The VMware vCenter Virtual Appliance is a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) VM, preconfigured so you don’t have to install a single thing extra…well, apart from the VM itself!
The vCenter Virtual Appliance (VCSA) can be downloaded as part of the VMware vCenter Server 5.0 and modules download.
These are the 3 files you need:
- VMware vCenter Server 5.0 Appliance – OVF File
- VMware vCenter Server 5.0 Appliance – System Disk
- VMware vCenter Server 5.0 Appliance – Data Disk
Once you’ve downloaded the 3 files, deploy the VM using the following instructions:
- Launch your vSphere Client and select File > Deploy OVF Template:
- Browse to the .ovf file and click Next:
- Rename your VM if necessary – I prefer shorter names – then click Next:
- Choose a Resource Pool then Disk Format, afterwards click Next:
- Choose a Destination Network and click Next:
- Review your settings and click Finish:
- The files will now be copied to the host:
- As I’m in a lab environment, I’m going to reduce the memory to 4GB by editing the VCSA VM properties:
Next I’ll show you how to configure the VMware vCenter Virtual Appliance.
