BEST-PRACTICE: Add host that is running VCSA to vcenter?

[ezjurgen]

Hi,

Currently I have installed VCSA on a stand alone ESXi free hyperwisor license with internal storage. that VCSA is managing a vcenter cluster with 5 managed and Ent. licensed servers.

I was under the impression that it would be best to keep the host running the VCSA outside the vcenter but am starting to doubt that decision

can anyone elaborate?

what made me doubt a bit more was I installed APC PCNS virt applicance and it is said 'hey, I cannot find the host that is running VCSA in your vcenter".... hmm

so in order to have PCNS shut down all hosts in the cluster and then shut down VCSA and its host it kinda seems better to add the stand alone host to vcenter.

but then it will need vsphere host license for just VCSA and the PCNS virt appl?

[daphnissov]

vCenter does not need to be hosted by a separate ESXi host living outside of the cluster managed by that vCenter. Your question has to do with external, third-party software with which I'm unfamiliar, but I'd be willing to bet they have no such requirement as it needing to be hosted outside its scope. It might be best to get in touch with the vendor or look at their documentation to see how that automation works. Generally, UPS automation like this needs to be intelligent enough to shutdown all VMs and detect the host on which vCenter is running, connect through that host, and guest shutdown vCenter itself. Again, that's up to the software.

[scott28tt]

To deal with your first question, the majority of vSphere deployments will have the VCSA VM running on the cluster of hosts which that VCSA is managing. Even back in the days of the Windows-based vCenter Server (think v2 or v3) it became common...