Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
As we've mentioned on several occasions already, the vSphere Client can connect directly to
ESXi hosts under the context of a local user account dei ned on each ESXi host, or it can connect
to a vCenter Server instance under the context of a Windows user account dei ned in Active
Directory or the local SAM (Security Account Manager) of the vCenter Server computer. Using
vCenter Server and SSO along with Active Directory user accounts is the recommended deploy-
ment scenario.
After you install vCenter Server, a number of new services will be installed to facilitate the
operation of vCenter Server:
VMware Log Browser
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VMware vCenter Inventory Service
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VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices
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VMware VirtualCenter Server, which is the core of vCenter Server and provides central-
ized management of ESX/ESXi hosts and VMs
VMware vSphere Proi le-Driven Storage Service
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As a vSphere administrator, you should be familiar with the default states of these services. In
times of troubleshooting, check the status of the services to see whether they have changed. Keep
in mind the dependencies that exist between vCenter Server and other services on the network.
For example, if the vCenter Server service is failing to start, be sure to check that the system
has access to the SQL Server (or Oracle) database. If vCenter Server cannot access the database
because of a lack of connectivity or the database service is not running, then it will not start.
As additional features and extensions are installed, additional services will also be installed
to support those features. For example, installing vSphere Update Manager will install an addi-
tional service called VMware Update Manager Service. You'll learn more about vSphere Update
Manager in Chapter 4. The most important “feature” that you will need to install almost imme-
diately is the vSphere Web Client; let us step you through that process now.
Installing the vSphere Web Client
In Chapter 2 we explained that there are two different clients that can be used to administer a
vCenter Server installation: the old vSphere C# Client and the newer vSphere Web Client. We
also guided you through installing the older client. Let us now explain the process to install the
vSphere Web Client, and then later in this chapter, we'll explain the differences between these
two clients. Here are the steps:
1.
From the VMware vCenter Installer, select vSphere Web Client and then click the Install
button.
2.
Select the appropriate language and click OK.
3.
After the installer has launched, click Next.
5.
Select the radio button to accept the end-user license agreement and click Next.
6.
Change the directory for installation if desired and click Next.
7.
You will now be asked to accept or change the HTTP and HTTPS ports that the vSphere
Web Client will communicate on. Leave these ports at their preconi gured defaults and
click Next.
