6.0.1

Customize an Individual Virtual Machine
Each virtual machine in a vSphere HA cluster is assigned the cluster default settings for VM Restart Priority,
Host Isolation Response, VM Component Protection, and VM Monitoring. You can specify specific behavior
for each virtual machine by changing these defaults. If the virtual machine leaves the cluster, these settings
are lost.
Procedure
1 In the vSphere Web Client, browse to the vSphere HA cluster.
2 Click the Manage tab and click Settings.
3 Under Settings, select VM Overrides and click Add.
4 Use the + button to select virtual machines to which to apply the overrides.
5 Click OK.
6 (Optional) You can change other settings, such as the Automation level, VM restart priority, Host
isolation response, VMCP settings,VM Monitoring, or VM monitoring sensitivity settings.
NOTE You can view the cluster defaults for these settings by first expanding Relevant Cluster Settings
and then expanding vSphere HA.
7 Click OK.
The virtual machine’s behavior now differs from the cluster defaults for each setting that you changed.
Best Practices for vSphere HA Clusters
To ensure optimal vSphere HA cluster performance, you should follow certain best practices. This section
highlights some of the key best practices for a vSphere HA cluster.
You can also refer to the vSphere High Availability Deployment Best Practices publication for further discussion.
Best Practices for Networking
Observe the following best practices for the configuration of host NICs and network topology for vSphere
HA. Best Practices include recommendations for your ESXi hosts, and for cabling, switches, routers, and
firewalls.
Network Configuration and Maintenance
The following network maintenance suggestions can help you avoid the accidental detection of failed hosts
and network isolation because of dropped vSphere HA heartbeats.
n
When making changes to the networks that your clustered ESXi hosts are on, suspend the Host
Monitoring feature. Changing your network hardware or networking settings can interrupt the
heartbeats that vSphere HA uses to detect host failures, and this might result in unwanted attempts to
fail over virtual machines.
n
When you change the networking configuration on the ESXi hosts themselves, for example, adding port
groups, or removing vSwitches, suspend Host Monitoring. After you have made the networking
configuration changes, you must reconfigure vSphere HA on all hosts in the cluster, which causes the
network information to be reinspected. Then re-enable Host Monitoring.
NOTE Because networking is a vital component of vSphere HA, if network maintenance needs to be
performed inform the vSphere HA administrator.
vSphere Availability
40 VMware, Inc.