Specifications

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This chapter includes the following topics:
 “Server Protection Overview” on page 123
 “Checking the Server Pair Status” on page 124
 “Configuring Heartbeat Settings” on page 125
 “Configuring vCenter Server Heartbeat Shutdown Options” on page 126
 “Configuring Split-Brain Avoidance” on page 129
Server Protection Overview
Protection against failure of the operating system or hardware on the Primary server is facilitated by the two
instances of the vCenter Server Heartbeat software monitoring each other by sending “I’m alive” messages and
reciprocating with acknowledgments over a network connection termed the VMware Channel. If the passive
server detects that this process or heartbeat fails, it initiates a failover.
vCenter Server Heartbeat proactively monitors the capability of the active server to communicate with the rest
of the network by polling defined nodes around the network, including by default, the default gateway, the
primary DNS server, and the Global Catalog server at regular intervals. If all three nodes fail to respond, for
example, due to network card failure or a local switch failure, vCenter Server Heartbeat can initiate a
switchover, allowing the passive server to assume an identical network identity as the active server.
Server Protection
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