VMware ESX 4.0 - GETTING STARTED UPDATE 1 Installationsanleitung

vSphere Basic System AdministrationUpdate 1ESX 4.0ESXi 4.0vCenter Server 4.0This document supports the version of each product listed andsupports all

Revision DescriptionEN-000260-01nIn “Edit vApp Startup and Shutdown Options,” on page 108 the tab name is changed from Start Up toStart Order.nA note

vSphere Basic System Administration100 VMware, Inc.

Deploying OVF Templates 9The VMware vSphere Client (vSphere Client) allows you to import and export virtual machines, virtualappliances, and vApps sto

Procedure1 In the vSphere Client, select File > Deploy OVF Template.The Deploy OVF Template wizard appears.2 Specify the source location and click

12 On the IP Allocation page, configure how IP addresses are allocated for the virtual appliance and clickNext.Option DescriptionFixedYou will be prom

c In the Optimized for field, determine how you want to store the files.Select Web (OVF) to store the OVF template as a set of files (.ovf, .vmdk, and

Managing VMware vApp 10You can use VMware vSphere as a platform for running applications, in addition to using it as a platform forrunning virtual mac

nA DRS-enabled cluster is selected in the inventory.vApps can be created on folders, hosts, resource pools, DRS-enabled clusters, and within other vAp

2 Click Next.Allocate vApp ResourcesDetermine how much CPU and memory should be allocated for the vApp.Procedure1 In the Resource Allocation page, all

Procedure1 Display the object in the inventory.2 Click and drag the object to the target object.nIf the move is permitted, a box appears around the ta

Edit vApp PropertiesYou can edit any vApp property that is defined in Advanced Property Configuration.Procedure1 On the Summary page of the vApp, clic

About This BookThis manual, Basic System Administration, describes how to start and stop the VMware® vSphere™ Clientcomponents, build your vSphere env

2 Click View Additional OVF Sections in the Options list.3 Click OK when finished.Configure Advanced vApp PropertiesYou can edit and configure advance

5 In Advanced Property Configuration, you may perform the following actions.nClickNew to add a new custom property.nSelect the property and click Edit

7 Click OK when finished.Select DHCPYou can specify that an IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP server is available on the network.Procedure1 In the inventory, select t

4 Enter the server name and port number for the proxy server.The server name can optionally include a colon and a port number.For example, web-proxy:3

Power Off a vAppEach application within the service will be powered off according to how the shutdown order is set.ProcedureuIn the Summary page for t

Creating Virtual Machines 11This section discusses how to create virtual machines through the New Virtual Machine Wizard.This chapter includes the fol

2 Select File > New > Virtual Machine.Select a Path Through the New Virtual Machine WizardYou can create a new virtual machine using the common

Select a DatastoreSelect a datastore that will contain the virtual machine and its virtual disk files.For ESX/ESXi hosts, the datastores are configure

Configure Virtual MemorySelect the virtual memory size on the Configure Virtual Memory page.Minimum memory size is 4MB. Maximum memory size depends on

nDisks on Paravirtual SCSI adapters might not experience performance gains if they have snapshots or ifmemory on the ESX host is over committed.nIf yo

Table 1. Abbreviations (Continued)Abbreviation Descriptionuser# User with access permissionsVC vCenter ServerVM# Virtual machines on a managed hostTe

About Virtual Disk FormatsWhen you perform certain virtual machine management operations, such as create a virtual disk, clone a virtualmachine to a t

Create Raw Device MappingsFor virtual machines running on an ESX/ESXi host, instead of storing virtual machine data in a virtual diskfile, you can sto

ProcedureuSelect Do not create a disk.Complete Virtual Machine CreationThe Ready to Complete page enables you to review your virtual machine’s configu

nNetwork booting a Linux virtual machine by connecting with the Linux Diskless option to a Red HatEnterprise Linux 3.0 AS serverNOTE Server does not

You can optionally install WYSE Multimedia Redirector, which improves streaming video performance inWindows guest operating systems running on WYSE th

6 In the virtual machine console, do one of the following.nIf autorun is enabled, click OK to confirm that you want to install VMware Tools and launch

8 In a terminal window, as root (su -), run the following command to configure VMware Tools: vmware-config-tools.plRespond to the questions the instal

9 List the contents of the /mnt/cdrom/ directory, and note the filename of the VMware Tools tar installer.ls /mnt/cdrom10 Uncompress the tar installer

5 In the virtual machine console, log in as root (su -) and, if necessary, create the /mnt/cdrom directory:mkdir /mnt/cdrom6 Mount the VMware Tools vi

Procedure1 From the vSphere Client, right-click the virtual machine, select Power, and select Power On.2 Click the Console tab to make sure that the g

Getting StartedVMware, Inc. 13

3 Right-click the virtual machine, select Guest, and select Install/Upgrade VMware Tools.4 Select Interactive Tools Installation and click OK.This ste

Upgrade VMware Tools ManuallyYou can manually upgrade VMware Tools.Procedure1 Launch the vSphere client and log in to the vCenter Server system.2 Sele

Custom VMware Tools InstallationYou can use a custom VMware Tools installation path to install optional drivers or other software that mightimprove th

2 In the virtual machine, select Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs.3 In the list of programs, select VMware Tools and

vSphere Basic System Administration134 VMware, Inc.

Managing Virtual Machines 12You can manage virtual machines directly through the ESX/ESXi host or through a vCenter Server system.If you manage your v

Figure 12-2. vSphere Components with a vCenter Server SystemvCenterdatabaseshareddatastoredatastoreVM VM VMvCenterAgentvCenterServervCenterAgentvCent

The following power options perform extra functions in addition to the basic virtual machine power operations.VMware Tools must be installed in the vi

6 In the right panel, enter the settings you want for the Power Controls, Run VMware Tools Scripts, andAdvanced options.7 Click OK to save your settin

2 Do one of the following:nSelect the virtual machine and click Power On in toolbar.nRight-click the virtual machine and select Power On in the contex

vSphere Basic System Administration14 VMware, Inc.

Remove Virtual Machines from the DatastoreUse the Delete from Disk option to remove a virtual machine from vCenter Server and delete all virtualmachin

8 Enter a Default Shutdown Delay value to delay shutdown for each virtual machine by a certain amountof time.This shutdown delay applies only if the v

vSphere Basic System Administration142 VMware, Inc.

Virtual Machine Configuration 13You can configure virtual machines at any time—during the virtual machine creation process or after youcreate the virt

Table 13-1 lists virtual machine hardware versions, the ESX/ESXi versions on which they can be created, edited,and run, the vCenter Server versions on

2 Expand the inventory as needed, and select the virtual machine you want to edit.3 (Optional) Power off the virtual machine.4 Click the Edit Settings

Change the DVD/CD-ROM Drive ConfigurationUse the Hardware tab in the Virtual Machine Properties dialog box to configure a DVD/CD-ROM drive for avirtua

4 Select the device type to use for this virtual device.Option DescriptionClient DeviceSelect this option to connect the floppy device to a physical f

Change the Memory ConfigurationYou can change the memory configuration of a virtual machine's hardware when the virtual machine ispowered on or p

Change the SCSI Controller or SCSI Bus Sharing ConfigurationYou can set the SCSI controller type and the type of SCSI bus sharing for a virtual machin

vSphere Components 1VMware vSphere™ includes components and operations essential for managing virtual machines. vSphereworks with several client inter

6 If you are connecting two virtual machines, you must configure a serial port as a named pipe in two virtualmachines: a server virtual machine and a

You can change the following settings in the Options tab of the Virtual Machine Properties Editor:General OptionsVirtual machine display name and type

2 Select VMware Toolsin the Settings list.The stop button on the toolbar can be configured to power off the virtual machine, shut down the guestoperat

2 Select Advanced > General in the Settings list.a To disable acceleration, select the Disable acceleration check box.You can enable and disable ac

6 Select Advanced > Paravirtualization. Select Support VMI Paravirtualization to enable VMIParavirtualization to enable it, or deselect it to disab

f Do one of the following:nTo leave WWNs unchanged, select Leave unchanged.nTo have vCenter Server or the ESX host generate new WWNs, select Generate

3 Select a shares value, which represents a relative metric for allocating CPU capacity.Option DescriptionSharesThe values Low, Normal, High, and Cust

3 Select Hyperthreading Sharing Mode from the drop-down menu.Option DescriptionAny(default) The virtual CPUs of this virtual machine can freely share

Advanced Memory ResourcesThe Advanced Memory Resources page lets you set low-level options that involve distribution of virtualmachine memory to NUMA

Adding New HardwareYou can add virtual hardware to a virtual machine using the Add Hardware wizard.The virtual hardware that you add appears in the ha

Each ESX/ESXi host has a vSphere Client available for your management use.If your ESX/ESXi host is registered with vCenter Server, a vSphere Client th

Add a Serial Port to a Virtual MachineWhen you add a serial port to a virtual machine, you can use a physical serial port on the host, an output file,

6 Click Next.7 Review the information on the Ready to Complete page, and click Finish.Add a DVD/CD-ROM Drive to a Virtual MachineYou can use a physica

5 Specify the location of the floppy drive or image.nIf you selected Use a physical floppy drive, select either client or host as the device location

The following NIC types are supported:FlexibleSupported on virtual machines that were created on ESX Server 3.0 or greaterand that run 32-bit guest op

4 If you selected Create a new virtual disk, do the following:a Enter the disk capacity.b Select the location as either Store with the virtual machine

Add a PCI DeviceVMDirectPath I/O allows a guest operating system on a virtual machine to directly access physical PCI andPCIe devices connected to a h

About VMware Paravirtual SCSI AdaptersParavirtual SCSI (PVSCSI) adapters are high-performance storage adapters that can result in greaterthroughput an

3 Click the Hardware tab and select the appropriate hard disk in the Hardware list.The Disk Provisioning section on the right shows the type of your v

vSphere Basic System Administration168 VMware, Inc.

Working with Templates and Clones 14A template is a master copy of a virtual machine that can be used to create and provision new virtual machines.Thi

Host agentOn each managed host, software that collects, communicates, and executes theactions received through the vSphere Client. It is installed as

Convert Virtual Machine to TemplateYou can use an existing virtual machine to convert into a template.Procedure1 Start the vSphere client, and log in

Clone Existing TemplateYou can clone an existing virtual machine template.Procedure1 Start the vSphere client, and log in to the vCenter Server system

Change Template NameYou can directly change the name of a template.Procedure1 Start the vSphere client, and log in to the vCenter Server system.2 From

10 In the Ready to Complete page, review the information for your new virtual machine, select the Poweron the new Virtual Machine after creation check

5 Click OK to confirm removing the template from the vCenter Server database.The template is deleted from the disk and cannot be recovered.Regain Temp

11 Click Advanced for more options, and click Next.The Select Guest Customization Option page appears. You can choose to customize the guest operating

vSphere Basic System Administration176 VMware, Inc.

Customizing Guest OperatingSystems 15The Guest Customization wizard lets you create specifications you can use to prepare the guest operatingsystems o

Virtual Hardware Requirements for Guest CustomizationThis topic describes the virtual machine hardware requirements for customizing the guest operatin

nIf the virtual machine resides on a host running ESX Server 3.0.x or earlier, both the active partition (thepartition containing boot.ini) and the sy

VMs and TemplatesProvides a view of all virtual machines and templates in the inventory, groupedby datacenters and folders.DatastoresProvides a view o

5 (Optional) If you are customizing a server guest operating system:a Select Include Server License Information.b Select either Per seat or Per server

5 Select the type of network settings to apply to the guest operating system and click Next:nTypical settings allow vCenter Server to configure all ne

5 Under Customization Specification Information, enter a name for the specification and an optionaldescription, and click Next.6 Enter the virtual mac

Managing Customization SpecificationCustomization specifications are XML files that contain guest operating system settings for virtual machines.You c

3 In the confirmation dialog box, select Yes.The specification is removed from the list.Copy a Customization SpecificationYou can copy an existing cus

View the Error Log on WindowsIf the new virtual machine encounters customization errors while it is booting, the errors are reported usingthe guest’s

vSphere Basic System Administration186 VMware, Inc.

Migrating Virtual Machines 16Migration is the process of moving a virtual machine from one host or storage location to another. Copying avirtual machi

Cold MigrationCold migration is the migration of a powered-off virtual machine. With cold migration, you have the optionof moving the associated disks

2 The virtual machine state information (memory, registers, and network connections) is copied to the targethost.3 The virtual machine resumes its act

Solutions and ApplicationsYou use the Solutions and Applications panel to access vCenter Server extensions installed in your vCenterServer System. For

nUse of Jumbo Frames is recommended for best VMotion performance.CPU Compatibility and MigrationvCenter Server performs a number of compatibility chec

CPU Families and Feature SetsProcessors are grouped into families. Processors within a given family generally have similar feature sets.Processor fami

SSE3 ConsiderationsWithin the Intel P4 and AMD Opteron processor families, VMware places a restriction between processors thatdo support the SSE3 inst

nAll hosts in the cluster must be connected to the vCenter Server system.nAll hosts in the cluster must have advanced CPU features, such as hardware v

PrerequisitesBefore you create an EVC cluster, ensure that the hosts you intend to add to the cluster meet the requirementslisted in “EVC Requirements

5 If you powered off or migrated virtual machines out of the cluster, power on the virtual machines in thecluster, or migrate virtual machines into th

CPU compatibility masks cannot prevent virtual machines from accessing masked CPU features in allcircumstances. In some circumstances, applications ca

Migrating Virtual Machines with SnapshotsMigration of virtual machines with snapshots is possible if the virtual machine resides on shared storageacce

nVirtual machine disks must be in persistent mode or be raw device mappings (RDMs). For virtualcompatibility mode RDMs, you can migrate the mapping fi

7 If you chose to move the virtual machine’s configuration file and virtual disks, select a disk format andclick Next.Option DescriptionSame as Source

vSphere Basic System Administration2 VMware, Inc.You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at:http://www.vmwar

To have a single namespace (that is, a single datacenter) for all networks anddatastores, use folders within the datacenter to organize the networks a

5 Select a resource pool and click Next.6 Select the migration priority level and click Next.Option DescriptionHigh PriorityvCenter Server reserves re

6 Select a disk format and click Next:Option DescriptionSame as SourceUse the format of the original virtual disk.If you select this option for an RDM

Storage VMotion Command-Line SyntaxIn addition to using the Migration wizard, you can initiate migrations with Storage VMotion from the vSphereCommand

3 Click the Options tab, and select General Options.The path to the virtual machine configuration file appears in the Virtual Machine Configuration Fi

vSphere Basic System Administration204 VMware, Inc.

Using Snapshots 17Snapshots are useful when you need to revert repeatedly to the same state but you do not want to createmultiple virtual machines. Wi

Because you cannot revert to a snapshot with dynamic disks, quiesced snapshots are not used when backingup dynamic disks.Backup solutions, like VMware

Take a SnapshotYou can take a snapshot while a virtual machine is powered on, powered off, or suspended. If you aresuspending a virtual machine, wait

4 Click OK.Using the Snapshot ManagerThe Snapshot Manager lets you review all snapshots for the active virtual machine and act on them directly.The Sn

3 Click Delete to permanently remove a snapshot from vCenter Server.Clicking Delete Allpermanently removes all snapshots from the virtual machine.NOTE

TemplatesA master copy of a virtual machine that can be used to create and provisionnew virtual machines.Virtual machinesA virtualized x86 or x64 pers

Figure 17-1. Revert to SnapshotVirtual machine with no snapshotstake asnapshotThe new snapshot (snapshot_a)is now the parent snapshot of the You are

System AdministrationVMware, Inc. 211

vSphere Basic System Administration212 VMware, Inc.

Managing Users, Groups, Roles, andPermissions 18Use users, groups, roles, and permissions to control who has access to your vSphere managed objects an

You manage users defined on the vCenter Server system and users defined on individual hosts separately.Even if the user lists of a host and a vCenter

The group lists in vCenter Server and an ESX/ESXi host are drawn from the same sources as the user lists. Ifyou are working through vCenter Server, th

The roles created on an ESX/ESXi host are separate from the roles created on a vCenter Server system. Whenyou manage a host using vCenter Server, only

Table 18-1. Default Roles (Continued)Role Role Type Description of User CapabilitiesVirtual Machine User sample A set of privileges to allow the user

Procedure1 On the vSphere Client Home page, click Roles.2 Right-click the Roles tab information panel and click Add.3 Type a name for the new role.4 S

PrerequisitesYou must be logged in as a user with Administrator privileges.If you are removing a role from a vCenter Server system that is part of a c

Some plug-ins are packaged separately from the base product and require separate installation. Plug-ins andthe base product can be upgraded independen

Figure 18-1. The Conceptual Structure of a Permissionobjectrolepermission = user or groupBy default, all users who are members of the Windows Adminis

Figure 18-2. vSphere Inventory Hierarchytemplate host network datastorevirtual machine resource pool clusterhostvirtual machineVM folder host folder

nHostsnNetworks (except vNetwork Distributed Switches)ndvPort GroupsnResource poolsnTemplatesnVirtual machinesnvAppsGlobal entitiesDerive their permis

Figure 18-3. Example 1: Inheritance of Multiple PermissionsVM AVM BVM Folder group B + role 2user 1 has permissions of role 1 and role 2group A

Permission ValidationvCenter Server regularly validates its users and groups against the Windows Active Directory domain.Validation occurs whenever th

Adjust the Search List in Large DomainsIf you have domains with thousands of users or groups, or if searches take a long time to complete, adjust thes

4 Select Inventory > Permissions > Properties.5 In the Change Access Role dialog box, select a role for the user or group from the drop-down men

Required Privileges for Common TasksMany tasks require permissions on more than one object in the inventory.Table 18-2 lists common tasks that require

Table 18-2. Required Privileges for Common Tasks (Continued)Task Required Privileges Applicable RoleInstall a guest operatingsystem on a virtual mach

Monitoring Storage Resources 19If you use vCenter Server to manage your ESX/ESXi hosts, you can review information on storage usage andvisually map re

Optional vCenter Server ComponentsOptional vCenter Server components are packaged and installed with the base product, but require a separatelicense.O

Display Storage ReportsYou display storage reports to review storage information for any inventory object except networking. Forexample, if the invent

Customize Storage ReportsYou display storage reports in the vSphere Client. When you display the reports tables, the default columnheadings depend on

Hide Items on Storage MapsYou can hide any number of items in a storage map.Procedure1 Display a storage map.2 Right-click the item you want to hide a

Using vCenter Maps 20A vCenter map is a visual representation of your vCenter Server topology. Maps show the relationshipsbetween the virtual and phys

vCenter VMotion MapsVMotion resource maps provide a visual representation of hosts, datastores, and networks associated with theselected virtual machi

Map Interface ControlsUse the controls in the Maps tab to customize map relationships, refresh map views, and move the focus ofthe current map. Table

3 Navigate to the location to save the file.4 Type a name for the file and select a file format.5 Click Export.vSphere Basic System Administration236

Working with Alarms 21Alarms are notifications that occur in response to selected events, conditions, and states that occur with objectsin the invento

You can set alarms to trigger when the state changes from green to yellow,yellow to red, red to yellow, and yellow to green. Triggers are defined for

Condition and State TriggersUse condition triggers and state triggers to set alarms on performance metrics, power states, and connectionstates for vir

vSphere Basic System Administration24 VMware, Inc.

Table 21-3. Condition and State Trigger Components (Continued)Trigger Component DescriptionWarning The value that must be reached for the alarm to tr

Table 21-4. Virtual Machine Condition and State Alarm Triggers (Continued)Trigger Type Trigger Name DescriptionCondition Fault ToleranceSecondary VM

Table 21-5. Host Condition and State TriggersTrigger Name Description Trigger TypeConnection State Current connection state of the host:nConnected –

Table 21-6. Datastore Condition and State TriggersTrigger Type Trigger Name DescriptionCondition Datastore DiskOverallocation (%)Amount of overalloca

Table 21-8. Event Trigger ComponentsTrigger Component DescriptionTrigger type Event to monitor. Events can be generated by a user action or the syste

Table 21-9. Virtual Machine Event Triggers (Continued)Event Category Available EventsGeneral messages and information VM error, VM error message, VM

Table 21-10. Host Event Triggers (Continued)Event Category Available EventsIP address Host IP changed, IP inconsistent, IP to short name not complete

Table 21-12. Datacenter Event Triggers (Continued)Event Category Available EventsUser Operations User assigned to group, removed from group, login, l

Table 21-15. vNetwork Distributed Switch Event Triggers (Continued)Event Category Available EventsPort Port blocked, Port unblocked, Port connected,

Table 21-17. Default vSphere Alarm ActionsAction Description Alarm ObjectSend a notification email SMTP sends an email message. The SMTP must be read

Starting and Stopping the vSphereComponents 2You can start and stop each one of the major vSphere components, ESX/ESXi, and vCenter Server. You mightw

Disabling Alarm ActionsYou can disable an alarm action from occurring without disabling the alarm itself. For example, if you havean alarm set to trig

Table 21-19. SMTP Email Notification Details (Continued)Email Entry DescriptionAlarm Definition Alarm definition in vCenter Server, including the ala

Table 21-21. Alarm Environment VariablesVariable Name Variable DescriptionSupported AlarmTypeVMWARE_ALARM_NAME Name of the triggered alarm. Condition

Table 21-22 lists the command-line substitution parameters for scripts that run as alarm actions.Table 21-22. Command-Line Parameters for Alarm Actio

You create an alarm by using the Alarm Settings dialog box. You can open this dialog box by selecting theobject in the inventory and using any of the

6 (Optional) To save general edits without updating the alarm triggers or alarm actions, click OK.NOTE You cannot save an alarm if it does not have

7 Below the triggers list, select one of the following options to specify how to trigger the alarm.nIf any conditions are satisfied (default).nIf all

Alarm Settings – ReportingIn the Alarm Settings dialog box, use the Reporting tab to define a tolerance range and trigger frequency forcondition or st

Procedure1 Display the object in the inventory on which the alarm is defined.2 Select the object and click the Alarms tab.3 Click Definitions.The Defi

Identifying Triggered AlarmsYou can identify triggered alarms in the vSphere Client Inventory panel, the Status bar, and the Alarms tab.Table 21-23.

3 From the main or right-click menu, select Reboot or Shut Down.nIf you select Reboot, the ESX/ESXi host shuts down and reboots.nIf you select Shut Do

View AlarmsYou view alarms that have been triggered on objects and those that have been defined on objects in the vSphereClient Alarms tab.The Alarms

The list of triggered alarms displays in the status pane.What to do nextYou can also view alarms for a selected inventory object in the Triggered Alar

nIn the Alarm Actions column of the object's child object tabs. For example, if you select a host in theinventory, the Virtual Machines tab displ

5 Double-click the Configuration field and do one of the following, depending on the command file type:nIf the command is a .exe file, enter the full

Configure vCenter Server SMTP Mail SettingsYou can configure vCenter Server to send email notifications as alarm actions.PrerequisitesBefore vCenter S

Table 21-24. Default VMware Alarms (Continued)Alarm Name DescriptionHost Hardware Power Status Monitors host power.Host Hardware System Board Status

vSphere Basic System Administration266 VMware, Inc.

Working with Performance Statistics 22You can configure how statistics are collected and archived for your vCenter Server system. This determinesthe d

Table 22-1. Metric Groups (Continued)Metric group DescriptionSystem Overall system availability, such as system heartbeat and uptime. These counters

Table 22-2. Data Counter Attributes (Continued)Attribute DescriptionRollup Type Calculation method used during the statistics interval to roll up dat

Procedure1 Go to the Services console for your version of Windows.For example, select Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services and click

Table 22-3. Collection IntervalsCollectionInterval/ArchiveLengthCollectionFrequency Default Behavior1 Day 5 Minutes Real-time statistics are rolled u

5 (Optional) To change a collection interval attribute, select its row in the Statistics Interval section and clickEdit to open the Edit Collection In

Collection LevelsEach collection interval has a default collection level that determines how many data counters are used whencollecting statistics dat

Using Collection Levels EffectivelyUsing collection level 1 is generally adequate for monitoring performance. There are some instances in whichyou mig

Estimate the Statistics Impact on the vCenter Server DatabaseAfter you configure collection intervals, you can verify that the vCenter Server database

3 Enter Perfmon and press Enter.4 In the Performance dialog box, click the Add button or press Ctrl+I.5 In the Add Counters dialog box, select Use loc

nView real-time and historic data.nView thumbnail charts for child objects. Thumbnail charts provide a quick summary of resource usagefor each child o

Procedure1 Select a host, cluster, resource pool, or virtual machine in the inventory panel.2 Click the Performance tab.3 Click Advanced.4 To view a d

Procedure1 Display the object in the inventory.2 Select File > Report > Performance.If performance data is not available for the selected invent

9 In Counters, select the data counters to display in the chart.You can also specify counters using the All or None buttons.Click a counter name to di

4 Enter a user name and password.nIf you are logging in to a vCenter Server system, enter an appropriate Windows Active Directory username and passwor

CPU PerformanceUse the vSphere Client CPU performance charts to monitor CPU usage for hosts, clusters, resource pools,virtual machines, and vApps. Use

nThe queueLatency data counter measures the average amount of time taken per SCSI command in theVMkernel queue. This value must always be zero. If not

If the host has enough free memory, check the resource shares, reservation, and limit settings of the virtualmachines and resource pools on the host.

Table 22-9. Networking Performance Enhancement Advice (Continued)# Resolution5 Use separate physical NICs to handle the different traffic streams, su

vSphere Basic System Administration284 VMware, Inc.

Working with Tasks and Events 23The topics in this section describe vSphere tasks and events and provide information on how to work withthem.This chap

2 Display the tasks for a single object or the entire vCenter Server.nTo display the tasks for an object, select the object.nTo display the tasks in t

3 If the Name, Target or Status contains search field is not displayed, select View > Filtering.4 Click the search field arrow and select the attri

Table 23-1. Scheduled Tasks (Continued)Scheduled Task DescriptionDeploy a virtual machine Creates a new virtual machine from a template on the specif

3 In the Select a Task to Schedule dialog box, select a task and click OK to open the wizard for that task.NOTE For some scheduled tasks, the wizard

3 Type your user name and password, and click Log In.After your user name and password are authorized by vSphere Web Access, the vSphere Web Accesshom

Canceling Scheduled TasksCanceling a task stops a running task from occurring, regardless of whether the task was a real-time task or ascheduled task.

4 Click OK.The task is removed from the list of scheduled tasks.Policy Rules for Task OperationsThe vCenter Server and ESX/ESXi hosts adhere to certai

View Events Associated with One ObjectThe events listed for a selected object include events associated with its child objects.Required privilege: Rea

Use Keywords to Filter the Events ListYou can display events based on any attribute, including event name, target, type, user, change history, andtime

2 If your vSphere environment has multiple vCenter Servers, in thevCenter Server list, select the serverwhere the events occurred.3 In File name, type

AppendixesVMware, Inc. 295

vSphere Basic System Administration296 VMware, Inc.

Defined Privileges AThe following tables list the default privileges that, when selected for a role, can be paired with a user andassigned to an objec

n“Tasks,” on page 313n“vApp,” on page 313n“Virtual Machine Configuration,” on page 315n“Virtual Machine Interaction,” on page 319n“Virtual Machine Inv

DatacenterDatacenter privileges control the ability to create and edit datacenters in the vSphere Client inventory.Table A-2. Datacenter PrivilegesPr

ContentsUpdated Information 9About This Book 11Getting Started 1vSphere Components 15Components of vSphere 15vSphere Client Interfaces 17Functional Co

Using Commands on the Service ConsoleThe service console runs a modified version of Linux, and many of the commands available on Linux or UNIXare also

Table A-3. Datastore Privileges (Continued)Privilege Name Description AffectsEffective onObjectPair withObjectRemove datastore Removes a datastore.Th

Distributed Virtual SwitchDistributed Virtual Switch privileges control the ability to perform tasks related to the management ofvNetwork Distributed

ExtensionsExtensions privileges control the ability to install and manage extensions.Table A-6. Extension PrivilegesPrivilege Name Description Affect

GlobalGlobal privileges control a number of global tasks related to tasks, scripts, and extensions.Table A-8. Global PrivilegesPrivilege Name Descrip

Table A-8. Global Privileges (Continued)Privilege Name Description AffectsPair withObjectEffective onObjectProxy Allows access to an internal interfa

Table A-10. Host Configuration Privileges (Continued)Privilege Name Description AffectsPair withObjectEffective onObjectChange PciPassthrusettingsCha

Table A-10. Host Configuration Privileges (Continued)Privilege Name Description AffectsPair withObjectEffective onObjectSystem Management Allows exte

Table A-11. Host Inventory Privileges (Continued)Privilege Name Description AffectsPair withObjectEffective onObjectRemove cluster Delete a cluster o

Host ProfileHost Profile privileges control operations related to creating and modifying host profiles.Table A-13. Host Profile PrivilegesPrivilege N

Table A-14. Network Privileges (Continued)Privilege Name Description AffectsPair withObjectEffective onObjectMove network Move a network between fold

Using vCenter Server in Linked Mode 3You can join multiple vCenter Server systems using vCenter Linked Mode to allow them to share information.When a

PermissionsPermissions privileges control the assigning of roles and permissions.Table A-16. Permissions PrivilegesPrivilege Name Description UsedPai

Table A-17. Resource Privileges (Continued)Privilege Name Description AffectsPair withObjectEffective onObjectMigrate Migrate a virtual machine'

Scheduled TaskScheduled task privileges control creation, editing, and removal of scheduled tasks.Table A-18. Scheduled Task PrivilegesPrivilege Name

TasksTasks privileges control the ability of extensions to create and update tasks on the vCenter Server.Table A-20. Tasks PrivilegesPrivilege Name D

Table A-21. vApp Privileges (Continued)Privilege Name Description Affects Pair with Object Effective on ObjectImport Import a vApp into vSphere.User

Table A-21. vApp Privileges (Continued)Privilege Name Description Affects Pair with Object Effective on ObjectvApp resourceconfigurationModify a vApp

Table A-22. Virtual Machine Privileges (Continued)Privilege Name Description AffectsPair withObjectEffective onObjectAdvanced Add or modify advanced

Table A-22. Virtual Machine Privileges (Continued)Privilege Name Description AffectsPair withObjectEffective onObjectHost USB device Attach a host-ba

Table A-22. Virtual Machine Privileges (Continued)Privilege Name Description AffectsPair withObjectEffective onObjectRename Rename a virtual machine

Virtual Machine InteractionVirtual Machine Interaction privileges control the ability to interact with a virtual machine console, configuremedia, perf

The following requirements apply to each vCenter Server system that is a member of a Linked Mode group:nDNS must be operational for Linked Mode replic

Table A-23. Virtual Machine Interaction (Continued)Privilege Name Description AffectsPair withObjectEffective onObjectCreate screenshot Create a virt

Table A-23. Virtual Machine Interaction (Continued)Privilege Name Description AffectsPair withObjectEffective onObjectPower On Power on a powered-off

Table A-23. Virtual Machine Interaction (Continued)Privilege Name Description AffectsPair withObjectEffective onObjectTest restartSecondary VMTermina

Table A-24. Virtual Machine Inventory Privileges (Continued)Privilege Name Description AffectsPair withObjectEffective onObjectMove Relocate a virtua

Table A-25. Virtual Machine Provisioning Privileges (Continued)Privilege Name Description AffectsPair withObjectEffective onObjectAllow virtualmachin

Table A-25. Virtual Machine Provisioning Privileges (Continued)Privilege Name Description AffectsPair withObjectEffective onObjectMark as template Ma

Virtual Machine StateVirtual machine state privileges control the ability to take, delete, rename, and restore snapshots.Table A-26. Virtual Machine

Installing the Microsoft Sysprep Tools BThe Microsoft System Preparation tools enable you to customize guest Windows operating systems.Using System Pr

5 Extract the files to the provided directory.The following System Preparation tools support directories were created during vCenter Serverinstallatio

where <ALLUSERSPROFILE> is usually \Documents And Settings\All Users\. This is where vpxd.cfg isalso located.Select the subdirectory that corres

6 If the vCenter Server installer detects a role conflict, select how to resolve the conflict.Option DescriptionYes, let VMware vCenter Serverresolve

vSphere Basic System Administration330 VMware, Inc.

Performance Metrics CPerformance metrics are collected on ESX/ESXi servers and vCenter Servers for managed objects and thephysical and virtual devices

Collection LevelIndicates the minimum value to which the statistics collection level must be setfor the metric to be gathered during each collection i

Table C-1. Cluster Services Data CountersCounter Label DescriptionEntityV H R Ccpufairness CPU Fairness Fairness of distributed CPU resource allocati

Table C-2. CPU Data CountersCounter Label Description V H R Ccpuentitlement Worst Case Allocation(virtual machineResource Allocationtab)Amount of CPU

Table C-2. CPU Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label Description V H R Csystem CPU System Amount of time spent on system processes on each virtualCP

Table C-2. CPU Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label Description V H R Cusage CPU Usage CPU usage as a percentage during the interval.VMAmount of ac

Table C-2. CPU Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label Description V H R Cusagemhz CPU Usage in MHz The amount of CPU used, in megahertz, during the i

Table C-3. Disk Data CountersCounter Label DescriptionEntityV H R Ccommands Disk CommandsIssuedNumber of SCSI commands issued during the collectionin

Table C-3. Disk Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label DescriptionEntityV H R CkernelWriteLatency Kernel Disk WriteLatencyAverage amount of time, in

Isolate a vCenter Server Instance from a Linked Mode GroupYou can isolate a vCenter Server instance from a Linked Mode group.Procedure1 Select Start &

Table C-3. Disk Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label DescriptionEntityV H R CqueueReadLatency Queue ReadLatencyAverage amount of time taken during

Table C-3. Disk Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label DescriptionEntityV H R CtotalWriteLatency Disk WriteLatencyAverage amount of time taken during

Table C-4. Management Agent MetricsCounter Label DescriptionEntityV H R CmemUsed MemoryUsedAmount of total configured memory available for use.nStats

Table C-5. Memory Data CountersCounter Label DescriptionEntityV H R Cactive Memory Active Amount of memory actively used, as estimated by VMkernel.Ac

Table C-5. Memory Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label DescriptionEntityV H R Cgranted MemoryGrantedVMThe amount of guest physical memory thatis ma

Table C-5. Memory Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label DescriptionEntityV H R Coverhead MemoryOverheadAmount of additional machine memory allocated

Table C-5. Memory Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label DescriptionEntityV H R Cstate Memory State Amount of free machine memory on the host. VMkern

Table C-5. Memory Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label DescriptionEntityV H R Cswapout Memory SwapOutAmount of memory that has been swapped out to

Table C-5. Memory Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label DescriptionEntityV H R Cswapunreserved Memory SwapUnreservedAmount of memory that is unreser

Table C-5. Memory Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label DescriptionEntityV H R Cusage Memory Usage Memory usage as percentage of total configured or

4 Select Administration > vCenter Server Settings and click Advanced Settings.5 For the Virtualcenter.VimApiUrl key, change the value to point to t

Table C-5. Memory Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label DescriptionEntityV H R Cvmmemctltarget MemoryBalloon TargetAmount of memory that can be used

Table C-6. Network Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label DescriptionEntityV H R CpacketsRx NetworkPacketsReceivedNumber of packets received during t

Table C-6. Network Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label DescriptionEntityV H R Ctransmitted Network DataTransmit RateAverage rate at which data was

Table C-7. Storage Utilization Data CountersCounter Label DescriptionEntityD V Fcapacity StorageCapacityConfigured size of the datastore.nStats Type:

Table C-8. System Data CountersCounter Label DescriptionEntityV H R Cheartbeat Heartbeat Number of heartbeats issued per virtual machineduring the in

Table C-9. Virtual Machine Operations Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label DescriptionnumClone VM clone count Number of virtual machine clone opera

Table C-9. Virtual Machine Operations Data Counters (Continued)Counter Label DescriptionnumReset VM reset count Number of virtual machine reset opera

IndexAaccesspermissions 215privileges 297access privileges components 21Active Directory, vCenter Server settings 48Active Directory Application M

exporting data 277saving data to a file 277clones, concept 169cloningtemplates 169, 171vApps 113virtual machines 170, 174cluster services metric

event triggers 246privileges 299topology maps 233Datastore Browser 75datastoresabout 15, 19condition/state alarm triggers 242event triggers 246

To resolve this issue, make sure that the Virtualcenter.VimApiUrl key points to the location where thevSphere Client and SDK clients can access the vC

Ffans, monitoring 83Fibre Channel NPIV 150, 152filtering, lists 43firewallconfigure communication 49network-based 37Windows 36floppy drives 145

information panels 40installingguest operating system over PXE 122Microsoft Sysprep Tools 327plug-ins 45VirtualCenter Server 31VMware Tools 123i

system 353virtual machine operations 354MIB files 55Microsoft Sysprep Toolsinstalling 327installing from CD 328installing from Web 327migratingp

troubleshooting 279virtual machine 274performance chartsadvanced chartsabout 276deleting views 279viewing 276chart types 275customizing advanced

reservation 155reset 136resource mapsexporting 235icons 234interface controls 234printing 235viewing 235VMotion resources 234resource poolsadd

restoring 208revert to 209revert to parent 210reverting to 209taking 207virtual machines, migrate 197SNMPcommunities 52configuring 50, 51, 263

viewing 40, 285viewing all tasks 285viewing recent tasks 286viewing scheduled tasks 286technical support 11Telnet 29temperature, monitoring 83t

vCenter database, archiving statistics,about 273vCenter Guided Consolidationactive domains 94analysis 94credentials 93disk resizing 95overview 8

Fibre Channel NPIV settings 152floppy drives 146, 161guest operating system 122guest operating system customization 177guest operating system sett

VMWARE-TC-MIB, definitions 61VMWARE-VC-EVENT-MIB, definitions 62VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB, definitions 62vmxnet 162vmxnet3 162vNetwork distributed switch

Configuring Firewall Access by Opening Selected PortsvCenter Server 4.0 uses Microsoft ADAM/AD LDS to enable Linked Mode, which uses the Windows RPC p

vSphere Basic System Administration370 VMware, Inc.

vSphere Basic System Administration38 VMware, Inc.

Using the vSphere Client 4The vSphere Client serves as the principal interface for administering vCenter Server and ESX/ESXi.The vSphere Client user i

View Virtual Machine Console 41Searching the vSphere Inventory 41Using Lists 42Custom Attributes 43Select Objects 44Manage vCenter Server Plug-Ins 45S

Getting Started TabsIn the case where vCenter Server is newly installed and no inventory objects have been added, the GettingStarted tabs guide you th

View Virtual Machine ConsoleThe console of a powered-on virtual machine is available through a connected server. All console connectionsto the virtual

What to do nextIf you are not satisfied with the results of the simple search and want to refine your search, perform an advancedsearch.Perform an Adv

Filter a List ViewYou can filter the list view.The list is updated based on whether filtering is on or off. For example, if you are in the Virtual Mac

Add Custom AttributesYou can create custom attributes to associate with virtual machines or managed hosts.Procedure1 Select Administration > Custom

ProcedureuLocate the object by browsing or search.nFrom the vSphere Client Home page, click the icon for the appropriate inventory view, and browsethr

Remove Plug-InsYou can remove plug-ins through the operating system’s control panel.ProcedureuConsult your operating system’s documentation for instru

Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server 5Configuring ESX hosts, vCenter Server systems, and the vSphere Client involves several tasks. This sectioncontai

Configuring vCenter ServerYou use the vCenter Server Settings dialog box to configure a number of elements.The vCenter Server Settings dialog box enab

Configuring Communication Among ESX, vCenter Server, and thevSphere ClientBy default, the vSphere Client uses ports 80 and 443 to communicate with vCe

9Deploying OVF Templates 101About OVF 101Deploy an OVF Template 101Browse VMware Virtual Appliance Marketplace 103Export an OVF Template 103 10Managi

Terminate Active SessionsTerminating an active session ends the vSphere Client session and any remote console connections launchedby the user during t

Configure SNMP Settings for vCenter ServerTo use SNMP with vCenter Server, you must configure SNMP settings using the vSphere Client.PrerequisitesTo c

2 Configure the SNMP Agent to Send Traps on page 52You can use the ESX/ESX embedded SNMP agent to send virtual machine and environmental traps tomanag

Procedure1 From the vSphere CLI, typevicfg-snmp.pl --server <hostname> --username <username> --password <password> -t <targetaddr

PrerequisitesTo complete this task, you must download the VMware MIB files from the VMware website: http://communities.vmware.com/community/developer/

Using SNMP with Guest Operating SystemsYou can use SNMP to monitor guest operating systems or applications running in virtual machines.The virtual mac

VMWARE-ROOT-MIBThe VMWARE-ROOT-MIB.mib file defines the VMware enterprise OID and top level OID assignments.Table 5-3 lists the identification mapping

Table 5-4. Variable Definitions in VMWARE-ENV-MIB (Continued)Variable ID Mapping DescriptionvmwSubsystemType vmwEnvEntry 2The type of hardware compon

Table 5-5. Variables Defined in VMWARE-OBSOLETE-MIB (Continued)Variable ID Mapping DescriptionvmwHBAEntry vmwHBATable 1A record for a single HBA conn

Table 5-5. Variables Defined in VMWARE-OBSOLETE-MIB (Continued)Variable ID Mapping DescriptionvmwNetHCPktsTx vmwNetEntry 10The number of packets tran

Edit a Template 171Change Template Name 172Deploy Virtual Machines from Templates 172Convert Templates to Virtual Machines 173Deleting Templates 173Re

VMWARE-PRODUCTS-MIBThe VMWARE-PRODUCTS-MIB.mib file defines OIDs to uniquely identify each SNMP agent on each VMwareplatform.Table 5-7 lists identific

Table 5-8. Identification Mappings for VMWARE-RESOURCES-MIB (Continued)Variable ID Mapping DescriptionvmwHbaBusNumber vmwHostBusAdapterEntry 3The hos

VMWARE-VC-EVENT-MIBThe VMWARE-VC-EVENT-MIB.mib file provides definitions for traps sent by vCenter Server. These definitions wereprovided by VMWARE-TR

Table 5-12. Identification Mappings for VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB (Continued)Variable ID Mapping DescriptionvmwVmVMID vmwVmEntry 7An identification number as

Table 5-12. Identification Mappings for VMWARE-VMINFO-MIB (Continued)Variable ID Mapping DescriptionvmwFloppyEntry vmwFloppyTable 1Identifies a singl

SNMPv2 Diagnostic CountersThe SNMPv2-MIB.mib file provides a number of counters to aid in debugging SNMP problems.Table 5-14 lists some of these diagn

3 Select View > Filtering to refer to the filtering options.4 Enter text in the data field.5 Click Clear to empty the data field.View System Logs o

Table 5-15. ESX/ESXi System Logs (Continued)Component LocationVMkernel Alerts and Availability report/var/log/vmkernelVMkernel Warning/var/log/vmkwar

5 In the Syslog.Local.DatastorePath text box, enter the datastore path for the file to which syslog will logmessages.The datastore path should be of t

Collect vSphere Log FilesYou can collect vSphere log files into a single location.Select from the options:ProcedurenTo view the viclient-*.log files,

Working with Storage Maps 231 20Using vCenter Maps 233vCenter VMotion Maps 234vCenter Map Icons and Interface Controls 234View vCenter Maps 235Print v

vSphere Basic System Administration70 VMware, Inc.

Managing the vSphere ClientInventory 6The topics in this section describe how to manage the objects in your vSphere environment.The views and capabili

DatacentersIn vCenter Server only. A datacenter contains folders, clusters, hosts, networks,datastores and virtual machines. All actions taken upon ma

Viewing Object RelationshipsOne of the features of managing your virtual infrastructure with vSphere is viewing relationships betweeninventory objects

Add a Folder or DatacenterFolders and datacenters add organization to your inventory. Add folders or datacenters from any Inventoryview in the vSphere

Procedure1 From the vSphere Client, right-click the object and select Remove.2 In the confirmation dialog box that appears, confirm that you want to r

vSphere Basic System Administration76 VMware, Inc.

Managing Hosts in vCenter Server 7To access the full capabilities of your hosts and to simplify the management of multiple hosts, you shouldconnect yo

When ESX/ESXi hosts are managed by vCenter Server, they are added to the vSphere environment through avSphere Client connected to a vCenter Server sys

5 Confirm the Host Summary information and click Next.6 Select whether to assign a new or existing license key to the host and click Next.7 Specify wh

Permissions 310Resource 310Scheduled Task 312Sessions 312Tasks 313vApp 313Virtual Machine Configuration 315Virtual Machine Interaction 319Virtual Mach

2 Connects to the managed host.If the wizard cannot connect to the managed host, the managed host is not added to the inventory.3 Verifies that the ma

Reconnecting Hosts After Changes to the vCenter Server SSL CertificatevCenter Server uses an SSL certificate to encrypt and decrypt host passwords sto

Figure 7-1 illustrates the process for removing a managed host from vCenter Server. In the example here, noticethe lost link between vCenter Server an

4 In the confirmation dialog that appears, click Yes to remove the managed host.vCenter Server removes the managed host and associated virtual machine

If a component is functioning normally, the status indicator is green. The status indicator changes to yellowor red if a system component violates a p

Troubleshoot the Hardware Health ServiceThe Hardware Health service is a vCenter Server extension that uses an Internet Explorer Webbrowser controlto

vSphere Basic System Administration86 VMware, Inc.

Virtual Machine ManagementVMware, Inc. 87

vSphere Basic System Administration88 VMware, Inc.

Consolidating the Datacenter 8VMware vCenter Guided Consolidation, recommended for smaller IT environments, enables you to streamlineyour datacenter b

Updated InformationThis vSphere Basic System Administration Guide is updated with each release of the product or when necessary.This table provides th

Consolidation First Time UseThe first time you use the Consolidation feature, VMware recommends that you specify consolidation settings.These settings

nWindows Server 2003 Standard/Web/Enterprise (32 bit and 64 bit)nWindows Vista (32 bit and 64 bit)nWindows Server 2008 (32 and 64 bit)nCredentials wit

Table 8-1. Network Connections (Continued)Port Protocol Service Description MS Windows138 TCP/UDP Netbios-dgm NetBIOS datagramUsed by Windows, aswell

About Consolidation ServicesGuided Consolidation can be installed together with vCenter Server, or can be installed on a separate host. Forbest perfor

Specify Active DomainsSpecifying a domain as Active populates the Add to Analysis dialog box with a list of systems on that domain.That information is

Viewing Analysis ResultsAnalysis results are displayed in the Analysis tab.When analysis is complete, the following information appears:nPhysical Comp

Convert Systems ManuallyYou can convert systems manually if you want to specify values other than the default values for the resultantvirtual machine&

nStart TimenComplete TimeTroubleshooting ConsolidationThe topics in this section contain information about identifying and solving problems with Guide

Windows Operating Systems Prevent Guided Consolidation from CollectingPerformance DataGuided Consolidation cannot collect performance data.ProblemThe

CauseSome configurations of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 prevent Guided Consolidation fromdiscovering LAN Manager Workgroups. The Link-layer