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How to Add a VMware vCenter Server to VMM

 

Updated: May 13, 2016

Applies To: System Center 2012 SP1 - Virtual Machine Manager, System Center 2012 R2 Virtual Machine Manager, System Center 2012 - Virtual Machine Manager

You can use the following procedure to add a VMware vCenter Server to Virtual Machine Manager (VMM). You must add the vCenter Server before you can add VMware ESX hosts.

Prerequisites

Before you begin this procedure, make sure that the following prerequisites are met:

  • The server that you want to add must be running a supported version of vCenter Server. For more information, see as follows:

  • For communications between the VMM management server and the vCenter Server, encryption using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) requires a certificate to verify the identity of the vCenter Server. You can either use a self-signed certificate for the vCenter Server, or a third-party, verified certificate. If you are using a self-signed certificate, you can manually import the certificate to the Trusted People certificate store on the VMM management server before you add the vCenter Server, or you can import the certificate during this procedure when you are prompted to do this.

    Note

    If you are using a third-party, verified certificate, you do not have to import the certificate to the Trusted People certificate store.

  • Although it is not a required prerequisite, as you can create a Run As account when you add the vCenter Server, you can create a Run As account beforehand. The credentials that you specify for the Run As account must have administrative permissions on the vCenter Server. You can use a local account or an Active Directory domain account, as long as the account has local administrative rights on the operating system of the vCenter Server.

    For example, create a Run As account that is named VMware vCenter.

    Note

    You can create a Run As account in the Settings workspace. For more information about Run As accounts, see How to Create a Run As Account in VMM.

To add a vCenter Server

  1. Open the Fabric workspace.

  2. In the Fabric pane, expand Servers, and then click vCenter Servers.

  3. On the Home tab, in the Add group, click Add Resources, and then click VMware vCenter Server.

    The Add VMware vCenter Server dialog box opens.

  4. In the Add VMware vCenter Server dialog box, do the following:

    1. In the Computer name box, enter the fully qualified domain name (FQDN), NetBIOS name, or IP address of the vCenter Server.

    2. In the TCP/IP port box, enter the port to use to connect to the vCenter Server. By default, VMM uses TCP/IP port 443 to connect to the server through Secure Socket Layer (SSL).

    3. Next to the Run As account box, click Browse, click the Run As account that has administrative access to the vCenter Server, and then click OK.

      For example, if you created the Run As account that is described in the Prerequisites section of this topic, click the VMware vCenter Run As account.

      Note

      If you do not already have a Run As account, click Browse, and then in the Select a Run As Account dialog box, click Create Run As Account.

    4. In the Security area, select or clear the Communicate with VMware ESX hosts in secure mode check box. By default, this check box is selected (recommended). If selected, a certificate and public key are required for each ESX or ESXi host that is managed by the vCenter Server. If you clear the check box, only Run As account credentials are required for communication.

    5. When you are finished, click OK.

  5. If you are using a self-signed certificate for the vCenter Server, and you have not manually copied the certificate into the Trusted People certificate store on the VMM management server, the Import Certificate dialog box appears. In the Import Certificate dialog box, review the VMware certificate information, and then click Import to add the certificate to the Trusted People certificate store.

    Note

    This step is not required if the certificate is a third-party, verified certificate.

    The Jobs dialog box appears. Make sure that the job to add the vCenter Server has a status of Completed, and then close the dialog box.

  6. To verify that the vCenter Server was added, in the Fabric workspace, expand Servers and then click vCenter Servers.

    In the vCenter Servers pane, verify that the vCenter Server is listed, with a status of Responding.

See Also

Managing VMware ESX Hosts in VMM Overview
How to Add VMware ESX Hosts to VMM