6.6

When viewing the passive node status, the file system and registry status are displayed graphically. The
following (table 2-3) lists possible synchronization statuses and their meanings.
Table 2- 3. File System and Registry Status
DescriptionIconStatus
Fully synchronized.Synchronized
There are files that are currently unchecked. A full system check did not complete.Unchecked
Not synchronized.Out-of-Sync
Displayed when the Heartbeat service is starting up or shutting down.Uninitialized
The registry is currently in the process of synchronization.Checking
Not synchronized.Error
When vCenter Server Heartbeat establishes a connection, it triggers a file synchronization and verification
process to ensure all protected files on both nodes are identical. The process checks each 64K block of the
protected file and performs a checksum to determine whether blocks differ. If blocks are the same, it is marked
as synchronized. If blocks differ, then it is replicated to the passive node and then marked as synchronized.
The file verification and synchronization process is finished after all blocks of the stipulated files are marked
as synchronized.
Monitoring the Status of the Active and Passive Nodes
The Server: Monitoring page provides additional information about the status of communications between
nodes within the pair. Graphical representation provides an overview of communications status between nodes.
A green channel icon indicates the channel is connected and healthy while a yellow dashed channel icon
indicates that communications are not operational between indicated nodes. In addition to the heartbeat sent
between nodes, vCenter Server Heartbeat also sends a ping to ensure the nodes remain visible to one another.
Network Monitoring
vCenter Server Heartbeat proactively monitors the network by polling up to three predefined nodes to ensure
that the active node is visible on the network.
vCenter Server Heartbeat also proactively monitors the capability of the active and passive nodes to
communicate with the rest of the network by polling the Primary DNS server, Default Gateway, and the Global
Catalog server at regular intervals. If all three nodes fail to respond, for example, due to a network card or local
switch failure, vCenter Server Heartbeat can initiate a failover, allowing the passive node to assume the role
of the active node.
Communications Status
Use the Data: Traffic/Queues page to check the status of the VMware Channel, the active node’s send, and
passive node’s receive queues.
30 VMware, Inc.
vCenter Server Heartbeat Administrator's Guide