If a vCenter Server instance fails, you can restore it from its file-based backup. If the management domain vCenter Server and the VI workload domain vCenter Server are both in a failed state, you must restore the management domain vCenter Server before restoring the VI workload domain vCenter Server.

You deploy a new vCenter Server appliance and perform a file-based restore. If you are restoring the management domain vCenter Server, you deploy the new appliance on a healthy ESXi host in the management domain vSAN cluster. If you are restoring the VI workload domain vCenter Server, you deploy the new appliance on the management domain vCenter Server.

Prerequisites

  • Download the vCenter Server ISO file for the version of the failed instance. See Retrieve the vCenter Server Deployment Details.

  • If you are recovering the VI workload domain vCenter Server, verify that the management vCenter Server is available.

Procedure

  1. Mount the vCenter Server ISO image to your host machine with access to the SDDC and run the UI installer for your operating system.

    For example, for a Windows host machine, open the dvd-drive:\vcsa-ui-installer\win32\installer application file.

  2. Click Restore.
  3. Complete the Restore - Stage 1: Deploy vCenter Server wizard.
    1. On the Introduction page, click Next.
    2. On the End user license agreement page, select the I accept the terms of the license agreement check box and click Next.
    3. On the Enter backup details page, enter these values and click Next.

      Setting

      Value for vCenter Server

      Location or IP/hostname

      sftp://sftp_server_ip/backups/vCenter/sn_vc_fqdn/backup_folder/

      User name

      vSphere service account user

      Password

      vsphere-service-account-password

    4. On the Review backup information page, review the backup details, record the vCenter Server configuration information, and click Next.

      You use the vCenter Server configuration information at a later step to determine the deployment size for the new vCenter Server appliance.

    5. On the vCenter Server deployment target page, enter the values by using the information that you retrieved during the preparation for the restore, and click Next.

      Setting

      Value for Management Domain vCenter Server

      Value for VI Workload Domain vCenter Server

      ESXi host or vCenter Server name

      FQDN of the first ESXi host

      FQDN of the management vCenter Server

      HTTPS port

      443

      443

      User name

      root

      [email protected]

      Password

      esxi_root_password

      vsphere_admin_password

    6. In the Certificate warning dialog box, click Yes to accept the host certificate.
    7. On the Set up a target vCenter Server VM page, enter the values by using the information that you retrieved during the preparation for the restore, and click Next.

      Setting

      Value

      VM name

      vCenter Server VM name

      Set root password

      vcenter_server_root_password

      Confirm root password

      vcenter_server_root_password

    8. On the Select deployment size page, select the deployment size that corresponds with the vCenter Server configuration information from Step 3.d and click Next.

      Refer to vSphere documentation to map CPU count recorded from Step 3.d to a vSphere Server configuration size.

    9. On the Select datastore page, select these values, and click Next.

      Setting

      Value

      Datastore

      Datastore name

      Enable thin disk mode

      Selected
    10. On the Configure network settings page, enter the values by using the information that you retrieved during the preparation for the restore, and click Next.

      Setting

      Value

      Network

      Name of the vSphere distributed switch

      IP version

      IPV4

      IP assignment

      static

      FQDN

      FQDN of the vCenter Server

      IP address

      IP address of the vCenter Server

      Subnet mask or prefix length

      24

      Default gateway

      Default gateway IP address

      DNS servers

      DNS server IP addresses with comma separated
    11. On the Ready to complete stage 1 page, review the restore settings and click Finish.
    12. When stage 1 of the restore process completes, click Continue.
  4. Complete the Restore - Stage 2: vCenter Server wizard.
    1. On the Introduction page, click Next.
    2. On the Backup details page, in the Encryption password text box, enter the encryption password of the SFTP server and click Next.
    3. On the Single Sign-On configuration page, enter these values and click Next.

      Setting

      Value

      Single Sign-On user name

      [email protected]

      Single Sign-On password

      vsphere_admin_password

    4. On the Ready to complete page, review the restore details and click Finish.
    5. In the Warning dialog box, click OK to confirm the restore.
    6. When stage 2 of the restore process completes, click Close.

What to do next

Refresh the SSH keys that are stored in the SDDC Manager inventory. See VMware Cloud Foundation SDDC Manager Recovery Scripts (79004).