System Center Virtual Machine
Manager 2008 R2 RC Deployment Guide
Microsoft Corporation
Published: June 2009
Abstract
This guide provides information essential for the successful deployment of System Center Virtual
Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 R2 RC. The topics in this section provide detailed information
about system requirements, installing the components, upgrading or migrating from a previous
version, and additional deployment and configuration information.

This document supports a preliminary release of a software product that may be changed
substantially prior to final commercial release. This document is provided for informational
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SQL Server, and Windows PowerShell are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.
All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Contents
VMM 2008 System Requirements ................................................................................................... 7
In This Section.............................................................................................................................. 7
System Requirements: Installing VMM 2008 on a Single Computer .............................................. 7
Hardware Requirements .............................................................................................................. 8
From 5 to 10 hosts .................................................................................................................... 8
From 11 to 20 hosts .................................................................................................................. 8
Software Requirements ................................................................................................................ 8
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 10
System Requirements: VMM Server ............................................................................................. 10
Hardware Requirements ............................................................................................................ 11
Managing up to 150 hosts ...................................................................................................... 11
Managing more than 150 hosts .............................................................................................. 11
Software Requirements .............................................................................................................. 12
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 13
System Requirements: VMM Administrator Console .................................................................... 13
Hardware Requirements ............................................................................................................ 13
Managing up to 150 hosts ...................................................................................................... 13
Managing more than 150 hosts .............................................................................................. 14
Software Requirements .............................................................................................................. 14
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 15
System Requirements: VMM Self-Service Portal .......................................................................... 15
Hardware Requirements ............................................................................................................ 15
Maintaining up to 10 concurrent connections ......................................................................... 15
Maintaining more than 10 concurrent connections ................................................................. 15
Software Requirements .............................................................................................................. 16
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 17
System Requirements: VMM Database ........................................................................................ 17
Hardware Requirements ............................................................................................................ 18
Managing up to 150 hosts ...................................................................................................... 18
Managing more than 150 hosts .............................................................................................. 18
Software Requirements .............................................................................................................. 18
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 19
System Requirements: VMM Library Server ................................................................................. 19
Hardware Requirements ............................................................................................................ 20
Software Requirements .............................................................................................................. 20

See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 21
System Requirements: Virtual Machine Hosts .............................................................................. 21
Hardware Requirements ............................................................................................................ 21
Software Requirements .............................................................................................................. 22
Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 ................................................................................................. 22
Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 .............................................................. 23
Non-Windows hosts ................................................................................................................ 23
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 24
Network Requirements for VMM ................................................................................................... 24
Network Connections ................................................................................................................. 24
Domains ..................................................................................................................................... 24
Firewalls ..................................................................................................................................... 24
Computer firewalls .................................................................................................................. 24
Network firewalls ..................................................................................................................... 25
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 25
Supported Operating Systems for VMM Components .................................................................. 25
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 29
Supported Configurations for VMM 2008 R2 ................................................................................ 29
Supported Upgrade and Migration Paths ................................................................................... 30
System Requirements ................................................................................................................ 30
Support for Windows Domains ................................................................................................... 30
Supported Number of Hosts and Virtual Machines .................................................................... 31
Support for Virtualization Software ............................................................................................. 31
Support for Installing VMM 2008 Components on Virtual Machines ......................................... 31
Support for Storage Area Networks ........................................................................................... 31
Support for Clusters ................................................................................................................... 32
Support for a Disjointed Namespace ......................................................................................... 32
Support for Perimeter Networks ................................................................................................. 33
Support for Distributed Resources ............................................................................................. 33
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 33
New Installation of VMM 2008 ....................................................................................................... 33
In This Section............................................................................................................................ 34
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 34
Installing the VMM Server ............................................................................................................. 34
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 38
Installing the VMM Administrator Console .................................................................................... 38
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 40
Installing the VMM Self-Service Portal .......................................................................................... 41

See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 42
Installing a VMM Agent Locally on a Host ..................................................................................... 42
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 45
Installing the VMM Components from the Command Line ............................................................ 45
Installing the VMM Server .......................................................................................................... 45
Installing the VMM Administrator Console ................................................................................. 47
Installing the Self-Service Portal ................................................................................................ 48
Uninstalling VMM ....................................................................................................................... 49
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 49
Required Post-Installation Tasks ................................................................................................... 49
Add Virtual Machine Hosts ......................................................................................................... 50
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 50
Optional Post-Installation Tasks .................................................................................................... 50
Add or Remove VMM Administrators ......................................................................................... 50
Create Host Groups ................................................................................................................... 51
Set Up Self-Service .................................................................................................................... 51
Configure Operations Manager 2007 Integration with VMM ...................................................... 51
Configure VMM System Settings ............................................................................................... 51
Configure a SAN Environment for VMM .................................................................................... 51
Configure VMM to Manage a VMware Infrastructure 3 Environment ........................................ 52
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 52
Migrating to VMM 2008 R2 RC from VMM 2008 R2 Beta ............................................................. 52
Upgrading to VMM 2008 R2 from VMM 2008 ............................................................................... 56
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 59
Uninstalling VMM 2008 Components ............................................................................................ 59
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 61
Reinstalling VMM 2008 with a Retained Database ....................................................................... 61
See Also ..................................................................................................................................... 64
Configuring a Remote Instance of SQL Server for VMM 2008 ..................................................... 64
Configuring a Remote Instance of SQL Server .......................................................................... 65
Specifying a Remote Database in the VMM Server Setup Wizard ............................................ 66

[This is prerelease documentation and is subject to change in future releases. Blank
topics are included as placeholders.]
VMM 2008 System Requirements
This section provides the minimum and recommended system requirements for installing and
running System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2 in the following
deployment scenarios:
All VMM components installed on a single computer.
Each VMM component installed on a separate computer.
In either scenario, you must add at least one virtual machine host and each virtual machine host
must always be a separate physical computer.
In This Section
System Requirements: Installing VMM 2008 on a Single Computer
System Requirements: VMM Server
System Requirements: VMM Administrator Console
System Requirements: VMM Self-Service Portal
System Requirements: VMM Database
System Requirements: VMM Library Server
System Requirements: Virtual Machine Hosts
Network Requirements for VMM
Supported Operating Systems for VMM Components
System Requirements: Installing VMM 2008
on a Single Computer
This topic describes the minimum and recommended hardware and software requirements for
System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2 when installing all VMM
components on a single computer. Actual requirements vary based on your system configuration
and the number of hosts and virtual machines that you manage.
This scenario is recommended only if you are managing a small number of hosts. For better
performance when you are managing a large number of hosts, it is recommended that you
distribute workloads by installing individual VMM components on dedicated computers.
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Hardware Requirements
The minimum and recommended hardware requirements to install and operate all VMM
components on a single computer are listed in the following tables based on the number of hosts
that you manage.
From 5 to 10 hosts
Hardware component Minimum Recommended
Processor Pentium 4, 2 GHz (x64) Dual-Core Pentium 4, 2 GHz
(x64) or greater
RAM 2 GB 2 GB
Hard disk space 10 GB 40 GB
From 11 to 20 hosts
Hardware component Minimum Recommended
Processor Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz (x64) Dual-Core Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz
(x64) or greater
RAM 2 GB 4 GB
Hard disk space 10 GB 50 GB
Note
If this computer will also serve as a virtual machine host, it must have hardware-assisted
virtualization support, and the hardware-assisted virtualization support must be enabled
in the BIOS to run the Hyper-V server role in Windows Server 2008.
Software Requirements
The following software must be installed prior to installing all VMM components on a single
computer.
Software requirement Notes
A supported operating system For more information, see Supported Operating
Systems for VMM Components.
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Software requirement Notes
Windows PowerShell 1.0 or 2.0 Windows PowerShell 1.0 is included in
Windows Server 2008. If this feature has been
removed in Windows Server 2008, the Setup
Wizard automatically adds it.
Windows PowerShell 2.0 is included in
Windows Server 2008 R2.
Windows Remote Management (WinRM) 1.1 WinRM 1.1 is included in Windows
or 2.0 Server 2008, and by default, the WinRM
service is set to start automatically.
WinRM 2.0 is included in Windows
Server 2008 R2, and by default, the WinRM
service is set to start automatically (delayed
start).
If the WinRM service is disabled or set to
start manually and the service is stopped,
Setup will display a warning during the
prerequisites check.
If the WinRM service is set to start
automatically but is stopped, the Setup
Wizard automatically starts the service.
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 or 3.0 SP1 .NET Framework 3.0 is included in Windows
Server 2008. If this software has been
removed, the VMM 2008 Setup Wizard
automatically adds it.
.NET Framework 3.0 SP1 is included in
Windows Server 2008 R2. If this software has
been removed, the VMM 2008 Setup Wizard
automatically adds it.
Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) 1.1 If this software has not been installed
previously, the Setup Wizard automatically
installs it.
Windows Server Internet Information Services You must add the Web Server (IIS) role and
(IIS) 7.0 or 7.5 then install the following server role services:
IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility
IIS 6 WMI Compatibility
Static Content
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Software requirement Notes
Default Document
Directory Browsing
HTTP Errors
ASP.NET
.NET Extensibility
ISAPI Extensions
ISAPI Filters
Request Filtering
Note
A supported version of Microsoft SQL Server For more information about supported versions
of SQL Server, see System Requirements:
VMM Database.
See Also
Network Requirements for VMM
Supported Operating Systems for VMM Components
VMM 2008 System Requirements
System Requirements: VMM Server
For System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2, the following are
estimated system requirements for installing the VMM server. If your computer does not meet the
minimum requirements, you cannot install this component. Actual requirements vary based on
your system configuration and the number of hosts and virtual machines that you manage.
You can use the same computer for the VMM server, the VMM database, and as a library server.
If you manage 20 hosts or less and you use the same computer for all three VMM
components, see System Requirements: Installing VMM 2008 on a Single Computer.
If you manage up to 150 hosts and use the VMM server for either the VMM database or as a
VMM library server, see the Managing up to 150 hosts table below.
If you manage more than 150 hosts, it is recommended that you use a dedicated computer
for the VMM server. See the Managing more than 150 hosts table below.
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Hardware Requirements
The minimum and recommended hardware requirements for the VMM server depend on the
number of hosts that you manage and whether you use the same computer for the VMM server,
the VMM database, and as a library server.
Managing up to 150 hosts
Hardware component Minimum Recommended
Processor Pentium 4, 2 GHz (x64) Dual-Processor, Dual-Core,
2.8 GHz (x64) or greater
RAM 2 GB 4 GB
Hard disk space (without a 2 GB 40 GB
local VMM database)
Hard disk space (with a local 10 GB 50 GB
SQL Server 2005 Express
Note
Edition database)
For the SQL Server 2005
Express Edition, the
database size is limited
to 4 GB.
Hard disk space (with a local, 80 GB 150 GB
full version SQL Server 2005
database)
Note
If you also use the VMM server as a library server, you need to provide additional hard
disk space for storing objects. For more information about the hard disk space
requirements for the VMM library, see System Requirements: VMM Library Server.
Managing more than 150 hosts
Hardware component Minimum Recommended
Processor Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz (x64) Dual-Processor, Dual-Core,
3.6 GHz or greater (x64)
RAM 4 GB 8 GB
Hard disk space 10 GB 50 GB
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Note
For better performance, when you are managing more than 150 hosts, it is recommended
that you use a dedicated computer for the VMM server and do the following:
Software Requirements
The following software must be installed prior to installing the VMM server.
Software requirement Notes
A supported operating system For more information, see Supported Operating
Systems for VMM Components.
Windows Remote Management (WinRM) 1.1 WinRM 1.1 is included in Windows
or 2.0 Server 2008, and by default, the WinRM
service is set to start automatically.
WinRM 2.0 is included in Windows
Server 2008 R2, and by default, the WinRM
service is set to start automatically (delayed
start).
If the WinRM service is disabled or set to
start manually and if the service is stopped,
Setup will display a warning during the
prerequisites check.
If the WinRM service is set to start
automatically but is stopped, the Setup
Wizard automatically starts the service.
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 or 3.0 SP1 .NET Framework 3.0 is included in Windows
Server 2008. If this software has been
removed, the VMM 2008 Setup Wizard
automatically adds it.
The VMM 2008 R2 Setup Wizard automatically
adds .NET Framework 3.0 SP1.
Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) 1.1 If this software has not been installed
previously, the Setup Wizard automatically
installs it.
A supported version of Microsoft SQL Server If you use the same computer for your VMM
server and your VMM database, you must
install a supported version of Microsoft SQL
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topics are included as placeholders.]
Software requirement Notes
Server. For more information about supported
versions of SQL Server, see System
Requirements: VMM Database.
Note
For better performance, when you are managing more than 150 hosts, it is recommended
that you use a separate computer for your VMM database.
See Also
Supported Operating Systems for VMM Components
System Requirements: Installing VMM 2008 on a Single Computer
System Requirements: VMM Database
VMM 2008 System Requirements
System Requirements: VMM Administrator
Console
For System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2, the following are
estimated system requirements for installing the VMM Administrator Console on a dedicated
computer. If your computer does not meet the minimum requirements, you will not be able to
install this component. Actual requirements vary based on your system configuration and the
number of hosts and virtual machines that you manage.
It is recommended that you install a VMM Administrator Console on the same computer as the
VMM server. You can install additional VMM Administrator Consoles on other computers to
remotely access and manage one or more VMM servers. When you install the VMM
Administrator Console, the Setup Wizard also installs Windows PowerShell — Virtual Machine
Manager command shell.
Hardware Requirements
The following are the minimum and recommended hardware requirements for the VMM
Administrator Console based on the number of hosts you manage.
Managing up to 150 hosts
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Hardware component Minimum Recommended
Processor Pentium 4, 550 MHz Pentium 4, 1 GHz or greater
RAM 512 MB 1 GB
Hard disk space 512 MB 2 GB
Managing more than 150 hosts
Hardware component Minimum Recommended
Processor Pentium 4, 1 GHz Pentium 4, 2 GHz or greater
RAM 1 GB 2 GB
Hard disk space 512 MB 4 GB
Software Requirements
The following software must be installed prior to installing the VMM Administrator Console.
Software requirement Notes
A supported operating system for the VMM For more information, see Supported Operating
Administrator Console Systems for VMM Components.
Windows PowerShell 1.0 or 2.0 Windows PowerShell 1.0 is included in
Windows Server 2008. If this feature has been
removed in Windows Server 2008, the Setup
Wizard automatically adds it.
Windows PowerShell 2.0 is included in
Windows Server 2008 R2.
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 For Windows Server 2008 or Windows
Server 2008 R2, Microsoft .NET
Framework 2.0 is not required.
For all other supported operating systems,
if Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 is not
installed; you can have the Setup Wizard
install it.
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See Also
Supported Operating Systems for VMM Components
System Requirements: Installing VMM 2008 on a Single Computer
System Requirements: VMM Administrator Console
VMM 2008 System Requirements
System Requirements: VMM Self-Service
Portal
For System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2, the following are the
system requirements for installing the VMM Self-Service Portal on a dedicated computer. If your
computer does not meet the minimum requirements, you will not be able to install this
component. Actual requirements vary based on your system configuration and the number of
concurrent self-service connections that are maintained on the Web server.
Hardware Requirements
The minimum and recommended hardware requirements for the VMM Self-Service Portal depend
on the number of concurrent connections that are maintained on the Web server.
Important
The installation of the VMM Self-Service Portal on a domain controller is not supported.
Maintaining up to 10 concurrent connections
Hardware component Minimum Recommended
Processor Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz
RAM 2 GB 2 GB
Hard disk space 512 MB 20 GB
Maintaining more than 10 concurrent connections
Hardware component Minimum Recommended
Processor Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz Dual-Core 64-bit, 3.2 GHz or
greater
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Hardware component Minimum Recommended
RAM 2 GB 8 GB
Hard disk space 10 GB 40 GB
Software Requirements
The following software must be installed prior to installing the VMM Self-Service Portal.
Software requirement Notes
A supported operating system for the VMM For more information, see Supported Operating
Self-Service Portal Systems for VMM Components.
Windows Server Internet Information For Windows Server 2003, you must add
Services (IIS) the Windows Server IIS 6.0 component.
For Windows Server 2008 or 2008 R2, you
must add the Web Server (IIS) role and
then install the following server role
services:
IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility
IIS 6 WMI Compatibility
Static Content
Default Document
Directory Browsing
HTTP Errors
ASP.NET
.NET Extensibility
ISAPI Extensions
ISAPI Filters
Request Filtering
Windows PowerShell 1.0 or 2.0 Windows PowerShell 1.0 is included in
Windows Server 2008. If this feature has been
removed in Windows Server 2008, the Setup
Wizard automatically adds it.
Windows PowerShell 2.0 is included in
Windows Server 2008 R2.
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 (for Windows If Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 is not
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topics are included as placeholders.]
Software requirement Notes
Server 2003 only) installed, you can have the Setup Wizard install
it.
See Also
Supported Operating Systems for VMM Components
System Requirements: Installing VMM 2008 on a Single Computer
VMM 2008 System Requirements
System Requirements: VMM Database
System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 and VMM 2008 R2 use a Microsoft SQL
Server database to store the information you view in the VMM Administrator Console, such as
managed virtual machines, virtual machine hosts, virtual machine libraries, jobs, and other virtual
machine–related data.
When you install the VMM server, you can do the following:
Specify an existing local instance of a supported version of SQL Server.
Specify an existing remote instance of a supported version of SQL Server.
Important
If you specify a remote instance of SQL Server for the VMM database, there are
important additional steps you need to perform. For more information about
configuring and using a remote instance of SQL Server for the VMM database, see
Configuring a Remote Instance of SQL Server for VMM 2008.
Have the Setup Wizard install SQL Server 2005 Express Edition locally on the VMM server.
You can have VMM 2008 Setup install SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 and the
VMM 2008 R2 Setup install SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP3.
Note
The SQL Server 2005 Express Edition database size is limited to 4 GB and is not
supported for integrating VMM with System Center Operations Manager 2007 for
Reporting and Monitoring features in VMM. Therefore, it is recommended that you
use a full version of SQL Server when you are managing more than 150 hosts or
when you want to integrate VMM with Operations Manager. For more information
about integrating VMM with Operations Manager, see ―Configuring Operations
Manager 2007 Integration with VMM 2008‖ in VMM 2008 R2 RC Operations Manager
Integration.
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If you install SQL Server Express Edition on the VMM server, you will need additional hard disk
space for the VMM database.
The following are the system requirements for installing the VMM database on a computer that is
separate from the VMM server, and these requirements are based on the number of hosts you
manage. Actual requirements vary based on your system configuration and the number of hosts
and virtual machines that you manage.
Hardware Requirements
The following tables provide the minimum and recommended hardware requirements for the
VMM database based on the number of hosts you manage.
Managing up to 150 hosts
Hardware component Minimum Recommended
Processor Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz Dual-Core 64-bit, 2 GHz
RAM 2 GB 4 GB
Hard disk space 80 GB 150 GB
Managing more than 150 hosts
Hardware component Minimum Recommended
Processor Dual-Core 64-bit, 2 GHz Dual-Core 64-bit, 2.8 GHz
RAM 4 GB 8 GB
Hard disk space 150 GB 200 GB
Software Requirements
The following table shows the supported versions of Microsoft SQL Server for the VMM database.
If you use the Setup Wizard to install SQL Server, the VMM 2008 Setup Wizard installs SQL
Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 and the VMM 2008 R2 Setup Wizard installs SQL Server 2005
Express Edition SP3.
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Supported versions of SQL Server
Supported SQL Server versions Supports Reporting in VMM
SQL Server 2008 Express Edition No
SQL Server 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit) Standard Yes
Edition
SQL Server 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit) Enterprise Yes
Edition
SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 or SP3 No
SQL Server 2005 (32-bit and 64-bit) Standard Yes
Edition SP2 or SP3
SQL Server 2005 (32-bit and 64-bit) Enterprise Yes
Edition SP2 or SP3
Important
To use SQL Server 2008 for the VMM database, SQL Server Management Tools must
be installed on the VMM server.
See Also
System Requirements: Installing VMM 2008 on a Single Computer
System Requirements: VMM Server
VMM 2008 System Requirements
System Requirements: VMM Library Server
For System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2, the following are
estimated system requirements for adding a VMM library server on a dedicated computer. If your
computer does not meet the minimum requirements, you cannot install this component.
When you install the VMM server, Setup automatically adds the computer as the default library
server, with a default library share. After setup is complete, you can add library shares to the
default library server or add other library servers on separate computers. However, you cannot
move or remove the default library server or the default library share.
Note
For better performance, when you are managing more than 150 hosts, it is recommended
that you add one or more remote computers as library servers and that you do not use
the default library share on the VMM server.
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Hardware Requirements
The minimum and recommended hardware requirements for a VMM library server vary
depending on a number of factors, including but not limited to, the quantity and size of the
following files that will be stored on the library server:
Virtual machine templates
Virtual hard disks
Virtual floppy disks
ISO images
Scripts
Hardware profiles
Guest operating system profiles
Stored virtual machines
Hardware component Minimum Recommended
Processor Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz Dual-Core 64-bit, 3.2 GHz or
greater
RAM 2 GB 2 GB
Hard disk space Varies based on the number Varies based on the number
and size of files stored and size of files stored
Software Requirements
The following software must be installed prior to adding a VMM library server.
Software requirement Notes
A supported operating system for the VMM For more information, see Supported Operating
library server Systems for VMM Components.
Windows Remote Management (WinRM) 1.1 WinRM 1.1 is included in Windows
or 2.0 Server 2008, and by default, the WinRM service
is set to start automatically.
WinRM 2.0 is included in Windows
Server 2008 R2, and by default, the WinRM
service is set to start automatically (delayed
start).
If the WinRM service is disabled or set to
start manually and if the service is stopped,
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topics are included as placeholders.]
Software requirement Notes
Setup will display a warning during the
prerequisites check.
If the WinRM service is set to start
automatically but is stopped, the Setup
Wizard automatically starts the service.
For Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 or
Windows Server 2003 R2, you must install this
software from the following site: WS-
Management v1.1
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=84599).
Note
For Windows Server 2003 R2, if you
have previously enabled WinRM by
using the Management and Monitoring
Tools components group in
Add/Remove Windows Components,
it will not work with VMM. You must
disable WinRM and then install the
version of this software indicated here,
which overwrites your existing version.
See Also
Supported Operating Systems for VMM Components
System Requirements: Installing VMM 2008 on a Single Computer
VMM 2008 System Requirements
System Requirements: Virtual Machine Hosts
The system requirements for a virtual machine host in System Center Virtual Machine Manager
(VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2 vary depending on the host's virtualization software and other
factors.
Hardware Requirements
The hardware requirements for a host vary depending on a number of factors, including but not
limited to the following:
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The virtualization software installed on the host
The number and type of guest operating systems
The applications you plan to run on the guest operating systems
For more information about the hardware requirements for a host, refer to the product
documentation for the virtualization software installed on the host.
Note
A host running the Hyper-V server role in Windows Server 2008 must have hardware-
assisted virtualization support and hardware-assisted virtualization support must be
enabled in the BIOS.
Software Requirements
VMM supports the following virtualization software for managing hosts.
Microsoft Virtual Server 2005
The following software is required for a host that is running Virtual Server 2005 virtualization
software.
Software requirement Notes
A supported version of the Windows For more information, see Supported Operating
Server 2003 operating system Systems for VMM Components.
One of the following versions of Microsoft When you add a host to VMM and that host's
Virtual Server 2005: operating system supports Virtual
Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 with SP1 Server 2005 R2, VMM automatically installs the
or later correct version of Virtual Server 2005 R2 if it is
not installed already.
Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 x64 with
SP1 or later
Windows Remote Management (WinRM) If you have previously enabled WinRM by using
installed from the following site: WS- the Management and Monitoring Tools
Management v1.1 components group in Add/Remove Windows
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=84599) Components, that version will not work with
VMM. You must install the version of this
software indicated here, which overwrites your
existing version.
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Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2
The following software is required for a host that is running Windows Server Hyper-V
virtualization software.
Software requirement Notes
A supported version of the Windows For more information, see Supported Operating
Server 2008 operating system Systems for VMM Components.
Windows Server Hyper-V server role must be To enable the Hyper-V server role in Windows
enabled Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2, the
computer must have hardware-assisted
virtualization support enabled in the BIOS.
The latest Windows Server Hyper-V updates For Windows Server 2008 only, Hyper-V
should be installed updates must be installed in the following order:
1. Hyper-V Update for Windows Server 2008
x64 Edition (KB950050)
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=142
900)
2. Hyper-V Update for Windows Server 2008
x64 Edition (KB956589)
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=113
199)
Non-Windows hosts
The following software is required for a host that is running VMware® virtualization software.
Software requirement Notes
One of the following versions of VMware® For more information about the software
VirtualCenter: requirements for VMware, refer to the VMware
VMware® VirtualCenter 2.5 product documentation.
VMware® VirtualCenter 2.0.1
One of the following versions of VMware® ESX When you add a VMware® VirtualCenter server
Server: to VMM, all existing hosts that are running a
VMware® ESX Server 3.5 supported version of ESX Server are also
added to VMM.
VMware® ESX Server 3.0.2
VMware® ESX Server 3i
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See Also
VMM 2008 System Requirements
Network Requirements for VMM
This topic describes network requirements and considerations for installing System Center Virtual
Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2.
Network Connections
Because of the large size of virtual machine files, it is a best practice to connect all computers in
a VMM configuration with at least a 100 MB Ethernet connection. Using a gigabit Ethernet
connection and a more powerful processor for the VMM server than the recommended processor
can further improve performance.
Domains
Before installing the VMM server, you must join the computer to a domain in Active Directory. All
Windows Server-based virtual machine hosts must also be joined to Active Directory domains. A
Windows Server-based host can be in a domain separate from the VMM server's domain and a
host can be in a domain with a two-way trust with the VMM server’s domain or in a domain that
does not have a two-way trust with the VMM server’s domain.
For Windows Server-based hosts in perimeter networks, you must install a VMM agent locally on
that host, configure the firewalls as discussed later in this topic, and then add the host to VMM.
For more information about installing a VMM agent, see Installing a VMM Agent Locally on a
Host.
Firewalls
Virtual machine hosts and library servers must have access to the VMM server on the ports
specified during VMM server setup. This means that all firewalls, whether software-based or
hardware-based, must be configured appropriately.
Computer firewalls
When you install the VMM server, you specify which ports the VMM server uses to communicate
with the VMM Administrator Console, for communications with and file transfers between hosts
and library servers. If you install the VMM server on a computer that is using Windows Firewall,
the Setup Wizard automatically adds firewall port exceptions to Windows Firewall.
When you install the VMM Self-Service Portal, you specify which port the self-service users use
to connect to the portal. By default, this port is 80.
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When you add a computer that is using Windows Firewall as a host or a library server, VMM
automatically adds firewall port exceptions to Windows Firewall on that computer. VMM adds
firewall exceptions for the ports that were specified during the VMM server and the VMM Self-
Service Portal installation. For more information about ports used in VMM, see ―VMM Ports and
Protocols‖ in VMM 2008 R2 RC Security.
Note
The only firewall that VMM configures automatically is Windows Firewall. To configure
any other firewall, refer to the instructions provided by the firewall's manufacturer.
Network firewalls
To add a host that is located behind a network firewall, you must install a VMM agent locally on
that host. When you install a VMM agent, you specify which ports the agent uses to connect to
and transfer files between the VMM server and the host. The ports you specify for the agent must
identically match the ports that you specified during the VMM server installation. If you install a
VMM agent on a host that is using Windows Firewall, Setup automatically opens the specified
ports in the Windows Firewall on the host. For more information about ports used in VMM, see
―VMM Ports and Protocols‖ in VMM 2008 R2 RC Security.
Before you can add the host and use VMM to manage it across the network firewall, you need to
manually open the specified ports in the network firewall to allow communication and file transfers
between the VMM server and the host.
Note
The only firewall that VMM configures automatically is Windows Firewall. To configure
any other firewall, refer to the instructions provided by the firewall's manufacturer.
See Also
VMM 2008 System Requirements
Supported Operating Systems for VMM
Components
The following tables show the Windows operating systems that are supported for installing
System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 and VMM 2008 R2 components and for
adding managed computers to VMM.
The Single Computer column shows which operating systems are supported for installing all
VMM components on a single computer. This includes the VMM Server, VMM database, VMM
library, VMM Administrator Console, and, optionally, the VMM Service-Service Portal.
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VMM Server and Windows-Based Hosts
Operating System Single Computer VMM Server Hyper-V Hosts Virtual Server
Hosts
The Windows Yes Yes Yes No
Server 2008 R2
operating system with
Hyper-V 64-bit,
Standard, Enterprise,
and Datacenter Editions
Windows No Yes No No
Server 2008 R2 without
Hyper-V 64-bit,
Standard, Enterprise,
and Datacenter Editions
Windows No No No No
Server 2008 R2 32-bit,
Standard, Enterprise,
and Datacenter Editions
Windows No No Yes No
Server 2008 R2—
Server Core installation,
Standard, Enterprise,
and Datacenter Editions
The Windows Yes Yes Yes No (See
Server 2008 operating Note 1)
system with Hyper-
V 64-bit, Standard,
Enterprise, and
Datacenter Editions
Windows Server 2008 No Yes No Yes
without Hyper-V 64-bit,
Standard, Enterprise,
and Datacenter Editions
Windows Server 2008 No No No Yes
without Hyper-V 32-bit,
Standard, Enterprise,
and Datacenter Editions
Windows Server 2008— No No Yes Yes
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Operating System Single Computer VMM Server Hyper-V Hosts Virtual Server
Hosts
Server Core installation,
Standard, Enterprise,
and Datacenter Editions
The Windows No No No Yes
Server 2003 operating
system with Service
Pack 2, Standard,
Enterprise, and
Datacenter Editions
Windows No No No Yes
Server 2003 R2 with
Service Pack 2
Windows Server 2003 No No No Yes
x64 Edition with Service
Pack 2
Windows No No No Yes
Server 2003 R2 x64
Edition with Service
Pack 2
Note 1: A computer with the Windows Server 2008 operating system with Hyper-
V 64-bit, without Hyper-V enabled and with Virtual Server 2005 installed, can be
added as a Virtual Server host.
Other VMM Components and VMM Library Servers
Operating System VMM Administrator VMM Self-Service VMM Library Server
Console Portal
The Windows Yes Yes Yes
Server 2008 R2 operating
system with Hyper-V 64-
bit, Standard, Enterprise,
and Datacenter Editions
Windows Server 2008 R2 Yes Yes Yes
without Hyper-V 64-bit,
Standard, Enterprise, and
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Operating System VMM Administrator VMM Self-Service VMM Library Server
Console Portal
Datacenter Editions
Windows Server 2008 R2 Yes Yes Yes
without Hyper-V 32-bit,
Standard, Enterprise, and
Datacenter Editions
Windows No No Yes
Server 2008 R2—Server
Core installation, Standard,
Enterprise, and Datacenter
Editions
Windows Web No Yes No
Server 2008 R2
The Windows Server 2008 Yes Yes Yes
operating system with
Hyper-V 64-bit, Standard,
Enterprise, and Datacenter
Editions
Windows Server 2008 Yes Yes Yes
without Hyper-V 64-bit,
Standard, Enterprise, and
Datacenter Editions
Windows Server 2008 Yes Yes Yes
without Hyper-V 32-bit,
Standard, Enterprise, and
Datacenter Editions
Windows Server 2008— No No Yes
Server Core installation,
Standard, Enterprise, and
Datacenter Editions
Windows Web Server 2008 No Yes No
The Windows Server 2003 Yes Yes Yes
operating system with
Service Pack 2, Standard,
Enterprise, and Datacenter
Editions
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Operating System VMM Administrator VMM Self-Service VMM Library Server
Console Portal
Windows Server 2003 R2 Yes Yes Yes
with Service Pack 2
Windows Server 2003 x64 Yes Yes Yes
Edition with Service Pack 2
Windows Server 2003 R2 Yes Yes Yes
x64 Edition with Service
Pack 2
The Windows Vista Yes No No
operating system with
Service Pack 1
The Windows XP Yes No No
Professional operating
system with Service Pack 2
or Service Pack 3
The Windows XP Yes No No
Professional x64 Edition
operating system with
Service Pack 2
See Also
VMM 2008 System Requirements
Supported Configurations for VMM 2008 R2
System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2 can scale across a wide
range of virtual environments from a stand-alone VMM implementation with all VMM components
installed on a single computer, managing a virtual environment with up to 20 hosts, to a fully
distributed enterprise environment, managing hundreds of hosts and thousands of virtual
machines dispersed across a wide geographic area.
The modularity of the VMM components allows you to configure your VMM implementation in a
manner that best meets the management needs and objectives of your virtual environment. You
can install all VMM components on a single computer, install more than one VMM component on
a single computer, or install each VMM component on a different computer, depending on the
size and complexity of your environment.
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If your environment has multiple data centers, you can choose to deploy a central VMM
implementation to manage the virtual environments for all of your data centers, or deploy
separate VMM implementations in each data center to manage its virtual environment. If your
environment has a large development and testing environment, you can deploy a separate VMM
implementation to exclusively manage that virtual environment.
Note
For information about new supported configurations for the VMM 2008 R2 RC release,
see What's New in VMM 2008 R2 Release Candidate on the Microsoft Connect site
(https://connect.microsoft.com/content/content.aspx?ContentID=12382&SiteID=799).
Supported Upgrade and Migration Paths
You can upgrade to VMM 2008 R2 from VMM 2008.
For more information, see Upgrading to VMM 2008 R2 from VMM 2008.
You can migrate to VMM 2008 R2 RC from VMM 2008 R2 Beta.
For more information, see Migrating to VMM 2008 R2 RC from VMM 2008 R2 Beta.
System Requirements
This section provides a brief overview of the system requirements for VMM 2008 and links to
other sections of the documentation that provide more detailed information.
The hardware requirements for installing each VMM component vary and are presented as both
the minimum and the recommended requirements. A critical factor for the successful operation of
a VMM implementation is to properly configure the hardware for all VMM components. This is
especially true for virtual machine hosts. Just as with physical computers, the overall performance
of a virtual machine depends significantly on the level of available resources on the virtual
machine host.
The hardware and software requirements are provided for installing all VMM components on a
single computer and for installing each VMM component on a separate computer. If you want to
install more than one VMM component on a single computer, you should meet the highest
hardware requirements for any one of the components that you want to install.
To view the system requirements for installing all VMM components on a single computer,
see System Requirements: Installing VMM 2008 on a Single Computer.
To view the system requirements for installing each VMM component on a separate
computer, see VMM 2008 System Requirements.
Support for Windows Domains
You can install VMM 2008 in a Windows Server 2008 or a Windows Server 2003 domain.
Windows 2000 domains are not supported by VMM 2008.
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Supported Number of Hosts and Virtual Machines
The maximum number of hosts and virtual machines tested with and supported by VMM on the
highest recommended hardware configuration is 400 hosts and 8,000 virtual machines.
Important
If your VMM implementation has over 150 hosts, we strongly recommended that you
enable server-optimized garbage collector (GC) on the VMM server instead of the default
workstation garbage collector. This can significantly reduce the CPU utilization on the
VMM server and improve your performance for parallel VMM operations. For more
information, see Configuring Garbage Collection on the Server
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=102219).
The number of virtual machines that can be run on a host is primarily limited by the configuration
of the host and of the virtual machines on the host.
Support for Virtualization Software
VMM 2008 supports the following virtualization software:
Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 with SP1 or later
Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 x64 with SP1 or later
Windows Server 2008, with the release version of Hyper-V
VMware® VirtualCenter 2.5, with the following versions of VMware® ESX Server:
VMware® ESX Server 3.5
VMware® ESX Server 3.0 or above
Support for Installing VMM 2008 Components on
Virtual Machines
VMM 2008 supports the installation of VMM components on virtual machines. However, you
cannot use a virtual machine as a host.
Important
To make a library server highly available, VMM 2008 supports adding highly available library
shares on a failover cluster created in Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition or Windows
Server 2008 Datacenter Edition.
Support for Storage Area Networks
VMM 2008 supports the following SANs for the transfer of virtual machine files:
Fibre Channel
N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) Fibre Channel
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iSCSI SANs using the Microsoft Initiator
VMM requires that you create a single volume on each disk. A virtual machine on a LUN that
contains multiple volumes cannot be transferred on a SAN. For more information, see Configuring
a SAN Environment for VMM 2008 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=113691).
Support for Clusters
VMM does not provide any cluster management functionality. All host clustering configuration and
cluster resource group management must be performed outside of VMM by using cluster
management tools.
VMM 2008 supports failover clusters created by using Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition or
Windows Server 2008 Database Edition. VMM 2008 is not aware of failover clusters created in
Windows Server 2003.
VMM 2008 supports the following uses of cluster resources:
A VMM database that is configured as a SQL Server failover cluster instance.
Highly available library server by adding file servers on a failover cluster created in Windows
Server 2008 Enterprise Edition or Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition.
Virtual machine hosts running Windows Server 2008 that are configured as failover clusters
hosting highly available virtual machines.
Note
Adding Windows host clusters is supported only for hosts in a trusted domain.
VMware clusters and the creation and management of highly available virtual machines on
VMware ESX Server host clusters.
Installing the VMM server on a cluster has not been tested and is not supported. To make the
VMM server highly available, it is recommended that you install it on a highly available virtual
machine.
Support for a Disjointed Namespace
VMM 2008 supports adding and managing hosts that are in a disjointed namespace, which
occurs when the computer's primary Domain Name System (DNS) suffix does not match the
domain of which it is a member. For more information about a disjointed namespace, see Naming
conventions in Active Directory for computers, domains, sites, and OUs
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=123886).
To use VMM in a disjointed namespace, you need to do the following:
To add hosts to VMM that are in a disjointed namespace, ensure that the DNS name of the
computer is a registered host Service Principal Name (SPN) in Active Directory.
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When you add the host by using the Add Hosts Wizard, you must skip the Active Directory
name verification. For more information, see How to Add Hosts in an Active Directory Domain
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=145073).
Support for Perimeter Networks
You can add and manage hosts on a perimeter network, but you must install the VMM agent
locally on the hosts and then add them in the VMM Administrator Console. For more information
about adding a host on a perimeter network, see Installing a VMM Agent Locally on a Host.
VMM 2008 does not support adding a clustered host that is on a perimeter network.
After you deploy virtual machines on a host that is on a perimeter network, you cannot migrate
those virtual machines to a host on the internal network or to another host on the perimeter
network.
Support for Distributed Resources
For geographically disperse organizations, VMM supports the use of distributed VMM library
servers that are managed by a centralized VMM server. For example, if you have branch offices
in multiple locations, users in those locations can build virtual machines by using resources from
a local library server instead of copying multi-gigabyte files from a centralized library server over a
wide area network (WAN). Having distributed VMM libraries can also help ensure the availability
of files during WAN outages or server failures.
Note
VMM 2008 does not provide a method for replicating physical files in the VMM library or
metadata for objects that are stored in the VMM database. Physical files must be
replicated outside of VMM and metadata must be transferred by using scripts or other
means. VMM does not support DFS Namespaces (DFSN), formerly known as Distributed
File System (DFS), or DFS Replication (DFSR).
See Also
New Installation of VMM 2008
The topics in this section provide step-by-step instructions for a new installation of the Microsoft
System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2 components. You can
use the information in this section to install all VMM components on a single computer or to install
each VMM component on separate computers. For more information, see Planning and
Architecture (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=130607).
Before you begin the installation of the VMM components:
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1. Ensure that all computers meet at least the minimum hardware requirements and that all
prerequisite software is installed. For more information about hardware and software
requirements, see VMM 2008 System Requirements.
2. It is highly recommended that you run the Virtual Machine Manager Configuration Analyzer
(VMMCA) for each computer on which you want to install a VMM component. VMMCA is a
diagnostic tool that verifies configuration settings for your computer that are important to
running VMM. You can download the VMMCA for VMM 2008 R2 at System Center Virtual
Machine Manager 2008 Configuration Analyzer Update 1
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=125654).
Note
To scan a remote computer, ensure that a firewall on the remote computer is not
blocking Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) communication or the service
control manager (SCM), known as Remote Service Management in the Windows
Vista operating system, and that the WMI service is running on the remote computer.
Important
After you have finished installing the VMM components, there are additional tasks
required to make VMM fully functional and optional configuration tasks depending on how
you implement VMM in your environment.
In This Section
Installing the VMM Server
Installing the VMM Administrator Console
Installing the VMM Self-Service Portal
Installing a VMM Agent Locally on a Host
Installing the VMM Components from the Command Line
Required Post-Installation Tasks
Optional Post-Installation Tasks
See Also
VMM 2008 System Requirements
Installing the VMM Server
For System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2, before installing the
VMM server, ensure that the computer meets the minimum hardware requirements and that all
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prerequisite software is installed. For more information about hardware and software
requirements, see System Requirements: VMM Server.
When you install the VMM server, you also set up your VMM database and your default library
server.
VMM database
VMM uses a Microsoft SQL Server database to store the information that you view in the VMM
Administrator Console, such as virtual machines, virtual machine hosts, virtual machine library
servers, and their properties.
During VMM server setup, you must select one of the following VMM database options:
Have Setup install a new instance of SQL Server 2005 Express Edition and create a new
database locally. You can have VMM 2008 Setup install SQL Server 2005 Express
Edition SP2 and VMM 2008 R2 Setup install SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP3.
Use an existing instance of a supported version of SQL Server, either local or remote, and
use an existing database or create a new database. For more information about supported
versions of SQL Server, see System Requirements: VMM Database.
Important
If you use a remote instance of SQL Server, there are additional configuration steps you
must perform. For more information about configuring and using a remote instance of
SQL Server for the VMM database, see Configuring a Remote Instance of SQL Server
for VMM 2008.
Note
To use an existing local instance of SQL Server Express, its SQL Server service must be
running under the network service account, not under the local system account.
To make the VMM database highly available, you can use an SQL Server instance that is
deployed on a failover cluster. For more information about configuring a highly available instance
of SQL Server for the VMM database, see Planning for High Availability
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=145068).
Default VMM library server
VMM uses library servers and library shares to store file-based resources, such as ISO images
and virtual hard disks that can be used to create virtual machines. The VMM library also makes
available virtual machine templates, guest operating system profiles, and hardware profiles that
reside in the VMM database. You can also store virtual machines in the library when they are not
in use
When you install the VMM server, Setup also adds the computer as the default library server, and
you have the option to either create a new default library share on the VMM server or use an
existing share on the VMM server as a library share. After setup is complete, you can add other
library shares to the default library server or other library servers on separate computers.
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Important
You cannot remove or relocate the default library server or its library share. Give careful
consideration to the location of the default library share before installing the VMM server.
Use the following procedure to install the VMM server. To perform this procedure, you must have
administrator privileges on the computer.
To install the Virtual Machine Manager server
1. On the product media or network share, right-click setup.exe, and then click Run as
administrator.
Important
If you set up a network share to install VMM components, you should apply the
appropriate security to the share to ensure that no unauthorized or
unauthenticated users can access or alter the contents of the share.
2. On the Setup menu, click VMM Server.
3. On the Microsoft Update page, indicate whether or not you want to use Microsoft
Update.
Note
If you have previously chosen to use Microsoft Update on this computer, the
Microsoft Update page does not appear.
4. On the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) page, click Yes to
participate in, or No to opt out of, the CEIP.
5. On the Prerequisites Check page, review any alerts or warnings about hardware that
does not meet the minimum or recommended requirements, or missing software
prerequisites. You can continue the installation if you receive warnings, but you must
resolve all alerts before you can proceed with the installation. For more information, see
System Requirements: VMM Server.
6. On the Installation Location page, type an installation path for the program files or click
Next to use the default path.
7. On the SQL Server Settings page, select the appropriate Microsoft SQL Server settings
for your VMM database.
Important
If you specify a remote SQL Server instance, there are additional configuration
steps you must perform. For more information, see Configuring a Remote
Instance of SQL Server (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=134060).
Note
8. On the Library Share Settings page, select the option to either create a new default
library share on the VMM server or use an existing share on the VMM server as a library
share. The default library share created by VMM is named MSSCVMMLibrary and its
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folder is located at %SYSTEMDRIVE%\\ProgramData\\Virtual Machine Manager Library
Files.
Important
After setup is complete, you can add other library shares to the default library
server or other library servers on separate computers; however, you cannot
remove or relocate the default library server or its library share. So give careful
consideration to the location of the default library share before installing the VMM
server.
9. On the Installation Settings page, in the Ports area, type the ports that you want to use
for the VMM server connections, and, in the VMM service account area, do one of the
following:
To use the local system account for the VMM service account, click Local system.
To use a different domain account, click Other account, and then type the
credentials for a domain account that is a local Administrator on the computer that
you are installing VMM server on.
Note
If you use a domain account for the VMM service account, it is strongly
recommended that you create an account that is specifically designated to be
used for this purpose. When a host is removed from the VMM server, the
account that the VMM service is running under is removed from the local
Administrators group of the host. If the same account is used for other
purposes on the host, this can cause unexpected results. You also should
not use the same account for the VMM service account that you use for
configuring a remote SQL Server for the VMM database. For more
information, see ―Hardening the VMM Server‖ in VMM 2008 R2 RC Security.
Important
If you are using a disjointed namespace, which occurs when the computer's
primary Domain Name System (DNS) suffix does not match the domain of
which it is a member, you must use an account other than the local system
account. For more information about a disjointed namespace, see Naming
conventions in Active Directory for computers, domains, sites, and OUs
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=123886).
Important
It is a best practice to not use the default port settings. The port settings that you
assign during the VMM server installation cannot be changed without uninstalling
and reinstalling VMM server. The ports that you assign during setup must
identically match the port settings that you assign when installing the related
VMM components that the VMM server communicates with. For more
information, see ―VMM Ports and Protocols‖ in VMM 2008 R2 RC Security.
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Note
The value of the File transfers to agents on hosts and library servers port
cannot exceed 32768.
10. On the Summary of Settings page, review the settings that you chose and do one of the
following:
Click Previous to change any settings.
Click Install to install the VMM server.
11. On the Installation page, do one of the following:
To close the wizard and automatically check for the latest VMM updates, click Close.
To close the wizard without checking for the latest updates, clear the Check for the
latest Virtual Machine Manager updates check box, and then click Close.
Note
When you install the VMM server, all accounts in the local Administrators security group
are automatically added to the VMM Administrator user role. If you want to add or remove
user accounts from the VMM Administrator user role, see Managing User Roles
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=125951).
See Also
New Installation of VMM 2008
Reinstalling VMM 2008 with a Retained Database
System Requirements: VMM Server
Uninstalling VMM 2008 Components
Installing the VMM Administrator Console
For System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2, before installing the
VMM Administrator Console, ensure that the computer meets the minimum hardware
requirements and that all prerequisite software is installed. For more information about hardware
and software requirements, see System Requirements: VMM Administrator Console.
It is recommended that you install the VMM Administrator Console on the same computer as the
VMM server. When you install the VMM Administrator Console, the Setup Wizard also installs
Windows PowerShell — Virtual Machine Manager command shell. You can install additional
VMM Administrator Consoles on other computers that have a supported operating system and
then connect to one or more VMM servers remotely. For more information about supported
operating systems for the VMM Administrator Console, see Supported Operating Systems for
VMM Components.
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Note
If you install the VMM Administrator Console on the same computer as the VMM server
and User Account Control (UAC) is enabled, users will not be able to use the Explore
action in Library view to open and explore a library share unless that user has been
granted permissions to the share outside of VMM.
Use the following procedure to install the VMM Administrator Console, and to open the VMM
Administrator Console and connect to a VMM server. To perform this procedure, you must have
administrator privileges for the computer.
To install the VMM Administrator Console
1. On the product CD or network share, right-click setup.exe, and then click Run as
administrator.
Important
If you set up a network share to install VMM components, you should apply the
appropriate security to the share to ensure that unauthorized or unauthenticated
users cannot access or alter the contents of the share.
2. On the Setup menu, click VMM Administrator Console.
3. On the Microsoft Update page, indicate whether or not you want to use Microsoft
Update.
Note
If you have previously chosen to use Microsoft Update on this computer, the
Microsoft Update page does not appear.
4. On the Prerequisites Check page, review any warnings about inadequate hardware or
software prerequisites or alerts about uninstalled requirements. For more information,
see System Requirements: VMM Administrator Console.
Note
You can continue the installation if you receive warnings, but you must resolve all
alerts you can proceed with the installation.
5. On the Installation Location page, type an installation path for the program files or to
use the default path, and then click Next.
6. On the Port Assignment page, type the port you want to use for the VMM Administrator
Console to communicate with the VMM server.
Important
The port setting that you assign for the VMM Administrator Console must
identically match the port setting that you assigned for the VMM Administrator
Console during the installation of the VMM server. For more information about
assigning ports, see ―VMM Ports and Protocols‖ in VMM 2008 R2 RC Security.
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7. On the Summary of Settings page, review your settings and do one of the following:
Click Previous to change any settings.
Click Install to install the VMM Administrator Console.
8. On the Installation page, do the following:
To check for the latest VMM updates when the wizard closes, leave the Check for
the latest Virtual Machine Manager updates check box selected.
To create a shortcut to the VMM Administrator Console on the desktop, leave the
Create a shortcut to the VMM Administrator Console on my desktop check box
selected.
To open the VMM Administrator Console when you close the wizard, select the Open
the VMM Administrator Console when the wizard closes check box.
Click Close.
The first time you open the VMM Administrator Console, the Connect to Server dialog
box opens.
9. In the Connect to Server dialog box, do one of the following:
If you installed the VMM Administrator Console on the same computer as the VMM
server, click Connect to connect to the local VMM server (localhost) using the port
that you assigned during the installation of the VMM server.
To connect the VMM Administrator Console to the VMM server on a different
computer, in the Server name box, type the name of the computer where the VMM
server is installed, followed by a colon and the connection port that you assigned
during the installation of that VMM server.
Note
If you want the VMM Administrator Console to connect to another VMM
server the next time you open the VMM Administrator Console, clear the
Make this server my default check box.
10. Click Connect.
See Also
New Installation of VMM 2008
System Requirements: VMM Administrator Console
Uninstalling VMM 2008 Components
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Installing the VMM Self-Service Portal
For System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2, the VMM Self-
Service Portal is an optional, Web-based component that enables users to create and manage
their own virtual machines within a controlled environment. Before installing the VMM Self-
Service Portal, ensure that the computer meets minimum hardware requirements and that all
prerequisite software is installed. For more information about hardware and software
requirements, see System Requirements: VMM Self-Service Portal.
Important
The installation of the VMM Self-Service Portal on a domain controller is not supported.
Note
For better performance, it is recommended that you install the VMM Self-Service Portal
on a separate computer from the VMM server.
Use the following procedure to install the VMM Self-Service Portal. To perform this procedure,
you must have administrator privileges for the computer.
To install the VMM Self-Service Portal
1. On the product media or network share, right-click setup.exe, and then click Run as
administrator.
Important
If you set up a network share to install VMM components, you should apply the
appropriate security to the share to ensure that unauthorized or unauthenticated
users cannot access or alter the contents of the share.
2. On the Setup menu, click VMM Self-Service Portal.
3. On the Microsoft Update page, indicate whether or not you want to use Microsoft
Update.
Note
If you have previously chosen to use Microsoft Update on this computer, the
Microsoft Update page does not appear.
4. On the Prerequisites Check page, review any alerts or warnings about hardware that
does not meet the minimum or recommended requirements, or missing software
prerequisites. You can continue the installation if you receive warnings, but you must
resolve all alerts before you can proceed with the installation. For more information, see
System Requirements: VMM Self-Service Portal.
5. On the Installation Location page, type an installation path for the program files or click
Next to use the default path.
6. On the Web Server Settings page, do the following:
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a. In the Virtual Machine Manager server area, specify the name of the VMM server
you want the VMM Self-Service Portal to connect to, and the port that you want the
VMM Self-Service Portal to use, to communicate with the VMM server.
b. In the Web server area, specify the port that you want self-service users to use to
connect to the Self-Service Portal.
Note
If the default port (80) for the VMM Self-Service Portal is being used by
another Web site, you must either use a different dedicated port or specify a
host header for the portal. For more information about host headers, see
―Hardening VMM Self-Service Web Servers‖ in VMM 2008 R2 RC Security.
7. On the Summary of Settings page, review your settings and do one of the following:
Click Previous to change any settings.
Click Install to install the VMM Self-Service Portal.
8. On the Installation page, do one of the following:
To close the wizard and automatically check for the latest VMM updates, click Close.
To close the wizard without checking for the latest updates, clear the Check for the
latest Virtual Machine Manager updates check box, and then click Close.
Important
After you close the wizard, the installation of the VMM Self-Service Portal is complete.
However, there are additional steps that you should take to make connections to the
portal more secure. For more information, see ―Hardening VMM Self-Service Web
Servers‖ in VMM 2008 R2 RC Security.
See Also
New Installation of VMM 2008
System Requirements: VMM Self-Service Portal
Uninstalling VMM 2008 Components
Installing a VMM Agent Locally on a Host
For System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2, to add a host that is
on a perimeter network, you must install a VMM agent locally on the host before you can add it to
VMM. Optionally, you can install a VMM agent locally on a host in a domain before adding the
host to VMM. Before installing a VMM agent locally on a host, ensure that the computer meets
the minimum hardware requirements and that all prerequisite software is installed. For more
information about hardware and software requirements, see System Requirements: Virtual
Machine Hosts.
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After you have installed an agent locally on the host, you can add the host to VMM by using the
Add Host Wizard in the VMM Administrator Console. For more information, see to How to Add
Hosts in an Active Directory Domain (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=145073).
Use the following procedures to install a VMM agent locally. To perform these procedures, you
must have administrator privileges on the computer.
To install a VMM agent locally on a host on a perimeter network
1. On the product media or network share, right-click setup.exe, and then click Run as
administrator.
Important
If you set up a network share to install the VMM agent locally, you should apply
the appropriate security to the share to ensure that unauthorized or
unauthenticated users cannot access or alter the contents of the share.
2. On the Setup menu, click Local Agent.
3. On the Destination Folder page, do one of the following:
Click Next to accept the default installation folder for the program files.
Click Change to specify a different location, and then click Next.
4. On the Configuration Settings page, do one of the following:
Click Next to accept the default port settings.
Type different ports, and then click Next.
Important
The port settings that you assign for the agent must identically match the port
settings that you assigned for communicating with agents during the installation
of the VMM server. For more information about assigning ports, see ―VMM Ports
and Protocols‖ in VMM 2008 R2 RC Security.
5. On the Security File Folder page, select the This host is on a perimeter network
check box, and then do the following:
In the Security file encryption key box, enter an encryption key, and then enter it
again in the Confirm encryption key box.
Important
Make note of the encryption key that you use to create the security file. You
must enter this same key again when you are adding the host in the VMM
Administrator Console.
To use a certificate to encrypt communications between the VMM server and this
host, select the Use a CA signed certificate for encrypting communications with
this host check box, and then in the Thumbprint of the certificate box, enter the
certificate’s thumbprint.
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To change the default location where the encrypted security file will be stored, click
Change, and then specify a different location to store the encrypted security file.
To create and store the encrypted security file in the specified location, click Next.
6. On the Host Network Name page, do one of the following:
To have the VMM server contact the host by using its computer name, click Next.
To have the VMM server contact the host by using its IP address, click Use IP
address, type or select an IP address in the list, and then click Next.
Important
Make note of the computer name or IP address of the host. You must enter
this same information again when you are adding the host in the VMM
Administrator Console.
7. On the Ready to install page, click Install.
8. Navigate to the folder where the security file is stored. The default location is
%SystemRoot%\\Program Files\\Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine
Manager 2008. The name of this file is SecurityFile.txt.
9. Transfer the security file to a folder that is accessible to the computer on which a VMM
Administrator Console is installed.
To install a VMM agent locally on a host in a domain
1. On the product media or network share, double-click setup.exe.
Important
If you set up a network share to install the VMM agent locally, you should apply
the appropriate security to the share to ensure that unauthorized or
unauthenticated users cannot access or alter the contents of the share.
2. On the Setup menu, click Local Agent.
3. On the Destination Folder page, do one of the following:
Click Next to accept the default installation folder for the program files.
Click Change to specify a different location, and then click Next.
4. On the Configuration Settings page, do one of the following:
Click Next to accept the default port settings.
Type different ports, and then click Next.
Important
The port settings that you assign for the agent must identically match the port
settings that you assigned for communicating with agents during the installation
of the VMM server. For more information about assigning ports, see ―VMM Ports
and Protocols‖ in VMM 2008 R2 RC Security.
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5. On the Security File Folder page, click Next.
6. On the Ready to install page, click Install.
See Also
New Installation of VMM 2008
Uninstalling VMM 2008 Components
Installing the VMM Components from the
Command Line
For System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2, you can install each
component from the command line by using the setup.exe command. An .ini file is provided for
each component. You can modify the .ini files to customize your installation.
Installing the VMM Server
You can install the VMM server from the command line by using the VMServer.ini file to
customize the installation options. You can set the optional parameters listed in the following
table.
Parameter Value
CreateNewSqlInstance 0 : Use an existing instance of Microsoft SQL
Server. You have to provide a value for the
SqlInstanceName parameter or accept the
default.
1 : Create a new instance of SQL Server by
installing Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express
Edition SP 2 for VMM 2008, or SQL
Server 2005 Express Edition SP 3 for
VMM 2008 R2. By default, the new instance is
named MICROSOFT$VMM$.
CreateNewSQLDatabase 0 : Use an existing SQL Server database. You
have to provide a value for the
SQLDatabaseName parameter or accept the
default.
1 : Create a new SQL Server database. You
have to provide a value for the
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Parameter Value
SQLDatabaseName parameter or accept the
default.
OnRemoteServer 0 : Specify the local SQL Server installation.
1 : Specify a remote SQL Server installation.
You have to provide a value for the
SqlDBAdminName, SqlDBAdminPassword, and
SqlDBAdminDomain parameters in the
command unless the user running Setup is an
administrator of the instance of SQL Server.
Ports Verify the values of the IndigoTcpPort,
WSManTcpPort, and BitsTcpPort. For more
information about ports, see ―VMM Ports and
Protocols‖ in VMM 2008 R2 RC Security.
CreateNewLIbraryShare 0 : Use an existing library share. You have to
provide values for the LibraryShareName and
LibrarySharePath parameters or accept the
default.
1 : Create a new library share. You have to
provide values for the LibraryShareName,
LibrarySharePath, and LibraryShareDescription
parameters or accept the default.
SQMOptin 0 : Do not opt in to the Customer Experience
Improvement Program (CEIP).
1 : Opt in to CEIP.
For more information about CEIP, see
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=127770
For CEIP privacy information, see
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=93635
For VMM privacy information, see
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=110828
MUOptIn 0 : Do not opt into Microsoft Update.
1 : Opt into Microsoft Update.
For more information about Microsoft Update,
see
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=115474
For Microsoft Update privacy information, see
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Parameter Value
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=115475
For VMM privacy information, see
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=110828
VmmServiceLocalAccount 0 : Start the VMMService service under a
domain account. You have to provide values for
the VMMServiceDomain,
VMMServiceUserName, and
VMMServiceUserPassword parameters in the
command.
1 : Start the VMMService service under the
Local System account.
To install the VMM server from the command line
1. Copy the VMServer.ini file from the amd64\\Setup folder to a local folder.
2. Remove the comment indicator (#) only if you want to edit the entry. Otherwise, the setup
uses the values in the .ini file as the default values.
3. From the product media, type the following command at the command prompt:
setup.exe /server /i /f <path>\\VMServer.ini [/SqlDBAdminName <administrator user
name> /SqlDBAdminPassword <password> /SqlDBAdminDomain <domain>
/VmmServiceDomain <domain> /VmmServiceUserName <service user name>
/VmmServiceUserPassword <password>]
For example:
setup.exe /server /i /f C:\\VMServer.ini /SqlDBAdminName SQLAdmin
/SqlDBAdminPassword SQLPassWord /SqlDBAdminDomain CONTOSO
/VmmServiceDomain CONTOSO /VmmServiceUserName VMMAcct
/VmmServiceUserPassword VMMPassWord
Installing the VMM Administrator Console
You can install the VMM Administrator Console from the command line by using the VMClient.ini
file to customize the installation options. You can set the parameters as follows.
Parameter Value
ProgramFiles Specify the location in which to store program
files.
IndigoTCpPort Specify the port number used to communicate
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Parameter Value
with the VMM server.
MUOptIn 0 : Do not opt in to Microsoft Update.
1 : Opt in to Microsoft Update.
For more information about Microsoft Update,
see
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=115474
For Microsoft Update privacy information, see
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=115475
For VMM privacy information, see
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=110828
VmmServerForOpsMgrConfig Specify the name of the System Center
Operations Manager server.
To install the VMM Administrator Console from the command line
1. Copy the VMClient.ini file from the amd64\\Setup folder to a local folder.
2. Remove the comment indicator (#) only if you want to edit the entry. Otherwise, the setup
uses the values in the .ini file as the default values.
3. From the product media, type the following command at the command prompt:
setup.exe /client /i /f <path>\\VMClient.ini
Installing the Self-Service Portal
You can install the VMM Self-Service Portal from the command line by using the VMEup.ini file to
customize the installation options. You can set some parameters, as follows.
Parameter Value
VMMServerName Specify the name of the VMM server.
IndigoTcpPort Specify the port number used to communicate
with the VMM server.
SelfServicePortalTcpPort Specify the TCP port for the portal.
SelfServicePortalHeader Specify the host header name for the portal.
MUOptIn 0 : Do not opt in to Microsoft Update.
1 : Opt in to Microsoft Update.
For more information about Microsoft Update,
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Parameter Value
see
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=115474
For Microsoft Update privacy information, see
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=115475
For VMM privacy information, see
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=110828
To install the Self-Service Portal from the command line
1. Copy the VMEup.ini file from the amd64\\Setup folder to a local folder.
2. Remove the comment indicator (#) only if you want to edit the entry. Otherwise, Setup
uses the values in the .ini file as the default values.
3. From the product media, type the following command at the command prompt:
setup.exe /eup /i /f <path>\\VMEup.ini
Uninstalling VMM
You can uninstall each component by using the setup.exe command together with the /x switch.
To uninstall the VMM components from the command line
1. Copy the VMServerUninstall.ini file from the amd64\\Setup folder to a local folder.
2. From the product media, type the following commands at the command prompt:
setup.exe /server /x /f <path>\\VMServerUninstall.ini
setup.exe /client /x
setup.exe /eup /x
See Also
Installing the VMM Server
Installing the VMM Administrator Console
Installing the VMM Self-Service Portal
Required Post-Installation Tasks
This topic provides links to information about required tasks that must be performed after
installing the Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2 components to make VMM
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fully functional in your environment. There is only one post-installation task that you must
perform, which is to add at least one virtual machine host to VMM.
There are several optional post-installation tasks that you might need to perform depending on
how you are implementing VMM in your environment. For more information about the optional
tasks, see Optional Post-Installation Tasks.
Add Virtual Machine Hosts
A virtual machine host is a physical computer that hosts one or more virtual machines. You must
add at least one virtual machine host to VMM.
You can add Windows-based hosts that are in a trusted domain, in a domain that does not have a
two-way trust with the VMM server’s domain, or on a perimeter network. You can also add ESX
Server hosts after you have added a VMware VirtualCenter Server to VMM. For more information
about adding a VMware VirtualCenter Server to VMM, see Managing a VMware Infrastructure 3
Environment in VMM (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=128921). For more information
about adding hosts, see Adding Hosts (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=121818).
See Also
New Installation of VMM 2008
Optional Post-Installation Tasks
Optional Post-Installation Tasks
This topic provides links to information about optional tasks that you might need to perform after
installing the Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2 components, depending on
how you are implementing VMM in your environment.
There are also post-installation tasks that you must perform to make VMM fully functional in your
environment. For more information, see Required Post-Installation Tasks.
Add or Remove VMM Administrators
The Administrator user role is created when you install VMM. By default, the user who performs
the VMM installation and all domain users in the Local Administrators group are added to the
Administrator user role. After VMM is installed, you might want to add or remove VMM
Administrators. For more information, see Managing User Roles
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=125951).
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Create Host Groups
You can create host groups to group together virtual machine hosts to more easily monitor and
manage the hosts and their virtual machines. For more information about creating host groups,
see About Host Groups (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=144506).
Set Up Self-Service
Virtual machine self-service enables the VMM administrator to grant users permission to create
and operate their own virtual machines within a controlled environment on a limited group of
virtual machine hosts. For more information, see Setting Up Virtual Machine Self-Service
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=144507).
Important
If you set up self-service, it is important to make user connections to the VMM Self-
Service Portal as secure as possible. For more information, see ―Hardening VMM Self-
Service Web Servers‖ in VMM 2008 R2 RC Security.
Configure Operations Manager 2007 Integration
with VMM
You can integrate System Center Operations Manager 2007 with VMM 2008 to enable health
monitoring of managed virtual machines and their hosts, Diagram views of the virtualized
environment in VMM, Performance and Resource Optimization (PRO), and VMM reporting.
Performance and Resource Optimization (PRO) supports workload-aware and application-aware
resource optimization within a virtualized environment. Based on performance and health data
provided by PRO-enabled management packs in System Center Operations Manager 2007, PRO
can automatically or manually implement PRO tips, recommendations for minimizing downtime
and accelerating time to resolution. For more information, see ―Configuring Operations Manager
Integration with VMM 2008‖ in VMM 2008 R2 RC Operations Manager Integration.
Configure VMM System Settings
The configuration of VMM system settings is optional, depending on how you implement VMM in
your environment. For more information, see Configuring VMM System Settings
(http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc956088.aspx).
Configure a SAN Environment for VMM
The configuration of a storage area network (SAN) to use in VMM for virtual machine transfers is
optional, depending on how you implement VMM in your environment. For more information
about how to configure a supported SAN environment, see Configuring a SAN Environment for
VMM 2008 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=125953).
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Configure VMM to Manage a VMware
Infrastructure 3 Environment
To manage a VMware Infrastructure 3 (VI3) environment in VMM, add the VMware VirtualCenter
server to VMM, configure security for the VMware ESX Server hosts, and then import your
VMware templates to the VMM library so that you can use them in VMM. For more information
see, Managing a VMware Infrastructure 3 Environment in VMM
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=128921).
See Also
New Installation of VMM 2008
Required Post-Installation Tasks
Migrating to VMM 2008 R2 RC from VMM
2008 R2 Beta
This document provides information about migrating to System Center Virtual Machine
Manager 2008 R2 RC from VMM 2008 R2 Beta.
To perform a fresh installation of VMM 2008 R2 RC, see New Installation of VMM 2008.
To upgrade to VMM 2008 R2 RC from VMM 2008 while retaining your previous VMM data, see
Upgrading to VMM 2008 R2 from VMM 2008.
When you update the VMM database, the following data and objects are lost:
Jobs table
The passwords and product keys for the following:
Stand-alone templates
Operating system profiles
Hardware profiles
When you update the VMM database, the following data and objects are retained:
Self-service information
Custom fields for virtual machines and hosts
Caution
To avoid the loss of important data, before you update the VMM database, it is highly
recommended that you perform a full backup of your VMM database.
Depending on the configuration of your VMM 2008 R2 Beta deployment and your
VMM 2008 R2 RC deployment, you might need to upgrade SQL Server or the Windows 2008 R2
operating system. The following procedure addresses two different upgrade scenarios:
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1. The VMM 2008 R2 Beta VMM server is installed on a computer that is running Windows
Server 2008, which does not require an operating system upgrade, and there are stand-alone
hosts and library servers on computers that are running Windows Server 2008 R2 Beta
(build 7000), which require an operating system upgrade.
2. The VMM 2008 R2 Beta VMM server, VMM Administrator Console, and possibly the VMM
Self-Service Portal are all installed on the same computer, and the computer is running
Windows Server 2008 R2 Beta (build 7000), which may require an upgrade of SQL Server
and an operating system upgrade.
For VMM 2008 R2 RC, the VMM server requires Windows Server 2008 R2 RC (build 7100),
which requires SQL Server 2005 SP3 or SQL Server 2008 SP1 for the VMM database. So if
you plan to use the same computer for both your VMM server and your VMM database, or if
you upgraded the operating system on a remote VMM database server to Windows
Server 2008 R2 RC (build 7100), you may also upgrade SQL Server before installing
VMM 2008 R2 RC.
To migrate from Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 Beta to VMM 2008 R2 RC
1. In the VMM Administrator Console, remove all hosts that are either on a perimeter
network or that are in a domain that does not have a two-way trust with the VMM server’s
domain.
Important
You must remove these hosts before you upgrade the VMM 2008 R2 Beta VMM
database, and then add the hosts back after you have completed the migration to
VMM 2008 R2 RC. You also must reconfigure the host reserves for these hosts
after you have added them to VMM 2008 R2 RC.
2. If you are using VMM to manage one or more VMware Infrastructure 3 environments, you
must remove any VMware VirtualCenter servers before you upgrade the VMM 2008 Beta
VMM database, and then add them back after you have completed the migration to
VMM 2008 R2 RC. For more information about removing a VMware VirtualCenter server,
see How to Remove a Virtualization Manager from VMM (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/cc956130.aspx). For more information about adding a VMware VirtualCenter
server, see How to Add a VMware VirtualCenter Server
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=128560).
3. On the computer where your VMM 2008 R2 Beta VMM server is installed, uninstall the
VMM server and, on the Uninstallation Options page, click Retain data. For more
information, see Uninstalling VMM 2008 Components.
4. Uninstall all other VMM 2008 R2 Beta components that you have installed on the same
computer or on separate computers. For more information, see Uninstalling VMM 2008
Components.
5. If you are installing the VMM 2008 R2 RC VMM server and VMM database on the same
computer and the computer is running Windows Server 2008 R2 Beta (build 7000), do
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the following:
a. Upgrade SQL Server 2005 SP2 to either SQL Server 2005 SP3 or SQL
Server 2008 SP1. You can download SQL Server 2005 SP3 from Microsoft SQL
Server Release Services (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=153721).
b. Upgrade the operating system to Windows Server 2008 R2 RC (build 7100). You can
download Windows Server 2008 R2 RC from Windows
Server 2008 R2 Release Candidate (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=146649).
6. Download the UpgradeV2R2Beta.exe program from Microsoft Connect, and then move it to
a folder on which you have Write permission.
Caution
To avoid the loss of important data, before you update the VMM database, it is
highly recommended that you perform a full backup of your VMM database.
7. On a computer with .NET Framework 2.0 and SQL Server tools installed, open a
Command Prompt window with elevated privileges, and then run the UpgradeV2R2Beta.exe
program specifying the following:
The computer name and SQL Server instance name where your VMM 2008 R2 Beta
database is located.
The name of the VMM 2008 R2 Beta database using the following syntax,
UpgradeV2R2Beta.exe -server [servername\\instancename] -database [databasename].
The default VMM instance name is MICROSOFT$VMM$ and the default database
name is VirtualManagerDB.
Important
You must move the UpgradeV2R2Beta.exe program to a folder on which you have
Write permission before you run it.
8. On the same computer that your VMM 2008 R2 Beta VMM server was installed on, or on
another computer that has Windows Server 2008 R2 RC (build 7100) installed and that
meets the minimum system requirements for installing the VMM server for
VMM 2008 R2 RC, install the VMM server for VMM 2008 R2 RC and, on the SQL Server
Settings page of the wizard specify the previously upgraded database.
Important
VMM 2008 R2 RC requires Windows Server 2008 R2 RC build 7100, which
requires SQL Server 2005 SP3 or SQL Server 2008 SP1 for the VMM database.
So if you plan to use the same computer for both your VMM server and your
VMM database, or if you upgraded the operating system on a remote VMM
database server, you must also upgrade SQL Server before installing
VMM 2008 R2 RC.
Note
For more information about the minimum system requirements for installing the
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VMM server, see System Requirements: VMM Server.
9. Follow the instructions for installing the VMM 2008 R2 RC VMM Administrator Console,
and then connect it to the new VMM 2008 R2 RC VMM server, and if necessary install
the VMM Self-Service Portal. For more information, see New Installation of VMM 2008.
10. In the VMM Administrator Console, in Host view, click one or more hosts, and then, in
the Actions pane, click Refresh.
11. In the VMM Administrator Console, in Library view, click one or more library server, and
then, in the Actions pane, click Refresh.
12. After all hosts and library servers have been refreshed, close the VMM Administrator
Console.
13. On all stand-alone hosts and library servers, upgrade the operating system to Windows
Server 2008 R2 RC (build 7100). You can download Windows Server 2008 R2 RC from
Windows Server 2008 R2 Release Candidate
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=146649).
14. Open the VMM Administrator Console, and in Administration view, click Managed
Computers.
15. If you installed the VMM 2008 R2 RC VMM server on the same computer as your
VMM 2008 R2 Beta VMM server, hosts and library servers that were previously managed
by VMM 2008 R2 Beta will have an agent status of Access Denied and an agent version
status of Upgrade Available. To update the agents, select one or more managed
computers, and then click Update Agent.
The managed computers will now have an agent version status of Up-to-date, which
indicates that the update for the agents on these managed computers is complete.
Note
So that performance is not adversely affected, it is recommended that you
update agents in batches of 10 to 25.
16. In the VMM Administrator Console, in Host view, click one or more hosts, and then, in
the Actions pane, click Refresh.
17. In the VMM Administrator Console, in Library view, click one or more library servers, and
then, in the Actions pane, click Refresh.
18. If you installed the VMM 2008 R2 RC VMM server on a different computer than your
VMM 2008 R2 Beta VMM server, hosts and library servers that were previously managed
by VMM 2008 R2 Beta will have an agent status of Access Denied and an agent version
status of Up-to-Date. To update the agents, do the following:
Select one or more managed computers, and then in the Actions pane, click
Reassociate.
The managed computers will now have an agent status of Upgrade Available.
Note
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So that performance is not adversely affected, it is recommended that you
reassociate hosts and library servers in batches of 10 to 25.
Select one or more managed computers, and then click Update Agent.
The managed computers will now have an agent version status of Up-to-Date, which
indicates that the update for the agents on these managed computers is complete.
Note
So that performance is not adversely affected, it is recommended that you
update agents in batches of 10 to 25.
19. On each stand-alone host or library server for which you upgraded the operating system,
open a Command Prompt window with elevated privileges, and then run the following
commands:
CD %SystemRoot%\\system32\\wbem
Mofcomp BitsProvider.mof
Important
After upgrading the operating system on hosts and library servers, the
Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) Compact Server component may
be left in an unreliable state. This may result in failed jobs when transferring files
between hosts and library servers. Performing this step resets the BITS Compact
Server to ensure that it is in a reliable state.
Upgrading to VMM 2008 R2 from VMM 2008
This topic provides step-by-step instructions for upgrading to System Center Virtual Machine
Manager (VMM) 2008 R2 from VMM 2008 while retaining your previous VMM data. If you do not
want to retain your existing data, uninstall VMM 2008, selecting the Remove data option on the
Uninstallation Options page, and then perform a clean installation of VMM 2008 R2. For more
information, see New Installation of VMM 2008.
For information about migrating from VMM 2008 R2 Beta to VMM 2008 R2, see Migrating to
VMM 2008 R2 RC from VMM 2008 R2 Beta.
Upgrading to VMM 2008 R2 from VMM 2007 is not supported. To migrate to VMM 2008 R2 from
VMM 2007, you must first migrate from VMM 2007 to VMM 2008 and then upgrade to
VMM 2008 R2. For information about migrating from VMM 2007 to VMM 2008, see Migrating to
VMM 2008 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=117133).
Caution
To avoid any loss of important data, before you upgrade VMM, it is highly recommended
that you perform a full backup on your VMM database.
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Important
After upgrading VMM, all jobs that were run prior to the upgrade will appear in the job
history; however, those jobs cannot be restarted after the upgrade. It is recommended
that you allow all jobs to complete before upgrading the VMM server. Jobs that are
canceled during the upgrade cannot be restarted after the upgrade is completed.
Use the following procedure to upgrade from VMM 2008 to VMM 2008 R2. To perform this
procedure, you must have administrator privileges on the computer.
To upgrade from Virtual Machine Manager 2008
1. Log on to the computer on which your VMM 2008 server is installed.
2. On the product media or network share, right-click setup.exe, and the click Run as
administrator.
Important
If you set up a network share to install VMM components, you should apply the
appropriate security to the share to ensure that no unauthorized or
unauthenticated users can access or alter the contents of the share.
3. On the Setup menu, click VMM Server to open the Upgrade System Center Virtual
Machine Manager 2008 Wizard.
4. On the Confirmation page, verify the list of VMM components that are already installed
on this computer, and then to upgrade all installed VMM components, click Upgrade.
Note
If you want to move one or more of the installed VMM 2008 components to a
different computer for your VMM 2008 R2 implementation, click Cancel, uninstall
those VMM components from this computer, and then run setup.exe again.
5. On the SQL Server Settings page, provide credentials that have permission to access
and update the VMM database by doing one of the following:
a. To use the same credentials that you are logged on with, click Next.
b. To provide a different set of credentials, select the Use the following credentials
check box, and then type the credentials.
Important
If any jobs are running when you started the upgrade, you will receive a warning message.
You can do one of the following:
It is recommended that you allow all jobs to complete before upgrading the VMM server. Jobs
that are canceled during the upgrade cannot be restarted after the upgrade is completed.
6. On the Completion page, click Close.
Important
You also must run the Upgrade System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008
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Wizard to upgrade any VMM 2008 components that are installed on other
computers, including the VMM Administrator Console and the VMM Self-Service
Portal. In the following steps, you upgrade the VMM agents on managed
computers by using the VMM 2008 R2 Administrator Console. If you have
integrated System Center Operations Manager 2007 with VMM, you need to
update that separately. For more information, see ―Updating Operations Manager
Integration After Upgrading to VMM 2008 R2‖ in VMM 2008 R2 RC Operations
Manager Integration.
7. After upgrading VMM, all hosts and library servers must be refreshed to show the correct
status. To run an on-demand host refresh, in the VMM 2008 R2 Administrator Console, in
Hosts view, select one or more hosts, and then, in the Actions pane, click Refresh.
You can check the status of the host refresh in Jobs view.
8. After a host has been refreshed, it will have a status of Needs Attention, except for the
VMM server if it is also serving as a host. This is because the stand-alone hosts still have
the previous version of the VMM agent installed. These hosts are fully functional, so you
do not have to immediately update the agents on all VMM 2008 hosts.
Note
So that performance is not adversely affected, it is recommended that you
update hosts in batches of 10 to 25.
9. To update the hosts, in the VMM Administrator Console, in Hosts view, select one or
more hosts with a status of Needs Attention, and then in the Actions pane, click
Update Agent.
You can check the status of the agent update in Jobs view. When the refresh is
complete, the host status will be OK.
10. In the VMM Administrator Console, in Library view, select one or more library servers,
and then in the Actions pane, click Refresh.
You can check the status of the library server refresh in Jobs view.
11. After the refresh is complete, in the VMM Administrator Console, navigate to
Administration view, and then click Managed Computers.
12. Select one or more computers that have a role of Library and an agent status of
Upgrade Available, and then, in the Actions pane, click Update Agent.
You can check the status of the agent update in Jobs view. When the update is
complete, the library server will have a version status of Up-to-date.
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See Also
Uninstalling VMM 2008 Components
This topic provides step-by-step directions for removing System Center Virtual Machine Manager
(VMM) 2008 and VMM 2008 R2 components. When you remove the VMM server, you have the
option to either remove the VMM database as well, which contains all associated configuration
and status information, or retain the VMM database if you plan to reinstall the VMM server and
resume managing hosts in the same host environment.
Caution
Before uninstalling a VMM server that uses a remote VMM database that you want to
retain and reuse, ensure that the remote SQL service is running and that the SQL service
is using an administrator account. Otherwise, the VMM server role will not be removed
from the database and reinstallation will fail.
Important
Before uninstalling a VMM server, ensure that all VMM Administrator Consoles are
disconnected from the VMM server. Stopping and then restarting the Virtual Machine
Manager service (VMMService) disconnects all VMM Administrator Consoles.
To uninstall the VMM Server
1. In Control Panel, double-click Programs and Features, select Microsoft System
Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Server (x64), and then click Uninstall.
2. On the Uninstallation Options page, do one of the following:
Select Retain data if you plan to reinstall VMM server and want to resume managing
virtual machines in the same host environment.
Select Remove data if you do not plan to reinstall VMM server and want to
permanently remove the VMM database.
Important
To remove the VMM database, the user account for the person uninstalling
VMM must be a member of the dbcreator, securityadmin, and processadmin
server roles on the database server.
Note
If you have a remote VMM database, you must be logged on with, or enter
credentials for, an account with administrator privileges on the database server,
whether you choose to retain or remove the database. Before uninstalling, you
must also ensure that the SQL Server service is running on the database server
and that the SQL service is using an administrator account.
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3. On the Summary Information page, click Uninstall.
Note
When you uninstall VMM server, the local VMM agent is uninstalled and
Windows Firewall exceptions created during the installation are removed;
however, VMM agents on hosts and library servers are not uninstalled. You can
remove hosts and library servers before uninstalling the VMM server, which
automatically removes the VMM agent, manually uninstall these agents locally,
or leave them installed if you plan to reinstall the VMM server. Any prerequisite
software installed during the installation of the VMM server is not removed.
To uninstall the VMM Administrator Console
1. In Control Panel, double-click Programs and Features for Windows Server 2008 or
Windows Vista, or Add or Remove Programs for all other supported operating systems.
2. Click Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Administrator
Console (x64) for 64-bit operating systems or Microsoft System Center Virtual
Machine Manager 2008 Administrator Console for 32-bit operating systems, and then
click Uninstall or Remove, depending on the operating system.
3. On the Confirmation page, click Uninstall.
To uninstall the VMM Self-Service Portal
1. In Control Panel, double-click Programs and Features for Windows Server 2008 or Add
or Remove Programs for Windows Server 2003.
2. Click Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Self-Service Portal
(x64) for 64-bit operating systems or Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine
Manager 2008 Self-Service Portal for 32-bit operating systems, and then click Uninstall
or Remove, depending on the operating system.
3. On the Confirmation page, click Uninstall.
To manually uninstall the VMM agent
1. In Control Panel, double-click Programs and Features for Windows Server 2008 or Add
or Remove Programs for Windows Server 2003.
2. Click Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Agent (x64) for 64-bit operating
systems or Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager Agent for 32-bit
operating systems, and then click Uninstall or Remove, depending on the operating
system.
3. In the Confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
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See Also
New Installation of VMM 2008
Reinstalling VMM 2008 with a Retained Database
Reinstalling VMM 2008 with a Retained
Database
For System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 or VMM 2008 R2, when you uninstall
the VMM server, you have the option of removing or retaining your VMM database. If you retain
your VMM database, you can reinstall the VMM server using the retained database and then
resume managing virtual machines in the same virtual machine host environment.
Caution
Before uninstalling a VMM server that uses a remote VMM database that you want to
retain and reuse, ensure that the remote SQL service is running and that the SQL service
is using an administrator account. Otherwise, the VMM server role will not be removed
from the database and reinstallation will fail.
Before reinstalling the VMM server, ensure that the computer meets the minimum hardware
requirements and that all prerequisite software is installed. For more information about hardware
and software requirements, see System Requirements: VMM Server.
Use the following procedure to reinstall the VMM server using a retained database. To perform
this procedure, you must have administrator privileges on the computer.
How to reinstall the VMM server using a retained VMM database
1. On the product media or network share, right-click setup.exe, and then click Run as
administrator.
Important
If you setup a network share to install VMM components, you should apply the
appropriate security to the share to ensure that no unauthorized or
unauthenticated users can access or alter the contents of the share.
2. On the Setup menu, click VMM Server.
3. On the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) page, click Yes to
participate in, or No to opt out of, the CEIP.
4. On the Prerequisites Check page, review any alerts or warnings about hardware that
does not meet the minimum or recommended requirements, or missing software
prerequisites. You can continue the installation if you receive warnings, but you must
resolve all alerts before you can proceed with the installation.
5. On the Installation Location page, type an installation path for the program files, or click
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Next to use the default path.
6. On the SQL Server Settings page, do the following:
a. Ensure that the Use a supported version of SQL Server option is selected.
b. Enter the Server name, user domain and credentials (if you are using a domain
account), the SQL instance name, and the Database name of the retained
database.
If you used a domain account for the VMM database when you originally installed the
VMM server, you must use the same domain account to reinstall the VMM server
using the retained database.
If you specify a remote SQL Server instance, there are additional configuration steps
you must perform. For more information, see Configuring a Remote Instance of SQL
Server for VMM 2008.
Note
c. Clear the Create a new database check box, and then click Next.
7. On the Library Share Settings page, select the option to either create a new library
share on the VMM server or use an existing share on the VMM server as a library share.
Important
After Setup is complete, you can add other library servers; however, you cannot
remove or relocate the default library server or its library share. So give careful
consideration to the location of the default library share before installing the VMM
server.
8. On the Installation Settings page, in the Ports area, type the ports that you want to use
for the VMM server connections, and, in the VMM service account area, do one of the
following:
To use the Local System account for the VMM service account, click Local system.
To use a different account, click Other account and then type the credentials for a
domain account that is a local Administrator on the computer that you are installing
VMM server on.
Note
If you use a domain account for the VMM service account, it is strongly
recommended that you create an account that is specifically designated to be
used for this purpose. When a host is removed from the VMM server, the
account that the VMM service is running under is removed from the local
Administrators group of the host. If the same account is used for other
purposes on the host, this can cause unexpected results. You also should
not the same account for the VMM service account that you use for
configuring a remote SQL Server for the VMM database.
Important
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If you are using a disjointed namespace, which occurs when the computer's
primary Domain Name System (DNS) suffix does not match the domain of
which it is a member, you must use an account other than the Local system
account. For more information about a disjointed namespace, go to Naming
conventions in Active Directory for computers, domains, sites, and OUs
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=123886).
Important
It is a best practice to not use the default port settings. The port settings that you
assign during the VMM server installation cannot be changed without uninstalling
and reinstalling VMM server. The ports that you assign during setup must
identically match the port settings that you assign when installing the related
VMM components that the VMM server communicates with. For more
information, see ―VMM Ports and Protocols‖ in VMM 2008 R2 RC Security.
9. On the Summary of Settings page, review the settings that you chose and do one of the
following:
Click Previous to change any settings.
Click Install to install the VMM server.
10. On the Installation page, do one of the following:
To close the wizard and automatically check for the latest VMM updates, click Close.
To close the wizard without checking for the latest updates, clear the Check for the
latest Virtual Machine Manager updates check box, and then click Close.
11. Follow the instructions for installing the VMM Administrator Console, and then connect it
to the new VMM server. For more information, see Installing the VMM Administrator
Console.
12. In the VMM Administrator Console, perform the following steps:
a. In Host view, click one or more hosts, and then, in the Actions pane, click Refresh.
Repeat this step for all hosts.
b. In Library view, click one or more library servers, and then, in the Actions pane, click
Refresh. Repeat this step for all library servers.
c. In Administration view, click Managed Computers. All hosts and library servers that
were previously managed by VMM will have an agent version status of Access
Denied.
d. Select one or more hosts or library servers with an agent communication status of
Access Denied, and then, in the Actions pane, click Reassociate.
Note
So that performance is not adversely affected, it is recommended that you
update hosts in batches of 10 to 25.
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Note
When you install the VMM server, all accounts in the local Administrators security group are
automatically added to the VMM Administrator user role. If you want to add or remove user
accounts from the VMM Administrator user role, see Managing User Roles
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=125951).
See Also
New Installation of VMM 2008
System Requirements: VMM Server
Configuring a Remote Instance of SQL
Server for VMM 2008
System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 and VMM 2008 R2 require a Microsoft
SQL Server database to store the information that you view in the VMM Administrator Console.
When you install the VMM server, you can do the following:
Specify an existing local instance of a supported version of SQL Server.
Specify an existing remote instance of a supported version of SQL Server.
Important
If you specify a remote instance of SQL Server for the VMM database, there are
important additional steps you need to perform, as described later in this topic.
Have the Setup Wizard install SQL Server 2005 Express Edition locally on the VMM server.
You can have VMM 2008 Setup install SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 and the
VMM 2008 R2 Setup install SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP3.
Note
The SQL Server 2005 Express Edition database size is limited to 4 GB and is not
supported for integrating VMM with System Center Operations Manager 2007 for
Reporting and Monitoring features in VMM. Therefore, it is recommended that you
use a full version of SQL Server when you are managing more than 150 hosts or
when you want to integrate VMM with Operations Manager. For more information
about integrating VMM with Operations Manager, see ―Configuring Operations
Manager 2007 Integration with VMM 2008‖ in VMM 2008 R2 RC Operations Manager
Integration.
Before installing the VMM database, review the prerequisite hardware and software for
installation. For more information, see System Requirements: VMM Database.
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Configuring a Remote Instance of SQL Server
Before running the VMM Server Setup Wizard and specifying a remote instance of SQL Server
for your VMM database, you must perform the configuration steps listed in the following table.
Configuration step Notes
Enable remote connections on the remote By default, some versions of Microsoft SQL
database Server 2005 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008, such
as the Express Edition and the Evaluation Edition,
are configured to allow only local connections by
default.
For more information about configuring remote
connections for SQL Server 2008, see Connecting to
the SQL Server Database Engine
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=127719) and
Configuring the Windows Firewall to Allow SQL
Server Access
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=128365).
For more information about configuring remote
connections for SQL Server 2005, see How to
configure SQL Server 2005 to allow remote
connections
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=119974).
Ensure that the remote SQL Server is Important
running under the Local System account
If remote SQL Server is running under the
Network Service account or a domain
account, you must create a Service Principal
Name (SPN) for the SQL service as
described in article 811889 in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=88057.
Enable Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) To enhance the security of your SQL Server
encryption connection, it is recommended that you enable SSL
encryption by modifying the connection string as
described in article 316898 in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=89722.
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Specifying a Remote Database in the VMM Server
Setup Wizard
To specify a remote instance of SQL Server in the VMM Server Setup Wizard, you must do the
following:
Ensure that the user account you enter is a member of the sysadmin server role on the
remote instance of SQL Server that you specify.
Use an account that is different than the VMM service account.
Ensure that TCP port 445 is not blocked on the remote server that is running SQL Server.
VMM uses port 445 to populate the database instances from the remote server. If port 445 is
blocked, you can enter the name of the SQL instance manually.
Ensure that the SQL Server name and SQL instance name that you enter are accurate, and
that the SQL Server name does not contain more than 15 characters.
If the remote SQL Server is using a port other than the default port (1433), you must append
the port number after the instance name using the following syntax: instance name, port.
Note
If you specify an IP address for the Server name that is hosting a remote database, you
must modify the connection string in your registry after installing the VMM server by using
the following procedure.
To modify the connection string to connect to the remote VMM database
1. In the registry, navigate to the following subkey:
\\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine
Manager Server\\Settings\\Sql
2. Right-click ConnectionString, click Modify, and then change the Server= value data by
deleting the IP address and replacing it with the name for the remote SQL Server-based
computer.
Caution
Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using
Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that
you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these
problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.
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