6.0.2

Table Of Contents
vCenter Server for Windows Database Requirements
vCenter Server requires a database to store and organize server data.
Each vCenter Server instance must have its own database. For environments with up to 20 hosts and 200
virtual machines, you can use the bundled PostgreSQL database that the vCenter Server installer can install
and set up for you during the vCenter Server installation. A larger installation requires a supported external
database for the size of the environment.
During vCenter Server installation or upgrade, you must select to install the embedded database or point
the vCenter Server system to any existing supported database. vCenter Server supports Oracle and
Microsoft SQL Server databases. For information about supported database server versions, see the VMware
Product Interoperability Matrix at
hp://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/sim/interop_matrix.php.
vCenter Server Appliance Requirements
You can upgrade the vCenter Server Appliance on an ESXi host 5.0 or later. Your system must also meet
specic software and hardware requirements.
When you use Fully Qualied Domain Names, make sure that the machine you use for deploying the
vCenter Server Appliance and the ESXi host are on the same DNS server.
Before you deploy the vCenter Server Appliance, synchronize the clocks of all virtual machines on the
vSphere network. Unsynchronized clocks might result in authentication problems and can cause the
installation to fail or prevent the vCenter Server services from starting. See “Synchronizing Clocks on the
vSphere Network,” on page 67.
vCenter Server Appliance Hardware Requirements
When you deploy the vCenter Server Appliance, you can select to deploy an appliance that is suitable for
the size of your vSphere environment. The option that you select determine the number of CPUs and the
amount of memory that the appliance will have.
The hardware requirements such as number of CPUs and memory depend on the size of your vSphere
inventory.
Table 24. Hardware Requirements for VMware vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller
Appliance
Resources
Platform Services
Controller Appliance
vCenter
Server
Appliance with
an Embedded
or External
Platform
Services
Controller for
a Tiny
Environment
(up to 10
Hosts, 100
Virtual
Machines)
vCenter
Server
Appliance with
an Embedded
or External
Platform
Services
Controller for
a Small
Environment
(up to 100
Hosts, 1,000
Virtual
Machines)
vCenter
Server
Appliance with
an Embedded
or External
Platform
Services
Controller for
a Medium
Environment
(up to 400
Hosts, 4,000
Virtual
Machines)
vCenter Server
Appliance with
an Embedded
or External
Platform
Services
Controller for a
Large
Environment
(up to 1,000
Hosts, 10,000
Virtual
Machines)
Number of CPUs 2 2 4 8 16
Memory 2 GB RAM 8 GB RAM 16 GB RAM 24 GB RAM 32 GB RAM
Chapter 2 Upgrade Requirements
VMware, Inc. 37