vCenter Server 5.5
Technical Deep Dive
Adam Eckerle
VCAP-DCA/DCD/DTD
aeckerle@vmware.com | @eck79
Technical Account Manager
© 2014 VMware Inc. All rights reserved.
Agenda
–  vCenter Server – A Technical Deep Dive
•  vCenter Single Sign-On
•  vSphere Web Client
•  Inventory Service
•  vCenter Performance and Scalability
•  vCenter High Availability
•  vCenter Server Appliance
–  Reference Architecture (Best Practices)
•  Single vCenter Environments
•  Multi vCenter Environments
CONFIDENTIAL
2
vCenter Single Sign-On
Challenges with vCenter Single Sign-On 5.1
!  Active Directory Integration
•  Does not work effectively in multi-forest / trusted
domain environments
•  Does not scale in environments with 15K or greater users
•  Administration is limited
!  Certificates
•  SSL communications challenging
•  Difficult to change / update
!  Installation
•  Database requirements / security concerns
•  Many installable configurations
•  Difficult to change / reconfigure post install
•  Complex
!  Diagnostics
•  Troubleshooting tools – non existent
What's New with vCenter Single Sign-On 5.5 (in
Short)
!  Improved architecture
•  Multi-master
•  Built-in replication
•  Multi Tenant
vCenter
Server
Web Client
Inventory Svc
Inventory Svc
Inventory Svc
vCenter
Server
Web Client
vCenter
Server
Web Client
vCenter Single Sign-On 5.5
vCenter Server
vCenter Server
vCenter Server
!  Database
•  There is no Database!
!  Installation
•  One simplified deployment model
•  Select vCenter Single Sign-On for the first or an additional vCenter Server
!  Diagnostics
•  Full suite of diagnostic / Troubleshooting tools
Choose the correct deployment option!
!  The installation choices of the vCenter Single Sign-On will dictate how
SSO functions
•  Middle Radio Button – Merges Lookup Services – For SSO HA, requires load balancer
•  Bottom Radio Button – Configures new Lookup Services – For multiple vCenter Server
deployments
•  http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2058239 and http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2058249
vSphere Web Client
Where the Desktop Client fell short
!  Single Platform Support (Windows)
!  Scalability Limits
!  White Screen of Death
!  Inconsistent look and feel across VMware solutions
!  Workflow Lock
!  Upgrades
vSphere Web Client – The Solution
!  Single Platform Support (Windows)
–  vSphere Web Client is Platform Agnostic (sort of)
!  Scalability Limits
–  Built to handle thousands of objects
!  White Screen of Death
–  Performance
!  Inconsistent look and feel across VMware solutions
–  Extensibility
!  Workflow Lock
–  Pause current task and continue later right where you left off
–  Browser Behavior
!  Upgrades
–  Upgrade a Single server side component
vCenter Server 5.5
!  vSphere Web Client
–  Increased Platform Support
•  Added support for OS X
–  VM Console access
–  Deploy OVF Templates
–  Attach Client Devices
–  Enhanced Usability Experience
•  Drag and Drop
•  Filters
•  Recent Items
Partner Plug-ins for the Web Client
Inventory Service
What Is the vCenter Server Inventory Service?
Inventory Service provides a query service into VPXD
!  Maintains a cache of the vCenter
Server inventory
–  (VMs, Hosts, etc)
!  Reduces the load on VPXD by
offloading client requests
!  Installs locally to vCenter Server
(although can be separated)
–  Separate spindles or SSD (better)
!  Enables use of Tags
–  Remember to backup Inventory
service data files to provide
recovery of tags
vCenter Performance and Scalability
Performance
!  Storage
–  Database
•  Every communication to VPXD is also a database communication
•  Place on separate VM
•  Set host affinity rules for both VC and DB VMs
–  Inventory Service
•  xDB Database (high disk IO)
•  Keep local to vCenter
•  Separate spindles or use SSD
Performance
!  Network
–  Latency
•  vCenter Server application to vCenter Server database
•  vCenter Server application to managed vSphere hosts
•  vCenter Server application to vCenter Server Inventory service
•  vSphere Web Client to vCenter Server Inventory Service
•  vCenter Single Sign-On to all vCenter Server components
–  Keeping components local eliminates latency
•  Same VM
•  Multiple VMs (host affinity)
vCenter Server Availability
Protecting vCenter
•  No protection
•  Backup (VDP / Third Party VADP)
•  Database Clustering (RAC / MSCS)
•  VMware HA
•  Hardware failure
•  Guest OS failure
•  VMware HA API
•  VMware App-HA
•  Symantec ApplicationHA
•  Other?
•  vCenter Server Heartbeat
–  End of Availability 06/14, Support thru 09/18 with SnS
vCenter Server Appliance
What About the Appliance
Limitations Today:
!  External database is Oracle only
–  1000 hosts / 10,000 Virtual Machines
–  SQL Server?
!  Embedded database scale
–  100 hosts / 3000 Virtual Machines
!  IPv6
!  Linked Mode capability
Future Direction:
!  Future direction is with appliance but we have work to do first
!  Secure the appliance
!  Provide better availability
!  Add Linked mode functionality
Take a look, get familiar and prepare to adopt
Reference Architecture’s
Configuration #1 - Single vCenter Server 5.5
Use Simple Installer
Inventory Svc
vCenter
Server
Web Client
Installs / Upgrades core
components with a single
virtual machine
1.  vCenter Single Sign-On
2.  vSphere Web Client
SSO
Server
vCenter Server Host or VM
3.  vCenter Inventory Service
4.  vCenter Server
!  No change to architecture
!  All services are local
•  Reduced complexity
VC Database
!  Supports up to 1000 Hosts /
10,000 Virtual Machines
Configuration #2 - Multiple vCenter Server 5.5
Los Angeles
New York
Web Client
Inventory Svc
Inventory Svc
Inventory Svc
vCenter
Server
Miami
vCenter
Server
vCenter
Server
Web Client
Web Client
SSO Server – vsphere.local
vCenter Server
SSO Site 1 vCenter Server
vCenter Server
SSO Site 3 SSO Site 2 Single SSO Authen0ca0on Domain By Default
!  Each site is independent
!  Does not provide a single point of management
!  SSO automated replication
!  SSO Users & Groups
!  SSO Policies
!  Identity sources
!  Site awareness
!  Linked Mode
!  Maintains single management point
!  Replicates Licenses, permissions and roles
Configuration #3 – Centralized Single Sign-On
Server 5.5
A Datacenter with more than 8 vCenter Servers
!  Centralized SSO authentication
–  Same Physical location
!  Single Centralized vSphere Web Client
SSO
Server
vCenter SSO
Server
Web 5.5
Client
!  Availability (Required)
–  vSphere HA
–  Network Load Balancer
Database
Server
VCDB1,VCDB2,VCDB3
vCenter
Server 5.1
vCenter
Server 5.5
vCenter
Server 5.5
Web Client
Web Client
Web Client
Inventory Svc
Inventory Svc
Inventory Svc
vCenter Server 1
vCenter Server 2
vCenter Server 3
Backwards compa0ble to vCenter Server 5.1 for staging of upgrades Questions?
Then a few housekeeping items…
vSphere.Next Beta
•  Open to all
•  Still under NDA
•  Register here:
–  https://communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/vsphere-beta
CONFIDENTIAL
26
Shout Outs
Stay up to date with vCenter Server
http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/
@vCenterGuy
#vCommunity
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