Administrator Guide VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat 6.3 Update 1 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.
Administrator Guide You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at: http://www.vmware.com/support/ The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates. If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to: docfeedback@vmware.com Copyright © 2010 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.
Contents About This Book 7 Getting Started 1 Introduction 11 Overview 11 vCenter Server Heartbeat Concepts 11 Architecture 11 Protection Levels 13 Communications 16 vCenter Server Heartbeat Switchover and Failover Processes 17 2 Configuring vCenter Server Heartbeat 21 Server Configuration Wizard 22 Configuring the Machine Identity 22 Configuring the Server Role 23 Configuring the Client Connection Port 23 Configuring Channel Routing 23 Configuring the Default Channel Port 24 Configuring Low Bandwidth Mo
Reference Guide Configuring Public Network Connection Checks 39 Setting Max Server Time Difference 40 5 Application Protection 41 Application Protection Overview 41 Applications Tab 41 Reset the Application Health Status 41 View Application Status 42 Editing Individual Applications 42 Remove an Application 42 Manually Start and Stop Applications 42 Configuring Applications 42 Application Maintenance Mode 42 Reviewing the State of an Application 43 Reviewing the Applications Log 43 Filtering Application Lo
Contents Rules 55 Checking a Rule Condition 55 Edit a Rule 55 Rules Installed by vCenter Server Heartbeat Plug‐Ins 55 8 Data Protection 57 Data Protection Overview 58 Replication 58 Registry and File Synchronization Status 58 Initiate a Full Registry Check 58 Initiate a Full System Check 58 Initiate File Synchronization Manually 59 Initiate Verify and Synchronize Manually 59 File Filters 59 Determine Effective Filters 59 Add a User‐Defined Inclusion Filter 60 Add a User‐Defined Exclusion Filter 60 Edit Us
Reference Guide Subnet or Routing Issues 74 LAN Deployment 74 WAN Deployment 74 MaxDiskUsage Errors 74 Send Queue 75 Receive Queue 75 MaxDiskUsage Error Messages 75 [L9]Exceeded the Maximum Disk Usage (VCChannelExceededMaxDiskUsageException) [L9]Exceeded the Maximum Disk Usage on the ACTIVE Server 76 [L9]Exceeded the Maximum Disk Usage on the PASSIVE Server 76 [L20]Out of Disk Space (VCChannelOutOfDiskSpaceException) 77 Application Slowdown 78 Poor Application Performance 78 Both Servers Can Accommodate th
About This Book The Administrator Guide provides information configuring VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat network protection, application protection, data protection, Split‐brain Avoidance, and more. To help you protect your VMware vCenter Server, the book provides an overview of protection offered by vCenter Server Heartbeat and the actions that vCenter Server Heartbeat can take in the event of a network, hardware, or application failure.
Administrator Guide Chapter 7 — Performance Protection describes how vCenter Server Heartbeat monitors system and application attributes to prevent an unexpected system or application failure. Chapter 8 — Data Protection discusses how vCenter Server Heartbeat intercepts all data written by users and protected applications and maintains a copy of this data for use in case of failure.
Getting Started VMware, Inc.
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1 Introduction 1 This chapter includes the following topics: “vCenter Server Heartbeat Concepts” on page 11 “vCenter Server Heartbeat Switchover and Failover Processes” on page 17 Overview vCenter Server Heartbeat is a Windows based service specifically designed to provide high availability protection for vCenter Server configurations without requiring any specialized hardware.
Installation Guide filter on the currently active server is enabled preventing communications on the Public network while the packet filter on the currently passive server is disabled thereby allowing the two servers to switch roles. From this point on, the previously passive server is now active and servicing the clients. The previously active server is now passive and hidden from the Public network.
Chapter 1 Introduction addresses for the Primary and Secondary servers separate from the shared Public (Principal) IP address. Clients connect to vCenter Server using a unique virtual service name configured in vCenter Server Heartbeat that resolves to the Public (Principal) IP address. When started, vCenter Server Heartbeat provides the passive server its unique Management IP address and provides the active server with the shared Principal (Public) IP address.
Installation Guide Figure 1-1. Failover A failover is similar to a switchover but is used in more urgent situations, such as when the passive server detects that the active server is no longer responding. This can occur when the active server hardware fails, loses its network connections, or otherwise becomes unavailable. Rather than the active server gracefully closing, the passive server determines that the active server has failed and requires no further operations.
Chapter 1 Introduction Figure 1-2. Switchover A switchover gracefully closes any protected applications that are running on the active server and restarts them on the passive server, including the application or service that caused the failure. In the example where the Primary server is active and the Secondary server is passive, the Primary server is demoted to a passive role and is hidden from the network when the Secondary server is promoted to an active role and is made visible to the network.
Installation Guide Figure 1-3. Apply Process The apply process running on the passive server’s receive queue applies all updates in strict sequence, duplicating an identical set of file operations on the passive server as illustrated in Figure 1‐3. Communications The VMware Channel is a crucial component of the setup and can be configured in a number of ways. Both the Primary and Secondary servers must have two or more network interface connections (NICs). The Principal (Public) network requires one NIC.
Chapter 1 Introduction When deployed with identical nodes, the Principal (Public) NICs on the passive server are configured to use the same IP address as that of the active server but are prevented from communicating with the live network through an IP packet filtering system installed with vCenter Server Heartbeat. This packet filter prevents traffic using the Principal (Public) address from being committed to the wire.
Installation Guide 3 Re‐designate the Secondary server as the new active server. After this step, vCenter Server Heartbeat: Hides the previously active server from the network. Makes the newly active server visible on the network. The newly active server has the same identity as the previously active server, and begins to intercept and queue disk I/O operations for the newly passive server.
Chapter 1 Introduction This enables the public identity of the server. The active and passive servers both use the same system name and same Principal (Public) IP address. This Principal (Public) IP address can be enabled only on one system at anytime. When the public identity is enabled, any clients previously connected to the server before the automatic failover are able to reconnect. 3 Start intercepting updates to protected data.
Installation Guide To restore the previously failed server to the active role 1 Correct the conditions that caused the failover. 2 Verify the integrity of the disk data on the failed server. 3 Restart the failed, now passive, server after all issues are resolved. 4 Start vCenter Server Heartbeat on the passive server. At this point, the instances of vCenter Server Heartbeat running on the servers connect and begin to re‐synchronize the data on the Primary server.
2 Configuring vCenter Server Heartbeat 2 This chapter includes the following topics: “Server Configuration Wizard” on page 22 “Configuring the Machine Identity” on page 22 “Configuring the Server Role” on page 23 “Configuring the Client Connection Port” on page 23 “Configuring Channel Routing” on page 23 “Configuring the Default Channel Port” on page 24 “Configuring Low Bandwidth Module” on page 24 “Configuring Public IP Addressing” on page 24 “Managing vCenter Server H
Reference Guide Server Configuration Wizard The VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat – Server Configuration Wizard (Configure Server wizard) sets up and maintains communications between the vCenter Server Heartbeat servers. Configuration information includes the IP address for the VMware Channel(s) and Principal (Public) addresses on both servers. After the system is set up and is functioning correctly, you do not need to reconfigure the system.
Chapter 2 Configuring vCenter Server Heartbeat To change the machine identity 1 Click the Machine tab and select a Physical Hardware Identity for the local machine. 2 Click Next or Finish. Configuring the Server Role To change the server role, click the Machine tab, select the Current Role of the local machine, and click Next or Finish. NOTE Before changing the role of the local server, verify that the other (remote) server in the pair is not already performing the same role.
Reference Guide 3 Type the remote server IP address. 4 To change the VMware Channel IP addresses, select and edit the entry in the table. 5 Click Next or Finish. Configuring the Default Channel Port VMware Channel uses the Default Channel Port to communicate between the Primary and Secondary server. Do not change this port unless another application is using it. To change the Default Channel Port, click the Channel tab, edit the default entry (57348), and click Next or Finish.
Chapter 2 Configuring vCenter Server Heartbeat Configuring for Identical Nodes If the Identical option was selected during installation, you must configure the server cluster to operate with identical nodes. To configure the Principal (Public) IP address for Identical Nodes 1 Click the Public tab and list all the addresses used as Principal (Public) IP addresses. An address must not appear more than once.
Reference Guide 7 Enter the reserved Management IP address Subnet Mask in the second Mask field. 8 Click Next or Finish. 9 Click Finish. Managing vCenter Server Heartbeat License Keys To manage vCenter Server Heartbeat license keys, select the License tab of the Configure Server wizard. To add an entry to the License Keys table 26 1 Click the Add Row icon and enter your VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat serial number. 2 Manually type or paste (using Ctrl‐V) your license key into the table.
Chapter 2 Configuring vCenter Server Heartbeat Configuring Message Queue Logs The server temporarily stores replication data received in the passive server’s receive queue and the replication data waiting in the active server’s send queue in message queue logs. This configuration only affects the local server. Logs can be in different locations on the Primary and Secondary servers. To configure the location of the message queue logs 1 Click the Logs tab.
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System Administration and Management VMware, Inc.
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3 Server Protection 3 This chapter includes the following topics: “Server Protection Overview” on page 31 “Checking the Server Pair Status” on page 31 “Monitoring the Status of Servers” on page 33 “Configuring Heartbeat Settings” on page 33 “Common Administrative Tasks in vCenter Server Heartbeat” on page 34 “Configuring Split‐Brain Avoidance” on page 36 Server Protection Overview Protection against operating system or hardware failure affecting the active server is facilitated by
Reference Guide Table 3-1. System Status Status Icon Heartbeat service shutdown Description The Heartbeat service is shut down Initializing Replicating (Normal status.) File and registry changes on the active server are intercepted and replicated to the passive server. The protected applications are monitored. Not replicating File and registry replication is in the process of stopping and all protected applications may be closing down.
Chapter 3 Server Protection Table 3-3. Registry Synchronization Status Status Icon Description Checking The registry is currently in the process of synchronization. Synchronized Fully synchronized Error Not synchronized Uninitialized When the vCenter Server Heartbeat pair establishes a connection, it triggers a file synchronization and verification process to ensure all protected files on both server are identical.
Reference Guide To configure failover 1 Click Configure Failover to open the Server Monitoring: Failover Configuration dialog. 2 Type a new numeric value (seconds) in the Failover timeout text box or use the arrow buttons to set a new value. 3 Mark or clear the check boxes to select the actions to take if the specified Failover timeout is exceeded. 4 Click OK.
Chapter 3 Server Protection This is particularly useful when maintenance work performed on the Primary server requires rebooting the server. Since a managed switchover cannot be performed during synchronization, it is important to review the queue information prior to attempting a managed switchover. If the queues are large, file operations on the active server are high and for this reason it may be prudent to delay a managed switchover due to the length of time required to completely clear the queue.
Reference Guide 7 After restart, check that the Taskbar icon now reflects the changes by showing P / – (Primary and passive). 8 On the Secondary active server or from a remote client, launch vCenter Server Heartbeat Console and confirm that the Secondary server is reporting as active. If the Secondary server is not displaying as active, perform the following steps: 1 If the vCenter Server Heartbeat Console is unable to connect remotely, try running it locally.
Chapter 3 Server Protection 6 Click OK on all three dialogs to accept the configuration changes to the network connection. 7 After completing all of the steps click Next or Finish. The active server must respond within the time period value specified in the Failover timeout to prevent a failover from occurring. If the active server responds in a timely manner, the failover process ceases. If the active server does not respond, the failover proceeds. VMware, Inc.
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4 Network Protection 4 This chapter includes the following topics: “Communication Status” on page 39 “Reviewing the VMware Channel Status” on page 39 “Configuring Public Network Connection Checks” on page 39 “Setting Max Server Time Difference” on page 40 Communication Status Use the Data: Traffic/Queues page to check the status of the VMware Channel, the active server’s send, and passive server’s receive queues.
Reference Guide Each target is allowed 5 seconds (default) to respond. On slower networks where latency and network collisions are high, increase this interval by changing the Ping echo timeout value. The failure of all three targets to respond is allowed up to the Auto‐switchover if client network is lost for threshold value. If the failure count of all three targets exceeds this value, vCenter Server Heartbeat initiates an auto‐switchover.
5 Application Protection 5 This chapter includes the following topics: “Application Protection Overview” on page 41 “Applications Tab” on page 41 “Services Tab” on page 43 “Applications: Tasks” on page 45 “Applications: Plugins” on page 46 Application Protection Overview vCenter Server Heartbeat incorporates an Application Management Framework (AMFx) to manage vCenter Server Heartbeat plug‐ins.
Reference Guide After acknowledging the problem and solving it, click Clear to reset the Application Health status. The status updates to provide the actual current Application Health status. View Application Status After an application starts and is running, you can view its status in the Applications pane of the Applications: Summary page.
Chapter 5 Application Protection 3 Select Unprotect services and stop monitoring all applications (for manual application maintenance). 4 Perform the required maintenance. 5 When maintenance is complete, from the Applications page of vCenter Server Heartbeat Console, select the Summary tab. 6 Click Configure. 7 Select Protect services and monitor all applications (recommended).
Reference Guide NOTE Setting the target state for both the active and passive server to Running can cause the service to place a lock on some files preventing synchronization from completing. 3 If vCenter Server Heartbeat is to manage the start and stop of the service, select Manage Starting and Stopping. If vCenter Server Heartbeat is to monitor the state of the service, select Monitor State. vCenter Server Heartbeat also assigns three sequential tasks to perform in the event of failure.
Chapter 5 Application Protection Applications: Tasks Tasks are a generalization and extension of start, stop, and monitor scripts. Task types are determined by when the tasks run, and include the following: Network Configuration – This is the first type of task that runs when applications start and is intended to launch dnscmd or DNSUpdate. The task can launch a batch script containing multiple dnscmd commands.
Reference Guide Change the Order of Tasks To change the order of tasks, use the Up and Down arrows (near the top of the pane) or on the right‐click menu to change the order in which the tasks appear in the tasks list. Starting a Task Manually vCenter Server Heartbeat provides options to launch a task immediately, or to launch a task after a designated time period elapses, or following the occurrence of a specified event. To launch the task immediately 1 Select the task from the task list.
Chapter 5 Application Protection Editing a Plug-in vCenter Server Heartbeat allows you to edit the configuration of user installed plug‐ins. To edit the plug-in configuration 1 Right‐click on an existing plug‐in from the Plugins list and select Edit from the menu or select the plug‐in and click Edit at the top of the pane to invoke the Edit Plugin dialog. 2 Review the configuration options before making modifications as they are specific to each plug‐in. 3 Click OK.
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6 Status and Control 6 This chapter includes the following topics: “vCenter Server Heartbeat Console” on page 49 “About vCenter Server Heartbeat Console” on page 49 “Navigate vCenter Server Heartbeat Console” on page 50 “Change the Font for vCenter Server Heartbeat Console” on page 50 “Work with Groups and Pairs” on page 50 “Add or Remove a vCenter Server Group” on page 50 “Add, Edit, Move, and Remove Pairs in VCenter Server Heartbeat Groups” on page 51 vCenter Server Heartbea
Reference Guide Navigate vCenter Server Heartbeat Console After vCenter Server Heartbeat Console is running, use the navigation panel on the left of the vCenter Server Heartbeat Console window to view and select Groups and Pair connections you can manage with vCenter Server Heartbeat Console. NOTE A Group is an arbitrary collection of vCenter Server Heartbeat Pairs used for organization.
Chapter 6 Status and Control Remove a vCenter Server Heartbeat Group The Remove Group feature in vCenter Server Heartbeat allows you to remove existing vCenter Server Heartbeat Groups from management. To remove a vCenter Server Heartbeat Group 1 Select the Group to be removed in the navigation panel of vCenter Server Heartbeat Console. Click Remove Group in the tool bar or select Remove Group from the File menu. 2 A confirmation message appears. Click Yes.
Reference Guide To edit a connection 1 In the navigation panel, select the connection you want to change and select Edit Connection from the File menu, or right‐click an existing connection in the navigation panel and select Edit Connection from the menu to display the Edit Connection dialog. NOTE When a configured connection is not found, an error message may be displayed. Click Edit Connection to reconfigure the connection.
Chapter 6 Status and Control The Network status to view the Network Monitoring page The File System or Registry status to view the Data: Replication page Exit vCenter Server Heartbeat Console Click Exit on the File menu. The Confirm Exit message appears. Click Yes. Shut Down Windows Without Stopping vCenter Server Heartbeat Always stop vCenter Server Heartbeat before attempting to shut down Microsoft Windows.
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7 Performance Protection 7 This chapter provides detailed information about the topic “Applications: Rules” on page 55. Applications: Rules Rules are implemented by plug‐ins (there are no user‐defined rules). Configure rule actions to trigger the rule that performs specific tasks. Rules have two trigger properties: Timed – They must evaluate as true continuously for the specified duration to trigger. Latched – They trigger as soon as they evaluate to true.
Reference Guide vCenter SQL Server Plug-In Default Instance Buffer Cache Hit Ratio Default Free Pages Default Instance Free Pages Named Instance Working Set Named Instance Buffer Cache Hit Ratio Named Instance Free Pages Named Instance Total Server Memory vCenter Server Heartbeat System Plug-In 56 DiskAvgSecsPerRead DiskAvgSecsPerWrite DiskIO DiskQueueLength DiskReadsPerSec DiskWritesPerSec DiskWriteable FreeDiskSpace FreeDiskSpaceOnDrive
8 Data Protection 8 This chapter includes the following topics: “Data Protection Overview” on page 58 “Replication” on page 58 “Registry and File Synchronization Status” on page 58 “Initiate a Full Registry Check” on page 58 “Initiate a Full System Check” on page 58 “Initiate File Synchronization Manually” on page 59 “Initiate Verify and Synchronize Manually” on page 59 “File Filters” on page 59 “Determine Effective Filters” on page 59 “Add a User‐Defined Inclusion
Reference Guide Data Protection Overview vCenter Server Heartbeat can protect many permutations or combinations of file structures on the active server by the use of custom inclusion and exclusion filters configured by the administrator. See “File Filters” on page 59 for more information. The filter driver identifies files to protect and disk I/O operations to intercept and replicate to the passive server. Use this driver to filter files for inclusion in or exclusion from the replication process.
Chapter 8 Data Protection Switchover cannot occur until the full system check completes and the File System Status is Synchronized. The File System Status is Unchecked when you cancel the task. Depending on the amount of data, resynchronization can take substantial time to complete. Initiate File Synchronization Manually The Data: Replication File Hierarchy pane displays files that were detected as out of synchronization.
Reference Guide Add a User-Defined Inclusion Filter Inclusion Filters create a subset of files to specify items to include for protection. To define filters that include files and folders for protection and replication 1 In the Data: File Filters pane, click Add Inclusion Filter to open the Add Inclusion Filter dialog. 2 Type the complete path and pattern, specify a pattern containing wildcards, or use Browse to locate the file or folder. 3 Click OK.
9 Other Administrative Tasks 9 This chapter includes the following topics: “Configure Alerts” on page 61 “Configure Alert Reporting” on page 61 “Test Alert Reporting” on page 62 “Configure Event Log Files” on page 62 “Review Event Logs” on page 63 Configure Alerts vCenter Server Heartbeat can send predefined alerts to remote administrators by email using Logs > Configure Alerts.
Reference Guide Red, Yellow, or Green alert triggers email to the same or different recipients. The process to add recipients is the same for all trigger levels. 1 Click the On Red Alert, On Yellow Alert, or On Green Alert tab and select Send mail. 2 Select the frequency for the email to be sent. 3 Click Add and type a fully qualified email address for each recipient for the respective trigger level alert.
Chapter 9 Other Administrative Tasks To configure email log notifications 1 To configure vCenter Server Heartbeat to email a copy of the log file, click on the Mail Log File tab, select Mail Every, and configure the day and time to send the log file. 2 Specify the recipients. Click Add on the top left of the email recipient field and type the email address in the Add Mail Address dialog. 3 To remove a recipient, select the recipient’s email address in the Mail Log File pane and click Remove.
Reference Guide . Table 9-3. Event Log Buttons Icon Purpose To export the list to a comma‐separated variable file, click Export event log at the top left of the Log Details data grid. You can configure the filename and path to export the data in the Configuration tab. To immediately email the list, click E‐mail. To clear the list, click Remove all Entries at the top left of the Log Details data grid. 64 VMware, Inc.
10 Troubleshooting 10 This chapter includes the following topics: “Troubleshooting Unexpected Behaviors” on page 65 “Two Active Servers” on page 65 “Two Passive Servers” on page 67 “Synchronization Failures” on page 68 “Registry Status is Out of Sync” on page 70 “Channel Drops” on page 70 “Subnet or Routing Issues ” on page 74 “MaxDiskUsage Errors” on page 74 “MaxDiskUsage Error Messages” on page 75 Troubleshooting Unexpected Behaviors The following unexpected behavior
Reference Guide Causes The most common causes of two active servers (Split‐brain syndrome) are as follows: Loss of the VMware Channel connection (most common in a WAN environment) The active server is too busy to respond to heartbeats Incorrect configuration of the vCenter Server Heartbeat software You must determine the cause of the Split‐brain syndrome and resolve the issue to prevent this condition from recurring.
Chapter 10 Troubleshooting Two Passive Servers Primary and Secondary servers are both passive at the same time. This situation is serious and must be resolved immediately. Symptom You are unable to connect to protected applications, and if you configured alerts, you receive notification that replication is not functioning properly. Causes The condition of two passive servers results from a sudden failure on the active server.
Reference Guide Synchronization Failures When you start vCenter Server Heartbeat, a full system check occurs to verify the following: All protected registry keys and values from the active server are present on the passive server. All protected file and folder structures from the active server are present on the passive server. After the full system check completes, the File System Status and the Registry Status display as Synchronized.
Chapter 10 Troubleshooting Causes The most common VMware Channel configuration errors are as follows: VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat Packet Filter is enabled on one or more VMware Channel NICs VMware Channel IP addresses are configured in different subnets In a WAN implementation, no static routes exist between the VMware Channel NICs Resolution The VMware Channel configuration should be reviewed to verify proper configuration.
Reference Guide Cause The passive server has less available disk space than the active server, preventing updates from being replicated to the passive server. The quantity of updates from the active server exceeds the passive serverʹs available disk space. Resolution Free up some additional disk space on the passive server. Do not delete data from the protected set to prevent data loss in the event of a switchover. You could update the disk subsystem on the passive server.
Chapter 10 Troubleshooting Symptom The message java.io.IOException: An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host appears in the active serverʹs NFLog.txt file, and the VMware Channel connection between the servers is lost. Causes This unusual condition points to an application or Windows experiencing a fault on the passive server.
Reference Guide Improper configuration of the NICs used for the VMware Channel connection ISP problems in a WAN environment Resolution When a NIC problem is encountered, the following should be checked. Verify that VMware Channel NIC drivers are the correct and latest versions. Known issues are identified with HP/Compaq ProLiant NC67xx/NC77xx Gigabit Ethernet NICs. Check other NIC types.
Chapter 10 Troubleshooting During installation, vCenter Server Heartbeat configures the VMware Channel NICs with user‐provided information. Incorrect information or incorrectly modifying the VMware Channel NIC configuration after installation causes the VMware Channel to fail communicating.
Reference Guide Subnet or Routing Issues In a LAN or WAN deployment, the following connection problems can occur. LAN Deployment Incorrectly configured subnets or routing can cause channel problems resulting in poor performance or failure to connect. Symptom The Channel disconnects or fails to connect in a LAN deployment. Causes The Channel disconnects or fails to connect due to the Principal (Public) NIC and/or one or more channels sharing the same subnet.
Chapter 10 Troubleshooting Send Queue vCenter Server Heartbeat considers the active server’s send queue as unsafe because the data in this queue has not yet been replicated across the VMware Channel to the passive server and therefore could be lost in the event of a failover. As a result of failover, some data loss is inevitable, with the exact amount depending on the relationship between available VMware Channel bandwidth and the required data transmission rate.
Reference Guide Causes On the active server, the size of the active server queue has exceeded the disk quota allocated for it. On the passive server, the size of the passive server queue has exceeded the disk quota allocated for it. Resolution While neither condition is critical, determine the sequence of events that led to the condition.
Chapter 10 Troubleshooting Resolution To resolve this issue: If you have multiple physical disks on each server, locate the vCenter Server Heartbeat send and receive queues on a separate physical disk, away from the Windows directory, the Windows page file, and any protected files help to alleviate disk performance issues: a Shut down vCenter Server Heartbeat. b Open the Server Configuration wizard and click the Logs tab. c Set the path for Message Queue Logs Location and click Finish.
Reference Guide Application Slowdown Operations performed by the application can take longer to complete, and in turn, can affect the time required to log in to a remote client, or to open or save a file. This is true for both servers running vCenter Server Heartbeat and for servers running any other application.
Chapter 10 Troubleshooting Symptom Applications operate normally when the Primary server is active but operate slowly when the Secondary server is active (or the reverse). Cause A large discrepancy occurs in the processing power between the Primary and Secondary servers. One server can handle the operational load while the other cannot. The load on a server is greater while in the active role when the protected application starts.
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Glossary A Active The functional state or role of a server visible through the network by clients running protected applications and servicing client requests. Alert A notification sent to a user or entered into the system log indicating an exceeded threshold. Active Directory (AD) Presents applications with a single, simplified set of interfaces so users can locate and use directory resources from a variety of networks while bypassing differences among proprietary services.
Reference Guide Channel NIC (Network Interface Card) A dedicated subnet used by the VMware Channel. Cloned Servers Two servers in a pair with the same configuration settings, names, applications, Security Identifiers (SIDs) and IP addresses, following the installation of vCenter Server Heartbeat. Cloning Process The vCenter Server Heartbeat process whereby all installed applications, configuration settings, the machine name, security identifier (SID), and IP address are copied to a second server.
Glossary H Hardware Agnostic A key vCenter Server Heartbeat feature enabling the use of servers from different manufacturers, models, and processing power in a single vCenter Server Heartbeat server pair. Heartbeat The packet of information issued by the passive server across the VMware Channel, which the active server responds to, indicating its presence.
Reference Guide Pathping A route‐tracing tool that sends packets to each router on the way to a final destination and displays the results of each hop. Plug and Play (PnP) A standard for peripheral expansion on a PC. When starting the computer, Plug and Play (PnP) configures the necessary IRQ, DMA and I/O address settings for the attached peripheral devices. Plug‐in An optional module that can be installed into a vCenter Server Heartbeat server to provide additional protection for a specific application.
Glossary Shared Nothing A key vCenter Server Heartbeat feature whereby hardware is not shared between the Primary and Secondary servers, thus preventing a single point of failure. SMTP A TCP/IP protocol used in sending and receiving e‐mail between or among servers.
Reference Guide Unprotected Application An application that is not monitored or its data replicated by vCenter Server Heartbeat. V VMware Channel The IP communications link used by vCenter Server Heartbeat for heartbeat and replication traffic. VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat The core replication and system monitoring component. VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat Packet Filter The network component installed on both servers that controls network visibility.
