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vSphere 7 - Identify The Pre-requisites And Components For a vSphere Implementation

Identify the pre-requisites and components for a vSphere implementation

VMware vSphere 7.x Study Guide for VMware Certified Professional – Data Center Virtualization certification. This article covers Section 1 - Architectures and Technologies.  Objective 1.1 – Identify the pre-requisites and components for a vSphere implementation. 

This article is part of the VMware vSphere 7.x - VCP-DCV Study Guide. Check out this page first for an introduction, disclaimer, and updates on the guide. The page also includes a collection of articles matching each objective of the official VCP-DCV.

Identify the pre-requisites and components for a vSphere implementation

Section one is basically a theory-based study, and the goal is to ensure you understand how different VMware technologies and solutions integrate together within the core vSphere platform. Therefore, objective 1.1, the first one, is extensive, I consider all these concepts and topics critical to understanding the vSphere’s essentials.

In this objective, you need to identify core and optional vSpehre components—also, some of the VMware key add-on products. Here, ESXi and vCenter Server requirements are a must-know for the exam. It is also important studying the most common vSphere editions and licenses.

This section is extensive, I consider all these concepts and topics critical to understanding the vSphere’s essentials. 

These are the topics that will help you to identify the pre-requisites and components for a vSphere implementation. 

1. vSphere Components

VMware vSphere is VMware's virtualization platform, transforming data centers into aggregated computing infrastructures that include CPU, storage, and networking resources. vSphere manages these infrastructures as a unified operating environment and provides you with the tools to administer the data centers that participate in that environment.

1.1 Core vSphere Components

The two core components of vSphere are ESXi and vCenter Server.

ESXi 

vCenter Server

Other key elements of vSphere are the vSphere Client and Virtual Machines (VM).

vSphere Client

There are two VMware Clients, the Host and Web client. The VMware Host Client is different from the vSphere Web Client. You use the vSphere Web Client to connect to vCenter Server and manage multiple ESXi hosts, whereas you use the VMware Host Client to manage a single ESXi host.

Virtual Machines

Below is an overview diagram of VMware vSphere illustrating the relationship among ESXi hosts, vCenter Server, virtual machines, and vSphere Client.

Source: VMware.

1.2 Optional vCenter Server Components and Features

Optional vCenter Server components are packaged and installed with the base product but might require a separate license. These components are key for the exam.

vSphere Replication

VMware vSphere Replication is a hypervisor-based, asynchronous replication solution for vSphere virtual machines. It is fully integrated with VMware vCenter Server and the vSphere Web Client. 

VMware vSphere vMotion

Enables you to move running virtual machines from one ESXi host to another ESXi host without service interruption. It requires licensing on both the source and target host. 

vSphere Storage vMotion

Allows you to move a running virtual machine's disks and configuration files from one datastore to another without service interruption. It requires licensing on the virtual machine's host.

VMware vSphere High Availability

Enables a cluster with High Availability. If a host fails, all virtual machines running on the host are quickly restarted on different hosts in the same cluster.

VMware vSphere Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS)

Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) improves vSphere workload management by grouping VMware ESXi hosts into resource clusters to segregate the computing needs of different business units. 

VMware vSphere Storage DRS

Allows you to manage multiple datastores as a single resource, called a datastore cluster. A datastore cluster is an aggregation of various datastores into a single logical, load-balanced pool. 

VMware vSphere Fault Tolerance

vSphere Fault Tolerance provides continuous availability for virtual machines by creating and maintaining a Secondary VM identical to the Primary VM. 

File-Based Backup and Restore of vCenter

vCenter Server supports a file-based backup and restore mechanism that helps you to recover your environment after failures. 

Proactive HA

A feature that minimizes VM downtime by proactively detecting hardware failures and placing the host in Quarantine Mode or Maintenance Mode.

Distributed Power Management (DPM)

DPM allows a DRS cluster to reduce its power consumption by powering hosts on and off based on cluster resource utilization.

Content library

Content libraries are container objects for VM and vApp templates and other types of files, such as ISO images, text files, and so on

Host profiles

The Host Profiles feature creates a profile that encapsulates the host configuration and helps to manage the host configuration, especially in environments where an administrator manages multiple hosts or clusters in vCenter Server.

1.3 Key Add-on Products

VMware vSAN

VMware vSAN is a distributed layer of software that runs natively as a part of the ESXi hypervisor. vSAN aggregates local or direct-attached capacity devices of a host cluster and creates a single storage pool shared across all hosts in the vSAN cluster.

VMware NSX

VMware NSX is a network virtualization and security platform that enables the virtual cloud network, a software-defined approach to networking that extends across data centers, clouds, and application frameworks.

VMware Horizon

VMware Horizon is a modern platform for running and delivering virtual desktops and apps across the hybrid cloud. This means desktop and app management can be simplified, automated, and made more secure for administrators. For users, it provides a consistent experience across devices and locations.

VMware vRealize Suite

VMware vRealize Suite is a cloud management solution. It integrates VMware vRealize Cloud Management products that provide automation, operations, log analytics, and lifecycle management on-premises.

VMware vCloud Suite

VMware vCloud Suite is an enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure and management solution. It combines vRealize Suite with vSphere.

2. ESXi Requirements

Before installing ESXi, we need to ensure that the host meets the minimum hardware configurations supported by ESXi 7.0.

Study Recommendation: ESXi Host Maximums

2.1 Hardware and System Resources

To install or upgrade ESXi, your hardware and system resources must meet the following requirements:

See: http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility

2.2 ESXi Booting Requirements

2.3 Storage Requirements for ESXi 7.0 Installation or Upgrade

Other options for the best performance of an ESXi 7.0 installation are the following:

3. vCenter Server Requirements

You can deploy the vCenter Server appliance on an ESXi host 6.5 or later, or on a vCenter Server instance 6.5 or later. Your system must also meet specific software and hardware requirements.

Note: When you use Fully Qualified Domain Names, verify that the client machine from which you are deploying the appliance and the network on which you are deploying the appliance use the same DNS server.

Study Recommendation: vCenter Server (Limits)

3.1 Hardware Requirements

When you deploy the vCenter Server appliance, you can select to deploy an appliance suitable for the size of your vSphere environment. The option that you choose determines the number of CPUs and the amount of memory for the appliance.

If you deploy vCenter to a host, verify the host is not in lockdown or maintenance mode. Nor part of a fully automated DRS cluster.

The hardware requirements for a vCenter Server appliance depend on the size of your vSphere inventory.

3.2 Storage Requirements 

The storage requirements are different for each vSphere environment size and depend on your database size requirements.

3.3 Software Requirements

The VMware vCenter Server appliance can be deployed on ESXi 6.5 hosts or later, or on vCenter Server instances 6.5 or later.

You can deploy the vCenter Server Appliance using the GUI or CLI installer. You run the installer from a network client machine that you use to connect to the target server and deploy the appliance on the server. You can connect directly to an ESXi 6.5 host on which to deploy the appliance. You can also connect to a vCenter Server 6.5 instance to deploy the appliance on an ESXi host or DRS cluster that resides in the vCenter Server inventory.

3.4 Other Requirements

Required Ports for vCenter Server

The vCenter Server system must be able to send data to every managed host and receive data from the vSphere Client. To enable migration and provisioning activities between managed hosts, the source and destination hosts must be able to receive data from each other through predetermined TCP and UDP ports.

DNS Requirements for the vCenter Server Appliance

When you deploy the vCenter Server appliance, similar to any network server, you can assign a fixed IP address and an FQDN that is resolvable by a DNS server so that clients can reliably access the service.

vSphere Client Software Requirements

Use of the vSphere Client requires a supported web browser. 

Read more: vCenter Server Installation and Setup

4. vSphere Editions and Licenses

VMware offers several packaging options designed to meet customers' specific requirements for scalability, size of the environment, and use cases.

4.1 vSphere Main Editions

Customers can choose from two editions: VMware vSphere Standard Edition and vSphere Enterprise Plus. A support and subscription (SnS) contract is required for every edition purchased.

See VMware Licensing, pricing, and packaging.

4.2 vSphere Licencing

When planning for a vSphere environment, you should prepare to procure at least three line items: a vCenter Server license, a vSphere license, and support for the environment.

Resources

VMware ESXi Installation and Setup

vCenter Server Installation and Setup

Conclusion

The topic reviewed in this article is part of the VMware vSphere 7.x Exam (2V0-21.20), which leads to the VMware Certified Professional – Data Center Virtualization 2021 certification. 

Section 1 - Architectures and Technologies. 

Objective 1.1 – Identify the pre-requisites and components for a vSphere implementation. 

See the full exam preparation guide and all exam sections from VMware.

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