Today we are releasing a new set of Light Board videos in the vSphere 6.5 playlist, all dedicated to helping customers with vCenter Server 6.5 architecture and design. These videos are a bit different from the previous ones we did, since Adam and I decided to have a more conversational approach. We took a lot of the common questions that we get from customers about vCenter Server deployment, architecture, and high availability and the result is these three interactive and easy to follow along videos. Another difference with these videos is now we included the links to any content we are referencing making it very easy to access.

Deployment

This video covers vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller 6.5 deployment types. Here we address common questions such as when should embedded or external deployments be used. We also debunked some misconceptions about the embedded deployment type and enhanced linked mode.

Architecture

vCenter Server architecture is a discussion we have on a daily basis with customers. Understanding the basics is key to having successful vCenter Server deployment. In this video we have a deep dive discussion on the vSphere Sign Sign-On domain components and what role they play. We also cover terminology, decommission, and backup of these components.

Availability

Finally, now that we have our deployment in place it’s time to ensure we’ve met our SLAs and provided the right availability solution for vCenter Server. In this video we discuss high availability for the Platform Services Controller which includes how the load balancer works for this solution. Then we go into native vCenter Server high availability (VCHA) and how it can be used to protect vCenter Server when embedded and external.

We hope that these videos help guide you to a successful deployment and answer a lot of your questions around vCenter Server 6.5 and vSphere Single Sign-On Domains. Please feel free to reach out to us on social media @emad_younis or @eck79 or in the comments sections below. Happy deployment.