Specifications

Configuring Hosts and vCenter Server 4
Configuring ESXi hosts, vCenter Server systems, and the vSphere Client involves several tasks.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“Host Configuration,” on page 33
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“Configuring vCenter Server,” on page 33
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“Configuring the VMware vCenter Server Appliance,” on page 43
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“Configuring Communication Among ESXi, vCenter Server, and the vSphere Client,” on page 50
Host Configuration
Before you create virtual machines on your hosts, you must configure the hosts to ensure that they have correct
licensing, network and storage access, and security settings. Each type of host has a manual that provides
information on the configuration for that host.
For information on configuring a host, see the configuration information for the specific vSphere component
in the vSphere Security documentation, the vSphere Storage documentation, or the vSphere Networking
documentation.
Configuring vCenter Server
Use the vCenter Server Settings dialog box to configure vCenter Server, including settings such as licensing,
statistics collection, logging and other settings.
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Configure License Settings for vCenter Server on page 34
You must configure a license to use vCenter Server. License keys are required for various vSphere
components and features.
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Configuring Statistics Settings on page 35
To set up how statistical data is recorded, you configure statistics intervals.
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Configure Runtime Settings on page 37
You can change the port number the server is using for communications. You can also change the
vCenter Server ID and the vCenter Server Managed IP address. Usually, you do not need to change these
settings, but you might need to make changes if you run multiple vCenter Server systems in the same
environment.
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Configure Active Directory Settings on page 38
You can configure some of the ways vCenter Server interacts with the Active Directory server.
VMware, Inc.
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