Course Content
VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage Content
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Course Introduction
Introduction to vSphere and the Software Defined Data Center
As a vSphere administrator, you must be familiar with the components on which vSphere is based. You must also understand the following concepts: Virtualization, the role of the ESXi hypervisor in virtualization and virtual machines Fundamental vSphere components and the use of vSphere in the software-defined data center Use of vSphere clients to administer and manage vSphere environments
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Overview of vSphere and Virtual Machines
vSphere Virtualization of Resources
vSphere User Interfaces
Overview of ESXi
Virtual Machines
You can create a virtual machine in several ways. Choosing the correct method can save you time and make the deployment process manageable and scalable.
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Creating Virtual Machines
Virtual Machine Hardware Deep Dive
Introduction to Containers
vCenter Server
vCenter Server helps you centrally manage multiple ESXi hosts and their virtual machines. If you do not properly deploy, configure, and manage vCenter Server Appliance, your environment might experience reduced administrative efficiency or ESXi host and virtual machine downtime.
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Centralized Management with vCenter Server
Deploying vCenter Server Appliance
vSphere Licensing
Managing the vCenter Server Inventory
vCenter Server Roles and Permissions
Monitoring vCenter Server Appliance
Backing Up and Restoring vCenter Server Appliance
vCenter Server High Availability
Configuring and Managing Virtual Networks
When you configure ESXi networking properly, virtual machines can communicate with other virtual, and physical, machines. In this way, remote host management and IP-based storage operate effectively.
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Introduction to vSphere Standard Switches
Configuring Standard Switch Policies
Configuring and Managing Virtual Storage
Understanding the available storage options helps you set up your storage according to your cost, performance, and manageability requirements. You can use shared storage for disaster recovery, high availability, and moving virtual machines between hosts.
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vSphere Storage Concepts
Fibre Channel Storage
iSCSI Storage
VMFS Datastores
NFS Datastores
vSAN Datastores
Virtual Machine Management
Virtual machines are the foundation of your virtual infrastructure. Managing VMs effectively requires skills in creating templates and clones, modifying VMs, migrating VMs, taking snapshots, and protecting the VMs through replication and backups.
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Creating Templates and Clones
Working with Content Libraries
Modifying Virtual Machines
Migrating VMs with vSphere vMotion
Enhanced vMotion Compatibility
Migrating VMs with vSphere Storage vMotion
Creating Virtual Machine Snapshots
vSphere Replication and Backup
Resource Management and Monitoring
Although the VMkernel works proactively to avoid resource contention, maximizing performance requires both analysis and ongoing monitoring. Developing skills in resource management, you can dynamically reallocate resources so that you can use available capacity more efficiently.
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Virtual CPU and Memory Concepts
vSphere Resource Controls
vSphere Resource Monitoring Tools
Monitoring Resource Use in vSphere
Using Alarms in vSphere
vSphere Clusters
Most organizations rely on computer-based services like email, databases, and web-based applications. The failure of any of these services can mean lost productivity and revenue. By understanding and using vSphere HA, you can configure highly available, computer-based services, which are important for an organization to remain competitive in contemporary business environments. And by developing skills in using vSphere DRS, you can improve service levels by guaranteeing appropriate resources to virtual machines.
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vSphere Clusters Overview
vSphere DRS
Introduction to vSphere HA
vSphere HA Architecture
Configuring vSphere HA
Introduction to vSphere Fault Tolerance
vSphere Lifecycle Management
Managing the life cycle of vSphere involves keeping vCenter Server and ESXi hosts up to date and integrated with other VMware and third-party solutions. To achieve these goals, you must understand how to use the new features provided by vSphere Lifecycle Manager, namely, clusterlevel management of ESXi hosts and the vCenter Server Update Planner.
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vCenter Server Update Planner
Overview of vSphere Lifecycle Manager
Working with Baselines
Working with Images
Managing the Life Cycle of VMware Tools and VM Hardware
VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage
About Lesson

vCenter Server High Availability

Learner Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to meet the following objectives:

  • Recognize the importance of vCenter Server High Availability
  • Explain how it works
  • Identify vCenter Server High Availability requirements

Importance of Keeping vCenter Server Highly Available

vCenter Server High Availability

 

High availability is an important characteristic for many VMware and third-party solutions that depend on vCenter Server as the primary management platform:

  • vCenter Server is the foundation for the virtual desktop infrastructure.
  • Backup and disaster recovery solutions rely on vCenter Server.

About vCenter Server High Availability

vCenter Server High Availability

vCenter Server HA protects vCenter Server Appliance against both hardware and software failures.

vCenter Server HA forms a cluster of nodes:

  • Active node: Runs the active vCenter Server Appliance instance
  • Passive node: Automatically takes over the role of the Active node if a failure occurs
  • Witness node: Provides a quorum to protect against a split-brain situation

vCenter Server High Availability is built in to vCenter Server Appliance and is included with the standard license.

Scenario: Active Node Failure

If the active node fails, the passive node takes over the role of the active node. The cluster is considered to be running in a degraded state.

Scenario: Passive Node Failure

If the passive node fails, the active node continues to operate normally. However, the cluster is considered to be running in a degraded state.

Scenario: Witness Node Failure

If the witness node fails, the active node continues to operate normally. However, the cluster is considered to be running in a degraded state.

Benefits of vCenter Server High Availability

vCenter Server HA provides many benefits:

  • vCenter Server Appliance is made more resilient.
  • Protection against hardware, host, and application failures is provided.
  • Recovery occurs in minutes. End-to-end downtime is minimized.
  • Active-passive architecture provides transparent failover:
  • One-click automated high availability is set up.
  • Nodes can be geographically distant (less than 10 milliseconds latency).
  • No shared storage is required.
  • No third-party technologies are required.

vCenter Server High Availability Requirements

Component Requirements
ESXi
  • Version 6.0 or later.
  • Minimum of three ESXi hosts is recommended.
vCenter Server Appliance
  • Version 6.5 or later.
  • Deployment size small or larger is required to meet the RTO.
  • Enough disk space to collect and store support bundles for all three nodes on the active node.
Network connectivity
  • Network latency between the three nodes must be less than 10 milliseconds.
  • The vCenter HA network must be on a different subnet than the management network.
Licensing • A single vCenter Server Standard license.

Review of Learner Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to meet the following objectives:

  • Recognize the importance of vCenter Server HA
  • Explain how it works
  • Identify vCenter Server High Availability requirements

Virtual Beans: vCenter Server Maintenance and Operations

Key Points

  • vCenter Server Appliance uses the Photon operating system and the PostgreSQL database.
  • You use the vSphere Client to connect to vCenter Server instances and manage vCenter Server inventory objects.
  • A permission, defined in vCenter Server, gives one user or group a role (set of privileges) for a selected object.
  • You can use the vCenter Server Appliance Management Interface to monitor appliance resource use and perform a file-based backup of the appliance.
  • vCenter Server HA is built in to vCenter Server Appliance and protects the appliance from both hardware and software failures.
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