vCenter Server: Build as Standalone or VM?

[tim_hin]

Hi! We're planning a migration from Virtual Center 2.5/ESXi 3.5 to vSphere. Right now our Virtual Center Server is built on a VM. I'm wondering if there is a huge advantage/disadvantage to keeping it that way. I know there are pro's/con's to each. Such as occsaionally, Virtual Center loses connectivity with one of the ESX servers. If the ESX server that it loses connectivity with is the one housing the VC Server, it causes all sorts of problems. But if we put it on a physical box, we'll have to dedicate a box to it (we're not an overly large operation). So we're trading cost for reliability?

Is there a general concensus on which method is more "Accepted"?

Thanks for your help.

[weinstein5]

Really there is benefit one way or another - if vCenter server were to lose communication to the ESX server hosting really should not have an impact other than you might need to use the vSphere client to connect directly to the host that is running the vCenter VM but there is a way to prevent this from occuring but placing the virtual NIC of the VM on the same vSwitch as the management port wheter it is a Service Console port or vMkernel port -

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[GergMN]

I have vSphere Essentials (so no VMotion option), and created a new VM with Windows Server 2008 just for the vCenter Server. I have 3 ESXi hosts, and only have local storage (no shared storage) for each server. One problem I have is that I've had to clone the vCenter Server so that when I need to do updates to the host where vCenter Server is stored, I can shut it down, fire up the backup, and then allow the original ESXi host go into Maintenance Mode, etc. to apply the proper patches. Not a huge problem, but it is a bit clunky.

[tim_hin]

"there is a way to prevent this from occuring but placing the virtual NIC of the VM on the same vSwitch as the management port wheter it is a Service Console port or vMkernel port"

It is currently set up this way. The VC nic is on the same vSwitch as the Management Network VMKernal port. Right now I do have to use the client to login to the host containing VC to get it running again.