Plan to upgrade vCenter

[menora]

We are currently still running VI3.5 and VC2.5, and we are planning to upgrade to the latest version.  My first question is if we have a new hardware for installing the new vCenter, can this hardware be used as our primary domain controller too?

can someone please advice?

[Josh26]

Hi,

You should not install vCenter on a domain controller.

That said,  why are asking about "hardware"? There's no reason a single machine cannot run two Virtual Machines, one being a domain controller, one being your new vCenter.

[AndreTheGiant]

As written vCenter cannot be a DC.

If you have VMware HA and vMotion consider to use a VM for it.

Andre

[menora]

since this is a separate hardware than the esx host, we don't have enough license to install esx on this hardware.  we were also told that vc must not install on a vm with the application vm, as if the host failed to start, the vc will not start and it will affect the other hosts.  thus currently we are running vc on a separate box on it's own.

how about install esxi on this new hardware and then install dc and vm on it??

[Josh26]

Hi,

Do you have the resources available on your ESX hosts to just build a new vCenter VM there?

we were also told that vc must not install on a vm with the application vm, as if the host failed to start, the vc will not start and it will affect the other hosts.  thus currently we are running vc on a separate box on it's own.

This is terrible advice.

[menora]

yes, we have resources to create another vm for vcenter, just we are not sure this is the right thing to do.

from your comment, looks like we can have vcenter vm and application vm on the same host.  what will happen if this particular host become unavailable?  the vcenter will be unavailable too, will it affect the other hosts or infrastrucutre from operating?

please advice

[Josh26]

menora wrote:

what will happen if this particular host become unavailable? 

please advice

HA will kick in and vCenter will restart on your other host - so this solution will provide the availability you do not currently have.

[menora]

ar ha you see, we don't have ha and vmotion with our current license, but apparently we are entitle to a free upgrade that comes with ha and vmotion as standard, that's why we want to upgrade the software.

[Josh26]

menora wrote:

ar ha you see, we don't have ha and vmotion with our current license, but apparently we are entitle to a free upgrade that comes with ha and vmotion as standard, that's why we want to upgrade the software.

Hi,

Even if you weren't about to get HA, losing a host is as disasterous as losing a host. You would lose the applications on it regardless, and if one of those applications is vCenter, you would lose your vCenter. The remaining host would be unaffected.

[menora]

thanks, i will give it a try