6.0

VMware, Inc. 5
Command-Line Installation of vCenter Server 6.0
2 Mount the ISO file to your virtual machine or physical server.
3 On the virtual machine or physical server where you are installing vCenter Server, open the Windows
command prompt.
4 Change the directory to the location of the installation executables.
For example, if the executables are on the D drive, run
cd /d d:\vCenter-Server\.
5 Start the vCenter Server installation wizard and export the JSON file, specifying the directory in which
the file is to be created.
 To install vCenter Server and to export a JSON file, run the following command:
VMware-vCenter-Server.exe EXPORT_SETTINGS_DIR=export-dir

To use the wizard without installing vCenter Server and to export a JSON file, run the following
command:
VMware-vCenter-Server.exe PREINSTALLCHECK=1 EXPORT_SETTINGS_DIR=export-dir
6 Select the deployment type and complete the installation wizard.
The installer creates a settings.json file with the validated values at the specified location.
JSON Sample Files for Installing vCenter Server with an Embedded Platform Services
Controller
You can use the following sample JSON files to install vCenter Server with an embedded database or with an
external database. You must change the parameters in bold to your specific values.
For information about the parameters and their descriptions, see “Installation Parameters” on page 8.
Example 4. Sample JSON File for Installing vCenter Server with an Embedded Platform Services Controller
and an Embedded Database
{
"INSTALLDIR" : "C:\\Program Files\\VMware\\",
"vmware.data.directory" : "C:\\ProgramData\\VMware\\",
"deployment.node.type" : "embedded",
"db.type" : "embedded",
"appliance.net.pnid" : "enter_dns_fqdn_of_the_system",
"vmdir.first-instance" : true,
"vmdir.domain-name" : "vsphere.local",
"vmdir.password" : "enter_sso_password",
"vmdir.site-name" : "Default-First-Site"
}
Example 5. Sample JSON File for Installing vCenter Server with an Embedded Platform Services Controller
and an External Database
{
"INSTALLDIR" : "C:\\Program Files\\VMware\\",
"vmware.data.directory" : "C:\\ProgramData\\VMware\\",
"deployment.node.type" : "embedded",
"db.type" : "external",
"db.dsn" : "my_db_DSN_with_SQL_authentication",
"db.user" : "my_db_user",
"db.password" : "my_db_password",
"appliance.net.pnid" : "enter_dns_fqdn_of_the_system",
"vmdir.first-instance" : true,
"vmdir.domain-name" : "vsphere.local",
"vmdir.password" : "enter_sso_password",
"vmdir.site-name" : "Default-First-Site"
}