6.6

Table Of Contents
The following procedure corrects two active nodes and results in an active and passive pair.
1 Identify the node with the most up-to-date data or the node to make active.
2 Shut down vCenter Server Heartbeat on both nodes (if running).
3 On the node to make passive, right-click the Task bar icon, and select the Server Configuration wizard.
4 Select the Machine tab and set the role to passive. Do not change the identity of the node (Primary or
Secondary).
5 Click Finish.
6 Restart this node.
7 Start vCenter Server Heartbeat, if required, and check that the Task bar icon now reflects the changes by
showing P / - (Primary and Passive) or S / - (Secondary and Passive) as appropriate.
8 On the active node, right-click the Task bar icon and select the Server Configuration wizard.
9 Select the Machine tab and verify that the role is set to active. Do not change the identity of the node
(Primary or Secondary).
10 Click Finish.
11 Restart this node. As the node restarts, it connects to the passive node and starts replication. The active
node overwrites data on the passive node.
12 Start vCenter Server Heartbeat, if required, and check that the Task bar icon now reflects the changes by
showing P / A (Primary and active) or S / A (Secondary and active).
13 Start vCenter Server Heartbeat Console.
14 Check that the nodes have connected and replication has started.
Two Passive Nodes
The Primary and Secondary nodes are both passive at the same time. This situation prevents clients from
accessing protected applications and should be resolved immediately.
Problem
You are unable to connect to protected applications, and if you configured alerts, you receive notification that
replication is not functioning properly.
Cause
The condition of two passive nodes results from a sudden failure on the active node. Examples:
An unexpected termination of the VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat service
A transient power failure
A node reset triggered from the Power or Reset button
An unclean shutdown. Following an unclean shutdown, an active node assumes the passive role to isolate
itself from the network until the failure is investigated
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Chapter 5 vCenter Server Heartbeat Diagnostics