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One of the VCSA 6.5HA configurations: architecture overview

VCenter Server plays a particularly important role in the VMware vSphere environment. Although in the previous version, VMware has introduced vCenter Heartbeat to achieve the high availability of vCenter Server, but this solution has long been abandoned by VMware, so many administrators are looking forward to the native high availability solution of VMware, and finally launched the high availability architecture of vCenter Server Appliance 6.5 when VMware vSphere 6.5 was released. Note that only vCenter Server Appliance 6.5 is supported, not Windows version of vCenter. The Windows version of vCenter Server can be implemented through Microsoft's failover cluster. However, this is not described in this document.

1: architecture Overview 1.1:VCSA High availability Architecture Overview

A vCenter HA cluster consists of three vCenter Server Appliance instances. The first instance is initially used as an active node, which is cloned twice as a passive node and a witness node, respectively. Together, the three nodes provide an active-passive failover solution.

Deploying separate nodes on different ESXi instances prevents hardware failures. Adding three ESXi hosts to the DRS cluster provides further protection for your environment. After the vCenter HA configuration is complete, only the active node has an active management interface (public IP). The three nodes communicate over a private network called the vCenter HA network, which is set up during the configuration process. Active and passive nodes continuously replicate data.

The three-node architecture of vCenter is as follows:

So these three nodes are necessary to run this function, and the responsibilities of these three nodes are as follows:

Node

Description

Active node

Run an active vCenter Server Appliance instance

Use a public IP address for the management interface

Use the vCenter HA network to copy the data to the passive node.

Use vCenter HA network to communicate with witness node

Passive node

Originally a clone of an active node

Continuously receive updates from the active node through the vCenter HA network and keep synchronized with the active node

Automatically take over the role of the active node in the event of a failure

Witness node

Lightweight cloning of active nodes

Provide arbitration to prevent brain cracking

1.2:vCenter HA deployment options

VCenter Server can be divided into two parts: Platform Services Controller and vCenter, which can be divided into vCenter HA environment with embedded Platform Services Controller deployment or external Platform Services Controller deployment. If you decide to use an external Platform Services Controller, you must put it behind the load balancer in case the Platform Services Controller fails.

VCenter HA with embedded Platform Services Controller deployment

When using vCenter HA with an embedded Platform Services Controller deployment, the environment settings are as follows.

1: the user sets up vCenter Server Appliance with embedded Platform Services Controller deployment.

2: the vCenter Server Appliance is cloned to the passive node and the witness node.

In a basic configuration, the configuration creates and configures the clone.

In an advanced configuration, the user creates and configures the clone.

3: during the cloning process, Platform Services Controller and all its services are also cloned.

4: after the configuration is complete, vCenter HA performs replication to ensure that the passive node is synchronized with the active node. Active node to passive node replication includes Platform Services Controller data.

5: after configuration is completed, vCenter Server Appliance will be protected by vCenter HA. In the event of a failover, Platform Services Controller and all its services are available on the passive node.

VCenter HA with external Platform Services Controller deployment

When using vCenter HA with an external Platform Services Controller deployment, you must set up an external load balancer to protect the Platform Services Controller. If one of the Platform Services Controller becomes unavailable, the load balancer directs the vCenter Server Appliance to the other Platform Services Controller.

1: the user sets at least two external Platform Services Controller instances. These instances will copy vCenter Single Sign-On information and other Platform Services Controller information (such as licenses).

2: during setting up a vCenter Server Appliance, the user selects an external Platform Services Controller.

3: the user sets up the vCenter Server Appliance to point to the load balancer that provides high availability for Platform Services Controller.

4: the user or basic configuration will clone the first vCenter Server Appliance to create a passive node and a witness node.

5: during the cloning process, information about external Platform Services Controller and load balancers is also cloned.

6: after configuration, vCenter Server Appliance will be protected by vCenter HA.

7: if the Platform Services Controller instance becomes unavailable, the load balancer redirects authentication requests or other services to another Platform Services Controller instance.

Overview of 1.3:vCenter HA configuration workflow

Among the options for configuring vCenter HA, there are basic configuration and Advanced configuration options, and the basic configuration option automatically creates passive and witness nodes during vCenter HA configuration. Using the Advanced configuration option, you need to manually clone the active node to create passive and witness nodes.

The configuration options you choose depend on the environment. Basic configuration requirements are more stringent, but more configurations can be done automatically. If your environment meets hardware and software requirements, you can use advanced configuration, which is more flexible. However, advanced configuration requires you to create and configure clones of active nodes.

Basic configuration vCenter HA can only be performed if any of the following requirements are met in the environment, or through advanced configuration if not.

The vCenter Server Appliance that will be the active node manages its own ESXi hosts and virtual machines. This configuration is sometimes referred to as a self-managed vCenter Server.

VCenter Server Appliance is managed by another vCenter Server (Management vCenter Server), and two vCenter Server instances are in the same vCenter Single Sign-On domain. This means that both use external Platform Services Controller and both run vSphere 6.5.

That is to say, the basic configuration options are available only if VCSA manages its own ESXI in the environment, or by other vCenter 6.5 examples that are connected to the same external PSC (SSO domain). If not, you need the Advanced configuration Wizard to complete it.

Since the lab environment of this document does not meet the above conditions, the following demonstrates how to accomplish vCenter HA through advanced configuration options.

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