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Chapter 2 vCenter Server Heartbeat Implementation
 Verify that both Primary and Secondary servers have identical system date, time, and time Zone settings.
Once configured, do not change the time zone.
 Verify that the Principal (Public) network adapter is listed as the first network adapter in the Network
Connections Bind Order. (Network Connections > Advanced > Advanced Settings).
 Verify that the Managed IP setting in the Virtual Infrastructure Client is the same IP address used for the
vCenter Server Heartbeat Principal (Public) IP address.
 If installing in a Windows 2008 server environment, User Account Control (UAC) must be disabled
during the installation process. After installation has completed, you may re-enable UAC.
Server Architecture Options
The selected server architecture affects the requirements for hardware and the technique used to clone the
Primary server.
Virtual to Virtual (V2V)
V2V is the supported architecture if vCenter Server is already installed on the production (Primary) server
running on a virtual machine. Benefits to this architecture include reduced hardware cost, shorter installation
time, and use of the Pre-Clone technique for installation.
The Secondary virtual machine must meet the minimum requirements.
 The specifications of the Secondary virtual machine must match the specifications of the Primary virtual
machine as follows:
 Similar CPU (including resource management settings)
 Memory configuration (including resource management settings)
 Appropriate resource pool priorities
 Each virtual machine used in the V2V pair must be on a separate ESX host to guard against failure at the
host level.
 Each virtual NIC must use a separate virtual switch.
Physical to Virtual (P2V)
P2V architecture is used when the environment requires a mix of physical and virtual machines, such as when
vCenter Server is installed on a physical server in an environment where available hardware is limited. This
architecture is appropriate if you must avoid adding more physical servers or if you plan to migrate to virtual
technologies over a period of time. With P2V architecture, you can test vCenter Server running in a virtual
environment or migrate from Physical to Virtual without any downtime. The Secondary virtual machine must
meet the minimum requirements.
 The specifications of the Secondary virtual machine must match the Primary physical server as follows:
 Similar CPU
 Identical Memory
 The Secondary virtual machine must have sufficient priority in resource management settings so that
other virtual machines do not impact its performance.
 Each virtual NIC must use a separate virtual switch.
N
OTE The V2V architecture is supported when deploying vCenter Server Heartbeat with non-identical nodes.
NOTE The P2V architecture is supported when deploying vCenter Server Heartbeat with non-identical nodes.