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vCenter : Installation Steps for Remote Clustered SQL Database

vCenter Build : Installation Steps

1    vCenter 4.1 does not support 32-bit OS; use Windows 2008 R2 x64 Standard

2    Install / Configure a SQL 2008 R2 Cluster Database (outside the scope of this document), set the Instance port to 2126

3    Execute the following SQL to allow DP backups:   

  • CREATE LOGIN [DOMAIN\svc_DP-agent] FROM WINDOWS 
  • sp_addsrvrolemember @loginame =  [DOMAIN\svc_DP-agent], @rolename = 'sysadmin'

4    Create two databases on the HA database cluster:  

  • VCDB1 
  • VCUMDB1

5    Create a sevrice account for the vCenter cluster:   

  • svc_euvcenter01 (Note each vCenter must have a unique account (offline vCenter shares the same as online))

6    Using secpol.msc or Group Policy grant the service account tothe following user rights on both VCENTER servers:

  • Act as part of the Operating System
  • Logon as a Service

8    Execute the following SQL to add the user to the SQL instance:  

  • CREATE LOGIN  [DOMAIN\svc_euvcenter01] FROM WINDOWS

9    Execute the following SQL:

  • ALTER LOGIN   [DOMAIN\svc_euvcenter01] WITH DEFAULT_DATABASE = VCDB1

10    On VCDB1 execute the following SQL:  

  • EXEC sp_changedbowner @loginname='svc_euvcenter01' @map='true'

11    On VCUMDB1 execute the following SQL:  

  • EXEC sp_grantdbaccess 'DOMAIN\svc_euvcenter01', 'svc_euvcenter01'   EXEC sp_addrolemember 'db_owner', 'svc_euvcenter01'

12    Grant the service account db_owner permissions on the MSDB database:  

  • USE MSDB;   GO   EXEC sp_grantdbaccess 'spicerseu\svc_euvcenter01', 'svc_euvcenter01'   EXEC sp_addrolemember 'db_owner', 'svc_euvcenter01'

13    Create the following SQL Maintenence Tasks:  

  1. Daily 21:00 Check Integrity, Backup and Cleanup old BAK Files VCDB1  
  2. Daily 22:00 Check integrity, Backup and Cleanup old BAK Files VCUMDB1  
  3. Weekly 00:00 Sunday Check Integrity, Backup and Cleanup BAK Files SYSTEM Database

14    Make the svc_euvcenter01 account a local administrator on the vCenter server

15    Install SQL 2008 Native Client on both vCenter Servers

16    Create a 64-bit ODBC DSN for VCDB1:  

  1. Select SQL Native Client as driver  
  2. Server: EUVCDBCL1I1\I1,2126  
  3. Use Windows Authentication (do not define SPN)  
  4. Change default database to be VCDB1

17    Create a 32-bit ODBC DSN for VCUMDB1:  

  1. Select SQL Native Client as driver  
  2. Server: EUVCDBCL1I1\I1,2126  
  3. Use Windows Authentication (do not define SPN) 
  4. Change default database to be VCUMDB1

18    Create a exclusion policy for McAfee and apply to vCenter servers:   \Device\vstor*

19    Create firewall exceptions on EUVCENTER01/02:  

  • netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="vCenter HTTP" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=80
  • netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="vCenter AD Services" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=389
  • netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="vCenter Client Listener" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=443
  • netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="vCenter Linked Mode SSL" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=636
  • netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="vCenter Management" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=902
  • netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="vCenter Console" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=903
  • netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="vCenter Management WebService" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=9080
  • netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="vCenter HTTPS" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=9443
  • netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="vCenter SDK" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=60099

20    Enable ICMP Echo Request on both vCenter Servers

21    Install .NET 3.5.1 via Server manager > Features

22    Install J# x64 from VMware-VIMSetup-all-4.1.0-259021\redist\vjredist

23    Install Visual C++ 2005, 2008 (x64 and x86) from VMware-VIMSetup-all-4.1.0-259021\redist\vcredist\2005

24    Logon as service account

25    Install vCenter:

  • Ensure that Web Server HTTP/HTTPS ports are changed from 8443 and 8080 to 9443 and 9080 this is because these ports conflict with McAfee EPO
  • Create dependency on MacAfee Framework Service for vpxd (due to conflict)

26    Restart server, check all VMWare services start

27    Remove MSDB permissions for svc_euvcenter01 account (when second sever is completed)

28    Configure Virtual Connect profiles for all VM servers   

29    Deploy ESXi to all virtual hosts using HP ESXi media

30    Configure TCP/IP, hostname and root password to XXXXXXXXX and set management VLAN (if applicable)

31    Configure forward and reverse DNS entries for vCenter Servers

32    Login to vSphere Client

33    Add licenses to vCenter

34    Create a new Datacenter

35    Import vSphere Hosts

36    Set Time Server Settings

37    Create a vSphere cluster

38    Drag and drop nodes imported into cluster

39    Create the following distributed switches:  

  • dvSwitch_Management/vMotion
  • dvSwitch_Ecommerce
  • dvSwitch_Internal

40    Create the following dvPortGroups under dvSwitch_Management/vMotion: 

  • dvPortGroup_Internal_VLAN120  
  • dbPortGroup_Internal_VLAN121
  • dbPortGroup_Internal_VLAN121

41   Create the followingdvPortGroups under dvSwitch_Internal:  

  • dvPortGroup_Internal_VLAN1  
  • dvPortGroup_Internal_VLAN90  
  • dvPortGroup_Internal_VLAN110  
  • dvPortGroup_Internal_VLAN115

42   Create the followingdvPortGroups under dvSwitch_Ecommerce:

  • dvPortGroup_Ecommerce_VLAN1  
  • dvPortGroup_Ecommerce_VLAN10  
  • dvPortGroup_Ecommerce_VLAN20  
  • dvPortGroup_Ecommerce_VLAN35  
  • dvPortGroup_Ecommerce_VLAN70

43  On dvSwitch_Internal change teaming and failover settings so that VLAN120 is preferred on adapter dvUplink1 and VLAN121 and VLAN122 are preferred on dvUplink2

44  Migrate server console to dvSwitch_ManagementvMotion

45    Define host level vmk1 and vmk2 Virtual Adapter and enable vMotion – this is a manual process on each host individually

46    Create host profile and validate all nodes against this

47    Present shared storage to all cluster nodes

48    Configure datastores and ensure availability on all hosts; odds sys side, evens cdc side

49    Create Windows and Linux VM’s

50    Test vMotion Host move

51    Test vMotion Datastore Move

52    Test VMWare HA

53    Test vVMWare DRS

54    Test DR scenarios:  

  1. Controlled shutdown
  2. Storage failover
  3. VMHA – Poweroff Node and wait for VM startup on another node
  4. SAN Storage Failover

55    Configure Network IO correctly on each Distributed Switch

56    Configure vCenter Mail Settings

57    Configure Exchange CAHT relay permissions

58    Configure alarms to send emails for the following host related issues:  

  • Host connection failure  
  • Host Storage Status  
  • Network connectivity lost  
  • Network uplink redundancy degraded  
  • Host CPU Usage  
  • Host Memory Usage

59    Modify c:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VirtualCenter Server\extensions\com.vmware.vim.stats.report\extension.xml  

  • Replace * with server FQDN this will resolve the ‘Navigation to the webpage was cancelled Refresh the page’ error

Setup Standby vCenter Server

1  Stop live vCenter VMWare Services, shutdown live vCenter

2    Perform full database backup

3    Make the svc_euvcenter01 account a local administrator on the vCenter server

4    Install SQL 2008 Native Client

5    Create a 64-bit ODBC DSN for VCDB1:  

  • Select SQL Native Client as driver  
  • Server: EUVCDBCL1I1\I1,2126  
  • Use Windows Authentication (do not define SPN) 
  • Change default database to be VCDB1

 6   Create a 32-bit ODBC DSN for VCUMDB1:  

  • Select SQL Native Client as driver  
  • Server: EUVCDBCL1I1\I1,2126  
  • Use Windows Authentication (do not define SPN)  
  • Change default database to be VCUMDB1

7    Create a exclusion policy for McAfee and apply to vCenter servers:   \Device\vstor*

8    Install .NET 3.5.1 via Features

9    Install J# x64 from VMware-VIMSetup-all-4.1.0-259021\redist\vjredist

10  Install Visual C++ 2005, 2008 (x64 and x86) from VMware-VIMSetup-all-4.1.0-259021\redist\vcredist\2005

11  Logon as service account:   svc_euvcenter01   p/w:XXXXXXXXX

12  Install vCenter, using the same license key as the other vCenter  

  • Ensure that WebServer HTTP/HTTPS ports are changed from 8443 and 8080 to 9443 and 9080 this is because these ports conflict with McAfee EPO

13    Restart server, check all VMWare services start

14    Modify c:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VirtualCenter Server\extensions\com.vmware.vim.stats.report\extension.xml  

  • replace * with EUVCENTER01.spicers.europeThis will resolve the ‘Navigation to the webpage was cancelled Refresh the page’ error

15   Configure same IP address as EUVCENTER01 – YES

16   Login to the Standby vCenter

17   Re-connect each ESXi host

18   Create dependency on mcAfee framework service for vpxd

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