6.3

Table Of Contents
VMware, Inc. 31
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Thischapterincludesthefollowingtopics:
“ServerProtectionOverview”onpage 31
“CheckingtheServerPairStatus”onpage 31
“MonitoringtheStatusofServers”onpage 33
“ConfiguringHeartbeatSettings”onpage 33
“CommonAdministrativeTasksinvCenterServerHeartbeat”onpage 34
“ConfiguringSplitBrainAvoidanceonpage 36
Server Protection Overview
Protectionagainstoperatingsystemorhardwarefailureaffectingtheactiveserverisfacilitatedbytwo
instancesofthevCenterServerHeartbeatthatmonitoroneanotherbysending“I’malive”messagesand
reciprocatingwithacknowledgmentsovertheVMwareChannel.Ifthepassiveserverdetectsthatthisprocess
(theheartbeat)hasfailed,an
automaticswitchoverisinitiated.
Additionally,vCenterServerHeartbeatproactivelymonitorsthecapabilityoftheactiveserverto
communicatewiththerestofthenetworkbypollingdefinednodesaroundthenetwork,includingbydefault,
thedefaultgateway,theprimaryDNSserver,andtheGlobalCatalogserveratregularintervals.Ifall
three
nodesfailtorespond,forexample,duetonetworkcardfailureoralocalswitchfailure,vCenterServer
Heartbeatcaninitiateanautomaticswitchover,allowingthepassiveservertoassumeanidenticalnetwork
identityastheactiveserver.
Checking the Server Pair Status
TheServer:Summarypageisthedefaultpagethatopenswhenadministeringapairofservers.TheServer:
Summarypageallowsyoutoviewtherolesthattheserversareperforming(activeorpassive),theactionsthat
theserversarecurrentlyperforming,andsummaryinformationofthestatusofcommunicationsand
data
replicationbetweenservers.Thelowerpanedisplaysstatusinformationforeachserverinthepair.
Thefollowingtableliststhepossiblesystemstatusesandtheirmeanings.
Server Protection
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NOTETochangethecurrentlydisplayedserver,clicktheserverinthegraphicalrepresentationintheupper
pane,orselecttheserverIdentitytab(PrimaryorSecondaryServer)inthebottompane.