3 Hosts, 5 VMs, VMWare Essentials License

[GHMitchell]

Greetings, and thank you for taking the time to read about my issue.

I have created and managed multiple VMWare environments, mostly pretty small. The Company I work for now was using a single server for all functions, and to support a home-built ERP system built on MS Access that is critical to our operation.

I purchased 2 new Dell hosts, converted the existing DC to a VM, and added 2 new Windows Server VMs to spread out the load and increase the number of critical failure points. I installed ESXI on the 3rd host, mostly so I had a place to run test VMs without affecting performance of the other 2 hosts. I licensed using 7.0 Essentials (not plus) due to budget constraints. Up to here, I am sure I did the right thing and we are healthier and more resilient as a result.

Now, a year later, managing updates and monitoring performance is time consuming, but not too bad. I am up to 5 VMs, and the workload is relatively balanced.

Here is my question. I am considering putting these 3 hosts in a Cluster. My understanding is that this will allow the hosts to see each other's storage. Is there any other compelling reason to bother with a cluster? I won't have HA or VMotion because of the Essentials license. Should I bother?

Thank you again for your time. Have a great day.

Greg

[a_p_]

>>> My understanding is that this will allow the hosts to see each other's storage.
No, the ESXi hosts won't be able to see nor access the other hosts' local storage.
What is it, that do you want to achieve?

André

[GHMitchell]

Hi Andre, and thank you for your reply.

I am trying to simplify applying patches and upgrades to the hosts. Without a cluster, I am forced to upgrade the hosts separately, and I have to move the Vcenter vm around while putting each host in maintenance mode. I read that with a cluster, vcenter manages itself and stays available as long as there is a host available. I could be wrong about that.

Maybe it would be more helpful if I asked the question a different way.

In a VMWare Essentials environment with 3 hosts and 5 total VMs, is there any compelling reason to put the hosts in a cluster?

Thank you again for giving up some of your Saturday for this. Have a great weekend Andre.

Greg

[a_p_]

>>> I read that with a cluster, vcenter manages itself and stays available as long as there is a host available.
That may be true for vSphere clusters with shared storage, and appropriate licensing/features (e.g. DRS), but not for Essentials with local storage. I usually patch/upgrade such small customer environments using the esxcli command line utility.

Without shared storage, and vMotion (i.e. Essentials Plus, or better), I don't see much benefit in putting the hosts in a cluster. One benefit could be a simpler backup configuration (in case you're using VM based backup), but with only a few VMs that's not a huge benefit.

André