6.0.2

Table Of Contents
vCenter Server Components and Services
vCenter Server provides a centralized platform for management, operation, resource provisioning, and
performance evaluation of virtual machines and hosts.
When you upgrade to vCenter Server with an embedded Platform Services Controller, or to
vCenter Server Appliance with an embedded Platform Services Controller, vCenter Server, the
vCenter Server components, and the services included in the Platform Services Controller are deployed on
the same system.
When you upgrade to vCenter Server with an external Platform Services Controller, or deploy the
vCenter Server Appliance with an external Platform Services Controller, vCenter Server and the
vCenter Server components are deployed on one system, and the services included in the
Platform Services Controller are deployed on another system.
The following components are included in the vCenter Server and vCenter Server Appliance installations:
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The VMware Platform Services Controller group of infrastructure services contains vCenter Single Sign-
On, License service, Lookup Service, and VMware Certicate Authority.
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The vCenter Server group of services contains vCenter Server, vSphere Web Client, Inventory Service,
vSphere Auto Deploy, vSphere ESXi Dump Collector, VMware vSphere Syslog Collector on Windows
and VMware Sphere Syslog Service for the vCenter Server Appliance.
Services Installed with VMware Platform Services Controller
vCenter Single Sign-On
The vCenter Single Sign-On authentication service provides secure
authentication services to the vSphere software components. By using
vCenter Single Sign-On, the vSphere components communicate with each
other through a secure token exchange mechanism, instead of requiring each
component to authenticate a user separately with a directory service like
Active Directory. vCenter Single Sign-On constructs an internal security
domain (for example, vsphere.local) where the vSphere solutions and
components are registered during the installation or upgrade process,
providing an infrastructure resource. vCenter Single Sign-On can
authenticate users from its own internal users and groups, or it can connect
to trusted external directory services such as Microsoft Active Directory.
Authenticated users can then be assigned registered solution-based
permissions or roles within a vSphere environment.
vCenter Single Sign-On is available and required with vCenter Server 5.1.x
and later.
vSphere License
Service
The vSphere License service provides common license inventory and
management capabilities to all vCenter Server systems that are connected to
a Platform Services Controller or multiple linked
Platform Services Controllers.
VMware Certificate
Authority
VMware Certicate Authority (VMCA) provisions each ESXi host with a
signed certicate that has VMCA as the root certicate authority, by default.
Provisioning occurs when the ESXi host is added to vCenter Server explicitly
or as part of the ESXi host installation process. All ESXi certicates are stored
locally on the host.
vSphere Upgrade
12 VMware, Inc.