vCenter Server and Host Management Update 1 Modified on 04 OCT 2017 VMware vSphere 6.5 VMware ESXi 6.5 vCenter Server 6.
vCenter Server and Host Management You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at: https://docs.vmware.com/ 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 © 2009–2017 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright and trademark information. VMware, Inc. 3401 Hillview Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94304 www.vmware.com 2 VMware, Inc.
Contents About VMware vCenter Server® and Host Management Updated Information 9 11 1 vSphere Concepts and Features 13 Virtualization Basics 13 Physical Topology of vSphere Data Center 14 vSphere Software Components 15 Client Interfaces for vSphere 17 vSphere Managed Inventory Objects 18 Optional vCenter Server Components 20 vCenter Server Plug-Ins 21 2 Using the vSphere Web Client 23 Log in to vCenter Server by Using the vSphere Web Client 24 Log out of vCenter Server Using the vSphere Web Client 24
vCenter Server and Host Management Create a Scheduled Task with a Keyboard Shortcut 36 3 Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server 39 Host Configuration 39 Configure the Boot Device on an ESXi Host 39 Configure Agent VM Settings 40 Set Advanced Host Attributes 40 Synchronizing Clocks on the vSphere Network 41 Edit Time Configuration for a Host 41 Configuring vCenter Server 42 Configure License Settings for vCenter Server 42 Configuring Statistics Settings 42 Configure Runtime Settings for vCenter Server 45 C
Contents Edit a Tag 76 Add Permissions for Tags and Tag Categories 76 Tagging Best Practices 77 Custom Attributes in the vSphere Web Client 78 Add Custom Attributes in the vSphere Web Client 78 Edit a Custom Attribute in the vSphere Web Client 78 7 License Management and Reporting 81 Licensing Terminology and Definitions 82 The License Service in vSphere 6.5 83 Licensing for Environments with vCenter Server Systems 6.0 and Later, and 5.
vCenter Server and Host Management Remove a Scheduled Task 106 9 Reboot or Shut Down an ESXi Host 107 10 Managing Hosts in vCenter Server 109 Disconnecting and Reconnecting a Host 109 Disconnect a Managed Host 109 Reconnect a Managed Host 110 Reconnecting Hosts After Changes to the vCenter Server SSL Certificate Remove a Host from a Cluster 110 Remove a Managed Host from vCenter Server 111 110 11 Migrating Virtual Machines 113 Cold Migration 115 Migration with vMotion 116 Host Configuration for vMotio
Contents Managing Associations of Workflows with vSphere Inventory Objects 147 Associate Workflows with vSphere Inventory Object Types 147 Edit the Associations of Workflows with vSphere Objects 148 Export the Associations of Workflows with vSphere Objects 149 Import the Association of Workflows with vSphere Objects 149 Working with Workflows 150 Run Workflows on vSphere Inventory Objects 150 View Information About Workflow Runs 151 View Information About the Runs of a Specific Workflow 151 View Workflow
vCenter Server and Host Management Dynamic Switching Keystrokes 172 Serial Port Dynamic Switching Using the CLI 172 Controlling the Serial DCUI 173 Index 175 8 VMware, Inc.
About VMware vCenter Server® and Host Management ® vCenter Server and Host Management describes how to start and stop the VMware vSphere Web 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.
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Updated Information This vCenter Server and Host Management is updated with each release of the product or when necessary. This table provides the update history of the vCenter Server and Host Management. Revision Description 04 OCT 2017 n EN-002606-00 Initial release. VMware, Inc.
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1 vSphere Concepts and Features VMware vSphere™ uses the power of virtualization to transform data centers into simplified cloud computing infrastructures and enables IT organizations to deliver flexible and reliable IT services. ® The two core components of vSphere are VMware ESXi™ and VMware vCenter Server . ESXi is the virtualization platform on which you create and run virtual machines. vCenter Server is a service that acts as a central administrator for ESXi hosts that are connected on a network.
vCenter Server and Host Management Because virtual machines are decoupled from specific underlying physical hardware, virtualization allows you to consolidate physical computing resources such as CPUs, memory, storage, and networking into pools of resources. These resources can be dynamically and flexibly made available to virtual machines.
Chapter 1 vSphere Concepts and Features vSphere Software Components VMware vSphere is a suite of software components for virtualization. These include ESXi, vCenter Server, and other software components that fulfill a number of different functions in the vSphere environment. Note Starting with vSphere 6.5, all vCenter Server services and some Platform Services Controller services run as child processes of the VMware Service Lifecycle Manager service.
vCenter Server and Host Management issues Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) tokens. These security tokens represent the identity of a user in one of the identity source types supported by vCenter Single Sign-On. vCenter Server plug-ins Administration server The administration server allows users with administrator privileges to vCenter Single Sign-On to configure the vCenter Single Sign-On server and manage users and groups from the vSphere Web Client.
Chapter 1 vSphere Concepts and Features The database is installed and configured during vCenter Server installation. If you are accessing your ESXi host directly through the vSphere Web Client, and not through a vCenter Server system and associated vSphere Web Client, you do not use a vCenter Server database. tcServer Many vCenter Server functions are implemented as Web services that require the tcServer. The tcServer is installed on the vCenter Server machine as part of the vCenter Server installation.
vCenter Server and Host Management vSphere Managed Inventory Objects In vSphere, the inventory is a collection of virtual and physical objects on which you can place permissions, monitor tasks and events, and set alarms. You can group most inventory objects by using folders to more easily manage them. All inventory objects, 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.
Chapter 1 vSphere Concepts and Features Folders 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: data centers, clusters, datastores, networks, virtual machines, templates, or hosts.
vCenter Server and Host Management Optional vCenter Server Components Optional vCenter Server components are packaged and installed with the base product, but might require a separate license. Optional vCenter Server features include: vMotion A feature that enables you to move running virtual machines from one ESXi host to another ESXi host without service interruption. It requires licensing on both the source and target host. vCenter Server centrally coordinates all vMotion activities.
Chapter 1 vSphere Concepts and Features takes care of initial placement and future migrations based on workload measurements. Storage space balancing and I/O balancing minimize the risk of running out of space and the risk of I/O bottlenecks slowing the performance of virtual machines. vSphere Fault Tolerance vSphere Fault Tolerance provides continuous availability for virtual machines by creating and maintaining a Secondary VM that is identical to the Primary VM.
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Using the vSphere Web Client 2 Use the vSphere Web Client to connect to vCenter Server systems and manage vSphere inventory objects. Use of the vSphere Web Client requires a supported Web browser. VMware has tested and supports the following guest operating systems and browser versions for the vSphere Web Client. Table 2‑1. Supported Guest Operating Systems and Browser Versions for the vSphere Web Client . Operating system Browser Windows 32-bit and 64-bit Microsoft Internet Explorer 10.0.19 and later.
vCenter Server and Host Management n “Export Lists,” on page 35 n “Attach File to Service Request,” on page 36 n “Keyboard Shortcuts,” on page 36 Log in to vCenter Server by Using the vSphere Web Client Log in to vCenter Server by using the vSphere Web Client to manage your vSphere inventory. In vSphere 6.0 and later, the vSphere Web Client is installed as part of the vCenter Server on Windows or the vCenter Server Appliance deployment.
Chapter 2 Using the vSphere Web Client 3 Click an object in the list once to display information about the object in the center pane of the vSphere Web Client. 4 (Optional) Click the object again to open it. Opening an object brings it to the top of the navigator and displays related object categories beneath it.
vCenter Server and Host Management Rearrange the Components of the User Interface You can rearrange the sidebars in the vSphere Web Client user interface. You can move the sidebars and Navigator pane around the content area to enhance your personal experience by customizing the vSphere Web Client user interface. You change the interface at any time. Procedure 1 In a Web browser, log in to vSphere Web Client. 2 Drag the sidebar you want to move to an appropriate place.
Chapter 2 Using the vSphere Web Client 3 Edit the file to include the line show.relations.in.categorized.tabs=false. If the line is present but commented out, remove the comment indicator. 4 Restart the vSphere Web Client service. Revert Configure Tab to Manage Tab You can revert the Configure tab back to the former Manage tab presentation in the vSphere Web Client by editing the webclient.properties file. In vSphere 6.
vCenter Server and Host Management Watch the video "vSphere Web Client after the Client Integration Plug-in Removal" for more information about the workflow changes to the vSphere Client: vSphere Web Client after the Client Integration Plug-in Removal (http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid2296383276001? bctid=ref:video_web_client_after_cip_removal) Install the plug-in only once to enable all the functionality the plug-in delivers.
Chapter 2 Using the vSphere Web Client Refresh Data You must manually refresh the data in the vSphere Web Client to see changes made to objects by other users during your session. For performance reasons, the vSphere Web Client does not continuously refresh data on all objects in the inventory. All changes that you make during your current session are immediately reflected in the client user interface. Change made by other users or in other sessions are not reflected until you manually refresh the data.
vCenter Server and Host Management 2 (Optional) To display an item in the inventory, click that item in the search results. 3 (Optional) To see more search results or more details about the search results, click Show All Results. a (Optional) To see additional information about the object, select an object in the results table. b (Optional) To display that item in the inventory, double-click any item in the search results. The search results are listed in a table.
Chapter 2 Using the vSphere Web Client 8 (Optional) To add an additional search, click Add another object type and repeat step 2 to step 7. 9 Click Search. Search results are displayed in the details pane and in the navigator. 10 (Optional) To see item details without leaving the context of the search, click on the item in the navigator. 11 (Optional) To display an item in the inventory, double-click on the item in the details pane.
vCenter Server and Host Management Quick Filters Available for vSphere Objects Various types of quick filters are available for the vSphere objects in your inventory. No quick filters are available for linked vCenter Server systems, host profiles, and extensions. Tags are a quick filter option available for all types of vSphere objects, except for linked vCenter Server systems, host profiles, and extensions.
Chapter 2 Using the vSphere Web Client Quick Filters for Virtual Machines You can filter virtual machines by the following criteria: n Tags n State n Needs Consolidation n Blocked by Question n FT Role n VMware Tools Version Status n VMware Tools Running Status n EVC Mode n Guest OS n Compatibility n CPU Count n NIC Count Quick Filters for VM Templates You can filter virtual machine templates by the following criteria: n Tags n VMware Tools Version Status n Guest OS n Compati
vCenter Server and Host Management 2 From the Recent Objects drop-down menu, select the object that you want to view. Objects are listed in two types depending on whether you visited or created the object. Option Description Recent Objects The last objects that you visited in the vSphere Web Client inventory. New Objects The latest objects that you created in the vSphere Web Client inventory. You have navigated to the object that you selected in the Recent Objects menu.
Chapter 2 Using the vSphere Web Client 3 Click OK. Drag Objects You can select an inventory object, and while holding the left mouse button you can drag it to another object. Drag is an alternative way to initiate operations that are available in the context menu, such as Move To and Migrate. For completing some drag operations, you do not need to perform any additional actions. For completing others, you might have to go through a wizard.
vCenter Server and Host Management Attach File to Service Request You can attach files, such as log files or screen shots to VMware Service Requests directly from the vSphere Web Client. Prerequisites The file upload occurs from the machine on which vCenter Server is running, so that machine must have connectivity to the VMware site on ports 443 and 21. Procedure 1 From the vSphere Web Client home, click Administration. 2 In the Administration panel, click Upload File to Service Request.
Chapter 2 Using the vSphere Web Client 2 Select the action and configure the scheduling options. 3 Navigate to the object in the inventory. VMware, Inc.
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Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server 3 Configuring ESXi hosts, vCenter Server systems, and the vSphere Web Client involves several tasks.
vCenter Server and Host Management Configure Agent VM Settings You can configure the datastore and network settings for the ESX agent virtual machines that you deploy on a host. An ESX agent is a virtual machine, or a virtual machine and a vSphere Installation Bundle (VIB), that extend the functions of an ESXi host to provide additional services that a vSphere solution requires. For example, a solution might require a particular network filter or firewall configuration to function.
Chapter 3 Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server Synchronizing Clocks on the vSphere Network Verify that all components on the vSphere network have their clocks synchronized. If the clocks on the machines in your vSphere network are not synchronized, SSL certificates, which are time-sensitive, might not be recognized as valid in communications between network machines.
vCenter Server and Host Management Configuring vCenter Server You can configure vCenter Server from the vSphere Web Client, including settings such as licensing, statistics collection, logging, and other settings. Configure License Settings for vCenter Server You must assign a license to a vCenter Server system before its evaluation period expires or its currently assigned license expires.
Chapter 3 Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server Prerequisites Required privilege: Performance.ModifyIntervals Procedure 1 In the vSphere Web Client, navigate to the vCenter Server instance. 2 Select the Configure tab. 3 Under Settings, select General. 4 Click Edit. 5 From Statistics intervals, click a statistics interval attribute to edit its value. a In Interval duration, select the time interval in which statistics data is collected.
vCenter Server and Host Management 2 In Database Size, estimate the effect of the statistics settings on the database. a Enter the number of Physical Hosts. b Enter the number of Virtual Machines. The estimated space required and number of database rows required are calculated and displayed. c 3 If necessary, make changes to your statistics collection settings. Click OK.
Chapter 3 Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server Configure Runtime Settings for vCenter Server You can change the vCenter Server ID, managed address, and name. Usually, you do not need to change these settings, but you might need to make changes if you run multiple vCenter Server systems in the same environment. Prerequisites Required privilege: Global.Settings Procedure 1 In the vSphere Web Client, navigate to the vCenter Server instance. 2 Select the Configure tab. 3 Under Settings, select General.
vCenter Server and Host Management 6 In User directory timeout, type the timeout interval in seconds for connecting to the directory server. 7 In Query Limit, type the number of users and groups for which you can associate permissions on the child inventory objects of the vCenter Server system. You can associate permissions with users and groups from the Add Permissions dialog box that displays when you click Add permissions in Manage > Permissions for a vSphere inventory object.
Chapter 3 Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server Procedure 1 In the vSphere Web Client, navigate to the vCenter Server instance. 2 Select the Configure tab. 3 Under Settings, select General. 4 Click Edit. 5 Select SNMP receivers. 6 In Receiver URL, type the host name or IP address of the SNMP receiver. 7 Select the Enabled check box next to Enable receiver. 8 In Receiver port, type the port number of the receiver. The port number must be a value between 1 and 65535.
vCenter Server and Host Management 6 In Normal operations, type the timeout interval in seconds for normal operations. Do not set the value to zero (0). 7 In Long operations, enter the timeout interval in minutes for long operations. Do not set the value to zero (0). 8 Click OK. 9 Restart the vCenter Server system for the changes to take effect. Configure Logging Options You can configure the amount of detail that vCenter Server collects in log files. Prerequisites Required privilege: Global.
Chapter 3 Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server 4 Click Edit. 5 Select Database. 6 In Maximum connections, type a number. Increase this number if your vCenter Server system performs many operations frequently and performance is critical. Decrease this number if the database is shared and connections to the database are costly. Do not change this value unless one of these issues pertains to your system.
vCenter Server and Host Management Configure Advanced Settings In Advanced Settings, you can modify the vCenter Server configuration file, vpxd.cfg. You can use Advanced Settings to add entries to the vpxd.cfg file, but not to edit or delete them. VMware recommends that you change these settings only when instructed to do so by VMware technical support or when you are following specific instructions in VMware documentation. Prerequisites Required privilege: Global.
Chapter 3 Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server Edit the Settings of Services The vSphere Web Client lists all manageable services running on vCenter Server. You can edit the settings for some of the services. The vSphere Web Client displays information about all manageable services running in vCenter Server and the vCenter Server Appliance. A list of the default services is available for each vCenter Server instance. Note Starting with vSphere 6.
vCenter Server and Host Management 4 From the Services list select a manageable service. 5 From the Actions menu select an operation name. n Restart n Start n Stop Note Restarting the Content Library Service also restarts the Transfer Service and the OVF Service. The Content Library Service, the Transfer Service, and the OVF Service run on the same Tomcat server. Configuring Services in the vSphere Web Client You can monitor and manage services by using the vSphere Web Client.
Chapter 3 Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server Service Description vAPI Endpoint Provides a single point of access to vAPI services. For a list of general settings that you can configure for this service, see “vAPI Endpoint,” on page 59. Services that you can configure in vCenter Server You can configure the following services on a vCenter Server instance that runs on a Windows machine: Service Name Description Auto Deploy Lets you perform stateless ESXi caching.
vCenter Server and Host Management Content Library Service The Content Library service provides simple and effective management of OVF templates, ISO images, and scripts for vSphere administrators. The Content Library service lets you synchronize content across vCenter Server instances. 54 Property Default Value Description Download Session Expiration Timeout (milliseconds) 300000 Download session expiry timeout in milliseconds.
Chapter 3 Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server Property Default Value Description Library HTTP Connection Timeout (milliseconds) 500000 The HTTP connection timeout for subscribed library, measured in milliseconds. Library HTTP Socket Connection Timeout (milliseconds) 300000 Subscribed library HTTP connection socket timeout, measured in milliseconds. Library Maximum Concurrent Sync Items 5 Maximum number of concurrently synchronizing library items for each subscribed library.
vCenter Server and Host Management Property Default Value Description NFC Connection Socket Timeout 120 Socket timeout for an NFC connection, measured in seconds. An NFC connection is opened only when interacting with a datastore. NFC Eager-zeroed Thick Disk Write Timeout 5400 Eager-zeroed thick disk write timeout for an NFC connection, measured in seconds. This timeout must be larger than the socket timeout of NFC connection. An NFC connection is opened only when interacting with datastore.
Chapter 3 Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server Property Default Value Description log4j.additivity.com.vmware.vim.stats FALSE Specifies if the log output from the "com.vmware.vim.stats" module should go to its parent appenders. log4j.appender.CONSOLE1 org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender Defines the "CONSOLE1" appender. log4j.appender.CONSOLE1.layout org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout Specifies the log layout type for the "CONSOLE1" appender. log4j.appender.CONSOLE1.layout.
vCenter Server and Host Management VMware vSphere Authentication Proxy The VMware vSphere Authentication Proxy service provides support for joining unattended ESXi hosts to an Active Directory domain by using an account with delegated privileges, enhancing security for PXEbooted hosts and hosts that are provisioned using Auto Deploy. Property Default Value Description Domain - Active Directory domain to which to join the ESXi hosts.
Chapter 3 Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server vAPI Endpoint The vAPI endpoint provides a single point of access to vAPI services. You can change the properties of the vAPI Endpoint service. Property Default Value Description [default] endpoint maximum number of execution threads 300 The maximum number of execution threads for the vAPI endpoint. [default] endpoint minimum number of spare threads 10 The minimum number of threads that are always kept alive for the vAPI endpoint.
vCenter Server and Host Management 60 Property Default Value Description Enables REST basic authentication Enabled Enables login service for simple authentication with user name and password. Global request rate 180 Global request rate. Set to 0 to disable. Global request rate interval 1 Global request rate interval, measured in seconds. This is the time frame in which only http.request.rate.count requests are allowed. Set to 0 to disable. If you enable this interval, the default value is 1.
Chapter 3 Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server Property Default Value Description Request rate interval for anonymous calls 60 Request rate interval for anonymous calls, measured in seconds. This is the time frame in which only request rates for anonymous calls are allowed. Set to 0 to disable. Note The vAPI endpoint limits the number of incoming requests to Request rate for anonymous calls per Request rate interval for anonymous calls.
vCenter Server and Host Management To join vCenter Server systems in Enhanced Linked Mode, connect them to the same Platform Services Controller, or to Platform Services Controllers that share the same vCenter Single Sign-On domain. Enhanced Linked Mode requires the vCenter Server Standard licensing level, and is not supported with vCenter Server Foundation or vCenter Server Essentials. In vSphere 5.5 and earlier, Linked Mode relied on Microsoft ADAM to provide replication functionality.
Configuring Customer Experience Improvement Program 4 When you choose to participate in the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP), VMware receives anonymous information to improve the quality, reliability, and functionality of VMware products and services.
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Organizing Your Inventory 5 Plan how you will set up your virtual environment. A large vSphere implementation might contain several virtual data centers with a complex arrangement of hosts, clusters, resource pools, and networks. It might involve multiple vCenter Server systems connected using Enhanced Linked Mode. Smaller implementations might require a single virtual data center with a much less complex topology.
vCenter Server and Host Management n Configure storage systems and create datastore inventory objects to provide logical containers for storage devices in your inventory. See vSphere Storage. n Create clusters to consolidate the resources of multiple hosts and virtual machines. You can enable vSphere HA and vSphere DRS for increased availability and more flexible resource management.
Chapter 5 Organizing Your Inventory n If you want to add a host with more than 512 LUNs and 2,048 paths to the vCenter Server inventory, verify that the vCenter Server instance is suitable for a large or x-large environment. Required privileges: n Host.Inventory.Add host to cluster n Resource.Assign virtual machine to resource pool n System.View on the virtual machines folder where you want to place the virtual machines of the host.
vCenter Server and Host Management 3 Enter a name for the cluster. 4 Select DRS and vSphere HA cluster features. 5 Option Description To use DRS with this cluster a b Select the DRS Turn ON check box. Select an automation level and a migration threshold. To use HA with this cluster a b c d e Select the vSphere HA Turn ON check box. Select whether to enable host monitoring and admission control. If admission control is enabled, specify a policy. Select a VM Monitoring option.
Chapter 5 Organizing Your Inventory 2 3 Right-click the parent object and select the menu option to create the folder. Option Description The parent object is a data center. If the parent object is a data center, you can select the type of folder to create: n Select All vCenter Actions > New Host and Cluster Folder. n Select All vCenter Actions > New Network Folder. n Select All vCenter Actions > New Storage Folder. n Select All vCenter Actions > New VM and Template Folder.
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Tagging Objects 6 Tags allow you to attach metadata to objects in the vSphere inventory to make these objects more sortable and searchable. A tag is a label that you can apply to objects in the vSphere inventory. When you create a tag, you assign that tag to a category. Categories allow you to group related tags together. When you define a category, you can also specify which object types its tags can be applied to and whether more than one tag in the category can be applied to an object.
vCenter Server and Host Management Procedure 1 In the vSphere Web Client object navigator, browse to any object that has custom attributes. 2 Click the object's Summary tab. 3 Select Actions > Tags & Custom Attributes > Edit Custom Attributes... 4 In the Migrate Custom Attributes dialog box, click Migrate. The Migrate Custom Attributes to Tags wizard appears. 5 Read the instructions and click Next. 6 Select the custom attributes to migrate and click Next.
Chapter 6 Tagging Objects Create a Tag Category You use categories to group tags together and define how tags can be applied to objects. Every tag must belong to one and only one category. You must create at least one category before creating any tags. Prerequisites Required privilege: vSphere Tagging.Create vSphere Tag Category on the root vCenter Server. Procedure 1 From the vSphere Web Client Home, click Tags & Custom Attributes.
vCenter Server and Host Management Procedure 1 From the vSphere Web Client Home, click Tags & Custom Attributes. 2 Click the Tags tab and click Categories 3 Select a category from the list and click the Delete Category icon ( ). 4 Click Yes to confirm deletion of the category. The category and all its associated tags are deleted. Edit a Tag Category You can edit a category to change its name, cardinality, or associable objects. Prerequisites Required privilege: vSphere Tagging.
Chapter 6 Tagging Objects Create a Tag You use tags to add metadata to inventory objects. You can record information about your inventory objects in tags and use the tags in searches. Prerequisites Required privilege: vSphere Tagging.Create vSphere Tag on root vCenter Server. Procedure 1 From the vSphere Web Client Home, click Tags & Custom Attributes. 2 Click the Tags tab. 3 4 Click the New Tag icon ( ). In the Name text box, enter a name for the tag.
vCenter Server and Host Management 2 From the Actions menu, select Tags & Custom Attributes > Remove Tag. 3 In the Remove Tag dialog box, select the tag to remove. 4 Click Remove to confirm the removal of the tag. Delete a Tag You can delete a tag when it is no longer needed. Deleting a tag removes it from all the objects to which it is applied. Prerequisites Required privilege: vSphere Tagging.Delete vSphere Tag on the root vCenter Server instance.
Chapter 6 Tagging Objects You can set permissions on common tag operations to manage the operations over the inventory objects. You must have vSphere administrator credentials to set and manage permissions for tags and organize user's activities. When you create a tag, you can specify which users and groups can operate with that tag. For example, you can grant administrative rights only to administrators and set read-only permissions for all other users or groups. Prerequisites Grant the privilege.
vCenter Server and Host Management Custom Attributes in the vSphere Web Client You can use custom attributes in the vSphere Web Client to assign user-specific values for each object of the custom attribute type. 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.
Chapter 6 Tagging Objects 3 Click Edit at the bottom right of the Custom Attributes list. 4 (Optional) To rename an attribute, double-click its name in the Attribute text box. Enter a new name, then click outside the text box to finish editing. 5 (Optional) To change the value of an attribute, double-click the value in the Value text box. Enter a new value, then click outside the text box to finish editing. 6 Click OK to finish editing the attribute. VMware, Inc.
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License Management and Reporting 7 vSphere provides centralized a license management and reporting system that you can use to manage licenses for ESXi hosts, vCenter Server systems, vSAN clusters, and solutions. Solutions are products that integrate with vSphere such as VMware Site Recovery Manager, vCloud Networking and Security, vRealize Operations Manager, and others.
vCenter Server and Host Management n Generating Reports for License Use in the vSphere Web Client on page 94 You can track the license use of your vSphere environment by generating reports for the license use of assets for a certain time period. Assets are hosts, vCenter Server systems, vSAN clusters, and solutions. n Importing License Keys Data from My VMware on page 96 With vSphere 6.
Chapter 7 License Management and Reporting The License Service in vSphere 6.5 In vSphere 6.5, the License Service is part of the Platform Services Controller. The License Service delivers centralized license management and reporting functionality to vSphere and to products that integrate with vSphere. You can use the License Service with newly installed vSphere 6.0 and later environments. You can also use the License Service with environments that are upgraded from vSphere 5.x to vSphere 6.0 and later.
vCenter Server and Host Management Licensing for Products in vSphere ESXi hosts, vCenter Server, and vSAN clusters are licensed differently. To apply their licensing models correctly, you must understand how the associated assets consume license capacity. You must also understand how the evaluation period for each product works, what happens when a product license expires, and so on. Licensing for ESXi Hosts ESXi hosts are licensed with vSphere licenses.
Chapter 7 License Management and Reporting Licensing ESXi Hosts After Upgrade If you upgrade an ESXi host to a version that starts with the same number, you do not need to replace the existing license with a new one. For example, if you upgrade a host from ESXi 5.1 to 5.5, you can use the same license for the host. If you upgrade an ESXi host to a version that starts with a different number, you must apply a new license. For example, if you upgrade an ESXi host from 5.x to 6.
vCenter Server and Host Management Licensing for Clusters with Enabled vSAN After you enable vSAN on a cluster, you must assign the cluster an appropriate vSAN license. Similar to vSphere licenses, vSAN licenses have per CPU capacity. When you assign a vSAN license to a cluster, the amount of license capacity used equals the total number of CPUs in the hosts participating in the cluster.
Chapter 7 License Management and Reporting The components from a vCloud Suite edition are activated with a single license key. For example, if you have a license key for vCloud Suite Standard, you assign the same key to all assets that will run vCloud Suite. For example, such assets include ESXi hosts, vCloud Automation Center, vCloud Director, and others. All virtual machines running on a CPU licensed with a vCloud Suite edition can use all components included in that vCloud Suite edition.
vCenter Server and Host Management 4 In the text area of the Enter licenses keys page, enter one license key per line, and click Next. The license key is a 25-symbol string of letters and digits in the format XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX. You can enter a list of keys in one operation. A new license will be created for every license key that you enter. 5 On the Edit license names page, rename the new licenses as appropriate and click Next .
Chapter 7 License Management and Reporting Configure License Settings for an ESXi Host You must assign a license to an ESXi host before its evaluation period expires or its currently assigned license expires. If you upgrade, combine, or divide vSphere licenses in My VMware, you must assign the new licenses to ESXi hosts and remove the old licenses. Prerequisites n To view and manage licenses in the vSphere environment, you must have the Global.
vCenter Server and Host Management 5 Select a licensing method. n Select an existing license and click OK. n Create a new license. a Click the Create New License ( ) icon. b In the New Licenses dialog box, type or copy and paste a license key and click Next. c On the Edit license names page, rename the new license as appropriate and click Next. d Click Finish. e In the Assign License dialog, select the newly-created license, and click OK.
Chapter 7 License Management and Reporting Set Assets to Evaluation Mode To explore the complete set of features available for an asset, you can set it to evaluation mode. Different products have different terms for using their evaluation mode. Before you set an asset to evaluation mode, you should consider the specifics for using the evaluation mode of its associated product.
vCenter Server and Host Management Prerequisites n To view and manage licenses in the vSphere environment, you must have the Global.Licenses privilege on the vCenter Server system, where the vSphere Web Client runs. Procedure 1 In the vSphere Web Client, select Administration, and under Licensing, select Licenses. 2 Select the Licenses tab. 3 From the Show drop-down menu, select Unassigned to display only the unassigned licenses. 4 Press Ctrl+A to select all licenses to remove.
Chapter 7 License Management and Reporting n Remove all expired licenses or licenses that you do not intend to assign. For example, if you have upgraded, divided, or combined any licenses in My VMware, you must remove the old licenses from the inventory. View Available Licenses and Features About a Product You can view information about a product, such as the available licenses, features, and license capacity in the vSphere Web Client.
vCenter Server and Host Management 4 Click View License Key. View the Licensed Features for an Asset Before you start to use a feature on an asset, you can check whether the asset is licensed to use this feature. For example, to use vSphere HA, you should check whether all hosts in a vSphere HA cluster are licensed for this feature. Prerequisites n To view and manage licenses in the vSphere environment, you must have the Global.
Chapter 7 License Management and Reporting The Report Summary shows the license usage for each product as a percentage of the license capacity for the product over the selected period. View License Usage Details for a Single Product You can view details about the license usage and capacity of a certain product. You can filter the license usage data by time period. Prerequisites n To view and generate license use reports for the products in vSphere, you must have the Global.
vCenter Server and Host Management The license usage for products over the selected time period is exported in a CSV file. The CSV file is contained in a .zip file that is saved to the location that you specified. The exported report contains raw data about the license usage of products over the selected period. The rows of the exported CSV file list the license usage snapshots that the License Service has collected daily over the selected period.
Chapter 7 License Management and Reporting 5 Complete the License Key Import Process on page 100 To complete the license keys data import process and update your vSphere license keys environment with the license keys details from your My VMware environment, review the summary of the license keys data import and complete the Import License Keys Data wizard. Procedure 1 In the vSphere Web Client, select Administration, and under Licensing, select Licenses. 2 Select Import License Keys Data.
vCenter Server and Host Management Upload an Import File To import license keys data and synchronize your vSphere environment with your My VMware environment, use the Import My License Keys Data wizard to upload a Products, Licenses, Details, and History .CSV file that you generate in the My VMware reports section. You upload the .CSV file that you generate in My VMware on the Upload import file page of the Import License Keys Data wizard. Note Do not open in Microsoft Excel or any other software the .
Chapter 7 License Management and Reporting Depending on the results from the.CSV file analysis, the system makes conclusions about the status of the license keys details in your vCenter license inventory and might recommend that you perform some of the following actions, in order to update your vSphere environment with up-to-date license keys details from My VMware: n Update license keys in your vCenter license inventory with details from your My VMware, including contracts, orders, and so on.
vCenter Server and Host Management 2 (Optional) To view license key details, such as account name and number, order number, important dates, and support level, click a license key in the list. The information is displayed in the My VMware License Keys Details section below the license keys list. 3 (Optional) To change the license key name, double-click a license key in the list and specify a new name for the license key. The new name is automatically saved when you click anywhere in the list.
Chapter 7 License Management and Reporting Example: Incorrect Use of a CSV File You export the correct report in My VMware and generate the correct .csv file, but, in order to view the information more clearly, you open the .csv file in Microsoft Excel and reformat dates and numbers, such as the contract start and end date, the order date, the order quantity. For instance, you change the formatting of the date from 11.10.
vCenter Server and Host Management 4 View the inactive key in the .CSV file, select that same key in the Licenses tab in the vSphere Web Client, click the Remove Licenses icon, and click Yes. You can only remove a license if it is not assigned. The inactive license key is no longer in your vCenter license inventory and the inventory now only contains up-to-date keys from My VMware.
Working with Tasks 8 vSphere tasks are activities and actions that occur on an object within the vSphere inventory. This chapter includes the following topics: n “Managing Tasks,” on page 103 n “Schedule Tasks,” on page 103 Managing Tasks Tasks represent system activities that do not complete immediately, such as migrating a virtual machine.
vCenter Server and Host Management Table 8‑1. Scheduled Tasks Scheduled Task Description Add a host Adds the host to the specified data center or cluster. Change the power state of a virtual machine Powers on, powers off, suspends, or resets the state of the virtual machine. Change cluster power settings Enable or disable DPM for hosts in a cluster. Change resource settings of a resource pool or virtual machine Changes the following resource settings: n CPU – Shares, Reservation, Limit.
Chapter 8 Working with Tasks Procedure 1 In the vSphere Web Client, navigate to the object for which you want to schedule a task. 2 Select Monitor, and select Tasks & Events. 3 Select Scheduled Tasks from the list on the left. 4 From the Schedule New Task drop-down menu, select the task to schedule. A wizard opens for the task with (scheduled) appended next to its name. The wizard contains a Scheduling options page, where you configure the scheduling options for the task.
vCenter Server and Host Management Change or Reschedule a Task After a scheduled task is created, you can change the schedule, frequency, and other attributes of the task. You can edit and reschedule tasks before or after they run. Prerequisites Required privilege:Schedule Task.Modify Procedure 1 In the vSphere Web Client, navigate to the object for which you want to edit a scheduled task. To view all scheduled tasks for a vCenter Server instance, navigate to that vCenter Server instance.
Reboot or Shut Down an ESXi Host 9 You can power off or restart (reboot) any ESXi host using the vSphere Client. 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 ESXi host. 2 Select the ESXi host you want to shut down. 3 From the main or right-click menu, select Reboot or Shut Down. 4 n If you select Reboot, the ESXi host shuts down and reboots.
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Managing Hosts in vCenter Server 10 To access the full capabilities of the host that you are managing, connect the host to a vCenter Server system. For information about configuration management of ESXi hosts, see the vSphere Networking documentation, the vSphere Storage documentation, and the vSphere Security documentation.
vCenter Server and Host Management 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.
Chapter 10 Managing Hosts in vCenter Server 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.
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Migrating Virtual Machines 11 You can move virtual machines from one host or storage location to another location using hot or cold migration. For example, with vSphere vMotion you can move powered on virtual machines away from a host to perform maintenance, to balance loads, to collocate virtual machines that communicate with each other, to move virtual machines apart to minimize fault domain, to migrate to new server hardware, and so on.
vCenter Server and Host Management You can perform several types of migration according to the virtual machine resource type. Change compute resource only Moving a virtual machine but not its storage to another compute resource, such as a host, cluster, resource pool, or vApp. You use vMotion to move a powered on virtual machine to another compute resource. You can move the virtual machine to another host by using cold migration or hot migration.
Chapter 11 Migrating Virtual Machines n “Migrate a Virtual Machine to New Storage,” on page 137 n “Place vMotion Traffic on the vMotion TCP/IP Stack of an ESXi Host,” on page 138 n “Place Traffic for Cold Migration, Cloning, and Snapshots on the Provisioning TCP/IP Stack,” on page 140 n “Limits on Simultaneous Migrations,” on page 141 n “About Migration Compatibility Checks,” on page 142 Cold Migration Cold migration is the migration of powered off or suspended virtual machines between hosts acro
vCenter Server and Host Management If you plan to transfer high volumes of virtual machine data that the management network cannot accommodate, redirect the cold migration traffic on a host to the TCP/IP stack that is dedicated to cold migration and cloning of powered off virtual machines. You can also redirect if you want to isolate cold migration traffic in a subnet different from the management network, for example, for migration over a long distance.
Chapter 11 Migrating Virtual Machines Host Configuration for vMotion Before using vMotion, you must configure your hosts correctly. Ensure that you have correctly configured your hosts. n Each host must be correctly licensed for vMotion. n Each host must meet shared storage requirements for vMotion. n Each host must meet the networking requirements for vMotion. Important The ESXi firewall in ESXi 5.5 and later does not allow per-network filtering of vMotion traffic.
vCenter Server and Host Management To determine the maximum number of concurrent vMotion operations possible, see “Limits on Simultaneous Migrations,” on page 141. These limits vary with a host's link speed to the vMotion network. Round-Trip Time for Long-Distance vMotion Migration If you have the proper license applied to your environment, you can perform reliable migrations between hosts that are separated by high network round-trip latency times.
Chapter 11 Migrating Virtual Machines Networking Best Practices for vSphere vMotion Consider certain best practices for configuring the network resources for vMotion on an ESXi host. n Provide the required bandwidth in one of the following ways: Physical Adapter Configuration Best Practices Dedicate at least one adapter for vMotion. Use at least one 1 GbE adapter for workloads that have a small number of memory operations.
vCenter Server and Host Management For virtual machines that are not encrypted, you can set encrypted vSphere vMotion to one of the following states. The default is Opportunistic. Disabled Do not use encrypted vSphere vMotion. Opportunistic Use encrypted vSphere vMotion if source and destination hosts support it. Only ESXi versions 6.5 and later use encrypted vSphere vMotion. Required Allow only encrypted vSphere vMotion.
Chapter 11 Migrating Virtual Machines n You can migrate virtual machines that have 3D graphics enabled. If the 3D Renderer is set to Automatic, virtual machines use the graphics renderer that is present on the destination host. The renderer can be the host CPU or a GPU graphics card. To migrate virtual machines with the 3D Renderer set to Hardware, the destination host must have a GPU graphics card.
vCenter Server and Host Management n Storage maintenance and reconfiguration. You can move virtual machines off a storage device to allow maintenance or reconfiguration of the storage device without virtual machine downtime. n Storage load redistribution. You can manually redistribute virtual machines or virtual disks to different storage volumes to balance capacity or improve performance.
Chapter 11 Migrating Virtual Machines n MAC Address Management During Migration Between vCenter Server Systems on page 124 When you move a virtual machine between vCenter Server instances, the environment specifically handles MAC address migration to avoid address duplication and loss of data in the network. Requirements for Migration Between vCenter Server Instances You can use migration across vCenter Server instances if your system meets certain requirements.
vCenter Server and Host Management MAC Address Management During Migration Between vCenter Server Systems When you move a virtual machine between vCenter Server instances, the environment specifically handles MAC address migration to avoid address duplication and loss of data in the network. In an environment with multiple vCenter Server instances, when a virtual machine is migrated, its MAC addresses are transferred to the target vCenter Server.
Chapter 11 Migrating Virtual Machines n The host on which the virtual machine is running must have access to both the source and target datastores. n For limits on the number of simultaneous migrations with vMotion and Storage vMotion, see “Limits on Simultaneous Migrations,” on page 141. CPU Compatibility and EVC vCenter Server performs compatibility checks before it allows migration of running or suspended virtual machines to ensure that the virtual machine is compatible with the target host.
vCenter Server and Host Management Kernel-level features are privileged instructions used by the virtual machine operating system. These include the AMD No eXecute (NX) and the Intel eXecute Disable (XD) security features. When you attempt to migrate a virtual machine with vMotion, one of the following scenarios applies: n The destination host feature set matches the virtual machine’s CPU feature set. CPU compatibility requirements are met, and migration with vMotion proceeds.
Chapter 11 Migrating Virtual Machines EVC masks only those processor features that affect vMotion compatibility. Enabling EVC does not prevent a virtual machine from taking advantage of faster processor speeds, increased numbers of CPU cores, or hardware virtualization support that might be available on newer hosts. EVC cannot prevent virtual machines from accessing hidden CPU features in all circumstances.
vCenter Server and Host Management Procedure 1 Right-click a data center in the inventory and select New Cluster. 2 Type a name for the cluster. 3 Expand EVC and select a baseline CPU feature set from the EVC mode drop-down menu. Select a CPU vendor and EVC mode appropriate for the hosts that you intend to add to the cluster. 4 (Optional) Enable DRS. 5 (Optional) Enable vSphere HA. 6 Click OK. 7 Select a host to move into the cluster.
Chapter 11 Migrating Virtual Machines Prerequisites n Verify that all hosts in the cluster have supported CPUs for the EVC mode you want to enable. See http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1003212 for a list of supported CPUs. n Verify that all hosts in the cluster are connected and registered on vCenter Server. The cluster cannot contain a disconnected host. n Virtual machines must be in the following power states, depending on whether you raise or lower the EVC mode.
vCenter Server and Host Management For example, consider a cluster containing hosts with Intel Xeon 45 nm Core two processors that have been set to the Intel Merom Generation (Xeon Core 2) EVC mode. A virtual machine powered on in this cluster runs in the Intel Merom Generation (Xeon Core 2) EVC mode. If the cluster's EVC mode is raised to Intel Penryn Generation (Xeon 45 nm Core 2), the virtual machine remains at the lower Intel Merom Generation (Xeon Core 2) EVC mode.
Chapter 11 Migrating Virtual Machines Procedure u Enable the AMD Opteron Gen. 3 (no 3DNow!) EVC mode for your EVC cluster. The steps to enable the EVC mode differ depending on whether you are creating a cluster or enabling the mode on an existing cluster, and on whether the existing cluster contains powered-on virtual machines. Option Description Creating a cluster In the New Cluster wizard, enable EVC for AMD hosts and select the AMD Opteron Gen. 3 (no 3DNow!) EVC mode.
vCenter Server and Host Management View CPUID Details for an EVC Cluster The feature set that is exposed by an EVC cluster corresponds to the feature set of a particular type of processor. Processor feature sets are described by a set of feature flags that you examine using the CPUID instruction. You can view the CPUID feature flags currently exposed by the hosts in an EVC cluster. Procedure 1 Select a cluster in the inventory. 2 Click the Configure tab.
Chapter 11 Migrating Virtual Machines 5 6 Select the format for the virtual machine's disks. Option Action Same format as source Use the same format as the source virtual machine. Thick Provision Lazy Zeroed Create a virtual disk in a default thick format. Space required for the virtual disk is allocated during creation. Any data remaining on the physical device is not erased during creation. Instead, it is zeroed out on demand on first write from the virtual machine.
vCenter Server and Host Management Migrate a Virtual Machine to a New Compute Resource You can use the Migration wizard to migrate a powered-on virtual machine from one compute resource to another by using vMotion. To relocate only the disks of a powered-on virtual machine, migrate the virtual machine to a new datastore by using Storage vMotion. Prerequisites Verify that your hosts and virtual machines meet the requirements for migration with vMotion with shared storage.
Chapter 11 Migrating Virtual Machines 6 Review the page and click Finish. vCenter Server moves the virtual machine to the new host or storage location. Event messages appear in the Events tab. The data displayed on the Summary tab shows the status and state throughout the migration. If errors occur during migration, the virtual machines revert to their original states and locations.
vCenter Server and Host Management 5 Option Action Thick Provision Eager Zeroed Create a thick disk that supports clustering features such as Fault Tolerance. Space required for the virtual disk is allocated at creation time. In contrast to the thick provision lazy zeroed format, the data remaining on the physical device is zeroed out during creation. It might take longer to create disks in this format than to create other types of disks. Thin Provision Use the thin provisioned format.
Chapter 11 Migrating Virtual Machines Event messages appear in the Events tab. The data displayed on the Summary tab shows the status and state throughout the migration. If errors occur during migration, the virtual machines revert to their original states and locations. Migrate a Virtual Machine to New Storage Use migration with Storage vMotion to relocate the configuration file of a virtual machine and virtual disks while the virtual machine is powered on.
vCenter Server and Host Management 5 Select the datastore location where you want to store the virtual machine files. Option Action Store all virtual machine files in the same location on a datastore. Select a datastore and click Next. Store all virtual machine files in the same Storage DRS cluster. a b c Store virtual machine configuration files and disks in separate locations. a b c d 6 Select a Storage DRS cluster.
Chapter 11 Migrating Virtual Machines 4 Click Add host networking. 5 On the Select connection type page, select VMkernel Network Adapter and click Next. 6 On the Select target device page, select the switch for the VMkernel adapter, and click Next. 7 Option Description Select an existing network Use the physical adapter configuration of an existing distributed port group to send data from the VMkernel adapter to the external network.
vCenter Server and Host Management What to do next Assign a default gateway, and configure the DNS settings, congestion control, and maximum number of connections for the vMotion TCP/IP stack. Place Traffic for Cold Migration, Cloning, and Snapshots on the Provisioning TCP/IP Stack Use the provisioning TCP/IP stack to isolate traffic for cold migration, VM clones, and snapshots, and to assign a dedicated default gateway, routing table, and DNS configuration for this traffic.
Chapter 11 Migrating Virtual Machines 9 10 11 (Optional) On the IPv4 settings page, select an option for obtaining IP addresses. Option Description Obtain IPv4 settings automatically Use DHCP to obtain IP settings. A DHCP server must be present on the network. Use static IPv4 settings Enter the IPv4 IP address and subnet mask for the VMkernel adapter. The VMkernel Default Gateway and DNS server addresses for IPv4 are obtained from the selected TCP/IP stack.
vCenter Server and Host Management Table 11‑1. Network Limits for Migration with vMotion Operation ESXi Version Network Type Maximum Cost vMotion 5.0, 5.1, 5.5, 6.0 1GigE 4 vMotion 5.0, 5.1, 5.5, 6.0 10GigE 8 Datastore Limits Datastore limits apply to migrations with vMotion and with Storage vMotion. A migration with vMotion has a resource cost of 1 against the shared virtual machine's datastore.
Chapter 11 Migrating Virtual Machines n Errors might disable migration if no error-free destination hosts are available among the selected destination hosts. In this case, if you click Next, the wizard displays the compatibility errors again, and you cannot proceed to the next step.
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Automating Management Tasks Using vRealize Orchestrator 12 VMware™ vRealize Orchestrator is a platform that provides a library of extensible workflows. By using the workflow library, you can automate and configure processes to manage the vSphere infrastructure, other VMware technologies, and third-party technologies. Orchestrator exposes every operation in the vCenter Server API so that you can integrate all these operations into your own automated processes.
vCenter Server and Host Management Input Workflow Parameters To run, most workflows require a certain set of input parameters. The workflow processes input parameters that the user, an application, another workflow, or an action passes to it. For example, if a workflow resets a virtual machine, the workflow requires the name of the virtual machine as an input parameter. Output Workflow Parameters The workflow output parameters represent the result from the workflow run.
Chapter 12 Automating Management Tasks Using vRealize Orchestrator Configure the Default vRealize Orchestrator You configure multiple Orchestrator servers to work with a vCenter Server instance that is connected to your vSphere Web Client. A default Orchestrator server is automatically configured to work with the vCenter Server instance, unless you configure one manually. Otherwise, a default Orchestrator server is automatically selected.
vCenter Server and Host Management Prerequisites n Verify that you have configured at least one Orchestrator server to work with the same Single Sign-On instance to which both the vCenter Server and vSphere Web Client are pointing. You must also ensure that Orchestrator is registered as a vCenter Serverextension. You register Orchestrator as a vCenter Server extension when you specify a user account that has the necessary privileges to manage vCenter Server extensions.
Chapter 12 Automating Management Tasks Using vRealize Orchestrator Export the Associations of Workflows with vSphere Objects You can transfer the associations of workflows with objects in the vSphere inventory from one vSphere Web Client to another by using an XML file. Prerequisites n Verify that you have configured at least one Orchestrator server to work with the same Single Sign-On instance to which both the vCenter Server and vSphere Web Client are pointing.
vCenter Server and Host Management Working with Workflows You can view information about Orchestrator workflows, run, and schedule workflows by using the vSphere Web Client. You can perform some scheduling and running tasks on the Orchestrator workflows from the vRealize Orchestrator view in the vSphere Web Client. You can schedule a workflow to run at a specified time or start a workflow directly, by right-clicking a vSphere inventory object and selecting All vRealize Orchestrator plugin Actions.
Chapter 12 Automating Management Tasks Using vRealize Orchestrator 8 9 (Optional) Select Schedule to configure the workflow to run at a specified time. a In the Task name text box, type the name of the scheduled task. b (Optional) In the Description text box, type a description of the scheduled task. c Schedule the date and time of the workflow run. d Specify the recurrence options. Click Finish.
vCenter Server and Host Management 2 Under Inventory Lists, click Workflows. A list of the available workflows appears. 3 Click the name of a workflow, and click the Monitor tab. A list of workflow runs appears. What to do next You can review the list of workflow runs, cancel a running workflow, or respond to a workflow that requires interaction. View Workflows That Are Waiting for User Interaction You can view the workflows that are waiting for a user interaction.
Chapter 12 Automating Management Tasks Using vRealize Orchestrator 4 Click Categories. 5 Double-click Library. Note Library is the default main workflow category. An Orchestrator server can have additional custom workflow categories. 6 Click Categories. A list of available workflow categories appears. 7 Double-click a workflow category to browse the available workflows and its subcategories.
vCenter Server and Host Management 6 In the Task name text box, type the name of the scheduled task. 7 (Optional) In the Description text box, type a description of the scheduled task. 8 Schedule the date and time of the workflow run. 9 Specify the recurrence options. 10 Click Finish. Edit the Schedule of a Workflow You can modify the schedule of a workflow and set it to run at an earlier or later time.
Chapter 12 Automating Management Tasks Using vRealize Orchestrator 4 Right-click the workflow that you want to run and select Run now. What to do next You can view information about the workflow run in the Recent Tasks pane or in the Orchestrator server menu. See “View Information About Workflow Runs,” on page 151. Suspend a Scheduled Task You can suspend a scheduled workflow run. You can also resume suspended scheduled tasks.
vCenter Server and Host Management Workflows for Managing Inventory Objects The default workflows for managing vSphere inventory objects are the workflows included in the vCenter Server plug-in workflow library. The vCenter Server plug-in workflow library contains workflows that you can use to run automated processes related to the vCenter Server and host management.
Chapter 12 Automating Management Tasks Using vRealize Orchestrator Guest Operation Files Workflows With the guest operation files workflows, you can manage files in a guest operating system. Check for directory in guest Verifies that a directory exists in a guest virtual machine. Check for file in guest Verifies that a file exists in a guest virtual machine. Copy file from guest to Orchestrator Copies a specified file from a guest file system to an Orchestrator server.
vCenter Server and Host Management Custom Attributes Workflows With the custom attributes workflows, you can add custom attributes to virtual machines or get a custom attribute for a virtual machine. Add custom attribute to a virtual machine Adds a custom attribute to a virtual machine. Add custom attribute to multiple virtual machines Adds a custom attribute to a selection of virtual machines. Get custom attribute Gets a custom attribute for a virtual machine in vCenter Server.
Chapter 12 Automating Management Tasks Using vRealize Orchestrator Data Center Folder Management Workflows With the data center folder management workflows, you can create, delete, or rename a data center folder. Create datacenter folder Creates a data center folder. Delete datacenter folder Deletes a data center folder and waits for the task to complete. Rename datacenter folder Renames a data center folder and waits for the task to complete.
vCenter Server and Host Management Host Power Management Workflows With the host power management workflows, you can reboot or shut down a host. Reboot host Reboots a host. If the Orchestrator client is connected directly to the host, it loses the connection to the host and does not receive an indication of success in the returned task. Shut down host Shuts down a host.
Chapter 12 Automating Management Tasks Using vRealize Orchestrator Distributed Virtual Port Group Workflows With the distributed virtual port group workflows, you can update or delete a port group, and reconfigure the port group. Connect virtual machine NIC number to distributed virtual port group Reconfigures the network connection of the specified virtual machine NIC number to connect to the specified distributed virtual port group. If no NIC number is specified, the number zero is used.
vCenter Server and Host Management Retrieve all standard virtual switches Retrieves all standard virtual switches from a host. Update port group in standard virtual switch Updates the properties of a port group in a standard virtual switch. Update standard virtual switch Updates the properties of a standard virtual switch. Update vNIC for port group in standard virtual switch Updates a vNIC associated with a port group in a standard virtual switch.
Chapter 12 Automating Management Tasks Using vRealize Orchestrator Display all datastores and disks Displays the existing datastores and available disks on a specified host. Enable iSCSI adapter Enables an iSCSI adapter. List all storage adapters Lists all storage adapters of a specified host. Storage DRS Workflows With the storage DRS workflows, you perform storage-related operations.
vCenter Server and Host Management Basic Virtual Machine Management Workflows With the basic virtual machine management workflows, you can perform basic operations on virtual machines, for example, create, rename, or delete a virtual machine, upgrade virtual hardware, and others. 164 Create custom virtual machine Creates a virtual machine with the specified configuration options and additional devices. Create simple dvPortGroup virtual machine Creates a simple virtual machine.
Chapter 12 Automating Management Tasks Using vRealize Orchestrator Upgrade virtual machine Upgrades the virtual hardware to the latest revision that the host supports. An input parameter allows a forced upgrade even if VMware Tools is out of date. Wait for task and answer virtual machine question Waits for a vCenter Server task to complete or for the virtual machine to ask a question. If the virtual machine requires an answer, accepts user input and answers the question.
vCenter Server and Host Management Linux Customization Clone Workflows With the Linux customization workflows, you can clone a Linux virtual machine and customize the guest operating system. Clone a Linux machine with multiple NICs Clones a Linux virtual machine, performs the guest operating system customization, and configures up to four virtual network cards.
Chapter 12 Automating Management Tasks Using vRealize Orchestrator Clone a Windows machine Sysprep with single NIC and credential Clones a Windows virtual machine performing the guest operating system customization. Configures one virtual network card and a local administrator user account. Sysprep tools must be available on vCenter Server. Clone a Windows machine with multiple NICs and credential Clones a Windows virtual machine performing the guest operating system customization.
vCenter Server and Host Management Migrate virtual machine with vMotion Migrates a virtual machine from one host to another by using the MigrateVM_Task operation from the vSphere API. Move virtual machine to another vCenter Server system Moves a list of virtual machines to another vCenter Server system. Quick migrate multiple virtual machines Suspends the virtual machines if they are powered on and migrates them to another host using the same storage.
Chapter 12 Automating Management Tasks Using vRealize Orchestrator Get Virtual Machine by Name and UUID Searches virtual machines by name and then filters the result with particular universally unique identifier (UUID) to identify a unique virtual machine. Note This workflow is needed when DynamicOps calls vRealize Orchestrator workflows having input parameters of VC:VirtualMachine type to make the correspondence between a particular DynamicOps and vRealize Orchestrator virtual machine.
vCenter Server and Host Management Remove all snapshots Removes all existing snapshots without reverting to a previous snapshot. Remove excess snapshots Finds virtual machines with more than a given number of snapshots and optionally deletes the oldest snapshots. Sends the results by email. Remove old snapshots Gets all snapshots that are older than a given number of days and prompts the user to select which ones to delete.
About Headless Systems 13 ESXi supports the detection and configuration of headless systems. A headless system is a system that can be operated without a monitor, keyboard, or mouse. Network Appliance boxes do not have VGA, the primary interface is a single serial port. You can set up your existing headless systems to use ESXi. You can add ESXi appliances to a data center where virtual machines are managed with vSphere Virtual Center.
vCenter Server and Host Management ESXi Serial Port Modes ESXi supports four serial port modes. There are four serial port modes in ESXi: Logging mode – Logging mode is the default mode in a debug build. Logging mode sends the vmkernel.log over the serial port. GDB mode – Use GDB mode for dedicated debugging. Shell mode – Shell mode is the shell port access, which is similar to SSH. DCUI mode – DCUI mode is a Direct Console User Interface.
Chapter 13 About Headless Systems Controlling the Serial DCUI You can use alternate keystrokes to control the DCUI over a serial port. These alternate are useful when F2 or other function keys cannot be used.
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Index Numerics 3DNow!, EVC modes 130 A abbreviations 9 adding hosts 66 adding license keys 99 advanced attributes, hosts 40 advanced settings, vCenter Server 50 analysis results, previewing 98 Asset 82 assets features in use 93 used features 93 assign licenses 87 assigning license keys 89 associate workflows 146, 147 attach file to service request 36 Auto Deploy Service, configuring 53 B baselines, security 21 basic host management workflows 159 basic virtual machine workflows 164 boot devices, configuri
vCenter Server and Host Management customer experience improvement program collected information 63 disabling 63 enabling 63 customizable UI, disabling 26 D data, refreshing 29 data center folder management folder 159 data center workflows 158 data centers, creating 66 data collection levels 44 data collector, enabling 63 database impact of statistics on 43 limiting size 48 retention policy 48 vCenter Server 15 datastore and files workflows 158 datastores about 18 relocate virtual machine files 124 defaul
Index I Image Builder service, settings 56 import an association of workflows 149 import wizard 96 import associations of workflows 146 import data, results analysis 98 import file, My VMware 97 import from My VMware 96 import license keys data 96 importing CSV files 98 importing license keys 96, 100 input parameters 145 interfaces 17 inventory organize 65 searching 29, 30 inventory object filter 31 quick filter 31 inventory keyboard shortcuts 36 inventory objects migrate 35 view recent 33 view last visite
vCenter Server and Host Management metadata 71 migrating encrypted virtual machines 119 MAC addresses management 124 network compatibility checks 123 powered-off virtual machines 132 powered-on virtual machines 134 suspended virtual machines 115, 132 turned off virtual machines 115 virtual machine disks 137 virtual machines 113 virtual machines and storage simultaneously 135 virtual machines with Storage vMotion 137 virtual machines without shared storage 135 with drag in vSphere Web Client, migrate 35 wit
Index resources definition 18 management 20 resuming, tasks 28 S saved searches, removing 34 saving, searches 31 scheduled tasks about 103 creating 104 removing 106 scheduling workflows 153 searches loading 31 saving 31 searching advanced 30 inventory 29, 30 load a search 31 save search 31 searching for workflows 152 security, baselines 21 serial modes 172 settings ESX agent VMs 40 vCenter Server 42 showing sidebars 26 simple search 30 SMTP notification 46 server 46 snapshot workflows 169 SNMP community s
vCenter Server and Host Management vCenter Server about 15 address 45 advanced settings 50 agent 15 assign license 42, 89 communication through firewall 62 configuring 39, 42 database 15 disconnecting from 24 license key 42, 89 licensing 42, 81, 89 logging in to 24 managed address 45 plug-ins 15, 21 runtime settings 45 set license 42, 89 settings 45 SSL settings 49 vCenter Server license 85 vCenter Server services, configuring 52 vCenter Server settings, message of the day 50 vCenter Server 5.
Index workflow scheduling resuming from suspension 155 running a scheduled workflow 154 suspending 155 workflow search 152 workflows basic host management 159 basic virtual machine 164 clone 165 cluster and compute resource 156 components 145 custom attributes 158 data center 158 data center folder management 159 datastore and files 158 device management 167 distributed virtual port group 161 distributed virtual switch 161 guest operation files 157 guest operation processes 157 host management registration
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