Install vCenter Server with an Embedded Platform Services Controller on Windows

You can deploy vCenter Server, the vCenter Server components, and the Platform Services Controller on one virtual machine or physical server.

After you deploy vCenter Server with an embedded Platform Services Controller, you can reconfigure your topology and switch to vCenter Server with an external Platform Services Controller. This is a one-way process after which you cannot switch back to vCenter Server with an embedded Platform Services Controller. You can repoint the vCenter Server instance only to an external Platform Services Controller that is configured to replicate the infrastructure data within the same domain.

Figure 1. vCenter Server with an Embedded Platform Services Controller

Prerequisites

• Verify that your system meets the minimum software and hardware requirements. See vCenter Server for Windows Requirements.
• Download the vCenter Server Installer for Windows.
• If you want to use the vSphere Web Client on the host machine on which you install vCenter Server, verify that Adobe Flash Player version 11.9 or later is installed on the system.

Procedure

1. In the software installer directory, double-click the autorun.exe file to start the installer.
2. Select vCenter Server for Windows and click Install.
3. Follow the prompts of the installation wizard to review the welcome page and accept the license agreement.
4. Select vCenter Server and Embedded Platform Services Controller, and click Next.
5. Enter the system network name, preferably an FQDN, and click Next.
   You can also enter an IP address. If you enter an IP address, provide a static IP address.

   Important: Make sure the FQDN or IP address that you provide does not change. The system name cannot be changed after deployment. If the system name changes, you must uninstall vCenter Server and install it again.
6. Set up the new vCenter Single Sign-On domain and click Next.
   1. Enter the domain name, for example vsphere.local.
   2. Set the password for the vCenter Single Sign-On administrator account.
      This is the password for the user administrator@ your_domain_name. After installation, you can log in to vCenter Single Sign-On and to vCenter Server as adminstrator@ your_domain_name.
   3. Enter the site name for vCenter Single Sign-On.
      The site name is important if you are using vCenter Single Sign-On in multiple locations. The site name must contain alphanumeric characters. Choose your own name for the vCenter Single Sign-On site. You cannot change the name after installation.

      Extended ASCII and non-ASCII characters are unsupported in site names. Your site name must include alphanumeric characters and a comma (,), period (.), question mark (?), dash (-), underscore (_), plus sign (+) or equals sign (=).

7. Select the vCenter Server service account and click Next.
   Note: Starting with vSphere 6.5, the vCenter Server services are not standalone services under Windows SCM, instead they run as child processes of the VMware Service Lifecycle Manager service.

   Option	Description
   Use Windows Local System Account	The vCenter Server service runs in the Windows Local System account. This option prevents you from connecting to an external database by using Windows integrated authentication.
   Specify a user service account	The vCenter Server service runs in an administrative user account with a user name and password that you provide. Important: The user credentials that you provide must be of a user who is in the local administrator group and who has the Log on as a service privilege.

8. Select the type of database that you want to use and click Next.

   Option	Description
   Use an embedded database (PostgreSQL)	vCenter Server uses the embedded PostgreSQL database. This database is suitable for small scale deployments.
   Use an external database	vCenter Server uses an existing external database. Select your database from the list of available DSNs. Type the user name and the password for the DSN. If your database uses Windows NT authentication, the user name and password text boxes are disabled.

9. For each component, accept the default port numbers, or if another service is using the defaults, enter alternative ports, and click Next.
   Make sure that ports 80 and 443 are free and dedicated, so that vCenter Single Sign-On can use these ports. Otherwise, use custom ports during installation.
10. (Optional) Change the default destination folders and click Next.
    Important: Do not use folders that end with an exclamation mark (!).
11. Review the VMware Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) page and choose if you want to join the program.
    For information about the CEIP, see the Configuring Customer Experience Improvement Program section in vCenter Server and Host Management.
12. Click Next.
13. Review the summary of the installation settings and click Install to start the installation.
14. (Optional) After the installation finishes, click Launch vSphere Web Client to start the vSphere Web Client and log in to vCenter Server.
15. Click Finish to close the installer.

Results

vCenter Server, the vCenter Server components, and the Platform Services Controller are installed.