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➤vCenter

vCenter administration: web interface, VCSA CLI, ports and practical tips!

VMware
Published on
Karl Certa
#vmware #vcenter #vsphere

vCenter Server is VMware’s central console that allows you to manage and monitor multiple ESXi hosts and their virtual machines from a single interface.

Access and interfaces

ActionCommand/URL
vSphere Client interfacehttps://vcenter-server/ui/
VAMI (appliance management)https://vcenter-server:5480/
vSphere Web interface (legacy)https://vcenter-server/vsphere-client/
SSH to VCSAssh root@vcenter-server
Local VCSA consoleDirect access on VM console

VCSA Shell (Appliance CLI)

ActionCommand
Services statusservice-control --status --all
Start a serviceservice-control --start vmware-vpxd
Stop a serviceservice-control --stop vmware-vpxd
Restart a serviceservice-control --restart vmware-vpxd
vCenter backup/usr/lib/vmware-vmafd/bin/vmafd-cli backup --path /backup/
Check certificates/usr/lib/vmware-vmafd/bin/vmafd-cli get-ssl-certificate --server-name localhost

User and SSO management

ActionCommand/Interface
Create local userAdministration > Single Sign On > Users and Groups
Add AD domainAdministration > Single Sign On > Configuration > Identity Sources
Change root passwordpasswd (via SSH) or VAMI 5480
[email protected] passwordVAMI 5480 > Access > Administrator
SSO configurationAdministration > Single Sign On > Configuration

Database and storage

ActionCommand
Database statusservice-control --status vmware-vpostgres
vCenter DB sizedu -sh /storage/db/vmware_vcdb/
Clean logs/usr/lib/vmware-vmcam/bin/vmware-log-cleanup

Monitoring and logs

ActionCommand/Path
vCenter logs/var/log/vmware/vpxd/
Main vpxd logtail -f /var/log/vmware/vpxd/vpxd.log
Web client logs/var/log/vmware/vsphere-client/logs/
Authentication log/var/log/vmware/sso/
vCenter performanceMonitoring > vCenter Server > Performance in vSphere Client

Network configuration

ActionCommand/Interface
IP configurationVAMI 5480 > Networking
Change hostname/opt/vmware/share/vami/vami_config_net then restart
Test connectivityping, telnet, nslookup
Proxy configurationVAMI 5480 > Networking > Proxy

Common situations

Reset [email protected] password

  1. Via VAMI: https://vcenter:5480 > Access > Administrator
  2. Via CLI (if root SSH access):
/usr/lib/vmware-vmafd/bin/dir-cli user reset-password \
--login administrator --user-name [email protected]

Full vCenter backup

# Create the backup directory
mkdir -p /backup/vcenter-$(date +%Y%m%d)
 
# Start the backup
/usr/lib/vmware-vmafd/bin/vmafd-cli backup \
--path /backup/vcenter-$(date +%Y%m%d)/

vCenter services stuck

# Stop all services
service-control --stop --all
 
# Wait a few seconds
sleep 10
 
# Restart all services
service-control --start --all
 
# Check status
service-control --status --all

Check VCSA disk space

# Global check
df -h
 
# Logs space (clean if >80%)
du -sh /var/log/vmware/
 
# Database space
du -sh /storage/db/

Important ports

  • 443: vSphere Client (HTTPS)
  • 5480: VAMI (vCenter Server Appliance Management Interface)
  • 22: SSH
  • 2012, 2014: SSO/Authentication
  • 7444: vSphere Update Manager

Versions and releases

ActionCommand/Link
Installed vCenter version/usr/lib/vmware-vmon/java-wrapper-vmon (VCSA) or vSphere Client
vCenter build historyvCenter Release History - virten.net
Current build numberVAMI 5480 > Summary > Product

Best practices