If you did not install services when you installed the VMware Smart Assurance products, you may install services manually. Services are programs that, once started, are generally intended to run continuously. Components installed as services start automatically upon system reboot; those not installed as services (manual processes or disabled processes) require that you issue commands to start and stop them as necessary.

VMware, Inc. recommends that VMware Smart Assurance products be installed as services whenever possible. Typical reasons to install products as services include the following conditions:

  • (IP Manager only) There is a need to install services for a single product instead of the combined IP Availability Manager and IP Performance Manager products (for example, IP Availability Manager alone or IP Performance Manager alone). “Selection of bootstrap files when installing services” on page 132 provides more information.

  • During installation of the product software, you chose to start product components manually and now want to run the components as services.

  • Multiple instances of a single product component running as a service are required. During installation, you can install only a single instance of a product component as a service.

    To manually install a product as a service, use the sm_service installcommand with the appropriate set of options.

    The VMware Smart Assurance System Administration Guide provides a complete description of the command syntax.