Add Remote DataCenter Using 1 Local vCenter

[emcclend]

Is it possible to to add a datacenter that will be remote and manage it through 1 local vCenter? Let me give you some background info. We currently have a local datacenter with 4 ESX 3.5 host in a cluster and multiple VM's on each host. Our vCenter server is also a VM however our license and SQL DB sit on separate physical boxes. We have a remote site that we need to temporarily put a file & print server and possibly a domino server that will replicate from our local site. We do not want to put multiple physical boxes at this remote site so we are considering putting an ESX 3.5 (separate from the 4 we already have) at the remote location with the 2 possible VM's. There will only be 1 ESX host, and all storage will be local.

Since this is temporary (approx. 4 months) we want to manage the remote ESX using the local vCenter we have. I know we can manage the server directly since it will be a single ESX, but if we can do it through vCenter in order for us to see our entire virtual infrastructure together, that would be ideal.

[emcclend]

Anyone have any insight as to if this would work. I'll be taking the ESX server to the remote site in the coming weeks so I'll be trying it unless suggested not to.

[jayschupp]

Yes, it can be done. I have a 3 host cluster (ESX 4.0) at our main data center that is managed by vSphere (virtual center) running as a vm within that cluster. I have a separate DataCenter setup with a stand-alone ESX 4.0 host that I manage from the main vSphere application. The main data center is on 1 subnet and the stand-alone ESX box is on a different subnet. So, as long as your network/firewall will allow the virtual center to "see" the remote ESX box then it should work just fine. There are many ports that need to be opened up across the WAN for virtual center to be able to manage the ESX hosts...if you look at the security profile of your existing hosts, then you'll see the ports that need to be opened up.

I hard-coded entries in my virtual center hosts file and each of my ESX hosts files so that everything would "know" about each other on the proper network...no DNS required...seems to work pretty well.

You can also add a line into the ESX host config file to control the server/agent IP address.

/etc/opt/vmware/vpxa/vpxa.cfg

If you search for that line in this forum it will tell you more about what needs to be added.

You will notice that if you attempt to open a console from virtual center to one of the remote virtual machines that performance will be somewhat sluggish...well at least it is in my case because my desk is actually at the remote location...I'm sitting next to the remote ESX host and I remote into the virtual center server so my traffic goes up to the main data center and back...just something to think about.

Anyhow, short answer is yes it can be done.

Good luck.

Jay