Administrator Guide VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat 6.4 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 © 2009-2012 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws.
Contents About This Book 7 Getting Started 1 Introduction 11 vCenter Server Heartbeat Concepts 11 Architecture Overview 11 vCenter Server Heartbeat Protection Levels 12 vCenter Server Heartbeat Communications 15 vCenter Server Heartbeat Switchover and Failover Processes 16 2 Configuring vCenter Server Heartbeat 19 Server Configuration Wizard 19 Configuring the Machine 20 Configuring the Channel 20 Configuring Public IP Addressing 22 Configuring Principal (Public) IP Addressing 22 Managing vCenter Server
Reference Guide Applications: Applications Tab 39 Reset the Application Health Status 39 View Application Status 40 Setting the Application Timeout Exception 40 Remove an Application 40 Manually Start and Stop Applications 40 Configuring Applications 41 Application Maintenance Mode 41 Reviewing the State of an Application 41 Reviewing the Applications Log 41 Filtering Application Log Entries 41 Applications: Services Tab 42 Adding a Service 42 Editing a Service 42 Checking the Status of Services 42 Unprote
Contents Checking a Rule Condition 57 Edit a Rule 57 Rules Installed by vCenter Server Heartbeat Plug-Ins 57 8 Data Protection 59 Data Protection Overview 59 Replication 60 Registry and File Synchronization Status 60 Initiate a Full Registry Check 60 Initiate a Full System Check 60 Configure Fast Check 60 Initiate File Synchronization Manually 61 Initiate Verify and Synchronize Manually 61 Orphaned Files Check 62 File Filters 63 Determine Effective Filters 64 Add a User-Defined Exclusion Filter 64 Edit Us
Reference Guide Subnet or Routing Issues 80 LAN Deployment 80 WAN Deployment 80 MaxDiskUsage Errors 80 Send Queue 81 Receive Queue 81 MaxDiskUsage Error Messages 81 [L9]Exceeded the Maximum Disk Usage (VCChannelExceededMaxDiskUsageException) [L9]Exceeded the Maximum Disk Usage on the ACTIVE Server 82 [L9]Exceeded the Maximum Disk Usage on the PASSIVE Server 82 [L20]Out of Disk Space (VCChannelOutOfDiskSpaceException) 83 Application Slowdown 84 Poor Application Performance 84 Both Servers Can Accommodate th
About This Book The Administrator Guide provides information about configuring VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat network protection, application protection, data protection, Split-brain Avoidance, and more. To help you protect your VMware vCenter Server, this book provides an overview of the 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.
Reference Guide 10 VMware, Inc.
1 Introduction 1 This chapter includes the following topics: “vCenter Server Heartbeat Concepts” on page 11 “vCenter Server Heartbeat Protection Levels” on page 12 “vCenter Server Heartbeat Communications” on page 15 “vCenter Server Heartbeat Switchover and Failover Processes” on page 16 vCenter Server Heartbeat Concepts vCenter Server Heartbeat is a Windows based service specifically designed to provide high availability protection for vCenter Server configurations without requiring any
Installation Guide Managing the Primary and Secondary Servers To allow management of vCenter Server Heartbeat server pairs using standard network, domain policy, and domain management procedures, vCenter Server Heartbeat is deployed so that Primary and Secondary servers use unique domain names. Each domain name must differ from the fully qualified domain name used by the original vCenter or SQL Servers.
Chapter 1 Introduction Two instances of vCenter Server Heartbeat regularly send “I’m alive” messages and message acknowledgments to one another over a dedicated network connection referred to as the VMware Channel to detect interruptions in responsiveness. If the passive server detects that this monitoring process (referred to as the heartbeat) has failed, it initiates a failover as illustrated in Figure 1-1. Figure 1-1.
Installation Guide Figure 1-2. Switchover A switchover gracefully closes vCenter Server running on the active server and restarts it on the passive server, including the component or service that caused the failure. For example, if 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.
Chapter 1 Introduction If the channel is connected, the active server’s send queue is transferred to the passive server, which places all the requests in the passive server’s receive queue. The passive server confirms the changes were logged by sending the active server an acknowledgement. The active server clears the data from its queue. Figure 1-3.
Installation Guide NOTE Obtain the IP address: type ipconfig at the prompt in a DOS shell. For additional information about the IP configuration, add the switch /All to the ipconfig command. When deployed in a LAN, the Principal (Public) NIC on the passive server is configured to use its unique permanently assigned management IP address.
Chapter 1 Introduction Reassigns the Principal (Public) IP address to the Secondary server and assigns the Primary its unique management IP address. Makes the newly active server visible on the network. The newly active server begins to intercept and queue disk I/O operations for the newly passive server. 4 vCenter Server Heartbeat causes the newly passive server to begin accepting updates from the active server.
Installation Guide 3 Start intercepting updates to protected data. Any updates to the protected data are saved in the send queue on the local server. 4 Start all protected applications. The applications use the replicated application data to recover, and then accept re-connections from any clients. Any updates that the applications make to the protected data are intercepted and logged.
2 Configuring vCenter Server Heartbeat 2 This chapter includes the following topics: “Server Configuration Wizard” on page 19 “Configuring the Machine” on page 20 “Configuring the Channel” on page 20 “Configuring Public IP Addressing” on page 22 “Managing vCenter Server Heartbeat License Keys” on page 23 “Configuring the Logs” on page 23 Server Configuration Wizard The VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat – Server Configuration Wizard (Configure Server wizard) sets up and maintains com
Reference Guide Configuring the Machine The Machine tab is used to set the server Physical Hardware Identity, Active Server, and Client Connection Port. The Machine Identity The machine identity is either Primary or Secondary and once assigned does not normally change during the life of the server. CAUTION The machine Identity should only be changed when directed to do so by VMware Support or when instructed to by a knowledge base article.
Chapter 2 Configuring vCenter Server Heartbeat Configuring Channel Routing Channel IP routing defines the IP addresses used to communicate between the Primary and Secondary servers. Each link has a pair of addresses, one for the Primary, and one for the Secondary. To add an additional VMware Channel after installing the NICs and configuring them 1 Click the Channel tab. Click Add Row to add the new IP addresses for both the Primary and Secondary server to the VMware Channel IP Routing table.
Reference Guide Configuring Public IP Addressing vCenter Server Heartbeat servers are configured with one or more Principal (Public) IP addresses. These are the addresses used by clients to connect to the protected application. Typically, there is one shared Principal (Public) IP address. You must configure all of the Principal (Public) IP addresses on the server to be active initially.
Chapter 2 Configuring vCenter Server Heartbeat 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 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. 3 Click Next or Finish.
Reference Guide 3 Select the folder and click Next or Finish. Configuring the Maximum Disk Usage You can configure the maximum disk space allocated for logging. Log files increase in size on the active server under the following conditions: If the active server cannot communicate with the passive server Certain operations on the passive server If the server is under heavy load When the disk reaches quota, replication stops and the system is no longer protected.
System Administration and Management VMware, Inc.
Reference Guide 26 VMware, Inc.
3 Server Protection 3 This chapter includes the following topics: “Server Protection Overview” on page 27 “Checking the Server Pair Status” on page 27 “Monitoring the Status of Servers” on page 29 “Configuring Heartbeat Settings” on page 29 “Configure Pings” on page 29 “Configure Failover” on page 29 “Configuring Response Times” on page 30 “Configuring Split-Brain Avoidance” on page 30 “Forcing a Switchover” on page 31 “Recovering From a Failover” on page 32 “Ap
Reference Guide The following table lists the possible system statuses and their meanings. 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.
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 Common Administrative Tasks in vCenter Server Heartbeat The Server: Summary page provides the following buttons that allow you to quickly perform common administrative tasks: Make Active — Prompts to verify that you want to make the passive server in the pair active. Click Yes. Shutdown — Prompts you to select the server(s) to shut down. If you select the active server, additional options to stop or not stop protected applications appear in the dialog. Click OK.
Reference Guide Recovering From a Failover A failover differs from a switchover. A switchover is a controlled switch (initiated manually from the vCenter Server Heartbeat Console, or initiated by vCenter Server Heartbeat when preconfigured) between the active and passive servers. A failover happens when any of the following fail on the active server: power, hardware, or VMware Channel communications.
Chapter 3 Server Protection 4 Start vCenter Server Heartbeat on the Secondary active server. NOTE At this point, the data on the Secondary (active) server should be the most up to date and this server should also be the live server on your network. When vCenter Server Heartbeat starts, it overwrites all the protected data (configured in the File Filter list) on the Primary passive server.
Reference Guide 8 iv On the Primary server, launch the vCenter Server Heartbeat Configure Server wizard and click the Machine tab. In the Active server section select Primary. v Restart vCenter Server Heartbeat on the Primary Server and allow the system to synchronize. vi Start the vCenter Server Heartbeat Console and verify that the system completes the Full System Check.
Chapter 3 Server Protection 7 VMware, Inc. Investigate the cause of the vCenter Server failure on the Secondary server.
Reference Guide 36 VMware, Inc.
4 Network Protection 4 This chapter includes the following topics: “Communication Status” on page 37 “Reviewing the VMware Channel Status” on page 37 “Configuring Public Network Connection Checks” on page 37 “Setting Max Server Time Difference” on page 38 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 39 “Applications: Applications Tab” on page 39 “Applications: Services Tab” on page 42 “Applications: Tasks Tab” on page 44 “Applications: Plug-ins Tab” on page 45 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 Configuring Applications Use the Applications page to configure protected applications, enable and disable protection and monitoring. You can maintain applications without stopping vCenter Server Heartbeat or taking the full server offline. During installation, vCenter Server Heartbeat sets default settings for application configurations but accepts modifications to the configurations settings. To configure applications 1 Click Configure on the Applications page.
Reference Guide 3 To limit the date and time range, select Only show events from and edit the date or time range. 4 Click OK. Applications: Services Tab The Applications: Services page displays both services that you or plug-ins specify and the services related to them by dependency (either as dependents or depends-on). The target states of protected services for the Primary and Secondary server can be specified and are typically Running on the active and Stopped on the passive.
Chapter 5 Application Protection Change the Order of Services The order of services can be modified using Up and Down arrows. The exact order in which services start and stop is influenced by a number of key factors: The order of applications specified by plug-ins determines which services are started first. Services can have dependencies, and these must be respected.
Reference Guide Applications: Tasks Tab 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.
Chapter 5 Application Protection 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.
Reference Guide 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.
6 Status and Control 6 This chapter includes the following topics: “vCenter Server Heartbeat Console” on page 47 “About vCenter Server Heartbeat Console” on page 47 “Navigate vCenter Server Heartbeat Console” on page 48 “Change the Font for vCenter Server Heartbeat Console” on page 48 “Work with Groups and Pairs” on page 48 “Add or Remove a vCenter Server Group” on page 48 “Add, Edit, Move, and Remove Pairs in VCenter Server Heartbeat Groups” on page 49 “Controlled Shutdown
Reference Guide Alternatively you can start vCenter Server Heartbeat Console from the VMware program group on the Windows Start menu. This is the only method supported if vCenter Server Heartbeat Console has been installed on a workstation that is not part of the Pair.
Chapter 6 Status and Control To add a vCenter Server Heartbeat Group 1 Open vCenter Server Heartbeat Console and click Add Group in the tool bar, select Add Group from the File menu, or right-click an existing group in the navigation panel and select Add Group form the menu. 2 Type the name for the new group into the text box and click OK. The newly created group appears in the navigation panel on the left of the vCenter Server Center Heartbeat window.
Reference Guide 4 Enter the remaining connections necessary to define the new vCenter Server Heartbeat Group. Edit a Connection The Edit Connection feature in the vCenter Server Heartbeat Console allows you to change the Port Number for existing connections.
Chapter 6 Status and Control The status hyperlinks in this overview window links to pages that provide more specific related information and management controls. Click: The Server connection name to view the Server: Summary page The Applications status to view the Applications: Summary page 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 1 Click Exit on the File menu.
Reference Guide 7 Click OK. NOTE When the Fast Check process is enabled in addition to the Controlled Shutdown process, vCenter Server Heartbeat can be scheduled to perform unattended restarts of the system while maintaining synchronization of data. For more information about Fast Check, see “Configure Fast Check” on page 60.
Chapter 6 Status and Control 5 The Heartbeat Plug-in is displayed. Performing a switchover using vSphere Client 1 Select the Heartbeat tab of vSphere Client. 2 Click either Make Primary Active or Make Secondary Active as appropriate. 3 When prompted accept the security certificate to complete the operation. NOTE Each time you perform a Make Active opearation from the vSphere Client you must accept the security certificate.
Reference Guide Uninstalling vCenter Server Heartbeat NOTE You should leave only the currently active server on the network. If the passive server is a virtual machine, the image can be deleted and the uninstall procedure applied only to the active server. 1 From the Windows Start menu, navigate to the VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat program group and select Uninstall or Modify. The Setup wizard starts and detects the presence of installed components and provides a means for their removal.
Chapter 6 Status and Control 18 Refresh the Managed Object Type: ManagedObjectReference:ExtensionManager window and the plug-in should be removed from the list. 19 Repeat the entire uninstall procedure on the other server in the pair to uninstall vCenter Server Heartbeat. VMware, Inc.
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7 Performance Protection 7 This chapter provides detailed information about the topic “Applications: Rules Tab” on page 57. Applications: Rules Tab 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 58 DiskAvgSecsPerRead DiskAvgSecsPerWrite DiskIO DiskQueueLength DiskReadsPerSec DiskWritesPerSec DiskWriteable FreeDiskSpace FreeDiskSpaceOnDrive
8 Data Protection 8 This chapter includes the following topics: “Data Protection Overview” on page 59 “Replication” on page 60 “Registry and File Synchronization Status” on page 60 “Initiate a Full Registry Check” on page 60 “Initiate a Full System Check” on page 60 “Configure Fast Check” on page 60 “Initiate File Synchronization Manually” on page 61 “Initiate Verify and Synchronize Manually” on page 61 “Orphaned Files Check” on page 62 “File Filters” on page 63
Reference Guide Replication You can view replication status and manage data replication using the Data: Replication page. Registry and File Synchronization Status Two panes near the top of the Replication page in vCenter Server Heartbeat Console, File System Synchronization Status and Registry Synchronization Status, provide graphical status information.
Chapter 8 Data Protection To enable Fast Check 1 Navigate to Data > Replication. 2 Click the Configure button. 3 Select the Fast Check tab. 4 Select the Use Fast Check check box. 5 Configure Maximum Application Delay. This is the length of time vCenter Server Heartbeat will delay the startup of the application while it attempts to establish replication between active and all passive nodes. 6 Click OK.
Reference Guide To verify and synchronize folders 1 Use Verify & Synchronize and select Include Subdirectories to ensure all underlying files and subfolders are included in the verification and synchronization operation. 2 Right-click a folder to access a popup menu to perform quick synchronization and verification of folders and subfolders.
Chapter 8 Data Protection 3 Select the Detect orphaned files check box and in the On detection, take the following action drop-down to automatically delete the orphaned files or Log to file to add the files list to the log file. 4 After selecting the options, click OK to close the dialog. 5 Click the Orphaned Files Check button. File Filters File filters dictate which files are protected and the disk I/O operations to intercept and replicate to the passive server.
Reference Guide The Filter column lists the pattern for protecting files and folders on the active server. The State of the filter identifies the filter as Effective, Subset (contained within another filter), or Not Effective (not contained within another filter). An Effective filter is properly configured and functions to protect (replicate) the stipulated files to the passive server. The Detail describes the file filter details based upon the state of the file filter.
Chapter 8 Data Protection Automatic Filter Discovery When Administrators make changes to the configuration, vCenter Server Heartbeat adjusts file filter protection for protected locations. Additionally, the SQL Server plug-in provides database protection including changes or additions to the database and log files. VMware, Inc.
Reference Guide 66 VMware, Inc.
9 Alerts and Events 9 This chapter includes the following topics: “Configure Alerts” on page 67 “Configure Alert Reporting” on page 67 “Test Alert Reporting” on page 68 “Configure Event Log Files” on page 68 “Review Event Logs” on page 69 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 Alerts and Events 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. 4 Click OK.
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. 70 VMware, Inc.
10 Troubleshooting 10 This chapter includes the following topics: “Troubleshooting Unexpected Behaviors” on page 71 “Two Active Servers” on page 71 “Two Passive Servers” on page 73 “Synchronization Failures” on page 74 “Registry Status is Out of Sync” on page 76 “Channel Drops” on page 76 “Subnet or Routing Issues ” on page 80 “MaxDiskUsage Errors” on page 80 “MaxDiskUsage Error Messages” on page 81 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 server's 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 server's 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.
