In the last chapter, we discussed about various hypervisors and VMware vSphere. We understood how vSphere differs from other products, and how a virtual environment is a better choice in managing a data center. We now also know what our virtual infrastructure comprises of. So after having an introductory understanding of VMware vSphere, we will now have a look at vCenter Server and its role in VMware virtualized infrastructure.
We will cover the following topics in this chapter:
Introduction to vCenter Server
vCenter Server architecture
Communication between vCenter Server and ESXi hosts
Additional vCenter Server components
Comparison of vCenter Server and vCenter Server Appliance
Preparing and installing vCenter Server on Microsoft Windows
Importing, starting and configuring the vCenter Server Appliance
Configuring and managing vCenter Server
Managing inventory, hosts, VMs, and templates via vCenter Server
vCenter Server licensing
Backing up vCenter Server