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VMware VCENTER CONFIGURATION MANAGER 5.3 - SOFTWARE REQUIEREMENTS GUIDE Configuration

Hardware and software requirements guide
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vCenter Configuration Manager  Hardware and
Software Requirements Guide
vCenter Configuration Manager 5.3
This document supports the version of each product listed and supports all
subsequent versions until the document is replaced by a new edition. To
check for more recent editions of this document, see
http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
EN-000439-01

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Summary of Contents for VMware VCENTER CONFIGURATION MANAGER 5.3 - SOFTWARE REQUIEREMENTS GUIDE

  • Page 1 Software Requirements Guide vCenter Configuration Manager 5.3 This document supports the version of each product listed and supports all subsequent versions until the document is replaced by a new edition. To check for more recent editions of this document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs. EN-000439-01...
  • Page 2 VMware products are covered by one or more patents listed at http://www.vmware.com/go/patents. VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Windows Custom Information supports PowerShell version 2.0 Software Provisioning Requirements Software Provisioning Component Software Requirements Software Provisioning on Guests UNIX/Linux Patch Assessment and Deployment Requirements Agent Proxy Requirements for Use with VMware vSphere/ESX/ESXi Minimum Operating System Requirements Minimum Hardware Requirements Supported vCenter Server Collections FIPS Requirements...
  • Page 4 Agent Sizing Information UNIX/Linux Machines Mac OS X Machines Configuring SQL Server 2005 for VCM SQL Server Database Settings SQL Server Processor Settings Configuring SQL Server Processor Settings SQL Server IO Configuration Using SQLIO to Determine IO Channel Throughput VMware, Inc.

  • Page 5: About This Book

    About This Book This guide, VCM Hardware and Software Requirements Guide, describes the hardware and software requirements that must be met in order to ensure a successful VMware vCenter Configuration Manager (VCM) installation. This document contains the following information: Hardware requirements for VCM Collector machines...
  • Page 6 Customers with appropriate support contracts should use telephone support for priority 1 issues. Go to http://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.html. Support Offerings To find out how VMware support offerings can help meet your business needs, go to http://www.vmware.com/support/services. VMware Professional VMware Education Services courses offer extensive hands-on labs, case study Services examples, and course materials designed to be used as on-the-job reference tools.

  • Page 7: Overview

    Overview The purpose of this manual is to help you determine your specific hardware and software requirements, and then to install and configure the prerequisites necessary for a successful installation of VMware vCenter Configuration Manager (VCM). Before proceeding through this manual, consider the following questions. The answers that you provide will help you to determine your hardware and software requirements throughout the course of this document.

  • Page 8: Agent And Collector Host Os Platform Support

    SQL Server data stored on a centralized database server. Split installations are implemented and supported only by VMware Customer Support. Installation instructions are not provided in this manual. The following diagram illustrates a typical VCM Enterprise-wide, single-server installation as installed by the Installation Manager.
  • Page 9 Overview VMware, Inc.
  • Page 10 Configuration Manager Hardware and Software Requirements Guide VMware, Inc.

  • Page 11: Hardware Requirements -- Collector Machines

    VCM both now and in the future. Once you have completed the following worksheet and determined the number of managed machines, you will need to size your Collector machine. See "Identifying Your Specific Hardware Requirements" on page 12 for more information. VMware, Inc.

  • Page 12: Identifying Your Specific Hardware Requirements

    Use the total number of managed machines that you identified in the previous section to locate your environment size (1 to 1,000, 1,000 to 2,000, 2,000 to 5,000, or more). If you have over 2000 machines in your environment, contact VMware Customer Support to assist you in determining your specific hardware requirements.
  • Page 13 Number of Separate Disk Channels If you are managing over 2000 machines on one collector, based on your calculations using "Determining the Size of Your Environment" on page 11, contact VMware Customer Support for your specific hardware requirements. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 14 The space allocations in this table do not include space for backups. Backup space should be allocated equal to the size of the VCM data for a single full backup, or larger if you want to keep multiple partial backups. VMware, Inc.

  • Page 15: Hardware And Operating System Requirements -- Agent Machines

    While it may be possible to install Agents on platforms/operating system versions other than those listed below, such configurations will not be supported. From time to time VMware introduces support for additional platforms/operating systems. Please contact VMware Customer Support to confirm if a particular platforms/operating system combination is supported by a later version of VCM if it is not listed below.
  • Page 16 Agent. This means that you will not be able to use the new features in this release on those platforms. Contact VMware Customer Support for the earlier supported Agents. The following x64 Platforms have been tested.

  • Page 17: Windows Custom Information Supports Powershell Version 2.0

    Requires .NET 3.5.1. Software Provisioning on Guests Any virtual machine guest on VMware ESX 3.5 and vSphere 4 (both i and non-i versions) meeting the above requirements can be used for any of the VCM Software Provisioning components.

  • Page 18: Agent Proxy Requirements For Use With Vmware Vsphere/Esx/Esxi

    (includes Intel and AMD architectures, excludes Itanium) Agent Proxy Requirements for Use with VMware vSphere/ESX/ESXi The VCM Agent is not installed directly on the ESX/vSphere Servers and vCenter Servers; instead collections are accomplished using what is referred to as "agentless collections". There are two types of agentless collections, and each type is specific to a particular configuration.

  • Page 19: Minimum Operating System Requirements

    Disk Space: Each VCM for Virtualization Agent Proxy requires an additional 93 MB of disk space, above the 200 MB required for the standard Agent. In addition, you will also need: 4 MB per ESX server for data model storage 150 MB per ESX server for Agent master files VMware, Inc.

  • Page 20: Supported Vcenter Server Collections

    Windows XP Windows XP Windows XP Windows XP Gold Windows XP Gold Windows 2000 Windows All 2000 FIPS Used by VCM Agent Proxies The VCM Agent Proxy uses the OpenSSL FIPS v1.1.2, which is validated to the 918 certificate. VMware, Inc.

  • Page 21: Software And Operating System Requirements -- Collector Machines

    (1 to 1,000, 1,000 to 2,000, 2,000 to 5,000, or more). If you have more than 2000 managed machines on a single Collector, contact VMware Customer Support for your specific requirements. Table 4-1. Minimum Software Requirements by Number of VCM Managed Machines...

  • Page 22: Software Installation And Configuration Overview

    VCM, SQL Server, and SSRS. 2. Verify that the person performing the remainder of these procedures is using a domain account with local administrator rights. 3. Install Windows 2003 SP2 (with or without Release 2), available from Microsoft. VMware, Inc.

  • Page 23: Uninstalling Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration

    If Internet Explorer Enhanced Security is installed, you will not be able to install or run VCM. Uninstall the application using the following steps. 1. Click Start | Control Panel | Add or Remove Programs. The Add or Remove Programs window appears. 2. Click Add/Remove Windows Components. The Windows Components Wizard appears. VMware, Inc.

  • Page 24: Installing And Configuring Iis

    3. Right-click Default Web Site and select Properties. The Default Web Site Properties dialog box appears. 4. Select the Web Site tab and configure the following: IP address: (All Unassigned). TCP port: 80. Connection timeout: 3,600 seconds or greater. VMware, Inc.

  • Page 25: Installing .Net Frameworks

    Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 2. If one or more of the .NET Frameworks are not installed, download and install .NET 3.5 Service Pack 1. Installing .NET 3.5 SP1 will also install .NET 2.0 and .NET 3.0, along with their cumulative service packs. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 26 Verifying v2.0.50727 is the Default ASP.NET 1. Select Start | Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. The Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager window appears. 2. Expand the server node and the Web Sites node. VMware, Inc.

  • Page 27: Configuring The Wcf Isapi Extensions

    9. Expand the server node and the Web Sites node. 10. Right-click Default Web Site and select Properties. The Default Web Site Properties dialog box appears. 11. On the Home Directory tab, in the Application Settings area, click Configuration. The Application Configuration page appears. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 28 VCM installation and you are returning to this guide to resolve installation problems. 1. To open a command prompt window, select Start | Run. Type cmd and click OK. 2. The following series of commands are used to remediate WCF configuration problems: VMware, Inc.

  • Page 29: Installing And Verifying Sql Xml 3.0 Sp3

    SQL Server and you will encounter an SSRS validation error during the VCM installation process. If you do change the port after installation, additional configuration changes will need to be made to SSRS to repair the configuration. Contact VMware Customer Support if you need assistance. SQL Server 2005 SP3 is the version documented in this guide.
  • Page 30 5. Review the Details list of verify the Status of the requirements. 6. Click Next. The Registration Information page appears. 7. Type your company-specific information in the Name text box. Company information is optional. 8. Click Next. The Components to Install page appears. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 31 SQL Server SQL Server Agent Reporting Services 14. Click Next. The Authentication Mode page appears. 15. Select Windows Authentication (recommended) or Mixed Mode. 16. Click Next. The Collation Settings page appears. 17. Select the following options: SQL Collations VMware, Inc.
  • Page 32 23. Click Install. The Setup Progress page displays the installation status. 24. When the process is completed, Click Next. The Completing Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Setup page appears. 25. Click Finish. 26. Restart the machine to apply the changes. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 33 Stop. The processes to stop may include, but are not limited to SQL Server Reporting Services (MSSQLSERVER), SQL Server Agent (MSSQLSERVER), SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER), and SQL Server FullText Search (MSSQLSERVER). 14. When the processes are stopped, return to the Running Processes page. Click Refresh. The list should not display any running processes. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 34 Assign a value of at least 20% free space in an index (setting the fill factor to 80% means there is 20% free space available). Recovery interval (minutes): Type or select 5. 4. To save your changes, click OK. VMware, Inc.

  • Page 35: Configuring Sql Server Reporting Service (Ssrs)-Related Settings

    Configuring SQL Server Reporting Service (SSRS)-Related Settings Follow the steps provided in this section based on the type of operating system you are using: After you configure SSRS, you should back up your configurations. Instructions are provided at the end of this section. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 36 Default Web Site. In the Virtual Directory text box, type the name of the virtual directory. The default value is ReportServer. 7. To save the settings and close the dialog box, click OK. The Report Server directory is created. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 37 20. Click OK. When the connection is configured,go to the next step. 21. Verify that you can access the reports. In a browser window, type http://<machine name>/reports. The SQL Server Reporting Services page should open without error. Example below. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 38 5. Return to Reporting Services Configuration Manager and repeat steps 4-7 for creating the Report Server Virtual Directory, and then continue with these steps to create the Report Manager Virtual Directory. The directories should be added with no errors. 6. Repeat the steps in "Verifying the SSRS Directories" on page VMware, Inc.

  • Page 39: Preparing For Vcm Installation

    Use Microsoft’s command line utility rskeymgmt.exe to back up the symmetric key to an encrypted file. VMware recommends that you use this tool to copy your SSRS key set to a removable media device and store it in a secure location.
  • Page 40 Agent machines. VCM uses the default network authority account to collect data from Windows Agent machines. The network authority account can be changed later in VCM at Administration | Settings | Network Authority. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 41 Windows administrator rights issued by the network administrator. Identifying VMware Application Services Account The VMware Application Services Account must be a domain user. Because this account will have full administrative authority to the CSI_DOMAIN database, it should never be used as a VCM login or for any other purpose.

  • Page 42: Configuring A 64-Bit Operating System For A Vcm Installation

    Manager. If you want to run the Foundation Checker before you receive the installation package, you can download the program using the following procedure: 1. Download the files from the Download VMware vCenter Configuration Manager Web site ( http://downloads.vmware.com/d/info/datacenter_downloads/vmware_vcenter_configuration_ manager/5_0).

  • Page 43: Uninstalling Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration

    If Internet Explorer Enhanced Security is installed, you will not be able to install or run VCM. Uninstall the application using the following steps. 1. Click Start | Control Panel | Add or Remove Programs. The Add or Remove Programs window appears. 2. Click Add/Remove Windows Components. The Windows Components Wizard appears. VMware, Inc.

  • Page 44: Installing And Configuring Iis

    7. Click OK. The installation begins. You are then instructed to locate a file on disk 2. Continue as instructed by the installation process. 8. When the process is completed, the Completing the Windows Components Wizard page appears. 9. Click Finish. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 45 In addition to installing 64-bit SQL Server on your 64-bit operating system, you will also be required to install the 32-bit version of SSRS. The following steps set the flag required to install and run 32-bit applications on 64-bit operating systems. To verify that 32-bit applications are enabled on 64-bit Windows VMware, Inc.

  • Page 46: Installing .Net Frameworks

    2. Expand the server node. Click on Web Service Extensions. The extensions are listed in the right pane. 3. The Web Service Extensions list should display the following and the value of the Status column for each is Allowed: ASP.NET v2.0.50727 (32-bit) VMware, Inc.

  • Page 47: Configuring The Wcf Isapi Extensions

    6. Press Enter. 7. After the reset is completed, close the Command window. 8. To verify that the extension was applied successfully, click Start | Administrative Tools | Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. The Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager appears VMware, Inc.
  • Page 48 VCM installation and you are returning to this guide to resolve installation problems. 1. To open a command prompt window, select Start | Run. Type cmd and click OK. 2. The following series of commands are used to remediate WCF configuration problems: VMware, Inc.

  • Page 49: Installing And Verifying Sql Xml 3.0 Sp3

    SQL Server and you will encounter an SSRS validation error during the VCM installation process. If you do change the port after installation, additional configuration changes will need to be made to SSRS to repair the configuration. Contact VMware Customer Support if you need assistance. SQL Server 2005 SP3 is the version documented in this guide.
  • Page 50 4. Click Next. The System Configuration Check page appears. 5. Review the Details list of verify the Status of the requirements. When installing on a 64-bit machine, the ASP.NET Version Registration Requirement displays a warning. Click Messages for more information. The View Report dialog box appears. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 51 If the Reporting Services option is available, there is an error in your MPORTANT configuration. Go back to "Configuring Windows 2003 SP2 Operating System" on page 42 in this guide and begin again, following the steps precisely. Workstation components, Books Online and development tools: (Optional, but VMware, Inc.
  • Page 52 Dictionary order, case-insensitive, for use with 1252 Character Set: Highlight the option in the list. 19. Click Next. The Error and Usage Report Settings page appears. 20. Do not select any options on this page. 21. Click Next. The Ready to Install page appears. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 53 3. When the installation is completed, click Next. The Welcome to the Microsoft SQL Server Installation Wizard page appears. 4. Click Next. The System Configuration Check page appears. 5. Review the Details list of verify the Status of the requirements. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 54 16. Click Next. The Report Server Installation Options page appears. 17. None of the options should be available. 18. Click Next. The Error and Usage Report Settings page appears. 19. Do not select any options on this page. 20. Click Next. The Ready to Install page appears. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 55 2. The Welcome page of the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3 Setup wizard appears. 3. Click Next. The License Terms page appears. 4. Review the agreement as needed. To continue, select I accept the agreement, and then click Next. The Feature Selection page appears. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 56 14. When the processes are stopped, return to the Running Processes page. Click Refresh. The list should not display any running processes. 15. Click Next. The Ready to Install page appears. 16. Click Install. The Installation Progress page appears. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 57 7. Select Apply selection to all instances. 8. In the Authentication drop-down list, select your method. The default and recommended method is Windows Authentication. 9. Click Next. The Error and Usage Reporting Settings page appears. 10. Do not select any options on this page. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 58 1252 Character Set. Uninstall and reinstall SQL Server. Security (These options may be configured.) Windows Authentication mode: Either of these options works with VCM. The Mixed Mode is recommended SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode: (Mixed Mode) This option is recommended. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 59 4. You must now restart the SQL Server service. Select Start | Programs | Microsoft SQL Server 2005 | Configuration Tools | SQL Server Configuration Manager. 5. In the left pane, select SQL Server 2005 Services. 6. In the right pane, right-click on SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER or your named instance) and select Restart. VMware, Inc.

  • Page 60: Configuring Sql Server Reporting Service (Ssrs)-Related Settings

    7. To save the settings and close the dialog box, click OK. Due to a SQL Server issue with 32-bit SSRS on a 64-bit operating system, you may receive the following error when creating this and the following virtual directory: “The virtual directory could not be created. The previously set virtual directory will still be used.” VMware, Inc.
  • Page 61 If you receive the same error, repeat the steps to delete the Reports folder in IIS. 17. In the left pane, select Database Setup. The right pane displays the Database Connection settings. 18. In the right pane, configure the following: VMware, Inc.
  • Page 62 26. Click OK. When the connection is configured,go to the next step. 27. Verify that you can access the reports. In a browser window, type http://<machine name>/reports. The SQL Server Reporting Services page should open without error. Example below. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 63 1. To restart the services, click Start | Administrative Tools | Services. The Services window appears. 2. In the Services list, right-click on the SQL Server Reporting Services (MSSQLSERVER) process and click Start. 3. Repeat the steps in "Configuring SSRS Directories" on page VMware, Inc.
  • Page 64 2005 Service Pack for the Reporting Services" on page 57 Uninstall and reinstall the Reporting Services. Do not forget to reapply the Service Pack 1. Go to Systems "Installing 32-bit Reporting Services on 64-bit Operating Systems" on page 53 installation information. Then continue with the configuration steps. VMware, Inc.

  • Page 65: Preparing For Vcm Installation

    Use Microsoft’s command line utility rskeymgmt.exe to back up the symmetric key to an encrypted file. VMware recommends that you use this tool to copy your SSRS key set to a removable media device and store it in a secure location.
  • Page 66 Agent machines. VCM uses the default network authority account to collect data from Windows Agent machines. The network authority account can be changed later in VCM at Administration | Settings | Network Authority. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 67 Windows administrator rights issued by the network administrator. Identifying VMware Application Services Account The VMware Application Services Account must be a domain user. Because this account will have full administrative authority to the CSI_DOMAIN database, it should never be used as a VCM login or for any other purpose.
  • Page 68 Manager. If you want to run the Foundation Checker before you receive the installation package, you can download the program using the following procedure: 1. Download the files from the Download VMware vCenter Configuration Manager Web site ( http://downloads.vmware.com/d/info/datacenter_downloads/vmware_vcenter_configuration_ manager/5_0).

  • Page 69: Agent Sizing Information

    The sizes are listed in megabytes and are approximate. While VMware makes every effort to validate the numbers, quoted factors such as the types of data collected will affect the sizing. VMware cannot guarantee that the sizing information quoted in this document will be accurate for all installations.

  • Page 70: Unix/Linux Machines

    80 MB 5-16 MB See above information CMAgent.5.3.0.HP-UX.11.pa 80 MB 5-16 MB See above information CMAgent.5.3.0.Linux 30-50 MB 5-70 MB See above information CMAgent.5.3.0.SunOS 40-50 MB 5-30 MB See above information CMAgent.5.3.0.SunOS.x86.5.10 40-50 MB 5-30 MB See above information VMware, Inc.

  • Page 71: Mac Os X Machines

    The projected data file sizing information can vary greatly depending on your collection filter set. The size can vary from 10-20 MB to 100+ MB. The most likely data types to cause large data growth are File System-File Structure, and System Logs. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 72 Configuration Manager Hardware and Software Requirements Guide VMware, Inc.

  • Page 73: Configuring Sql Server 2005 For Vcm

    Default index fill factor: Type or select a percentage value. This value specifies the amount of free space within each index page when it is rebuilt. Leave at least 20% free space in an index (setting the fill factor to 80% means there is 20% free space available). Normally this setting is VMware, Inc.

  • Page 74: Sql Server Processor Settings

    SQL query, then their activities will “step” on each other’s cache, which can easily lead to the two threads getting less work done than one thread could accomplish by itself. Hyper-threading is a machine-level setting that must be controlled via BIOS settings. VMware, Inc.

  • Page 75: Configuring Sql Server Processor Settings

    CPU as logical CPU’s 0 and 1. To be absolutely sure which algorithm is used may require checking with the BIOS vendor, or comparing SQL Server processor affinity options with and without Hyper-threading enabled. 6. Click OK to save the settings. VMware, Inc.

  • Page 76: Sql Server Io Configuration

    RAID 10: RAID 10 is also known as a “Stripe of Mirrors”. In this configuration, multiple RAID 1 arrays are also striped. Think of this configuration as “Fault Tolerance First, then Performance”. When examining the various RAID levels for use with SQL Server, some easy guidelines can be followed: VMware, Inc.
  • Page 77 SAN, the throughput of that 4Gb HBA is really more comparable to two and a half U320 channels. Actually getting that throughput, though, depends also on the switches and links between the Collector and the SAN, and, of course, on the drives and controllers in the SAN itself. VMware, Inc.

  • Page 78: Using Sqlio To Determine Io Channel Throughput

    4 Threads 2GB File Size minimum Sequential IO When executing SQLIO, ensure that you create baseline information for each IO channel (logical disk) that will be used for VCM data as well testing both Read and Write operations. VMware, Inc.
  • Page 79 11, 13 32-bit software 64-bit sizing service pack communication certificates 40, 66 32-bit computer names 64-bit SQL Server 35, 59 Internet Explorer 40, 66 configuration settings 23, 43 diagram IWAM user account 25, 45 configuring 32-bit 64-bit VMware, Inc.
  • Page 80 35, 59 Windows 2003 22, 42 configuring database settings disk IO configuration installing 32-bit 64-bit 49-50 processor settings properties 34, 58 reset name 35, 59 service pack installing 32-bit 64-bit SQL Server administrator rights 39, 65 VMware, Inc.

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