Enhanced linked mode support is enabled for vCenter Server appliance deployments.

You can connect vCenter Server appliance deployments together to form a domain.

Other features include:
  • A simplified backup and restore process. See File-Based Backup and Restore of vCenter Server for more information.
  • A simplified HA process, removing the need for load balancers.
  • Up to 15 vCenter Server appliance deployments can be linked together using enhanced linked mode and displayed in a single inventory view.
  • For a vCenter High Availability (vCenter HA) cluster, three nodes are considered one logical vCenter Server node. See "vCenter Architecture Overview" in vSphere Availability for the vCenter HA architecture overview. A single vCenter Server standard license is needed for one vCenter HA cluster.
Figure 1. Enhanced Linked Mode for vCenter Server Appliance Deployments
The vCenter Server Appliances are connected to form an enhanced linked mode.

Enhanced Linked Mode with Read Only Replication

If a vCenter High Availability (vCenter HA) instance is connected with another vCenter Server instance with enhanced linked mode and vCenter HA failover occurs to the passive node and is unable to communicate with its replication partner on the other vCenter Server node, the replica on the vCenter HA node enters read-only mode.