VMware 4817V62 - vSphere - PC, vSphere vCenter Server 4.0, vSphere ESX 4.0, vSphere ESXi 4.0 Administration Manual

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vSphere Basic System Administration

vCenter Server 4.0

ESX 4.0

ESXi 4.0

This document supports the version of each product listed and supports all subsequent versions until the document is replaced by a new edition. To check for more recent editions of this document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.

EN-000105-08

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You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at:

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

The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates.

If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to:

docfeedback@vmware.com

Copyright © 2009–2011 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. VMware products are covered by one or more patents listed at

http://www.vmware.com/go/patents.

VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

VMware, Inc.

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

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Contents

Updated Information 9

About This Book 11

Getting Started

vSphere Components 15

Components of vSphere 15

vSphere Client Interfaces 17

Functional Components 17

Managed Components 19

Access Privileges Components 21

vCenter Server Modules 21

vCenter Components That Require Tomcat 22

Optional vCenter Server Components 22

Starting and Stopping the vSphere Components 25

Start an ESX/ESXi Host 25

Reboot or Shut Down an ESX/ESXi Host 25

Stop an ESX Host Manually 26

Starting vCenter Server 26

Start the vSphere Client and Log In 27

Stop the vSphere Client and Log Out 28

vSphere Web Access 28

VMware Service Console 29

Using vCenter Server in Linked Mode 31

Linked Mode Prerequisites 31

Linked Mode Considerations 32

Join a Linked Mode Group After Installation 32

Reconciling Roles When Connecting vCenter Server to a Linked Mode Group 33

Isolate a vCenter Server Instance from a Linked Mode Group 34

Change the Domain of a vCenter Server System in a Linked Mode Group 34

Configure the URLs on a Linked Mode vCenter Server System 34

Linked Mode Troubleshooting 35

Monitor vCenter Server Services 37

Using the vSphere Client 39

Getting Started Tabs 40

Status Bar, Recent Tasks, and Triggered Alarms 40

Panel Sections 40

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View Virtual Machine Console 41

Searching the vSphere Inventory 41

Using Lists 42

Custom Attributes 43

Select Objects 44

Manage vCenter Server Plug-Ins 45

Save vSphere Client Data 46

Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server 47

Host Configuration 47

Configuring vCenter Server 48

Access the vCenter Server Settings 48

Configuring Communication Among ESX, vCenter Server, and the vSphere Client 49

Configure vCenter Server SMTP Mail Settings 49

Working with Active Sessions 49

SNMP and vSphere 50

System Log Files 65

Managing the vSphere Client Inventory 71

Understanding vSphere Client Objects 71

Add an Inventory Object 73

Moving Objects in the Inventory 74

Remove an Inventory Object 74

Browsing Datastores in the vSphere Client Inventory 75

Managing Hosts in vCenter Server 77

About Hosts 77

Add a Host 78

Completing the Add Host Process 79

Disconnecting and Reconnecting a Host 80

Remove a Host from a Cluster 81

Understanding Managed Host Removal 81

Remove a Managed Host from vCenter Server 82

Monitoring Host Health Status 83

Virtual Machine Management

Consolidating the Datacenter 87

Consolidation First Time Use 88

Consolidation Prerequisites 88

About Consolidation Services 91

Configuring Consolidation Settings 91

Find and Analyze Physical Systems 92

Viewing Analysis Results 93

Converting Physical Systems to Virtual Machines 93

Viewing Consolidation Tasks 94

Troubleshooting Consolidation 95

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Deploying OVF Templates 99

About OVF 99

Deploy an OVF Template 99

Browse VMware Virtual Appliance Marketplace 101

Export an OVF Template 101

Managing VMware vApp 103

Create a vApp 103

Populate the vApp 105

Edit vApp Settings 106

Configuring IP Pools 109

Clone a vApp 111

Power On a vApp 111

Power Off a vApp 112

Edit vApp Annotation 112

Creating Virtual Machines 113

Access the New Virtual Machine Wizard 113

Select a Path Through the New Virtual Machine Wizard 114

Enter a Name and Location 114

Select a Resource Pool 114

Select a Datastore 115

Select a Virtual Machine Version 115

Select an Operating System 115

Select the Number of Virtual Processors 115

Configure Virtual Memory 116

Configure Networks 116

About VMware Paravirtual SCSI Adapters 116

Select a SCSI Adapter 117

Selecting a Virtual Disk Type 117

Complete Virtual Machine Creation 120

Installing a Guest Operating System 120

Installing and Upgrading VMware Tools 120

Managing Virtual Machines 133

Changing Virtual Machine Power States 134

Adding and Removing Virtual Machines 137

Configure Virtual Machine Startup and Shutdown Behavior 138

Virtual Machine Configuration 141

Virtual Machine Hardware Versions 141

Virtual Machine Properties Editor 142

Adding New Hardware 156

Converting Virtual Disks from Thin to Thick 163

Working with Templates and Clones 165

Creating Templates 165

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Edit a Template 167

Change Template Name 168

Deploy Virtual Machines from Templates 168

Convert Templates to Virtual Machines 169

Deleting Templates 169

Regain Templates 170

Clone Virtual Machines 170

Create a Scheduled Task to Clone a Virtual Machine 171

Customizing Guest Operating Systems 173

Preparing for Guest Customization 173

Customize Windows During Cloning or Deployment 175

Customize Linux During Cloning or Deployment 176

Create a Customization Specification for Linux 177

Create a Customization Specification for Windows 177

Managing Customization Specification 179

Completing a Guest Operating System Customization 180

Migrating Virtual Machines 183

Cold Migration 184

Migrating a Suspended Virtual Machine 184

Migration with VMotion 184

Migration with Storage VMotion 193

Migrate a Powered-Off or Suspended Virtual Machine 194

Migrate a Powered-On Virtual Machine with VMotion 195

Migrate a Virtual Machine with Storage VMotion 196

Storage VMotion Command-Line Syntax 198

Using Snapshots 201

About Snapshots 201

Using the Snapshot Manager 204

Restore a Snapshot 205

System Administration

Managing Users, Groups, Roles, and Permissions 209

Managing vSphere Users 209

Groups 210

Removing or Modifying Users and Groups 211

Best Practices for Users and Groups 211

Using Roles to Assign Privileges 211

Permissions 215

Best Practices for Roles and Permissions 222

Required Privileges for Common Tasks 223

Monitoring Storage Resources 225

Working with Storage Reports 225

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Working with Storage Maps 227

Using vCenter Maps 229

vCenter VMotion Maps 230

vCenter Map Icons and Interface Controls 230

View vCenter Maps 231

Print vCenter Maps 231

Export vCenter Maps 231

Working with Alarms 233

Alarm Triggers 234

Alarm Actions 243

Alarm Reporting 248

Creating Alarms 248

Managing Alarms 252

Managing Alarm Actions 256

Preconfigured VMware Alarms 259

Working with Performance Statistics 261

Statistics Collection for vCenter Server 261

vCenter Server Performance Charts 268

Monitoring and Troubleshooting Performance 273

Working with Tasks and Events 279

Managing Tasks 279

Managing Events 285

Appendixes

Defined Privileges 291

Alarms 292

Datacenter 293

Datastore 293

Distributed Virtual Port Group 294

Distributed Virtual Switch 295

Extensions 296

Folders 296

Global 297

Host CIM 298

Host Configuration 298

Host Inventory 300

Host Local Operations 301

Host Profile 302

Network 302

Performance 303

Permissions 304

Resource 304

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Scheduled Task 306

Sessions 306

Tasks 307

vApp 307

Virtual Machine Configuration 309

Virtual Machine Interaction 313

Virtual Machine Inventory 316

Virtual Machine Provisioning 317

Virtual Machine State 320

Installing the Microsoft Sysprep Tools 321

Install the Microsoft System Preparation Tools from a Microsoft Web Site Download 321

Install the Microsoft Sysprep Tools from the Windows Operating System CD 322

Performance Metrics 325

Cluster Services Metrics 326

CPU Metrics 327

Disk Metrics 331

Management Agent Metrics 335

Memory Metrics 336

Network Metrics 344

Storage Utilization Metrics 346

System Metrics 347

Virtual Machine Operations Metrics 348

Index 351

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Updated Information

This Basic System Administration is updated with each release of the product or when necessary.

This table provides the update history of the Basic System Administration.

Revision Description

EN-000105-08 Changed a point in “Configuring Communication Among ESX, vCenter Server, and the vSphere Client,”

on page 49 section.

EN-000105-07

The topics “Windows Requirements for Guest Customization,” on page 174 and “Linux Requirements

for Guest Customization,” on page 175 now have reference to the vSphere Compatibility Matrixes

document for information on the list of operating system that are supported for guest OS cutomization.

The topic “About Snapshots,” on page 201 now reflects that VMware does not support snapshots of virtual machines configured with bus-sharing.

In “Disk Metrics,” on page 331, corrected the table. The latency counters were marked as available for V (virtual machines) and H (hosts), when they are actually only available for hosts.

In “Memory Metrics,” on page 336, corrected the table. The sharedcommon counter was marked as available for V (virtual machines) and H (hosts), when it is actually only available for hosts.

EN-000105-06

In certain topics, removed references to Microsoft Outlook Express.

In “Upgrade VMware Tools Manually,” on page 128, updated Step 5to show that you do not have to power-off the virtual machines when upgrading VMware Tools manually.

EN-000105-05

In “Specify an IP Address Range,” on page 109, updated the incorrect IPv4 address from 10.209.60.13 to 10.20.60.13.

In Chapter 17, “Using Snapshots,” on page 201, added information that you can use snapshot as a restoration point during a linear or iterative process.

In “About Snapshots,” on page 201, added a link to a KB article.

In “Revert to Snapshot Command,” on page 205, added information about taking the snapshot when the virtual machine is powered off.

In “Collection Intervals,” on page 263, updated that ESXi retains real-time statistics for one hour instead of 30 minutes.

In “Disk Metrics,” on page 331, updated the Stats Type as rate and Unit as kiloBytesPerSecond in the usage counter of the Table C-3.

EN-000105-04

In “Edit vApp Startup and Shutdown Options,” on page 106 the tab name is changed from Start up to Start Order.

A note added to “View vApp License Agreement,” on page 107 clarifies the condition required to view the vApp license agreement.

The alarms Virtual Machine CPU Ready, Virtual machine disk commands canceled, and Virtual machine disk reset are removed from the Default VMware Alarms table in “Preconfigured VMware

Alarms,” on page 259.

“How Metrics Are Stored in the vCenter Server Database,” on page 267 now reflects that the maximum

number of years for which the vCenter Server Database can store statistical data is 5 years.

EN-000105-03

The list of supported guest operating systems in topic “Linux Requirements for Guest

Customization,” on page 175 has been revised.

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Revision Description

EN-000105-02

The following sentence has been removed from the note in“Change the Virtual Processor or CPU

Configuration,” on page 148: "Changing the number of processors an imported virtual machine uses

is not supported." This information no longer pertains to vSphere.

Added information to “About Snapshots,” on page 201 that clarifies the issue of using snapshots for virtual machine backups.

EN-000105-01

The topic “Add a USB Controller to a Virtual Machine,” on page 163 now reflects that although you can add a USB controller to a virtual machine, adding USB devices is not supported.

Chapter 16, “Migrating Virtual Machines,” on page 183 has been revised to remove references to

VMware Server. VMware Server hosts are not supported by vCenter Server.

In Table A-22 the description for the Host USB device privilege now reflects that adding USB devices to virtual machines is not supported.

Minor revisions.

EN-000105-00 Initial release.

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About This Book

This manual, Basic System Administration, describes how to start and stop the VMware® vSphere™ Client components, build your vSphere environment, monitor and manage the information generated about the components, and set up roles and permissions for users and groups using the vSphere environment. This manual also provides information for managing, creating, and configuring virtual machines in your datacenter.

In addition, this manual provides brief introductions to the various tasks you can perform within the system as well as cross-references to the documentation that describes all the tasks in detail.

Basic System Administration covers ESX, ESXi, and vCenter Server.

Intended Audience

The information presented in this manual is written for system administrators who are experienced Windows or Linux system administrators and who are familiar with virtual machine technology and datacenter operations.

Document Feedback

VMware welcomes your suggestions for improving our documentation. If you have comments, send your feedback to docfeedback@vmware.com.

VMware vSphere Documentation

The vSphere documentation consists of the combined VMware vCenter Server and ESX/ESXi documentation set.

Abbreviations Used in Figures

The figures in this manual use the abbreviations listed in Table 1.

Table 1. Abbreviations

Abbreviation Description

database vCenter Server database

datastore Storage for the managed host

dsk# Storage disk for the managed host

hostn vCenter Server managed hosts

SAN Storage area network type datastore shared between

managed hosts

tmplt Template

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Table 1. Abbreviations (Continued)

Abbreviation Description

user# User with access permissions

VC vCenter Server

VM# Virtual machines on a managed host

Technical Support and Education Resources

The following technical support resources are available to you. To access the current version of this book and other books, go to http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.

Online and Telephone Support

To use online support to submit technical support requests, view your product and contract information, and register your products, go to

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

Customers with appropriate support contracts should use telephone support for priority 1 issues. Go to

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

Support Offerings

To find out how VMware support offerings can help meet your business needs, go to http://www.vmware.com/support/services.

VMware Professional Services

VMware Education Services courses offer extensive hands-on labs, case study examples, and course materials designed to be used as on-the-job reference tools. Courses are available onsite, in the classroom, and live online. For onsite pilot programs and implementation best practices, VMware Consulting Services provides offerings to help you assess, plan, build, and manage your virtual environment. To access information about education classes, certification programs, and consulting services, go to

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

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Getting Started

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vSphere Components 1

VMware vSphere™ includes components and operations essential for managing virtual machines. vSphere works with several client interfaces and offers many optional components and modules, such as VMware High Availability (HA), VMware VMotion™, VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), VMware Update Manager, and VMware Converter Enterprise.

vSphere allows you to treat your virtual environment objects as managed components such as virtual machines, hosts, datacenters, resource pools, and clusters. Functional components of vSphere provide the best way to manage each of these managed components of your virtual environment.

Finally, vSphere provides powerful administration tools through access privileges components.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Components of vSphere,” on page 15

“vSphere Client Interfaces,” on page 17

“Functional Components,” on page 17

“Managed Components,” on page 19

“Access Privileges Components,” on page 21

“vCenter Server Modules,” on page 21

“vCenter Components That Require Tomcat,” on page 22

“Optional vCenter Server Components,” on page 22

Components of vSphere

VMware vSphere is a suite of software components for virtualization.

To run your vSphere environment, you need the following components:

ESX/ESXi

A virtualization platform used to create the virtual machines as a set of configuration and disk files that together perform all the functions of a physical machine.

Through ESX/ESXi, you run the virtual machines, install operating systems, run applications, and configure the virtual machines. Configuration includes identifying the virtual machine’s resources, such as storage devices.

The server provides bootstrapping, management, and other services that manage your virtual machines.

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Each ESX/ESXi host has a vSphere Client available for your management use. If your ESX/ESXi host is registered with vCenter Server, a vSphere Client that accommodates vCenter Server features is available.

vCenter Server

A service that acts as a central administrator for VMware ESX/ESXi hosts that are connected on a network. vCenter Server directs actions on the virtual machines and the virtual machine hosts (the ESX/ESXi hosts).

vCenter Server is a single Windows Service and is installed to run automatically. vCenter Server runs continuously in the background, performing its monitoring and managing activities even when no vSphere Clients are connected and even if nobody is logged on to the computer where it resides. It must have network access to all the hosts it manages and be available for network access from any machine where the vSphere Client is run.

vCenter Server can be installed in a Windows virtual machine on an ESX/ESXi host, allowing it to take advantage of the high-availability afforded by VMware HA. See the Installation Guide for details on setting up this configuration.

Multiple vCenter Server systems can be joined together using Linked Mode to allow them to be managed using a single vSphere Client connection.

vCenter Server plug-ins

Applications that provide additional features and functionality to vCenter Server. Typically, plug-ins consist of a server component and a client component. After the plug-in server is installed, it is registered with vCenter Server and the plug-in client is available to vSphere clients for download. After a plug-in is installed on a vSphere client, it might alter the interface by adding views, tabs, toolbar buttons, or menu options related to the added functionality.

Plug-ins leverage core vCenter Server capabilities, such as authentication and permission management, but can have their own types of events, tasks, metadata, and privileges.

In addition to plug-ins that are available independently of vCenter Server, some vCenter Server features are implemented as plug-ins, and can be managed using the vSphere Client Plug-in Manager. These features include vCenter Storage Monitoring, vCenter Hardware Status, and vCenter Service Status.

vCenter Server database

A persistent storage area for maintaining status of each virtual machine, host, and user managed in the vCenter Server environment. The vCenter Server database can be remote or local to the vCenter Server system.

The database is installed and configured during vCenter Server installation.

If you are accessing your ESX/ESXi host directly through a vSphere Client, and not through a vCenter Server system and associated vSphere Client, you do not use a vCenter Server database.

Datastore

A virtual representation of combinations of underlying physical storage resources in the datacenter. A datastore is the storage location for virtual machine files. These physical storage resources can come from the local SCSI disk of the server, the Fibre Channel SAN disk arrays, the iSCSI SAN disk arrays, or Network Attached Storage (NAS) arrays. Datastores hide the idiosyncrasies of the storage options and provide a uniform model for various storage products required by virtual machines.

vCenter Server agent

On each managed host, software that collects, communicates, and executes the actions received from vCenter Server. The vCenter Server agent is installed the first time any host is added to the vCenter Server inventory.

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Host agent

On each managed host, software that collects, communicates, and executes the actions received through the vSphere Client. It is installed as part of the ESX/ESXi installation.

LDAP

vCenter Server uses LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) to synchronize data such as license and role information across vCenter Server systems joined in Linked Mode.

vSphere Client Interfaces

There are several ways to access vSphere components.

vSphere interface options include:

vSphere Client

A required component and the primary interface for creating, managing, and monitoring virtual machines, their resources, and their hosts. It also provides console access to virtual machines.

vSphere Client is installed on a Windows machine with network access to your ESX/ESXi or vCenter Server system installation. The interface displays slightly different options depending on which type of server you are connected to. While all vCenter Server activities are performed by a vCenter Server system, you must use the vSphere Client to monitor, manage, and control the server. A single vCenter Server system or ESX/ESXi host can support multiple, simultaneously connected vSphere Clients.

vSphere Web Access

A Web interface through which you can perform basic virtual machine management and configuration and get console access to virtual machines. It is installed with your ESX/ESXi host. Similar to the vSphere Client, vSphere Web Access works directly with a host or through vCenter Server. See the vSphere Web Access Administrator’s Guide for additional information.

VMware Service Console

A command-line interface for configuring an ESX host. For an ESXi host, use the vSphere Command-Line Interface.

vSphere Command-Line Interface

A command-line interface for configuring an ESXi host. The vSphere Command-Line Interface can also be used to perform Storage VMotion operations on both ESX/ESXi hosts.

Functional Components

Functional components are used to monitor and manage your vSphere infrastructure.

The functional components are accessible from the vSphere Client Home page. Functional components are divided into four categories: Inventory, Administration, Management, and Solutions and Applications.

Inventory

You use the Inventory functional components to view the objects managed by vCenter Server. Managed objects include datacenters, resource pools, clusters, networks, datastores, templates, hosts, and virtual machines. The inventory options are:

Allows you to search the vSphere inventory for hosts, virtual machines, networks, datastores, and folders matching specified criteria.

Hosts and Clusters

Provides a hierarchical view of hosts, clusters, and their child objects.

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VMs and Templates

Provides a view of all virtual machines and templates in the inventory, grouped by datacenters and folders.

Datastores

Provides a view of all datastores in the inventory, grouped by datacenters and folders.

Networks

Provides a view of all networks in the inventory, grouped by datacenters and folders.

Administration

You use the Administration functional components to configure and monitor the state of your hosts or vCenter Server systems. The options are:

Roles

Allows you to view and create roles used to grant access privileges to users.

Sessions

Allows you to view all vSphere Client sessions currently connected to the selected vCenter Server system. If you have sufficient privileges, you can terminate sessions. Sessions are available through vCenter Server only.

Licensing

Allows you to view and administer vSphere licenses. This is available through vCenter Server only. To administer licenses for a standalone host, use the host Configuration tab.

System Logs

Allows you to display and export log files.

vCenter Server Settings

Allows you to configure a number of settings for the selected vCenter Server system. The vCenter Server settings are available through vCenter Server only.

vCenter Server Status

Provides a list of vSphere services with their current status. The status details include warning and alert information.

Guided Consolidation

Analyzes computers in your enterprise and recommends the best candidates to virtualize. The consolidation interface guides you through the conversion process based on the computers you select for consolidation.

Management

You use the Management functional components to monitor and manage the objects in the vSphere inventory. Management functional components are available through vCenter Server only. The options are:

Scheduled Tasks

Provides a list of activities and a means to schedule those activities. Scheduled tasks are available through vCenter Server only.

Events

Provides a list of all the events that occur in the vCenter Server environment. Use this option to view all events. To see only events relevant to a particular object, use the Tasks & Events tab for that object. Events are available through vCenter Server only.

Maps

Provides a visual representation of the status and structure of the vSphere environment and the relationships between managed objects. This includes hosts, networks, virtual machines, and datastores. Maps are available only through vCenter Server.

Host Profiles

Allows you to view, create, apply, and check compliance for host profiles.

Customization Specifications Manager

Allows you to create new virtual machine guest operating system specifications and manage existing specifications.

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Solutions and Applications

You use the Solutions and Applications panel to access vCenter Server extensions installed in your vCenter Server System. For example, you can access the VMware vCenter Guided Consolidation extension and the VMware vCenter Update Manager from this panel.

NOTE This panel appears only if you purchased and installed VMware vSphere extensions that are sold separately from the VMware vCenter Server product.

Managed Components

Managed components are objects in your virtual and physical infrastructure on which you can place permissions, monitor tasks and events, and set alarms. You can group most managed components by using folders to more easily manage them.

All managed components, with the exception of hosts, can be renamed to represent their purposes. For example, they can be named after company departments or locations or functions. vCenter Server monitors and manages the following components of your virtual and physical infrastructure:

Clusters

A collection of ESX/ESXi hosts and associated virtual machines intended to work together as a unit. When you add a host to a cluster, the host’s resources become part of the cluster’s resources. The cluster manages the resources of all hosts.

If you enable VMware DRS on a cluster, the resources of the hosts in the cluster are merged to allow resource balancing for the hosts in the cluster. If you enable VMware HA on a cluster, the resources of the cluster are managed as a pool of capacity to allow rapid recovery from host hardware failures.See the Resource Management Guide.

Datacenters

Unlike a folder, which is used to organize a specific object type, a datacenter is an aggregation of all the different types of objects needed to do work in virtual infrastructure: hosts, virtual machines, networks, and datastores.

Within a datacenter there are four separate hierarchies.

Virtual machines (and templates)

Hosts (and clusters)

Networks

Datastores

The datacenter is the unit of virtualization (the namespace) of networks and datastores. Within a datacenter, you cannot have two objects (for example, two hosts) with the same name but you can have two objects with the same name in different datacenters. Virtual machine names need not be unique within the datacenter, but must be unique within each virtual machine folder.

If two virtual machines connect to networkA, they are connected to the same network. Rules are different across datacenters. Theoretically, the same physical network can appear in two datacenters and be called two different names. Or networkA might have one meaning in datacenterA and a different meaning in datacenterB. Moving objects between datacenters can create problems or, at least, unpredictable results.

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To have a single namespace (that is, a single datacenter) for all networks and datastores, use folders within the datacenter to organize the networks and datastores. To have separate namespaces (separate datacenters) for networks and datastores, create two datacenters.

Datastores

Folders

A top-level structure for vCenter Server only. Folders allow you to group objects of the same type so you can easily manage them. For example, you can use folders to set permissions across objects, to set alarms across objects, and to organize objects in a meaningful way.

A folder can contain other folders, or a group of objects of the same type: datacenters, clusters, datastores, networks, virtual machines, templates, or hosts. For example, one folder can contain hosts and a folder containing hosts, but it cannot contain hosts and a folder containing virtual machines.

The datacenter folders form a hierarchy directly under the root vCenter Server and allow users to group their datacenters in any convenient way. Within each datacenter is one hierarchy of folders with virtual machines and templates, one with hosts and clusters, one with datastores, and one with networks.

Hosts

The physical computer on which the virtualization platform software, such as ESX/ESXi, is installed and all virtual machines reside. If the vSphere Client is connected directly to an ESX/ESXi host, only that host is available for management.

NOTE When vCenter Server refers to a host, this means the physical machine on which the virtual machines are running. All virtual machines within the VMware vSphere environment are physically on ESX/ESXi hosts. The term host in this Help system refers to the ESX/ESXi host that has virtual machines on it.

Networks

A set of virtual network interface cards (virtual NIC), virtual switches (vSwitch), and port groups that connect virtual machines to each other or to the physical network outside of the virtual datacenter. All virtual machines that connect to the same port group belong to the same network in the virtual environment, even if they are on different physical servers. You can monitor networks and set permissions and alarms on port groups.

Resource pools

A structure that allows delegation of control over the resources of a host. Resource pools are used to compartmentalize all resources in a cluster. You can create multiple resource pools as direct children of a host or cluster and configure them. Then delegate control over them to other individuals or organizations. The managed resources are CPU and memory from a host or cluster. Virtual machines execute in, and draw their resources from, resource pools.

vCenter Server provides, through the DRS components, various options in monitoring the status of the resources and adjusting or suggesting adjustments to the virtual machines using the resources. You can monitor resources and set alarms on them.

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Templates

A master copy of a virtual machine that can be used to create and provision new virtual machines.

Virtual machines

A virtualized x86 or x64 personal computer environment in which a guest operating system and associated application software can run. Multiple virtual machines can operate on the same managed host machine concurrently.

vApps

VMware vApp is a format for packaging and managing applications. A vApp can contain multiple virtual machines.

Access Privileges Components

vSphere provides access control to managed objects by using user and group permissions and roles.

Each user logs in to a vCenter Server system through the vSphere Client. Each user is identified to the server as someone who has rights and privileges to selected objects, such as datacenters and virtual machines, within the vSphere environment. The vCenter Server system has full rights and privileges on all hosts and virtual machines within the vSphere environment. The server passes on only those actions and requests from a user that the user has permission to perform. Access privileges affect which vSphere Client objects appear in the inventory.

The server determines which access privileges and requests to allow based on the role assigned to the user or the user’s group on each object. vCenter Server administrators can create custom roles with specific sets of privileges, as well as use the sample roles that vCenter Server provides.

Users and Groups

Created through the Windows domain or Active Directory database or on the ESX/ESXi host. The server, vCenter Server or ESX/ESXi, registers users and groups as part of the assigning privileges process.

Roles

A set of access rights and privileges. Selected sample roles exist. You can also create roles and assign combinations of privileges to each role.

Permissions

A permission consists of a user or group and a role assigned to a particular inventory object.

vCenter Server Modules

vCenter Server modules extend the capabilities of vCenter Server by providing additional features and functionality.

Some modules are packaged separately from the base product and require separate installation. Modules and the base product can be upgraded independently of each other. VMware modules include:

VMware Update Manager

Enables administrators to apply updates and patches across ESX/ESXi hosts and all managed virtual machines. This module provides the ability to create user-defined security baselines which represent a set of security standards. Security administrators can compare hosts and virtual machines against these baselines to identify and remediate systems that are not in compliance.

VMware Converter Enterprise for vCenter Server

Enables users to convert physical machines, and virtual machines in a variety of formats, to ESX/ESXi virtual machines. Converted systems can be imported into the vCenter Server inventory.

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vShield Zones

vShield Zones is an application-aware firewall built for VMware vCenter Server integration. vShield Zones inspects client-server communications and inter-virtual-machine communication to provide detailed traffic analytics and application-aware firewall partitioning. vShield Zones is a critical security component for protecting virtualized datacenters from network-based attacks and misuse.

VMware vCenter Orchestrator

VMware vCenter Orchestrator is a workflow engine that enables you to create and execute automated workflows within your VMware vSphere environment. vCenter Orchestrator coordinates workflow tasks across multiple VMware products and third-party management and administration solutions through its open plug-in architecture. vCenter Orchestrator provides a library of workflows that are highly extensible; any operation available in the vCenter Server API can be used to customize vCenter Orchestrator workflows.

VMware Data Recovery

VMware Data Recovery is a disk-based backup and recovery solution that provides complete data protection for virtual machines. VMware Data Recovery is fully integrated with VMware vCenter Server to enable centralized and efficient management of backup jobs and includes data de-duplication to minimize disk usage.

vCenter Components That Require Tomcat

Several vCenter Server components require the Tomcat Web server to be running on the vCenter Server system. The Tomcat Web server is installed as part of the vCenter Server installation.

The components that require Tomcat to be running include the following.

Linked Mode

CIM/Hardware Status tab

Performance charts

WebAccess

vCenter Storage Monitoring/Storage Views tab

vCenter Service Status

Optional vCenter Server Components

Optional vCenter Server components are packaged and installed with the base product, but require a separate license.

Optional features include:

VMotion

A feature that enables you to move running virtual machines from one ESX/ESXi host to another without service interruption. It requires licensing on both the source and target host. vCenter Server centrally coordinates all VMotion activities.

VMware HA

A feature that enables a cluster with High Availability. If a host goes down, all virtual machines that were running on the host are promptly restarted on different hosts in the same cluster.

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When you enable the cluster for HA, you specify the number of hosts you would like to be able to recover. If you specify the number of host failures allowed as 1, HA maintains enough capacity across the cluster to tolerate the failure of one host. All running virtual machines on that host can be restarted on remaining hosts. By default, you cannot power on a virtual machine if doing so violates required failover capacity. See the VMware Availability Guide for more information.

VMware DRS

A feature that helps improve resource allocation and power consumption across all hosts and resource pools. VMware DRS collects resource usage information for all hosts and virtual machines in the cluster and gives recommendations (or migrates virtual machines) in one of two situations:

Initial placement – When you first power on a virtual machine in the cluster, DRS either places the virtual machine or makes a recommendation.

Load balancing – DRS tries to improve resource utilization across the cluster by performing automatic migrations of virtual machines (VMotion) or by providing a recommendation for virtual machine migrations.

VMware DRS includes distributed power management (DPM) capabilities. When DPM is enabled, the system compares cluster- and host-level capacity to the demands of virtual machines running in the cluster. Based on the results of the comparison, DPM recommends (or automatically implements) actions that can reduce the power consumption of the cluster.

vSphere SDK package

APIs for managing virtual infrastructure and documentation describing those APIs. The SDK also includes the vCenter Server Web Service interface, Web Services Description Language (WSDL), and example files. This is available through an external link. You can download the SDK package from the VMware APIs and SDKs Documentation page on the VMware Web site.

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Starting and Stopping the vSphere

Components 2

You can start and stop each one of the major vSphere components, ESX/ESXi, and vCenter Server. You might want to stop a component to perform maintenance or upgrade operations.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Start an ESX/ESXi Host,” on page 25

“Reboot or Shut Down an ESX/ESXi Host,” on page 25

“Stop an ESX Host Manually,” on page 26

“Starting vCenter Server,” on page 26

“Start the vSphere Client and Log In,” on page 27

“Stop the vSphere Client and Log Out,” on page 28

“vSphere Web Access,” on page 28

“VMware Service Console,” on page 29

Start an ESX/ESXi Host

When you install ESX/ESXi, it starts itself through the installation reboot process. If your ESX/ESXi host is shut down, you must manually restart it.

Procedure

On the physical box where ESX/ESXi is installed, press the power button until the power on sequence begins.

The ESX/ESXi host starts, locates its virtual machines, and proceeds with its normal ESX/ESXi functions.

Reboot or Shut Down an ESX/ESXi Host

You can power off or restart (reboot) any ESX/ESXi host using the vSphere Client. You can also power off ESX hosts from the service console. Powering off a managed host disconnects it from vCenter Server, but does not remove it from the inventory.

Procedure

1 Shut down all virtual machines running on the ESX/ESXi host.

2 Select the ESX/ESXi host you want to shut down.

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3 From the main or right-click menu, select Reboot or Shut Down.

If you select Reboot, the ESX/ESXi host shuts down and reboots.

If you select Shut Down, the ESX/ESXi host shuts down. You must manually power the system back on.

4 Provide a reason for the shut down.

This information is added to the log.

Stop an ESX Host Manually

You can manually shut down an ESX host.

Procedure

1 Log in to the ESX service console.

2 Run the shutdown command.

For example:shutdown -h now

ESX shuts down. When it is finished, a message indicates that it is safe to power off your system.

3 Press the power button until the machine powers off.

For information about accessing the service console, see “Connect to the Service Console,” on page 29.

Starting vCenter Server

vCenter Server runs as a Windows service. vCenter Server starts when you start the Windows machine on which it is installed. It also restarts when that machine is rebooted.

Verify That vCenter Server Is Running

You can verify that the vCenter Server service is running.

Procedure

1 Go to the Services console for your version of Windows.

For example, select Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services and click VMware VirtualCenter Server.

The Status column indicates whether the service started.

2 Right-click the vCenter Server service and select Properties.

3 In the VMware vCenter Server Services Properties dialog box, click the General tab and view the service

status.

Restart the vCenter Server System

The vCenter Server service starts when the machine on which it is installed is booted. You can manually restart the vCenter Server system.

If you have manually stopped the vCenter Server service or must start it for any reason, perform the steps below.

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Procedure

1 Go to the Services console for your version of Windows.

For example, select Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services and click VMware VirtualCenter Server.

2 Right-click VMware VirtualCenter Server, select Start, and wait for startup to complete.

3 Close the Properties dialog box.

Stop the vCenter Server System

vCenter Server is a Windows service. You can use the Windows interface to select the service and stop it.

You should not have to stop the vCenter Server service. The vCenter Server should operate without interruption. Continuous operation ensures that all monitoring and task activities are performed as expected.

Procedure

1 Go to the Services console for your version of Windows.

For example, select Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.

2 Click VMware VirtualCenter Server Service.

3 Right-click VMware VirtualCenter Server, select Stop, and wait for it to stop.

4 Close the Properties dialog box.

Start the vSphere Client and Log In

The vSphere Client is a graphical user interface to vCenter Server and to hosts.

A login screen appears when you start the vSphere Client. After you log in, the client displays the objects and functionality appropriate to the server you are accessing and the permissions available to the user you logged in as.

Procedure

1 Log in to your Windows system.

If this is the first time you are starting the vSphere Client, log in as the administrator:

If the managed host is not a domain controller, log in as either

or <user>,

where <user> is a member of the local Administrators group.

If the managed host is a domain controller, you must log in as

, where <domain> is the domain name for which the managed host is a controller and <user>is a member of that domain’s Domain Administrators group. VMware does not recommend running on a domain controller .

2 Double-click a shortcut or select the vSphere Client from Start > Programs > VMware > vSphere Client.

3 Enter or select the server name, your user name, and your password.

If you are logging in to a vCenter Server system that is part of a Connected Group, logging in to that server connects you to all servers in that group.

NOTE Only previously entered server names appear in the Serverdrop-down menu.

4 Click Login to continue.

You are now connected to the host or vCenter Server system.

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Stop the vSphere Client and Log Out

When you no longer need to view or alter the activities that the vCenter Server system is performing, log out of the vSphere Client.

NOTE Closing a vSphere Client session does not stop the server.

Procedure

Click the close box (X) , or select File > Exit.

The vSphere Client shuts down. The vSphere Client is logged out of the vCenter Server system. The server continues to run all its normal activities in the background. Any scheduled tasks are saved and performed by vCenter Server.

vSphere Web Access

vSphere Web Access is the Web interface through which you can manage your virtual machines. vSphere Web Access is installed when you install ESX/ESXi.

As with the vSphere Client, vSphere Web Access can either be used to connect directly to an ESX/ESXi host or to a vCenter Server system. The functionality of vSphere Web Access is a subset of vSphere Client functionality.

The vSphere Web Access console provides a remote mouse-keyboard-screen (MKS) for the virtual machines. You can interact with a guest operating system running in a virtual machine and connect remotely to the virtual machine’s mouse, keyboard, and screen.

vSphere Web Access uses a Web interface and an Internet connection to access your ESX/ESXi host or vCenter Server system.

vSphere Web Access does not have its own concept of users or permissions. Use the same login credentials you would use to log in to the vSphere Client.

Procedure

1 Launch your Web browser.

2 Enter the URL of your ESX/ESXi or vCenter Server installation:

https://

/ui

3 Type your user name and password, and click Log In.

After your user name and password are authorized by vSphere Web Access, the vSphere Web Access home page appears.

Log Out of vSphere Web Access

Log out when you are finished with your vSphere Web Access activities.

Procedure

Click the Log Out link at the top right corner of every page.

Remote client devices are disconnected when you log out of vSphere Web Access.

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VMware Service Console

In previous versions of ESX, the service console was one of the interfaces to ESX hosts. Many of the commands are now deprecated. The service console is typically used only in conjunction with a VMware technical support representative.

ESXi does not have a service console. Some service console commands are available for ESXi through the remote command-line interface.

The vSphere SDK is used for scripted manipulation of your vSphere instead. The vSphere Client is the primary interface to all nonscripted activities, including configuring, monitoring, and managing your virtual machines and resources.

Using DHCP for the Service Console

The recommended setup is to use static IP addresses for the service console of an ESX host. You can set up the service console to use DHCP, if your DNS server is capable of mapping the service console’s host name to the dynamically generated IP address.

If your DNS server cannot map the host’s name to its DHCP-generated IP address, you must determine the service console's numeric IP address. Another caution against using DHCP is that the numeric IP address might change as DHCP leases run out or when the system is rebooted.

VMware does not recommend using DHCP for the service console unless your DNS server can handle the host name translation.

CAUTION Do not use dynamic (DHCP) addressing when sharing the network adapter assigned to the service console with virtual machines. ESX requires a static IP address for the service console when sharing a network adapter.

Connect to the Service Console

If you have direct access to the system where ESX is running, you can log in to the physical console on that system.

Whether you use the service console locally or through a remote connection, you must log in using a valid user name and password.

NOTE Depending on the security settings for your ESX computer, you might be able to connect remotely to the service console using SSH or Telnet. For more information on the security settings, see the ESX Configuration Guide.

Procedure

Press Alt+F2 to get to the login screen and log in.

Using Commands on the Service Console

The service console runs a modified version of Linux, and many of the commands available on Linux or UNIX are also available on the service console.

Detailed usage notes for most service console commands are available as manual or man pages.

NOTE ESXi does not have a service console. However, many of the functions provided by the service console are available through the vSphere CLI.

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View the man Page for a Service Console Command

man pages provide information about commands, their usage, options, and syntax.

Procedure

At the service console command line, type the man command followed by the name of the command for which you want to see information.

For example: man <command>

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Using vCenter Server in Linked Mode 3

You can join multiple vCenter Server systems using vCenter Linked Mode to allow them to share information. When a server is connected to other vCenter Server systems using Linked Mode, you can connect to that vCenter Server system and view and manage the inventories of all the vCenter Server systems that are linked.

Linked Mode uses Microsoft Active Directory Application Mode (ADAM) to store and synchronize data across multiple vCenter Server systems. ADAM is installed automatically as part of vCenter Server installation. Each ADAM instance stores data from all of the vCenter Server systems in the group, including information about roles and licenses. This information is regularly replicated across all of the ADAM instances in the connected group to keep them in sync.

When vCenter Server systems are connected in Linked Mode, you can:

Search the inventories of all the vCenter Server systems in the group.

View the inventories off all of the vCenter Server systems in the group in a single inventory view.

You cannot migrate hosts or virtual machines between vCenter Server systems connected in Linked Mode.

For additional information on troubleshooting Linked Mode groups, see ESX and vCenter Server Installation Guide.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Linked Mode Prerequisites,” on page 31

“Linked Mode Considerations,” on page 32

“Join a Linked Mode Group After Installation,” on page 32

“Reconciling Roles When Connecting vCenter Server to a Linked Mode Group,” on page 33

“Isolate a vCenter Server Instance from a Linked Mode Group,” on page 34

“Change the Domain of a vCenter Server System in a Linked Mode Group,” on page 34

“Configure the URLs on a Linked Mode vCenter Server System,” on page 34

“Linked Mode Troubleshooting,” on page 35

“Monitor vCenter Server Services,” on page 37

Linked Mode Prerequisites

Prepare the system for joining a Linked Mode group.

All the requirements for standalone vCenter Server systems apply to Linked Mode systems. For more information, see ESX and vCenter Server Installation Guide.

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The following requirements apply to each vCenter Server system that is a member of a Linked Mode group:

DNS must be operational for Linked Mode replication to work.

The vCenter Server instances in a Linked Mode group can be in different domains if the domains have a two-way trust relationship. Each domain must trust the other domains on which vCenter Server instances are installed.

When adding a vCenter Server instance to a Linked Mode group, the installer must be run by a domain user who is an administrator on both the machine where vCenter Server is installed and the target machine of the Linked Mode group.

All vCenter Server instances must have network time synchronization. The vCenter Server installer validates that the machine clocks are not more than 5 minutes apart.

Linked Mode Considerations

There are several considerations to take into account before you configure a Linked Mode group.

Each vCenter Server user sees the vCenter Server instances on which they have valid permissions.

When first setting up your vCenter Server Linked Mode group, you must install the first vCenter Server as a standalone instance because you do not yet have a remote vCenter Server machine to join. Subsequent vCenter Server instances can join the first vCenter Server or other vCenter Server instances that have joined the Linked Mode group.

If you are joining a vCenter Server to a standalone instance that is not part of a domain, you must add the standalone instance to a domain and add a domain user as an administrator.

The vCenter Server instances in a Linked Mode group do not need to have the same domain user login. The instances can run under different domain accounts. By default, they run as the LocalSystem account of the machine on which they are running, which means they are different accounts.

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

You cannot join a Linked Mode group during the upgrade procedure when you are upgrading from VirtualCenter 2.x to vCenter Server 4.0. You can join after the upgrade to vCenter Server is complete. See the Upgrade Guide.

Join a Linked Mode Group After Installation

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

Prerequisites

See “Linked Mode Prerequisites,” on page 31 and “Linked Mode Considerations,” on page 32.

Procedure

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

2 Click Next.

3 Select Modify linked mode configuration and click Next.

4 Click Join this vCenter Server instance to an existing linked mode group or another instance and click

Next.

5 Enter the server name and LDAP port number of a remote vCenter Server instance that is a member of

the group and click Next.

If you enter an IP address for the remote server, the installer converts it into a fully qualified domain name.

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6 If the vCenter Server installer detects a role conflict, select how to resolve the conflict.

Option Description

Yes, let VMware vCenter Server resolve the conflicts for me

Click Next.

The role on the joining system is renamed to <vcenter_name> <role_name>, where <vcenter_name> is the name of the vCenter Server system that is joining the Linked Mode group, and <role_name> is the name of the original role.

No, I'll resolve the conflicts myself

To resolve the conflicts manually:

a Using the vSphere Client, log in to one of the vCenter Server systems

using an account with Administrator privileges.

b Rename the conflicting role.

c Close the vSphere Client session and return to the vCenter Server

installer.

d Click Back and click Next.

The installation continues without conflicts.

A conflict results if the joining system and the Linked Mode group each contain a role with the same name but with different privileges.

7 Click Finish.

vCenter Server restarts. Depending on the size of your inventory, the change to Linked Mode might take from a few seconds to a few minutes to complete.

The vCenter Server instance is now part of a Linked Mode group. After you form a Linked Mode group, you can log in to any single instance of vCenter Server and view and manage the inventories of all the vCenter Servers in the group. It might take several seconds for the global data (such as user roles) that are changed on one machine to be visible on the other machines. The delay is usually 15 seconds or less. It might take a few minutes for a new vCenter Server instance to be recognized and published by the existing instances, because group members do not read the global data very often.

Reconciling Roles When Connecting vCenter Server to a Linked Mode Group

When you join a vCenter Server system to a linked mode group, the roles defined on each vCenter Server system in the group are replicated to the other systems in the group.

If the roles defined on each vCenter Server system are different, the roles lists of the systems are combined into a single common list. For example, if vCenter Server 1 has a role named Role A and vCenter Server 2 has a role named Role B, then both servers will have both Role A and Role B after they are joined in a linked mode group.

If two vCenter Server systems have roles with the same name, the roles are combined into a single role if they contain the same privileges on each vCenter Server system. If two vCenter Server systems have roles with the same name that contain different privileges, this conflict must be resolved by renaming at least one of the roles. You can choose to resolve the conflicting roles either automatically or manually.

If you choose to reconcile the roles automatically, the role on the joining system is renamed to <vcenter_name> <role_name> where <vcenter_name> is the name of the vCenter Server system that is joining the Linked Mode group and <role_name> is the name of the original role.

If you choose to reconcile the roles manually, connect to one of the vCenter Server systems with the vSphere Client and rename one instance of the role before proceeding to join the vCenter Server system to the Linked Mode group.

If you remove a vCenter Server system from a linked mode group, the vCenter Server system retains all the roles it had as part of the group.

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Isolate a vCenter Server Instance from a Linked Mode Group

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

Procedure

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

2 Click Modify linked mode configuration and click Next.

3 Click Isolate this vCenter Server instance from linked mode group and click Next.

4 Click Continue and click Finish.

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

Change the Domain of a vCenter Server System in a Linked Mode Group

To change the domain of a vCenter Server system in a Linked Mode group, isolate the vCenter Server system from the Linked Mode group first.

vCenter Server systems in a Linked Mode group can be in different domains as long as the domains have a trust relationship.

Procedure

1 Isolate the vCenter Server system from the Linked Mode group.

2 Change the domain of the vCenter Server system.

Refer to Microsoft documentation for more information on changing the domain.

3 Rejoin the vCenter Server system to the Linked Mode group.

Configure the URLs on a Linked Mode vCenter Server System

If you connect a vCenter Server system to a Linked Mode group and the vCenter Server system has a machine name that does not match the domain name, several connectivity problems arise. This procedure describes how to correct this situation.

If you do not update the URLs, remote instances of vCenter Server cannot reach the vCenter Server system, because the default vCenter Server URL entries are no longer accurate. The vCenter Server installer configures default URL entries as follows:

For the Virtualcenter.VimApiUrl key, the default value is http(s)://<Fully qualified domain name

(FQDN) of VC machine>/sdk.

For the Virtualcenter.VimWebServicesUrl key, the default value is https://<FQDN of VC

machine>:<installed-webservices-port>/vws.

Procedure

1 Isolate the vCenter Server system from the Linked Mode group.

See “Isolate a vCenter Server Instance from a Linked Mode Group,” on page 34.

2 Change the domain name or the machine name to make them match.

3 From the vSphere Client, connect directly to the vCenter Server instance on which you have changed the

domain or machine name.

4 Select Administration > vCenter Server Settings and click Advanced Settings.

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5 For the Virtualcenter.VimApiUrl key, change the value to point to the location where the vSphere Client

and SDK clients can access the vCenter Server system.

For example: http(s)://<machine-name/ip>:<vc-port>/sdk.

6 For the Virtualcenter.VimWebServicesUrl key, change the value to point to the location where

vCenter Server Webservices is installed.

For example: https://<machine-name/ip>:<webservices-port>/vws.

7 For the Virtualcenter.Instancename key, change the value so that the modified name appears in the

vCenter Server inventory view.

8 Rejoin the vCenter Server system to the Linked Mode group.

See “Join a Linked Mode Group After Installation,” on page 32.

Linked Mode Troubleshooting

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

When you have multiple vCenter Server instances, each instance must have a working relationship with the domain controller and not conflict with another machine that is in the domain. Conflicts can occur, for example, when you clone a vCenter Server instance that is running in a virtual machine and you do not use sysprep or a similar utility to ensure that the cloned vCenter Server instance has a globally unique identifier (GUID).

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

There is correct order of operations for joining a Linked Mode group.

a Verify that the vCenter Server domain name matches the machine name. If they do not match, change

one or both to make them match.

b Update the URLs to make them compatible with the new domain name and machine name.

c Join the vCenter Server system to a Linked Mode group.

If you do not update the URLs, remote instances of vCenter Server cannot reach the vCenter Server system, because the default vCenter Server URL entries are no longer accurate. See “Configure the

URLs on a Linked Mode vCenter Server System,” on page 34.

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

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

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

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

To resolve this issue, make sure that the Virtualcenter.VimApiUrl key points to the location where the vSphere Client and SDK clients can access the vCenter Server system, and the Virtualcenter.VimWebServicesUrl key points to the location where vCenter Server Webservices is installed. For the Virtualcenter.Instancename key, change the value so that the modified name appears in the vCenter Server inventory view.

If you cannot join a vCenter Server instance, you can resolve the problem with the following actions:

Ensure that the machine is grouped into the correct organizational unit in the corresponding domain controller.

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When you install vCenter Server, ensure that the logged in user account has administrator privileges on the machine.

To resolve trust problems between a machine and the domain controller, remove the machine from the domain and then add it to the domain again.

To ensure that the Windows policy cache is updated, run the gpupdate /force command from the Windows command line. This command performs a group policy update.

If the local host cannot reach the remote host during a join operation, verify the following:

Remote vCenter Server IP address or fully qualified domain name is correct.

LDAP port on the remote vCenter Server is correct.

VMwareVCMSDS service is running.

Make sure your Windows and network-based firewalls are configured to allow Linked Mode.

Configuring a Windows Firewall to Allow a Specified Program Access

vCenter Server 4.0 uses Microsoft ADAM/AD LDS to enable Linked Mode, which uses the Windows RPC port mapper to open RPC ports for replication. When you install vCenter Server in Linked Mode, the firewall configuration on the local machine must be modified.

Incorrect configuration of firewalls can cause licenses and roles to become inconsistent between instances.

Prerequisites

The Windows version must be an earlier than Windows Server 2008. For Windows Server 2008, Windows automatically configures the firewall to permit access.

There must be no network-based firewalls between vCenter Server Linked Mode instances. For environments with network-based firewalls, see “Configuring Firewall Access by Opening Selected

Ports,” on page 36.

Procedure

1 Select Start > Run.

2 Type firewall.cpl and click OK.

3 Make sure that the firewall is set to allow exceptions.

4 Click the Exceptions tab.

5 Click Add Program.

6 Add an exception for C:\Windows\ADAM\dsamain.exe and click OK.

7 Click OK.

Configuring Firewall Access by Opening Selected Ports

Incorrect configuration of firewalls can cause licenses and roles to become inconsistent between instances.

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Procedure

Configure Windows RPC ports to generically allow selective ports for machine-to-machine RPC communication.

Choose one of the following methods.

Change the registry settings. See http://support.microsoft.com/kb/154596/en-us.

Use Microsoft's RPCCfg.exe tool. See http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908472/en-us.

Monitor vCenter Server Services

When you are logged in to a vCenter Server system that is part of a connected group, you can monitor the health of services running on each server in the group.

Procedure

From the vSphere Client Home page, click vCenter Service Status.

The vCenter Service Status screen appears and enables you to view the following information:

A list of all vCenter Server systems and their services, and vCenter Server plug-ins.

The status of all listed items.

The date and time when the last change in status occurred.

Any messages associated with the change in status.

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Using the vSphere Client 4

The vSphere Client serves as the principal interface for administering vCenter Server and ESX/ESXi.

The vSphere Client user interface is configured based on the server to which it is connected:

When the server is a vCenter Server system, the vSphere Client displays all the options available to the vSphere environment, according to the licensing configuration and the user permissions.

When the server is an ESX/ESXi host, the vSphere Client displays only the options appropriate to single host management.

When you first log in to the vSphere Client, it displays a Home page with icons that you select to access various vSphere Client functions. When you log out of the vSphere Client, the client application remembers the view that was displayed when it was closed, and will return you to that view when you next log in.

You perform many management tasks from the Inventory view, which consists of a single window containing a menu bar, a navigation bar, a toolbar, a status bar, a panel section, and pop-up menus.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Getting Started Tabs,” on page 40

“Status Bar, Recent Tasks, and Triggered Alarms,” on page 40

“Panel Sections,” on page 40

“View Virtual Machine Console,” on page 41

“Searching the vSphere Inventory,” on page 41

“Using Lists,” on page 42

“Custom Attributes,” on page 43

“Select Objects,” on page 44

“Manage vCenter Server Plug-Ins,” on page 45

“Save vSphere Client Data,” on page 46

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Getting Started Tabs

In the case where vCenter Server is newly installed and no inventory objects have been added, the Getting Started tabs guide you through the steps of adding items to the inventory and setting up the virtual environment.

Disable Getting Started Tabs

You can disable the Getting Started tabs if you no longer want to display them.

There are two ways to disable the tabs.

Procedure

Click the Close Tab link to disable Getting Started tabs for the type of object selected.

Change the vSphere Client settings to turn off display of all Getting Started tabs.

a Select Edit > Client Settings.

b Select the General tab.

c Deselect the Show Getting Started Tabs check box and click OK.

Restore Getting Started Tabs

If you have turned off display of the Getting Started tabs, you can restore them to display these tabs for all inventory objects.

Procedure

1 Select Edit > Client Settings.

2 Click the General tab.

3 Select Show Getting Started Tabs and click OK.

Status Bar, Recent Tasks, and Triggered Alarms

Use the status bar to view information about alarms and recently completed or active tasks.

The status bar appears at the bottom of the window. It contains icons to view triggered alarms or recent tasks. The Tasks button displays any currently running or recently completed active tasks. Included is a progress bar indicating the percentage complete of each task. The recent tasks and the triggered alarm panels display across the bottom of the vSphere Client window.

Panel Sections

In the body of the vSphere Client page is a panel section. In most views, there is a left and a right panel: the Inventory panel and the Information panel.

These panels can be resized.

Inventory panel

Displays a hierarchical list of vSphere objects when an Inventory or Maps view appears.

Information panels

Display lists and charts. Depending on the navigation items or Inventory item selected, the Information panel is divided into tabbed elements.

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View Virtual Machine Console

The console of a powered-on virtual machine is available through a connected server. All console connections to the virtual machine see the same display information. The message line indicates if others are viewing the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select a powered-on virtual machine.

2 In the Information panel, click the Console tab.

3 (Optional) Click the pop-out icon in the navigation bar to pop out the virtual machine console in a separate

window.

Searching the vSphere Inventory

The vSphere Client allows you to search your vSphere inventory for virtual machines, hosts, datastores, networks, or folders that match specified criteria.

If the vSphere Client is connected to a vCenter Server system that is part of a connected group in vCenter Linked Mode, then you can search the inventories of all vCenter Server systems in that group. You can only view and search for inventory objects that you have permission to view. Because the search service queries Active Directory for information about user permissions, you must be logged in to a domain account in order to search all vCenter Server systems in Linked Mode. If you log in using a local account, searches return results only for the local vCenter Server system, even if it is joined to other servers in Linked Mode.

NOTE If your permissions change while you are logged in, the search service might not immediately recognize these changes. To ensure that your search is carried out with up-to-date permissions, log out of all your open sessions and log in again before performing the search.

Perform a Simple Search

A simple search searches all the properties of the specified type or types of objects for the entered search term.

Procedure

1 Click the icon in the search field at the top right of the vSphere Client window and select the type of

inventory item to search for.

Virtual Machines

Folders

Hosts

Datastores

Networks

Inventory, which finds matches to the search criteria in any of the available managed object types.

2 Type one or more search terms into the search field and press Enter.

3 (Optional) If more items are found than can be displayed in the results pane, click Show all to display all

results.

What to do next

If you are not satisfied with the results of the simple search and want to refine your search, perform an advanced search.

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Perform an Advanced Search

Using advanced search allows you to search for managed objects that meet multiple criteria.

For example, you can search for virtual machines matching a particular search string which reside on hosts whose names match a second search string.

Procedure

1 Choose View > Inventory > Search to display the advanced search page.

2 Click the icon in the search field at the top right of the vSphere Client window and select the type of

inventory item to search for.

Virtual Machines

Folders

Hosts

Datastores

Networks

Inventory, which finds matches to the search criteria in any of the available managed object types.

3 Type one or more search terms into the search box.

4 To refine the search based on additional properties, do the following:

a Click Show options.

b From the drop-down menu, select the additional property that you want to use to restrict the search

results.

The available properties depend on the type of object you are searching for.

c Select or type the appropriate options for the property you have selected.

d To add more properties, click Add and repeat steps Step 4b through Step 4c.

An advanced search always finds objects that match all the properties in the list.

5 Click Search.

The search results appear below the search specification.

Using Lists

Many vSphere Client inventory tabs display lists of information.

For example, the Virtual Machines tab displays a list of all the virtual machines associated with a host or a cluster. Sort any list in the vSphere Client by clicking the column label heading. A triangle in the column head shows the sort order as ascending or descending.

You can also filter a list, sorting and including only selected items. A filter is sorted by a keyword. Select the columns you want to include in the search for the keyword.

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Filter a List View

You can filter the list view.

The list is updated based on whether filtering is on or off. For example, if you are in the Virtual Machines tab, you have filtered the list, and the filtered text is “powered on”, you see a list only of virtual machines whose state is set to powered on. If the state of any of these virtual machines changes to something else, they are removed from the list. New virtual machines that are added are also being filtered. Filtering is persistent for the user session.

Procedure

1 On any inventory panel displaying a list, click the arrow next to the filter box at the top right of the pane

and select the attributes on which to filter.

2 Type text directly into the filtering field to specify search criteria.

There is a one-second interval between keystrokes. If you type in the text and wait for one second, the search starts automatically. The Filter field does not support boolean expressions or special characters and is not case sensitive.

3 (Optional) Click Clear to change the filter.

Export a List

You can export a list.

Procedure

1 Select the list to export.

2 Select File > Export > Export List.

3 Type a filename, select a file type in the dialog box, and click Save.

Custom Attributes

Custom attributes can be used to associate user-specific meta-information with virtual machines and managed hosts.

Attributes are the resources that are monitored and managed for all the managed hosts and virtual machines in your vSphere environment. Attributes’ status and states appear on the various Inventory panels.

After you create the attributes, set the value for the attribute on each virtual machine or managed host, as appropriate. This value is stored with vCenter Server and not with the virtual machine or managed host. Then use the new attribute to filter information about your virtual machines and managed hosts. If you no longer need the custom attribute, remove it. A custom attribute is always a string.

For example, suppose you have a set of products and you want to sort them by sales representative. Create a custom attribute for sales person name, Name. Add the custom attribute, Name, column to one of the list views. Add the appropriate name to each product entry. Click the column title Name to sort alphabetically.

The custom attributes feature is available only when connected to a vCenter Server system.

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Add Custom Attributes

You can create custom attributes to associate with virtual machines or managed hosts.

Procedure

1 Select Administration > Custom Attributes.

This option is not available when connected only to an ESX/ESXi host.

2 Click Add and enter the values for the custom attribute.

a In the Name text box, type the name of the attribute.

b In the Type drop-down menu, select the attribute type:Virtual Machine, Host, or Global.

c In the Value text box, type the value you want to give to the attribute for the currently selected object.

d Click OK.

After you have defined an attribute on a single virtual machine or host, it is available to all objects of that type in the inventory. However, the value you specify is applied only to the currently selected object.

3 (Optional) To change the attribute name, click in the Name field and type the name you want to assign to

the attribute.

4 Click OK.

Edit a Custom Attribute

You can edit custom attributes and add annotations for a virtual machine or host from the Summary tab for the object. You can use annotations to provide additional descriptive text or comments for an object.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine or host in the inventory.

2 Click the Summary tab for the virtual machine or host.

3 In the Annotations box, click the Edit link.

The Edit Custom Attributes dialog box appears.

4 To edit an attribute that has already been defined, double-click the Value field for that attribute and enter

the new value.

5 Click OK to save your changes.

Select Objects

vCenter Server objects are datacenters, networks, datastores, resource pools, clusters, hosts, and virtual machines.

Selecting an object does the following:

Allows you to view the status of the object.

Enables the menus so you can select actions to take on the object.

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Procedure

Locate the object by browsing or search.

From the vSphere Client Home page, click the icon for the appropriate inventory view, and browse through the inventory hierarchy to select the object.

Perform a search for the object, and double-click it in the search results.

Manage vCenter Server Plug-Ins

After the server component of a plug-in is installed and registered with vCenter Server, its client component is available to vSphere clients. Client component installation and enablement are managed through the Plugin Manager dialog box.

The Plug-in Manager enables users to do the following:

View available plug-ins that are not currently installed on the client.

View installed plug-ins.

Download and install available plug-ins.

Enable and disable installed plug-ins.

Install Plug-Ins

You can install plug-ins using the Plug-in Manager.

Procedure

1 Launch the vSphere Client and log in to a vCenter Server system.

2 Select Plug-ins > Manage Plug-ins.

3 Select the Available tab in the Plug-in Manager dialog box.

4 Click Download and Install for the plug-in you want.

5 Follow the prompts in the installation wizard.

6 After installation is complete, verify that the plug-in is listed under the Installed tab and that it is enabled.

Disable and Enable Plug-Ins

You can disable or enable plug-ins using the Plug-in Manager.

Procedure

1 Launch the vSphere Client and log in to a vCenter Server system.

2 Select Plug-ins > Manage Plug-ins.

3 Select the Installed tab in the Plug-in Manager dialog box.

4 Select Enable to enable a plug-in, or deselect Enable to disable it.

Disabling a plug-in does not remove it from the client. You must uninstall the plug-in to remove it.

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Remove Plug-Ins

You can remove plug-ins through the operating system’s control panel.

Procedure

Consult your operating system’s documentation for instructions on how to use the Add/Remove Programs control panel.

Troubleshooting Extensions

In cases were vCenter Server extensions are not working, you have several options to correct the problem.

vCenter Server extensions running on the tomcat server have extension.xml files which contain the URL where the corresponding Web application can be accessesed (files are located in C:\Program

Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VirtualCenter Server\extensions). Extension installers populate these XML

files using the DNS name for the machine.

Example from the stats extension.xml file: <url>https://SPULOV-XP-VM12.vmware.com:

8443/statsreport/vicr.do</url>.

vCenter Server, extension servers, and the vSphere Clients that will use them must be located on systems under the same domain. If they are not, or the DNS of the extension server is changed, the extension clients will not be able to access the URL and the extension will not work.

You can edit the XML files manually by replacing the DNS name with an IP address. Re-register the extension after editing its extension.xml file.

Save vSphere Client Data

The vSphere Client user interface is similar to a browser. Most user manipulations are persistent in vCenter Server data displayed; therefore, you do not normally need to save the data.

If you need to save vSphere Client data, you can do one of the following:

Procedure

Use the Microsoft Windows Print Screen option to print a copy of the vSphere Client window.

Select File > Export and select a format in which to save the vCenter Server data. Open the data in an appropriate application and print from that application.

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Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server 5

Configuring ESX hosts, vCenter Server systems, and the vSphere Client involves several tasks. This section contains information about some of the most common tasks.

For complete information about configuring ESX hosts, vCenter Server, and the vSphere Client, see the following manuals:

Introduction to vSphere

Provides an overview of the system architecture of vSphere.

ESX Configuration Guide

Provides information about how to configure ESX host networking, storage, and security.

ESXi Configuration Guide

Provides information about how to configure an ESXi host.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Host Configuration,” on page 47

“Configuring vCenter Server,” on page 48

“Access the vCenter Server Settings,” on page 48

“Configuring Communication Among ESX, vCenter Server, and the vSphere Client,” on page 49

“Configure vCenter Server SMTP Mail Settings,” on page 49

“Working with Active Sessions,” on page 49

“SNMP and vSphere,” on page 50

“System Log Files,” on page 65

Host Configuration

Before you create virtual machines on your hosts, you must configure them to ensure that they have correct licensing, network and storage access, and security settings. Each type of host has a manual that provides information on the configuration for that host.

For information on configuring an ESX host, see the ESX Configuration Guide.

For information on configuring an ESXi host, see the ESXi Configuration Guide.

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Configuring vCenter Server

You use the vCenter Server Settings dialog box to configure a number of elements.

The vCenter Server Settings dialog box enables you to configure the following items:

Licensing

Assign vCenter Server a new or existing license key. Specify whether to use a VMware License Server.

Statistics

Specify the amount of data collected for performance statistics.

Runtime Settings

View the unique runtime settings for a vCenter Server system. If you change the DNS name of the vCenter Server, use this option to modify the vCenter Server name to match.

Active Directory

Specify the active directory timeout, maximum number of users and groups to display in the Add Permissions dialog box, and the frequency for performing a synchronization and validation of the vCenter Server system’s known users and groups.

Mail

Specify the SMTP server and mail account.

SNMP

Specify the SNMP receiver URLs, ports, and community strings.

Ports

Specify the HTTP and HTTPS ports for the Web Service to use

Timeout Settings

Specify how long, in seconds, the vSphere Client waits for a response from vCenter Server before timing out.

Logging Options

Specify the amount of detail collected in vCenter Server log files.

Database

Specify the password required to access the vCenter Server database and the maximum number of database connections to be created.

Database Retention Policy

Specify when vCenter Server tasks and events should be deleted.

SSL Settings

Specify whether you want vCenter Server and the vSphere Client to verify the SSL certificates of the remote host when establishing remote connections. The vCenter requires verified host SSL certificates option is enabled by default, and is required for the VMware Fault Tolerance feature to operate.

Advanced Settings

Specify advanced settings. VMware recommends that you do not change these settings without contacting VMware technical support.

See the vSphere Client online Help for more information on these settings.

Access the vCenter Server Settings

Use the vCenter Server Settings dialog box to configure server settings.

Procedure

1 Select Administration > vCenter Server Settings.

2 If the vCenter Server system is part of a connected group, select the server to configure from the Current

vCenter Server drop-down menu.

Changes to the vCenter Server configuration apply to the current vCenter Server system only.

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Configuring Communication Among ESX, vCenter Server, and the vSphere Client

By default, the vSphere Client uses ports 80 and 443 to communicate with vCenter Server and ESX/ESXi hosts. You can change these ports if necessary.

Configure your firewall to allow communication between the vSphere Client and vCenter Server by opening ports 80 and 443.

vCenter Server acts as a web service. If your environment requires the use of a web proxy, vCenter Server can be proxied like any other web service.

Configure vCenter Server SMTP Mail Settings

You can configure vCenter Server to send email notifications as alarm actions.

Prerequisites

Before vCenter Server can send email, you must perform the following tasks:

Configure the SMTP server settings for vCenter Server.

Specify email recipients through the Alarm Settings dialog box when you configure alarm actions.

To perform this task, the vSphere Client must be connected to a vCenter Server.

Procedure

1 Select Administration > vCenter Server Settings.

2 If the vCenter Server system is part of a connected group, in Current vCenter Server, select the vCenter

Server system to configure.

3 Select Mail in the navigation list.

4 For email message notification, set the SMTP server and SMTP port:

Option Description

SMTP Server

The DNS name or IP address of the SMTP gateway to use for sending email messages.

Sender Account

The email address of the sender, for example, notifications@example.com.

5 Click OK.

Working with Active Sessions

You can view a list of users who are logged in to a vCenter Server system when your vSphere Client is connected to that server. You can terminate sessions, and you can send a message to all users logged on to an active session.

These features are not available when your vSphere Client is connected to an ESX/ESXi host.

View Active Sessions

You can view active sessions on the Home page of a vSphere Client.

Procedure

From the Home page of a vSphere Client connected to a vCenter Server system, click the Sessions button.

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Terminate Active Sessions

Terminating an active session ends the vSphere Client session and any remote console connections launched by the user during that session.

Procedure

1 On the Home page of a vSphere Client connected to a vCenter Server system, click the Sessions button.

2 Right-click a session and select Terminate.

3 To confirm the termination, click OK.

Send a Message to All Active Users

You can a Message of the Day to all active session user and new users when they log into the vSphere Client.

The Message of the day text is sent as a notice message to all active session users and to new users when they log in.

Procedure

1 On the Home page of a vSphere Client connected to a vCenter Server system, click the Sessions button.

2 Type a message in the Message of the day field.

3 Click Change.

SNMP and vSphere

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) allows management programs to monitor and control a variety of networked devices.

Managed systems run SNMP agents, which can provide information to a management program in at least one of the following ways:

In response to a GET operation, which is a specific request for information from the management system.

By sending a trap, which is an alert sent by the SNMP agent to notify the management system of a particular event or condition.

Management Information Base (MIB) files define the information that can be provided by managed devices. The MIB files contain object identifiers (OIDs) and variables arranged in a hierarchy.

vCenter Server and ESX/ESXi have SNMP agents. The agent provided with each product has differing capabilities.

Using SNMP Traps with vCenter Server

The SNMP agent included with vCenter Server can be used to send traps when the vCenter Server system is started and when an alarm is triggered on vCenter Server. The vCenter Server SNMP agent functions only as a trap emitter, and does not support other SNMP operations, such as GET.

The traps sent by vCenter Server are typically sent to other management programs. You must configure your management server to interpret the SNMP traps sent by vCenter Server.

To use the vCenter Server SNMP traps, configure the SNMP settings on vCenter Server and configure your management client software to accept the traps from vCenter Server.

The traps sent by vCenter Server are defined in VMWARE-VC-EVENT-MIB.mib. See “VMWARE-VC-EVENT-

MIB,” on page 62.

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Configure SNMP Settings for vCenter Server

To use SNMP with vCenter Server, you must configure SNMP settings using the vSphere Client.

Prerequisites

To complete the following task, the vSphere Client must be connected to a vCenter Server. In addition, you need the DNS name and IP address of the SNMP receiver, the port number of the receiver, and the community identifier.

Procedure

1 Select Administration > vCenter Server Settings.

2 If the vCenter Server is part of a connected group, in Current vCenter Server, select the appropriate server.

3 Click SNMP in the navigation list.

4 Enter the following information for the Primary Receiver of the SNMP traps.

Option Description

Receiver URL

The DNS name and IP address of the SNMP receiver.

Receiver port

The port number of the receiver to which the SNMP agent sends traps.

If the port value is empty, vCenter Server uses the default port, 162.

Community

The community identifier.

5 (Optional) Enable additional receivers in the Enable Receiver 2, Enable Receiver 3, and Enable Receiver

4 options.

6 Click OK.

The vCenter Server system is now ready to send traps to the management system you have specified.

What to do next

Configure your SNMP management software to receive and interpret data from the vCenter Server SNMP agent. See “Configure SNMP Management Client Software,” on page 53.

Configure SNMP for ESX/ESXi

ESX/ESXi includes an SNMP agent embedded in hostd that can both send traps and receive polling requests such as GET requests. This agent is referred to as the embedded SNMP agent.

Versions of ESX prior to ESX 4.0 included a Net-SNMP-based agent. You can continue to use this Net-SNMPbased agent in ESX 4.0 with MIBs supplied by your hardware vendor and other third-party management applications. However, to use the VMware MIB files, you must use the embedded SNMP agent.

By default, the embedded SNMP agent is disabled. To enable it, you must configure it using the vSphere CLI command vicfg-snmp. For a complete reference to vicfg-snmp options, see vSphere Command-Line Interface Installation and Reference Guide.

Prerequisites

SNMP configuration for ESX/ESXi requires the vSphere CLI. For information on installing and using the vSphere CLI, see vSphere Command-Line Interface Installation and Reference Guide.

Procedure

1 Configure SNMP Communities on page 52

Before you enable the ESX/ESXi embedded SNMP agent, you must configure at least one community for the agent.

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2 Configure the SNMP Agent to Send Traps on page 52

You can use the ESX/ESX embedded SNMP agent to send virtual machine and environmental traps to management systems. To configure the agent to send traps, you must specify a target address and community.

3 Configure the SNMP Agent for Polling on page 53

If you configure the ESX/ESXi embedded SNMP agent for polling, it can listen for and respond to requests from SNMP management client systems, such as GET requests.

Configure SNMP Communities

Before you enable the ESX/ESXi embedded SNMP agent, you must configure at least one community for the agent.

An SNMP community defines a group of devices and management systems. Only devices and management systems that are members of the same community can exchange SNMP messages. A device or management system can be a member of multiple communities.

Prerequisites

SNMP configuration for ESX/ESXi requires the vSphere CLI. For information on installing and using the vSphere CLI, see vSphere Command-Line Interface Installation and Reference Guide.

Procedure

From the vSphere CLI, type

vicfg-snmp.pl --server

--username

--password

-c

<com1>

Replace <com1> with the community name you wish to set. Each time you specify a community with this command, the setings you specify overwrite the previous configuration. To specify multiple communities, separate the community names with a comma.

For example, to set the communities public and internal on the host host.example.com, you might type

vicfg-snmp.pl --server host.example.com --username user --password password -c public, internal.

Configure the SNMP Agent to Send Traps

To send traps with the SNMP agent, you must configure the target (receiver) address, community, and an optional port. If you do not specify a port, the SNMP agent sends traps to UDP port 162 on the target management system by default.

Prerequisites

SNMP configuration for ESX/ESXi requires the vSphere CLI. For information on installing and using the vSphere CLI, see vSphere Command-Line Interface Installation and Reference Guide.

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Procedure

1 From the vSphere CLI, type

vicfg-snmp.pl --server

--username

--password

-t

<target

address>

Replace <target address>, <port>, and <community> with the address of the target system, the port number to send the traps to, and the community name, respectively. Each time you specify a target with this command, the settings you specify overwrite all previously specified settings. To specify multiple targets, separate them with a comma.

For example, to send SNMP traps from the host host.example.com to port 162 on target.example.com using the public community, type

vicfg-snmp.pl --server host.example.com --username user --password password -t target.example.com@162/public.

2 (Optional) Enable the SNMP agent by typing

vicfg-snmp.pl --server

--username

--password

--enable.

3 (Optional) Send a test trap to verify that the agent is configured correctly by typing

vicfg-snmp.pl --server

--username

--password

--test.

The agent sends a warmStart trap to the configured target.

Configure the SNMP Agent for Polling

If you configure the ESX/ESXi embedded SNMP agent for polling, it can listen for and respond to requests from SNMP management client systems, such as GET requests.

By default, the embedded SNMP agent listens on UDP port 161 for polling requests from management systems. You can use the vicfg-snmp command to configure an alternative port. To avoid conflicting with other services, use a UDP port that is not defined in /etc/services.

IMPORTANT Both the embedded SNMP agent and the Net-SNMP-based agent available in the ESX service console listen on UDP port 161 by default. If you enable both of these agents for polling on an ESX host, you must change the port used by at least one of them.

Prerequisites

SNMP configuration for ESX/ESXi requires the vSphere CLI. For information on installing and using the vSphere CLI, see vSphere Command-Line Interface Installation and Reference Guide.

Procedure

1 From the vSphere CLI, type

vicfg-snmp.pl --server

--username

--password

-p

<port>

Replace <port> with the port for the embedded SNMP agent to use for listening for polling requests.

2 (Optional) If the SNMP agent is not enabled, enable it by typing

vicfg-snmp.pl --server

--username

--password

--enable.

Configure SNMP Management Client Software

After you have configured a vCenter Server system or an ESX/ESXi host to send traps, you must configure your management client software to receive and interpret those traps.

To configure your management client software, you must specify the communities for the managed device, configure the port settings, and load the VMware MIB files. Refer to the documentation for your management system for specific instructions for these steps.

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Prerequisites

To complete this task, you must download the VMware MIB files from the VMware website.

Procedure

1 In your management software, specify the vCenter Server or ESX/ESXi system as an SNMP-based

managed device.

2 Set up appropriate community names in the management software.

These must correspond to the communities set for the SNMP agent on the vCenter Server system or ESX/ESXi host.

3 (Optional) If you configured the SNMP agent to send traps to a port on the management system other

than the default UDP port 162, configure the management client software to listen on the port you configured.

4 Load the VMware MIBs into the management software so you can view the symbolic names for the vCenter

Server or ESX/ESXi variables.

To prevent lookup errors, load the MIB files in the following order:

a VMWARE-ROOT-MIB.mib

b VMWARE-TC-MIB.mib

c VMWARE-PRODUCTS-MIB.mib

d VMWARE-SYSTEM-MIB.mib

e VMWARE-ENV-MIB.mib

f VMWARE-RESOURCES-MIB.mib

g VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB.mib

h VMWARE-OBSOLETE-MIB.mib (for use with versions of ESX/ESXi prior to 4.0)

i VMWARE-AGENTCAP-MIB.mib

j VMWARE-VC-EVENT-MIB.mib

The management software can now receive and interpret traps from vCenter Server or ESX/ESXi systems.

SNMP Diagnostics

Use SNMP tools to diagnose configuration problems.

You can use the following tools to diagnose problems with SNMP configuration:

Type vicfg-snmp.pl --server

--username

--password

--test at the

vSphere command-line interface to prompt the embedded SNMP agent to send a test warmStart trap.

Type vicfg-snmp.pl --server

--username

--password

--show to

display the current configuration of the embedded SNMP agent.

The SNMPv2-MIB.mib file provides a number of counters to aid in debugging SNMP problems. See

“SNMPv2 Diagnostic Counters,” on page 65.

The VMWARE-AGENTCAP-MIB.mib file defines the capabilities of the VMware SNMP agents by product version. Use this file to determine if the SNMP functionality that you want to use is supported.

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Using SNMP with Guest Operating Systems

You can use SNMP to monitor guest operating systems or applications running in virtual machines.

The virtual machine uses its own virtual hardware devices. Do not install agents in the virtual machine that are intended to monitor physical hardware.

Procedure

Install the SNMP agents you normally would use for that purpose in the guest operating systems. No special configuration is required on ESX.

VMware MIB Files

VMware MIB files define the information provided by ESX/ESXi hosts and vCenter Server to SNMP management software. You can download these MIB files from the VMware Web site.

Table 5-1 lists the MIB files provided by VMware and describes the information that each file provides.

Table 5-1. VMware MIB Files

MIB File Description

VMWARE-ROOT-MIB.mib

Contains VMware’s enterprise OID and top level OID assignments.

VMWARE-AGENTCAP-MIB.mib

Defines the capabilities of the VMware agents by product versions.

VMWARE-ENV-MIB.mib

Defines variables and trap types used to report on the state of physical hardware components of the host computer.

VMWARE-OBSOLETE-MIB.mib

Defines OIDs that have been made obsolete to maintain backward compatibility with earlier versions of ESX/ESXi. Includes variables formerly defined in the files VMWARE-TRAPS-MIB.mib and VMWARE-VMKERNEL-MIB.mib.

VMWARE-PRODUCTS-MIB.mib

Defines OIDs to uniquely identify each SNMP agent on each VMware platform by name, version, and build platform.

VMWARE-RESOURCES-MIB.mib

Defines variables used to report information on resource usage of the VMkernel, including physical memory, CPU, and disk utilization.

VMWARE-SYSTEM-MIB.mib

The VMWARE-SYSTEM-MIB.mib file is obsolete. Use the SNMPv2-MIB to obtain information from sysDescr.0 and sysObjec ID.0.

VMWARE-TC-MIB.mib

Defines common textual conventions used by VMware MIB files.

VMWARE-VC-EVENTS-MIB.mib

Defines traps sent by vCenter Server. Load this file if you use vCenter Server to send traps.

VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB.mib

Defines variables for reporting information about virtual machines, including virtual machine traps.

Table 5-2 lists MIB files included in the VMware MIB files package that are not created by VMware. These can

be used with the VMware MIB files to provide additional information.

Table 5-2. Other MIB Files

MIB File Description

IF-MIB.mib

Defines attributes related to physical NICs on the host system.

SNMPv2-CONF.mib

Defines conformance groups for MIBs.

SNMPv2-MIB.mib

Defines the SNMP version 2 MIB objects.

SNMPv2-TC.mib

Defines textual conventions for SNMP version 2.

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VMWARE-ROOT-MIB

The VMWARE-ROOT-MIB.mib file defines the VMware enterprise OID and top level OID assignments.

Table 5-3 lists the identification mapping defined in VMWARE-ROOT-MIB.mib.

Table 5-3. 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

vmwLdap vmware 40

vmwTraps vmware 50

vmwOID vmware 60

vmwareAgentCapabilities vmware 70

vmwExperimental vmware 700

vmwObsolete vmware 800

VMWARE-ENV-MIB

The VMWARE-ENV-MIB.mib defines variables and trap types used to report on the state of physical components of the host computer.

VMWARE-ENV-MIB.mib defines two traps:

vmwEnvHardwareEvent, which is sent when an ESXi host has detected a material change in the physical

condition of the hardware.

vmwESXEnvHardwareEvent, which is sent when an ESX host has detected a material change in the physical

condition of the hardware.

Table 5-4 lists the variables defined in VMWARE-ENV-MIB.mib.

Table 5-4. Variable Definitions in VMWARE-ENV-MIB

Variable ID Mapping Description

vmwEnv vmwProductSpecific 20

Defines the OID root for this MIB module.

vmwEnvNumber vmwEnv 1

Number of conceptual rows in

vmwEnvTable.

vmwEnvLastChange vmwEnv 2

The value of sysUptime when a conceptual row was last added to or deleted from vmwEnvTable.

vmwEnvTable vmwEnv 3

This table is populated by monitoring subsystems such as IPMI.

vmwEnvEntry vmwEnvTable 1

One entry is created in the table for each physical component reporting its status to ESX/ESXi.

vmwEnvIndex vmwEnvEntry 1

A unique identifier for the physical component. This identifier does not persist across management restarts.

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Table 5-4. Variable Definitions in VMWARE-ENV-MIB (Continued)

Variable ID Mapping Description

vmwSubsystemType vmwEnvEntry 2

The type of hardware component that is reporting its environmental state.

vmwHardwareStatus vmwEnvEntry 3

The last reported status of the component.

vmwEventDescription vmwEnvEntry 4

A description of the last reported event for this hardware component.

vmwHardwareTime vmwEnvEntry 5

The value of sysUptime when vmwHardwareStatus was reported.

VMWARE-OBSOLETE-MIB

The VMWARE-OBSOLETE-MIB.mib file contains all previously published managed objects that have been made obsolete. This file is provided to maintain compatibility with older versions of ESX/ESXi.

The variables defined in this file were originally defined in previous versions of the VMWARE-RESOURCES-

MIB.mib and VMWARE-TRAPS-MIB.mib files. Table 5-5 lists the variables defined in VMWARE-OBSOLETE-MIB.mib.

Table 5-5. Variables Defined in VMWARE-OBSOLETE-MIB

Variable ID Mapping Description

Obsolete variables originally from VMWARE-RESOURCES-MIB

vmwResources vmware 3

vmwCPU vmwResources 1

Defines the root OID for the subtree of variables used to report CPU information.

vmwCpuTable vmwCPU 2

A table of CPU usage by each virtual machine.

vmwCpuEntry vmwCpuTable 1

An entry in cpuTable that records CPU usage for a single virtual machine.

vmwCpuVMID vmwCpuEntry 1

The identification number allocated to the virtual machine by the VMkernel.

vmwCpuShares vmwCpuEntry 2

The share of the CPU allocated to the virtual machine by the VMkernel.

vmwCpuUtil vmwCpuEntry 3

Amount of time the virtual machine has been running on the CPU (in seconds).

vmwMemTable vmwMemory 4

A table of memory usage by each virtual machine.

vmwMemEntry vmwMemTable 1

An entry in memTable that records memory usage by a single virtual machine.

vmwMemVMID vmwMemEntry 1

The identification number allocated to the virtual machine by the VMkernel.

vmwMemShares vmwMemEntry 2

The shares of memory allocated to the virtual machine by the VMkernel.

vmwMemConfigured vmwMemEntry 3

The amount of memory the virtual machine was configured with (in KB).

vmwMemUtil vmwMemEntry 4

The amount of memory currently used by the virtual machine (in KB).

vmwHBATable vmwResources 3

A table used for reporting disk adapter and target information.

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Table 5-5. Variables Defined in VMWARE-OBSOLETE-MIB (Continued)

Variable ID Mapping Description

vmwHBAEntry vmwHBATable 1

A record for a single HBA connected to the host machine.

vmwHbaIdx vmwHBAEntry 1

Index for the HBA table.

vmwHbaName vmwHBAEntry 2

A string describing the disk. Format:

<devname#>:<tgt>:<lun>.

vmwHbaVMID vmwHBAEntry 3

The identification number allocated to the running virtual machine by the VMkernel.

vmwDiskShares vmwHBAEntry 4

Share of disk bandwidth allocated to this virtual machine.

vmwNumReads vmwHBAEntry 5

Number of reads to this disk since the disk module was loaded.

vmwKbRead vmwHBAEntry 6

Kilobytes read from this disk since the disk module was loaded.

vmwNumWrites vmwHBAEntry 7

Number of writes to this disk since the disk module was loaded.

vmwKbWritten vmwHBAEntry 8

Number of kilobytes written to this disk since the disk module was loaded.

vmwNetTable vmwResources 4

A table used for reporting network adapter statistics.

vmwNetEntry vmwNetTable 1

A record for a single network adapter on the virtual machine.

vmwNetIdx vmwNetEntry 1

Index for the network table.

vmwNetName vmwNetEntry 2

A string describing the network adapter.

vmwNetVMID vmwNetEntry 3

The identification number allocated to the running virtual machine by the VMkernel.

vmwNetIfAddr vmwNetEntry 4

The MAC address of the virtual machine’s virtual network adapter.

vmwNetShares vmwNetEntry 5

Share of network bandwidth allocate d to this virtual machine. This object has not been implemented.

vmwNetPktsTx vmwNetEntry 6

The number of packets transmitted on this network adapter since the network module was loaded. Deprecated in favor of vmwNetHCPktsTx.

vmwNetKbTx vmwNetEntry 7

The number of kilobytes sent from this network adapter since the network module was loaded. Deprecated in favor of vmwNetHCKbTx.

vmwNetPktsRx vmwNetEntry 8

The number of packets received on this network adapter since the network module was loaded. Deprecated in favor of vmwNetHCPktsRx.

vmwNetKbRx vmwNetEntry 9

The number of kilobytes received on this network adapter since the network module was loaded. Deprecated in favor of vmwNetHCKbRx

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Table 5-5. Variables Defined in VMWARE-OBSOLETE-MIB (Continued)

Variable ID Mapping Description

vmwNetHCPktsTx vmwNetEntry 10

The number of packets transmitted on this network adapter since the network module was loaded. This counter is the 64-bit version of vmwNetPktsTx.

vmwNetHCKbTx vmwNetEntry 11

The number of kilobytes sent from this network adapter since the network module was loaded. This counter is the 64-bit version of vmwNetKbTx.

vmwNetHCPktsRx vmwNetEntry 12

The number of packets received on this network adapter since the network module was loaded. This counter is the 64-bit version of vmwNetPktsRx.

vmwNetHCKbRx vmwNetEntry 13

The number of kilobytes received on this network adapter since the network module was loaded. This counter is the 64-bit versin of vmwNetKbRx.

Obsolete variables originally defined in VMWARE-TRAPS-MIB

vmID vmwTraps 101

The ID of the affected virtual machine generating the trap. If there is no virtual machine ID (for example, if the virtual machine has been powered off), the

vmID is -1.

vmConfigFile vmwTraps 102

The configuration file of the virtual machine generating the trap.

vpxdTrapType vmwTraps 301

The trap type of the vCenter Server trap.

vpxdHostName vmwTraps 302

The name of the affected host.

vpxdVMName vmwTraps 303

The name of the affected virtual machine.

vpxdOldStatus vmwTraps 304

The prior status.

vpxdNewStatus vmwTraps 305

The new status.

vpxdObjValue vmwTraps 306

The object value.

Table 5-6 lists the traps defined in VMWARE-OBSOLETE-MIB.mib. These traps were originally defined in VMWARE-

TRAPS-MIB.mib.

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

Trap Description

ESX/ESXi Traps

vmPoweredOn

This trap is sent when a virtual machine is powered on from a suspended or powered off state.

vmPoweredOff

This trap is sent when a virtual machine is powered off.

vmHBLost

This trap is sent when a virtual machine detects a loss in guest heartbeat. VMware Tools must be installed in the guest operating system in order for this value to be valid.

vmHBDetected

This trap is sent when a virtual machine detects or regains the guest heartbeat. VMware Tools must be installed in the guest operating system in order for this value to be valid.

vmSuspended

This trap is sent when a virtual machine is suspended.

vCenter Server Traps

vpxdTrap

This trap is sent when an entity status has changed.

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VMWARE-PRODUCTS-MIB

The VMWARE-PRODUCTS-MIB.mib file defines OIDs to uniquely identify each SNMP agent on each VMware platform.

Table 5-7 lists identification mappings defined in VMWARE-PRODUCTS-MIB.mib.

Table 5-7. Identification Mappings for VMWARE-PRODUCTS-MIB.mib

Label Identification Mapping

oidESX vmwOID 1

vmwESX vmwProductSpecific 1

vmwDVS vmwProductSpecific 2

vmwVC vmwProductSpecific 3

vmwServer vmwProductSpecific 4

VMWARE-RESOURCES-MIB

The VMWARE-RESOURCES-MIB.mib file defines variables used to report information on resource usage.

Table 5-8 lists the identification mappings defined in VMWARE-RESOURCES-MIB.mib.

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

Variable ID Mapping Description

CPU Subtree

vmwCPU vmwResources 1

Defines the root OID for the subtree of variables used to report CPU information.

vmwNumCPUs vmwCPU 1

The number of physical CPUs present on the system.

Memory Subtree

vmwMemory vmwResources 2

Defines the root OID for the subtree of variables used to report memory information.

vmwMemSize vmwMemory 1

Amount of physical memory present on the host (in KB).

vmwMemCOS vmwMemory 2

Amount of physical memory allocated to the service console (in KB). This variable does not apply to ESXi hosts, which do not have a service console.

vmwMemAvail vmwMemory 3

The amount of memory available to run virtual machines and to allocate to the hypervisor. It is computed by subtracting vmwMemCOS from vmwMemSize.

Storage Subtree

vmwStorage vmwResources 5

Defines the root OID for the subtree of variables used to report memory information.

vmwHostBusAdapterNumber vmwStorage 1

The number of entries in the vmwHostBusAdapterTable.

vmwHostBusAdapterTable vmwStorage 2

A table of Host Bus Adapters found in this host.

vmwHostBusAdapterEntry vmwHostBusAdapterTable 1

An entry in the Host Bus Adapter table holding details for a particular adapter.

vmwHostBusAdapterIndex vmwHostBusAdapterEntry 1

An arbitrary index assigned to this adapter.

vmwHbaDeviceName vmwHostBusAdapterEntry 2

The system device name for this adapter.

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

Variable ID Mapping Description

vmwHbaBusNumber vmwHostBusAdapterEntry 3

The host bus number. For unsupported adapters, returns -1.

vmwHbaStatus vmwHostBusAdapterEntry 4

The operational status of the adapter.

vmwHbaModelName vmwHostBusAdapterEntry 5

The model name of the adapter.

vmwHbaDriverName vmwHostBusAdapterEntry 6

The name of the adapter driver.

vmwHbaPci vmwHostBusAdapterEntry 7

The PCI ID of the adapter.

VMWARE-SYSTEM-MIB

The VMWARE-SYSTEM-MIB.mib file provides variables for identifying the VMware software running on a managed system by product name, version number, and build number.

Table 5-9 lists the variables defined in VMWARE-SYSTEM-MIB.mib.

Table 5-9. Variables Defined in VMWARE-SYSTEM-MIB

Variable ID Mapping Description

vmwProdName vmwSystem 1

The product name.

vmwProdVersion vmwSystem 2

The product version number, in the format <Major>.<Minor>.<Update>.

vmwProdBuild vmwSystem 4

The product build number.

VMWARE-TC-MIB

The VMWARE-TC-MIB.mib file provides common textual conventions used by VMware MIB files.

VMWARE-TC-MIB.mib defines the following integer values for VmwSubsystemTypes:

unknown(1)

chassis(2)

powerSupply(3)

fan(4)

cpu(5)

memory(6)

battery(7)

temperatureSensor(8)

raidController(9)

voltage(10)

VMWARE-TC-MIB.mib defines the following integer values for VmwSubsystemStatus:

unknown(1)

normal(2)

marginal(3)

critical(4)

failed(5)

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VMWARE-VC-EVENT-MIB

The VMWARE-VC-EVENT-MIB.mib file provides definitions for traps sent by vCenter Server. These definitions were provided by VMWARE-TRAPS-MIB.mib in earlier versions of VirtualCenter Server.

Table 5-10 lists the traps defined for vCenter Server.

Table 5-10. Alarms Defined in VMWARE-VC-EVENT-MIB

Trap ID Mapping Description

vpxdAlarm vmwVCNotifications 201

The vCenter Server SNMP agent sends this trap when an entity's alarm status changes.

vpxdDiagnostic vmwVCNotifications 202

The vCenter Server SNMP agent sends this trap when vCenter Server starts or is restarted, or when a test notification is requested. vCenter Server can be configured to send this trap periodically at regular intervals.

Table 5-11 lists the variables defined for the vCenter Server traps.

Table 5-11. Variables Defined in VMWARE-VC-EVENT-MIB

Variable ID Mapping Description

vmwVpxdTrapType vmwVC 301

The trap type of the vCenter Server trap.

vmwVpxdHostName vmwVC 302

The name of the affected host.

vmwVpxdVMName vmwVC 303

The name of the affected virtual machine.

vmwVpxdOldStatus vmwVC 304

The prior status.

vmwVpxdNewStatus vmwVC 305

The new status.

vmwVpxdObjValue vmwVC 306

The object value.

VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB

The VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB.mib file defines variables and traps for reporting virtual machine information.

Table 5-12 lists the variables defined in VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB.mib.

Table 5-12. Identification Mappings for VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB

Variable ID Mapping Description

Virtual Machine Variables

vmwVmTable vmwVirtMachines 1

A table containing information on the virtual machines that have been configured on the system.

vmwVmEntry vmwVmTable 1

The record for a single virtual machine.

vmwVmIdx vmwVmEntry 1

An index for the virtual machine entry.

vmwVmDisplayName vmwVmEntry 2

The display name for the virtual machine.

vmwVmConfigFile vmwVmEntry 3

The path to the configuration file for this virtual machine.

vmwVmGuestOS vmwVmEntry 4

The guest operating system running on the virtual machine.

vmwVmMemSize vmwVmEntry 5

The memory (in MB) configured for this virtual machine.

vmwVmState vmwVmEntry 6

The virtual machine power state (on or off).

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Table 5-12. Identification Mappings for VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB (Continued)

Variable ID Mapping Description

vmwVmVMID vmwVmEntry 7

An identification number assigned to running virtual machines by the VMkernel. Powered-off virtual machines to not have this ID.

vmwVmGuestState vmwVmEntry 8

The state of the guest operating system (on or off).

vmwVmCpus vmwVmEntry 9

The number of virtual CPUs assigned to this virtual machine.

Virtual Machine HBA Variables

vmwVmHbaTable vmwVirtMachines 2

A table of HBAs visible to a virtual machine.

vmwVmHbaEntry vmwVmHbaTable 1

Record for a single HBA.

vmwHbaVmIdx vmwVmHbaEntry 1

A number corresponding to the virtual machine’s index in the vmwVmTable.

vmwVmHbaIdx vmwVmHbaEntry 2

Uniquely identifies a given HBA in this VM. May change across system reboots.

vmwHbaNum vmwVmHbaEntry 3

The name of the HBA as it appears in the virtual machine settings.

vmwHbaVirtDev vmwVmHbaEntry 4

The HBA hardware being emulated to the guest operating system.

vmwHbaTgtTable vmwVirtMachines 3

The table of all virtual disks configure for virtual machines in vmwVmTable.

vmwHbaTgtEntry vmwHbaTgtTable 1

A record for a specific storage disk. May change across reboots.

vmwHbaTgtVmIdx vmwHbaTgtEntry 1

A number corresponding to the virtual machine’s index (vmwVmIdx) in the vmwVmTable.

vmwHbaTgtIdx vmwHbaTgtEntry 2

This value identifies a particular disk.

vmwHbaTgtNum vmwHbaTgtEntry 3

Identifies the disk as seen from the host bus controller.

Virtual Machine Network Variables

vmwVmNetTable vmwVirtMachines 4

A table of network adapters for all virtual machines in

vmwVmTable.

vmwVmNetEntry vmwVmNetTable 1

Identifies a unique network adapter in this table.

vmwVmNetVmIdx vmwVmNetEntry 1

A number corresponding to the virtual machine’s index in the vmwVmTable.

vmwVmNetIdx vmwVmNetEntry 2

Identifies a unique network adapter in this table. May change across sytem reboots.

vmwVmNetNum vmwVmNetEntry 3

The name of the network adapter as it appears in the virtual machine settings.

vmwVmNetName vmwVmNetEntry 4

Identifies what the network adapter is connected to.

vmwVmNetConnType vmwVmNetEntry 5

Obsolete. Do not use.

vmwVmNetConnected vmwVmNetEntry 6

Reports true if the ethernet virtual device is connected to the virtual machine.

vmwVmMAC vmwVmNetEntry 7

Reports the configured virtual hardware MAC address. If VMware Tools is not running, the value is zero or empty.

Virtual Floppy Device Variables

vmwFloppyTable vmwVirtMachines 5

A table of floppy drives for all virtual machines in vmwVmTable.

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Table 5-12. Identification Mappings for VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB (Continued)

Variable ID Mapping Description

vmwFloppyEntry vmwFloppyTable 1

Identifies a single floppy device. May change across system reboots.

vmwFdVmIdx vmwFloppyEntry 1

A number corresponding to the virtual machine’s index in the vmwVmTable.

vmwFdIdx vmwFloppyEntry 2

Identifies a specific virtual floppy device.

vmwFdName vmwFloppyEntry 3

The file or device that this virtual floppy device is connected to.

vmwFdConnected vmwFloppyEntry 4

Reports true if the floppy device is connected.

Virtual DVD or CD-ROM Variables

vmwCdromTable vmwVirtMachines 6

A table of DVD or CD-ROM drives for all virtual machines in vmwVmTable.

vmwCdromEntry vmwCdromTable 1

Identifies a specific CD-ROM or DVD drive. May change across system reboots.

vmwCdVmIdx vmwCdromEntry 1

A number corresponding to the virtual machine’s index in the vmwVmTable.

vmwCdromIdx vmwCdromEntry 2

Identifies the specific DVD or CD-ROM drive.

vmwCdromName vmwCdromEntry 3

The file or device that the virtual DVD or CD-ROM drive has been configured to use.

vmwCdromConnected vmwCdromEntry 4

Reports true the CD-ROM device is connected.

Virtual Machine Trap Variables

vmwVmID vmwTraps 101

Holds the same value as vmwVmVMID of the affected virtual machine generating the trap, to allow polling of the affected virtual machine in vmwVmTable.

vmwVmConfigFilePath vmwTraps 102

The configuration file of the virtual machine generating the trap.

Table 5-13 lists the traps defined in VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB.mib. These traps were formely defined in VMWARE-TRAPS-

MIB.mib.

Table 5-13. Traps Defined in VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB

Trap ID Mapping Description

vmwVmPoweredOn vmwVmNotifications 1

This trap is sent when a virtual machine is powered on from a suspended or powered off state.

vmwVmPoweredOff vmwVmNotifications 2

This trap is sent when a virtual machine is powered off.

vmwVmHBLost vmwVmNotifications 3

This trap is sent when a virtual machine detects a loss in guest heartbeat. VMware Tools must be installed in the guest operating system in order for this value to be valid.

vmwVmHBDetected vmwVmNotifications 4

This trap is sent when a virtual machine detects or regains the guest heartbeat. VMware Tools must be installed in the guest operating system in order for this value to be valid.

vmwVmSuspended vmwVmNotifications 5

This trap is sent when a virtual machine is suspended.

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SNMPv2 Diagnostic Counters

The SNMPv2-MIB.mib file provides a number of counters to aid in debugging SNMP problems.

Table 5-14 lists some of these diagnostic counters.

Table 5-14. Diagnostic Counters from SNMPv2-MIB

Variable ID Mapping Description

snmpInPkts snmp 1

The total number of messages delivered to the SNMP entity from the transport service.

snmpInBadVersions snmp 3

The total number of SNMP messages that were delivered to the SNMP entity and were for an unsupported SNMP version.

snmpInBadCommunityNames snmp 4

The total number of community-based SNMP messages delivered to the SNMP entity that used an invalid SNMP community name.

snmpInBadCommunityUses snmp 5

The total number of community-based SNMP messages delivered to the SNMP entity that represented an SNMP operation that was not allowed for the community named in the message.

snmpInASNParseErrs snmp 6

The total number of ASN.1 or BER errors encountered by the SNMP entity when decoding received SNMP messages.

snmpEnableAuthenTraps snmp 30

Indicates whether the SNMP entity is permitted to generate authenticationFailure traps. The value of this object overrides any configuration information. It therefore provides a means of disabling all authenticationFailure traps.

snmpSilentDrops snmp 31

The total number of Confirmed Class PDUs delivered to the SNMP entity that were silently dropped because the size of a reply containing an alternate Response Class PDU with an empty variable-bindings field was greater than either a local constraint or the maximum message size associated with the originator of the request.

snmpProxyDrops snmp 32

The total number of Confirmed Class PDUs delivered to the SNMP entity that were silently dropped because the transmission of the message to a proxy target failed in a manner other than a time-out such that no Response Class PDU could be returned.

System Log Files

In addition to lists of events and alarms, vSphere components generate assorted logs. These logs contain information about activities in your vSphere environment.

View System Log Entries

You can view system logs generated by vSphere components.

The following task describes how to access and view system logs.

Procedure

1 From the Home page of a vSphere Client connected to either a vCenter Server system or an ESX/ESXi host,

click System Logs.

2 From the drop-down menu, select the log and entry you want to view.

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3 Select View > Filtering to refer to the filtering options.

4 Enter text in the data field.

5 Click Clear to empty the data field.

External System Logs

VMware technical support might request several files to help resolve any issues you have with the product. This section describes the types and locations of log files found on various ESX 4.0 component systems.

NOTE On Windows systems, several log files are stored in the Local Settings directory, which is located at

C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Local Settings\. This folder is hidden by default.

ESX/ESXi System Logs

You may need the ESX/ESXi system log files to resolve technical issues.

Table 5-15 lists log files associated with ESX systems.

Table 5-15. ESX/ESXi System Logs

Component Location

ESX Server 2.x Service log

/var/log/vmware/vmware-serverd.log

ESX Server 3.x or ESX Service log

/var/log/vmware/hostd.log

vSphere Client Agent log

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

Virtual Machine Kernel Core file

/root/vmkernel-core.<date>

and

/root/vmkernel-log.<date>

These files are present after you reboot your machine.

Syslog log

/var/log/messages

Service Console Availability report

/var/log/vmkernel

VMkernel Messages

/var/log/vmkernel

VMkernel Alerts and Availability report

/var/log/vmkernel

VMkernel Warning

/var/log/vmkwarning

Virtual Machine log file vmware.log in the same directory as the .vmx file for the virtual machine

Virtual Machine Configuration file

<virtual_machine_name>/<virtual_machine_name>

.vmx located on a

datastore associated with the managed host. Used the virtual machine summary page in the vSphere Client to determine the datastore on which this file is located.

vSphere Client System Logs

You may need the vSphere Client system log files to resolve technical issues.

Table 5-16 lists log files associated with the vSphere Client machine.

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Table 5-16. vSphere Client System Logs

Component Location

vSphere Client Installation log

Temp directory on the vSphere Client machine. Example: C:\Documents and Settings\

\Local Settings\Temp\vmmsi.log or

C:\Users\

\Local Settings\Temp\vmmsi.log

vSphere Client Service log

\vpx directory in the Application Data directory on the vSphere Client machine. Example: C:\Documents and Settings\

\Local Settings\Application

Data\vpx\viclient-x.log or C:\Users\

\Local Settings\Application

Data\vpx\viclient-x.log x(=0, 1, ... 9)

VMware Server System Logs

You may need the VMware Server system log files and the configuration file to resolve technical issues.

Table 5-17 lists log files associated with VMware Server hosts.

Table 5-17. VMware Server System Logs

Component

Operating System Location

Virtual Machine Console log Windows Temp directory

Example:C:\Documents and Settings\

\Local

Settings\Temp\vmware-

-<PID>.log

Linux Temp directory

Example:/tmp/vmware-

/ui-<PID>.log

If you encounter problems with the VMware Virtual Machine console on a remote vSphere Client, please submit a support request and this log file.

Virtual Machine log Windows and

Linux

vmware.log

Located in the same directory as the virtual machine .vmx file.

Run the support script or save the log file before you launch the failed virtual machine again.

Virtual Machine Event log Windows

C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Virtual Infrastructure\ vmserverdRoot\eventlog\vent-

<path_to_configuration_file>

.vmx.log

Linux

/var/log/vmware/event-

<path_to_

configuration_file>

.vmx.log

Virtual Machine Configuration file

Windows

<virtual_machine_name>/<virtual_machine_name>

.vmx

Located in the folder where virtual machines are stored.

Linux

<virtual_machine_name>/<virtual_machine_name>

.vmx

Located in the folder where virtual machines are stored.

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Configure Syslog on ESXi Hosts

All ESX/ESXi hosts run a syslog service (syslogd), which logs messages from the VMkernel and other system components to a file.

On an ESXi host, you can use the vSphere Client or the vSphere CLI command vicfg-syslog to configure the following options:

Log file path

Specifies a datastore path to a file in which syslogd logs all messages.

Remote host

Specifies a remote host to which syslog messages are forwarded. In order to receive the forwarded syslog messages, your remote host must have a syslog service installed and correctly configured. Consult the documentation for the syslog service installed on your remote host for information on configuration.

Remote port

Specifies the port on which the remote host receives syslog messages.

You cannot use the vSphere Client or vicfg-syslog to configure syslog behavior for an ESX host. To configure syslog for an ESX host, you must edit the /etc/syslog.conf file.

For more information on vicfg-syslog, see the vSphere Command-Line Interface Installation and Reference Guide.

Procedure

1 In the vSphere Client inventory, select the host.

2 Click the Configuration tab.

3 Click Advanced Settings.

4 Select Syslog in the tree control.

5 In the Syslog.Local.DatastorePath text box, enter the datastore path for the file to which syslog will log

messages.

The datastore path should be of the form [<datastorename>] </path/to/file>, where the path is relative to the root of the volume backing the datastore. For example, the datastore path [storage1] var/log/messages would map to the path /vmfs/volumes/storage1/var/log/messages.

If no path is specified, the default path is /var/log/messages.

6 In the Syslog.Remote.Hostname text box, enter the name of the remote host to which syslog data will be

forwarded.

If no value is specified, no data is forwarded.

7 In the Syslog.Remote.Port text box, enter the port on the remote host to which syslog data will be

forwarded.

By default, this option is set to 514, which is the default UDP port used by syslog. Changes to this option take effect only if Syslog.Remote.Hostname is configured.

8 Click OK.

Changes to the syslog options take effect immediately.

Export Diagnostic Data

You can export all or part of your log file data.

When you export log file data, the vm-support script creates a file of the selected data and stores it in a location you specify. The default file type is .txt if no other extension is specified. The file contains Type, Time, and Description.

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Procedure

1 From the vSphere Client connected to a vCenter Server system or ESX/ESXi host, select Administration

> Export Diagnostic Data.

2 If the vSphere Client is connected to a vCenter Server system, specify the host whose logs you want to

export and the location for storing the log files.

3 If the vSphere Client is connected to an ESX/ESXi host, specify the location for the log files.

4 Click OK.

Collecting Log Files

VMware technical support might request several files to help resolve technical issues. The following sections describe script processes for generating and collecting some of these files.

Set Verbose Logging

You can specify how verbose log files will be.

Procedure

1 Select Administration > vCenter Server Settings.

2 Select Logging Options.

3 Select Verbose from the pop-up menu.

4 Click OK.

Collect vSphere Log Files

You can collect vSphere log files into a single location.

Select from the options:

Procedure

To view the viclient-*.log files, change to the directory, %temp%.

If you are running the vSphere Client connected to a vCenter Server system, download the log bundle.

The log bundle is generated as a .zip file. By default, the vpxd logs within the bundle are compressed as .gz files. You must use gunzip to uncompress these files.

From the vCenter Server system, select Start > Programs > VMware > Generate vCenter Server log bundle.

You can use this to generate vCenter Server log bundles even when you are unable to connect to the vCenter Server using the vSphere Client.

The log bundle is generated as a .zip file. By default, the vpxd logs within the bundle are compressed as .gz files. You must use gunzip to uncompress these files.

Collect ESX Log Files Using the Service Console

You can collect and package all relevant ESX system and configuration information, a well as ESX log files. This information can be used to analyze the problems.

Procedure

Run the following script on the service console: /usr/bin/vm-support

The resulting file has the following format: esx-

.tgz

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Turn Off Compression for vpxd Log Files

By default, vCenter Server vpxd log files are rolled up and compressed into .gz files. You can turn off this setting to leave the vpxd logs uncompressed.

Procedure

1 Log in to the vCenter Server using the vSphere Client.

2 Select Administration > vCenter Server Settings.

3 In the Key text box, type log.compressOnRoll.

4 In the Value text box, type false.

5 Click Add, and click OK.

ESX/ESXi VMkernel Files

If the VMkernel fails, an error message appears and then the virtual machine reboots. If you specified a VMware core dump partition when you configured your virtual machine, the VMkernel also generates a core dump and error log.

More serious problems in the VMkernel can freeze the machine without an error message or core dump.

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Managing the vSphere Client

Inventory 6

The topics in this section describe how to manage the objects in your vSphere environment.

The views and capabilities displayed vary depending on whether the vSphere Client is connected to a vCenter Server system or an ESX/ESXi host. Unless indicated, the process, task, or description applies to all kinds of vSphere Client connections.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Understanding vSphere Client Objects,” on page 71

“Add an Inventory Object,” on page 73

“Moving Objects in the Inventory,” on page 74

“Remove an Inventory Object,” on page 74

“Browsing Datastores in the vSphere Client Inventory,” on page 75

Understanding vSphere Client Objects

Inventory objects in the vSphere Client include folders, datacenters, clusters, resource pools, datastores, and networks. These objects are used to help manage or organize monitored and managed hosts, as well as virtual machines.

Each object in the vSphere Client has a particular place in the overall object hierarchy. An object’s position in the hierarchy is determined by the object’s functionality.

An object's name must be unique with its parent. vApp names must be unique within the Virtual Machines and Templates view.

Identifying Objects in the vSphere Client Inventory

Inventory objects in the vSphere Client represent resources in your virtual infrastructure.

Objects in vSphere Client are as follows:

Root folder

In vCenter Server only. Child objects are datacenters or subfolders. The root folder is set as a default for every vCenter Server system. You can change the name, but not add or remove it.

In a vCenter Server Connected Group, there is one root folder for each vCenter Server system in the group. The name of the root folder is the name of the vCenter Server system which it represents.

Folders

In vCenter Server only. Child objects are datacenters, hosts, clusters, networking objects, datastores, virtual machines, templates, or subfolders.

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Datacenters

In vCenter Server only. A datacenter contains folders, clusters, hosts, networks, datastores and virtual machines. All actions taken upon managed hosts and virtual machines are applied within their datacenter. Within a datacenter, you can monitor and manage virtual machines separately from their hosts and use VMotion.

Clusters

In vCenter Server only. Child objects are hosts, virtual machines, or resource pools.

Hosts

Child objects of hosts are virtual machines or resource pools. Hosts are ESX/ESXi systems. The term host refers to the virtualization platform that is the host to one or more virtual machines. A host object is the default top structure for a standalone ESX/ESXi machine.

When the vCenter Server system is connected to the vSphere Client, all ESX/ESXi systems registered with vCenter Server are referred to as hosts. ESX/ESXi systems directly connected to the vSphere Client are referred to as standalone hosts.

Resource pools

Child objects of resource pools are virtual machines or other resource pools. Resource pools are available on ESX/ESXi hosts as well as through vCenter Server systems.

A vSphere Client resource pool is used to allocate host-provided CPU and memory to the virtual machines resident to the host.

Virtual machines

Located within a host, virtual disks on a datastore, associated within a cluster or resource pool. Can be listed as a child object to hosts, clusters, or resource pools. Can be moved between hosts or clusters. When adding to a cluster or resource pool, you must specify or have in the cluster or resource pool a designated target host.

Templates

A template is a master copy of a virtual machine that can be used to create and provision new virtual machines.

Networks

In vCenter Server only. Child object to datacenters and network folders. There are two types of networks: vNetwork Standard Switches (vSwitches) and vNetwork Distributed Switches. vNetwork Standard Switches are associated with a single host and are discovered when hosts are added to the vSphere environment. You can add and remove vNetwork Standard Switches through the vSphere Client. vNetwork Distributed Switches span multiple hosts. You can add and remove vNetwork Distributed Switches through the vSphere Client.

Datastores

In vCenter Server only. Child object to datacenters and datastore folders. Datastores are logical containers that hold virtual disk files and other files necessary for virtual machine operations. Datastores exist on different types of physical storage devices, including local storage, iSCSI and Fibre Channel SANs, and NFS. You create datastores by formatting storage devices or by mounting NFS volumes on your host. In addition, you can add a host with existing datastores to the inventory.

Libraries

Central repositories for virtual machine provisioning media such as virtual machine templates, ISO images, floppy images, VMDK files, guest customization files, and so on.

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Viewing Object Relationships

One of the features of managing your virtual infrastructure with vSphere is viewing relationships between inventory objects.

You can view the relationships between inventory objects relationships in the following ways:

Using the Maps feature

Shows the inventory object relationships in graphical form.

Clicking an object in the inventory

Provides a list of tabbed content that lists related objects.

For example, a datastore has a virtual machine tab that lists the virtual machines that use the datastore. There is also a host tab that list the hosts that can access the datastore.

Selecting Hosts and Clusters from the Home page

Provides a view of the set of virtual machines that run on a particular host, cluster, or resource pool. Each object has a tab that displays all the virtual machines associated or contained within it.

When you view the hosts and clusters page, virtual machine folders are not displayed. Because virtual machine names are unique within virtual machine folders, you might see more than one virtual machine with the same name. To view virtual machines as they are arranged in the folder hierarchy, use the VMs and Templates view.

Selecting VMs and Templates from the Home page

Displays all virtual machines and templates. Through this view you can organize virtual machines into folder hierarchies.

Selecting Datastores from the Home page

Displays all datastores in the datacenter. Through this view you can organize datastores into arbitrary folder hierarchies.

Selecting Networking objects from the Home page

Displays all abstract network devices, called vSwitches and vNetwork Distributed Switches. Through this view you can organize networking devices into arbitrary folder hierarchies.

Add an Inventory Object

You can add an inventory object only to its corresponding hierarchical parent. Objects you are allowed to add are listed on the parent menus.

Add a Cluster, Resource Pool, Host, or Virtual Machine

Clusters, resource pools, hosts, and virtual machines can be added from the Hosts and Clusters view in vSphere Client.

Procedure

1 From the vSphere Client, right-click the parent object in the inventory.

2 Select New

, where <Object> is a folder, datacenter, cluster, resource pool, host, or virtual machine.

3 Complete the wizard and click Finish.

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Add a Folder or Datacenter

Folders and datacenters add organization to your inventory. Add folders or datacenters from any Inventory view in the vSphere Client.

Procedure

1 From the vSphere Client, right-click the parent object in the inventory.

2 Select New

, where <Object> is a folder, datacenter, cluster, resource pool, host, or virtual machine.

An icon representing the new object is added to the inventory.

3 Enter a name for the object.

Moving Objects in the Inventory

You can move most objects manually between folders, datacenters, resource pools, and hosts in the vSphere Client inventory.

You cannot move the root folder. If you connect directly to a host using the vSphere Client, you cannot move the host.

You can move inventory objects in the following ways:

Folders — move within a datacenter.

Datacenter — move between folders at a sibling or parent level.

Cluster — move between folders and within datacenters at a sibling or parent level.

Host — move between clusters and datacenters. When managed by vCenter Server, if a host is in a cluster, all virtual machines on the host must be shut down and the host must be placed into maintenance mode before it can be moved from the cluster.

Resource pools — move to other resource pools and folders.

Virtual machines — move to other resource pools, clusters, folders, datacenters, or hosts. When adding to anything other than a host, you must specify a target host.

Networks — move between folders at a sibling or parent level. You cannot move a dvPort Group independently of its parent Distributed Virtual Switch.

Datastores — move between folders at a sibling or parent level.

Remove an Inventory Object

Removing an object from the inventory discontinues the management of the object by vCenter Server.

When you remove an object (such as a folder, datacenter, cluster, or resource pool) from the inventory, vCenter Server does the following:

Removes all of the object’s child inventory objects.

Removes all the tasks and alarms associated with the object.

Returns all processor and migration licenses assigned to the object to available status.

If the object is a host, ceases to manage the object’s virtual machines, but allows them to remain on the host.

NOTE Removing a virtual machine from the inventory does not delete it from its datastore.

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Procedure

1 From the vSphere Client, right-click the object and select Remove.

2 In the confirmation dialog box that appears, confirm that you want to remove the object.

Browsing Datastores in the vSphere Client Inventory

The Datastore Browser allows you to manage the contents of datastores in the vSphere Client inventory.

To use the Datastore Browser, you need to have a role with the Browse Datastore privilege.

You can use the Datastore Browser to:

View or search the contents of a datastore.

Add a virtual machine or template stored on a datastore to the vSphere Client inventory.

Copy or move files from one location to another, including to another datastore.

Upload a file or folder from the client computer to a datastore.

Download a file from a datastore to the client computer.

Delete or rename files on a datastore.

The Datastore Browser operates in a manner similar to file system applications like Windows Explorer. It supports many common file system operations, including copying, cutting, and pasting files. The Datastore Browser does not support drag-and-drop operations.

Copying Virtual Machine Disks with the Datastore Browser

You can use the Datastore Browser to copy virtual machine disk files between hosts. Disk files are copied asis, without any format conversion. Disks copied from one type of host to a different type of host might require conversion before they can be used on the new host.

You can download virtual disks from a datastore to local storage, but you cannot upload virtual disks from local storage to a datastore, because the disk format cannot be verified during the upload.

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Managing Hosts in vCenter Server 7

To access the full capabilities of your hosts and to simplify the management of multiple hosts, you should connect your hosts to a vCenter Server system.

For information on configuration management of ESX/ESXi hosts, see the ESX Configuration Guide or ESXi Configuration Guide.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“About Hosts,” on page 77

“Add a Host,” on page 78

“Completing the Add Host Process,” on page 79

“Disconnecting and Reconnecting a Host,” on page 80

“Remove a Host from a Cluster,” on page 81

“Understanding Managed Host Removal,” on page 81

“Remove a Managed Host from vCenter Server,” on page 82

“Monitoring Host Health Status,” on page 83

About Hosts

A host is a virtualization platform that supports virtual machines. A vCenter Server managed host is a host that is registered with vCenter Server.

The task of managing a host is accomplished through the vSphere Client. This vSphere Client can be connected either directly to an ESX/ESXi host or indirectly to hosts through a connection to a vCenter Server system.

When ESX/ESXi hosts are connected to the vSphere Client directly, you manage them individually as standalone hosts. Most of the host configuration and virtual machine configuration features still apply. Features that require multiple hosts, such as migration with VMotion of a virtual machine from one host to another, are not available through the standalone host connection.

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When ESX/ESXi hosts are managed by vCenter Server, they are added to the vSphere environment through a vSphere Client connected to a vCenter Server system. Managed hosts are hierarchically placed in datacenters, folders, or clusters under the root vCenter Server system.

CAUTION If an ESX/ESXi host is connected with a vCenter Server system and you attached a vSphere Client to manage the ESX/ESXi host directly, you receive a warning message but are allowed to proceed. This might result in conflicts on the host, especially if the host is part of a cluster. This action is strongly discouraged.

All virtual machines on managed hosts are discovered and imported into vCenter Server. When you add multiple managed hosts, vCenter Server identifies any naming conflicts that exist between virtual machines and alerts the system administrator, who can then rename virtual machines as necessary.

When vCenter Server connects to a managed host, it does so as a privileged user. The individual vSphere Client user does not necessarily need to be an administrative user on the managed host.

Add a Host

To manage ESX/ESXi hosts using vCenter Server, you must add the hosts to the vSphere environment through the vSphere Client.

When you add a host, vCenter Server discovers and adds all the virtual machines contained within that managed host to the environment.

Before you begin this task:

Ensure a communication channel through a firewall, if needed. If any managed host in the vCenter Server environment is behind a firewall, ensure that the managed host can communicate with vCenter Server and with all other hosts. See the ESX Server Configuration Guide or the ESXi Server Configuration Guide for information on which ports are necessary.

Make sure NFS mounts are active. If NFS mounts are unresponsive, the operation fails.

NOTE If you are connecting your vSphere Client to an ESX/ESXi host directly, the tasks in this section do not apply.

Add a Host to a vCenter Server Cluster

Use the vSphere Client to add a host to a cluster.

Procedure

1 In the vSphere Client, display the inventory and select the cluster where you will add the host.

2 From the File menu, select New > Add Host.

3 Enter the managed host connection settings and click Next.

a Type the name or IP address of the managed host in the Host name field.

b Enter the Username and Password for a user account that has administrative privileges on the selected

managed host.

vCenter Server uses the root account to log in to the system and then creates a special user account. vCenter Server then uses this account for all future authentication.

4 (Optional) Select Enable Lockdown Mode to disable remote access for the administrator account after

vCenter Server takes control of this host.

This option is available for ESXi hosts only. Selecting this check box ensures that the host is managed only through vCenter Server. Certain limited management tasks can be performed while in lockdown mode by logging into the local console on the host.

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5 Confirm the Host Summary information and click Next.

6 Select whether to assign a new or existing license key to the host and click Next.

7 Specify what should happen to the resource pools on the host.

The options are:

Put all the host’s virtual machines into the cluster’s root resource pool.

Create new resource pool for the host’s virtual machines. The default resource pool name is derived from the host’s name. Type over the text to supply your own name.

8 Click Next.

9 Click Finish.

Add a Host to a vCenter Server Datacenter

Use the vSphere Client to add a host to a datacenter.

Procedure

1 In the vSphere Client, display the inventory and select the datacenter or folder where you will add the

host.

2 Select File > New > Add Host.

3 Enter the managed host connection settings and click Next.

a Type the name or IP address of the managed host in the Host name field.

b Enter the Username and Password for a user account that has administrative privileges on the selected

managed host.

vCenter Server uses the root account to log in to the system and then creates a special user account. vCenter Server then uses this account for all future authentication.

4 (Optional) Select Enable Lockdown Mode to disable remote access for the administrator account after

vCenter Server takes control of this host.

5 Confirm the Host Summary information and click Next.

6 Select whether to assign a new or existing license key to the host and click Next.

7 Select the location for the host's virtual machines and click Next.

Select a virtual machine folder, or the datacenter itself if you do not want to place the virtual machines into a folder.

8 Click Finish.

Completing the Add Host Process

After you complete the Add Host wizard, vCenter Server verifies that the host is compatible and completes the process of adding it to the vCenter Server inventory.

After you dismiss the Add Host wizard, vCenter Server finishes the process of adding a host by performing the following steps.

1 Searches the network for the specified managed host and identifies all the virtual machines on the managed

host.

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2 Connects to the managed host.

If the wizard cannot connect to the managed host, the managed host is not added to the inventory.

3 Verifies that the managed host is not already being managed.

If the host is already being managed by another vCenter Server system, vCenter Server displays a message. If the vCenter Server can connect to the managed host, but for some reason cannot remain connected, the host is added, but is in a disconnected state.

4 Reads the number of processors on the managed host and allocates the appropriate number of licenses.

The number of processors is stored in the vCenter Server database and is verified upon each managed host reconnection and vCenter Server system startup.

5 Verifies that the managed host version is supported.

If it is not, and the managed host version can be upgraded, vCenter Server prompts you to perform an upgrade.

6 Imports existing virtual machines.

Disconnecting and Reconnecting a Host

You can disconnect and reconnect a host that is being managed by vCenter Server. Disconnecting a managed host does not remove it from vCenter Server; it temporarily suspends all monitoring activities performed by vCenter Server.

The managed host and its associated virtual machines remain in the vCenter Server inventory. By contrast, removing a managed host from vCenter Server removes the managed host and all its associated virtual machines from the vCenter Server inventory.

Disconnect a Managed Host

Use the vSphere Client to disconnect a managed host from vCenter Server.

Procedure

1 From the vSphere Client connected to a vCenter Server system, display the inventory and click the

managed host to disconnect.

2 Right-click the host and select Disconnect from the pop-up menu.

3 In the confirmation dialog box that appears, click Yes.

If the managed host is disconnected, the word “disconnected” is appended to the object name in parentheses, and the object is dimmed. All associated virtual machines are similarly dimmed and labeled.

Reconnect a Managed Host

Use the vSphere Client to reconnect a managed host to a vCenter Server system.

Procedure

1 From the vSphere Client connected to a vCenter Server system, display the inventory and click the

managed host to reconnect.

2 Right-click the host and select Connect from the pop-up menu.

When the managed host’s connection status to vCenter Server is changed, the statuses of the virtual machines on that managed host are updated to reflect the change.

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Reconnecting Hosts After Changes to the vCenter Server SSL Certificate

vCenter Server uses an SSL certificate to encrypt and decrypt host passwords stored in the vCenter Server database. If the certificate is replaced or changed, vCenter Server cannot decrypt host passwords, and therefore cannot connect to managed hosts.

If vCenter Server fails to decrypt a host password, the host is disconnected from vCenter Server. You must reconnect the host and supply the login credentials, which will be encrypted and stored in the database using the new certificate.

Remove a Host from a Cluster

When a host is removed from a cluster, the resources it provides are deducted from the total cluster resources. The virtual machines deployed on the host are either migrated to other hosts within the cluster, or remain with the host and are removed from the cluster, depending on the state of the virtual machines when the host is removed from the cluster.

You can remove hosts from a cluster by selecting them in the inventory and dragging them to a new location within the inventory. The new location can be a folder as a standalone host or another cluster.

Prerequisites

Before you can remove a host from a cluster, you must power off all virtual machines that are running on the host, or migrate the virtual machines to a new host using VMotion.

Procedure

1 From the vSphere Client connected to a vCenter Server system, display the inventory.

2 Right-click the appropriate managed host icon in the inventory panel, and select Enter Maintenance

Mode from the pop-up menu.

3 In the confirmation dialog that appears, click Yes.

The host icon changes and the term “maintenance mode” is added to the name in parentheses.

4 Select the host icon in the inventory panel, and drag it to the new location.

The host can be moved to another cluster or another datacenter. When the new location is selected, a blue box surrounds the cluster or datacenter name.

vCenter Server moves the host to the new location.

5 Right-click the host, and select Exit Maintenance Mode from the pop-up menu.

6 (Optional) Restart any virtual machines, as needed.

Understanding Managed Host Removal

Removing a managed host from vCenter Server breaks the connection and stops all monitoring and managing functions of that managed host and of all the virtual machines on that managed host. The managed host and its associated virtual machines are removed from the inventory.

Historical data for removed hosts remains in the vCenter Server database.

Removing a managed host differs from disconnecting the managed host from vCenter Server. Disconnecting a managed host does not remove it from vCenter Server; it temporarily suspends all vCenter Server monitoring activities. The managed host and its associated virtual machines remain in the vCenter Server inventory.

Removing a managed host from vCenter Server does not remove the virtual machines from the managed host or datastore. It removes only vCenter Server’s access to the managed host and virtual machines on that managed host.

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Figure 7-1 illustrates the process for removing a managed host from vCenter Server. In the example here, notice

the lost link between vCenter Server and the removed managed host, while the managed host files remain on the datastore.

Figure 7-1. Removing a Host

1. Registered host and virtual machines

shared datastore

vCenter

VM1.dsk

VM2.dsk

VM3.dsk

VM4.dsk

host A

VM1

VM2

host B

VM3

VM4

shared datastore

vCenter

VM1.dsk

VM2.dsk

VM3.dsk

VM4.dsk

host A

VM1

VM2

host B

VM3

VM4

2. Remove host. Virtual machines stay on the host’s datastore.

Remove a Managed Host from vCenter Server

Remove a managed host from vCenter Server to stop all vCenter Server monitoring and management of that host.

If possible, remove managed hosts while they are connected. Removing a disconnected managed host does not remove the vCenter Server agent from the managed host.

Prerequisites

Make sure NFS mounts are active. If NFS mounts are unresponsive, the operation fails.

Procedure

1 From the vSphere Client connected to a vCenter Server system, display the inventory.

2 (Optional) If the host is part of a cluster, you must put it in maintenance mode.

a Right-click the managed host in the inventory and select Enter Maintenance Mode from the pop-up

menu.

b On the confirmation dialog, click Yes.

The host icon changes and the term “maintenance mode” is added to the name in parentheses.

3 Right-click the appropriate host in the inventory panel, and select Remove from the pop-up menu.

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4 In the confirmation dialog that appears, click Yes to remove the managed host.

vCenter Server removes the managed host and associated virtual machines from the vCenter Server environment. vCenter Server then returns the status of all associated processor and migration licenses to available.

Monitoring Host Health Status

You can use the vSphere Client to monitor the state of host hardware components, such as CPU processors, memory, fans, and other components.

The host health monitoring tool allows you to monitor the health of a variety of host hardware components including:

CPU processors

Memory

Fans

Temperature

Voltage

Power

Network

Battery

Storage

Cable/Interconnect

Software components

Watchdog

Other

The host health monitoring tool presents data gathered using Systems Management Architecture for Server Hardware (SMASH) profiles. The information displayed depends on the sensors available on your server hardware.

You can monitor a host’s health status either by connecting the vSphere Client directly to a host, or by connecting to a vCenter Server system. You can also set alarms to trigger when the host health status changes.

Monitor Host Health Status When Connected Directly to a Host

When you connect the vSphere Client directly to a host, you can view the health status from the host’s Configuration tab.

When you are connected to a host through vCenter Server, you must use the Hardware Status tab rather than the Configuration tab to monitor the host health.

If a component is functioning normally, the status indicator is green. The status indicator changes to yellow or red if a system component violates a performance threshold or is not functioning properly. Generally, a yellow indicator signifies degraded performance. A red indicator signifies that a component stopped operating or exceeded the highest threshold.

The Reading column displays the current values for the sensors. For instance, the column displays rotations per minute (RPM) for fans and degrees Celsius for temperature.

Procedure

1 Log in to the host using the vSphere Client, and select the host in the inventory.

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2 Click the Configuration tab, and click Health Status.

The sensor data appears in a tree. The root of the tree displays the overall host health status.

Monitor Host Health Status When Connected to vCenter Server

When you connect the vSphere Client to vCenter Server system, you can view the health status on the Hardware Status tab.

When you are connected to a host through vCenter Server, you must use the Hardware Status tab rather than the Configuration tab to monitor the host health.

Procedure

1 Log in to a vCenter Server system using the vSphere Client, and display the Hosts and Clusters view in

the inventory.

2 Select the host in the inventory and click the Hardware Status tab.

3 Select the type of information to view:

To view all sensors arranged in a tree view, select Sensors from the View menu.

To see only alerts and warnings, select Alerts and Warnings from the View menu.

To view the system event log, select System Event Log from the View menu.

Troubleshoot the Hardware Health Service

The Hardware Health service is a vCenter Server extension that uses an Internet Explorer Webbrowser control to display information about host hardware health. Use the information in this topic to troubleshoot problems with Hardware Health.

Procedure

Take the appropriate action based on the observed problem.

Problem Action

The Hardware Status tab is not visible in the vSphere Client.

Select Plug-ins > Plug-in Manager and verify that the Hardware Status plug- in is enabled.

The Hardware Status tab displays the following error message: the

remote name could not be resolved

<SERVER-NAME>

where <SERVER-NAME> is the domain name of the vCenter Server system.

This error appears when the client system is unable to resolve the domain name of the vCenter Server system. Either fix the domain name resolution problem, or edit the file C:\Program

Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VirtualCenter Server\extensions\cim-ui\extensions.xml on the vCenter Server

system and replace the vCenter Server domain name with its IP address.

The Hardware Status tab displays a security alert.

Your Internet Explorer security settings are set too high. To change the security settings:

a Launch Internet Explorer.

b Select Tools > Internet Options.

c Click the Security tab.

d Select the Local intranet Web content zone.

e Click Custom Level.

f Underneath Allow scripting of Internet Explorer Webbrowser

control, select Enable.

g Click OK to close the Security Settings dialog box, and click OK to close

the Internet Options dialog box.

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Virtual Machine Management

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Consolidating the Datacenter 8

VMware vCenter Guided Consolidation, recommended for smaller IT environments, enables you to streamline your datacenter by moving business applications, spread across multiple disparate physical systems, into a centrally managed virtual environment. Use the consolidation feature to start building your virtual environment, or to further consolidate your datacenter as it grows.

Multiple virtual machines can be hosted on a single physical system, enabling more efficient use of computing resources. Consolidating your datacenter involves the following process:

Find

You search for and select the physical systems in your datacenter that you want analyzed.

Analyze

Selected physical systems are analyzed and performance data on each selected system is collected. Generally, the longer the duration of the analysis phase, the higher the confidence in the vCenter Server’s recommendations.

Consolidate

Performance data is compared to the resources available on the virtual machine host systems. The selected physical systems are converted to virtual machines and imported into vCenter Server on the recommended hosts where they are managed along with other components of your virtual environment.

Access the Guided Consolidation feature by clicking the Consolidation button.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Consolidation First Time Use,” on page 88

“Consolidation Prerequisites,” on page 88

“About Consolidation Services,” on page 91

“Configuring Consolidation Settings,” on page 91

“Find and Analyze Physical Systems,” on page 92

“Viewing Analysis Results,” on page 93

“Converting Physical Systems to Virtual Machines,” on page 93

“Viewing Consolidation Tasks,” on page 94

“Troubleshooting Consolidation,” on page 95

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Consolidation First Time Use

The first time you use the Consolidation feature, VMware recommends that you specify consolidation settings. These settings include default system credentials and active domains.

Default system credentials enable you to store a set of credentials so that you do not have to enter them each time you add systems for analysis. You can override default credentials when necessary.

Active domains enable you to register domains with the Consolidation feature. Active domains are scanned daily so that newly added systems are readily available.

Consolidation Prerequisites

Guided Consolidation requires that at least one host is managed through vSphere. It also requires that you provide credentials to the target physical systems.

Guided Consolidation can convert systems that are configured to any locale. Before you use the feature, ensure that the following prerequisites are met:

Guided Consolidation Server Host Requirements

Guided Consolidation server must be installed on a host that meets the following system requirements:

Located within the company's network and have access to target systems for performance data collection.

The Guided Consolidation host must have a name that can be resolved from any machine on the network

The Guided Consolidation host must have a static IP address.

Located in a domain and can access the Active Directory server.

One of the following operating systems installed:

Windows 2003 Server SP2

Windows XP Professional SP3

Windows Server 2008 (Ensure that Computer Browser Windows Service is enabled)

Windows Vista (Ensure that Computer Browser Windows Service is enabled)

.NET Framework 3.0 SP1 installed

Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and Remote Registry installed, enabled, and running on host and all target systems

Minimum 1000MHz CPU

Minimum 1.8GB available RAM

3GB free disk space

Authorized and able to connect to all the servers to be analyzed and consolidated using the protocols and ports listed in the section below, “Network Connections,” on page 89.

Access to general purpose ports that Windows uses for most of its communications for file/print sharing and authentication

General Requirements

The following operating systems on systems targeted for analysis are supported:

Windows 2000 Professional/Server/Advanced

Windows XP Professional (32 bit and 64 bit)

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Windows Server 2003 Standard/Web/Enterprise (32 bit and 64 bit)

Windows Vista (32 bit and 64 bit)

Windows Server 2008 (32 and 64 bit)

Credentials with Log on as service privileges on the system where the Guided Consolidation server is installed must be provided at the time of installation. If Active Directory is deployed on your network, the provided credentials must also have sufficient privileges to query the Active Directory database.

File and Printer Sharing must be enabled on the system where Guided Consolidation is installed and enabled on all systems targeted for analysis. Windows XP Simple File Sharing is insufficient.

Guided Consolidation extension must be installed, enabled, and running on the vSphere Client.

At least one datacenter inventory object exists. See “Add an Inventory Object,” on page 73.

At least one host is registered with vCenter Server. See “Add a Host,” on page 78.

Guided Consolidation requires administrator access to the systems selected for analysis. Specifically, the vCenter Collector Service uses these credentials to connect to and retrieve configuration and performance data from the physical systems under analysis. Accounts must be fully-qualified and can be any of the following:

account of the target system.

account of the target system domain.

account of a trusted domain of the target system.

Network Connections

The Guided Consolidation server must have access to the ports listed in the Table 8-1.

Table 8-1. Network Connections

Port Protocol Service Description MS Windows

135 TCP/UDP Loc-srv/epmap Microsoft DCE

Locator service, also known as End-point Mapper.

DHCP Server

DNS Server

WINS Server

137 TCP/UDP Netbios-ns NetBIOS names

service.

Firewall administrators frequently see larger numbers of incoming packets to port 137.

This is because of Windows servers that use NetBIOS (as well as DNS) to resolve IP addresses to names using the

gethostbyaddr()

function. As users behind the firewalls visit Windows-based Web sites, those servers frequently respond with NetBIOS lookups.

WINS Server

DNS Server

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Table 8-1. Network Connections (Continued)

Port Protocol Service Description MS Windows

138 TCP/UDP Netbios-dgm NetBIOS datagram

Used by Windows, as well as UNIX services (such as SAMBA).

Port 138 is used primarily by the SMB browser service that obtains Network Neighborhood information.

139 TCP/UDP Netbios-ssn NetBIOS Session

Windows File and Printer sharing.

445 TCP/UDP DNS DNS Direct Hosting

port.

In Windows 2000 and Windows XP, redirector and server components now support direct hosting for communicating with other computers running Windows 2000 or Windows XP.

Direct hosting does not use NetBIOS for name resolution. DNS is used for name resolution, and the Microsoft networking communication is sent directly over TCP without a NetBIOS header. Direct hosting over TCP/IP uses TCP and UDP port 445 instead of the NetBIOS session TCP port 139.

Active Directory

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About Consolidation Services

Guided Consolidation can be installed together with vCenter Server, or can be installed on a separate host. For best performance, install Guided Consolidation on a separate host.

Guided Consolidation include the following services:

vCenter Collector Service

Discovers domains and systems within domains. Collects performance data on those systems.

vCenter Provider Service

Helper service to vCenter Collector Service. Communicates with target systems and passes the data back to vCenter Collector Service.

vCenter Guided Consolidation

Coordinates all communication among Guided Consolidation components. Saves the performance data collected by the vCenter Collector Service. Analyzes the data and generates placement recommendations. Also communicates with vCenter Server to perform conversion. Runs inside a generic servlet container labeled VMware vCenter Management Webservices. The services of other vCenter features and extensions might also be present inside that servlet container.

Configuring Consolidation Settings

It is recommended that you specify Consolidation settings before using the feature. Consolidation settings are located in the Configuration tab of the Guided Consolidation section of the vSphere Client.

The Configuration tab displays name, location, and health of Consolidation services. It also enables you to configure the following settings:

Default system credentials

Used by Guided Consolidation to access target physical systems. If necessary, the default credentials can be overridden.

Active Domains

Guided Consolidation automatically scans active domains and caches information about the systems in them. This information is updated daily. If you intend to add systems for analysis by selecting them from a domain, you must specify the domain as Active.

Specify Default Credentials

Default credentials are used to access systems selected for analysis when no other administrator credentials are specified.

Procedure

1 Click Change in the Default System Credentials area of the Configuration tab.

2 Enter a domain-qualified user name and password.

For example: DOMAIN\username.

3 Confirm the password and click OK.

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Specify Active Domains

Specifying a domain as Active populates the Add to Analysis dialog box with a list of systems on that domain. That information is updated daily as long as the domain remains active.

VMware recommends that you leave domains where new systems are frequently added as Active and that you remove domains that do not frequently change after their information has been cached. Because scanning active domains is resource intensive, VMware also recommends that no more than 50 domains are simultaneously active.

NOTE In some cases it can take the system several hours to collect a domain's containment information.

Procedure

1 From the vSphere Client Home page, select Guided Consolidation > Configuration.

2 Click Add in the Active Domains section.

3 Select the domains you want to make active.

4 Click OK.

Find and Analyze Physical Systems

The Add to Analysis dialog box enables you to find systems in your environment and add them for analysis, to manually search for physical systems, or to select systems from the list of systems found in active domains. You can select systems and add them for analysis.

You can add systems manually by entering a computer name, IP address or range of IP addresses, or file name. Alternatively, you can select a domain - it must be active - and select systems found within that domain. You can analyze up to 100 systems simultaneously.

NOTE After adding a system for analysis, it can take up to one hour before the status of the newly added system changes from Collecting System Information to Analyzing.

Procedure

1 In the Analysis tab, click Add to Analysis.

2 Specify the systems you want to analyze.

Option Description

Manually specify the computers

Provide computer names, IP addresses, a range of IP addresses, or path to a file that contains the computer names or IP addresses of the systems you want according to the following rules:

Separate multiple computer names, or IP address, with a comma.

Multiple IP ranges are not permitted.

If you chose to use a file, each computer name or IP address must be on a separate line in the file. The file must be accessible to the vSphere Client.

Select the computers by domains

Select the systems you want to analyze.

3 Click Add to Analysis.

4 Select whether you want to use the configured default credentials, or whether you want to supply a

different set of credentials.

If you chose to override the default credentials, ensure that you enter a domain-qualified user name (for example, DOMAIN\username) and password.

5 Click OK.

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Viewing Analysis Results

Analysis results are displayed in the Analysis tab.

When analysis is complete, the following information appears:

Physical Computer– Displays the host name of the physical system being analyzed or imported.

CPU Info– Displays the number of CPUs and their clock speed.

Memory Info– Displays the amount of RAM on the system.

Status – Displays the progress of the analysis.

Confidence – Indicates the degree to which vCenter Server is able to gather performance data about the system and how good a candidate the system is based on the available data.

CPU Usage – Displays the system’s average CPU usage over time.

Memory Usage – Displays the system’s average memory usage over time.

About the Confidence Metric

One important metric displayed in the Analysis tab is the Confidence metric. During the analysis phase, performance data about each selected system is collected. This data is used to find a host with resources that match the collected data to determine a recommendation for each candidate.

The recommendation indicates how well suited, based on the collected data, a candidate is to a particular virtual machine host system. Confidence refers to the reliability of the recommendation and it is a function of the duration of the analysis. Recommendations based on longer periods of analysis – and therefore more performance data – receive a higher level of confidence.

NOTE After 24 hours of analysis, vCenter Server indicates a high level of confidence in its recommendations. However, this can be misleading if a system’s workload varies significantly over weeks or months. To ensure a high level of confidence in a recommendation, allow the duration of the analysis phase to encompass an amount of time that includes representative peaks and troughs in the systems’ workload. Analysis can run up to one month.

Converting Physical Systems to Virtual Machines

You can convert systems using auto-generated recommendations, or you can manually specify conversion parameters.

About Disk Resizing

During the conversion process, physical disks are typically resized to conserve space on the datastore while providing room for growth on the resultant virtual disk.

The following formula is used to resize converted disks:

amount of space used on physical disk * 1.25 = resultant virtual disk size

Virtual disks are set to a size of 4GB or larger.

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Convert Systems Manually

You can convert systems manually if you want to specify values other than the default values for the resultant virtual machine's properties.

The option to convert systems manually is available only if the VMware Converter Enterprise Client is installed and enabled on your vSphere Client. You can verify whether VMware Converter Enterprise Client is installed and enabled through the Plug-in Manager.

Procedure

1 In the Analysis tab, right-click on a system and select Convert to Virtual Machine > Manually.

2 Complete the wizard to manually specify virtual machine properties.

Convert Systems Using Recommendations

Guided Consolidation recommendations are based on collected performance data and the capacity of available hosts.

Procedure

1 In the Analysis tab, select the systems you want to consolidate and click Plan Consolidation.

2 Select a system.

3 (Optional) Change the name displayed in the Physical Computer column by double-clicking it and

entering a new name.

Your entry will be used as the name for the resultant virtual machine.

4 (Optional) Change destinations, if alternative destinations are available, by clicking in the Destinations

column and selecting a destination from the drop-down menu.

The number of stars displayed in the Destination Rating column indicate the degree to which the host system can comfortably accommodate the estimated resource needs of the resultant virtual machine.

5 Click Consolidate.

A conversion task is instantiated.

What to do next

You can view task progress in the Recent Tasks pane. You view additional information about the task in the Tasks tab.

Viewing Consolidation Tasks

A task is created for each system being converted.

Recent tasks are displayed in the Recent Tasks pane. The Tasks tab lists all consolidation tasks. You can view detailed information about a task by selecting it. Information about events related to the selected task are displayed in the Task Details pane.

You can filter the list of tasks by entering criteria in the search field and selecting any combination of the following:

Name

Target

Status

Initiated by

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Start Time

Complete Time

Troubleshooting Consolidation

The topics in this section contain information about identifying and solving problems with Guided Consolidation.

Negative Impact on vCenter Server Performance

Analyzing many systems simultaneously can impact vCenter Server performance.

Problem

Although up to 100 systems can be simultaneously analyzed, you might notice performance issues on the vCenter Server that are due to running Guided Consolidation.

Cause

Analysis is resource intensive and can negatively impact vCenter Server performance.

Solution

Reduce the number of systems that are being analyzed. If necessary, you can either disable Guided Consolidation or uninstall the Guided Consolidation Service. If you disable Guided Consolidation, collected data is preserved and no further data is collected. If you uninstall the Guided Consolidation Service, the data that has been collected will no longer be usable.

Windows Systems Not Discovered

Guided Consolidation does not discover some Windows systems.

Problem

Windows systems that match all of the following conditions will not be discovered by Guided Consolidation and will not be listed as candidates for analysis:

The system is not listed in Microsoft Windows Network. The following commands do not list the system:

NET VIEW NET VIEW /DOMAIN:<the Workgroup or Domain the system belongs to>

The system is listed in Active Directory but does not have the operatingSystem attribute defined. This can happen if the system never synchronizes with the Active Directory to which it belongs or was improperly configured.

Solution

Enable the Computer Browser service on the machine where Guided Consolidation is installed and on the systems that are not discovered.

Ensure that the Log On As credentials for VMware vCenter Collector Provider Service met the prerequisites as mentioned in “Consolidation Prerequisites,” on page 88.

Manually enter the static IP address of the target system.

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Windows Operating Systems Prevent Guided Consolidation from Collecting Performance Data

Guided Consolidation cannot collect performance data.

Problem

The default settings for some configurations of Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008 prevent Guided Consolidation from collecting performance data against systems with those operating systems.

The system is not listed in Microsoft Windows Network. The following commands do not list the system:

NET VIEW NET VIEW /DOMAIN:<the Workgroup or Domain the system belongs to>

Solution

1 Set the Guided Consolidation target systems' Network access: Sharing and security model for local

accounts option to Classic - local users authenticate as themselves

2 Select Start > Run.

3 Run either gpedit.msc or secpol.msc

4 In the left pane, select one of the following depending on which command you ran in the previous step:

a (gpedit.msc)Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security

Settings > Local Policies > Security Options

b (secpol.msc) Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options > Double-click on Network

access: Sharing and security model for local accounts.

c Double-click on Network access: Sharing and security model for local accounts. Ensure that Classic

- local users authenticate as themselves is selected.

5 Ensure the changed settings are applied.

Restart VMware vCenter Collector Provider Service.

Run gpupdate /force.

Reboot the Guided Consolidation host system.

Available Domains List Remains Empty

Analyzing many systems simultaneously can impact vCenter Server performance.

Problem

The list of available domains remains empty for Guided Consolidation installed on Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista.

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Cause

Some configurations of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 prevent Guided Consolidation from discovering LAN Manager Workgroups. The Link-layer discovery protocol (LLDP), introduced in Windows 2008 Server, is not backward compatible with LAN Manager-based protocols and can not discover machines with earlier operating systems if those systems do not have the appropriate drivers installed. Additionally, Guided Consolidation does not use LLDP to perform discovery and will not find systems that can only be discovered through that protocol, or when the Computer Browser Windows Service is not running.

Solution

Ensure that the Computer Browser Windows Service is enabled on the Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 system where Guided Consolidation is installed and that it is also enabled on all systems to be discovered. Alternatively, manually enter the static IP address of the system to be analyzed.

Guided Consolidation Erroneously Reports Analysis Disabled

Under some conditions, temporary network errors can disable analysis on multiple systems.

Problem

Temporary network errors can sometimes cause Guided Consolidation to stop analysis on one or more systems, even when the systems are reachable.

Solution

Right-click on the affected systems and select Resume Analysis.

Disable Guided Consolidation

You can disable Guided Consolidation.

Procedure

1 On the Guided Consolidation host system, open the Services control panel.

2 Stop theVMware vCenter Management Webservices (applicable when Guided Consolidation and

vCenter Server are not collocated), the VMware Collector for vCenter, and the VMware Provider for vCenter services.

Uninstall Guided Consolidation

Uninstall Guided Consolidation to completely remove the feature. All collected data is also removed.

Procedure

1 Open the Add or Remove Programs control panel.

2 Remove vCenter Guided Consolidation for vCenter Server.

All vCenter Guided Consolidation services are removed.

CAUTION Do not uninstall the vCenter Collector Service alone. Doing so prevents Guided Consolidation from operating and will require that you perform a clean installation of Guided Consolidation, which will delete existing Guided Consolidation data.

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Deploying OVF Templates 9

The VMware vSphere Client (vSphere Client) allows you to import and export virtual machines, virtual appliances, and vApps stored in Open Virtual Machine Format (OVF). An appliance is a pre-configured virtual machine that typically includes a preinstalled guest operating system and other software.

Deploying an OVF template allows you to add pre-configured virtual machines to your vCenter Server or ESX/ESXi inventory. Deploying an OVF template is similar to deploying a virtual machine from a template. However, you can deploy an OVF template from any local file system accessible from the vSphere Client machine, or from a remote web server. The local file systems can include local disks (such as C:), removable media (such as CDs or USB keychain drives), and shared network drives.

Exporting OVF templates allows you to create virtual appliances that can be imported by other users. You can use the export function to distribute pre-installed software as a virtual appliance, or as a means of distributing template virtual machines to users, including users who cannot directly access and use the templates in your vCenter Server inventory.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“About OVF,” on page 99

“Deploy an OVF Template,” on page 99

“Browse VMware Virtual Appliance Marketplace,” on page 101

“Export an OVF Template,” on page 101

About OVF

OVF is a file format that allows for exchange of virtual appliances across products and platforms.

The OVF format offers the following advantages:

OVF files are compressed, allowing for faster downloads.

The vSphere Client validates an OVF file before importing it, and ensures that it is compatible with the intended destination server. If the appliance is incompatible with the selected host, it cannot be imported and an error message appears.

Deploy an OVF Template

You can deploy an OVF template from a local file system accessible to the vSphere Client machine, or from a web URL.

NOTE To import a virtual machine that was created by another VMware product and is not in OVF format, use the VMware vCenter Converter module. See the VMware Converter Enterprise for vCenter Server documentation for more information.

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Procedure

1 In the vSphere Client, select File > Deploy OVF Template.

The Deploy OVF Template wizard appears.

2 Specify the source location and click Next.

Option Description

Deploy from File

Browse your file system for an OVF or OVA template.

Deploy from URL

Specify a URL to an OVF template located on the internet. Example:

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

3 View the OVF Template Details page and click Next.

4 If license agreements are packaged with the OVF template, the End User License Agreement page appears.

Agree to accept the terms of the licenses and click Next.

5 (Optional) Edit the name and select the folder location within the inventory where the vApp will reside.

Click Next.

6 Select the deployment configuration from the drop-down menu and click Next.

The option selected typically controls the memory settings, number of CPUs and reservations, and application-level configuration parameters.

NOTE This page of the wizard is only shown if the OVF template contains deployment options.

7 Select the host or cluster on which you want to deploy the OVF template and click Next.

8 Select the host on which you want to run the deployed OVF template, and click Next.

This page is only shown if the destination is a resource pool associated with a cluster with DRS disabled or in manual mode.

9 Navigate to, and select the resource pool where you want to run the OVF template and click Next.

This page is only displayed if resource pools or clusters are configured on the host.

10 Select a datastore to store the OVF template file, and click Next.

Datastores are a unifying abstraction for storage locations such as Fibre Channel, iSCSI LUNs, or NAS volumes. On this page, you select from datastores already configured on the destination cluster or host. The virtual machine configuration file and virtual disk files are stored on the datastore. Select a datastore large enough to accommodate the virtual machine and all of its virtual disk files.

11 For each network specified in the OVF template, select a network by right-clicking the Destination

Network column in your infrastructure to set up the network mapping and click Next.

12 On the IP Allocation page, configure how IP addresses are allocated for the virtual appliance and click

Next.

Option Description

Fixed

You will be prompted to enter the IP addresses in the Appliance Properties page.

Transient

IP addresses are allocated from a specified range when the appliance is powered on. The IP addresses are released when the appliance is powered off.

DHCP

A DHCP server is used to allocate the IP addresses.

This page is not shown if the deployed OVF template does not contain information about the IP scheme it supports.

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