The design decisions for vCenter Server deployment discuss the number of vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller instances, the type of installation, and the topology.

Table 1. vCenter Server Design Decision

Decision ID

Design Decision

Design Justification

Design Implication

CSDDC-VI-VC-001

Deploy a single vCenter Server.

Because of the shared nature of the consolidated pod only a single vCenter Server is supported.

Creates a single failure domain. With only a single vCenter Server there is no isolation between management and compute operations.

You can install vCenter Server as a Windows-based system or deploy the Linux-based VMware vCenter Server Appliance. The Linux-based vCenter Server Appliance is preconfigured, enables fast deployment, and potentially results in reduced Microsoft licensing costs.

Table 2. vCenter Server Platform Design Decision

Decision ID

Design Decision

Design Justification

Design Implication

CSDDC-VI-VC-002

Deploy the vCenter Server instance as the Linux-based vCenter Server Appliances.

Allows for rapid deployment, enables scalability, and reduces Microsoft licensing costs.

Operational staff might need Linux experience to troubleshoot the Linux-based appliances.

Platform Services Controller Design Decision Background

vCenter Server supports installation with an embedded Platform Services Controller (embedded deployment) or with an external Platform Services Controller.

  • In an embedded deployment, vCenter Server and the Platform Services Controller run on the same virtual machine. Embedded deployments are recommended for standalone environments with only one vCenter Server system.

  • Environments with an external Platform Services Controller can have multiple vCenter Server systems. The vCenter Server systems can use the same Platform Services Controller services. For example, several vCenter Server systems can use the same instance of vCenter Single Sign-On for authentication.

  • If there is a need to replicate with other Platform Services Controller instances, or if the solution includes more than one vCenter Single Sign-On instance, you can deploy multiple external Platform Services Controller instances on separate virtual machines.

Table 3. Platform Service Controller Design Decisions

Decision ID

Design Decision

Design Justification

Design Implication

CSDDC-VI-VC-003

Deploy each vCenter Server with an external Platform Services Controller.

Ensures growth to two pod design is viable.

External Platform Services Controllers are required for replication between Platform Services Controller instances.

The number of VMs that have to be managed increases.

Figure 1. vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller Deployment Model


vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller Deployment Model