This document discusses best practices for designing a VMware vCenter Server infrastructure. It covers choosing between the installable and appliance versions, hardware requirements, high availability and backup options, implementing single sign-on and the web client, and sizing the vCenter Server virtual appliance. The key considerations for design include scale, availability, manageability, security and choosing the right edition based on inventory size.

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Welcome to the Nordic VMUG User Conference

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Design a VMware vCenter Server
Andrew Mauro –VCDX & vExpert
http://vinfrastructure.it/en/

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Credits
vCenter Deep Dive
•JustingKing @vCenterGuy
vBrownBag@VMworld2014 EU
•vCSApro and cons
VMware KB
Practical experience
Stay up to date with vCenter Server
•http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/

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Requirements, constraints, assumptions
VMware vCenterServer is almost mandatory
•With more than one ESXi
Usually a dedicated system
•1 service -> 1 server approach
It needs some resources
•Not so «light»
Authentication, Authorization, Accounting
•Delegation with Role based approach

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Design criterias
Design for
•Scale
•Availability
•Manageability
•Security
•…

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Choosing the vCenter
Which version?
Different editions
•Essential, Foundation, Standard
Windows installable vs. Appliance
•There are the same features?
•What about next version?
•There are the same limits?
•Hosts per vCenter: 1.000
•Powered on VMs: 10.000
•Registered VMs: 15.000
•http://vinfrastructure.it/en/2014/01/vmware-vcenter-server-installable-vs- appliance/

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VMware vCenter Server Components

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Deployment options
Simple install
•Single server
Custom install
•Single or multiple servers
Or vCSA
•Single VA

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InstallingvCenter Server 5.5 best practices(2052334)

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Beforeinstall
Review the vSphere Installation and Setup Guide
•Documentation Center http://vmware.com/go/docs
Met all minimum software and hardware requirements
•Compatibility Guide http://vmware.com/go/compatibility
•Product Interoperability Matrix http://vmware.com/go/interop
You have configured both a forward and reverse lookup zone
When you plan to authenticate against Active Directory, you have joined your Microsoft Windows server to the domain
•Other Identity Sources supported with 5.5
•Active Directory as an LDAP server (no more supported)
•OpenLDAP
•KB 2064977
•Local OS
•Local SSO

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Hardware requirements
Simple Install(Minimums)
•2CPU / 12GB RAM / 100GB Disk / 1Gbps
Custom Install(Minimums)
•Single Sign-On
•1CPU / 3GB RAM / 2GB Disk / 1Gbps
•vSphere Web Client
•1CPU / 2GB RAM / 2GB Disk / 1Gbps
•Inventory Service
•1CPU / 3GB RAM / 5GB Disk / 1Gbps
•vCenter Server
•2CPU / 4GB RAM / 60GB Disk / 1Gbps
Simple Install(Recommended)
•4CPU / 24GB RAM / 200GB Disk / 1Gbps
Custom Install(Recommended)
•Single Sign-On
•2CPU / 4GB RAM / 8GB Disk / 1Gbps
•vSphere Web Client
•2CPU / 4GB RAM / 8GB Disk / 1Gbps
•Inventory Service
•1CPU / 8GB RAM / 32GB Disk / 1Gbps
•vCenter Server
•4CPU / 8GB RAM / 100GB Disk / 1Gbps
Basedon an Inventory Sizeof 400 hostsor 4000 virtualmachines

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Design vCenter Server
Whichoperatingsystem?
For installablev5.5 isneededatleasta Windows Server 2008 SP2 64 bit
Single server or multiple servers?
Database?
Physicalor virtual?
Management cluster?
•http://vinfrastructure.it/vdesign/vcenter-server-physical-or-virtual/
•Availability?
•WhichvSphere servicesreallyrequirevCenter Server?

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Single vCenter Server Design Recommendation
VC Database
vCenter Server Host or VMvCenterServerSSOServerWeb ClientInventory Svc
A Datacenter with 1-5 vCenter Servers
No change to architecture
All services are local
Supports 1-1000 Hosts / 1- 10,000 VMs
Minimum latency across the components
“Easy to protect”

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Multiple Local vCenter Server Design Recommendations
A Datacenter with more than 5 vCenter Servers
•Same Physical location
•Centralized SSO authentication
•Centralized vSphere Web Client?
•Use VM or host affinity?
•Multi site
•Only with SSO 5.5
vCenter Server 2vCenterServer 5.5
Inventory Svc
SSOServer
Web Client
DatabaseServer
VCDB1,VCDB2,VCDB3
vCenter Server 3vCenterServer 5.5
Inventory Svc
vCenter Server 1vCenterServer 5.1
Inventory Svc
Backwards compatible to vCenter Single Sign-On 5.1

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Database
Required databases
•vCenter Server DB
•Stats and tasks will increase this database (choose the right detail!)
•SSO DB
•VUM DB
•…
Database “embedded” or external?
•SQL Express is limited to 5 hosts or 50 VMs
•Due to the internal limitation
vCSA
•Actually there are some limits using the embedded (v)Postgres
•In 5.5:
•Max 100 hosts or
•Max 3000 VMs
•What about next version?

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Availability of vCenter Server
DifferentHA solutions
•Cold standby?
•VMware HA and/or Application HA?
•VMware FT?
•Single vCPUlimit
•Guest clustering?
•VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat
•EOA sinceJune2, 2014
•KB 1024051
•Supported vCenter Server high availability options
Database?
•vCenter Server 5.5 in vSphere 5.5, VMware introduced support for using Microsoft SQL Cluster Service for use as a back end database
•KB 2059560
•EnablingMicrosoft SQL Clustering Service for VMware vCenter Server 5.5 database

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Backup of vCenter Server
A goodbackup solution
•Basically the entire database
•KB 2012138
•Backing up the vCenter Server database running on Microsoft SQL or SQL Express server
•But not only
•KB 1029864
•Manually backing up and restoring the VMware vCenter Server 4.x and 5.x ADAM instance data
•KB 2057353
•Backing up and restoring the VMware vCenter Single Sign-On 5.5 configuration
•SSL Certificates?
For the vCSA?
•KB 2062682
•Backing up and restoring the vCenter Server Appliance Inventory Service database
•Or manage it as a black-box

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SSO
KB 2058239
•Installing vCenter Single Sign-On 5.5 on a Microsoft Windows platform
Choose the right password
•KB 2060746
•Installing vCenter Single Sign-On 5.5 fails if the password for administrator@vsphere.localcontains certain special character
•Avoid & ; “ ‘ ^ !
Improved architecture in SSO 5.5
•Multi-master
•Built-in replication
•Site awareness
•Multi Tenant
•Database
•There is no database!

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SSO
Type of deployment

•vCenter Single Sign-On for and additional vCenter in an existing site
•Merges Lookup Services –For SSO HA, requires load balancer
•vCenter Single Sign-On for and additional vCenter with a new site
•Configures new Lookup Services –For multiple vCenter Server deployments

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Web Client
Always deploythe Web Client
•Multiplatform
•Internet Explorer / FireFox/ Chrome fully supported on Windows and Mac
•Faster or slower?
•Sometimes it will become the only client
•In the rare case SSO goes wrong, users can log into and troubleshoot
But check plugin compatibility
And still have the old vSphere Client
And not suitable for mobile devices
•VMware vSphere Mobile Watchlist
•https://communities.vmware.com/ community/vmtn/vsphere/vsphere-mobile

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vCenter Server Inventory Service
Maintains a cache of the vCenter Server inventory (VMs, Hosts, …)
Reduces the load on VPXD by offloading client requests
Installs locally to vCenter Server (although can be separated)
•Suggested to keep it locally
•Separate spindles or SSD (better)
•vFRC(requires a virtual vCenter Server and VH10)
Enables use of Tags
•Remember to backup Inventory service data files to provide recovery of tags

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vCenter Server Appliance
vCSA

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vCenter Server Appliance
Pro
•It’s a VA with all-in-one (included the Web Client)
•Simple and smaller (OVA is smaller than ISO)
•Faster to deploy (or re-deploy)
•Does not require a Windows license
Cons
•Not the same features
•Not compatible with other components (ie: VUM)
Virtual Appliance
•Angels or daemons?
•http://vinfrastructure.it/2012/06/virtual-appliance-angels-o-demons/
•VA are bricks but also are (or must be considered) black-boxes

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Linked Mode
Windows only (ADAM/AD-LDAP) based
•Max 10 vCenters
•Max 3.000 hosts
•Max 30.000 powered on VMs
•Max 50.000 registered VMs
No way with vCSA
•What about next version?
•Do you really need Linked Mode?

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Scalability consideration?
Actually vCSAis a monolithic VM
•optional can have an external DBMS
SSO and other platform services are not sharable
•Can be used a Windows Server with vCenter components
•What about next version?

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VA Deployment
Faster than the Windows version
Could be faster?
Could be easiest?
Guided or scripted installation?
•What about next version?

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VA patching
The vCSAupgrade process is quite easy
•Single point, single updade/upgrade
But could be better?
What about security patches at the OS level?
Multiple repositories or patch levels?
•What about next version?

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VM sizing
KB 2005086 for version5.5
•Very small inventory
•10 or fewer hosts, 100 or fewer virtual machines
•at least 8 GB
•Small inventory
•10-50 hosts or 100-1500 virtual machines
•at least 16GB
•Medium inventory
•the maximum inventory supported with the embedded database; 50-100 hosts or 1500-3000 virtual machines
•at least 24GB

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Thank you
Andrew Mauro –VCDX & vExpert
http://vinfrastructure.it/en/

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Enjoy The Day!
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