VMware VCENTER SERVER 4.0 - GETTING STARTED UPDATE 1 Specifications download pdf (Page 15)

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Chapter 1 Introduction

Figure 1-4. Communication Between Primary and Secondary Servers

The IP address used by a client to connect to the active server (the Principal (Public) IP address) must be

configured to use a static IP address that is not DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) enabled. In the

example in Figure 1-4, the IP address is configured as 192.168.1.127.

The Principal (Public) NICs on the passive server are configured to use the same IP address as that of the active

server but are prevented from communicating with the live network through an IP packet filtering system

installed with vCenter Server Heartbeat. This packet filter prevents traffic using the Principal (Public) address

from being committed to the wire. It also prevents NetBIOS traffic utilizing other IP addresses on the NIC from

being sent to prevent NetBIOS name resolution conflicts.

The NICs on the active and passive servers used for the VMware Channel must be configured so that they have

IP addresses outside of the Principal (Public) networks subnet range. These addresses are termed the VMware

Channel addresses.

During installation, setup will switch off NetBIOS for the VMware Channel(s) on the active and passive

servers as this connection remains live and both the passive and active machines have the same NetBIOS name.

After restore and after the vCenter Server Heartbeat installation is complete (runtime), NetBIOS is disabled

across the channel(s).

The NICs that allow the connectivity across the VMware Channel can be standard 100BaseT Ethernet cards

providing a throughput of 100 Mbits per second across standard Cat-5 cabling. In its most basic form, a

dedicated channel requires no hubs or routers, but the direct connection requires crossover cabling.

When configured for a WAN deployment, configure the VMware Channel to use static routes over switches

and routers to maintain continuous communications independent from corporate or public traffic.

Switchover Process

You can trigger a switchover manually from vCenter Server Heartbeat Console Status & Control window by

clicking Switchover. vCenter Server Heartbeat can initiate a switchover when a protected application fails or

suffers performance degradation, or a network failure prevents the active server from being visible to the

network.

When a switchover is triggered, the running of protected applications is transferred from the active machine

to the passive machine in the server pair. The server roles are switched.

OTE Obtain the IP address: type ipconfig at the prompt in a DOS shell. For additional information about

the IP configuration, type /All.

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VMware VCENTER SERVER 4.0 - GETTING STARTED UPDATE 1 Specifications Page 15