VMware vCenter Server 7.0 installation and configuration

1 Overview

The two core components of vSphere are ESXi and vCenter Server. vCenter Server is a service for managing multiple hosts connected in a network and pooling host resources.

Basic information preparation and planning

1. Prepare to install the mirror
   official website download address: https://customerconnect.vmware.com/en/downloads/info/slug/datacenter_cloud_infrastructure/vmware_vsphere/7_0 (account login is required)
   Here is an example of version 7.0.3:
   
   After downloading:
   

2. Authorization Information
   Prepare the evaluation serial number or purchased commercial authorization serial number.
   The evaluation version serial number can be downloaded and applied for on the official website (each account can only download the evaluation version once).

3. IP address and network card confirmation
   Combined with the network planning of the host machine:
   IP address 172.16.112.10/24, gateway 172.16.112.254
   Network selection to test the VM Network on the ESXi host,
   VLan ID: do not need to be set separately, according to the network card used by VCSA (VM Network or other custom names).
   FQDN (unique domain name): here only use the IP address to access, no need to set.

Install vCenter Server Appliance

Deploy the vCenter Server Appliance interactively using the GUI installer.

1. Deploy the OVA file as a vCenter Server virtual machine.
   The VCSA installation image contains an OVA virtual machine file. Configure and deploy the OVA file through the installer in the image:
   

2. Unzip or mount the VCSA installer image, navigate to the vcsa-ui-installer directory, change to the subdirectory for your operating system, and run the installer executable.
   For Windows operating systems, go to the win32 subdirectory and run the installer.exe file.
   
   

3. From the home page, click Install to start the deployment wizard.
   

4. Read and accept the license agreement, then click Next.
   

5. Connect to the server where the vCenter Server Appliance is to be deployed (that is, the ESXi host, and ensure that the host where the image is installed and the ESXi host communicate normally).
   

6. On the Set Appliance Virtual Machine page, enter a name for the vCenter Server appliance (virtual machine), set a password for the root user, and click Next.
   

7. Based on size, select the deployment size of the vCenter Server Appliance. Then click Next.
   

8. Select the storage size for the vCenter Server Appliance and click Next.
   From the list of available datastores, select where all virtual machine configuration files and virtual disks will be stored, optionally enable thin provisioning by selecting Enable thin disk mode.
   

9. On the Configure Network Settings page, set the network settings. Click Next.
   

10. Review the settings overview and click Finish to start the OVA (virtual machine) deployment process.
    

11. Wait for the OVA deployment to complete. takes about 20 minutes
    

Task progress can also be seen on the ESXi host

Set up the vCenter Server Appliance service

1. After the deployment in the previous step is completed, click Continue to execute the second stage of the deployment process, and make sure that the operating system where the installer is located is connected to the management address of VCSA.
   
   

2. Configure time settings on the device, enable remote SSH access to the device (optional), and click Next. The time can be selected to be synchronized with the ESXi host, and the NTP server selected here is synchronized. SSH is disabled by default and can be enabled after installation.
   

3. Create a new vCenter Single Sign-On domain or join an existing one.
   

4. Join the customer experience plan, choose not to join here. Click Next.
   

5. On the Ready to Complete page, review the configuration overview, click Finish.
   Note: Once you click Finish (OK), the configuration process cannot be interrupted or canceled manually. Estimated 20 minutes.
   
   

6. After completing the initial settings, enter https://172.16.112.10 (the vCenter Server address set earlier) in the browser to log in to the vCenter Server instance in the vCenter Server Appliance.
   

Basic configuration of vSphere Web client

1. Add License
   Menu>System Management>License>Add Key
   

2. assign license
   

3. Create a new data center, create a new cluster, and add a host.
   Right-click on the vCenter master node, select New Data Center, right-click on the data center node and select New Cluster, right-click on the cluster and select Add Host, or you can directly add hosts on the root directory of the data center (cluster-related settings cannot be used) High availability (HA) and other functions).

4. add host
   

Note that if it is added to a cluster, the host will enter maintenance mode first, which will affect the running virtual machines.

FAQ

Precautions

1. The host address where the installer resides, the ESXi host management address, and the VCSA management address set during installation must be able to communicate normally.