Inthispageyouspecifyacomputernameto
identifythisvirtualmachineonanetwork.

7 Tospecifyanameforthecomputer,selecttheradiobuttonforoneofthefollowing:

Useaspecificname

Withthisoption,youmusttypeanameinthetextfield.Selectthecheckbox
ifyouwanttoappendanumericvaluetothespecificcomputernameto
ensureuniquenessofname.

UsetheVirtualMachineName

PrompttheuserforanameintheDeploywizard

UseacustomapplicationconfiguredwiththeVirtualCenterserverto
generateaname

Withthisselection,yousupplyanargument.

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8 ClickNext.

TheoperatingsystemLicensepageappears.

9 IntheLicensepage,typetheproductIDifthevirtualmachinerequireslicensing
information.

Somevirtualmachinesmightnotrequirelicensinginformation.Inthatcase,leave
thesefieldsblank.

10 SelectthecheckboxforIncludeServerLicenseInformationifyouare
customizingaserverguestoperatingsystem.

11 Selecteitherperseatorperserveroperatingsystem,enterthemaximum
connectionsforserverlicensemode,andclickNext.

12 OntheAdministratorPasswordpanel,typeapasswordandconfirmitforthe
administratoraccount.

Ifyoudonotenterapassword,awarningdialogboxappears.

13 Selectthecheckboxifyouwanttoautomaticallyloginastheadministrator,and
choosethenumberoftimestologin.

14 ClickNext.

15 Usethedropdownmenutochooseatimezone,andclickNext.
16 IntheRunOncepage,specifycommandstoberunthefirsttimeauserlogson.
Usethenavigationbuttonstoadd,delete,andmovecommandsupordown.

NOTESeeMicrosoftWindowsSysprepdocumentationformoreinformationon
theRunOncecommands.

17 ClickNext.

18 Specifythenetworkinterfacesettingsifyouwanttocustomizethesoftware
settingsforeachnetworkinterface.Selecttheradiobuttonfortypicalsettingsto
enableDHCPforallnetworkinterfacesortheradiobuttonforcustomsettingsto
manuallyconfigureeachnetworkinterface.

19 ClickNext.

20 IntheWorkgrouporDomainpage,selectthewayinwhichthevirtualmachine
participatesinthenetwork,selecttheradiobuttonforworkgroupandentera
workgroupname,orselecttheradiobuttonforWindowsserverdomainandenter
thedomain.

Inthelattercase,youmustalsoenterausernameandpasswordforauseraccount
thathaspermissiontoaddacomputertothespecifieddomain.

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 Chapter 14 Customizing Guest Operating Systems

21 ClickNext.

22 IntheOperatingSystemOptionspage,selectGenerateNewSecurityID(SID)to
generateanewsecurityidentifier.

23 ClickNext.

24 Reviewtheinformationyouhaveentered,andclickFinish.

ThespecificationappearsintheCustomizationSpecificationManagerpageand
canbeusedtocustomizeaguestoperatingsystem.

SavedcustomizationspecificationsareuniquetoeachVirtualCenterServerandto
eachversionofVirtualCenterduetoencryption.Youhavetorecreatethe
customizationspecificationsforeachVirtualCenterServer.Encryptionis
preservedbetweenupgradeversionsonthesameVirtualCenterServer.This
meansyoucanusethesamespecificationsbetweenupgradesofVirtualCenter.
However,ifyouuninstallVirtualCenterandlaterdoafreshinstallation,theability
todecryptpasswordsfromtheearlierinstallationislost.

25 Toviewthepropertiesofaspecification,clickthePropertiesicon.

TheCustomizationSpecificationPropertiesdialogboxappears.

26 ClickOKtoclosethedialogbox.

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27 ClicktheEditicontoredisplaytheGuestCustomizationwizard,andchangethe
informationforthespecification.

28 ClicktheCopyicontocreateacopyofthespecification.

29 Todeleteaspecification,selectitandclicktheDeleteicon.

Thespecificationisdeletedfromthespecificationmanager.

30 Toimportanexistingspecificationintothemanager,clicktheImporticonand
selectthespecificationintheBrowsedialogbox.

31 Toexportaspecification,clicktheExporticonandchooseaSaveAslocation.

32 Usethemaximize,minimize,andclosebuttonstomaximize,minimize,orexitthe
specificationmanager.

Using the Clone Virtual Machine Wizard

YouhaveasecondopportunitytoaccesstheGuestCustomizationwizardattheendof
thedeploymentwizard.Here,youhavetheabilitytoloadasavedcustomization
specification.Youcanchoosetogetthespecificationfromthelocaldiskorfromthe
server.Ifyouchoosenottoloadasavedspecification,thewizardopenswithblank
fields.

Usethefollowingprocedurewhenyouaresettingupyournewvirtualmachine.
You usethespecificationthatyousetupintheprevioussectionasyousetupavirtual
machineinthefollowingprocedure.

Formoreinformationonusingthecustomizationwizard,seeCustomizinga
WindowsGuestOperatingSystemonpage 218.

To load a saved customization specification using the Clone Virtual Machine

wizard

1 ChooseInventory>VirtualMachine>Clone.

TheCloneVirtualMachinewizardappears.

2 MovethroughthewizarduntilyoureachtheSelectGuestCustomizationOption
pagefromwhichyoucancustomizeusingtheCustomizationwizardorcustomize
usinganexistingcustomizationspecificationselectedfromthespecification
managerslist.

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Completing a Guest Operating System Customization

Thefinalcustomizationstepsoccurwhenthenewvirtualmachinebootsforthefirst
time.Aspartofthisprocess,themachinemightrebootanumberoftimes.The
customizationprocessdoesnotcompleteuntiltheguestoperatingsystemboots,runs
thefinalizationscripts,andreachestheloginpage.

Ifthenewvirtualmachineencounterscustomizationerrorswhileitisbooting,the
errorsarereportedusingtheguestssystemloggingmechanism.InLinux,theseerrors
areloggedto/var/log/vmware/customization.log.InWindows,theyarewritten
to%WINDIR%\temp\vmware-imc.

Thestepsrequiredtofinalizeguestoperatingsystemcustomizationarecoveredinthe
followingsections:

CompletingLinuxGuestOperatingSystemCustomizationonpage 229

CompletingWindowsGuestOperatingSystemCustomizationonpage 229

Completing Linux Guest Operating System Customization

AcustomizedLinuxvirtualmachinedoesnotneedanyadditionalrebootingandis
operationalassoonastheloginpageappearsafterthefirstboot.Ifconfigurationerrors
occur,theyaredisplayedonthevirtualmachinesconsolewindowwhiletheguest
operatingsystemisbooting.

Completing Windows Guest Operating System Customization

Whenacustomizedvirtualmachineispoweredonforthefirsttime,itsguestoperating
systemcompletesasetofoperationsthatfinalizesthecustomizationandconfiguration
process.Dependingontheguestoperatingsystemtype,thisprocessmightrequire
additionalrebooting,whichisautomaticallyperformed.

Afterpoweringonforthefirsttime,acustomizedWindowsvirtualmachine
automaticallyrebootsmultipletimestofinalizetheconfigurationprocess.Itbecomes
operationalwhentheloginpageappearsafterthesecondreboot.Thisprocesscantake
severalminutes,dependingonthespeedandloadofthehost.Ifanyerrorsoccur
duringthefinalconfigurationprocess,eventsareloggedtotheguestoperating
systemseventdatabase.Toviewtheseerrors,chooseStart>Program>Administrative
Tools>EventViewerfromtheWindowsStartmenu.

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Ifanyoftheinformationrequiredintheconfigurationfinalizationprocessisnot
correct,theguestoperatingsystempauseswhenthenewvirtualmachinebootsand
waitsforyoutoenterthecorrectinformation.Incorrectinformationmightinclude:

Thecomputernameisnotunique.Thecomputernamemustbeuniqueforthe
networkonwhichthemachineisdeployed.

Theproductkeyisincorrect.

Theuserspecifiedtojoinadomainthatdoesnotexist.

TheDHCPserverforthenetworkisnotfunctioningproperly.

To determine if the system is waiting for information

Openthevirtualmachinesconsoletoseeifthesystemiswaitingforinformation.

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Migrating Virtual Machines 15

Thischapterdescribestheprocessofmigratingmovingavirtualmachinefromone
hosttoanother.

Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

AboutMigrationonpage 232

ColdMigrationonpage 232

MigratingaSuspendedVirtualMachineonpage 233

MigrationwithVMotiononpage 233

UsingtheMigrateVirtualMachineWizardonpage 243

MigrationwithStorageVMotiononpage 248

NOTECopyingavirtualmachinecreatesanewvirtualmachine.Itisnotaformof
migration.

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About Migration
Migrationistheprocessofmovingavirtualmachinefromonehostorstoragelocation
toanother.InVirtualCenter2.5andgreater,youhavethefollowingmigrationoptions:

ColdMigrationMovingapoweredoffvirtualmachinetoanewhost.
Optionally,youcanrelocateconfigurationanddiskfilestonewstoragelocations.
Coldmigrationcanbeusedtomigratevirtualmachinesfromonedatacenterto
another.

MigratingaSuspendedVirtualMachineMovingasuspendedvirtualmachine
toanewhost.Optionally,youcanrelocateconfigurationanddiskfilestonew
storagelocation.Youcanmigratesuspendedvirtualmachinesfromonedatacenter
toanother.

MigrationwithVMotionMovingapoweredonvirtualmachinetoanewhost.
MigrationwithVMotionallowsyoutomoveavirtualmachinetoanewhost
withoutanyinterruptionintheavailabilityofthevirtualmachine.Migrationwith
VMotioncannotbeusedtomovevirtualmachinesfromonedatacentertoanother.

MigrationwithStorageVMotionMovingthevirtualdisksorconfigurationfile
ofapoweredonvirtualmachinetoanewhost.MigrationwithStorageVMotion
allowsyoutomoveavirtualmachinesstoragewithoutanyinterruptioninthe
availabilityofthevirtualmachine.

Cold Migration
Thevirtualmachineyouwanttomigratemustbepoweredoffpriortobeginningthe
coldmigrationprocess.Withcoldmigration,youhavetheoptionofmovingthe
associateddisksfromonedatastoretoanother.Thevirtualmachinesarenotrequired
tobeonsharedstorage.

Acoldmigrationconsistsofthefollowingsteps:

1 Theconfigurationfiles,includingtheNVRAMfile(BIOSsettings)andlogfiles,as
wellasthedisksofthevirtualmachinearemovedfromthesourcehosttothe
destinationhostsassociatedstoragearea.

2 Thevirtualmachineisregisteredwiththenewhost.

3 Afterthemigrationiscompleted,theoldversionofthevirtualmachineisdeleted
fromthesourcehost.

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Iferrorsoccurduringcoldmigration,thevirtualmachinesreverttotheiroriginalstates
andlocations.

Youcanmovevirtualmachinesmanuallyorsetupascheduledtasktoperformthecold
migration.SeeManagingTasks,Events,andAlarmsonpage 301forinformationon
schedulingtasks.

Migrating a Suspended Virtual Machine

MigrationofsuspendedvirtualmachinesissupportedinESXServer3.xand
ESX Server3iandlateronly.VirtualmachinescreatedusingESXServer2.xmustbe
poweredoffbeforemigration.Whenmigratingasuspendedvirtualmachine,youalso
havetheoptionofmovingtheassociateddisksfromonedatastoretoanother.
The virtualmachinesarenotrequiredtobeonsharedstorage.

Whenyoumigrateasuspendedvirtualmachine,thenewhostforthevirtualmachine
mustmeetCPUcompatibilityrequirements.Formoreinformation,seeAbout
MigrationCompatibilityChecksonpage 246.

Migrationofasuspendedvirtualmachineconsistsofthefollowingsteps:

1 Theconfigurationfiles,includingtheNVRAMfile(BIOSsettings),logfiles,and
thesuspendfileaswellasthedisksofthevirtualmachinearemovedfromthe
sourcehosttothedestinationhostsassociatedstoragearea.

2 Thevirtualmachineisregisteredwiththenewhost.

3 Afterthemigrationiscompleted,theoldversionofthevirtualmachineisdeleted
fromthesourcehost.

Iferrorsoccurduringmigration,thevirtualmachinesreverttotheiroriginalstatesand
locations.

BothmigrationofasuspendedvirtualmachineandmigrationwithVMotionare
sometimesreferredtoashotmigration,becausetheyallowmigrationofavirtual
machinewithoutpoweringitoff.

Migration with VMotion

MigrationwithVMotionallowsworkingprocessestocontinuethroughouta
migration.Theentirestateofthevirtualmachine,aswellasitsconfigurationfile,if
necessary,ismovedtothenewhost,whiletheassociatedvirtualdiskremainsinthe
samelocationonstoragethatissharedbetweenthetwohosts.Afterthevirtualmachine
stateismigratedtothealternatehost,thevirtualmachinerunsonthenewhost.

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Thestateinformationincludesthecurrentmemorycontentandalltheinformationthat
definesandidentifiesthevirtualmachine.Thememorycontentincludestransaction
dataandwhateverbitsoftheoperatingsystemandapplicationsareinthememory.
The definingandidentificationinformationstoredinthestateincludesallthedatathat
mapstothevirtualmachinehardwareelements,suchasBIOS,devices,CPU,MAC
addressesfortheEthernetcards,chipsetstates,registers,andsoforth.

MigrationwithVMotionhappensinthreestages:

1 WhenthemigrationwithVMotionisrequested,VirtualCenterverifiesthatthe
existingvirtualmachineisinastablestatewithitscurrenthost.

2 Thevirtualmachinestateinformation(memory,registers,andnetwork
connections)iscopiedtothetargethost.

3 Thevirtualmachineresumesitsactivitiesonthenewhost.
Ifanyerroroccursduringmigration,thevirtualmachinesreverttotheiroriginalstates
andlocations.

BothmigrationofasuspendedvirtualmachineandmigrationwithVMotionare
sometimesreferredtoashotmigration,becausetheyallowmigrationofavirtual
machinewithoutpoweringitoff.

Host Configuration for VMotion

InordertosuccessfullyuseVMotion,youmustfirstconfigureyourhostscorrectly.
Ensurethatyouhavecorrectlyconfiguredyourhostsineachofthefollowingareas:

EachhostmustbecorrectlylicensedforVMotion.Formoreinformationon
licensing,seetheInstallationGuide.

Eachhostmustbeconfiguredtousesharedstorage.Formoreinformation,see
SharedStorageonpage 234.

EachhostmustmeetthenetworkingrequirementsforVMotion.Formore
information,seeVMotionNetworkingRequirementsonpage 235.

Shared Storage
DuringamigrationwithVMotion,themigratingvirtualmachinemustbeonstorage
accessibletoboththesourceandtargethosts.Ensurethatthehostsconfiguredfor
VMotionusesharedstorage.Sharedstorageistypicallyonastorageareanetwork(SAN),
butcanalsobeimplementedusingiSCSIandNASsharedstorage.SeetheVMware
SANConfigurationGuideforadditionalinformationonSANandtheESXServer3
ConfigurationGuideorESXServer3iConfigurationGuideforinformationonothershared
storage.

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VMotion Networking Requirements

VMotionrequiresaprivateGigabitEthernet(GigE)networkbetweenall
VMotionenabledhosts.EachhostenabledforVMotionmusthaveaminimumoftwo
Ethernetadapters,atleastoneofwhichmustbeaGigEadapter.

Recommendednetworkingbestpracticesareasfollows:

UseonededicatedEthernetadapterfortheserviceconsole(onESXServer3hosts).

UseonededicatedGigEadapterforVMotion.

IfonlytwoEthernetadaptersareavailable:

Forbestsecurity,dedicatetheGigEadaptertoVMotion,anduseVLANsto
dividethevirtualmachineandmanagementtrafficontheotheradapter.

Forbestavailability,combinebothadaptersintoabond,anduseVLANsto
dividetrafficintonetworks:oneormoreforvirtualmachinetraffic,oneforthe
serviceconsole(onESXServer3hosts),andoneforVMotion.

ConfigurethevirtualnetworksonVMotionenabledhostsasfollows:

Oneachhost,configureaVMkernelportgroupforVMotion.

Ensurethatvirtualmachineshaveaccesstothesamesubnetsonsourceand
destinationhosts.

Ensurethatthenetworklabelsusedforvirtualmachineportgroupsareconsistent
acrosshosts.DuringamigrationwithVMotion,VirtualCenterassignsvirtual
machinestoportgroupsbasedonmatchingnetworklabels.

Formoreinformationonhostnetworkingconfiguration,seetheESXServer3
ConfigurationGuideortheESXServer3iConfigurationGuide.

About CPU Compatibility

VMotiontransferstherunningarchitecturalstateofavirtualmachinebetween
underlyingESXServersystems.Successfulmigrationrequiresthattheprocessorsofthe
targethostbeabletoexecuteusingtheequivalentinstructionsthattheprocessorsofthe
sourcehostwereusingwhenthevirtualmachinewasmigratedoffofthesourcehost.
Processorclockspeedsandcachesizes,andthenumberofprocessorcorescanvary,but
processorsmustcomefromthesamevendorclass(IntelorAMD)andusecompatible
featuresetstobecompatibleformigrationwithVMotion.

Migrationsofsuspendedvirtualmachinesalsorequirethatthevirtualmachinebeable
toresumeexecutiononthetargethostusingequivalentinstructions.

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WhenyouinitiateamigrationwithVMotionoramigrationofasuspendedvirtual
machine,theMigrateVirtualMachinewizardchecksthedestinationhostfor
compatibilityandproducesanerrormessageiftherearecompatibilityproblemsthat
willpreventmigration.Formoreinformation,seeAboutMigrationCompatibility
Checksonpage 246.

Whenavirtualmachineispoweredon,itdeterminesitsavailableCPUfeatureset.
The virtualmachinesCPUfeaturesetisbasedonthehostsCPUfeatureset.However,
someofthehostCPUfeaturescanbehiddenfromthevirtualmachineifthehostispart
ofaclusterusingEnhancedVMotionCompatibility,orifaCPUcompatibilitymaskis
appliedtothevirtualmachine.FormoreinformationonEnhancedVMotion
Compatibility,seeAboutEnhancedVMotionCompatibilityonpage 238.Formore
informationonCPUcompatibilitymasks,seeAboutCPUCompatibilityMaskson
page 241.

WhenyouattempttomigrateavirtualmachinewithVMotion,oneofthefollowing
scenariosapplies:

ThedestinationhostfeaturesetmatchesthevirtualmachinesCPUfeatureset.
CPUcompatibilityrequirementsaremet,andmigrationwithVMotionproceeds.

ThevirtualmachinesCPUfeaturesetcontainsfeaturesnotsupportedbythe
destinationhost.CPUcompatibilityrequirementsarenotmet,andmigrationwith
VMotioncannotproceed.

Thedestinationhostsupportsthevirtualmachinesfeatureset,plusadditional
userlevelfeatures(suchasSSE4.1)notfoundinthevirtualmachinesfeatureset.
CPUcompatibilityrequirementsarenotmet,andmigrationwithVMotioncannot
proceed.

Thedestinationhostsupportsthevirtualmachinesfeatureset,plusadditional
kernellevelfeatures(suchasNx)notfoundinthevirtualmachinesfeatureset.
CPUcompatibilityrequirementsaremet,andmigrationwithVMotionproceeds.
ThevirtualmachineretainsitsCPUfeaturesetaslongasitremainspoweredon,
allowingittomigratefreelybacktotheoriginalhost.However,ifthevirtual
machineisrebooted,itacquiresanewfeaturesetfromthenewhost,whichmight
causeVMotionincompatibilityifyouattempttomigratethevirtualmachineback
totheoriginalhost.

NOTEVMware,inpartnershipwithCPUandhardwarevendors,isworkingto
maintainVMotioncompatibilityacrossthewidestrangeofprocessors.Foradditional
information,checktheVMwareKnowledgeBase.

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 Chapter 15 Migrating Virtual Machines

About CPU Families and Feature Sets

ProcessorfamiliessuchasIntelXeonandAMDOpteronaredefinedbytheprocessor
vendors.Youcandistinguishdifferentprocessorversionswithinthesamefamilyby
comparingtheprocessorsmodel,steppinglevel,andextendedfeatures.Insomecases,
processorvendorshaveintroducedsignificantarchitecturalchangeswithinthesame
processorfamily,suchastheSSSE3andSSE4.1instructions,andNx/XDCPUsecurity
features.

Bydefault,VirtualCenteridentifiesmismatchesonfeaturesaccessibletoapplications
asincompatibletoguaranteethestabilityofvirtualmachinesaftermigrationswith
VMotion.

ServerhardwaresCPUspecificationswillusuallyindicatewhetherornottheCPUs
containthefeaturesthataffectVMotioncompatibility.Ifthespecificationsofaserver
oritsCPUfeaturesareunknown,VMwaresbootableCPUidentificationutility
(availablefordownloadwithESXServer)canbeusedtobootaserveranddetermine
whetheritsCPUscontainfeaturessuchasSSE3,SSSE3,andNx/XD.

FormoreinformationonidentifyingIntelprocessorsandtheirfeatures,seeApplication
Note485:IntelProcessorIdentificationandtheCPUIDInstruction,availablefromIntel.
ForemoreinformationonidentifyingAMDprocessorsandtheirfeatures,seeCPUID
Specification,availablefromAMD.

Nx/XD Considerations
AMDsNoeXecute(Nx)andIntelseXecuteDisable(XD)technologyservethesame
securitypurpose:tomarkmemorypagesasdataonlytopreventmalicioussoftware
exploitsandbufferoverflowattacks.

ThefollowingoperatingsystemssupportNxandXD:

WindowsServer2003(SP1),Windows*XP(SP2),WindowsVista,RHEL4,RHEL3
(Update3),SUSE10,SUSELinux9.2,Solaris10,Linuxkernels2.6.6orlater(or2.4
kernelswithapatch)

InESXServer3.xandlater,NxandXDtechnologyisexposedbydefaultforallguest
operatingsystemsthatcanuseit(tradingoffsomecompatibilityforsecuritybydefault).
HostspreviouslycompatibleinESXServer2.xmightbecomeincompatibleafter
upgradingtoESXServer3.xifNxmismatched,butperVMCPUcompatibilitymasks
specifiedintheVMotionCPUCompatibilityMatrixcanbeusedtorestorecompatibility.

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Basic System Administration

SSSE3 Considerations
WithintheIntelP4andIntelCoreprocessorfamilies,VMwareplacesarestriction
betweenprocessorsthatdosupporttheSSSE3instructionsandprocessorsthatdonot
supporttheSSSE3instructions.Becausetheyareapplicationlevelinstructionsthat
bypassthevirtualizationlayer,theseinstructionscouldcauseapplicationinstabilityif
mismatchedafteramigrationwithVMotion.

SSE4.1 Considerations
WithintheIntelCore2processorfamily,VMwareplacesarestrictionbetween
processorsthatdosupporttheSSE4.1instructionsandprocessorsthatdonotsupport
theSSE4.1instructionsbecausetheyareapplicationlevelinstructionsthatbypassthe
virtualizationlayer,andcouldcauseapplicationinstabilityifmismatchedaftera
migrationwithVMotion.

About Enhanced VMotion Compatibility

YoucanusetheEnhancedVMotionCompatibility(EVC)featuretohelpensure
VMotioncompatibilityforthehostsinacluster.EVCensuresthatallhostsinacluster
presentthesameCPUfeaturesettovirtualmachines,eveniftheactualCPUsonthe
hostsdiffer.ThispreventsmigrationswithVMotionfromfailingduetoincompatible
CPUs.

ConfigureEVCfromtheclustersettingsdialogbox.WhenyouconfigureEVC,youset
allhostprocessorsintheclustertopresentthefeaturesofabaselineprocessor.EVC
leveragesIntelFlexMigrationtechnologytopresentthesamefeaturesetasthebaseline
Intelprocessor.EVCleveragesAMDsAMDVExtendedMigrationtechnologyto
presentthesamefeaturesetasthebaselineAMDprocessor.Formoreinformationon
baselineprocessorsandsupportedprocessors,seeEVCRequirementsonpage 238.

EVCcannotpreventvirtualmachinesfromaccessinghiddenCPUfeaturesinall
circumstances.ApplicationsthatdonotfollowCPUvendorrecommendedmethodsof
featuredetectionmaybehaveunexpectedlyinanEVCenvironment.VMwareEVC
cannotbesupportedwithillbehavedapplicationsthatdonotfollowtheCPUvendor
recommendations.Formoreinformationoncreatingwellbehavedapplications,search
theVMwareKnowledgeBaseforthearticleTestingandUsingNewFeaturesinCPUs.

EVC Requirements
InordertoenableEVConacluster,theclustermustmeetthefollowingrequirements:

YoumustberunningVirtualCenter2.5Update2orlater.(SEEUPDATE)

AllhostsintheclustermusthaveCPUsfromasinglevendor,eitherIntelorAMD.

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Allhostsintheclustermusteitherhavehardwarelivemigrationsupport
(Intel FlexMigrationorAMDVExtendedMigration)orhavetheCPUwhose
baselinefeaturesetyouintendtoenableforthecluster.Forspecifichostprocessors
supported,seeTable 151.

AllhostsintheclustermustberunningESXServer3.5Update2orlater.

AllhostsintheclustermustbeconnectedtotheVirtualCenterServer.

Allvirtualmachinesintheclustermustbepoweredofformigratedoutofthe
clusterwhenEVCisenabled.

AnyhostaddedtoanexistingEVCenabledclustermustalsomeettherequirements
listedabove.

Table 15-1. Processors Supported in EVC Clusters

Vendor Baseline Processor Processors Supported
Intel IntelCore2(Merom) IntelCore2(Merom)

Intel45nmCore2(Penryn)

AMD AMDSecondGenerationOpteron AMDSecondGenerationOpteron(RevE/F)

(RevE/F)
AMDThirdGenerationOpteron(Barcelona)

Creating an EVC Cluster

WhenyoucreateanEVCcluster,youcanuseoneoftwomethods:

Createanemptycluster,enableEVC,andthenmovehostsintothecluster.

EnableEVConanexistingcluster.

VMwarerecommendscreatinganemptyEVCclusterasthesimplestwayofcreating
anEVCclusterwithminimaldisruptiontoyourexistinginfrastructure.

BeforeyoucreateanEVCcluster,ensurethatthehostsyouintendtoaddtothecluster
meettherequirementslistedinEVCRequirementsonpage 238.

To create an EVC cluster

1 Createanemptycluster.

OtherclusterfeaturessuchasVMwareDRSandVMwareHAarefullycompatible
withEVC.Youcanchoosetoenablethesefeatureswhenyoucreatethecluster.
For moreinformationonspecificclusteroptions,seetheVIClientonlineHelp.

2 EdittheclustersettingsandenableEVC.

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Basic System Administration

SelecttheCPUvendorandfeaturesetappropriateforthehostsyouintendtoadd
tothecluster.FormoreinformationonconfiguringEVC,seetheVIClientonline
Help.

3 Selectahosttomoveintothecluster,anddooneofthefollowing:

Poweroffallthevirtualmachinesonthehost.

MigratethehostsvirtualmachinestoanotherhostusingVMotion.

IfyoumigratethevirtualmachinestoahostwiththesameCPUtypethatyou
haveenabledasthebaselinefortheEVCcluster,youwillbeabletouse
VMotiontomigratethesevirtualmachinesintotheclusterafteryouhave
finishedsettingitup.Otherwise,youwillhavetopoweroffthevirtual
machinestomigratethemintothecluster.

4 Movethehostintothecluster.

Youcanpoweronthevirtualmachinesonthehost,ormigratevirtualmachines
intotheclusterwithVMotion,providedthattheymeetCPUcompatibility
requirementsfortheclustersbaselineCPU.

5 RepeatStep 3andStep 4foreachadditionalhostthatyouwanttomoveintothe

cluster.

Enabling EVC on an Existing Cluster

BeforeyouenableEVConanexistingcluster,ensurethatthehostsintheclustermeet
therequirementslistedinEVCRequirementsonpage 238.

To enable EVC on an existing cluster

1 Ensurethattherearenopoweredonvirtualmachinesintheclusterbefore
enablingEVC.SelecttheclusterforwhichyouwanttoenableEVC,anddooneof
thefollowing:

Poweroffallthevirtualmachinesinthecluster.

MigratetheclustersvirtualmachinestoanotherhostusingVMotion.

IfyoumigratethevirtualmachinestoahostwiththesameCPUtypethatyou
enableasthebaselinefortheEVCcluster,youwillbeabletouseVMotionto
migratethesevirtualmachinesbackintotheclusterafteryouhavefinished
settingitup.Otherwise,youwillhavetopoweroffthevirtualmachinesto
migratethemintothecluster.

2 EnsurethattheclustercontainshostswithCPUsfromonlyonevendor:Intelor
AMD.

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3 EdittheclustersettingsandenableEVC.

SelecttheCPUvendorandfeaturesetappropriateforthehostsinthecluster.
For moreinformationonconfiguringEVC,seetheVIClientonlineHelp.

4 Poweronthevirtualmachinesinthecluster,ormigratevirtualmachinesintothe
cluster.

About CPU Compatibility Masks

VirtualCentercomparestheCPUfeaturesavailabletoavirtualmachinewiththeCPU
featuresofthedestinationhosttodeterminewhethertoallowordisallowmigrations
withVMotion.CPUcompatibilitymasksallowpervirtualmachinecustomizationof
theCPUfeaturesvisibletoavirtualmachine.

DefaultvaluesfortheCPUcompatibilitymasksaresetbyVMwaretoguaranteethe
stabilityofvirtualmachinesafteramigrationwithVMotion.Changestothesedefault
masksaremadeconservativelybyVMware,andonlywhennewCPUfeaturesare
introducedandversionsofESXServerareupdatedtoexposeorhidethemfromvirtual
machines.

Insomecases,whereachoicebetweenCPUcompatibilityorguestoperatingsystem
features(suchasNx/XD)exists,VMwareprovidescheckboxoptionstoconfigure
individualvirtualmachinesthroughthevirtualmachinesAdvancedSettingsoption.
FormorecontroloverthevisibilityofCPUfeatures,youcaneditthevirtualmachines
CPUcompatibilitymaskatthebitlevel.

CAUTIONManualeditoftheCPUcompatibilitymaskswithouttheappropriate
documentationandtestingisNOTrecommendedandmightleadtoanunsupported
configuration.FormoreinformationoneditingCPUcompatibilitymasks,see
ChangingVirtualMachineOptionsonpage 186.

CPUcompatibilitymaskscannotpreventvirtualmachinesfromaccessingmaskedCPU
featuresinallcircumstances.Onhostswithouthardwarelivemigrationsupport
(Intel FlexMigrationorAMDVExtendedMigration),applicationscandetectanduse
maskedfeatureseventhoughtheyarehiddenfromtheguestoperatingsystem.In
addition,onanyhost,applicationsthatuseunsupportedmethodsofdetectingCPU
featuresratherthanusingtheCPUIDinstructioncanaccessmaskedfeatures.Virtual
machinesrunningsuchillbehavedapplicationsmightexperiencestabilityproblems
aftermigration.

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Virtual Machine Configuration Requirements for VMotion

Anumberofspecificvirtualmachineconfigurationscanpreventmigrationofavirtual
machinewithVMotion.Theseconfigurationsaresummarizedbelow:

YoucannotusemigrationwithVMotiontomigratevirtualmachinesusingraw
disksforclusteringpurposes.

YoucannotusemigrationwithVMotiontomigrateavirtualmachinethatusesa
virtualdevicebackedbyadevicethatisnotaccessibleonthedestinationhost.
(For example,youcannotmigrateavirtualmachinewithaCDdrivebackedbythe
physicalCDdriveonthesourcehost.)Disconnectthesedevicesbeforemigrating
thevirtualmachine.

YoucannotusemigrationwithVMotiontomigrateavirtualmachinethatusesa
virtualdevicebackedbyadeviceontheclientcomputer.Disconnectthesedevices
beforemigratingthevirtualmachine.

YoucannotusemigrationwithVMotiontomigrateavirtualmachineifthe
destinationhostcannotaccessthevirtualmachinesswapfile.Formore
information,seeSwapfileLocationCompatibilityonpage 242.

Swapfile Location Compatibility

VirtualmachinesonhostsrunningESXServer3.0.xhaveavirtualmachineswapfile
locatedwiththevirtualmachineconfigurationfile.Thesevirtualmachinescanbe
migratedwithVMotiononlyifthedestinationhostcanaccesstheVMFSvolumewhere
theswapfileislocated.

YoucanconfigureESXServer3.5andESXServer3iversion3.5hostsorclustersorhosts
managedbyVirtualCenter2.5tostorevirtualmachineswapfilesinoneoftwo
locations:withthevirtualmachineconfigurationfile,oronalocalswapfiledatastore
specifiedforthathost.Youcanalsosetindividualvirtualmachinestohaveadifferent
swapfilelocationfromthedefaultsetfortheircurrenthost.

ThelocationofthevirtualmachineswapfileaffectsVMotioncompatibilityasfollows:

MigrationsbetweenhostsrunningESXServer3.5orESXServer3iversion3.5:
MigrationswithVMotionandmigrationsofsuspendedandpoweredoffvirtual
machinesareallowed.

Iftheswapfilelocationspecifiedonthedestinationhostdiffersfromtheswapfile
locationspecifiedonthesourcehost,theswapfileiscopiedtothenewlocation.
ThiscanresultinslowermigrationswithVMotion.Ifthedestinationhostcannot
accessthespecifiedswapfilelocation,itstorestheswapfilewiththevirtual
machineconfigurationfile.

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MigrationsbetweenahostrunningESXServer3.5orESXServer3iversion3.5
andahostrunninganearlierversionofESXServer:Migrationsofsuspendedand
poweredoffvirtualmachinesareallowed.Ifthevirtualmachineisconfiguredto
usealocalswapfiledatastore,attemptingtomigrateittoahostthatdoesnot
supportthisconfigurationproducesawarning,butthemigrationcanproceed.
Whenthevirtualmachineispoweredonagain,theswapfileislocatedwiththe
virtualmachine.

SeetheVIClientonlineHelpformoreinformationonconfiguringswapfile
policies.

MigrationswithVMotionarenotallowedunlessthedestinationswapfilelocation
isthesameasthesourceswapfilelocation.Inpractice,thismeansthatvirtual
machineswapfilesmustbelocatedwiththevirtualmachineconfigurationfile.

Migrating Virtual Machines with Snapshots

Someadditionalrestrictionsapplywhenmigratingvirtualmachineswithsnapshots.
Migratingavirtualmachinewithsnapshotsispermitted,regardlessofthevirtual
machinepowerstate,aslongasthevirtualmachineisbeingmigratedtoanewhost
withoutmovingitsconfigurationfileordisks.(Inotherwords,thevirtualmachine
mustresideonsharedstorageaccessibletobothhosts.)

Ifthemigrationinvolvesmovingtheconfigurationfileorvirtualdisks,thenthe
followingadditionalrestrictionsapply:

ThestartinganddestinationhostsmustberunningESXServer3version3.5or
ESX Server3iversion3.5orlater.

Allofthevirtualmachinefilesanddisksmustresideinasingledirectory,andthe
migrateoperationmustmoveallthevirtualmachinefilesanddiskstoasingle
destinationdirectory.

VirtualCentergeneratesawarning,butdoesnotpreventmigration,whenyouattempt
tomigrateavirtualmachinewithsnapshots.Revertingtoasnapshotaftermigration
withVMotionmightcausethevirtualmachinetocrash,becausethemigrationwizard
cannotverifythecompatibilityofthevirtualmachinestateinthesnapshotwiththe
destinationhost.

Using the Migrate Virtual Machine Wizard

TheMigrateVirtualMachinewizardtakesyouthroughtheprocessofmigratinga
virtualmachinefromonehosttoanother.Thewizardoptionsdifferslightly,depending
onwhetheryouareperformingcoldmigrationormigrationwithVMotion.

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To migrate a powered-off or suspended virtual machine

1 Selectthevirtualmachineyouwanttomigrate.Thendooneofthefollowing:

RightclickandchooseMigratefromthepopupmenu.

OntheSummarytab,clicktheMigratetoNewHostbutton.

Dragthevirtualmachineontothetargethost,cluster,orresourcepool.

NOTEIfmultiplevirtualmachinesareselectedandthewizardisinvokedthrough
draganddrop,thevirtualmachinesmustallbeinthesamepowerstate.
Otherwise,anerrormessageisdisplayed,andthewizardstops.

2 SelectthedestinationhostorclusterforthevirtualmachineandclickNext.

PossibletargetsincludehostsandDRSclusterswithanylevelofautomation.Ifa
clusterdoesnothaveDRSenabled,selectaspecifichostintheclusterratherthan
selectingtheclusteritself.

AnycompatibilityproblemisdisplayedintheCompatibilitypanel.Fixthe
problem,orselectanotherhostorcluster.

Ifthewizardisinvokedthroughdraganddrop,theSelectDestinationhostor
clusterwindowisskippedifthedraganddroptargetisastandalonehostora
resourcepoolassignedtoastandalonehost.Ifaclusteroraclustersresourcepool
isthedraganddroptarget,theSelectDestinationhostorclusterwindowappears.

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3 Selectthedestinationresourcepoolforthevirtualmachinemigrationandclick
Next.

AnycompatibilityproblemisdisplayedintheCompatibilitypanel.Fixthe
problem,orchooseanotherresourcepool.

TheResourcePoolSelectionpagedoesnotappearifavirtualmachinewas
droppedonaresourcepool.

4 Choosewhattodowiththevirtualmachineconfigurationfilesandvirtualdisks:

Ifyouwanttokeepthevirtualmachineconfigurationfilesandvirtualdisksin
theircurrentlocation,selectKeepvirtualmachineconfigurationfilesand
virtualdisksintheircurrentlocationsandclickNext.

Ifyouwanttomovethevirtualmachineconfigurationfilesandvirtualdisks
toanewlocation,selectMovevirtualmachineconfigurationfilesand
virtualdisks,thenselectthedestinationdatastoreandclickNext.

5 Reviewthesummary,andclickFinish.
VirtualCentermovesthevirtualmachinetothenewhost.Eventmessagesappear
intheEventstab.ThedatadisplayedontheSummarytabshowsthestatusand
statethroughoutthemigration.

To migrate a powered-on virtual machine

1 Selectthevirtualmachineyouwanttomigrate.Thendooneofthefollowing:

RightclickandchooseMigratefromthepopupmenu.

OntheSummarytab,clicktheMigratetoNewHostbutton.

Dragthevirtualmachineontothetargethost,cluster,orresourcepool.

NOTEIfmultiplevirtualmachinesareselectedandthewizardisinvokedthrough
draganddrop,thevirtualmachinesmustallbeinthesamepowerstate.
Otherwise,anerrormessageisdisplayed,andthewizardstops.

2 Selectadestinationhostorclusterforthevirtualmachine.

PossibletargetsincludehostsandDRSclusterswithanylevelofautomation.Ifa
clusterdoesnothaveDRSenabled,selectaspecifichostintheclusterratherthan
selectingtheclusteritself.

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Ifthewizardisinvokedthroughdraganddrop,theSelectDestinationhostor
clusterwindowisskippedifthedraganddroptargetisastandalonehostora
resourcepoolassignedtoastandalonehost.Ifaclusteroraclustersresourcepool
isthedraganddroptarget,theSelectDestinationhostorclusterwindowappears.

AnycompatibilityproblemisdisplayedintheCompatibilitypanel.Fixthe
problem,orselectanotherhostorcluster.

3 Selectaresourcepool,andclickNext.

AnycompatibilityproblemisdisplayedintheCompatibilitypanel.Fixthe
problem,orchooseanotherresourcepool.
TheResourcePoolSelectionpagedoesnotappearifavirtualmachinewas
droppedonaresourcepool.

4 SelectthemigrationprioritylevelandclickNext:

HighPriorityVirtualCenterreservesresourcesonboththesourceand
destinationhoststomaintainvirtualmachineavailabilityduringthe
migration.Highprioritymigrationsdonotproceedifresourcesare
unavailable.

LowPriorityVirtualCenterdoesnotreserveresourcesonthesourceand
destinationhoststomaintainavailabilityduringthemigration.Lowpriority
migrationsalwaysproceed.However,thevirtualmachinemightbecome
brieflyunavailableifhostresourcesareunavailableduringthemigration.

5 Reviewthepage,andclickFinish.

WhenyouclickFinish,ataskiscreatedthatbeginsthevirtualmachinemigration
process.Whilethevirtualmachineisintheprocessofbeingmigrated,youhave
onlylimitedaccesstoitsfunctions.

About Migration Compatibility Checks

Duringmigration,theMigrateVirtualMachinewizardchecksthedestinationhostfor
compatibilitywiththemigratingvirtualmachineusinganumberofcriteria.Whenyou
selectahost,theCompatibilitypanelatthebottomoftheMigrateVirtualMachine
wizarddisplaysinformationaboutthecompatibilityoftheselectedhostorclusterwith
thevirtualmachinesconfiguration.

Ifthevirtualmachineiscompatible,thepaneldisplaysthemessage,Validation
succeeded.Ifthevirtualmachineisnotcompatiblewitheitherthehostsorclusters
configurednetworksordatastores,thecompatibilitywindowcandisplayboth
warningsanderrors:

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Warningmessagesdonotdisablemigration.Oftenthemigrationisjustifiedand
youcancontinuewiththemigrationdespitethewarnings.

Compatibility panel Warning messages

Errorscandisablemigrationiftherearenoerrorfreedestinationhostsamongthe
selecteddestinationhosts.Inthiscase,theNextbuttonisdisabled.

Error message

Forclusters,thenetworkanddatastoreconfigurationsaretakenintoaccountwhen
checkingcompatibilityissues.Forhosts,theindividualhostsconfigurationisused.
A possibleproblemmightbethatVMotionisnotenabledononeorbothhosts.

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Aspecifichostfeatureseffectsoncompatibilityaredependentonwhetherornot
ESX Serverexposesorhidesthemfromvirtualmachines:

Featuresthatareexposedtovirtualmachinesarenotcompatiblewhentheyare
mismatched.

Featuresthatarenotexposedtovirtualmachinesarecompatibleregardlessof
mismatches.

Migration with Storage VMotion

UsingStorageVMotion,youcanmigrateavirtualmachineanditsdiskfilesfromone
datastoretoanotherwhilethevirtualmachineisrunning.Youcanchoosetoplacethe
virtualmachineandallitsdisksinasinglelocation,orselectseparatelocationsforthe
virtualmachineconfigurationfileandeachvirtualdisk.Thevirtualmachinedoesnot
changeexecutionhostduringamigrationwithStorageVMotion.

StorageVMotionhasanumberofusesinadministeringvirtualinfrastructure,
includingthefollowing:

UpgradingVMwareInfrastructurewithoutvirtualmachinedowntime.Duringan
upgradefromESXServer2.xtoESXServer3.5,youcanmigraterunningvirtual
machinesfromaVMFS2datastoretoaVMFS3datastore,andupgradetheVMFS2
datastorewithoutanyimpactonvirtualmachines.YoucanthenuseStorage
VMotiontomigratevirtualmachinesbacktotheoriginaldatastorewithoutany
virtualmachinedowntime.

Storagemaintenanceandreconfiguration.YoucanuseStorageVMotiontomove
virtualmachinesoffofastoragedevicetoallowmaintenanceorreconfigurationof
thestoragedevicewithoutvirtualmachinedowntime.

Redistributingstorageload.YoucanuseStorageVMotiontoredistributevirtual
machinesorvirtualdiskstodifferentstoragevolumestobalancecapacityor
improveperformance.

Storage VMotion Requirements and Limitations

StorageVMotionissubjecttothefollowingrequirementsandlimitations:

VirtualmachineswithsnapshotscannotbemigratedusingStorageVMotion.

Virtualmachinedisksmustbeinpersistentmodeorberawdevicemaps.

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Youmustmovethevirtualmachines.vmxfileduringamigrationwithStorage
VMotion.Ifyouwanttomoveavirtualmachinesdiskswhilekeepingthe.vmxfile
inthesameplace,youcanmovethe.vmx fileandthediskstoanewlocation,and
thenmovethe.vmxfilebacktoitsoriginallocation.

Thehostonwhichthevirtualmachineisrunningmusthavesufficientresourcesto
supporttwoinstancesofthevirtualmachinerunningconcurrentlyforabrieftime.

ThehostonwhichthevirtualmachineisrunningmusthaveaVMotionlicense,
andbecorrectlyconfiguredforVMotion.

Thehostonwhichthevirtualmachineisrunningmusthaveaccesstoboththe
sourceandtargetdatastores.

VMwareInfrastructure3supportsamaximumoffoursimultaneousVMotionor
StorageVMotionaccessestoasingledatastore.AmigrationwithVMotion
involvestwosimultaneousaccessestothedatastore,bythesourceanddestination
hosts.AmigrationwithStorageVMotioninvolvesoneaccesstothesource
datastoreandoneaccesstothedestinationdatastore.Therefore,ifnoother
migrationsareoccurring,uptofourconcurrentStorageVMotionmigrations
involvingthedatastorecanoccursimultaneously.

Storage VMotion Remote Command-Line Syntax

(SEEUPDATE)InadditiontousingtheMigrationwizard,youcaninitiatemigrations
withStorageVMotiononbothESXServer3iandESXServer3hostsfromtheRemote
CommandLineInterface(RemoteCLI)usingthesvmotioncommand.Formore
informationoninstallingandusingtheRemoteCLI,seetheRemoteCommandLine
InterfaceInstallationandReference.

Thesvmotioncommandcanbeinvokedineitheraninteractiveornoninteractive
mode.Tousethecommandininteractivemode,typesvmotion --interactive.You
willthenbepromptedforalltheinformationnecessarytocompletethestorage
migration.Whenthecommandisinvokedininteractivemode,allotherparameters
givenareignored.

Innoninteractivemode,thesvmotioncommandusesthefollowingsyntax:
svmotion [Standard remote CLI options] --datacenter=<datacenter name> --vm
<VM config datastore path>:<new datastore> [--disks
<virtual disk datastore path>:<new datastore>, <virtual disk
datastore path>:<new datastore>]

FormoreinformationonthestandardRemoteCLIoptions,seetheRemote
CommandLineInstallationandReference.

Table 152describestheparametersforthesvmotioncommand.

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Table 15-2. svmotion command parameters

Parameter Description

<datacenter> Thedatacenterwhichcontainsthevirtualmachinetobemigrated.

<VM config Thedatastorepathtothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile.The

datastore path> pathshouldbeenclosedinsinglequotes.

<new datastore> Thenameofthenewdatastoretowhichthevirtualmachine

configurationfileordiskistobemoved.Donotincludebrackets
aroundthenameofthenewdatastore.

--disks Ifyoudonotspecifythisparameter,allvirtualdisksassociatedwith
avirtualmachinearerelocatedtothesamedatastoreasthevirtual
machineconfigurationfile.Byspecifyingthisparameter,youcan
choosetolocateindividualvirtualdiskstodifferentdatastores.
Ifyouwouldliketokeepavirtualdiskonitscurrentdatastore,use
the--disksoptionforthatdiskwithitscurrentdatastoreasthe
<new datastore>.

<virtual disk Thedatastorepathtothevirtualdiskfile.

datastore path>

Determining the Path to a Virtual Machine Configuration File

To determine the path to a virtual machines configuration file

1 IntheVIClientinventory,selectthevirtualmachineandclicktheSummarytab.

2 ClickEditSettingstodisplaytheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogbox.

3 ClicktheOptionstab,andselectGeneralOptions.

ThepathtothevirtualmachineconfigurationfileisdisplayedintheVirtualMachine
ConfigurationFiletextbox.

Determining the Path to a Virtual Disk File

To determine the path to a virtual disk file

1 IntheVIClientinventory,selectthevirtualmachinetowhichthevirtualdisk
belongs,andclicktheSummarytab.

2 ClickEditSettingstodisplaytheVirtualMachinePropertiesdialogbox.

3 ClicktheHardwaretab,andselectthevirtualdiskfromthelistofdevices.

ThepathtothevirtualdiskfileisdisplayedintheDiskFiletextbox.

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Storage VMotion Command-Line Examples

Theexamplesinthissectionareformattedonmultiplelinesforreadability.
The commandshouldbeissuedonasingleline.

Anexampleofrelocatingallofavirtualmachinesdiskstoadatastorenamed
new_datastore:
svmotion --url=https://myvc.mycorp.com/sdk
--username=me
--password=secret
--datacenter=DC1
--vm='[old_datastore] myvm/myvm.vmx: new_datastore'

Anexampleofrelocatingavirtualmachinetonew_datastore,whileleavingthedisks,
myvm_1.vmdkandmyvm_2.vmdkonold_datastore:
svmotion --datacenter='My DC'
--vm='[old_datastore] myvm/myvm.vmx:
new_datastore'
--disks='[old_datastore] myvm/myvm_1.vmdk:
old_datastore,
[old_datastore] myvm/myvm_2.vmdk:
old_datastore'

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 16

Using Snapshots 16
VMwareVirtualCentersnapshotsallowyoutopreservethestateofthevirtualmachine
soyoucanreturntothesamestaterepeatedly.

Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

UnderstandingSnapshotsonpage 253

UsingtheSnapshotManageronpage 257

RestoringaSnapshotonpage 259

Understanding Snapshots
Asnapshotcapturestheentirestateofthevirtualmachineatthetimeyoutakethe
snapshot.Thisincludes:

MemorystateThecontentsofthevirtualmachinesmemory.
SettingsstateThevirtualmachinesettings.

DiskstateThestateofallthevirtualmachinesvirtualdisks.

NOTESnapshotsofrawdisks,RDMphysicalmodedisks,andindependentdisksare
notsupported.

Snapshotsoperateonindividualvirtualmachines.Inateamofvirtualmachines,taking
asnapshotpreservesthestateonlyoftheactivevirtualmachine.

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Whenyoureverttoasnapshot,youreturnalltheseitemstothestatetheywereinatthe
timeyoutookthatsnapshot.Ifyouwantthevirtualmachinetobesuspended,powered
on,orpoweredoffwhenyoulaunchit,besureitisinthecorrectstatewhenyoutake
thatsnapshot.

Snapshotsareusefulwhenyouneedtorevertrepeatedlytothesamestatebutyoudont
wanttocreatemultiplevirtualmachines.Withsnapshots,youcreatebackupand
restorepositionsinalinearprocess.Youcanalsopreserveabaselinebeforediverging
avirtualmachineinaprocesstree.

Snapshotscanbeusedasrestorationpointsduringalinearoriterativeprocess,suchas
installingupdatepackages,orduringabranchingprocess,suchasinstallingdifferent
versionsofaprogram.Takingsnapshotsensuresthateachinstallationbeginsfroman
identicalbaseline.

Multiplesnapshotsreferstotheabilitytocreatemorethanonesnapshotofthesame
virtualmachine.Totakesnapshotsofmultiplevirtualmachines,(forexample,
snapshotsforallmembersofateam)requiresthatyoutakeaseparatesnapshotofeach
teammember.

Multiplesnapshotsarenotsimplyanewwayofsavingyourvirtualmachines.With
multiplesnapshots,youcansavemanypositionstoaccommodatemanykindsofwork
processes.

(SEEUPDATE)Althoughyoucantakesnapshotsupto32levels,theamountoftimeit
takestocommitordeletethosesnapshotsincreasesasthelevelsgetdeeper.The
requiredtimeisdirectlyproportionaltotheamountofdata(committedordeleted)and
thevirtualmachinesRAMsize.

Relationship Between Snapshots

Therelationshipbetweensnapshotsislikethatofaparenttoachild:

Inthelinearprocess,eachsnapshothasoneparentandonechild,exceptforthe
lastsnapshot,whichhasnochildren.

Intheprocesstree,eachsnapshothasoneparent,butonesnapshotmayhave
morethanonechild.Manysnapshotshavenochildren.

Youcanreverttoaparentorachild.

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Snapshots and Other Activity in the Virtual Machine

Whenyoutakeasnapshot,beawareofotheractivitygoingoninthevirtualmachine
andthelikelyeffectofrevertingtothatsnapshot.Ingeneral,itisbesttotakeasnapshot
whennoapplicationsinthevirtualmachinearecommunicatingwithothercomputers.
Thepotentialforproblemsisgreatestifthevirtualmachineiscommunicatingwith
anothercomputer,especiallyinaproductionenvironment.

Forexample,ifyoutakeasnapshotwhilethevirtualmachineisdownloadingafile
fromaserveronthenetwork,thevirtualmachinecontinuesdownloadingthefile,
communicatingitsprogresstotheserver.Ifyoureverttothesnapshot,communications
betweenthevirtualmachineandtheserverareconfusedandthefiletransferfails.
Anotherexampleistakingasnapshotwhileanapplicationinthevirtualmachineis
sendingatransactiontoadatabaseonaseparatemachine.Ifyoureverttothat
snapshotespeciallyifyourevertafterthetransactionstartsbutbeforeithasbeen
committedthedatabaseislikelytobeconfused.

Taking a Snapshot
Takingasnapshotisasynchronousoperation.Alluseroperationstothevirtual
machineduringthisperiodareblockedforsnapshotanddataconsistency.Thetime
takentodevelopasnapshotdependsontheamountofdataandtheloadontheserver.
Onaverage,thetimerangesfrom30to40secondsforminimalsnapshotcreation.

Youcantakeasnapshotwhileavirtualmachineispoweredon,poweredoff,or
suspended.Ifyouaresuspendingavirtualmachine,waituntilthesuspendoperation
hasfinishedbeforetakingasnapshot.

Youmustpoweroffthevirtualmachinebeforetakingasnapshotifthevirtualmachine
hasmultipledisksindifferentdiskmodes.Forexample,ifyouhaveaspecialpurpose
configurationthatrequiresyoutouseanindependentdisk,youmustpoweroffthe
virtualmachinebeforetakingasnapshot.

To take a snapshot

1 ChooseInventory>VirtualMachine>Snapshot>TakeSnapshot.

YoucanalsoclicktheTakeasnapshotofthisvirtualmachinebutton,orrightclick
thevirtualmachineandchooseSnapshot>TakeSnapshot.

TheTakeVirtualMachineSnapshotwindowappears.

2 Typeanameforyoursnapshot.

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3 (Optional)Typeadescriptionforyoursnapshot.

Descriptionsareusefultoidentifydifferencesbetweensimilarlynamedsnapshots.
DescriptionsappearintheSnapshot Manager.

4 ClickOK.

Aprogresspopupmenuboxappears.Whenthesnapshothasbeensuccessfully
taken,itislistedintheRecentTasksfieldatthebottomofVirtualCenter.

5 Clickthetargetvirtualmachinetodisplaytasksandeventsforthismachineor,
whilethevirtualmachineisstillselected,clicktheTasks&Eventstab.

Changing Disk Mode to Exclude Virtual Disks from Snapshots

Youmustpoweroffanddeleteanyexistingsnapshotsbeforeyouattempttochangethe
diskmode.Deletingasnapshotinvolvescommittingtheexistingdataonthesnapshot
disktotheparentdisk.

To exclude a disk from a snapshot

1 ChooseInventory>VirtualMachine>EditSettings.

2 ClicktheHardwaretab,andselecttheharddiskyouwanttoexclude.

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3 UnderMode,selectIndependent.Independentdisksarenotaffectedby
snapshots.

Youhavethefollowingpersistenceoptionsforanindependentdisk:

PersistentChangesareimmediatelyandpermanentlywrittentothedisk.
Allchangestoanindependentdiskinpersistentmoderemain,evenwhenyou
reverttothatsnapshot.

NonpersistentChangestothediskarediscardedwhenyoupoweroffor
reverttothatsnapshot.

4 ClickOK.

Using the Snapshot Manager

TheSnapshotManagerletsyoureviewallsnapshotsfortheactivevirtualmachineand
actonthemdirectly.

TheSnapshotManagerwindowcontainsthefollowingareas:Snapshottree,Details
region,Commandbuttons,Navigationregion,andaYouarehereicon.

Figure 16-1. Snapshot Manager

SnapshottreeDisplaysallsnapshotsforthevirtualmachine.

YouarehereiconRepresentsthecurrentoperationalstateofthevirtualmachine.
TheYouarehereiconisalwaysselectedandvisiblewhenyouopentheSnapshot
Manager.

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TheYouarehereiconrepresentsastatethatisneverasnapshotitselfbutrather
thevirtualmachinestateaftertheparentsnapshot.Asnapshotisalwaysastatic
recordofavirtualmachinestate.TheYouareherestatecanbeoperationaland
changing.Evenwhenyoucreateasnapshotofapoweredofforsuspendedvirtual
machine,theYouareherestateisnotidenticaltothesnapshot.

YoucannotgotoorselecttheYouareherestate.Youareherealwaysrepresents
thecurrentandactivestate.

CommandButtonsTheSnapshotManagerhasthreecommandbuttonsintheleft
pane:Goto,Delete,andDeleteAll.

DetailsDisplaysthenameanddescriptionoftheselectedsnapshot.Thesefields
areblankifyouhavenotselectedasnapshot.

NavigationRegionContainsbuttonsfornavigatingoutofthedialogbox:

CloseClosestheSnapshotManager.

HelpOpensthehelpsystem.

To use the Snapshot Manager

1 ChooseInventory>VirtualMachine>Snapshot>SnapshotManager.

2 IntheSnapshotManager,selectasnapshotbyclickingit.
3 Togotoasnapshot,clicktheGotobuttontorestorethevirtualmachinetoany
arbitrarysnapshot.

TheGotocommandallowsyoutorestorethestateofanysnapshot.

4 ClickYesintheconfirmationdialogbox.

5 Todeleteasnapshot,clicktheDeletebuttontopermanentlyremoveasnapshot
fromVirtualCenteruse.
6 ClickYesintheconfirmationdialogbox.

7 Todeleteallsnapshots,clicktheDeleteAllbuttontopermanentlyremoveall
snapshotsfromVirtualCenteruse.

NOTEDeletecommitsthesnapshotdatatotheparentandthenremovesthe
selectedsnapshot.DeleteAllcommitsalltheimmediatesnapshotsbeforetheYou
areherecurrentstatetothebasediskandremovesallexistingsnapshotsforthat
virtualmachine.

8 ClickYesintheconfirmationdialogbox.

9 ClickClosetoexittheSnapshotManager.

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Restoring a Snapshot
VMwareVirtualCenterincludesthefollowingsnapshotmethodstoallowyoutoreturn
totheoriginalvirtualmachine:

TheInventory>VirtualMachine>Snapshotmenucontainsthecommand
Revert toSnapshot.

TheSnapshotManagerhasaGotobutton.

Parent Snapshot
TodiscernbetweentheReverttoSnapshotandGotocommands,youmust
understandwhatismeantbytheparentsnapshot.

Theparentsnapshotisthemostrecentlysavedversionofthecurrentstateofthevirtual
machine.Ifyouhavejusttakenasnapshot,thatstoredstateistheparentsnapshotof
thecurrentstate(Youarehere).Ifyourevertorgotoasnapshot,thatsnapshotbecomes
theparentofthecurrentstate(Youarehere).

TheparentsnapshotisalwaysthesnapshotappearingimmediatelyabovetheYouare
hereiconintheSnapshotManager.

Figure 16-2. Parent Snapshot

Parent Snapshot

NOTETheparentsnapshotisnotalwaysthesnapshotyoutookmostrecently.For
example,ifyoutakeasnapshottodayandthenGotoasnapshotyoutookyesterday,
thesnapshotyoutooktodayisnolongertheparentofthecurrentstateofthevirtual
machine.Theparentsnapshothasbecomethesnapshotyoutookyesterday.

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Revert to Snapshot Command

ReverttoSnapshotisessentiallyashortcuttotheparentsnapshotofYouarehere.This
commandimmediatelyactivatestheparentsnapshotofthecurrentstateofthevirtual
machine.

Thecurrentdiskandmemorystatesarediscardedandrestoredastheywerewhenyou
tookthatsnapshot.Ifyourparentsnapshotwastakenwhenthevirtualmachinewas
poweredoff,choosingSnapshot>ReverttoSnapshotmovesthepoweredonvirtual
machinetothatparentstate,thatis,toapoweredoffstate.

Figure 16-3. Revert to Snapshot

Virtual machine with no snapshots.

take a
snapshot
The new snapshot (snapshot_a) is
now the parent of the You are here
state. The parent snapshot of the You
are here state is the parent snapshot
of the virtual machine.
take a
snapshot When you take a snapshot from the
snapshot_a state, snapshot_a
becomes the parent of the new
shapshot (snapshot_b) and
snapshot_b is the parent shapshot of
the You are here state. If you take a
snapshot now, the new snapshot will
be based on the You are here state,
go to
whose parent snapshot is the
snapshot_a snapshot_b state.

When you go to snapshot_a,

snapshot_a becomes the parent of the
You are here state. If you take a
snapshot now, the new snapshot will
be based on the snapshot_a state.

When you revert a virtual machine, the virtual machine returns to the parent snapshot of the
virtual machine (that is, the parent of the current You are here state).

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Therearethreewaystoreverttotheparentsnapshot:

ChooseInventory>VirtualMachine>Snapshot>ReverttoSnapshot.

ClicktheReverttosnapshotbuttononthetoolbar.

Rightclickthevirtualmachine,andchooseSnapshot>ReverttoSnapshot.

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 17

Managing Users, Groups,

Permissions, and Roles 17
Thischapterdescribesusers,groups,permissions,androles.VirtualCenterand
ESX Serverhostsdeterminethelevelofaccessfortheuserbasedonthepermissions
assignedtotheuser.Thecombinationofusername,password,andpermissionsisthe
mechanismbywhichVirtualCenterandESXServerhostsauthenticateauserforaccess
andauthorizetheusertoperformactivities.Theserversandhostsmaintainlistsof
authorizedusersandthepermissionsassignedtoeachuser.

NOTEYoumustbeinAdminviewfortheAdmin>Rolesmenuitemtobeenabled.

Privilegesdefinebasicindividualrightsrequiredtoperformactionsandread
properties.ESXServerandVirtualCenterusesetsofprivileges,orroles,tocontrol
whichindividualusersorgroupscanaccessparticularVMwareInfrastructureobjects.
ESXServerandVirtualCenterprovideasetofpreestablishedroles.Youcanalsocreate
newroles.

TheprivilegesandrolesassignedonanESXServerhostareseparatefromthe
privilegesandrolesassignedonaVirtualCenterServer.Ifyouhaveprivilegesandroles
assignedonanESXServerhostandthenaddthathosttotheVirtualCenterServer
inventory,onlytheprivilegesandrolesassignedthroughtheVirtualCenterServerare
recognized.IfyouthenremovethehostfromtheVirtualCenterServerinventory,the
previouslysetESXServerhostprivilegesandrolesareused.

Foracompletelistofprivilegesavailable,seeAppendix A,DefinedPrivileges,on
page 331.

Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

AccessElementsonpage 266

AccessRulesonpage 266

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Usersonpage 269

Groupsonpage 271

Permissionsonpage 271

Rolesonpage 272

AccessPermissionsonpage 278

Access Elements
AccesstoVMwareInfrastructureobjectsandactivitiesisestablishedthroughthe
combinationof:

LogIninformationUsernameandpassword.

GroupsAmethodforgroupingindividualusers.

Youcanmanageusersmoreeasilybyassigningthemtogroups.Ifyoucreate
groups,youcanapplyaroletothegroup,andthisroleisinheritedbyalltheusers
inthegroup.

RolesAdefinedcollectionofprivileges.

Rolesareacollectionofdefinedprivilegesthatcontrolindividualuserorgroup
accesstoparticularVMwareInfrastructureobjects.ESXServerandVirtualCenter
Serverprovideasetofdefaultroles.Youcanalsocreatenewroles.

PrivilegesAparticularrightcorrespondingtoasetofoperationsormethodson
aclassofobjects.

PermissionsThecombinationoftheroleplususerorgroupnameassignedtoa
VMwareInfrastructureinventoryobject.

Theroleandauserorgroupnamemakeapair.ThispairisassignedtoaVMware
Infrastructureobject.Typically,thisroleanduserpairingispropagatedtothe
childrenintheinventoryhierarchy.Thepairiscalledapermission.

Access Rules
Thefollowingisalistofgeneralrulestoconsiderwhenconfiguringyourusersand
groupspermissions.

Usersdonotneedtologoutandloginforchangestotakeeffect.Allchangestakeeffect
immediately.

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Hierarchical Inheritance
Propagationissetperpermissionrule,notuniversallyapplied.Permissionsdefinedfor
asubobjectalwaysoverridethosepropagatedfromparentobjects.

Withrespecttopermissions,therearethreetypesofelementsinthehierarchy.Theyare:

ManagedentityThesecanhavepermissionsdefinedonthem.

Virtualmachines
Folders
Datacenters
Clusters
Hosts
Resourcepools
Templates

RelatedtoamanagedentityThesecannothavepermissionsdefinedonthem,
butinheritaccessfromtheobjecttheyarerelatedto.Examplesinclude:

Networks
Datastores

GlobalentityThesealwaysgettheirpermissionsfromtherootnode.Examples
include:

Customfields
Licenses
Statisticsintervals
Roles
Sessions

Multiple Permission Settings

Objectsmighthavemultiplepermissions,butatmostoneforeachuserorgroup.

Ifyouapplypermissions,theyoverrideeachotherdownthehierarchy.Ifpermissions
aredefinedonthesameentity,acoupleofsituationsarepossible:

Ifauserisamemberofmultiplegroupswithdifferentpermissions.Foreach
objectthegrouphaspermissionson,thesamepermissionsapplyasifgrantedto
theuserdirectly.

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Ifmultiplegrouppermissionsaredefinedonthesameobjectandtheuser
belongstotwoormoreofthosegroups:

Ifthereisnopermissiondefinedexplicitlyfortheuseronthatobject,theuser
isassignedtheunionofprivilegesassignedtothegroupsforthatobject.

Ifthereisapermissiondefinedexplicitlyfortheuseronthatobject,that
permissiontakesprecedenceoverallgrouppermissions.

Example1:Expandingauserspermissions

Role1canpoweronvirtualmachines.

Role2cantakesnapshotsofvirtualmachines.

GroupAisgrantedRole1onvirtualmachine.

GroupBisgrantedRole2onvirtualmachine.

User1isnotassignedspecificpermission:

User1,whobelongstogroupsAandB,logson.

User1canbothpoweronandtakesnapshotsofvirtualmachine.

Example2:Limitingauserspermissions

Role1canpoweronvirtualmachines.

Role2cantakesnapshotsofvirtualmachines.

GroupAisgrantedRole1onvirtualmachineparentfolder.

GroupBisgrantedRole2onvirtualmachine.

User1ReadOnlypermissionisremovedonvirtualmachine:
User1cantakesnapshotsbutnotpoweron.

Tasks Requiring Settings on Multiple Objects

Whensettingpermissions,verifythatalltheobjecttypesaresetwithappropriate
privilegesforeachparticularaction.Someoperationsrequireaccesspermissionatthe
rootfolderinadditiontoaccesspermissionsontheobjectbeingmanipulated.Some
operationsrequireaccessorperformancepermissionataparentfolderandarelated
object.

SeeAppendix A,DefinedPrivileges,onpage 331foralistofpredefinedrolesand

associatedprivileges.Usethesepredefinedrolestohelpdeterminetherole+object
pairingrequiredtoperformyourchosentask.

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Example3:Addingavirtualmachine

Role3canaddvirtualmachines.

Role4isreadonly.

GroupCisgrantedRole3onHost1.

GroupCisalsograntedRole4ontheparentfolderordatacenterforHost1s
associateddatastoresandnetworks.

Theseobjectsinherittheirpermissionsfromtheirparentfolderordatacenter.
SettingbothpermissionsallowsGroupCuserstoaddavirtualmachinetothe
host.

Example4:Delegatingresources

UsingdefaultrolesforResourcePoolAdministrator,VirtualMachineUser,
andReadOnly

GrantUser1theroleofResourcePoolAdministratoronResourcePoolA.

GrantUser1theroleofVirtualMachineUseronallthevirtualmachinesin
ResourcePoolA.

GrantUser1therole,ReadOnlyonthefolderordatacentercontainingthe
datastoresandnetworksassociatedwithResourcePoolA.

Becauseresourcepoolsaffectmultipleinventoryobjectsyoumustassignvarious
privilegesonselectedobjectstoeffectivelyperformtasks(inthiscase,delegating
resourceswithinaresourcepoolontothevirtualmachinesinthatresourcepool).

Users
AuserisanindividualauthorizedtologintoanESXServerhostortoVirtualCenter.
Usersonahostfallintotwocategories:thosewhocanaccesstheESXServerhost
throughVirtualCenterandthosewhocanaccessthehostbydirectlyloggingintothe
hostfromVIClient,VIWebAccess,athirdpartyclient,oracommandshell.Thesetwo
categoriesdrawusersfromdifferentsources:

VirtualCenterusersAuthorizedusersforVirtualCenterarethoseincludedinthe
WindowsdomainlistreferencedbyVirtualCenterorlocalWindowsusersonthe
VirtualCenterhost.

YoucannotuseVirtualCentertomanuallycreate,remove,orotherwisechange
users.Ifyouneedtomanipulatetheuserlistorchangeuserpasswords,youmust
dosothroughthetoolsyounormallyusetomanageyourWindowsdomain.

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AnychangesyoumaketotheWindowsdomainarereflectedinVirtualCenter.
BecauseyoucannotdirectlymanageusersinVirtualCenter,theuserinterface
doesntprovideauserlistforyoutoreview.Youseethesechangesonlywhenyou
selectuserstoconfigurepermissions.

DirectaccessusersUsersauthorizedtoworkdirectlyonanESXServerhostare
thoseaddedtotheinternaluserlistbydefaultwhenESXServerisinstalledorby
asystemadministratorafterinstallation.

IfyoulogintoanESXServerhostasrootusingtheVIClient,youcanperforma
varietyofmanagementactivitiesfortheseusers,suchaschangingpasswords,
groupmemberships,permissions,andsoforth.Youcanalsoaddandremove
users.

EvenifthelistsmaintainedbyanESXServerhostandVirtualCenterappeartohave
commonusers(forinstance,ausercalleddevuser),theseusersshouldbetreatedas
separateuserswhohavethesamename.TheattributesofdevuserinVirtualCenter,
includingpermissions,passwords,andsoforth,areseparatefromtheattributesof
devuserontheESXServerhost.IfyoulogintoVirtualCenterasdevuser,youmighthave
permissiontoviewanddeletefilesfromadatastore.IfyoulogintoanESXServerhost
asdevuser,youmightnot.

UsersandgroupsintheVMwareInfrastructureenvironmentarecreatedusingthe
followingmethods:

WhentheVIClientisconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServersystem,usersand
groupsaredefinedthroughthestandardmethodsforWindowsdomainsorActive
Directory.YoudonotcreateusersandgroupsforaccesstotheVirtualCenterServer
throughtheVIClient.

WhentheVIClientisconnectedtoanESXServerhost,usersandgroupsare
definedthroughtheUsersandGroupstab.

EachESXServerhosthastwodefaultusers:

Therootuserhasfulladministrativeprivileges.Administratorsusethisloginand
itsassociatedpasswordtologintoahostthroughtheVIClient.Rootusershavea
completerangeofcontrolactivitiesonthespecifichostthattheyareloggedonto,
includingmanipulatingpermissions,creatinggroupsandusers,workingwith
events,andsoforth.

WARNINGSeetheAuthenticationandUserManagementchapteroftheESXServer3
ConfigurationGuideorESXServer3iConfigurationGuideforinformationaboutrootusers
andyourESXServerbeforeyoumakeanychangestotherootuser.Mistakesherecan
haveseriousaccessconsequences.

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ThevpxuseruserisaVirtualCenterentitywithrootrightsontheESXServerhost,
allowingittomanageactivitiesforthathost.Thevpxuseriscreatedatthetimethat
anESXServerhostisattachedtoVirtualCenter.ItisnotpresentontheESX Server
hostunlessthehostisbeingmanagedthroughVirtualCenter.

CAUTIONDonotchangevpxuseranddonotchangeitspermissions.Ifyoudoso,you
mightexperienceproblemsworkingwiththeESXServerhostthroughVirtualCenter.

ForinformationoncreatingusersandgroupsforusewithVirtualCenterServer,see
Microsoftdocumentation.

ForinformationoncreatingusersandgroupforusewithESXServer,seetheSecurity
sectionoftheESXServer3ConfigurationGuideorESXServer3iConfigurationGuide.

Groups
Youcanefficientlymanagesomeuserattributesbycreatinggroups.Agroupisasetof
usersthatyouwanttomanagethroughacommonsetofrulesandpermissions.When
youassignpermissionstoagroup,theyareinheritedbyallusersinthegroup.Using
groupscansignificantlyreducethetimeittakestosetupyourpermissionsmodel.

ThegrouplistsinVirtualCenterandanESXServerhostaredrawnfromthesame
sourcesastheuserlists.IfyouareworkingthroughVirtualCenter,thegrouplistis
calledfromtheWindowsdomain.IfyouareloggedontoanESXServerhostdirectly,
thegrouplistiscalledfromatablemaintainedbythehost.

TheVirtualCenterServergrantsaccesstoeachinventoryobjectbyassigningarolewith
definedprivilegesandauserorgrouptoeachobject.Rolesareadefinedsetofaccess
privileges.

IndividualpermissionsareassignedthroughtheVirtualCenterServerortheESXServer
hostbypairingauserandaroleandassigningthispairtoaninventoryobject.

Permissions
InVMwareInfrastructure,apermissionisdefinedasanaccessrolethatconsistsofa
userandtheusersassignedroleforanobject,suchasavirtualmachineorESXServer
host.Permissionsgrantuserstherighttoperformspecificactivitiesandmanage
specificobjectsonaspecifichostor,ifusersareworkingfromVirtualCenter,all
VirtualCentermanagedobjects.Forexample,toconfigurememoryforanESXServer
host,youmusthavehostconfigurationpermissions.

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Mostusershavelimitedabilitytomanipulatetheobjectsassociatedwiththehost.
However,ESXServerprovidefullaccessrightsandpermissionsonallvirtualobjects,
suchasdatastores,hosts,virtualmachines,andresourcepools,totwousers:rootand
vpxuser.

Asroot,youcangrantpermissionsonahosttoindividualusersorgroups.Through
VirtualCenter,youcangrantpermissionstoanyuserorgroupincludedinthe
WindowsdomainlistreferencedbyVirtualCenter.

NOTEBydefault,alluserswhoaremembersoftheWindowsAdministrators
groupontheVirtualCenterServeraregrantedthesameaccessrightsasanyuser
assignedtotheAdministratorrole.UserswhoaremembersoftheAdministrators
groupcanloginasindividualsandhavefullaccess.

Themethodyouusetoconfigurepermissionsdirectlyonahostisidenticaltothe
methodyouusetoconfigurepermissionsinVirtualCenter.Thelistofprivilegesisthe
sameforESXServerandVirtualCenter.

NOTEWhenyouconnectdirectlytoanESXServerhostusingtheVIClient,youcannot
setvirtualmachineonlypermissions.Tosetpermissionsonindividualvirtual
machines,connecttothehostthroughVirtualCenterServer.

ThetableinAppendix Aliststheaccesspermissions.

Roles
VirtualCenterandESXServergrantaccesstoobjectsonlytouserswhohavebeen
assignedpermissionsfortheobject.Whenyouassignauserorgrouppermissionsfor
theobject,youdosobypairingtheuserorgroupwitharole.Aroleisapredefinedset
ofprivileges.

VirtualCenterandESXServerhostsprovidedefaultroles:

SystemrolesSystemrolesarepermanentandtheprivilegesassociatedwith
theserolescannotbechanged.

SamplerolesSamplerolesareprovidedforconvenienceasguidelinesand
suggestions.Theserolescanbemodifiedorremoved.

Youcanalsocreatecompletelynewroles.Table 171liststhedefaultrolesthatcanbe
pairedwithauserandassignedtoanobject.

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Table 17-1. Default Roles

Role Role Type Description User Capabilities

NoAccessUser system Cannotvieworchangetheassignedobject.

VIClienttabsassociatedwithanobjectdisplay
withoutcontent.
Thisisthedefaultroleforallusersexceptthoseusers
intheAdministratorsgroup.

ReadOnlyUser system Viewthestateanddetailsabouttheobject.

ViewallthetabpanelsintheVIClientexceptthe
consoletab.Cannotperformanyactionsthroughthe
menusandtoolbars.

Administrator system Allprivilegesforallobjects.

Add,remove,andsetaccessrightsandprivilegesfor
alltheVirtualCenterusersandallthevirtualobjectsin
theVMwareInfrastructureenvironment.
Thisisthedefaultroleforallmembersofthe
Administratorsgroup.

VirtualMachine sample Performactionsonvirtualmachinesonly.

User Interactwithvirtualmachines,butnotchangethe
virtualmachineconfiguration.Thisincludes:
Allprivilegesforthescheduledtasksprivileges
group.
Selectedprivilegesfortheglobalitemsandvirtual
machineprivilegesgroups.
Noprivilegesforthefolder,datacenter,datastore,
network,host,resource,alarms,sessions,
performance,andpermissionsprivilegesgroups.

VirtualMachine sample Performactionsonthevirtualmachineandresource

PowerUser objects.
Interactandchangemostvirtualmachine
configurationsettings,takesnapshots,andschedule
tasks.Thisincludes:
Allprivilegesforscheduledtaskprivilegesgroup.
Selectedprivilegesforglobalitems,datastore,and
virtualmachineprivilegesgroups.
Noprivilegesforfolder,datacenter,network,host,
resource,alarms,sessions,performance,and
permissionsprivilegesgroups.

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Table 17-1. Default Roles (Continued)

Role Role Type Description User Capabilities

ResourcePool sample Performactionsondatastores,hosts,virtualmachines,

Administrator resources,andalarms.
Providesresourcedelegationandisassignedto
resourcepoolinventoryobjects.Thisincludes:
Allprivilegesforfolder,virtualmachine,alarms,
andscheduledtaskprivilegesgroups.
Selectedprivilegesforglobalitems,datastore,
resource,andpermissionsprivilegesgroups.
Noprivilegesfordatacenter,network,host,
sessions,orperformanceprivilegesgroups.

Datacenter sample Performactionsonglobalitems,folders,datacenters,

Administrator datastores,hosts,virtualmachines,resources,and
alarms.
Setupdatacenters,butwithlimitedabilitytointeract
withvirtualmachines.Thisincludes:
Allprivilegesforfolder,datacenter,datastore,
network,resource,alarms,andscheduledtask
privilegesgroups.
Selectedprivilegesforglobalitems,host,and
virtualmachineprivilegesgroups.
Noprivilegesforsession,performance,and
permissionprivilegesgroups.

VirtualMachine sample Performactionsonglobalitems,folders,datacenters,

Administrator datastores,hosts,virtualmachines,resources,alarms,
andsessions.Thisincludes:
Allprivilegesforallprivilegegroups,except
permissions.

Allrolespermittheusertoscheduletasksbydefault.Userscanscheduleonlytasks
theyhavepermissiontoperformatthetimethetasksarecreated.Usetheroleediting
facilitiesintheVIClienttocreateprivilegesetsthatmatchyouruserneeds.Ifyouuse
theVIClientconnectedtoVirtualCentertomanageyourhosts,youhaveadditional
rolestochoosefromVirtualCenter.TherolesyoucreatedirectlyonanESXServerhost
arenotaccessiblewithinVirtualCenter.Youcanworkwiththeserolesonlyifyoulog
intothehostdirectlyfromtheVIClient.

Activitiesyoucanperformwithrolesaredescribedinthefollowingsections:

CreatingRolesonpage 275

CloningRolesonpage 276

EditingRolesonpage 277

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RemovingRolesonpage 277

RenamingRolesonpage 278

NOTEChangestopermissionsandrolesareimplementedimmediately,evenifthe
usersinvolvedareloggedon.

Creating Roles
Someofthedefaultrolesarepreconfiguredandcannotbechanged.Ifyouhave
situationsthatrequireadifferentcombinationofaccessprivileges,createanadditional
roleormodifytheprovidedsamplerolestosuityourneeds.

To create a role

1 LogintotheVIClientconnectedtoeitheraVirtualCenterServeroranESXServer
hostasauserwithAdministratorprivileges.

2 FromtheVIClient,clicktheAdminbuttoninthenavigationbar.ClicktheRoles
tab.

3 RightclickintheRolestabinformationpanel.ChooseAdd.

TheAddRoledialogboxappears.

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4 Typeanameforthenewrole.

5 Selecttheprivilegesyouwantthenewroletohave.Clicktheplus(+)signsto
expandthelists,asneeded.ClickOKtocompletetheprocess.

Cloning Roles
Youcanmakeacopyofanexistingrole,renameit,andlatereditit.Whenyoumakea
copy,thenewroleisnotautomaticallyappliedtothesameuserorgroupsandobjects.

To clone a role

1 FromtheVIClient,clicktheAdminbuttoninthenavigationbar.ClicktheRoles
tab.

2 Toselecttheroletoduplicate,clicktheobjectinthelistofRoles.

3 Toclonetheselectedrole,chooseAdministration>Role>Clone.

Aduplicateoftheroleisaddedtothelistofroles.ThenameisCopy of
<rolename>.

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Editing Roles
Whenyoueditarole,youhavetheoptiontochangeanyoralloftheprivilegesselected
forthatrole.Whencompleted,thesenewprivilegesareappliedtoanyuserorgroup
assignedtheeditedrole.

To edit a permissions role

1 FromtheVIClient,clicktheAdminbuttoninthenavigationbar.ClicktheRoles
tab.

2 Toselecttheroletoedit,clicktheobjectinthelistofRoles.

3 ChooseAdministration>Role>EditRole.
4 Selecttheprivilegesyouwantthenewroletohave.Clicktheplus(+)signsto
expandthelists,asneeded.

5 ClickOKtocompletetheprocess.

Removing Roles
Whenyouremovearole,ifitisnotassignedtoanyusersorgroups,thedefinitionis
removedfromthelistofpossibleroles.Whenyouremovearolethatisassignedtoa
userorgroupyoucanremoveallassignmentsorreplacethemwithanassignmentto
anotherrole.

CAUTIONBesurethatyouunderstandhowuserswillbeaffectedbeforeremovingall
assignmentsorreplacingthem.

To remove an existing role

1 FromtheVIClient,clicktheAdminbuttoninthenavigationbar.ClicktheRoles
tab.

2 Toselecttheroletoremove,clicktheobjectinthelistofroles.

YoucanselectmultiplerolesusingtheCtrlorShiftkeys.

3 ChooseAdministration>Role>Remove.

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4 Toconfirmthatyouwanttodeletetheselectedrole,clickOK.

Theroleisremovedfromthelistandisnolongeravailableforassigningtousers
orgroups.

Iftheroleisassignedtoauserorgroup,awarningmessageappears.

5 SelectoneoftheradiobuttonoptionsandclickOK.

Theoptionsare:

RemoveRoleAssignmentsThisoptionremovesanyconfigureduseror
group+rolepairingsontheserver.Ifauserorgroupdoesnothaveanyother
permissionsassigned,theyloseallprivileges.

ReassignaffecteduserstoThisoptionreassignsanyconfigureduseror
group+rolepairingstotheselectednewrole.

Renaming Roles
Roles,likemostotherVMwareInfrastructureobjects,canberenamed.

To rename an existing role

1 FromtheVIClient,clicktheAdminbuttoninthenavigationbar.ClicktheRoles
tab.

2 Toselecttheroletorename,clicktheobjectinthelistofroles.

3 ChooseAdministration>Role>Rename.

4 Typethenewname.PressEnterorclickanotherobject.

Access Permissions
ForeachobjectintheVMwareInfrastructurehierarchy,determinethepermissionsfor
eachVirtualCenteruserandgroup.

NOTESeveraluserscanaccesstheVirtualCenterServerfromdifferentVMware
InfrastructureClientsessionsatthesametime.VMwareInfrastructuredoesnot
explicitlyrestrictuserswiththesameauthenticationcredentialsfromaccessingand
takingactionwithintheVMwareInfrastructureenvironment.

IfyouremoveusersfromanESXServerhost,seetheSecuritychapterintheESXServer3
ConfigurationGuideorESXServer3iConfigurationGuideforprocessandconsequences.

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IfyouremoveusersfromtheVirtualCenterdomain,theylosepermissionstoallobjects
intheVMwareInfrastructureandwillnotbeabletologinagain.Userswhoare
currentlyloggedonandareremovedfromthedomainretaintheirVMware
Infrastructurepermissionsonlyuntilthenextvalidationperiod(thedefaultisevery
24 hours).Removingagroupdoesnotaffectthepermissionsgrantedindividuallyto
theusersinthatgroup,orthosegrantedaspartofinclusioninanothergroup.

Ifyouchangeausersnameinthedomain,theexistingusernamebecomesinvalidin
theVMwareInfrastructuresystem.Thesamemethodologyappliestogroups,butthis
appliestoagrouponlyafterVirtualCenterServerhasbeenrestarted.

Assigning Access Permissions

Afteranyadditionalrolesaredefinedandusersandgroupsarecreated,youmust
assigntheusersandgroupstheirroles,withassociatedpermissions,totherelevant
inventoryobjects.

To assign a user or group permission

1 LogintotheVIClientasauserwiththeAdministratorprivileges.

2 FromtheVIClient,clicktheInventorybuttoninthenavigationbar.Expandthe
inventoryasneeded,andclicktheappropriateobject.

Theobjectsthatcanhavepermissionsassignedtothemare:

InVirtualCenterFolders,datacenters,clusters,resourcepools,hosts

InESXServerResourcepools,thehost,virtualmachines

3 Withtheappropriateobjectselected,clickthePermissionstab.

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4 RightclickinthePermissionstabandchooseAddPermission.

5 ChoosearolefromtheAssignedRoledropdownmenu.

Thismenudisplaysalltherolesthathavebeenassignedtothathost.Whentherole
isdisplayed,theprivilegesgrantedontherolearelistedinthesectionbelowthe
roletitleforreferencepurposes.

6 (Optional)SelectthePropagatetoChildObjectscheckbox.

Ifthischeckboxisselected,theroleisalsoappliedtoallchildobjectsoftheselected
inventoryobject.Mostofthetimeselectingthisboxisappropriate.

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7 ClicktheAddbuttontoopentheSelectUsersorGroupsdialogbox.

SeeAdjustingtheSearchListinLargeDomainsonpage 282forinformationon
adjustingthelistofusersandgroupsyouselectfrom.

8 Identifytheuserorgroupthatisbeingassignedthisrole:

a ChoosethedomainwheretheuserorgroupislocatedfromtheDomain
dropdownmenu.

b TypeanameintheSearchboxorselectanamefromtheNamelist.

c ClickAdd.

ThenameisaddedtoeithertheUsersorGroupslist.

d RepeatstepathroughStep ctoaddadditionalusersorgroups.

e ClickOKwhenfinished.

Ifyouknowtheuserorgroupname,youcantypeitintheNamefieldmanually.

9 Verifytheusersandgroupsareassignedtotheappropriatepermissions,andclick
OK.

10 Tofinishthetask,clickOK.

Theserveraddsthepermissiontothelistofpermissionsfortheobject.
Thelistofpermissionsreferencesallusersandgroupsthathaverolesassignedto
theobject,andindicateswhereintheVirtualCenterhierarchytheroleisassigned.

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Adjusting the Search List in Large Domains

Ifyouhavedomainswiththousandsofusersorgroupsinthem,adjustthesearch
settingsforuseintheSelectUsersorGroupsdialogbox.

NOTEThisprocedureappliesonlytoVirtualCenteruserlists.ESXServeruserlists
cannotbesearchedinthesameway.

To adjust users and groups search parameters

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,chooseAdministration>
VirtualCenterManagementServerConfiguration.
TheVirtualCenterConfigurationwizardappears.

2 Whenthewizardisdisplayed,clicktheActiveDirectorylistitem.

3 Changethevaluesasneeded:

ActiveDirectoryTimeoutSpecifiesinsecondsthemaximumamountof
timeVirtualCenterallowsthesearchtorunontheselecteddomain.Searching
verylargedomainscantakeaverylongtime.

EnableQueryLimitandUsers&GroupsvalueSpecifiesthemaximum
numberofusersandgroupsVirtualCenterdisplaysfromtheselecteddomain
intheSelectUsersorGroupsdialogbox.Tospecifynomaximumlimit,
deselectthecheckbox.

EnableValidationandValidationPeriodSpecifiesthetimeinminutes
betweenpermissionschecks.VirtualCenterverifiesthatallusersandgroups
knowntoVirtualCentercurrentlyexistinWindows.

Forexample,ifuserSmithwasassignedpermissionsandinthedomainthe
usersnamewaschangedtoSmith2,VirtualCenterconcludesthatSmithno
longerexistsandremovespermissionsforthatuser.

Similarly,ifuserSmithisremovedfromthedomain,allpermissionsare
irrelevant.ThatisuntilanewuserSmithisaddedtothedomain.Thenewuser
SmithreceivesallthepermissionstheolduserSmithwasassigned,unlessyou
usethisoptiontodeleteolduserSmithfromthesystem.

Todeactivatethevalidationfunctions,deselectthecheckbox.

NOTEPermissionsarealwaysvalidatedwhentheserverstarts.Evenifthe
serverisdisabled.

4 ClickOK.

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Changing Access Permissions

Afterauserorgroup+rolepairissetforaninventoryobject,theonlychangeyoucan
makeistotherolepairedwiththeuserorgroupandthePropagatecheckbox.Youdo
havetheoptiontoremovethepermissionsetting.SeeRemovingAccessPermissions
onpage 284forinformation.

To change the permission role for a user or group

1 FromtheVIClient,clicktheInventorybuttoninthenavigationbar.Expandthe
inventoryasneeded,andclicktheappropriateobject.

2 Withtheobjectselected,clickthePermissionstab.
3 Toselecttheuserorgroup+rolepairthatyouwanttochange,clicktheappropriate
lineitem.

4 ChooseInventory>Permissions>Properties.

5 Toselecttheappropriaterolefortheuserorgroup,choosefromthedropdown
menu.ClickOK.

6 Topropagatetheprivilegestothechildrenoftheassignedinventoryobject,click
thePropagatecheckbox.

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Removing Access Permissions

Removingapermissionforauserorgroupdoesnotremovetheuserorgroupfromthe
listofthoseavailable.Italsodoesnotremovetherolefromthelistofavailableitems.
It removestheuserorgroup+rolepairfromtheselectedinventoryobject.

To remove a permission role for a user or group

1 FromtheVIClient,clicktheInventorybuttoninthenavigationbar.Expandthe
inventoryasneeded,andclicktheappropriateobject.

2 Withtheobjectselected,clickthePermissionstab.

3 Toselecttheuserorgroup+rolepairthatyouwanttodelete,clicktheappropriate
lineitem.

4 ChooseInventory>Permissions>Delete.

TheVMwareInfrastructureserverremovesthepermissionsetting.

NOTEThereisnoadditionalwarningthatthepermissionisgoingtoberemoved.

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 18

Setting Up and Monitoring

Performance Statistics and
Resource Maps 18
Thischapterdescribeshowtosetupperformancestatisticsforhosts,clusters,resource
pools,andvirtualmachines.Italsoprovidesinformationoncustomizingandviewing
performancechartsandresourcemaps.

Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

StatisticsCollectiononpage 285

PerformanceChartsonpage 293

ResourceMapsonpage 297

Statistics Collection
Youcancollectperformancestatisticsforallhosts,clusters,virtualmachines,resource
pools,andinyourenvironment.ThisincludesstatisticaldataonCPUs,disks,
networks,andthelike.VirtualCenterusesstatisticcounterstoqueryeachentityand
writesthedatatotheVirtualCenterdatabase.Toensureperformanceisnotimpaired
whencollectingandwritingthedatatothedatabase,VirtualCenterperformscyclical
queriesratherthanperformingonesinglequery.Italsousescollectionlevelsto
determinehowmanystatisticcounterstousewhilequeryingfordata.Combined,
collectionintervalsandcollectionlevelsenableyoutocontrolhowstatisticsare
collectedacrossyourenvironment.

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About Collection Intervals and Collection Levels

Bydefault,VirtualCenterhasfourcollectionintervals:Day,Week,Month,andYear.
Eachintervalspecifiesalengthofatimeduringwhichstatisticsarecollectedatacertain
frequency.Forexample,theDayintervalsetsstatisticstobecollectedevery5minutes
duringa1dayperiod,asshowninFigure 181,Example:DailyStatisticsCollection,
onpage 286.

Figure 18-1. Example: Daily Statistics Collection

Table 181belowliststhedefaultintervaldurationandcollectionfrequencyvaluefor
eachinterval.

Table 18-1. Interval Duration and Collection Frequency: Defaults

Collection Interval Collection
Interval Duration Frequency Configurable Attributes Possible Values

Day 1Day 5Minutes IntervalLength(Days)13

CollectionFrequency(Minutes)1,2,3,5

Week 1Week 30Minutes None

Month 1Month 2Hours None

Year 1Year 1Days IntervalLength(Years)13(SEEUPDATE)

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Eachcollectionintervalalsohasadefaultcollectionlevelthatdetermineshowmany
countersareusedwhencollectingstatisticsdata.Countersestablishwhichmetricsare
retrievedandrecordedinthedatabase.Youcanassignacollectionlevelof14toeach
collectioninterval,withlevel4havingthelargestnumberofcounters.Bydefault,all
collectionintervalsusecollectionlevel1.

NOTEThecollectionlevelforanintervalcannotbegreaterthanthecollectionlevelset
fortheprecedingcollectioninterval.Forexample,iftheMonthintervalissetto
collectionlevel3,theYearintervalcanbesettocollectionlevel1,2,or3,butnotto
collectionlevel4.

Table 182,StatisticCollectionLevels,onpage 287describesthestatisticscollection

levelsandprovidesrecommendationsonwhentousethem.

NOTEThecollectionlevelvalueforacollectionintervalmustbelessthanorequalto
thecollectionlevelsetfortheproceedingcollectioninterval.ThisisaVirtualCenter
dependency.

Table 18-2. Statistic Collection Levels

Collection Level Metrics Best Practice

Level1 Basicmetrics: Useforlongtermperformance

AverageusageforCPU,memory, monitoringwhendevice
disk,andnetworkcounters statisticsarenotrequired.
Systemuptimeandheartbeat Level1isthedefaultCollection
DRSmetrics LevelforallCollectionIntervals.

Level2 Allmetricsfor: Useforlongtermperformance

CPU,memory,disk,andnetwork monitoringwhendevice
counters statisticsarenotrequiredbut
youwanttomonitormorethan
Average,summation,andlatest
rolluptypes(doesnotinclude thebasicstatistics.
maximumandminimumrollup
types)
Systemuptimeandheartbeat
DRSmetrics

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Table 18-2. Statistic Collection Levels (Continued)

Collection Level Metrics Best Practice

Level3 Allmetricsforallcountergroups, Useforshorttermperformance

excluding monitoringafterencountering
thoseformaximumandminimum problemsorwhendevice
rolluptypes. statisticsarerequired.
Duetothelargequantityof
troubleshootingdataretrieved
andrecorded,uselevel3forthe
shortesttimeperiodpossible
theDayorWeekcollection
interval.

Level4 Allmetricsforallcountergroups Useforshorttermperformance

supportedbyVirtualCenter.
monitoringafterencountering
problemsorwhendevice
statisticsarerequired.
Duetothelargequantityof
troubleshootingdataretrieved
andrecorded,uselevel4forthe
shortestamountoftimepossible.

Collection Level Scenarios

Formostpurposes,settingthecollectionlevelto1or2isadequateforallcollection
intervals.Reasonstousecollectionlevel2:

Toidentifyvirtualmachinesthatcanbecolocatedbecauseofcomplimentary
memorysharing.

Todetecttheamountofactivememoryonahosttodeterminewhetheritcan
handleadditionalvirtualmachines.

Reasonstousecollectionlevel3:

TocomparereadyandwaittimesofvirtualCPUstodeterminetheeffectivenessof
VSMP.

Todiagnoseproblemswithdevices,orcompareperformanceamongmultiple
devices.

Reasonstousecollectionlevel4:

Todeterminewhetheradeviceisbeingsaturated.

Totroubleshooterrors.

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Using Collection Levels Effectively

Toretrievemoredetailedmetricsforashortperiodoftime,viewarealtimedata
chartratherthanincreasethecollectionlevel.Viewingrealtimedatahasless
impactonperformancebecausemetricsareretrieveddirectlyfromthesource
withoutbeingwrittentotheVirtualCenterdatabase.Formoreinformationondata
charts,seePerformanceChartsonpage 293.

Whenyouusecollectionlevel3or4todiagnoseproblems,resetthecollectionlevel
toitspreviousstateassoonaspossible.

Whenyouusecollectionlevel4,trytolimitthecollectionperiodtotheDay
intervalsothedatabaseisntimpacted.Ifyouneedtosavethedataforlongerthan
1day,increasetheDayintervaldurationto2or3ratherthanusetheWeek
interval.Forexample,ifyouneedtorecorddataovertheweekend,settheinterval
to3days.Asarule,increasethecollectionintervaltotheWeekintervalonlywhen
youneedtheintervaldurationtobemorethan3days.

How statistical data is stored in the database

Thestatisticaldataforeachcollectionintervalisstoredinitsowndatabasetable.Atthe
endofaninterval,oneoftwothingscanoccur:

Ifthenextintervalisdisabled,thedatainthetablethatisolderthantheinterval
durationispurged.

Ifthenextintervalisenabled,thedataisaggregatedintogroupsandisrolledupto
thedatabasetableofthesubsequentcollectioninterval.Forexample,saytheDay
intervalhasa5minutecollectionfrequencyandtheWeekintervalhasa30minute
collectionfrequency.WhentheDayintervalcompletes,itaggregatesthe5minute
queriesintogroupsof6(equalling30minutes)androllsthe30minutedatablock
totheWeekintervaldatabasetable.Thedayolddataisthenpurgedfromthe
databasetomakeroomfornewqueries.Figure 181,Example:DailyStatistics
Collection,onpage 286showsthedefaultrollupprocess.

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Figure 18-2. Default Rollup of Statistics Data

Youcontrolhowlongstatisticaldataisstoredinthedatabasebyenablingordisabling
acollectioninterval.Whenyoudisableacollectioninterval,allsubsequentintervalsare
automaticallydisabled.Forexample,whenyoudisabletheWeekinterval,theMonth
andYearintervalsarealsodisabled.DataispurgedattheendoftheDayintervalcycle
sincenorollupscanoccur.Oldestdataispurgedfirst.

NOTEYoumustmanuallyenableeachcollectionintervaltouseitagain;subsequent
collectionintervalsarenotenabledautomatically.Also,youcanonlyenableacollection
intervalifallpreviouscollectionintervalsareenabled.Forexample,toenablethe
Monthinterval,theDayandWeekintervalsmustbeenabled.

(SEEUPDATE)Bydefault,statisticsarestoredintheVirtualCenterdatabasefor1year;
however,youcanincreasethisto3years.VMwaresuggestsyouarchiveyourstatistical
dataoutsideoftheVirtualCenterdatabasetosaveitforlongerthan3years.

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Configuring Statistics Collection Intervals

Bydefault,allcollectionintervalsareenabledandqueryforstatisticsatcollectionlevel2.
Youcanchangethedefaultimplementationby:

Changingtheintervallengthorcollectionfrequency.

Changingthecollectionlevel.

Enablingordisablingacollectioninterval.

Toensureyourdatabasecanhandlethestatisticscollectionyouconfigure,VIClient
providesyouwithadatabaseestimationcalculatorinwhichyouenterthenumberof
hostsandvirtualmachinesinyourinventory.Thecalculatorusesthesenumbersto
determinehowmuchdatabasespaceisrequiredforthecollectioninterval
configurationyoudefined.Thisensuresyouhavenecessaryresources.

Forinformationonhowtousethedatabaseestimationcalculator,seeToestimatethe
statisticsimpactonthedatabaseonpage 293.

To configure collection intervals

1 InVIClient,chooseAdministration>VirtualCenterManagementServer
ConfigurationtoopentheVirtualCenterManagementServerConfiguration
dialogbox.

2 SelectStatisticsinthenavigationpanel.

3 Ifnecessary,selectthecollectionintervalcheckboxtoenableordisableit.

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4 Selecttherowcontainingthecollectioninterval.

5 ClickEdit.TheEditCollectionIntervaldialogboxopens.

6 Changethefollowingattributevalueswhereappropriate:

CollectionFrequency

Keepsamplesfor

CollectionLevel

NOTETokeepdatasamplesformorethan3years,archiveitoutsideofthe
VirtualCenterdatabase.

Foralistofcollectionintervalattributesthatareconfigurable,SeeTable 182,
StatisticCollectionLevels,onpage 287.

Foradescriptionofcollectionfrequencyandduration,seeAboutCollection
IntervalsandCollectionLevelsonpage 286.

7 ClickOK.

8 RepeatStep 3Step 7foreachcollectionintervaltochange.

9 Validatethenewconfigurationbyusingthedatabaseestimationcalculator.

EnterthenumberofPhysicalHostsinyourinventory.

EnterthenumberofVirtualMachinesinyourinventory.

To enable or disable a collection interval

1 IntheVirtualCenterManagementServerConfigurationdialogbox,select
Statistics.

2 Dooneofthefollowing:

Toenableacollectioninterval,selectitscheckboxunderIntervalDuration.

Todisableacollectioninterval,deselectitscheckboxunderInterval
Duration.

NOTEWhenyoudisableacollectioninterval,allsubsequentintervalsare
automaticallydisabled.

3 (Optional)Validatethechangebyusingthedatabaseestimationcalculator.

EnterthenumberofPhysicalHostsinyourinventory.

EnterthenumberofVirtualMachinesinyourinventory.

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To estimate the statistics impact on the database

1 Configureyourcollectionintervals.SeeToconfigurecollectionintervals.

2 EnterthenumberofPhysicalHostsinyourinventory.

3 EnterthenumberofVirtualMachinesinyourinventory.

Performance Charts
Performancechartsdisplayperformancedataforavarietyofmetrics.Performance
chartsareaccessiblethroughthePerformancetab,whichisavailableforhosts,clusters,
resourcepools,andvirtualmachines.Performancedataisspecifictothetypeofobject.
Forexample,virtualmachineperformancemetricsaredifferentfromcluster
performancemetrics.

Chartscandisplayrealtimedata(20secondintervalsforESXServer3.xhosts;
60 secondintervalsforESXServer2.xhosts)orhistoricaldata.Theamountofhistorical
datacollecteddependsonthefollowingsettings:

StatisticsCollectionIntervals

StatisticsCollectionLevels

Formoreinformationonthesesettings,seeConfiguringStatisticsCollection
Intervalsonpage 291.

RealtimedatacanbeviewedthroughaVIClientconnectedtoeitheraVirtualCenter
serverordirectlytoanESXServerhost.Historicaldata,however,canbeviewedonly
throughaVIClientconnectedtoVirtualCenter.Allperformancedataisavailableto
externalprogramsthroughtheVMwareInfrastructureSDK.

NOTEFullchartfunctionalityisavailabletoVIClientsessionsonlywhentheyare
connectedto,andwhenthemonitoreditemsaremanagedby,VirtualCenter.VIClients
connecteddirectlytoESXServerhostsonlydisplayrealtimestatisticsand5minute
statisticsfor1day.

Viewing Charts
Severalchartviewsarepreconfiguredforyou.Achartviewisacollectionofsettingsthat
definewhatdatathechartdisplays.Settingsforpreconfiguredviewscanbe
customized,orentirelynewviewscanbecreated.Chartsdisplaydataaslinegraphsor
stackedgraphs.Stackedgraphsarelimitedtodisplayingdataonasinglemetric,but
canplotthedataonthatmetricformultipleinventoryobjects.

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To view performance charts

1 Selectahost,cluster,resourcepool,orvirtualmachineintheinventorypanel.

2 SelectthePerformancetab.

Figure 18-3. VI Client displaying Performance tab for virtual machine.

3 SelectanoptionfromtheSwitchtomenutoviewadifferentchart.Preconfigured
chartsincludethefollowing:

CPUShowstheCPUusageinMHzoftheselectedinventoryobject.
Availableforcluster,resourcepool,host,andvirtualmachine.

MemoryShowstheamountofmemorygrantedtotheselectedinventory
object.Availableforcluster,resourcepool,host,andvirtualmachine.

DiskShowstheaggregatedstorageperformancestatisticsoftheselected
inventoryobject.Availableforhostandvirtualmachine.

NetworkShowstheaggregatednetworkperformancestatisticsofthe
selectedinventoryobject.Availableforhostandvirtualmachine.

SystemAvailableforhostandvirtualmachine.

ClusterServicesAvailableforDRS/HAclustersandhoststhatarepartof
DRSclusters.

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Saving Chart Data to a File

YoucansavechartdatatoafileinvariousgraphicsformatsorinMicrosoftExcel
format.

To save chart data to a file

1 InthePerformancetab,clicktheexporticon( )toopenafilebrowser.

2 Selectthelocationwhereyouwanttostorethefile.

3 Enteranameforthefile.

4 Selectafiletype(JPEG,PNG,GIF,Bitmap,MicrosoftOfficeExcelWorkbook).

5 ClickSave.

YoucanalsoexportperformancedataforaselectedinventoryitemtoaMicrosoftOffice
ExcelfilethroughtheExportPerformancedialogbox.Toaccessthatdialogbox,select
Report>PerformancefromtheFilemenu,orselectReportPerformancefromthe
inventoryitemsrightclickmenu.

Customizing Chart Views

Youcancustomizepreconfiguredviews,orcreateentirelynewviews.Newviewsare
addedtotheSwitchtomenu.Changestochartoptionstakeeffectimmediately.

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To customize charts

1 InthePerformancetab,clickChangeChartOptions.TheCustomizePerformance
Chartdialogboxisdisplayed.

Figure 18-4. Customize Performance Chart dialog box.

2 IntheChartOptionsarea,selectametricandatimerangetoaccessthesettingsfor
thatchart,orselectCustomtocreateanentirelynewchartwithatimerangeyou
specify.

3 AdjustthesettingstoyourlikingandclickApply.Seetheperformancechart
measurementtablesinAppendix Cfordetailedinformationaboutsettingoptions.

NOTEConsiderthefollowingwhencreatingastackedgraphchart:
AnynumberofitemsintheObjectsareacanbeselected.However,onlyone
itemintheCounterareacanbeselected.Astackedgraphcannotchartmore
thanonemeasurementoverasetofobjects.

Pervirtualmachinestackedgraphsareavailableonlyforhosts.Thehostand
allvirtualmachinesonitareavailableforselectionintheObjectsarea.

Somemetricsarenotapplicabletovirtualmachinestackedcharts.These
metricsarenotincludedinthelistofselectablemeasurements.

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To save your settings as a new chart view

1 IntheCustomizePerformanceChartdialogbox,clickSaveChartSettings.
The SaveSelectiondialogboxisdisplayed.

2 SelectachartandclickOK.YoursettingsaresavedandaddedtotheSwitchto
menu,andtheSaveSelectiondialogboxisclosed.

To delete chart views

1 IntheCustomizePerformanceChartdialogbox,clickManageCharts.Adialog
boxisdisplayed.

2 SelectachartandclickDelete.ThechartisdeletedanditisremovedfromSwitchto
menu.

3 ClickOKtoclosethedialogboxandreturntotheCustomizePerformanceChart
dialogbox.

Resource Maps
InVirtualCenter,amapisavisualrepresentationofyourdatacenterstopology.Maps
provideavisualrepresentationoftherelationshipsbetweenthevirtualandphysical
resourcesavailableinVirtualCenter.Thefollowingpreconfiguredmapviewsare
available:

VirtualMachineResourcesDisplaysvirtualmachinecentricrelationships.

HostResourcesDisplayshostcentricphysicalrelationships.

VMotionResourceDisplayspotentialhostsforVMotionmigration.SeeAbout
VMotionResourceMaps.

Amapviewlimitsorexpandsthescopeofamap,asdoesthelocationwhereyouare
viewingthemap.WhenaccessingmapviewsfromtheMapsbuttoninthenavigation
bar,allVirtualCenterresourcesareavailablefordisplay.Whenaccessingmapviews
fromtheMapstabofaselectedinventoryitem,onlyitemsrelevanttothatitemare
availablefordisplay.TheonlymapviewavailablethroughtheMapstabforvirtual
machineinventoryitemsistheVMotionResourcesview.Allmapviews,except
VMotionResourcesmaps,canbecustomized.

Viewingmapscanhelpyoudeterminesuchthingsaswhichclustersorhostsaremost
denselypopulated,whichnetworksaremostcritical,andwhichstoragedevicesare
beingutilized.

NOTEMapsareavailableonlywhentheVIClientisconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer.

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About VMotion Resource Maps

VMotionResourcemaps,likeothermaps,provideavisualrepresentationofthe
resources(hosts,datastores,andnetworks)associatedwiththeselectedvirtual
machine.Inadditiontothisbasicinformation,thesemapsalsoindicatethehostsinthe
virtualmachinesclusterordatacenterwhicharepotentialmigrationtargets.Thatis,
themapindicateswhichhostsarecompatiblewiththeselectedvirtualmachinesuch
thatVMotioncouldpotentiallymigratethevirtualmachinetooneofthecompatible
hosts.HostsmarkedasVMotioncompatiblemustmeetthefollowingcriteria:

DatastorecompatibilityHostmustbeconnectedtoallthesamedatastoresasthe
virtualmachine.

NetworkcompatibilityHostmustbeconnectedtoallthesamenetworksasthe
virtualmachine.

SoftwarecompatibilityHostmusthavecompatiblesoftwarewiththevirtual
machine.

CPUcompatibilityHostCPUmustbecompatiblewiththevirtualmachine.

NOTETheVMotionmapisnotaconclusivestatementastowhetherVMotionis
possiblebetweenthevirtualmachineandhostsidentifiedaspossiblemigrationtargets.
However,itdoesprovideinformationastowhetherVMotionmightbepossible,andif
not,whatanadministratormightdotoremedythesituation.

Map Elements and Icons

Thefollowingtabledescribesmapelementsandiconsaredescribedinthefollowing
table.

Table 18-3. Map Elements and Icons

Attribute Description

Hosticon.

AhostthatiscompatibleforVMotionmigration.Thecolorofthe
circlevariesinintensitybasedontheloadofthecurrenthost.Heavily
usedhostsarepale;lowloadhostsaresaturatedgreen.

AhostthatisnotcompatibleforVMotionmigration.

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Table 18-3. Map Elements and Icons (Continued)

Attribute Description

Virtualmachineicon.

Networkicon.

Datastoreicon.

Overviewsection Thumbnailgraphicofthefullscalemap.

MapRelationships Displayedwhenmorethanonemapviewisavailable.
section

Refreshlink Mapsdonotautorefresh.ClickRefreshtosynchronizeyourmap
withthecurrentstateoftheinventoryandtocenterthemapview.

Viewing Maps
GlobalmapsmapswhereallVirtualCenterobjectsareavailablefordisplayare
accessiblethroughtheMapsbuttoninthenavigationbar.

MapsforspecificinventoryobjectsareavailablethroughtheMapstabforthoseobjects.
ToaccessaninventoryobjectsMapstab,selecteithertheHostsandClustersorthe
VirtualMachinesandTemplatesoptionfromtheInventorybuttoninthenavigation
bar,thenselectaninventoryitem.

Youcancustomizeamapviewbyselectingordeselectingobjectsintheinventorypane
(globalmaps),orbyselectingordeselectingoptionsintheMapRelationshipsarea.

Youcanrepositionthemapbydraggingit(clickanywhereonthemap,hold,drag).A
greyboxintheoverviewarearepresentsthesectionofthetotalmapthatisviewable
andmovesasyoudragthemap.Youcanresizethegreyboxtozoominoroutofa
sectionofthemap.

YoucandoubleclickanyobjectinamaptoswitchtotheMaptabforthatitem
(providingaMaptabisavailableforthattypeofobject).Youcanrightclickonany
objectinamaptoaccessitsrightclickmenu.

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Printing Maps
YoucanprintmapsbyselectingFile>PrintMaps>Print,orbyclickingthePrintbutton
(globalmaps).

Exporting Maps
Youcanexportmapstoimagefiles(BPM,JPEG,orEMF)byselectingFile>Export>
ExportMaps,orbyclickingtheExportbutton(globalmaps).

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Managing Tasks, Events,

and Alarms 19
Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:

ManagingTasksonpage 301

ManagingEventsonpage 311

ManagingAlarmsonpage 316

Managing Tasks
ThissectiondescribeshowtoviewandscheduleVirtualCentertasks.Tasksareplanned
activities.Theseactivitiesarescheduledorinitiatedmanually.Tasksgenerateevent
messagesthatindicateanyissuesassociatedwiththetask.Therearetwokindsoftasks:

Anunscheduledtask,whichcanresultfromperforminganoperationthatmight
takeawhile,likeaddingahost.

Ascheduledtask,whichyousetuptoinitiateatafuturetime.

NOTETheviewsandcapabilitiesdisplayedvarydependingonwhetherthe
VI ClientisconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServeroranESXServer.Unlessindicated,
theprocess,task,ordescriptionappliestobothkindsofVIClientconnections.The
TasksoptionisnotavailablewhentheVIClientisconnectedtoanESXServer,but
itdoesoffertherecenttaskswindowatthebottomoftheVIClientwindow.

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Thissectioncontainsthefollowingsections:

UnderstandingTasksonpage 302

ViewingandPerformingTasksonpage 303

ManagingScheduledTasksonpage 305

ReschedulingaScheduledTaskonpage 308

RemovingaScheduledTaskonpage 308

CancelingaTaskonpage 309

Understanding Tasks
ThescheduledtasksoptionallowsyoutoconfigureselectedVirtualCenteractivitiesto
occuratdesignatedtimes.Thetimingoptionsincludeimmediately,later,orona
recurringbasis.Scheduledtasksareperformedinadditiontomanuallydriven
activities.

CreateascheduledtaskthroughtheNewTaskwizard,whichdisplaystheavailable
taskoptions.Afteryouselectanoption,thewizarddisplaysthepagesthatarerelevant
tothetypeoftaskyouarescheduling.TheNewTaskwizardendswhenyousetthe
timingofthetask.Afteryoucreateatask,youcanreschedulethetasktochangeits
timingandfrequency.

Ifthedirectionsofmanuallydrivenandscheduledactivitiesconflict,VirtualCenter
performswhicheveractivityisduefirst.Ifavirtualmachineisinanincorrectstateto
performanyactivity,manualorscheduled,VirtualCentersendsamessagetothelog
anddoesnotperformthetask.

Whenyoucreateascheduledtask,VirtualCenterverifiesthatyouhavethecorrect
permissionstoperformtheactionsontherelevantdatacenters,hosts,andvirtual
machines.Afterthetaskiscreated,thetaskisperformedevenifyounolongerhave
permissiontoperformthetask.

WhenanobjectisremovedfromVirtualCenter,allassociatedtasksarealsoremoved.

Eventsareloggedtotheeventlogatstartandcompletionofthetasks.Anyerrorsthat
occurduringthetaskarealsorecordedintheeventlog.

CAUTIONDonotschedulemultipletaskstobeperformedatthesametimeonthesame
object.Theresultsareunpredictable.

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Viewing and Performing Tasks

Youhavetheoptiontoviewthelistoftasksassociatedwithparticularinventoryobjects
orthecompletelistoftasksassignedtotheentireVirtualCenterinventory.Tasks
includeactivitiessuchaspoweringonoroffavirtualmachine,cloningavirtual
machine,oraddingavirtualmachinetoaresourcepool.

TasksarenottrackedorscheduledonyourESXServerhostunlesstheESXServeris
registeredandconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer.

To view recent tasks

FromtheVIClientconnectedtoanESXServeroraVirtualCenterServer,clicktheTasks
togglebuttononthelowerleftsideoftheVIClientwindow.

To perform a task on an ESX Server

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoanESXServer,clicktheInventorybuttoninthe
navigationbar.Expandtheinventoryasneeded,andclicktheobjectwherethe
actionistobeperformed.

2 Choosetheactivityfromthemainorpopupmenuassociatedwiththeobject.

Forexample,selectavirtualmachine,rightclick,andchoosethePowerOnoption.

To schedule or view a list of tasks on an ESX Server

AddthehosttotheVirtualCenterinventory.

SeeAddingaHostonpage 129formoreinformation.

ToscheduleataskonaVirtualCenterServer,seeManagingScheduledTaskson
page 305.

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To view a list of tasks completed on a VirtualCenter Server

1 FromtheVIClient,clicktheInventory,andclicktherootfolder.

2 ClicktheTask&Eventstab.ClicktheTasksbuttonontheTasks&Eventspanel.

3 Clickataskinthepanel.

DetailedinformationappearsintheTaskDetailspane.

To sort the list of tasks

1 FromtheVIClient,displaytheinventorypanel,selecttheappropriateobjectand
viewtheTasks&Eventspanel.

2 Clickthecolumntitle.Ittogglesbetweenascendinganddescendingsort.

To filter the list of tasks

1 FromtheVIClient,expandtheinventoryasneeded,andclicktheappropriate
object.

2 ClicktheTask&Eventstab.ClicktheTasksbuttonontheTasks&Eventspanel.

3 ChooseView>Filtering,ifneeded.

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 Chapter 19 Managing Tasks, Events, and Alarms

4 Clickthelistarrow,andclickthecolumntoincludeinthefiltersearch.

5 Typeakeywordintothebox,andpressEnter.

Thelistoftasksdisplaysonlythoseitemsthatcontainthekeywordyoutyped.

Managing Scheduled Tasks

Youcanscheduletaskstooccuratdesignatedtimes.Eachscheduletaskoptionrunsthe
correspondingwizardforthetaskandaddsaschedulingtimeoptionattheendofthe
wizard.ThepossibletasksthatcanbescheduledthroughtheNewTaskwizardare
listedbelow.Seethelisteddocumentforinformationoncompletingtheindividualtask
wizards:

Changethepowerstateofavirtualmachine(seeChangingVirtualMachine
PowerStatesonpage 169)

Createavirtualmachinetemplate(seeCreatingTemplatesonpage 204)

MoveavirtualmachinewithVMotion(seeMigrationwithVMotionon
page 233)

Createavirtualmachine(seeUsingtheNewVirtualMachineWizardon
page 144)

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Takeasnapshotofavirtualmachine(seeUnderstandingSnapshotsonpage 253)

Customizeavirtualmachine(seePreparingforGuestCustomizationon
page 216)

Addahost(seeAddingaHostonpage 129)

NOTEAnyoperationcanbesetasascheduledtaskthroughtheVMware
InfrastructureAPI.However,onlyasubsetofalloperationscanbepartofa
scheduledtaskthroughtheVIClient.

To create a scheduled task

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,clicktheScheduledTasks
optioninthenavigationbar.

Thecurrentlistofscheduledtasksappears.

2 ClickNewinthetoolbar,orchooseFile>New>ScheduledTask.

3 Selectthetaskyouwanttoschedulefromthedropdownmenu.ClickOK.

4 Completethetaskspecificinformation.

TheNewTaskwizarddisplaysaseriesofpagesthatcorrespondtothepagesyou
seewhenyouperformthetaskstartingfromtheselectedobject.

Seethesectionorthemanualthatisappropriateforeachoptionforspecific
informationoneachtask.Mostoftheschedulingprocessesdifferfrommanually
performedtasksonlyinthatyoumustspecifythevirtualmachine,host,or
datacentertowhichthetaskappliesandspecifythetimetoperformthetask.

5 Selectthefrequencyofthescheduledtask,andcompetetheschedulingaccording
totheoptiondescribedinTable 191.

ThetimewhenascheduledtaskoccursisrelativetotheVirtualCenterServerand
nottothelocalVIClientfromwhichyouconfigurethetask.

NOTEOnlyonetimingschedulecanbesetpertask.Tosetmorethanone
frequencytype,setupadditionaltasks.

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Table 19-1. Scheduled Task Frequency Options

Frequency Procedure to Set

Once Torunthescheduledtaskimmediatelyaftercreation,selectNow,and
clickNext.
Torunthescheduledtaskatalaterdateandtime,dothefollowing:
1 SelectLater.
2 TypeaclocktimeintheTimefield.
3 ClicktheDatearrowtodisplayacalendar.Selectadatebyclicking
itonthecalendar.
Clicktheleftandrightarrowstoviewadditionalmonths.Selectthe
monthandchoosefromthelist.Selecttheyearbyclickingtheupand
downarrows.
4 ClickNext.
AfterStartup Entertheamountofdelay,andclickNext.

Hourly Enterthestarttimeafterthebeginningofthehourandtheinterval
(for example,15minutesaftereveryeighthours).ClickNext.

Daily Enterthestarttimeandinterval.ClickNext.
Forexample,enter14:30everyfourthdaytorunthetaskat2:30pmevery
fourdays.

Weekly Enterthestarttime,dayoftheweek,andinterval.ClickNext.
Forexample,TuesdaysandThursday,8:00am,everysecondweek.
You canselectmultipledaysoftheweek.
Monthly Enterthestarttime,dayofthemonth,andinterval.ClickNext.
Forexample,entersecondThursdayofthemonth,11:00everythird
month.
Ifyouselectadayhigherthan28,awarningmessageisdisplayed
becausesomemonthsare29,30,or31days.
Thelast<day>ofthemonthselectsthelastweekinthemonththatthe
dayoccurs.IfyouselectthelastMondayofthemonth,andthemonth
endsonaSunday,thelastMondaywillbesixdaysbeforetheendofthe
month.

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6 Tocompletethewizard,clickFinish.

VirtualCenteraddsthetasktothelistintheScheduledTaskstab.

Rescheduling a Scheduled Task

Youcanchangethepropertiesofscheduledtasks:

NOTETheVIClientconvertstolocaltimewhenitandtheVirtualCenterServerare
locatedindifferenttimezones.Forexample,assumetheVirtualCenterServerislocated
inEasternStandardTime(EST),andtheVIClientislocatedinPacificStandardTime
(PST),threehoursbehindEST.Assumeauserschedulesatasktorunatnoon,Monday
PST.BeforetheVIClientsendsthetasktotheVirtualCenterServer,itconvertsthe
executiontimetoMonday,3pmEST.Auserinyetadifferenttimezonewillseethetask
scheduledforwhateverMonday,3pmESTequatestointheirlocaltime.

To edit a scheduled task

1 ClickScheduledTasksinthenavigationbar.

2 RightclickonataskandselectProperties.

Thewizardassociatedwiththetaskisdisplayed.

3 Edittaskpropertiesthroughthewizard.

Removing a Scheduled Task

Removingascheduledtaskremovesallfutureoccurrencesofthetask.Thehistory
associatedwithallpreviousexecutionsofthetaskremainsintheVirtualCenterdatabase.

NOTERemovingataskdiffersfromcancelingatask.Cancelingataskstopsatask
currentlyoccurring,whetherstartedmanuallyorschedule.Removingataskremoves
futureoccurrencesofascheduledtask.

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To remove a task that has been scheduled

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,clicktheScheduledTasks
optioninthenavigationbar.

Thelistofscheduledtasksappears.

2 Selecttheappropriatetaskfromthelist.ChooseInventory>ScheduledTask>
Remove.

VirtualCenterremovesthetaskfromthescheduledtasklist.

3 Toverifythatyouwanttoremovethetask,clickOK.

Thetaskisdeletedfromthelistoftasks.

Canceling a Task
Onlytasksthatareinprocesscanbecanceled.Andonlyselected(scheduledor
manuallyinitiated)taskscanbecanceledwhileinprocess.Cancelingataskwhileitis
runningrequiresthatyouhavetheappropriatepermissionsassignedtothehostwhere
thetaskisoccurring.

NOTEThecancelingoperationisnotallowedifoneorbothofthehostsinvolvedisan
ESXServerversion2.0.1.

Cancelingataskdiffersfromremovingatask.Cancelingataskstopsataskcurrently
occurring,whetherstartedmanuallyorscheduled.Removingataskremovesfuture
occurrencesofascheduledtask.

Thetasksthatcanbecanceledaftertheystartare:

Connectingtoahost
Cloningavirtualmachine

Migratingavirtualmachine

Deployingatemplate

Creatingatemplatefromavirtualmachine

Cloningatemplate

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To cancel a task that is currently running

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,viewtheRecentTasks
panel.

2 IftheRecentTaskspanelisnotcurrentlydisplayed,clickTasksatthelowerleft
corneroftheVIClientwindow.

3 Selecttheappropriatetaskfromthelist.

4 Rightclickthetask,andchooseCancel.

Notalltaskscanbecancelled.Ifthecanceloptionisunavailable,theselectedtask
cannotbecancelled.

VirtualCenterstopsprogressonthetask,returnstheobjectstotheirprevious
states,anddisplaysthetaskascanceled.

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Managing Events
AneventisanyactionthatisofinteresttotheVirtualCenterServerortheESXServer.
Eacheventtriggersaneventmessage.Alleventmessagesarearchivedonthe
VirtualCenterServersdatabase.Vieweventmessagesfromtwolocations:

TheEventsoptioninthenavigationbardisplaysalleventsthathaveoccurredon
theVirtualCenterServer.

AnEventstabforanyobjectundertheInventorybutton.TheseEventstablistings
showonlytheeventsthatoccurredonortotheselecteddatacenter,host,orvirtual
machine.
Themostrecenteventsappearattheendofascrollablelist.Messagesareidentifiedby
type:Information,Error,orWarning.Messagesarealsocolorcoded.Ashortenedevent
messageappearsinthedescriptionportionofthepanel.Amoredetailedversionofa
selectedeventmessageappearsintheEventDetailsportionofthepanel.Typically,the
EventDetailentryindicatesthehostorvirtualmachineonwhichtheeventoccurred
anddescribestheactionthatoccurred.Theobjectoftheeventisalinktotheobjects
individualeventpage.

Thissectioncontainsthefollowing:

ViewingAllEventMessagesonpage 311

ViewingSelectedEventMessagesonpage 313

SortingandFilteringEventMessagesonpage 314

ExportingEventMessagesonpage 315

Viewing All Event Messages

TheEventstabisavailablewhenyouselectaresourcepool,host,orvirtualmachine
objectfromtheInventorypanel.ThisviewoftheeventsisavailablewhentheVIClient
isconnectedtoanESXServer.

NOTEWhenconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,Eventsarecombinedwiththe
Tasks tab.

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Figure 19-1. VI Client Connected to ESX Server > Inventory > Virtual Machine >
Events Tab

To view event details

FromtheInventorypanel,clicktheEventstab.Clickanevent.

TheEventDetailsfielddisplaysadditionalinformationabouttheevent:

EventsaremessagesthatreportVMwareInfrastructureClientactivity.Event
messagesarepredefinedintheproduct.

Logsarestoredreferenceinformationrelatedtoselectedeventmessages.Logsare
predefinedintheproduct.Youcanconfigurewhetherselectedlogsaregenerated
ornot.

NOTETheviewsandcapabilitiesdisplayedvarydependingonwhethertheVI
ClientisconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServeroranESXServer.Unlessindicated,
theprocess,task,ordescriptionappliestobothkindsofconnections.

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Viewing Selected Event Messages

EachobjectintheinventorypanelhasanEventstabintheinformationpanel.Each
eventthatappearsisanobjectspecificsubsetofalltheserverevents.

To view the event messages and event detail for an object

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoeitheraVirtualCenterServeroranESXServer,
clicktheInventorybuttoninthenavigationbar.Expandtheinventoryasneeded.

2 Intheinventorypanel,selectafolder,cluster,resourcepool,host,orvirtual
machine,asappropriate.

Ifyouselectahost,theeventmessagesforallthevirtualmachinesonthathostare
includedintheEventslog.

3 ClicktheEventstab.

4 Clicktheevent.

AfulltextmessagewithlinkstorelatedobjectsappearsintheEventDetailsbox.

5 ClickanyofthebluehighlighteditemsintheEventsDetailsbox.

Theviewchangestodisplaytheselectedlinkedobject.

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Sorting and Filtering Event Messages

Sortallitemsinthelistbyclickinginthecolumnlabelheading.Atriangleinthecolumn
headshowsthesortorderasascendingordescending.

To sort a list

Clickthecolumnheadingtoresortthelistbytheentriesinthatcolumn.Thecurrent
selectiondoesnotchange.

To change ascending or descending order

Clickthecolumnheadingtotogglebetweenascendinganddescendingorder.

To choose items in a list

Clickanindividualitem.UseShiftclicktochoosemultipleitemsintheEventspanel.

To view selected columns only

Rightclickanycolumnhead,andchoosefromthelistofdatafieldstobedisplayed.

To search and list selected items

1 ChooseView>Filteringtoseethefilteringoptions.

2 Entertextintothedatafield.ClickCleartoemptythedatafield.

Entriesinmultiplecolumnsthatmatchthesearchtermaredisplayed.Inthe
example,thesearchwordpowerisfoundinboththeDescriptionandtheTask
columnentries.

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Exporting Event Messages

Youcanexportallorpartoftheeventslogfile.

To export the events file

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,chooseFile>Export>
ExportEvents.

2 Specifythetimerangeofmessagesandthetypeofmessagestoexport.

3 Specifyafilename,filetype,andlocationfortheexportedfile.ClicktheBrowse
buttontoviewtheSaveAsdialogbox.

Thefileissavedasatextfile.

4 SelecttheTyperadiobuttontoindicatethetypeoferrorstoincludeintheexported
file.

Youcanspecifywhethertoincludeusergeneratedorsystemgeneratedevents.

Youcanspecifyallusers,oryoucanspecifyTheseusersandclickBrowsetoselect
asubsetofusers.

5 Specifythetimerangeofeventstoexport.OptionsareHours,Days,Weeks,
Months,andFrom/Todateranges.

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6 Specifythenumberofeventstoexport,eitheralloraspecificnumber.

7 ClickOKtocreateafileoftheselecteddata.

VirtualCentercreatesafileoftheselecteddatabasedonthefileextensionprovidedand
storesthefileatthespecifiedlocation.Ifnofileextensionisprovided,thedefaultisa
textfile.ThefilecontainsType,Time,andDescription.

Managing Alarms
Alarmsarespecificnotificationsthatoccurinresponsetoselectedevents.Somealarms
aredefinedbyproductdefault.Additionalalarmscanbecreatedandappliedto
selectedinventoryobjectsorallinventoryobjects.

NOTETheviewsandcapabilitiesdisplayedvarydependingonwhethertheVIClient
isconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServeroranESXServer.TheAlarmsoptionisnot
availablewhentheVIClientisconnectedtoanESXServer.

Thissectioncontainsthefollowingtopics:

UnderstandingAlarmsonpage 317

PreparingforEmailMessageSMTPAlarmNotificationonpage 319

PreparingforSNMPAlarmNotificationonpage 320

CreatingAlarmsonpage 321

EditingAlarmsonpage 326

RemovingAlarmsonpage 327

TheAlarmstabintheinventorypaneldisplaysthelistofalarmsfortheselectedobject
thatareactivatedupondesignatedevents.Alarmscanapplytohostsandvirtual
machines,andcanbedefinedinparententitiessuchasfoldersorresourcepools.

NOTEAlarmsareconfigurableonlythroughtheVirtualCenterServer.ESXServer
hostsconnectedtoaVIClientdirectlydonothavethealarmsfunctionality.Togetthe
alarmfeatures,havetheVirtualCenterServermanagetheESXServer.

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TheAlarmstabhastwoviewsavailablethroughbuttons:

AlarmsDisplaystriggeredalarmsagainsttheselectedinventoryitem.

Figure 19-2. VI Client Connected to VirtualCenter Server > Inventory: Hosts and
Clusters > Host > Alarms Tab > Alarms Button

DefinitionsDisplaysthealarmsthataremonitoringtheselectedinventoryitem.
Iftheeventconfiguredinanalarmoccurs,thealarmistriggeredandtheserver
takestheconfiguredaction(forexample,sendsanemailnotification).

Figure 19-3. VI Client Connected to VirtualCenter Server > Inventory: Hosts and
Clusters > Host > Alarms Tab > Definitions Button

Understanding Alarms
Alarmssendnotificationmessageswhenselectedeventsoccurtooronhostsorvirtual
machines.Alarmsindicatethestatuslevelsofanobjectorcollectionofobjectsinthe
hierarchy.Alarmscanbedefinedatallhierarchicallevels,includingfolders,
datacenters,clusters,resourcepools,hosts,andvirtualmachines.

Alarmsareinheritedfromparentlevelsandcannotbechangedoroverriddenatachild
level.Whenyouaddnewalarmstoanyobjectyoucontributetothecollectionofalarms
thatareinforceatanyofitschildlevels.

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Whenanalarmiscreated,VirtualCenterverifiestheuserpermissionstoperformthe
actionsontherelevantdatacenters,hosts,andvirtualmachines.Afterthealarmis
created,thealarmisperformedevenifthecreatingusernolongerhaspermissionto
createthealarm.

Alarmsareappliedtoeitherhostsorvirtualmachines.Eachalarmhasatriggering
eventandanotificationmethod.

Therearetwokindsofalarmtriggers:

MetricTriggeranalarmwhenaparticularpropertyofamonitoredobjectfalls
withinaparticularrangeofvaluesforaperiodoffiveminutes.Forexample,the
HostCPUUsagetriggercanbesettotriggeranalarmwhentheCPUusagerises
aboveorfallsbelowaspecifiedpercentagevalue.

Alarmsformetrictriggersaretriggeredonlywhenthespecifiedmetricmeetsthe
triggerconditionforfiveminutes.Thispreventsalarmsfromtriggeringdueto
transientspikesinthemonitoredmetric.

StateTriggeranalarmwhenamonitoredobjectentersaspecifiedstate.
For example,theHostStatetriggercanbesettotriggeranalarmwhenthehost
entersanyofthefollowingstates:None,Connected,Disconnected,or
Not responding.Alarmsforstatetriggersaretriggeredimmediatelywhenthe
specifiedstateisreached.

Thereareseveraltypesofalarmnotificationmethods:

Sendanotificationemailmessage

SMTPsendsanemailmessage.TheSMTPmustbereadywhentheemailmessage
issent.TherearetwowaystosetSMTP:throughVirtualCenterorthrough
MicrosoftOutlookExpress.TheVirtualCentersetupisnotalwaysneededifthe
SMTPsettinginOutlookExpressiscorrect.

TheVirtualCenterServergeneratesthesubjectandbodytextoftheemailmessage.
OnlytheTolist(receiver)isrequiredfromuserinput.Specifytheemailmessage
addresswherethemessageshouldbesent.Separatethenamesofmultiple
recipientswithcommasorsemicolons.

Sendanotificationtrap

TheVirtualCenterServeristhedefaultSNMPnotificationreceiver.AnSNMPtrap
viewerisrequiredtoviewasenttrap.TheVirtualCenterServerhostmustbe
configuredtoreceiveSNMPtraps.SeePreparingforSNMPAlarmNotification
onpage 320.

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Runascript

Theuserscriptcommandanditsargumentsmustbeformattedintoonestring.

TheuserscriptisrunningasseparateprocessanddoesnotblocktheVirtualCenter
Serverprocesses.Butthescriptdoesrunandconsumetheresourcesonthe
VirtualCenterServermachine,suchasprocessorandmemory.

Suspendthevirtualmachine

Poweroffthevirtualmachine

Resetthevirtualmachine

Theactionsavailablewithalarmsaredescribedinthefollowingsections:

PreparingforEmailMessageSMTPAlarmNotificationonpage 319

PreparingforSNMPAlarmNotificationonpage 320

CreatingAlarmsonpage 321

EditingAlarmsonpage 326

RemovingAlarmsonpage 327

Preparing for Email Message SMTP Alarm Notification

IfyouwanttouseemailmessagestosendSMTPnotifications,youmust:

DefinetheSMTPandemailmessageaddressinginformation.

Specifytheemailmessageaddressforthoseintendedtoreceivethenotification
whenyoucreatethealarm.

To define the SMTP and email message addressing information

1 FromtheVIClient,chooseAdministration>VirtualCenterManagementServer
Configuration.

2 ClickMailinthenavigationlist.

3 Foremailmessagenotification,settheSMTPserverandSMTPport:

SMTPServerTheDNSnameorIPaddressoftheSMTPgatewaytousefor
sendingemailmessages.

SenderAccountTheemailaddressofthesender,forexample,mail_server
datacenter.com.(SEEUPDATE)

4 ClickOK.

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Preparing for SNMP Alarm Notification

TouseSNMPtraps,youmustconfigure:

TheVirtualCenterServerhost.

TheSNMPreceiverservertoacceptthetrapsfromVirtualCenter.

Whenyoucreateanalarm,onlyonetrapistriggeredandsent.Thealarmparameters
include:

TypeThestateVirtualCenterismonitoringforthealarm.OptionsincludeHost
Processor(orCPU)usage,HostMemoryusage,HostState,VirtualMachine
Processor(orCPU)usage,VirtualMachineMemoryusage,VirtualMachineState,
VirtualMachineHeartbeat.

NameThenameofthehostorvirtualmachinethattriggersthealarm.

OldStatusThealarmstatusbeforethealarmwastriggered.

NewStatusThealarmstatuswhenthealarmistriggered.

ObjectValueTheobjectvaluewhenthealarmistriggered.

To define the SNMP information

1 FromtheVIClient,chooseAdministration>VirtualCenterManagementServer
Configuration.

2 ClickSNMPinthenavigationlist.

3 EntertheSNMPandmailaddressing,asappropriate:

ConfigureuptofourreceiversofSNMPtraps.Theymustbeconfiguredin
numericalorder,1,2,3,and4.EachSNMPtraprequiresacorrespondinghost
name,portandcommunity.Forexample:

ReceiverURLTheDNSnameandIPaddressoftheSNMPreceiver.

ReceiverportTheportnumberofthereceiver.

Iftheportvalueisempty,VirtualCenterusesthedefaultport.Thedefaultport
is902.

CommunityStringThecommunityidentifier.

4 ClickOK.

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Creating Alarms
IfyouplantouseemailmessageorSNMPnotification,seePreparingforEmail
MessageSMTPAlarmNotificationonpage 319anddefinetheaddressinformation
beforeyoucreateyouralarm.

To create an alarm

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,clicktheInventorybutton.
Expandtheinventoryasneeded,clicktheappropriateobject,clicktheAlarmstab,
andclicktheDefinitionsbutton.

2 ChooseFile>New>Alarm.

Ifyoustartfromafolder,datacenter,orcluster,theAlarmPropertiesdialogbox
displaystheoptiontocreateanalarmforeitherahostoravirtualmachine.Ifyou
startfromaresourcepool,host,oravirtualmachine,MonitorahostorMonitora
VMispreselectedandtheotheroptionisdimmed.

3 Selectthealarmtype.

4 IntheGeneraltab,specifyanameforthealarm,theobjecttobemonitored(host
orvirtualmachine),thetriggerpriority,andwhethertoenablethisalarm.

TriggerprioritiescanbesettoRedorGreen:

RedThedefault,triggersthealarmsprioritizedredasfirst,thenyellow,and
greenalarmslast.

GreenTriggersthealarmsprioritizedasgreenfirst,thenyellow,andred
alarmslast.

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5 Todefinethealarmbutnotmakeitactive,deselecttheEnablebox.

6 ClicktheTriggerstabandtheAddbutton.

IntheTriggerstab,therearefourdropdownmenus:
TriggerType

Theoptionslistedapplytoeitherthehostorvirtualmachine.

Forhostalarms,theoptionsareHostProcessor(orCPU)Usage,Host
MemoryUsage,HostNetworkUsage,HostDiskUsage,HostState,and
HostHardwareHealth.

Forvirtualmachinealarms,theoptionsareVMProcessor(orCPU)Usage,
VMMemoryUsage,VMNetworkUsage,VMDiskUsage,andVMState.

Condition

TheoptionsformetrictriggersareIsAboveandIsBelow.

NOTEAlarmsformetrictriggersaretriggeredonlywhenthespecifiedmetric
meetsthetriggerconditionforfiveminutes.Thispreventsalarmsfrom
triggeringduetotransientspikesinthemonitoredmetric.

TheoptionsforstatetriggersareIs(state)andIsNot(state).

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Warning(Yellow)stateormetricvalueandAlert(Red)stateormetricvalue

Percentageoptionsrangefrom5percentto100percentin5percent
increments.Fornonpercentagemetrics,suchasNetworkUsage,youcantype
anyvalue.

(SEEUPDATE)Virtualmachinestateoptionscorrespondtotheseactivities:
Creating,Migrating,Connecting,Disconnecting,MigratingwithVMotion,
Reconnecting,Removing,Resetting,Resuming,Starting,Stopping,
Suspending,Disconnected,Initial,Orphaned,PoweredOff,PoweredOn,and
Suspended.Hoststateoptionscorrespondtotheseactivities:Connecting,
Disconnecting,Reconnecting,Removing,Shuttingdown,Connected,and
Disconnected.Exitingstateisconsideredayellowconditionatselectedstate.

Thecolorscorrespondingtotheexiting/fromandentering/tostatesaresetin
theActionstab.ThedefaultisFromyellowtored.

7 (Optional)Definemultipleconditionsforthealarmtriggeringevent.ClickAdd.
Entertheparametersforeachcondition.

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8 Specifythereportingfrequencywhenthealarmistriggered.Enteravaluefor
ToleranceandoneforFrequency.

9 Specifytheactiontobetakenwhenthealarmistriggered.

10 ClicktheActionstab.ClicktheAddbutton.Clicktheappropriatecheckbox.

Therearefourdifferentlevelchanges:greentoyellow,yellowtored,redtoyellow,
andyellowtogreen.Attachanactionforeachchangefromoneleveltoanother.

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11 Choosetheactiontobetakenwhentheeventistriggeredandspecifythe
associatedinformation.

Theoptionsare:

Sendanotificationemail.

ProvidetheemailaddressofthenotificationrecipientintheValuefield.

SMTPsendsanotificationemail.TheSMTPmustbereadywhentheemailis
sent.TherearetwowaystosetSMTP:throughVirtualCenterorthrough
MicrosoftOutlookExpress.VirtualCentersetupisnotalwaysneededifthe
SMTPsettinginOutlookExpressiscorrect.

VirtualCenterServergeneratestheemailmessagesubjectandbodytext.Only
thetolist(receiver)isrequiredfromuserinput.Specifytheemailaddress
towhichthemessageshouldbesent.Separatemultiplerecipientswith
commasorsemicolons.SeePreparingforEmailMessageSMTPAlarm
Notificationonpage 319.

Sendanotificationtrap.

ThereisadefaultSNMPnotificationreceiver,theVirtualCenterServer.An
SNMPtrapviewerisrequiredtoviewasenttrap.TheVirtualCenterServer
hostmustbeconfiguredtoreceiveSNMPtraps.SeePreparingforSNMP
AlarmNotificationonpage 320.

Runascript.

Ifthescriptisa.exe file,providethepathtothescripttorun.Ifthescriptis
a.batfile,providethescriptpathasanargumenttothe
c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe command.Forexample,toexecuteascript
locatedinc:\alarmscript.bat,givethescriptpathas
c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe /c c:\alarmscript.bat.

Theuserscriptcommandanditsargumentsmustbeformattedintoone
string.
TheuserscriptrunsinotherprocessesanddoesnotblocktheVirtualCenter
Serverfromrunning.However,thescriptconsumesserverresources,suchas
processorandmemory.
{eventDescription} full formatted message for alarm triggering
event
{targetName} name of the entity name where the alarm is triggered
{alarmName} name of the alarm that is triggered
{triggeringSummary} summary info of the alarm with triggering
values
{declaringSummary} summary info of the alarm declaration

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{oldStatus} alarm status before it is triggered

{newStatus} alarm status after it is triggered
{target} inventory object as triggering alarm
Example scripts:
"c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe /c c:\MyAlarmProcess.bat {targetName}
{alarmName}"

Twoalarmtriggeringparametersarepassedtothebackfile.Thefirst
parameteristhenameoftheentity,andthesecondisthenameofthealarm.
WhentheentitynameisMyEntityandalarmnameisMyAlarm,thescript
becomes"c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe /c c:\MyAlarmProcess.bat
MyEntity MyAlarm".
"d:\tools\alarm.exe '{targetName}' '{alarmName}' {newStatus}"

Threealarmtriggeringparametersarepassedtotheexecutionfile.Thefirstis
theentityname,thesecondisthealarmname,andthethirdisthealarmstatus
aftertriggering.Whentheentitynameismy dummy vm,thealarmnameismy
test alarm,andthenewstatusisred,thescriptbecomes:
"d:\tools\alarm.exe my dummy vm my test alarm red

Poweron,Poweroff,Suspend,orResetthevirtualmachine.

Theseapplyonlytoavirtualmachinealarm.

12 Tocompletethealarm,clickOK.

VirtualCenterverifiestheconfigurationofthealarmandaddsthealarmtothelist
ofalarmsfortheselectedobject.

NoticethattheDefinedIncolumnindicateswhereintheinventoryhierarchythe
alarmisdefined.

Editing Alarms
Alarmscanbemodified,butyoumusteditthematthehierarchicallevelwherethey
werecreated.Asimplechangeistoenableordisablethealarm.Ifanalarmisdisabled,
anXappearsonthealarmlistingicon.

To edit an existing alarm

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,clicktheInventorybutton
inthenavigationbar.Expandtheinventoryasneeded,clicktheAlarmstab,and
clicktheDefinitionsbutton.

2 Ifthealarmyouwanttochangeisnotdefinedatthecurrentlocation,clickthe
linkedobjectintheDefinedincolumn.

VirtualCenterdisplaystheAlarmspanelfortheobjectwherethealarmwasdefined.

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3 Selectthealarmtoedit.ChooseInventory>Alarm>EditSettings.Theentryin
theDefinedincolumnforthealarmmustbeThisobject.

4 Editthealarmgeneralsettings,triggers,oractions,asneeded.ClickOK.

VirtualCenterverifiestheconfigurationofthealarmandeditsthealarmforthe
selectedobject.SeeCreatingAlarmsonpage 321foradditionalinformation.

Removing Alarms
Removealarmsfromtheobjectinwhichtheyweredefined.Youcannotremovethem
fromachildthatinheritedthealarm.

To remove an alarm

1 FromtheVIClientconnectedtoaVirtualCenterServer,clicktheInventorybutton
inthenavigationbar.Expandtheinventoryasneeded,clicktheAlarmstab,and
clicktheDefinitionsbutton.

2 Ifthealarmyouwanttochangeisnotdefinedatthecurrentlocation,clickthe
linkedobjectintheDefinedincolumn.VirtualCenterdisplaystheAlarmspanel
fortheobjectwherethealarmwasdefined.

3 Toremovethealarm,selectthealarm,andchooseInventory>Alarm>Remove.

Aconfirmationpopupwindowappears.

4 ClickYes.

Thealarmisremoved.

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 Appendixes

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 A

Defined Privileges A
Thefollowingtableslistthedefaultprivilegesthat,whenselectedforarole,canbe
pairedwithauserandassignedtoanobject.ThefollowingtablesuseVCtoindicate
VirtualCenterServerandHCtoindicatehostclient,astandaloneESXServer.

Whensettingpermissions,verifyalltheobjecttypesaresetwithappropriateprivileges
foreachparticularaction.Someoperationsrequireaccesspermissionattherootfolder
orparentfolderinadditiontoaccesstotheobjectbeingmanipulated.Someoperations
requireaccessorperformancepermissionataparentfolderandarelatedobject.See
Chapter 17,ManagingUsers,Groups,Permissions,andRoles,onpage 265for
informationonapplyingprivilegestoinventoryobjects.

SeeTable 171,DefaultRoles,onpage 273foralistofpredefinedgroupedprivileges.

Thisappendixcontainsthefollowingtopics:

Alarmsonpage 332
Datacenteronpage 333

Datastoreonpage 333

Extensionsonpage 334

Foldersonpage 334

Globalonpage 335

HostCIMonpage 337

HostConfigurationonpage 337

HostInventoryonpage 339

HostLocalOperationsonpage 341

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Basic System Administration

Networkonpage 341

Performanceonpage 342

Permissionsonpage 342

Resourceonpage 343

ScheduledTaskonpage 344

Sessionsonpage 345

Tasksonpage 345

VirtualMachineConfigurationonpage 346

VirtualMachineInteractiononpage 348

VirtualMachineInventoryonpage 350

VirtualMachineProvisioningonpage 350

VirtualMachineStateonpage 352

Alarms
Table A-1. Alarms Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective
Name Description Used Object on Object

CreateAlarm1 Createsanewalarm. VConly Alarm All

UserinterfaceelementAlarmtab object inventory
popupmenu,Filemenu parent items

DeleteAlarm Deletesanexistingalarm. VConly Alarm All

UserinterfaceelementAlarmtab object inventory
popupmenu,Filemenu parent items

ModifyAlarm Changesthepropertiesofanexisting VConly Alarm All

alarm. object inventory
UserinterfaceelementAlarmtab parent items
popupmenu,Filemenu
1. Whencreatingalarmswithacustomaction,privilegetoperformtheactionisverifiedwhentheusecreates
thealarm.

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 Appendix A Defined Privileges

Datacenter
Table A-2. Datacenter Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Create Createsanewdatacenter. VConly Datacenter Datacenter

Datacenter UserinterfaceelementInventory folders
popupmenu,toolbarbutton,andFile>
NewDatacenter

Delete Removesadatacenter. VConly Datacenter Datacenters

Datacenter UserinterfaceelementInventory plusparent
popupmenu,Inventory>Datacenter> object
Remove,Edit>Remove
Move Movesadatacenter. VConly Datacenter, Datacenters,
Datacenter Privilegemustbepresentatboththe sourceand Datacenter
sourceanddestination. destination folders
UserinterfaceelementInventory
draganddrop

Rename Changesthenameofadatacenter. VConly Datacenter Datacenters

Datacenter UserinterfaceelementInventory
object,Inventorypopupmenu,Edit>
Rename,Inventory>Datacenter>
Rename

Datastore
Table A-3. Datastore Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Browse Browsesfilesonadatastore. HCandVC Datastores Datastores

Datastore UserinterfaceelementAddexisting
disk,browseforCDROMorFloppy
media,serialorparallelportfiles
Delete Removesadatastore. HCandVC Datastores Datastores
Datastore UserinterfaceelementInventory
datastorepopupmenu,Edit>Remove,
Inventory>Datastore>Remove

Delete Deletesafileinthedatastore. HCandVC Datastores Datastores

DatastoreFile UserinterfaceelementDatastore
BrowsertoolbarbuttonandDatastore
popupmenu

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Table A-3. Datastore Privileges (Continued)

Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

File Carriesoutfileoperationsinthe HCandVC Datastores Datastores

Management datastorebrowser.

Rename Renamesadatastore. HCandVC Datastores Datastores

Datastore UserinterfaceelementDatastore
PropertiesdialogChangebutton,host
Summarytabpopupmenu

Extensions
Table A-4. Extension Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Register Registersanextension(plugin) VConly Root RootFolder

Extension Folder
Unregister Unregistersanextension(plugin) VConly Root RootFolder
Extension Folder

Update Updatesanextension(plugin) VConly Root RootFolder

Extension Folder

Folders
Table A-5. Folder Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

CreateFolder Createsanewfolder. VConly Folders Folders

UserinterfaceelementTaskbar
button,Filemenu,popupmenu

DeleteFolder Deletesafolder. VConly Foldersplus Folders

UserinterfaceelementFilemenu, parentobject
popupmenu

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 Appendix A Defined Privileges

Table A-5. Folder Privileges (Continued)

Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

MoveFolder Movesafolder. VConly Folders, Folders

Privilegemustbepresentatboththe sourceand
sourceanddestination. destination
UserinterfaceelementInventory
draganddrop
RenameFolder Changesthenameofafolder. VConly Folders Folders
UserinterfaceelementInventory
paneobjecttextfield,popupmenu,
Filemenu

Global
Table A-6. Global Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

CancelTask Cancelsarunningorqueuedtask. HCandVC Anyobject Inventory

UserinterfaceelementRecenttasks object
panepopupmenu,Tasks&Events relatedtothe
popupmenu.Cancurrentlycancel task
cloneandclonetotemplate.
Capacity Enablestheuseofcapacityplanningfor VConly Anyobject Rootfolder
Planning planningconsolidationofphysical
machinestovirtualmachines.
UserinterfaceelementConsolidation
buttonintoolbar.

Diagnostics Getslistofdiagnosticfiles,logheader, VConly Anyobject Rootfolder

binaryfiles,ordiagnosticbundle.
UserinterfaceelementFile>Export>
ExportDiagnosticData,Admin
SystemLogstab

Disable AllowsserversforVirtualCenter VConly Anyobject Rootfolder

Methods extensionstodisablecertainoperations
onobjectsmanagedbyVirtualCenter.
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.

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Basic System Administration

Table A-6. Global Privileges (Continued)

Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Enable AllowsserversforVirtualCenter VConly Anyobject Rootfolder

Methods extensionstoenablecertainoperations
onobjectsmanagedbyVirtualCenter.
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.

Licenses Seeswhatlicensesareinstalledand HCandVC Anyobject Rootfolder

addsorremoveslicenses.
UserinterfaceelementLicensestab,
Configuration>LicensedFeatures

LogEvent Logsauserdefinedeventagainsta HCandVC Allobjects All

particularmanagedentity. inventory
UserinterfaceelementShouldaskfor objects
areasonwhenshuttingdownor
rebootingahost.

Manage Adds,removes,renamescustom VConly Allobjects Rootfolder

Custom attributesforamanagedentity.
Attributes Userinterfaceelement
Administration>CustomAttributes

Proxy Allowsaccesstoaninternalinterface VConly Allobjects Rootfolder

foraddingorremovingendpointstoor
fromtheproxy.
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.

ScriptAction Schedulesascriptedactionin VConly All All

conjunctionwithanalarm. inventory inventory
UserinterfaceelementAlarm objects objects
Settingsdialogbox

Service Allowsuseoftheresxtopcommandin HCandVC Hosts Hosts

Managers theRemoteCLI.
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.

SetCustom Views,creates,andremovescustom VConly Allobjects All

Attributes attributefields. inventory
UserinterfaceelementAnylistview objects
showsthefieldsdefinedandallows
settingthem

336 VMware, Inc.

 Appendix A Defined Privileges

Table A-6. Global Privileges (Continued)

Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Settings ReadsandmodifiesruntimeVC VConly Allobjects Rootfolder

configurationsettings.
Userinterfaceelement
Administration>VirtualCenter
ManagementServerConfiguration

VCServer PreparesorinitiatesaVMotionsend VConly Allobjects Rootfolder

operationoraVMotionreceive
operation.
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.

Host CIM
Table A-7. Host CIM Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

CIM Allowsaclienttoobtainatickettouse HCandVC Hosts Hosts

Interaction forCIMservices.

Host Configuration
Table A-8. Host Configuration Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Advanced Setsadvancedoptionsinhost HCandVC Hosts Hosts

Configuration configuration.
UserinterfaceelementHost
Configurationtab>Advanced
Settings,Inventoryhierarchypopup
menu

ChangeDate Setstimeanddatesettingsonthehost. HCandVC Hosts Hosts

TimeSettings UserinterfaceelementHost
Configurationtab>Time
Configuration

Change Allowssettingoflockdownmode. HCandVC Hosts Hosts

Settings(SEE UserinterfaceelementHost
UPDATE) Configurationtab>SecurityProfile>
LockdownMode>Edit

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Basic System Administration

Table A-8. Host Configuration Privileges (Continued)

Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

ChangeSNMP Edits,restarts,andstopsSNMPagent. HCandVC Hosts Hosts

Settings NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.

Connection Changestheconnectionstatusofahost VConly Hosts Hosts

(connectedordisconnected).
UserinterfaceelementRightclick
Host

Firmware Allowsupdatestothehostfirmwareon HCandVC Hosts Hosts(ESX

ESXServer3ihosts. Server3i
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare only)
associatedwiththisprivilege.

Hyper Enablesanddisableshyperthreadingin HCandVC Hosts Hosts

Threading thehostCPUscheduler.
UserinterfaceelementHost
Configurationtab>Processors

Maintenance Putsthehostinandoutofmaintenance HCandVC Hosts Hosts

mode,shutsdownandrestartsthehost.
UserinterfaceelementHostpopup
menu,Inventory>Host>Enter
MaintenanceMode

Memory Setsconfiguredserviceconsolememory HCandVC Hosts Hosts

Configuration reservation.Thissettingisapplicable
onlyonESXServer3hosts.
UserinterfaceelementHost
Configurationtab>Memory

Network Configuresnetwork,firewall,and HCandVC Hosts Hosts

Configuration VMotionnetwork.
UserinterfaceelementHost
Configurationtab>Networking,
NetworkAdapter,DNSandRouting

QueryPatch Allowsqueryingforinstallablepatches HCandVC Hosts Hosts

andinstallationofpatchesonthehost.

Security Configuresinternetservices,suchas HCandVC Hosts Hosts

Profileand SSH,Telnet,SNMP,andhostfirewall.
Firewall UserinterfaceelementHost
Configurationtab>SecurityProfile

338 VMware, Inc.

 Appendix A Defined Privileges

Table A-8. Host Configuration Privileges (Continued)

Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

System Allowsextensionstomanipulatethefile HCandVC Hosts Hosts

Management systemonthehost.
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.
System Updatestheconfigurationofthesystem HCandVC Hosts Hosts
Resource resourcehierarchy.
Settings UserinterfaceelementHost
Configurationtab>SystemResource
Allocation

Storage ManagesVMFSdatastoreand HCandVC Hosts Hosts

Partition diagnosticpartitions.Scansfornew
Configuration storagedevices.ManagesiSCSI.
UserinterfaceelementHost
Configurationtab>Storage,Storage
Adapters,HostConfigurationtab
datastorepopupmenu
Virtual Changesautostartandautostoporder HCandVC Hosts Hosts
Machine ofvirtualmachinesonasinglehost.
Autostart UserinterfaceelementHost
Configuration Configurationtab>VirtualMachine
StartuporShutdown

Host Inventory
Table A-9. Host Inventory Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

AddHostTo Addsahosttoanexistingcluster. VConly Hosts Clusters

Cluster UserinterfaceelementInventory
popupmenu

Add Addsastandalonehost. VConly Hosts Datacenters,

Standalone UserinterfaceelementToolbar Hostfolders
Host button,inventorypopupmenu,
Inventory>Datacenter>AddHost,
File>New>AddHost,Hoststab
popupmenu

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Basic System Administration

Table A-9. Host Inventory Privileges (Continued)

Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

CreateCluster Createsanewcluster. VConly Clusters Datacenters,

UserinterfaceelementToolbar Hostfolders
button,inventorypopupmenu,
Inventory>Datacenter>NewCluster,
File>New>Cluster

Modify Changesthepropertiesofacluster. VConly Clusters Clusters

Cluster UserinterfaceelementInventory
popupmenu,Inventory>Cluster>
EditSettings,Summarytab

Move Movesaclusterorstandalonehost VConly Clusters, Clusters,

Cluster/Standa betweenfolders. sourceand Hostfolders
loneHost Privilegemustbepresentatboththe destination
sourceanddestination.
UserinterfaceelementInventory
hierarchy

MoveHost Movesasetofexistinghostsintoa VConly Hosts,source Clusters,

cluster. and Hostfolders
Privilegemustbepresentatboththe destination
sourceanddestination.
UserinterfaceelementInventory
hierarchydraganddrop

Remove Deletesaclusterorstandalonehost. VConly Clustersplus Clusters,

Cluster UserinterfaceelementInventory parentobject Hosts
popupmenu,Edit>Remove,
Inventory>Cluster>Remove

RemoveHost Removesahostinaclusteror VConly Clustersplus Clusters,

FromCluster standalonehost. parentobject Hostfolders
UserinterfaceelementInventory
draganddropoutofcluster,popup
menu,Inventory>Host>Remove
Rename Renamesacluster. VConly Clusters Clusters
Cluster UserinterfaceelementInventory
singleclick,inventoryhierarchypopup
menu,Inventory>Cluster>Rename

340 VMware, Inc.

 Appendix A Defined Privileges

Host Local Operations

Table A-10. Host Local Operations Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

AddHostto Installsanduninstallsvariousagentson HConly Rootfolder Rootfolder

VirtualCenter ahost,forexample,vpxaandaam.
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.
CreateVirtual Createsanewvirtualmachinefrom HConly Rootfolder Rootfolder
Machine scratchonadiskwithoutregisteringit
onthehost.
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.

DeleteVirtual Deletesavirtualmachineondisk, HConly Rootfolder Rootfolder

Machine whetherregisteredornot.
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.

ManageUser Manageslocalaccountsonahost. HConly Rootfolder Rootfolder

Groups UserinterfaceelementUsers&
Groupstab(onlypresentiftheVIClient
logsontothehostdirectly)

Network
Table A-11. Network Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Delete Removesanetwork. HCandVC Datacenter Datacenters

Network UserinterfaceelementInventory
networkpopupmenu,Edit>Remove,
Inventory>Network>Remove

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Basic System Administration

Performance
Table A-12. Alarm Management Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective
Name Description Affects Object on Object

Modify Creates,removes,andupdates VConly Rootfolder Rootfolder

Intervals performancedatacollectionintervals.
Userinterfaceelement
Administration>VirtualCenter
ManagementServerConfiguration>
Statistics

Permissions
Table A-13. Permissions Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective
Name Description Used Object on Object

Modify Definesoneormorepermissionrules HCandVC Anyobject All

Permission onanentity,orupdatesrulesifalready plusparent inventory
presentforthegivenuserorgroupon object items
theentity.
UserinterfaceelementPermissions
tabpopupmenu,Inventory>
Permissionsmenu
ModifyRole Updatesarolesnameandthe HCandVC Anyobject Rootfolder
privileges.
UserinterfaceelementRolestab
popupmenu,toolbarbutton,File
menu

ReassignRole Reassignsallpermissionsofaroleto HCandVC Anyobject Rootfolder

Permissions anotherrole.
UserinterfaceelementDeleteRole
dialogboxradiobuttonandassociated
menu

342 VMware, Inc.

 Appendix A Defined Privileges

Resource
Table A-14. Resource Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Apply Askstheservertogoaheadwitha VConly Clusters Clusters

Recommenda suggestedVMotion.
tion UserinterfaceelementClusterDRS
Recommendationstab

AssignVirtual Assignsvirtualmachinestoaresource HCandVC Resource Resource

MachineTo pool. pools pools
Pool UserinterfaceelementNewVirtual
Machinewizard
CreatePool Createsanewresourcepool. HCandVC Resource Resource
UserinterfaceelementFilemenu, pools, pools,
popupmenu,Summarytab, clusters clusters
Resourcestab

Migrate Migratesavirtualmachinesexecution VConly Virtual Virtual

toaspecificresourcepoolorhost. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementInventory
popupmenu,VirtualMachine
Summarytab,Inventory>Virtual
Machine>Migrate,draganddrop

ModifyPool Changestheallocationsofaresource HCandVC Resource Resource

pool. poolsplus pools
UserinterfaceelementInventory> parent
ResourcePool>Remove,Resources object
tab

MovePool Movesaresourcepool. HCandVC Resource Resource

Privilegemustbepresentatboththe pools, pools
sourceanddestination. sourceand
Userinterfaceelement destination
Draganddrop

Query InvestigatesthegeneralVMotion VConly Rootfolder Rootfolder

VMotion compatibilityofavirtualmachinewith
asetofhosts.
UserinterfaceelementRequired
whendisplayingthemigrationwizard
forapoweredonVM,tocheck
compatibility

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Basic System Administration

Table A-14. Resource Privileges (Continued)

Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Relocate Coldmigratesavirtualmachines VConly Virtual Virtual

executiontoaspecificresourcepoolor machines machines
host.
UserinterfaceelementInventory
popupmenu,VirtualMachine
Summarytab,Inventory>Virtual
Machine>Migrate,draganddrop

RemovePool Deletesaresourcepool. HCandVC Resource Resource

UserinterfaceelementEdit> poolsplus pools
Remove,Inventory>ResourcePool> parent
Remove,inventorypopupmenu, object
Resourcestab

RenamePool Renamesaresourcepool. HCandVC Resource Resource

UserinterfaceelementEdit> pools pools
Rename,Inventory>ResourcePool>
Rename,singleclick,popupmenu

Scheduled Task
Table A-15. Scheduled Task Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

CreateTasks1 Schedulesatask.Requiresthe VConly Allinventory Allinventory

privilegestoperformthescheduled objects objects
actionatthetimeofscheduling.
UserinterfaceelementScheduled
Taskstoolbarbuttonandpopupmenu

ModifyTask Reconfiguresthescheduledtask VConly Allinventory Allinventory

properties. objects objects
UserinterfaceelementInventory>
ScheduledTasks>Edit,Scheduled
Taskstabpopupmenu

RemoveTask Removesascheduledtaskfromthe VConly Allinventory Allinventory

queue. objects objects
UserinterfaceelementScheduled
Taskspopupmenu,Inventory>
ScheduledTask>Remove,Edit>
Remove

344 VMware, Inc.

 Appendix A Defined Privileges

Table A-15. Scheduled Task Privileges (Continued)

Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

RunTask Runsthescheduledtaskimmediately. VConly Allinventory Allinventory

UserinterfaceelementScheduled objects objects
Taskspopupmenu,Inventory>
ScheduledTask>Run
1. Creatingandrunningatask(ondemand)requirespermissiontoinvoketheassociatedaction.Forexample,
Alarmsrequirespermissionsonafoldertocreatealarmsonobjectsinthatfolder.

Sessions
Table A-16. Session Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Global Setsthegloballoginmessage. VConly Rootfolder Rootfolder

Message UserinterfaceelementSessionstab,
Administration>EditMessageofthe
Day
Impersonate Impersonatesanotheruser.This VConly Rootfolder Rootfolder
User capabilityisusedbyextensions.

Validate Verifiessessionvalidity. VConly Rootfolder Rootfolder

Session

Viewand Allowsviewingofsession.Forceslog VConly Rootfolder Rootfolder

Terminate outofoneormoreloggedonusers.
Sessions UserinterfaceelementSessionstab

Tasks
Table A-17. Tasks Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Create Allowsanextensiontocreatea VConly Rootfolder Rootfolder

userdefinedtask.

Update Allowsanextensiontoupdatesa VConly Rootfolder Rootfolder

userdefinedtask.

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Basic System Administration

Virtual Machine Configuration

Table A-18. Virtual Machine Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

AddExisting Addsavirtualdiskthatreferstoan HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Disk existingvirtualdisk. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementVirtual
MachinePropertiesdialogbox
AddNewDisk Addsavirtualdiskthatcreatesanew HCandVC Virtual Virtual
virtualdisk. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementVirtual
MachinePropertiesdialogbox

Addor Addsorremovesanynondiskdevice. HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Remove UserinterfaceelementVirtual machines machines
Device MachinePropertiesdialogbox

Advanced ChangesvaluesinextraConfig. HCandVC Virtual Virtual

UserinterfaceelementVirtual machines machines
MachinePropertiesdialogbox>
Optionstab>AdvancedGeneral
option>ConfigurationParameters
button

ChangeCPU ChangesthenumberofvirtualCPUs. HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Count UserinterfaceelementVirtual machines machines
MachinePropertiesdialogbox

Change Changesresourceconfigurationofaset HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Resource ofVMnodesinagivenresourcepool. machines machines

DiskExtend Expandsthesizeofavirtualdisk. HCandVC Virtual Virtual

machines machines

DiskLease LeasesdisksforVMwareConsolidated HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Backup. machines machines
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.

HostUSB AttachesahostbasedUSBdevicetoa HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Device virtualmachine. machines machines
Userinterfaceelement>Virtual
MachinePropertiesdialogbox

346 VMware, Inc.

 Appendix A Defined Privileges

Table A-18. Virtual Machine Privileges (Continued)

Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Memory Changestheamountofmemory HCandVC Virtual Virtual

allocatedtotheVM. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementVirtual
MachinePropertiesdialogbox>
Memory

ModifyDevice Changesthepropertiesofanexisting HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Settings device. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementVirtual
MachinePropertiesdialogbox>
SCSI/IDEnodeselection

RawDevice1 Addsorremovesarawdiskmapping HCandVC Virtual Virtual

orSCSIpassthroughdevice. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementVirtual
MachineProperties>Add/Removeraw
diskmapping

RemoveDisk Removesavirtualdiskdevice. HCandVC Virtual Virtual

UserinterfaceelementVirtual machines machines
MachinePropertiesdialogbox>Hard
Disk(butnotarawdiskmapping)

Rename Renamesavirtualmachineormodifies HCandVC Virtual Virtual

theassociatednotesofavirtual machines machines
machine.
UserinterfaceelementVirtual
MachinePropertiesdialogbox,
inventory,inventorypopupmenu,File
menu,Inventorymenu

ResetGuest Clearsguestinfovariables. HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Information NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare machines machines
associatedwiththisprivilege.

Settings ChangesgeneralVMsettings. HCandVC Virtual Virtual

UserinterfaceelementVirtual machines machines
MachinePropertiesdialogbox>
Optionstab

Swap Changestheswapfileplacementpolicy HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Placement foravirtualmachine. machines machines

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Basic System Administration

Table A-18. Virtual Machine Privileges (Continued)

Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Upgrade Upgradesthevirtualmachinesvirtual HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Virtual hardwareversionfromaprevious machines machines
Hardware versionofVMware.
UserinterfaceelementPopupmenu,
Filemenu(appearsonlyifvmxfile
showsalowerconfigurationnumber)
1. Settingthisparameteroverridesanyotherprivilegeformodifyingrawdevices,includingconnectionstates.

Virtual Machine Interaction

Table A-19. Virtual Machine Interaction
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Answer ResolvesissueswithVMstate HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Question transitionsorruntimeerrors. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementSummarytab,
Inventorymenu,popupmenu

ConfigureCD ChangesthebackingofaCDROM HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Media device. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementVirtual
MachinePropertiesdialogbox>
DVD/CDROM

Configure Changesthebackingofafloppydevice. HCandVC Virtual Virtual

FloppyMedia UserinterfaceelementVirtual machines machines
MachinePropertiesdialogbox
Console Interactswiththevirtualmachines HCandVC Virtual Virtual
Interaction virtualmouse,keyboard,andscreen; machines machines
getsscreenshotinformation.
UserinterfaceelementConsoletab,
toolbarbutton,Inventory>Virtual
Machine>OpenConsole,inventory
popupmenu
Defragment Defragmentsalldisksonthevirtual HCandVC. Virtual Virtual
AllDisks machine. machines machines

348 VMware, Inc.

 Appendix A Defined Privileges

Table A-19. Virtual Machine Interaction (Continued)

Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Device Changestheconnectedstateofavirtual HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Connection machinesdisconnectablevirtual machines machines
devices.
UserinterfaceelementVirtual
MachinePropertiesdialogbox

PowerOff Powersoffapoweredonvirtual HCandVC Virtual Virtual

machine,shutsdownguest. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementFilemenu
item,popupmenu,popupconsole
menu,toolbarbutton,Summarytab

PowerOn Powersonapoweredoffvirtual HCandVC Virtual Virtual

machine,resumesasuspendedvirtual machines machines
machine.
UserinterfaceelementFilemenu
item,popupmenu,popupconsole
menu,toolbarbutton,Summarytab
Reset Resetsvirtualmachineandrebootsthe HCandVC Virtual Virtual
guestoperatingsystem. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementFilemenu
item,popupmenu,popupconsole
menu,toolbarbutton,Summarytab

Suspend Suspendsapoweredonvirtual HCandVC Virtual Virtual

machine,putsguestinstandbymode. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementFilemenu
item,popupmenu,popupconsole
menu,toolbarbutton,Summarytab

ToolsInstall MountsandunmountstheVMware HCandVC Virtual Virtual

ToolsCDinstallerasaCDROMforthe machines machines
guestoperatingsystem.
UserinterfaceelementFilemenu
item,popupmenu,popupconsole
menu

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Basic System Administration

Virtual Machine Inventory

Table A-20. Virtual Machine Inventory Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Create Createsanewvirtualmachineand HCandVC Parent Virtual

allocatesresourcesforitsexecution. folders machine
UserinterfaceelementFilemenu, folders
popupmenu,SummarytabNew
VirtualMachinelinks

Move Relocatesavirtualmachineinthe VConly Virtual Virtual

hierarchy. machines, machines,
Privilegemustbepresentatboththe parent virtual
sourceanddestination. folders machine
UserinterfaceelementInventory folders
hierarchydraganddropinVirtual
Machines&Templatesview

Remove Deletesavirtualmachine,optionally HCandVC Virtual Virtual

removesunderlyingfilesfromdisk. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementFilemenu, plusparent
popupmenu,Summarytab folders

Virtual Machine Provisioning

Table A-21. Virtual Machine Provisioning Privileges
Pair with Effective on
Privilege Name Description Affects Object Object

AllowDisk Opensadiskonavirtualmachinefor n/a Virtual Virtual

Access randomreadandwriteaccess.Used machines machines
mostlyforremotediskmounting.
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.
AllowReadOnly Opensadiskonavirtualmachinefor n/a Virtual Virtual
DiskAccess randomreadaccess.Usedmostlyfor machines machines
remotediskmounting.
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.

AllowVirtual Readsfilesassociatedwithavirtual HCand Virtual Rootfolders

Machine machine,includingvmx,disks,logs, VC machines
Download andnvram.
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.

350 VMware, Inc.

 Appendix A Defined Privileges

Table A-21. Virtual Machine Provisioning Privileges (Continued)

Pair with Effective on
Privilege Name Description Affects Object Object
AllowVirtual Writesfilesassociatedwithavirtual HCand Virtual Rootfolders
MachineFiles machine,includingvmx,disks,logs, VC machines
Upload andnvram.
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.

Clone Clonesanexistingvirtualmachineand VConly Virtual Virtual

allocatesresources. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementFilemenu,
popupmenu,Summarytab

CloneTemplate Clonesatemplate. VConly Virtual Virtual

UserinterfaceelementFilemenu, machines machines
popupmenu,VirtualMachinestab

CreateTemplate Createsanewtemplatefromavirtual VConly Virtual Virtual

FromVirtual machine. machines machines
Machine UserinterfaceelementCloneto
template...Filemenu,popupmenu,
Summarytabitems

Customize Customizesavirtualmachinesguest VConly Virtual Virtual

operatingsystemwithoutmovingthe machines machines
virtualmachine.
UserinterfaceelementCloneVirtual
Machinewizard:GuestCustomization

DeployTemplate Createsanewvirtualmachinefroma VConly Virtual Virtual

template. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementDeployto
templateFilemenu,popupmenu
items,VirtualMachinestab

MarkAs Marksanexisting,poweredoffvirtual VConly Virtual Virtual

Template machineasatemplate. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementConvertto
template...Filemenu,popupmenu
items,VirtualMachinestab,Summary
tab

MarkAsVirtual MarksanexistingtemplateasaVM. VConly Virtual Virtual

Machine UserinterfaceelementConvertto machines machines
VirtualMachine...Filemenu,popup
menuitems,VirtualMachinestab

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Basic System Administration

Table A-21. Virtual Machine Provisioning Privileges (Continued)

Pair with Effective on
Privilege Name Description Affects Object Object
Modify Creates,modifies,ordeletes VConly Rootfolder Rootfolder
Customization customizationspecifications.
Specs Userinterfaceelement
CustomizationSpecificationsManager

Read Viewsthecustomizationspecifications VConly Rootfolder Rootfolder

Customization definedonthesystem.
Specs UserinterfaceelementEdit>
CustomizationSpecifications

Virtual Machine State

Table A-22. Virtual Machine State Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Affects Object Object

Create Createsanewsnapshotfromthevirtual HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Snapshot machinescurrentstate. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementPopupmenu,
toolbarbutton,Inventorymenu

Remove Removesasnapshotfromthesnapshot HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Snapshot history. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementPopupmenu,
toolbarbutton,Inventorymenu

Rename Renamesthissnapshotwitheithera HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Snapshot newnameoranewdescriptionorboth. machines machines
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.

RevertTo SetstheVMtothestateitwasinata HCandVC Virtual Virtual

Snapshot givensnapshot. machines machines
UserinterfaceelementPopupmenu,
toolbarbutton,Inventorymenu,
VirtualMachinestab

352 VMware, Inc.

 B

Installing the Microsoft

Sysprep Tools B
IfyouplantocustomizeaWindowsguestoperatingsystem,youmustfirstinstallthe
MicrosoftSyspreptoolsonyourVirtualCenterServermachine.

MicrosoftincludestheSyspreptoolsetontheinstallationCDROMdiscsforWindows
2000,WindowsXP,andWindows2003.ItalsodistributesSysprepfromtheMicrosoft
Website.ToperformaWindowscustomization,youmustinstalltheSyspreptools
eitherfromyourinstallationdisc,orfromtheMicrosoftdownloadpackage.Youmust
installthecorrectversionoftheSyspreptoolsforeachoperatingsystemyouwantto
customize.Also,ensurethatthepasswordforthelocaladministratoraccountonthe
virtualmachineissettoblank().

Duringcustomization,VirtualCentersearchesfortheSyspreppackagecorresponding
toyourguestoperatingsystem.IfVirtualCenterdoesnotfindanySyspreptools,the
Windowsvirtualmachinecustomizationdoesnotproceed.

(SEEUPDATE)TheguestoperatingsystemcustomizationfeatureinVirtualCenterServer
3.5takesfulladvantageofWindowssysprepfunctionality.Asaresult,itisvery
importantthatyouhavesysprepinstalledforeachofthegueststhatyouwishto
customize.IfforexamplesysprepisnotprovidedforWindowsServer2003,
customizationwillnotattempttouseanearlierversion,butwillsimplydisablethe
customizationoperationforthatguest.

NOTESyspreptoolsarebuiltintotheWindowsVistaoperatingsystem.

VMware, Inc. 353

Basic System Administration

To install the Microsoft Sysprep tools from a Microsoft Web site download

1 DownloadtheSyspreppackagefromtheMicrosoftdownloadcenter.Makesure
thatyoudownloadthecorrectversionfortheguestoperatingsystemyouwantto
customize.

2 ClickNexttocontinue.

3 ClickIagreetoacceptthetermsandconditions.

4 ClickDownload.

5 Savethefiletoyourlocaldisk.
6 Openandexpandthe.cabfile,usingatoolsuchasWinzip.exeoranothertool
capableofreadingMicrosoftCABfiles.

7 Extractthefilestotheprovideddirectory.

ThefollowingSysprepsupportdirectorieswerecreatedduringVirtualCenter
installation:
C:\<ALLUSERSPROFILE>\Application Data\Vmware\VMware VirtualCenter\sysprep
...\1.1\
...\2k\
...\xp\
...\svr2003\
...\xp-64\
...\svr2003-64\

where<ALLUSERSPROFILE>isusually\Documents And Settings\All Users\.

Thisiswherevpxd.cfgisalsolocated.

Selectthesubdirectorythatcorrespondstoyouroperatingsystem.

8 ClickOKtoexpandthefiles.

Afteryouhaveextractedthefilesfromthe.cabfile,youshouldsee:
...\<guest>\deptool.chm
...\<guest>\readme.txt
...\<guest>\setupcl.exe
...\<guest>\setupmgr.exe
...\<guest>\setupmgx.dll
...\<guest>\sysprep.exe
...\<guest>\unattend.doc

where<guest>is2k,xp,svr2003,xp64,orsvr200364.

354 VMware, Inc.

 Appendix B Installing the Microsoft Sysprep Tools

To install the Microsoft Sysprep tools from the Windows operating system CD

1 InserttheWindowsoperatingsystemCDintotheCDROMdrive(oftenthe
D: drive.

2 LocatetheDEPLOY.CABfileintheCDdirectory,\Support\Tools.

3 OpenandexpandtheDEPLOY.CABfile,usingatoolsuchasWinzip.exeoranother
toolcapableofreadingMicrosoftCABfiles.

4 ExtractthefilestothedirectoryappropriatetoyourSysprepguestoperating
system.

ThefollowingSysprepsupportdirectorieswerecreatedduringVirtualCenter
installation:
C:\<ALLUSERSPROFILE>\Application Data\Vmware\VMware VirtualCenter\sysprep
...\1.1\
...\2k\
...\xp\
...\svr2003\
...\xp-64\
...\svr2003-64\

where<ALLUSERSPROFILE>isusually\Documents And Settings\All Users\.

Thisiswherevpxd.cfgisalsolocated.

Selectthesubdirectorythatcorrespondstoyouroperatingsystem.

5 ClickOKtoexpandthefiles.
Afteryouhaveextractedthefilesfromthe.cab file,youshouldsee:
...\<guest>\deptool.chm
...\<guest>\readme.txt
...\<guest>\setupcl.exe
...\<guest>\setupmgr.exe
...\<guest>\setupmgx.dll
...\<guest>\sysprep.exe
...\<guest>\unattend.doc

where<guest>is2k,xp,svr2003,xp64,orsvr200364.

6 RepeatthisproceduretoextractSysprepfilesforeachoftheWindowsguest
operatingsystems(Windows2000,WindowsXP,orWindows2003)youplanto
customizeusingVirtualCenter.

YouarenowreadytocustomizeanewvirtualmachinewithasupportedWindows
guestoperatingsystemwhenyoucloneanexistingvirtualmachine.

VMware, Inc. 355

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356 VMware, Inc.

 C

Performance Chart Metrics C

Thisappendixliststhemetrics,orcounters,availablefordisplayinperformancecharts.
TheavailabilityofsomecountersdependsontheStatisticsCollectionLevelsetting
(see AboutCollectionIntervalsandCollectionLevelsonpage 286).Changestochart
optionstakeeffectafterthecurrentdatacollectioncycleiscompleteandthenextcycle
begins.

Countershaverollupandstatisticstypecharacteristics.Ametricsrollupreferstowhat
typeofmeasurementisbeingpresented.Rolluptypesincludethefollowing:

AverageDatacollectedforthespecifieddurationisaveraged.Themeasurement
displayedinthechartrepresentsanaverageforthedurationofthedatacollection
cycle.

SummationDatacollectedissummed.Themeasurementdisplayedinthechart
representsthesumofdatacollectedduringthecollectioncycle.

LatestDatacollectedisasetvalue.Themeasurementdisplayedinthechart
representsthecurrentsetting.

MinimumDatacollectedisaveraged.Themeasurementdisplayedinthechart
representstheaverageminimumvalueforthedurationofthedatacollectioncycle.

MaximumDatacollectedisaveraged.Themeasurementdisplayedinthechart
representstheaveragemaximumvalueforthedurationofthedatacollection
cycle.

Ametricsstatisticstypereferstowhetherthemeasurementrepresentsachangedvalue
(Delta),anabsolutevalue(Absolute),oraratio(Rate).

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Basic System Administration

Tablesareorganizedbyresourceandinventoryobjectandcontainthefollowing
information:

CounterListsthedisplaynameofeachmetric.

AvailableinCollectionLevelIndicatestheminimumvaluetowhichthe
statisticscollectionlevelmustbesetforthemetrictobeincludedasaselectable
optionintheCustomizeChartPerformancedialogbox.

VC/ESXIndicateswhethertheoptionisavailablewhentheVIClientis
connectedtoVirtualCenterServerordirectlytoanESXServerhost.

DescriptionProvidesabriefdescriptionofthemetric.

Calculationsforallmetricslistedinthetablesareforthedurationofthedatacollection
cycle.CollectioncycledurationsarespecifiedintheStatisticsCollectionIntervalsetting
(seeAboutCollectionIntervalsandCollectionLevelsonpage 286).

Thisappendixcontainsthefollowingtopics:

CPUonpage 358

Diskonpage 361

ClusterServicesonpage 369

Networkonpage 370

Systemonpage 371

CPU
ThetablesinthissectionlistmetricsformeasuringCPUperformance.All
measurementsareinmillisecondsunlessotherwisenoted.CPUperformancechartsare
availableforthefollowinginventoryobjects:

VirtualMachine

Host

ResourcePool

Cluster

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 Appendix C Performance Chart Metrics

Virtual Machine
Table C-1. CPU Performance Metrics for Virtual Machines
Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description

CPUUsage 1(4) Yes/Yes CalculatesCPUusageasapercentage.

Rollup:Average(Minimum/Maximum)
StatsType:Rate
CPUUsagein 1(4) Yes/Yes CalculatesCPUusageinMegahertz.
MHz Rollup:Average(Minimum/Maximum)
StatsType:Rate

CPUUsed 3 Yes/Yes CalculatesamountofCPUtimethatisused.

Rollup:Summation
StatsType:Delta

CPU 3 Yes/Yes CalculatesamountofCPUtimethatis

Guaranteed guaranteed.
Rollup:Latest
StatsType:Absolute
CPUExtra 3 Yes/Yes CalculatesamountofCPUtimethatisunused.
Rollup:Latest
StatsType:Absolute

CPUReady 3 Yes/Yes CalculatesamountofCPUtimethatis

consumedbybeinginthereadystate.
Rollup:Latest
StatsType:Absolute

CPUSystem 3 Yes/Yes CalculatesamountofCPUtimethatis

consumedbysystemprocesses.
Rollup:Latest
StatsType:Absolute

CPUIdleTime 3 Yes/Yes CalculatesamountofCPUtimethatis

consumedbybeinginthewaitstate.
Rollup:Latest
StatsType:Absolute

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Host
Table C-2. CPU Performance Metrics for Hosts
Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description

CPUUsed 1 Yes/Yes CalculatesamountofCPUtimethatisused.

Rollup:Summation
StatsType:Delta
idle 1 Yes/Yes CalculatesCPUidletime.
Rollup:Summation
StatsType:Delta

CPUReserved 1 Yes/Yes Comparesvalueofresourcepoolsreservation

Capacity settingwithsumofchildobjectsreservation
settings.Displaysthegreaterofthetwo
values.
Rollup:Latest
StatsType:Absolute

CPUUsagein 1(4) Yes/Yes CalculatesaverageCPUusageinMegahertz.

MHz Rollup:Average(Minimum/Maximum)
StatsType:Rate

CPUUsage 1(4) Yes/Yes CalculatesCPUusageasapercentage.

Rollup:Average(Minimum/Maximum)
StatsType:Rate

Resource Pool
Table C-3. CPU Performance Metrics for Resource Pools
Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description

CPUUsagein 1(4) Yes/Yes CalculatesCPUusageinMegahertz.

MHz Rollup:Average(Minimum/Maximum)
StatsType:Rate

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 Appendix C Performance Chart Metrics

Cluster
Table C-4. CPU Performance Metrics for Clusters
Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description

CPUUsagein 1(4) Yes/No CalculatesCPUusageinMegahertz.

MHz Rollup:Average(Minimum/Maximum)
StatsType:Rate

Disk
Thetableinthissectionlistsmetricsformeasuringdiskperformance.
All measurementsareinkilobytesunlessotherwisenoted.Diskperformancechartsare
availableforhostsandvirtualmachines;chartoptionsareidenticalforboth.

Host and Virtual Machine

Table C-5. Disk Performance Metrics for Host and Virtual Machines
Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description

DiskUsagein 1(4) Yes/Yes Calculatessumofdatareadandwrittentoall

MHz diskinstancesinkilobytespersecond.
Rollup:Average(Minimum/Maximum)
StatsType:Rate

Read 3 Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofdatareadfromdiskin

kilobytespersecondperHBA.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Rate

Write 3 Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofdatawrittentodiskin

kilobytespersecondperHBA.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Rate

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Table C-5. Disk Performance Metrics for Host and Virtual Machines (Continued)
Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description

numberWrite 3 Yes/Yes Calculatestotalnumberofdiskwriteactions

perHBA.
Rollup:Summation
StatsType:Delta
numberRead 3 Yes/Yes Calculatestotalnumberofdiskreadactions
perHBA.
Rollup:Summation
StatsType:Delta

Memory
Thetablesinthissectionlistmetricsformeasuringmemoryperformance.Memory
performancechartsareavailableforthefollowinginventoryobjects:

VirtualMachine

Host

ResourcePool

Cluster

Virtual Machine
Table C-6. Memory Performance Metrics for Virtual Machines
Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description
MemorySwap 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryswappedin.
In Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

MemorySwap 4 Yes/Yes Calculatesaverageminimumamountof

In memoryswappedin.
Rollup:Minimum
StatsType:Absolute

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 Appendix C Performance Chart Metrics

Table C-6. Memory Performance Metrics for Virtual Machines (Continued)

Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description

MemorySwap 4 Yes/Yes Calculatesaveragemaximumamountof

In memoryswappedin.
Rollup:Maximum
StatsType:Absolute
Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryavailableto
BalloonTarget memorycontrol.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryusedby

Balloon memorycontrol.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute
MemorySwap 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryswappedout.
Out Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

MemoryUsage 1(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryusedasa

percentageoftotalconfigured,ortotal
availablememory.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofadditionalhostmemory

Overhead allocatedtothevirtualmachine.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute
MemoryZero 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofzeropagememory.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryactivelyused.

Active Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryshared.

Shared Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

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Basic System Administration

Table C-6. Memory Performance Metrics for Virtual Machines (Continued)

Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemorygranted.

Granted Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofhostmemoryconsumed

Consumed bythevirtualmachineforguestoperating
systemmemory.
Rollup:Average(Minimum/Maximum)
StatsType:Absolute

MemorySwap 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemorythatcanbe

Target swapped.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute
Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryswapped.
Swapped Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Host
Table C-7. Memory Performance Metrics for Hosts
Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description
MemoryState 2 Yes/Yes Calculatesthememorystate.
Rollup:Latest
StatsType:Absolute

MemoryUsed 2 Yes/Yes Calculatestheamountofmemoryusedby

byVMKernel vmkernel.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute
MemorySwap 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatestheamountofmemoryusedby
Used swap
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryactivelyused.

Active Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

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 Appendix C Performance Chart Metrics

Table C-7. Memory Performance Metrics for Hosts (Continued)

Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofhostmemoryconsumed

Consumed bythevirtualmachineforguestoperating
systemmemory.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

MemorySwap 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryswappedout.

Out Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemorythatis

Unreserved unreserved.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute
MemoryHeap 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryallocatedfor
heap.

Memory 2 Yes/Yes CalculatesamountinMBofmemoryreserved

Reserved bythevirtualmachines.
Capacity Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

MemoryZero 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofzeropagememory.

Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

MemoryHeap 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountoffreespaceinthe

Free memoryheap.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

MemoryUsage 1(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryusedasa

percentageoftotalconfigured,ortotal
availablememory.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryshared.

Shared Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

MemorySwap 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryswappedin.

In Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

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Basic System Administration

Table C-7. Memory Performance Metrics for Hosts (Continued)

Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofadditionalhostmemory

Overhead allocatedtothevirtualmachine.

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryusedby

Balloon memorycontrol.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemorygranted.

Granted Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute
Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemorysharedby
Shared common.
Common Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Resource Pool
Table C-8. Memory Performance Metrics for Resouce Pools
Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description
MemoryUsage 1(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofmemoryusedasa
(SEEUPDATE) percentageoftotalconfigured,ortotal
availablememory.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute
Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemorygranted.
Granted Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryactivelyused.

Active Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryshared.

Shared Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

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 Appendix C Performance Chart Metrics

Table C-8. Memory Performance Metrics for Resouce Pools

Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description

MemoryZero 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofzeropagememory.

Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryswapped.

Swapped Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute
MemorySwap 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofmemorythatcanbe
Target swapped.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

MemorySwap 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofmemoryswappedin.

In Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

MemorySwap 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofmemoryswappedout.

Out Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute
Memory 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofmemoryusedby
Balloon memorycontrol.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofmemoryavailableto

BalloonTarget memorycontrol.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/Yes Calculatesamountofadditionalhostmemory

Overhead allocatedtothevirtualmachine.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

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Basic System Administration

Cluster
Table C-9. Memory Performance Metrics for Clusters
Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description

MemoryUsage 1(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofmemoryusedasa

percentageoftotalconfigured,ortotal
availablememory.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofmemorygranted.

Granted Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofmemoryactivelyused.

Active Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofmemoryshared.

Shared Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

MemoryZero 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofzeropagememory.

Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofmemorythatis

Unreserved unreserved.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

MemorySwap 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofmemoryusedbyswap.

Used Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

MemorySwap 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofmemorynotreservedfor

Unreserved swap.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofmemorysharedby

Shared common.
Common Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

368 VMware, Inc.

 Appendix C Performance Chart Metrics

Table C-9. Memory Performance Metrics for Clusters (Continued)

Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description

MemoryHeap 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofmemoryallocatedfor

heap.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute
MemoryHeap 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesfreespaceinmemoryheap.
Free Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

MemoryState 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesstate.

Rollup:Latest
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofmemoryusedby

Balloon memorycontrol.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofmemoryavailableto

BalloonTarget memorycontrol.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Memory 2(4) Yes/No Calculatesamountofadditionalhostmemory

Overhead allocatedtothevirtualmachine.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Cluster Services
Thetableinthissectionlistsmetricsformeasuringtheperformanceofclusterservices
suchasDRSandHA.Clusterservicesperformancechartsareavailableonlyfor
clusters.

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Basic System Administration

Cluster
Table C-10. Cluster Services Metrics for Clusters
Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description

EffectiveCPU 1(4) Yes/No CalculatesaverageDRSeffectiveCPU

Resources resourcesavailablemeasuredinMHz.
Rollup:Average
StatsType:Rate.

Effective 1(4) Yes/No CalculatesaverageDRSeffectivememory

Memory resourcesavailableinMB.
Resources Rollup:Average
StatsType:Absolute

Current 1(4) Yes/No Calculatesthecurrentnumberoffailoversthat

failoverlevel canbetoleratedbyHA.
Rollup:Latest
StatsType:Absolute.

Network
Thetableinthissectionlistsmetricsformeasuringnetworkperformance.Network
performancechartsareavailableforvirtualmachinesandhosts;chartoptionsare
identicalforboth.

Host and Virtual Machine

Table C-11. Network Metrics for Hosts and Virtual Machines
Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description
NetworkData 3 Yes/Yes RateatwhichdataisreceivedinKBps.
ReceiveRate Rollup:Average
StatsType:Rate

Network 3 Yes/Yes Numberofpacketstransmittedintheperiod.

Packets Rollup:Summation
Transmitted
StatsType:Delta

NetworkData 3 Yes/Yes Rateatwhichdataistransmitted.

TransmitRate Rollup:Average
StatsType:Rate

370 VMware, Inc.

 Appendix C Performance Chart Metrics

Table C-11. Network Metrics for Hosts and Virtual Machines (Continued)
Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description

Network 1(4) Yes/Yes Aggregatednetworkperformancestatisticsin

Usage KBps.
(Average) Rollup:Average(Minimum/Maximum)
StatsType:Rate

Network 3 Yes/Yes Numberofpacketsreceivedintheperiod.

Packets Rollup:Summation
Received StatsType:Delta

System
Thetableinthissectionlistsmetricsformeasuringsystemperformance.System
performancechartsareavailableforvirtualmachinesandhosts.

Table C-12. System Metrics for Virtual Machines and Hosts

Available in
Collection
Counter Level VC/ESX Description

Heartbeat 1 Numberofheartbeatsincollectionperiod.
Rollup:Summation
Yes/Yes StatsType:Delta

Uptime 1 Yes/Yes Numberofsecondssincestartup.

Rollup:Latest
StatsType:Absolute
ResourceCPU 3(4) Yes/Yes CPUusage.
Usage Rollup:Average(Minimum/Maximum)
StatsType:Rate

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Basic System Administration

372 VMware, Inc.

Index

Symbols B
176, 285 baselines, security 26
boot settings 189
A BusLogic 150
access
inventory objects 266 C
permissions 278 charts
privileges 331 best practices for setting collection
rules 266 levels 287
to VirtualCenter through Web 78 customize 295
Active Directory 118 export 295
VirtualCenter settings 75 performance 293
active sessions 81 clone
send messages 82 save guest operating system
adapters customization 228
Ethernet 180, 199 templates 204
SCSI 150 virtual machines 210
alarms 29 clusters 27
about 316 remove hosts 133
define rules for 321 shared storage 234
edit 326 collection
email notification of 316 best practices 287
privileges 332 levels and intervals 285
remove 327 command-line interface
scripts 319 remote 42
SNMP traps 318 commands
tab 54 ESX Server 74
annotations 61 service console 42
appliances 139 components
ATAPI 150 datastore 23
ESX Server 21
host agent 23

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Basic System Administration

license server 23 privileges 333

VirtualCenter agent 23 topology maps 297
VirtualCenter database 22 Datastore Browser 113
VirtualCenter Server 22 datastores 27
VMware Infrastructure 21 about 23
console privileges 333
service, the 41 relocate virtual machine files 248
tab 54 DHCP 41
virtual machine 50 diagnostic data
consolidation export 101
about 118 diagnostics 98
analysis results 122 disks 180, 200
cache 125 independent 257
confidence metric 123 independent mode 151
credentials 120 modes 200
first time use 119 raw device mapping 72
limits 125 resources 196
prerequisites 118 DVD/CD-ROM, see optical drives
services 118
settings 119, 120 E
tasks 125 ESX Server
troubleshoot 125 about 21
consolidation settings 118 agent, configure 95
convert, see consolidation commands 74
CPU diagram 21
advanced settings 193 hosts 128
compatibility masks 241 hosts, add to VirtualCenter 129
configuration 186 hosts, configure 70
CPU Identification Mask 189 manage 20
credentials reboot 36
consolidation 120 storage 72
custom attributes 61 syslog service 102
traps 89
D ESX Server 3
database SNMP traps 96
calculator 293 ESX Server 3i
VirtualCenter 22, 76 SNMP 96
datacenters 28 Ethernet adapters 180, 199
consolidation 118 events 28, 29

374 VMware, Inc.

 Index

about 311 CIM privileges 337

alarms 316 configuration privileges 337
export 103, 315 configure 70
navigation bar 54 connect to VirtualCenter 132
tab 54 custom attributes 61
export disconnect from VirtualCenter 132
appliances 139 inventory privileges 339
events 103 local operations privileges 341
virtual machines 141 network configuration 72
extensions reconnecting 133
privileges 334 remove from cluster 133
remove from VirtualCenter 135, 136
F states 129
Fibre Channel NPIV 81, 187, 190 tab 54
firewall HTTP and HTTPS ports
configure communication 76 VirtualCenter settings 76
floppy drives 180, 199 hyperthreading 193
folders 27
privileges 334 I
IDE 150
G IIS 78
Getting Started tabs, enable and image files
disable 56 ISO 181
global privileges 335 import
groups 266, 271 appliances 139
guest operating systems 215 independent disks 257
customization prerequisites 216 install
install 154 VMware Tools 155
Guided Consolidation 53, 114 interfaces 24
inventory
H
about 28
hardware
access to objects 266
virtual machine 180, 196
navigation bar 54
HBA 190
objects, add 110
host bus adapter (HBA) 87
topology maps 297
hosts 26
ISO image files 181
about 128
add 129 L
advanced configuration 138 legacy virtual machines 201

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Basic System Administration

license server 23 MIB 83, 95

diagram 21 Microsoft Sysprep 353
VirtualCenter settings 74 migration
Linux about 232
guest, customize 215 relocate virtual machine files 248
guest, install VMware Tools on 158 Storage VMotion 248
load balancing 25 with snapshots 243
log files 29, 99 modules, see plugins
collect 104
export 101 N
external 101 navigation bar
logging overview 51
VirtualCenter settings 76 NetWare 162
logging in 266 networks 27
VI Client 38 host configuration 72
VI Web Access 40 privileges 341
logging out requirements for VMotion 235
VI Client 39 NIC 199
VI Web Access 40 NPIV 81, 187, 190
LSI logic 150 NUMA 194
LUNs 153, 200
O
M object identifiers (OIDs) 83
MAC address 88 objects
mail inventory 110
VirtualCenter settings 75 VirtualCenter 63
man pages Open Virtual Machine Format (OVF) 140
service console 43 operating system, guest 154
managed devices optical drives 180, 198
MIB files 83 OVF 139, 140
maps 28, 297
exporting 300
P
print 300 paravirtualization 190
view 299 PCI 190
VMotion resources 298 performance
memory best practices for setting collection
levels 287
resources 194
charts 293, 295
metrics
metrics 357
performance 357

376 VMware, Inc.

 Index

privileges 342 virtual machine interaction 348

statistics collection 285 virtual machine provisioning 350
tab 54 virtual machine state 352
permissions 266, 271
access 278 R
privileges 342 raw device mapping 72, 200
settings 267 reconnecting hosts 133
tab 54 remote
plugins 22 command-line interface 42
manage 67 reset 170
ports 180 resource maps 297
parallel 198 resource pools 27
Web access to VirtualCenter 78 resources
power management 25 CPU 192
power off management 25
shutdown, versus 172 memory 194
power states privileges 343
transitional 172 virtual machine settings 192
virtual machines 169, 174 restart
privileges 266, 331 virtual machines 170
alarms 332 VirtualCenter 37
configuration 337 resume 170
datacenter 333 virtual machines 173
datastore 333 roles 266, 272
extension 334 copy 276
folders 334 create 275
global 335 default 273
host CIM 337 edit 277
host inventory 339 privileges, lists of 331
host local operations 341 remove 277
network 341 rename 278
performance 342 rollup 285, 357
permission 342 figure 290
resource 343 RPM installer 158
scheduled tasks 344 runtime settings
sessions 345 VirtualCenter settings 75
tasks 345
virtual machine 350
S
virtual machine configuration 346 SAN LUN 200

VMware, Inc. 377

Basic System Administration

mapping 153 about 253

schedule exclude virtual disks from 256
power states 174 manage 257
scheduled tasks 302 parent 259
about 28 revert to 259
cancel 309 virtual machines, migrate 243
clone virtual machine 212 SNMP 83, 98
manage 305 alarms, set traps for notification
privileges 344 of 318
scheduling affinity 193 configure 83, 93
scripts diagnostics 98
alarms 319 ESX Server 3i 96
SCSI 180, 201 management software 97
adapter 150 security 97
security traps 94
baselines 26 traps, configure 96
configuration 73 VirtualCenter settings 75
SNMP 97 Solaris 161
serial port 197 SSH 42
service console 41 SSL
commands 42 VirtualCenter 76
configure ESX Server agent 95 SSL certificate 133
connection 42 standby 170
DHCP 41 starting
man pages 43 VI Client 38
remote command-line interface, startup 177
versus 42 statistics
services about 285
consolidation 119 database calculator 293
syslogd 102 VirtualCenter settings 74
VMware Tools 155 storage 200
sessions raw device mapping 72
privileges 345 Storage VMotion 248
VI Client, terminating 82 command-line syntax 249
shutdown 170, 177 limitations 248
power off, versus 172 requirements 248
SMTP streaming multimedia
VirtualCenter settings 75 WYSE 165
snapshots Summary tab 54

378 VMware, Inc.

 Index

suspend 170 troubleshoot

virtual machines 173 consolidation 125
swapfile 81, 187 log files 99, 104
syslog 102 tutorial 57
sysprep 353
U
T upgrade
tabs VMware Tools 155, 157
Admin 53 users 269
Getting Started 56 utilities
Inventory 54 sysprep 353
Summary 54 VMware Tools 155
tar installer 159, 160
tasks 29 V
about 302 VI Client 20, 24, 38
cancel 309 about 45
clone virtual machine 212 communication through firewall 76
events 311 console window 50
manage 301 diagram 21
navigation bar 54 logging in 38
privileges 345 logging out 39
scheduled 305 sessions 82
Telnet 42 starting 38
templates 26 stop 39
about 203 VirtualCenter port configuration 77
create 204 VI Web Access 24, 40
delete 209 logging in 40
deploy virtual machines 207 logging out 40
edit 206 virtual disks 200
inventory, return to 210 virtual hardware
navigation bar 54 upgrade 202
returning to VirtualCenter 176 virtual machine
unregister 209 SCSI device 201
virtual machines, convert to 209 virtual machine configuration
timeout Fibre Channel NPIV 187
VirtualCenter settings 76 swapfile location 187
traps 89 virtual machine name 148
SNMP 94 virtual machines
SNMP, configure 96 acceleration 188

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Basic System Administration

add existing 175 parallel port 198

advanced settings 188 paravirtualization settings 190
boot settings 189 power management settings 188
clone 210 power settings 80
configuration privileges 346 power states 169
configure 179 properties 179
convert 26 provisioning privileges 350
copy disks 114 removing 175
CPU compatibility masks 241 resource settings 192
CPU configuration 186 resume 173
CPU settings, resource 192 returning to VirtualCenter 176
CPU, settings, advanced 193 scheduled task to clone 212
CPUID Mask settings 189 scheduling power states 174
create 144 security compliance 26
custom attributes 61 see also appliances
deploying from templates 207 serial port 197
disk settings 196 shutdown 177
Ethernet adapter 199 snapshots 253
export 141 startup 177
Fibre Channel NPIV 81 state privileges 352
Fibre Channel NPIV settings 190 statistic collection settings 188
floppy drives 199 suspend 173
guest operating system 154 swapfile location 81
guest operating system tab 54
customization 216 templates, convert from 209
guest operating system settings 187 templates, convert to 204
hard disks 200 upgrade hardware 202
hardware 180, 196 upgrade version 201
interaction privileges 348 view configuration 79
inventory privileges 350 VMware Tools 80
legacy 201 VMware Tools settings 187
log settings 188 VirtualCenter
managing 169 about 22
memory settings 194 active sessions, view 81
migration 232 agent 23
name 145, 187 alarms 316
NIC 199 communication through firewall 76
optical drives 198 configuration 74
options 186 custom attributes 61

380 VMware, Inc.

 Index

database 22, 76 Linux 158

diagram 21 NetWare 162
events 311 properties 162
hosts, add 129 RPM installer 158, 159
hosts, remove 135 settings 187
inventory 28 Solaris 161
objects 63 tar installer 159
plugins 22, 26 upgrade 157
port configuration 77 WYSE 165
restarting 37 VMware Update Manager 26
SNMP 93
start 36 W
stop 36, 38 Web access
tasks 301 VirtualCenter port configuration 78
templates, unregister 209 Web Service
traps 89 VirtualCenter settings 76
VMFS 153 Windows
VMI paravirtualization 190 guest operating system
VMotion 24, 232 customization 215
compatibility 246 WWN 190
network requirements 235 WYSE multimedia 165
Nx and XD considerations 237
X
requirements 234
X terminal 158
resource maps 298
swapfile considerations 242
VMware Capacity Planner service 119
VMware Converter Enterprise
about 26
service 119
VMware DRS 25
VMware High Availability (HA) 24
VMware Infrastructure
components of 21
diagram 21
VMware SDK 25
VMware Service Console 24
VMware Tools 80, 143
automate upgrades 163
install and upgrade 155

VMware, Inc. 381

Basic System Administration

382 VMware, Inc.

Updates for the Basic Administration
Guide

LastUpdated:May14,2010

ThisdocumentprovidesupdatestotheUpdate2releaseofthe
ESXServer3.5andESXServer3iversion3.5versionsoftheBasicAdministrationGuide.
Updateddescriptionsareorganizedbypagenumbersothatyoucaneasilylocatethe
areaoftheguidethathaschanges.Ifthechangespansmultiplesequentialpages,this
documentprovidesthestartingpagenumberonly.

ThefollowingisalistofupdatesmadetotheBasicAdministrationGuide:

UpdatestoHardwareTabonPage 70

UpdatestotheConfiguringVirtualCenterCommunicationoveraWebConnection
SectiononPage 79

UpdatestotheAboutMIBFilesSectiononPage 83

UpdatestotheToconfigureyourmanagementprogramtointerpretVirtualCenter
SNMPtrapsProcedureonPage 94

UpdatestotheUsingSNMPwithESXServer3SectiononPage 94

UpdatestotheConfiguringtheESXServerAgentfromtheServiceConsoleSection
onPage 95

UpdatestotheAddingaHostSectiononPage 129

UpdatestotheImportingaVirtualApplianceProcedureonPage 141

UpdatestotheToInstallorUpgradeVMwareToolsonaLinuxGuestfromXwith
theRPMInstallerProcedureonPage 158

UpdatestotheToInstallorUpgradeVMwareToolsonaLinuxGuestwiththetar
InstallerorRPM InstallerProcedureonPage 160

UpdatestotheVMwareToolsUpgradesInformationonPage 163

UpdatestotheToChangetheMemoryConfigurationProcedureonPage 183

UpdatestotheToChangetheSerialPortConfigurationProcedureonPage 184

VMware, Inc. Update1

Updates for the Basic Administration Guide

UpdatestotheChangethevirtualprocessororCPUconfigurationProcedureon
Page 186

UpdatestotheWindowsRequirementsforGuestCustomizationSectionon
Page 217

UpdatestotheLinuxRequirementsforGuestCustomizationSectiononPage 218

UpdatestoEVCRequirementsSectiononPage 238

UpdatestotheStorageVMotionRemoteCommandLineSyntaxSectionon
Page 249

UpdatestotheUnderstandingSnapshotsSectiononPage 254

UpdatestotheIntervalDurationandCollectionFrequency:DefaultsTableon
Page 286

UpdatestotheHowstatisticaldataisstoredinthedatabaseSectiononPage 290

UpdatestotheToDefinetheSMTPandEmailMessageAddressingInformation
ProcedureonPage 319

UpdatestotheTocreateanalarmProcedureonPage 323

UpdatetotheHostConfigurationPrivilegesTableonPage 337

UpdatestotheInstallingtheMicrosoftSysprepToolsAppendixonPage 353

UpdatestotheMemoryPerformanceMetricsforResourcePoolsonPage 366

Updates to Hardware Tab on Page 70

InHardwareTab,thedescriptionoftheHealthStatusoptionincorrectlystatesthatitis
availableforESXServer3ionly.TheHealthStatusoptionisalsoavailablefor
ESX Server3.5Update2andlater.

Updates to the Configuring VirtualCenter Communication

over a Web Connection Section on Page 79
Step 7oftheToopenaWebportbetweentheVirtualCenterServerandtheVIClient
usingIISprocedureisnowinvalid.Thefollowinginformationshouldbeincludedin
thesection:

ThecurrentversionofVirtualCenterdoesnotuseVmdbHttpProxy.dllfor
communicationbetweentheVIClientandtheVirtualCenterServer.

Update2 VMware, Inc.

 Updates for the Basic Administration Guide

InVirtualCenterServer2.5andlater,theVirtualCenterServeractsasaWebservice.If
yourenvironmentrequirestheuseofaWebproxy,VirtualCenterServercanbeusedas
aproxyserverlikeanyotherWebservice.

TheVIClientusesports80and443tocommunicatewithVirtualCenterServerand
ESX/ESXihosts.Theseportscannotbechanged.Configureyourfirewalltoallow
communicationbetweentheVIClientandVirtualCenterServerusingtheports80
and 443.

Updates to the About MIB Files Section on Page 83

ThecontentintheAboutMIBFilessectionshouldbereplacedwiththefollowing
content:

VMwareMIBfilesdefinetheinformationprovidedbyESX/ESXihostsandvCenter
ServertoSNMPmanagementsoftware.YoucandownloadtheseMIBfilesfromthe
VMwareWebsite.

ReferKB1013758formoreinformationonusingSNMPwithVirtualCenter2.5and
ESX 3.5.

Table 51liststheMIBfilesprovidedbyVMwareanddescribestheinformationthat
eachfileprovides.

Updates to the To configure your management program

to interpret VirtualCenter SNMP traps Procedure on
Page 94
Step 1intheToconfigureyourmanagementprogramtointerpretVirtualCenterSNMP
trapsprocedureisincorrect.Thefollowingdetailsshouldreplacetheincorrectstep:

1 CopythefollowingMIBfilestothelocationrequiredbyyourmanagement
software:

VMWARE-VC-EVENT-MIB
VMWARE-OBSOLETE-MIB

TheseMIBfilesarerequiredtointerpretVirtualCenterServerTraps.

YoucandownloadtheseSNMPMIBfilesfromtheVMwareWebsite.Refer
KB 1013445formoredetailsondownloadingtheMIBfiles.

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Updates for the Basic Administration Guide

Updates to the Using SNMP with ESX Server 3 Section on

Page 94
ThesentenceintheUsingSNMPwithESXServer3sectionregardingSMIv1and
SNMPv1shouldbereplacedwiththefollowingcontent:

TheESXServer3NetSNMPbasedagentcanbeusedwithanymanagementsoftware
thatcanloadandcompileamanagementinformationbase(MIB)inSMIv2formatand
canunderstandSNMPv2trapmessages.

Updates to the Configuring the ESX Server Agent from

the Service Console Section on Page 95
TheConfiguringtheESXServerAgentfromtheServiceConsolesectiondoesnot
providedetailedinstructionsforconfiguringanESXServerhostforgeneratingtraps.
Thefollowingprocedure,whichenablesyoutomodify/etc/vmware/snmp.xmlto
setuptraptargetsforVMwarerelatedtrapsfromServiceConsole,shouldbeaddedto
thissection.(ReferKB1008065tousethevicfg-snmpcommandfromtheRemoteCLI
toenabletheSNMPagentandconfiguretrapdestinations).

To configure an ESX host for SNMP Traps

1 LoginasroottotheserviceconsoleoftheESXhost.
2 Runthefollowingcommandtoeditthesnmp.xmlfile:
vi /etc/vmware/snmp.xml

3 Updatethesnmp.xmlfilewiththefollowingtext:
<config>
<snmpSettings>
<communities>public</communities>
<enable>true</enable>
<port>99</port>
<targets>localhost@162 private</targets>
</snmpSettings>
</config>

4 Runthefollowingcommandtoedittheconfig.xmlfile:

vi /etc/vmware/hostd/config.xml

Update4 VMware, Inc.

 Updates for the Basic Administration Guide

5 Updatetheconfig.xmlfilewiththefollowingtext:
<log>
<directory>/var/log/vmware/</directory>
<name>hostd</name>
<outputToConsole>false</outputToConsole>
<level>verbose</level>
</log>

6 Restarthostdusingthefollowingcommand:

service mgmt-vmware restart

7 Runthefollowingcommandstoverifythatthesnmpdandsnmptrapdarerunning
successfully:

etc/initd/snmpd status

etc/initd/snmptrapd status

Ifthestatusisdisplayedasstopped,startthedaemons:

etc/initd/snmpd start

etc/initd/snmptrapd start

Tomonitorandreceivethegeneratedtraps,enterthefollowingcommands:

# snmpd -P

# snmptrapd -P

Updates to the Adding a Host Section on Page 129

ThenoteintheAddingaHostsectionshouldcontainthefollowinginformation
regardingtheLockdownmode:

NOTELockdownMode,whichisavailableonlyinESXiEmbedded,isnotavailablein
ESXinstallations.LockdownModedisablesremoteaccessfortheadministratorafter
VirtualCenterServertakescontroloftheESXihost.Formoredetails,referthesection
ESXServer3iLockdownModeinESXServer3iConfigurationGuide.

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Updates for the Basic Administration Guide

Updates to the Importing a Virtual Appliance Procedure

on Page 141
Step 6oftheToimportavirtualapplianceprocedurestatesincorrectinformation.The
nameprovidedtothedatacenteriscaseinsensitive.

Updates to the To Install or Upgrade VMware Tools on a

Linux Guest from X with the RPM Installer Procedure on
Page 158
Step 5oftheprocedureToinstallorupgradeVMwareToolsonaLinuxguestfromX
withtheRPMinstallershouldincludethefollowingnote:

NOTEDuringVMwareToolsinstallation,aLinuxguestoperatingsystemmight
displayamessageindicatingthatthepackagehasnotbeensigned.Ifthismessage
appears,clickInstallAnywaytocontinuetheinstallation.

Updates to the To Install or Upgrade VMware Tools on a

Linux Guest with the tar Installer or RPM Installer
Procedure on Page 160
Step 6oftheprocedureToinstallorupgradeVMwareToolsonaLinuxguestwiththe
tarinstallerorRPM installershouldincludethefollowingnote:

NOTEDuringVMwareToolsinstallation,aLinuxguestoperatingsystemmight
displayamessageindicatingthatthepackagehasnotbeensigned.Ifthismessage
appears,clickInstallAnywaytocontinuetheinstallation.

Updates to the VMware Tools Upgrades Information on

Page 163
Step 7oftheToManuallyUpgradeToolsprocedurehasacrossreferencetoTable 101,
whichcontainserroneousinformation.Thetableshouldbereplacedwiththefollowing
paragraph:

OptionsforLinuxaredocumentedintheLinuxinstallerforLinuxTools.
CommandlineoptionsforWindowsaredocumentedintheMSIforWindows
ToolsandatWikipedia(searchforWindowsInstaller).

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 Updates for the Basic Administration Guide

Updates to the To Change the Memory Configuration

Procedure on Page 183
Step 3oftheTochangethememoryconfigurationprocedurestatesincorrect
informationabouttherangeofmemorysupported.Thecorrectrangeofmemory
supportedis128MBto65532MB.

Updates to the To Change the Serial Port Configuration

Procedure on Page 184
ThefollowingnoteshouldprecedetheTochangetheserialportconfiguration
procedure:

NOTEHostserialdevicefunctionalityisnotavailableonESXihosts.

Updates to the Change the virtual processor or CPU

configuration Procedure on Page 186
ThenoteinTochangethevirtualprocessororCPUconfigurationsectioncontaining
informationonthesupportforchangingthenumberofprocessorsinanimported
virtualmachineisincorrect.Thecorrectinformationis

NOTENotallguestoperatingsystemssupportSMP,andsomethatdorequire
reinstallationifthenumberofCPUschanges..

Updates to the Windows Requirements for Guest

Customization Section on Page 217
ThefollowingtextshouldappearintheWindowsRequirementsforGuest
Customizationsection:

SeetheVMwareInfrastructureCompatibilityMatrixesGuideforthelistofsupported
operatingsystemsforvirtualimagecustomization.

VMware, Inc. Update7

Updates for the Basic Administration Guide

Updates to the Linux Requirements for Guest

Customization Section on Page 218
ThefollowingtextshouldappearintheLinuxRequirementsforGuestCustomization
section:

SeetheVMwareInfrastructureCompatibilityMatrixesGuideforthelistofsupported
operatingsystemsforvirtualimagecustomization.

Also,thefollowingrequirementshouldbelistedinthissection:

PerlisinstalledintheLinuxguestoperatingsystem.

Updates to EVC Requirements Section on Page 238

InEVCRequirementssection,thelistofrequirementsshouldcontainthefollowingtwo
additionalitems:

Allhostsintheclustermusthavehardwarevirtualization(IntelVTorAMDV)
enabledintheBIOSifitisavailable.

Allhostsintheclustermusthaveexecuteprotection(XDonIntelprocessorsand
NXonAMDprocessors)enabledintheBIOS.

Updates to the Storage VMotion Remote Command-Line

Syntax Section on Page 249
ThecontentintheStorageVMotionRemoteCommandLineSyntaxsectionon
initiatingthemigrationswithStorageVMotionfromtheRemoteCommandLine
Interfaceisnotproper.Thecontentshouldbeasfollows:

YoucaninitiatemigrationswithstorageVMotiononbothESXServer3iandESX
Server 3hostsbyrunningthesvmotioncommandfromtheRemoteCommandLine
Interface(RemoteCLI).

FormoreinformationoninstallingandusingtheRemoteCLI,seetheRemote
CommandLineInterfaceInstallationandReference.

Update8 VMware, Inc.

 Updates for the Basic Administration Guide

Updates to the Understanding Snapshots Section on

Page 254
TheUnderstandingSnapshotssectiondoesnotincludeinformationondeltadisks.The
sectionshouldcontainthefollowingcontent:

Totakeasnapshot,thestateofthevirtualdiskatthetimeoftakingthesnapshotmust
bepreserved.Whenthisoccurs,theguestoperatingsystemcannotwritetotheVMDK
file.ThedeltadiskisanadditionalVMDKfilewheretheguestisgivenwriteaccess.

NOTEToconsolidateallsnapshotsintothebasevirtualmachine,youmightneedextra
diskspace,aslargeasthebaseVMDK.

Thedeltadiskrepresentsthedifferencebetweenthecurrentstateofthevirtualdiskand
thestateatthetimeoftheprevioussnapshot.Ifmorethanonesnapshotsexist,delta
disksmightrepresentthedifference(ordelta)betweeneachsnapshot.Also,theguest
canwritetoeverysingleblockofthevirtualdiskcausingthedeltadisktogrowaslarge
asthebaseVMDKofthevirtualmachine.

Whenasnapshotisdeleted,ifauserchoosestomergethechangesbetweenthe
snapshotstothepreviousdiskstate,allthedatafromthedeltadiskthatcontainsthe
informationaboutthedeletedsnapshotiswrittentotheparentdisk.Thismightinvolve
alargeamountofdiskI/Oandmightreducethevirtualmachineperformanceuntil
consolidationiscomplete.

Iftheuserchoosestoignorethedeltadisks,deltaconsolidationisnotrequired.

SeeVMwareKnowledgeBasesystemformoreinformationontheiterativesnapshot
deletionbehavior.SeealsoDeleteAllsnapshotoperationresultsinaConsolidate
Helpersnapshotwhenadatastorehasinsufficientdiskspace(KBarticle1003302).

NOTEWhilesnapshotsprovideapointintimeimageofthediskthatbackupsolutions
canuse,snapshotsshouldnotbeusedforvirtualmachinebackups.

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Updates for the Basic Administration Guide

Updates to the Interval Duration and Collection

Frequency: Defaults Table on Page 286
InTable 181,theconfigurablevalueofthedurationforwhichthestatisticscanbe
storedintheVirtualCenterdatabaseisincorrect.Thefollowingrowsreplacethe
respectiverowsinthetable.

Collection Interval Collection

Interval Duration Frequency Configurable Attributes Possible Values

Day 1Day 5Minutes IntervalLength(Days)15

CollectionFrequency(Minutes)1,2,3,5

Year 1Year 1Days IntervalLength(Years)15

Updates to the How statistical data is stored in the

database Section on Page 290
TheHowstatisticaldataisstoredinthedatabasesectioncontainsincorrectinformation
aboutthedurationforwhichthestatisticscanbestoredintheVirtualCenterdatabase.
Thetextshouldbeasfollows:

Bydefault,statisticsarestoredintheVirtualCenterdatabasefor1year.However,you
canincreasethisto5years.Youshouldarchiveyourstatisticaldataoutsideofthe
VirtualCenterdatabasetosaveitformorethan5years.

Updates to the To Define the SMTP and Email Message

Addressing Information Procedure on Page 319
InStep 3,theSenderAccountexampleisincorrect.Theemailaddressismissingtheat
sign(@).Thetextshouldread:

SenderAccountTheemailaddressofthesender,forexample,
mail_server@datacenter.com.

Update10 VMware, Inc.

 Updates for the Basic Administration Guide

Updates to the To create an alarm Procedure on Page 323

IntheWarninglistitemofStep 6,thedetailsoftheVMstateoptionsareincorrect.The
contentshouldreadasfollows:

ThefollowingVMStateoptionsaredisplayedintheWarningcolumn:None,
PoweredOff,PoweredOn,andSuspended.

TheHostStateoptionscorrespondtothefollowingactivities:None,Connected,
Disconnected,andNotresponding.

Theexitingstateisconsideredayellowcolorconditionattheselectedstate.

Update to the Host Configuration Privileges Table on

Page 337
InTable A8,thedescriptionfortheChangeSettingsprivilegedoesnotmentionthatthe
privilegeallowssettingtheLockdownModeonlyonESXihosts.Therowshould
appearasfollows:

Change AllowssettingoflockdownmodeonESXi HCandVC Hosts Hosts

Settings hostsonly. (ESXionly)
Userinterfaceelement:
1 SelecttheHostConfigurationtab.
2 ClickSecurityProfile.
3 SelectLockdownModeandclickEdit.

Updates to the Installing the Microsoft Sysprep Tools

Appendix on Page 353
TheversionoftheVirtualCenterServermentionedinthefourthparagraphinthe
InstallingtheMicrosoftSysprepToolsappendixisincorrect.Thetextshouldreadas
follows:

TheguestoperatingsystemcustomizationfeatureinVirtualCenterServer2.5takesfull
advantageofWindowsSysprepfunctionality.

Updates to the Memory Performance Metrics for

Resource Pools on Page 366
TheMemoryUsagecounterinTable C8displayedincorrectdataandhasbeen
removed.

VMware, Inc. Update11

Updates for the Basic Administration Guide

Update12 VMware, Inc.