When you use the Basic option, the vCenter HA wizard creates and configures a second network adapter on the vCenter Server Appliance, clones the Active node, and configures the vCenter HA network.

Prerequisites

  • Deploy vCenter Server Appliance that you want to use as the initial Active node.
    • The vCenter Server Appliance must have a static IP address.
    • SSH must be enabled on the vCenter Server Appliance.
  • Verify that your environment meets one of the following requirements.
    • Either the vCenter Server Appliance that will become the Active node is managing its own ESXi host and its own virtual machine. This configuration is sometimes called a self-managed vCenter Server.
    • Or the vCenter Server Appliance is managed by another vCenter Server (management vCenter Server) and both appliances are in the same vCenter Single Sign-On domain. That means they both use an external Platform Services Controller and both are running vSphere 6.5.

    If your environment does not meet one of these requirements, perform an Advanced configuration. See Configure vCenter HA Advanced Option with the vSphere Web Client.

  • Set up the infrastructure for the vCenter HA network. See Configure the Network.
  • Determine which static IP addresses to use for the two vCenter Server Appliance nodes that will become the Passive node and Witness node.

Procedure

  1. Log in to the Active node with the vSphere Client.
  2. Right-click the vCenter Server object in the inventory and select vCenter HA Settings.
  3. Click Configure.
  4. Select the Basic configuration option and click Next.
    This option is available only if your environment meets prerequisites for the Basic option.
  5. Specify the IP address, subnet mask for the Active node and the port group to connect to the vCenter HA network and click Next.
  6. Provide the vCenter HA network IP address and subnet mask for the Passive node and the Witness node and click Next.
    The configuration wizard needs the addresses to create the vCenter HA network and to connect the three nodes.
  7. (Optional) Click Advanced if you want to override the failover management IP address for the Passive node.
  8. Review the information for the Passive and Witness nodes, click Edit to make changes, and click Next.
    If you are not using a DRS cluster, select different hosts and datastores for the Passive and Witness nodes if possible.
  9. Click Finish.

Results

The Passive and Witness nodes are created. When vCenter HA configuration is complete, vCenter Server Appliance has high availability protection.

What to do next

See Manage the vCenter HA Configuration for a list of cluster management tasks.