6.7

Required Ports for vCenter Server and
Platform Services Controller
The vCenter Server system, both on Windows and in the appliance, must be able to send data to every
managed host and receive data from the vSphere Web Client and the Platform Services Controller
services. To enable migration and provisioning activities between managed hosts, the source and
destination hosts must be able to receive data from each other.
If a port is in use or is blacklisted, the vCenter Server installer displays an error message. You must use
another port number to proceed with the installation. There are internal ports that are used only for inter-
process communication.
VMware uses designated ports for communication. Additionally, the managed hosts monitor designated
ports for data from vCenter Server. If a built-in firewall exists between any of these elements, the installer
opens the ports during the installation or upgrade process. For custom firewalls, you must manually open
the required ports. If you have a firewall between two managed hosts and you want to perform source or
target activities, such as migration or cloning, you must configure a means for the managed hosts to
receive data.
Note In Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and later, firewall is enabled by default.
Table 3‑3. Ports Required for Communication Between Components
Port Protocol Description Required for
Used for Node-to-Node
Communication
22 TCP System port for SSHD. Appliance deployments
of
n
vCenter Server
n
Platform Services
Controller
No
53 DNS service Windows installations
and appliance
deployments of
Platform Services
Controller
No
vCenter Server Installation and Setup
VMware, Inc. 83