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Chapter 2 vCenter Server Heartbeat Installation
vCenter Server with SQL Server on a Separate Host
When installing vCenter Server Heartbeat in an environment where SQL Server is on a separate host from
vCenter Server, repeat the installation process for the Primary and Secondary server specifically for the SQL
Server.
To ensure proper failover, increase the default Heartbeat interval for the vCenter Server from 20 to 30 seconds.
vCenter Server Only
The vCenter Server Only option requires a single iteration of the installation process because the database is
not protected.
To ensure proper failover, increase the default Heartbeat interval from 20 to 30 seconds on the server running
vCenter Server. This configuration is required anytime SQL Server is not installed on the same host as vCenter
Server.
Network Options
Networking requirements are contingent upon how vCenter Server Heartbeat is deployed. To deploy as a
High Availability (HA) solution, a LAN configuration is required. To deploy vCenter Server Heartbeat for
Disaster Recovery (DR), a WAN configuration is required.
LAN
When deployed in a LAN environment, vCenter Server Heartbeat requires that both servers use the same
Principal (Public) IP address. Each server also requires a separate VMware Channel IP address on a separate
dedicated subnet.
Primary Server
Three NICs (1 x Public; 2 x Channel) are recommended for redundancy in the event one channel fails. A
minimum of two NICs (one for the Channel, and one for the Public) are required in this configuration.
Split-brain avoidance should be configured.
 Principal (Public) Network connection configured with the following:
 Static IP address
 Correct network mask
 Correct Gateway address
 Correct preferred and secondary (if applicable) DNS server address
 NetBIOS enabled
 Channel Network connection(s) configured with the following:
 Static IP address in a different subnet than the Principal (Public) network with a different IP address
than the Secondary server channel NIC
 Correct network mask
 No Gateway IP address
 No DNS server address
 NetBIOS enabled (disabled during the installation process)
N
OTE When installing vCenter Server Heartbeat in a LAN environment, do not enable the Low Bandwidth
Module as this is designed for WAN deployments.