HA failover when primary server is available again

[kheath74]

How does HS handle a situation where the primary server goes offline for a standard hardware reason such as PSU failure, the HA fails over and reboots the VMs on the secondary server, and then you bring the primary server back online.

Does the primary server then update its configuration in the HA cluster and now show as having no VMs and the secondary have all VMs? Is it a simple process then to manually load balance the VMs again back on the the primary server as they were before the outage?

Thanks for help on this, busy reading up on this and haven't found this bit yet.

Cheers

Kyle

[Rubeck · Accepted solution]

Process:

- Host A dies along with assosiated VMs

- Host B restarts VMs.. View in vCenter is updated by VC agent on Host B

- Host A comes back on, and DRS provided by VC will start to migrate servers back on to Host A depending on load running on Host B and rules configured.

In a HA cluster 5 primary hosts can exist... (default the first 5 hosts added to cluster) others are secondaries... Prim / sec. roles are configured by VC when enabling HA, entering /exiting Maitenance mode etc.

Hope this short description helps..

/Rubeck

[weinstein5]

nd to add if you do not have DRS the VMs will remain on Host B until you move them over to Host A

[kheath74]

Thanks for the explanation, I am planning to use the vsphere essentials plus licence that supports the three hosts I need, this licence does not include DRS though.

This was why I wanted to know what vCenter would show for hostA after failover occured if I don't have DRS to auto control the VMs?

--

Kyle Heath

Directorl | CSCM Ltd | The Hawthorns | West Bromwich | B71 4LF

tel | 08431 668866 mobile | 07747012730 fax |0121 5804287 email | kyle.heath@cscm.co.uk

CSCM Limited is a company registered in England and Wales with Company Registration No. 4128650 and VAT Registration No. 770 9805 02

Registered Address - The Hawthorns, West Bromwich, B71 4LF

[Rubeck]

Host A, when OK, will simply pop back up in the VC inventory as connected and "ready to serve".... but without DRS no VMs will automatically be migrated to it.

The only automatic "migration" of VMs that will happen from now on is if your power off Host B

/Rubeck

[kheath74]

Thanks guys! For our situation I think we can manually failover back to hostA for the cost saving on the licence.

--

Kyle Heath

Directorl | CSCM Ltd | The Hawthorns | West Bromwich | B71 4LF

tel | 08431 668866 mobile | 07747012730 fax |0121 5804287 email | kyle.heath@cscm.co.uk

CSCM Limited is a company registered in England and Wales with Company Registration No. 4128650 and VAT Registration No. 770 9805 02

Registered Address - The Hawthorns, West Bromwich, B71 4LF

[529122530]

With VMHA,you have first five HOST be added to Cluster is Primary host,and the others is Secondary,if one or any of the first five HOST is down then,the first Secondary host will become to be a new Primary host!