6.7
Table Of Contents
- Platform Services Controller Administration
- Contents
- About Platform Services Controller Administration
- Getting Started with Platform Services Controller
- vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller Deployment Types
- Deployment Topologies with External Platform Services Controller Instances and High Availability
- Understanding vSphere Domains, Domain Names, and Sites
- Platform Services Controller Capabilities
- Managing Platform Services Controller Services
- Managing the Platform Services Controller Appliance
- vSphere Authentication with vCenter Single Sign-On
- Understanding vCenter Single Sign-On
- Configuring vCenter Single Sign-On Identity Sources
- Understanding vCenter Server Two-Factor Authentication
- Using vCenter Single Sign-On as the Identity Provider for Another Service Provider
- Security Token Service STS
- Managing vCenter Single Sign-On Policies
- Managing vCenter Single Sign-On Users and Groups
- Add vCenter Single Sign-On Users
- Disable and Enable vCenter Single Sign-On Users
- Delete a vCenter Single Sign-On User
- Edit a vCenter Single Sign-On User
- Add a vCenter Single Sign-On Group
- Add Members to a vCenter Single Sign-On Group
- Remove Members from a vCenter Single Sign-On Group
- Delete vCenter Single Sign-On Solution Users
- Change Your vCenter Single Sign-On Password
- vCenter Single Sign-On Security Best Practices
- vSphere Security Certificates
- Certificate Requirements for Different Solution Paths
- Certificate Management Overview
- Managing Certificates with the vSphere Client
- Managing Certificates from the vSphere Web Client
- Managing Certificates with the vSphere Certificate Manager Utility
- Certificate Manager Options and the Workflows in This Document
- Regenerate a New VMCA Root Certificate and Replace All Certificates
- Make VMCA an Intermediate Certificate Authority (Certificate Manager)
- Generate CSR with vSphere Certificate Manager and Prepare Root Certificate (Intermediate CA)
- Replace VMCA Root Certificate with Custom Signing Certificate and Replace All Certificates
- Replace Machine SSL Certificate with VMCA Certificate (Intermediate CA)
- Replace Solution User Certificates with VMCA Certificates (Intermediate CA)
- Replace All Certificates with Custom Certificate (Certificate Manager)
- Revert Last Performed Operation by Republishing Old Certificates
- Reset All Certificates
- Manual Certificate Replacement
- Managing Services and Certificates with CLI Commands
- Troubleshooting Platform Services Controller
- Determining the Cause of a Lookup Service Error
- Unable to Log In Using Active Directory Domain Authentication
- vCenter Server Login Fails Because the User Account Is Locked
- VMware Directory Service Replication Can Take a Long Time
- Export a Platform Services Controller Support Bundle
- Platform Services Controller Service Logs Reference
vSphere Security Certificates 3
vSphere provides security by using certificates to encrypt communications, authenticate services, and
sign tokens.
vSphere uses certificates to:
n
Encrypt communications between two nodes, such as vCenter Server and an ESXi host.
n
Authenticate vSphere services.
n
Perform internal actions such as signing tokens.
vSphere's internal certificate authority, VMware Certificate Authority (VMCA), provides all the certificates
necessary for vCenter Server and ESXi. VMCA is installed on every Platform Services Controller,
immediately securing the solution without any other modification. Keeping this default configuration
provides the lowest operational overhead for certificate management. vSphere provides a mechanism to
renew these certificates in the event they expire.
vSphere also provides a mechanism to replace certain certificates with your own certificates. However,
replace only the SSL certificate that provides encryption between nodes, to keep your certificate
management overhead low.
The following options are recommended for managing certificates.
Table 3‑1. Recommended Options for Managing Certificates
Mode Description Advantages
VMCA Default Certificates VMCA provides all the certificates
for vCenter Server and ESXi
hosts.
Simplest and lowest overhead. VMCA can manage the
certificate lifecycle for vCenter Server and ESXi hosts.
VMCA Default Certificates with
External SSL Certificates (Hybrid
Mode)
You replace the
Platform Services Controller and
vCenter Server Appliance SSL
certificates, and allow VMCA to
manage certificates for solution
users and ESXi hosts. Optionally,
for high-security conscious
deployments, you can replace the
ESXi host SSL certificates as well.
Simple and secure. VMCA manages internal
certificates but you get the benefit of using your
corporate-approved SSL certificates, and having those
certificates trusted by your browsers.
VMware, Inc. 72