Installing and Confi guring vCenter Server - Mastering VMware vSphere 5.5 - page 80

6. The Create New Data Source To SQL Server dialog box opens. In the Name text box, type
the name you want to use to reference the ODBC DSN.
Make note of this name—this is the name you will give to vCenter Server during installa-
tion to establish the database connection.
7. In the Server drop-down list, select the SQL Server 2005/2008 computer where the data-
base was created, or type the name of the computer running SQL Server 2005/2008 that
has already been prepared for vCenter Server.
Be sure that whatever name you enter here can be properly resolved; we generally recom-
mend using the fully qualii ed domain name.
8. Click the Next button.
9. Choose the correct authentication type, depending upon the coni guration of the SQL
Server instance.
If you are using SQL Server authentication, you also need to supply the SQL login and
password created earlier for use by vCenter Server. Click Next.
10. If the default database is listed as Master, select the Change The Default Database To
check box, and then select the name of the vCenter Server database as the default.
Click Next.
11. None of the options on the next screen—including the options for changing the language
of the SQL Server system messages, regional settings, and logging options—need to be
changed. Click Finish to continue.
12. On the summary screen, click the Test Data Source button to test the ODBC DSN.
If the tests do not complete successfully, double-check the SQL Server and SQL database
coni guration outlined previously.
13. Click OK to return to the ODBC Data Source Administrator, which will now have the
new System DSN you just created listed.
At this point, you are ready to actually install vCenter Server.
Installing the vCenter Server Components
With the databases in place and coni gured, you can now install vCenter Server. After you've
done that, you can add servers and continue coni guring your virtual infrastructure, including
adding vCenter Server instances in a linked mode group.
Use the Latest Version of vCenter Server
Remember that the latest version of vCenter Server is available for download from www.vmware
.com/download. It is often best to install the latest version of the software to ensure the highest
levels of compatibility and security. You can also use a newer version of vCenter with older versions
of ESXi. vCenter Server 5.5 can manage hosts from version 5.0 and above.