Installing VMware Components

Module 14

© 2011 VMware Inc. All rights reserved

 You Are Here

Course Introduction Data Protection

Introduction to Virtualization Access & Authentication Control

Virtual Machines Resource Management and Monitoring

VMware vCenter Server High Availability

Configure and Manage Virtual Networks Scalability

Configure and Manage Virtual Storage Patch Management

Managing Virtual Machines Installing vSphere Components

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© 2011 VMware Inc. All rights reserved

 Importance

A VMware® ESXi™ host provides the physical resources used to

run virtual machines. A correctly installed ESXi host can reduce the
support costs and impact performance.

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 Module Lessons

Lesson 1: Installing ESXi

Lesson 2: Installing vCenter Server

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 Lesson 1:
Installing ESXi

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 Learner Objectives

After this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

Describe how to install ESXi interactively.

Identify the basic requirements for a boot from SAN configuration.

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 ESXi Hardware Prerequisites

Processor – 64-bit x86 CPU:

All AMD Opteron processors

All Intel Xeon 3000/3200, 3100/3300, 5100/5300, 5200/5400, 5500/5600,
7100/7300, 7200/7400, and 7500 processors

Up to 160 logical CPUs (cores or hyperthreads)
Memory – 2GB RAM minimum
One or more Ethernet controllers:

Gigabit or 10Gb Ethernet controllers are supported.

For best performance and security, use separate Ethernet controllers for the
management network and the virtual machine networks.
Disk storage:

A SCSI adapter, Fibre Channel adapter, converged network adapter, iSCSI
adapter, or internal RAID controller

A SCSI disk, Fibre Channel LUN, iSCSI disk, or RAID LUN with unpartitioned
space: SATA, SCSI, SAS

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 Installing ESXi 5.0

Install Required/ Default Comments

Option Optional Selection
Host name Required None

Install Required None Must be at least 5GB if you install the

Location components on a single disk.
Keyboard Optional U.S. English
Language
VLAN ID Optional None VLAN ID Range: 0 through 4094
IP Address Optional DHCP Configure a static IP address or use DHCP to
configure the network.
Subnet Optional Calculated based on IP
Mask address IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and DNS
Gateway Optional Based on IP address and network settings can be changed after
subnet mask installation.

Primary Optional Based on IP address and Secondary DNS server can also be defined.
DNS subnet mask
Root Optional None Must contain between 6 and 64 characters.
Password

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 Installing ESXi

You must have the ESXi 5.0 ISO file on CD or DVD media.
Boot from the CD or DVD to start the ESXi installer.
Make sure that you select a disk that is not formatted with VMware
vSphere® VMFS.
Choose a volume
that has not been
formatted with
VMFS.

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 Boot from SAN

VMware ESXi

ESXi may be booted from SAN.

Supported for Fibre Channel SAN

Supported for iSCSI and FCoE for certain
qualified storage adapters

SAN connections must be made through a
switched topology unless the array is certified
for direct-connect.

The ESXi host must have exclusive access
to its own boot LUN.

Use different LUNs for VMFS datastores and
boot partitions.

boot LUN

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 Review of Learner Objectives

You should be able to do the following:

Describe how to install ESXi interactively.

Identify the basic requirements for a boot from SAN configuration.

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© 2011 VMware Inc. All rights reserved

 Lesson 2:
Installing vCenter Server

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 Learner Objectives

After this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

Identify system requirements to install VMware vCenter Server™.

Install vCenter Server on a supported Windows operating system.

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 vCenter Server Deployment options

physical host
Deployed on physical host or virtual machine and

installed with a supported version of Windows.

Reasons to use Windows-based vCenter Server
-OR- instead of the vCenter Server virtual appliance
• Support staff trained only on Windows operating
systems
• Applications that depend on a specific Windows
version
virtual machine • Prefer to use a physical host

Deployed as a virtual appliance that runs the SuSE

Linux operating system
• No operating system license required
• Simple configuration using web browser
Linux based • Offers same user experience as Windows based
version

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 vCenter Server Hardware and Software Requirements

Hardware requirements (physical or virtual machine):

Number of CPUs – Two 64-bit CPUs or one 64-bit dual-core
processor

Processor – 2.0GHz or higher Intel or AMD processor*

Memory – 4GB RAM minimum*

Disk storage – 4GB minimum*

Networking – Gigabit connection recommended

* Higher if database runs on the same machine
Software requirements:

64-bit operating system is required.

See “vSphere Compatibility Matrixes.”

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 vCenter Database Requirements

Each vCenter Server instance must have a connection to a database

to organize all the configuration data.
Supported databases:

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP3 (required)
• SP4 recommended

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express
• Microsoft SQL Server 2008

Oracle 10g R2 and 11g

IBM DB2 9.5 and 9.7
Default database – Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express:

Bundled with vCenter Server

Used for product evaluations and demos

Also used for small deployments (up to five hosts and 50 virtual
machines)
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 Considerations for Calculating the Database Size

Use the vCenter Server

5.x Database Sizing
Calculator:

For Microsoft SQL
Server and Oracle
Or use the what-if
calculator built into
vCenter Server.

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 Before Installing vCenter Server

Before beginning the vCenter Server installation, make sure that the
following prerequisites are met:

Ensure that vCenter Server hardware and software requirements are
met.

Ensure that the vCenter Server system belongs to a domain rather
than a workgroup.

Create a vCenter Server database, unless you are using the default
database.

Obtain and assign static IP address and host name to the vCenter
Server system.

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 Installing vCenter Server and Its Components

Use the VMware vCenter Installer to install vCenter Server and its
components.
Install vCenter
Server.

Install VMware
vSphere® Update
Manager

Install VMware
vSphere
Client™.

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 Standalone Instance or Linked Mode Group

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 vCenter Server Installation Wizard

The vCenter Server Installation wizard asks for the following data.
Parameter Description

User name and organization User identification

License key Evaluation or valid license key
Default database or remote database connection
Database information
information
SYSTEM account information User for running the vCenter Server service
Destination folder Software location
Standalone or join a Linked Standalone instance or enable two or more vCenter
Mode group Server inventories to be visible from the vSphere Client
Ports used for communicating with client interfaces and
Ports
managed hosts
JVM memory configuration for the vCenter Server Web
JVM memory
service
Select if vCenter Server will manage hosts that power
Ephemeral port configuration
on more than 2000 virtual machines simultaneously

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 vCenter Server Services

Instead of using the vCenter Serer appliance, you can install vCenter
Server on a Windows system.
After vCenter Server is installed, a number of services start upon
reboot and can be managed from the Windows Control Panel
(Administrative Tools > Services).

*
* Do not start automatically

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 Lab 21

In this lab, you will install vCenter Server components.

1. Access your vCenter Server system.
2. Configure a SQL Server ODBC connection to a remote database
(if necessary.)
3. Install vCenter Server.

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 Review of Learner Objectives

You should be able to do the following:

Identify system requirements to install vCenter Server.

Install vCenter Server on a supported Windows operating system.

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 Key Points

ESXi installation requires little configuration during installation.

vCenter Server installed on Windows operating systems can run on
physical machines or virtual machines.

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