It’s very common to find multiple vCenter Server instances in a private cloud. This is especially true in VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) environments, since the approach to scaling capacity is to deploy additional workload domains consisting of a set of vCenter Server, VMware ESXi, and VMware NSX resources. Cloud administrators that need to manage vSphere workloads find it easier if they can access multiple environments through a single vSphere Client instance and there have been several different architectures to enable this manageability in the past. Most recently, the standard approach to connecting multiple vSphere environments was been through Enhanced Linked Mode (ELM), but VCF 9 introduces a new way.
“Enhanced Linked Mode is dead!* Long live the new vCenter Linking!”
(*) Not quite, ELM is still supported in vSphere 9.0
Introducing vCenter Groups
VCF 9 brings big changes to private cloud management and one major enhancement is a totally new Single Sign-On (SSO) architecture for seamless access to VCF Operations, vSphere Client, NSX Manager, and more. It’s now easier than ever to integrate with your standard identity provider to grant access to individual VCF administrators so you can stop sharing the “admin” password once and for all. This new SSO capability does not support Enhanced Linked Mode, but, more importantly, it doesn’t need it in order to provide access to multiple environments in one vSphere Client.
Instead, a new simplified feature has been introduced in VCF Operations that allows administrators to create groups of vCenter Servers that are automatically linked together. Couple this with VCF SSO and you have a smooth and seamless vSphere management experience.
Linking vCenter Servers
To link your vCenter Servers, in VCF Operations 9 navigate to Infrastructure Operations > Configurations and click on the vCenter Linking tile.
From there, click on Create Group, and use the simple wizard to choose the vCenter Servers you wish to link together.
Sign in with VCF SSO
Once the link is established, you must sign in with VCF SSO in order to see multiple environments in a single vSphere Client interface. Keep in mind, if you log in using the local account, such as administrator@vsphere.local, you will only see the inventory of that particular system.
After you log in, the familiar view of multiple vCenter Servers will be displayed in the left-hand navigation tree.
Managing the vSphere Environment
When multiple vSphere environments are linked together with vCenter Linking, you may notice that certain operations require you to select a particular vCenter Server – keep it in mind to avoid any unexpected surprises!
Takeaway
VMware Cloud Foundation instances are typically comprised of multiple vSphere environments. You can use the new vCenter Linking with vCenter Groups to make it easy to manage your fleet – seamlessly and without using shared administrator passwords.
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Ready to get hands-on with VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0? Dive into the newest features in a live environment with Hands-on Labs that cover platform fundamentals, automation workflows, operational best practices, and the latest vSphere functionality for VCF 9.0.
