VMware VirtualCenter 1.1 Support Documentation
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VMware VirtualCenter Requirements
The VirtualCenter client and VirtualCenter server are both Windows executables that can optionally run in a virtual machine. The following sections describe additional, component-specific requirements.
VirtualCenter Server Requirements
VirtualCenter Server Requirements
The VirtualCenter server must have:
- Administrator privileges on the installing system to install the VirtualCenter server. The VirtualCenter server installation adds VirtualCenter as a Windows service.
- Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Windows XP Professional, or Windows Server 2003 (Web, Standard, and Enterprise).
- Minimum 2GB RAM for VirtualCenter configurations managing 50 hosts or less. Greater than 50 hosts configurations, use 3GB RAM. Configurations with 100 hosts running 2000 virtual machines, use 4GB RAM.
- Minimum Pentium IV 2.0Ghz processor. Dual processors recommended for deployments with greater than 25 hosts.
- Minimum 1 10/100Mbps NIC (1Gbps NIC recommended).
- Windows Script version 5.6 or later. If you do not have this version, VirtualCenter installer automatically updates to Windows Script version 5.6.
- Disk space sufficient on the machine to support the VirtualCenter database and the template upload directory.
The VirtualCenter server may run on the same machine as the VirtualCenter client, or may be installed separately on another Windows system. The VirtualCenter server can also be installed in a virtual machine.
VirtualCenter Client Requirements
VirtualCenter Client Requirements
The VirtualCenter client must have:
- .NET Framework version 1.1. If you do not have this version, VirtualCenter automatically updates to .NET Framework version 1.1.4322.573.
- Windows 2000 (all versions), Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows Server 2003 (all versions), Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, or Windows NT4 (SP6a required).
- Minimum 256MB RAM (512 MB recommended).
The VirtualCenter client can be installed on multiple Windows systems and access the VirtualCenter server through the network. These Windows systems can be on your desktop, laptop, or another virtual machine.
Note: If you install your VirtualCenter server in a virtual machine, do not install the
VirtualCenter client in that same virtual machine. Viewing a Console recursively from
that virtual machine might cause the host to fail.
VirtualCenter Database Requirements
VirtualCenter Database Requirements
The VirtualCenter database must have one of the following compatible database formats:
Note: VMware recommends using the Microsoft Access Database only for
demonstration environments and proof of concepts. This database is not
recommended for production deployments. Rather, for production environments, use
either the SQL Server or Oracle database.
VMware SDK Requirements
VMware SDK Requirements
There are two components for the VMware SDK. They are:
- VMware Web Service
- VMware SDK Package
Note: VMware SDK functions only apply to ESX Server hosts at this time.
VMware Web Service Package
VMware Web Service Package
Your machine must meet the minimum hardware requirements listed for VMware VirtualCenter 1.1. Refer to the product documentation for the requirements.
To run the Virtual Machine Agent server, you must also have installed, and have running, the following:
- Microsoft Windows operating system — supported version for the VirtualCenter server
- VMware VirtualCenter 1.1
VMware SDK Package
VMware SDK Package
Your machine must meet the minimum hardware requirements listed for the IBM WebSphere Software Developer Kit for Web Services V5.1. Refer to the product documentation for the requirements.
In general, your machine should support a standard development environment:
- 1 GHz processor
- 256MB memory
- 50MB free disk space
To install the VMware SDK package, go to: www.vmware.com/support/developer/vc-sdk
To use the client package, you must also have installed the following:
- IBM WebSphere Software Developer Kit for Web Services V5.1 (WSDK V5.1) at: www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/webservices/wsdk/
- The WSDK download package also includes IBM SDK for Java 2 Standard Edition (J2SE) Technology, version 1.3.1.
- The VMware SDK package requires approximately 8.2MB, and the VMware Web Service package requires approximately 21.3MB.
VirtualCenter Managed Host Requirements
VirtualCenter Managed Host Requirements
The VirtualCenter registered and managed hosts must be running the following virtualization platform:
- VMware ESX Server, version 2.0.1 or 2.1
- VMware GSX Server, version 3.1
The IP address that VirtualCenter server uses to connect to a host at must be accessible from all other hosts. For example:
If a host H1 has multiple NICs with IP addresses, for example, x.x.x.x1 and x.x.x.x2, but DNS resolves H1 to x.x.x.x1 and the VirtualCenter server connects to the host at that IP address, then x.x.x.x1 must be reachable from all other hosts.
To ensure that the VirtualCenter server host is accessible to the other hosts:
- Log on to the server running VirtualCenterserver and perform a DNS lookup of H1, type at a command prompt:
nslookup H1
The example prints the IP address x.x.x.x1
- Log on to another host and type at a command prompt:
ping x.x.x.x1
The ping should return the IP address.
GSX Server as Managed Host Requirements
GSX Server as Managed Host Requirements
Using a GSX Server host with VirtualCenter has the following restrictions:
- GSX Server virtual machine configuration and .vmdk disk files must be stored locally to the GSX Server.
- Cannot create templates from GSX Server virtual machines with IDE disks. This applies to external virtual machines being imported as templates and well as virtual machines on managed GSX Server hosts or ESX Server systems.
- GSX Server feature that automatically starts virtual machines when the GSX Server starts is not supported in VirtualCenter.
- The template repository must be local or on a Network Attached Storage (NAS).
- GSX Server must be upgraded to the GSX Server 3.1.
- Migration with VMotion using GSX Server hosts is not supported at this time.
- GSX Server virtual machines must be configured with network labels. Please refer to your GSX Server documentation for information on how to configure network labels.
- All virtual machines on a GSX Server host need to be configured with a RunAs user mode. Refer to your GSX Server documentation for information on changing virtual machine user modes.
VirtualCenter Managed Virtual Machine Requirements
VirtualCenter Managed Virtual Machine Requirements
VirtualCenter managed virtual machines must have the following:
Disks — must use SCSI hard disks (though CD-ROM drives can be configured as IDE).
Guest operating system — must be one of the supported versions listed for the virtual machine host, ESX Server or GSX Server. Refer to the following for a complete list of compatible guest operating systems: www.vmware.com/support/guestnotes/doc/
VirtualCenter Networking Requirements
VirtualCenter Networking Requirements
A VirtualCenter host and virtual machine networking requirements are as follows:
- Up to four virtual Ethernet NICs. Each virtual NIC may be high-performance VMware virtual NIC or AMD PCnet-PCI II compatible virtual NIC
- Supports any protocol that the guest operating system supports over Ethernet. Multiple high-performance Ethernet-compatible virtual networks
- Configure a TCP/IP address on an extra network adapter card (NIC) sufficient to support migration
The minimum number of NICs is two — how the NICs are assigned differs depending upon the version of the VMware virtualization platform being used.
For ESX Server 2.1, create a bond including both NICs and give the bond to all three entities (service console, VMkernel, and virtual machines). Use VLANs to create separate logical networks.
For ESX Server 2.0.1 dedicated one NIC to the service console and VMotion, and dedicate the other NIC for the virtual machines.
The preferred minimum number is three — one is dedicated to the host, one (or more) are dedicated to the virtual machines, and one is dedicated to VMotion activity.
The figure below illustrates the possible NIC configurations that support VirtualCenter. Refer to Abbreviations for a description of abbreviations.
VMotion Network Card Configuration Options
Depending upon the version of ESX Server you are using, configure your networking as follows:
If you are using ESX Server 2.1:
- Create a bond including both NICs.
- Give the bond to all three entities (service console, VMkernel, and virtual machines).
- Use VLANs to create separate logical networks.
If you are using ESX Server 2.0.1:
- Configure one NIC for the virtual machines.
- Configure one NIC to be shared between the Service Console and the VMotion networks.
Refer to your ESX Server System Administration Guide for additional information on sharing nics between vmkernel and the service console.
VirtualCenter Licensing Requirements
VirtualCenter Licensing Requirements
There are three elements to VirtualCenter licensing, each of which has a separate set of license keys with a different set of policies.
VirtualCenter server — Requires one license for each VirtualCenter Server. VirtualCenter Server licenses are perpetual. A license key is requested the first time VirtualCenter client connects to the VirtualCenter server, not during installation.
VirtualCenter agent licenses — Requires one license that comes in assorted configurations for each registered host. Managed CPU licenses are perpetual. The license configurations are typically in combinations of pairs, for example 2, 4, 8, and 16 CPU licenses. Hosts cannot be partially licensed. For example, you cannot use 4 CPUs worth of licenses on an 8-way system; this configuration requires 8 CPU licenses. Additional licenses can be added through the VirtualCenter client.
Licenses are applied to either ESX Server and GSX Server hosts as specified by the license keys submitted.
Any time you add a host to VirtualCenter, VirtualCenter automatically applies an appropriate number of managed CPU licenses towards that host. The number of licenses applied depends on the number of CPUs on the host.
VMotion CPU licenses — Requires one license for each CPU for each registered host to be VMotion-enabled. VMotion CPU licenses are perpetual. As with the managed CPU licenses, hosts cannot be partially VMotion licensed. For example, an eight CPU server requires eight licenses. Additional licenses can be added through the VirtualCenter client.
Whenever you add a host to VirtualCenter, and there are sufficient VMotion CPU licenses available, VirtualCenter prompts you to VMotion-enable the new host. If you select Yes, VirtualCenter checks that no virtual machines are running on the host. The host is then VMotion-enabled, and the appropriate number of licenses are applied by VirtualCenter.
Whenever you remove a host from VirtualCenter, the VMotion licenses are released. The VMotion licenses must be reapplied when the host is re-registered with VirtualCenter.
VMotion licenses are not intended to be mobile. The only legitimate circumstance under which you should move a license are when you are:
- Deprecating and replacing a VMotion-enabled host.
- Repurposing a VMotion-enabled host to run services in a new farm.
- Exercising a one-time transfer of VMotion licenses.
VirtualCenter VMotion Requirements
VirtualCenter VMotion Requirements
If you wish to have VirtualCenter perform a migration with VMotion of your virtual machines, you must also have and activate the VirtualCenter VMotion Module. You must activate each host. Activation requires a specific VMotion license for each host. The only hosts supported at this time are ESX Server hosts.
In addition, the hosts you are planning to migrate between must meet the following requirements. Complete these requirements before you attempt to perform a migration with VMotion.
- The hosts must share a storage area network (SAN) infrastructure.
- Configure all of your hosts to use a single Virtual Machine File System (VMFS) volume.
- The virtual machine's disks have to be on a VMFS that is accessible by both source and target hosts.
- The shared VMFS access mode VMFS setting should be public.
- Set the size of the VMFS volume sufficiently large, and spanning enough LUNs, to store all of the virtual disks for your virtual machines.
- Ensure that all VMFS volumes on your hosts use volume names, and that the virtual machines use the volume names for specifying the virtual disks.
- Ensure that the CPUs in the VMotion hosts (CPU0 and CPU1) match, for example are both P4. The vendors for CPU0 and CPU1 must match each other.
- The virtual machine configuration file should not reside on a VMFS located on the shared datastore.
- VMotion does not currently support the migration of clustered applications, raw or undoable virtual disks. If you have clustered applications, or raw or undoable disks, store the disks on separate VMFS volumes from the virtual machines you plan to migrate using VMotion.
- VMotion requires a Gigabit Ethernet network between virtual machines.
VMotion requires the setup of a private, Gigabit Ethernet migration network between all of the VMotion-enabled hosts. When VMotion is enabled on a host, configure a unique network identity object for the host and connect it to the private migration network.
- Deploying a template or cloning a virtual machine may fail due to SCSI reservation conflicts on the LUN. To prevent this add the following line to the host configuration file to tell VirtualCenter to retry several more times.
$ echo n > /proc/vmware/config/Scsi/ConflictRetries
Where n is the number of times to retry. The recommended number is 10.
VirtualCenter Template Requirements
VirtualCenter Template Requirements
Virtual machines to be used as source for VirtualCenter templates must have been created by one of the following virtualization platforms:
- Workstation version 4.x
- GSX Server version 2.5.x
- ESX Server version 2.x
If you have older virtual machines that you plan to include in the VirtualCenter environment, you must upgrade your Workstation, GSX Server, or ESX Server to the supported version level and upgrade the virtual machines to the supported version level. Refer to your Workstation, GSX Server, or ESX Server documentation for additional information.
Note: To be registered with VirtualCenter, ESX Server hosts must be running ESX
Server version 2.0.1, though virtual machines can have been created with ESX Server
version 2.0, then imported into a host running ESX Server version 2.0.1. Similarly GSX
Server hosts must be running GSX Server version 3.1, though virtual machines can
have been created with GSX Server 2.5.x.
The virtual disks of virtual machines to be used as source for VirtualCenter templates have the following requirements:
- Workstation or GSX Server virtual machine's directory path and configuration file must be local to VirtualCenter server.
The path must refer to a drive letter corresponding to a local file system. Specifically, it cannot be a network share that is mapped as a local drive.
- ESX Server virtual machines must be registered with VirtualCenter.
Remove the ESX Server host from VirtualCenter after you have created the template, if needed.
- ESX Server golden images can have their configuration file refer to virtual disks with relative paths. Then have the virtual disks reside under the same directory as the configuration file.
- Only SCSI virtual disks are allowed. IDE virtual disks cannot be imported as a template.
Note: Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 virtual machines created through
Workstation or pre-version 3.0 GSX Server default to IDE disks. Refer to your
Workstation or GSX Server documentation for information on creating virtual
machines with SCSI disks.
VirtualCenter Guest Operating System Customization
Requirements
VirtualCenter Guest Operating System Customization
Requirements
To use the guest customization wizard, the virtual machine and the guest operating system, Windows or Linux, must meet the requirements listed in the following sections:
Virtual Hardware Requirements for Guest Customization
Virtual Hardware Requirements for Guest Customization
Guest customization requires that the source virtual machine used to create the clone or templates has the following:
- VMware Tools installed.
- At least one Network Interface Card (NIC) configured.
When a virtual machine is cloned or used for a template, the new virtual machine has the exact same number and type of NICs. For example, AMD VLance/PcNet versus high-performance VMware vmxnet. This cannot be changed during the deployment and/or guest customization process.
- SCSI disks.
The default configuration for VMware Workstation and GSX Server creating a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 virtual machine is IDE disks. If the source virtual machine was created using VMware Workstation or GSX Server, with Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 guest operating systems, be sure the non-default SCSI disks were specified.
VirtualCenter customization operates on the disk attached to the virtual SCSI node with the lowest address on the SCSI controller with the lowest index. As a result, it is a requirement to make sure that the guest operating system that is being customized resides on a disk attached as SCSI 0:0 node in the virtual machine configuration.
For Windows guest operating systems: Both the active partition (the partition containing boot.ini) and the system partition (the partition containing the system directory, for example \WINNT or \WINDOWS) are on the same virtual disk and attached the SCSI 0:0 virtual SCSI node.
Note: It is not a requirement that active and system partitions be the same
partition.
For Linux guests: The virtual disk containing the system partition (the partition containing the /etc. directory) must reside on the SCSI 0:0 node.
Windows Requirements for Guest Customization
Windows Requirements for Guest Customization
Guest customization of a Windows guest operating system can occur if:
- The guest operating system is not a primary or backup domain controller.
- The clone or template has one of the following Windows versions installed:
- The Microsoft Sysprep tools are installed on the VirtualCenter server.
Refer to Installing the Microsoft Sysprep Tools for information on installing the Microsoft Sysprep tools.
Microsoft Sysprep tools have certain requirements and impose certain restrictions on the source machine, please refer to the Microsoft Sysprep documentation for additional information.
Linux Requirements for Guest Customization
Linux Requirements for Guest Customization
Guest customization of a Linux guest operating system can occur if:
- The clone or template has one of the following Linux versions installed:
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 3.0
- Red Hat Advanced Server 2.1
- SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 8
- The clone or template has a root volume formatted with ext2 or ext3 file system.
Note: A default installation of SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 8.0 formats the disk
using the ReiserFS file system, which is not supported. If you would like to
customize your SUSE virtual machines, be sure to format the disk using an ext2
or ext3 file system during the installation of the guest operating system.
- The VMware Open Source Components installed on the VirtualCenter server.
Refer to Installing the VMware Open Source Components for additional information.
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