This chapter describes how to manage the objects in your VMware Infrastructure environment. This includes folders, datacenters, clusters, resource pools, networks, and datastores. These objects are used to help manage or organize the monitored and managed hosts and virtual machines.
NOTE The views and capabilities displayed vary depending on if whether the VI Client is connected to a VirtualCenter Server or an ESX Server. Unless indicated, the process, task, or description applies to both kinds of VI Client connections.
This chapter describes how to add or remove inventory objects from the Virtual Infrastructure. Included is a reference to the documentation that describes these items and related activities in detail.
Each object in the Virtual Infrastructure Client has its place in the overall hierarchy. An object’s position is determined by the object’s functionality.
This chapter presents the following topics:
“Adding an Inventory Object” on page 78
“Moving Objects in the Inventory” on page 79
“Removing an Inventory Object” on page 80
There are several ways to get insight into the relationships between different objects:
Viewing through the Maps feature – shows the inventory object relationships in graphical form.
Clicking an object in the inventory – provides a list of tabbed content that lists related objects.
For example, a datastore has a virtual machine tab that lists the virtual machines that use the datastore. There is also a host tab that list the hosts that can access the datastore.
Viewing Inventory > Hosts and Clusters – provides a view of the set of virtual machines that run on a particular host, cluster, or resource pool. Each object has a
However, the Hosts and Clusters view is not a complete list of available virtual machines and templates. Only the Inventory > Virtual Machines and Templates option displays all the virtual machine and templates. Through this view you can organize virtual machines into arbitrary folder hierarchies.
The Virtual Infrastructure Client is used to connect directly to an ESX Server or indirectly to an ESX Server through a VirtualCenter Server. The VI Client displays only those functions that are appropriate to the type of server connected to it. For example, if the VI Client is connected to an ESX Server, the clusters functionality is not displayed.
The figure below lists the objects of a VMware Infrastructure environment. The objects are in hierarchical order. Templates, networks, and datacenters are displayed on their own inventory panel. All other objects appear in the Hosts & Clusters inventory panel.
All four panels are linked to the root folder.
Figure 6-1. Virtual Infrastructure Client Hierarchy
Hosts and Clusters
root folder
folder
folder
datacenter
folder
host datacenter cluster
folder
host cluster
host
resource pool
resource pool host
VM VM
VM VM
VM
resource pool VM
Virtual Machines and Templates
folder
datacenter VM
VM
template
VM template template
folder datacenter
network network network
network network
Networks
Datastores
folder datacenter
datastore datastore datastore
datastore datastore
When the VI Client is connected to an ESX Server, the root is the host itself. Contained objects include the host root resource pool, child resource pools, and virtual machines.
Clusters, folders, datacenters, networks, and datastores do not appear in the inventory when the VI Client is connected only to an ESX Server.
Some objects serve only as organizational structures. These provide a means for you to organize your objects by department, group, company function, location, and so on.
Other objects limit a group of contained objects. For example, a VMotion failover can occur only within a cluster, not between clusters. Similarly a VMotion failover can occur only within a datacenter, not between datacenters.
The Virtual Infrastructure Client objects are as follows:
Root folder – In VirtualCenter Server only. Child objects are datacenters or subfolders. The root folder is set as a default for every VirtualCenter Server. You can change the name, but not add or remove it.
Folders – In VirtualCenter Server only. Child objects are datacenters, hosts, clusters, virtual machines, or subfolders.
Datacenters – In VirtualCenter Server only. Child objects are folders, clusters, or hosts.
A datacenter contains clusters, hosts, and virtual machines. All actions taken upon managed hosts and virtual machines are applied within their datacenter. Within a datacenter, you can monitor and manage virtual machines separately from their hosts and use VMotion. You cannot perform migration between datacenters.
Clusters – In VirtualCenter Server only. Child objects are hosts, virtual machines, or resource pools.
If your system is licensed, you can enable the following cluster features:
VMware HA – Allows VirtualCenter to migrate and restart a virtual machine when a host fails. VMware HA is not listed as an inventory object itself, but it allows the cluster object to be seen.
VMware DRS – Monitors the VirtualCenter environment, makes initial placement recommendations, makes virtual machine migration recommendations, and enables VirtualCenter to automatically place and migrate virtual machines on hosts to attain the best use of cluster resources. VMware DRS is not listed as an inventory object itself, but it allows the cluster object to be seen.
Refer to the Resource Management Guide for comprehensive information on using Virtual Infrastructure Client clusters.
Hosts – Child objects are virtual machines or resource pools. Hosts are ESX Servers. The term host refers to the virtualization platform that is the host to the virtual machines. Host is the default top structure for a standalone ESX Server.
When the VirtualCenter Server is connected to the Virtual Infrastructure Client, all ESX Servers registered with VirtualCenter are simply referred to as hosts. ESX Servers directly connected to the Virtual Infrastructure Client are referred to as standalone hosts.
Refer to the Server Configuration Guide for comprehensive information on configuring your ESX Server.
Resource pools – Child objects are virtual machines or resource pools. They are available on ESX Servers as well as through VirtualCenter Servers.
A Virtual Infrastructure Client resource pool is used to allocate host‐provided CPU and memory to the virtual machines resident to the host.
Refer to the Resource Management Guide for comprehensive information on using Virtual Infrastructure Client resource pools.
Virtual machines – Located within a host, virtual disks on a datastore, associated within a cluster or resource pool. Can be listed as a child object to hosts, clusters, or resource pools. Can be moved between hosts or clusters. When adding to a cluster or resource pool, you must specify or have in the cluster or resource pool a designated target host.
Networks – In VirtualCenter Server only. Child object to datacenters. Networks are discovered when hosts are added to the VMware Infrastructure environment.
Refer to the Server Configuration Guide for comprehensive information on configuring your ESX Server.
Datastores – In VirtualCenter Server only. Child object to datacenters. Datastores are discovered when hosts are added to the VMware Infrastructure environment.
This includes the discovery of datastores that are local to the managed host as well as datastores on the SAN or NAS.
Refer to the Server Configuration Guide for comprehensive information on configuring your ESX Server.
Adding an Inventory Object
Each inventory object can be added only to its corresponding hierarchical parent. Only permissible objects are listed on the parent menus. These pairings are as follows:
To add an inventory object
1 From a VI Client, display the appropriate inventory view.
2 Select the appropriate parent icon in the inventory panel. From the pop‐up menu, choose New <Object> where <Object> is a folder, datacenter, cluster, resource pool, host, or virtual machine.
If the new object is a folder or datacenter, a new icon is added to the inventory.
For example, a new datacenter is added to the hierarchy. Type in a useful name.
If the object is a cluster, resource pool, host, or virtual machine, a wizard appears. Answer the prompts and click Finish.
For additional information, refer to the appropriate manual:
Cluster – Refer to the Resource Management Guide.
Resource pool – Refer to the Resource Management Guide.
Host – Refer to “Managing Hosts in VirtualCenter” on page 81.
Virtual machine – Refer to “Managing Virtual Machines” on page 121.
Moving Objects in the Inventory
Some objects can be manually moved between folders, datacenters, resource pools, and hosts.
To move an object using drag-and-drop
1 From a VI Client, display the appropriate inventory view.
2 Select the object to be moved from the appropriate inventory view by clicking it.
A box is displayed around it. This indicates the object is selected.
3 Drag the moving object to the target object.
If the moving object is allowed to move to the target, the target object is displayed with a box around it, indicating it is selected.
If the moving object is not allowed to move to the target, a naught sign (zero with a slash) appears, and the object is not moved.
The inventory objects can be moved as follows:
Root folder, root host (ESX Server), networks, and datastores — Cannot be moved.
Folders — Can be moved within a datacenter.
Datacenter — Can be moved to folders at a sibling or parent level.
Cluster — Can be moved between folders and within datacenters at a sibling or parent level.
Host — When managed by a VirtualCenter Server, if a host is in a cluster, all virtual machines on the host must be shut down and the host must be placed into maintenance mode before it can be moved from the cluster. A host can be moved between clusters and datacenters.
Resource pools — Can be moved to other resource pools and folders.
Virtual machines — Can be moved to other resource pools, clusters, folders, datacenters, or hosts. When adding to anything other than a host, you must specify a target host.
4 Correct the conditional situation, if needed.
When you release the mouse button after dragging the object moves to the new location or an error message indicates what needs to be done to permit the move.
Removing an Inventory Object
When you remove an object (such as a folder, datacenter, cluster, or resource pool), VirtualCenter removes all child inventory objects (such as datacenters, clusters, hosts, and virtual machines contained within the object). All the associated tasks and alarms are also removed. Assigned processor and migration licenses are returned to available status. Virtual machines that were on a managed host remain on the host, but are no longer managed by VirtualCenter.
NOTE The remove option does not delete virtual machines from its datastore.
To remove an inventory object
1 From a VI Client, display the appropriate inventory view.
2 Select the object. From the pop‐up menu, choose Remove.
3 To confirm that you want to remove the object, click Yes and follow the prompts, as needed.
Once confirmed, VirtualCenter removes all clusters, hosts, and virtual machines within the datacenter from the managed inventory. In addition, all the associated tasks, alarms, and events are also removed. Assigned processor and migration licenses are returned to available status. Virtual machines that were on the managed host remain on the host. The root folder cannot be removed.