Specifications

Prerequisites for Oracle Databases
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To use a newly supported Oracle database, such as Oracle 11g, you do not need to perform a clean
installation of vCenter Server if your existing database is also Oracle. For example, you can upgrade
your existing Oracle 9i database to Oracle 11g and then upgrade vCenter Server 4.x to vCenter
Server 5.5.
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The JDBC driver file must be included in the CLASSPATH variable.
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Either assign the DBA role or grant the following permissions to the user:
grant connect to <user>
grant resource to <user>
grant create view to <user>
grant create any sequence to <user>
grant create any table to <user>
grant create materialized view to <user>
grant execute on dbms_job to <user>
grant execute on dbms_lock to <user>
grant unlimited tablespace to <user> # To ensure sufficient space
After the upgrade is complete, you can optionally remove the following permissions from the user
profile: create any sequence and create any table.
By default, the RESOURCE role has the CREATE PROCEDURE, CREATE TABLE, and CREATE
SEQUENCE privileges assigned. If the RESOURCE role lacks these privileges, grant them to the
vCenter Server database user.
vCenter Server Database Configuration Notes
After you choose a supported database type, make sure you understand any special configuration
requirements.
Table 3-7 is not a complete list of databases supported with vCenter Server. For information about specific
database versions and service pack configurations supported with vCenter Server, see the VMware Product
Interoperability Matrixes. This topic is intended only to provide special database configuration notes not
listed in the Product Interoperability Matrixes.
NOTE vCenter Update Manager also requires a database. VMware recommends that you use separate
databases for vCenter Server and vCenter Update Manager.
vCenter Server databases require a UTF code set.
See also “Supported Database Upgrades,” on page 53.
Chapter 3 Preparing for the Upgrade to vCenter Server
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