www.it-ebooks.info VMware vCenter Operations Manager Essentials Explore virtualization fundamentals and real-world solutions for the modern network administrator Lauren Malhoit BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI www.it-ebooks.info VMware vCenter Operations Manager Essentials Copyright © 2014 Packt Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews. Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book. Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information. First published: February 2014 Production Reference: 1110214 Published by Packt Publishing Ltd. Livery Place 35 Livery Street Birmingham B3 2PB, UK. ISBN 978-1-78217-696-1 www.packtpub.com Cover Image by Duraid Fatouhi ([email protected]) www.it-ebooks.info Credits Author Project Coordinator Lauren Malhoit Venitha Cutinho Reviewers Proofreaders Michael Poore Mario Cecere Mike Preston Lindsey Thomas Chris Wahl Indexers Hemangini Bari Acquisition Editors Ashwin Nair Tejal Soni Gregory Wild Graphics Yuvraj Mannari Content Development Editor Gregory Wild Production Coordinator Pooja Chiplunkar Technical Editors Mario D'Souza Mrunmayee Patil Cover Work Pooja Chiplunkar Aman Preet Singh Copy Editors Alisha Aranha Sarang Chari Gladson Monteiro www.it-ebooks.info About the Author Lauren Malhoit has been in the IT field for over 10 years. She's currently a technical virtualization architect specializing in virtualization and storage in the datacenter. She has been writing for TechRepublic and TechRepublic Pro for a few years as well as for VirtualizationSoftware.com. As a VMware vExpert, Cisco Champion, EMC Elect, and PernixPro member, Lauren tries to stay involved in the community. She also hosts a bi-weekly technology podcast called AdaptingIT (http://www.adaptingit.com/). Lauren has been a delegate for Tech Field Day (http://techfieldday.com/) several times as well. For my mom, the wisest person I know. Without your encouragement, perseverance, and sometimes slaps in the face, I never would have made it this far! I couldn't have asked for a better role model. www.it-ebooks.info About the Reviewers Michael Poore is a senior consultant for Xtravirt, a leading virtualization and cloud consultancy in the UK. Michael works primarily with enterprise customers and service providers to help solve their challenges using the VMware datacentre and cloud products along with many other related virtualization technologies. His current focus is on the design, implementation, and consumption of both private and public cloud infrastructures. In addition to being co-leader of the South West UK VMUG, Michael has also been honored for three successive years with VMware's coveted vExpert accolade. You can follow Michael Poore on Twitter (@mpoore) or his blog (http://vspecialist.co.uk). www.it-ebooks.info Mike Preston is an IT professional, author, and an overall tech enthusiast living in Ontario, Canada. He has held all sorts of IT posts over the last 15 years including Network Technician, Systems Administrator, Programmer Analyst, Web Developer, and Systems Engineer in all sorts of different verticals, from sales to consulting. Currently, he works as a systems analyst supporting the education market near his home in Belleville, Ontario. Mike has always had an intense passion for sharing his skills, solutions, and work with various online communities, most recently focusing on virtualization communities. He is an avid blogger at blog.mwpreston. net and participates in many discussions on Twitter: @mwpreston. It's his passion for sharing within the virtualization community that has led to Mike receiving the vExpert award for 2012 and 2013. Mike has presented at VMworld, VMUGs, and various virtualization conferences on numerous occasions, both as a customer and an overall evangelist, and has published different whitepapers and articles for various tech websites. His most recent publication was Troubleshooting vSphere Storage, Packt Publishing, November 2013. His commitment to giving back to the community has resulted in his most recent venture of becoming a Toronto VMUG co-leader. He is a VMware Certified Professional in Datacenter Virtualization on both Versions 4 and 5 of vSphere as well as a VCAP5-DCA. Chris Wahl has acquired over a decade of IT experience in enterprise infrastructure design, implementation, and administration. He has provided architectural and engineering expertise in various virtualization, data center, and private-cloud-based engagements while working with high-performance technical teams in tiered data center environments. Chris holds well over 30 active industry certifications, including the rare VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX #104), and is a recognized VMware vExpert. He also works to give back to the community as both an active Master user and moderator of the VMware Technology Network (VMTN) and as a leader of the Chicago VMware User Group (VMUG). As an independent blogger for the award winning Wahl Network, Chris focuses on creating content that revolves around virtualization, converged infrastructure, and evangelizing products and services that benefit the technology community. Over the past several years, he has published hundreds of articles and was voted the Favorite Independent Blogger by vSphere-Land.com for 2012. Chris also travels globally to speak at industry events, provide subject matter expertise, and offer perspectives as a technical analyst. www.it-ebooks.info www.PacktPub.com Support files, eBooks, discount offers and more You might want to visit www.PacktPub.com for support files and downloads related to your book. Did you know that Packt offers eBook versions of every book published, with PDF and ePub files available? You can upgrade to the eBook version at www.PacktPub.com and as a print book customer, you are entitled to a discount on the eBook copy. Get in touch with us at [email protected] for more details. At www.PacktPub.com, you can also read a collection of free technical articles, sign up for a range of free newsletters and receive exclusive discounts and offers on Packt books and eBooks. TM http://PacktLib.PacktPub.com Do you need instant solutions to your IT questions? PacktLib is Packt's online digital book library. 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Find out when new books are published by following @PacktEnterprise on Twitter, or the Packt Enterprise Facebook page. www.it-ebooks.info www.it-ebooks.info Table of Contents Preface 1 Chapter 1: Introduction to vCenter Operations Manager 7 What is vCenter Operations Manager? 7 Benefits of troubleshooting with vC Ops 10 Benefits of capacity planning with vC Ops 12 Feature comparison of versions 13 What is vCenter Operations Manager Suite? 14 Licensing versions 14 Using vC Ops with other solutions 16 Summary 16 Chapter 2: Installing vCenter Operations Manager 17 System requirements 18 Preparing the vCenter Server 18 Deploying the vCenter Operations Manager's vApp 22 Configuring the vCenter Operations Manager 25 Assigning licenses 29 Managing policies 31 Managing group types 32 Managing display settings 32 vC Ops custom dashboard 34 Configuring user permissions 35 Adapters 35 Resources 36 Upgrading vC Ops 38 Summary 38 www.it-ebooks.info