Deploying vCenter Server Appliance 6.5 – An Overview

vCenter Server Appliance

vCenter Server Appliance(vCSA) is a preconfigured linux virtual machine, optimized for running VMware vCenter server and associated services for managing more ESXi hosts efficiently. vCenter Server available for both Windows and Linux versions, but vCenter Server Appliance is a pre configured iso to be downloaded from VMWare and has to be deployed in any one of ESXi host you managing on your VMWare Environment.

Hardware requirement for vCenter Server Appliance

The VMware vCenter Server Appliance can be deployed only on hosts that are running ESXi 5.x or later.

There are four types of vCenter Server Appliance deployment,depends on size of deployment that includes no of ESXi hosts and no of VMs running on your VMWare Environment viz.

1. Tiny
2. Small
3. Medium and
4. Large

This table outlines the VMware vCenter Server Appliance requirements:

1. Tiny Environment

For a least Infrastructure, which has lesser than 10 ESXi hosts, managing less than 100 virtual machines tiny environment is suitable. Generally this deployment will be suitable for testing.

2. Small Environment

For a smaller Infrastructure, which has between 10 to 100 ESXi hosts, managing upto 1000 virtual machines Small environment is suitable.Generally SMBs segment used this deployment on production.

3. Medium Environment

For a medium Infrastructure which has between 100 to 400 ESXi hosts, managing upto 4000 virtual machines, this Medium environment is suitable.MSBs and Corporates uses this type of installation.

4. Large Environment

Large datacenters, very large Corporate companies which hosts upto 1000 ESXi hosts, and managing upto 10000 virtual machines, this Large Environment suitable

Here we are deploying vCenter server appliance 6.5 with tiny environment option.

• Download vCenter server Appliance 6.5 and mount ISO to open vCenter server appliance 6.5 and click next to continue this installation.

• By default, VCSA appliance is selected in stage 1.click next to process next step

• Accept the terms and license agreement in order to continue the installation

• Here we choose deployment type as vCenter server with an Embedded Platform Services Controller and click next to appliance deployment target
• Enter FQDN or IP address of the ESXi host and also provide root user credential to deploy new vCenter server appliance and click next to proceed


And on consequent steps,

• Specify a virtual machine name and set a root password for this vCenter appliance installation and click next
• Choose datastore for storage location and we are going select thin provisioning. (Thin provisioning offers more efficiency where the amount of resource used is much smaller than allocated.)
• After stage 1 deployment completion, we will move to stage 2 to setup vCenter server appliance and click next
• Choose time synchronization mode as Synchronize time with the ESXi host and also enable ssh, connect through putty and click next
• Here we configure SSO domain name, SSO password and site-name to permit user to access one set of login credential and click finish
• Now Appliance setup progress is starting
• After completing,click below link to manage this appliance

• Using the hyperlink vSphere Web client link to open Web client page.To access vSphere, log in to vSphere web-client (Flash)
• In Home page,click VMs and Templates to create a new datacenter

• Using this steps add a datacenter under host

Right-click host->Add New Data center->Mention a name and location.
A new Data center is created under host.

Conclusion:

Choosing vCenter Server Appliance is cost effective and hassle-free. The appliance can be deployed to an ESXi host and one could say that the deployment process is fairly simple and straightforward.