Adding a vCenter Server instance

When a vCenter Server instance is added to IBM Storage Protect Plus, an inventory of the instance is captured, enabling you to complete backup and restore jobs, as well as run reports.

To add a vCenter Server instance, complete the following steps:

1. In the navigation panel, expand Manage Protection > Virtualized Systems > VMware.
2. Click Manage vCenter.
3. Click Add vCenter.
4. Populate the fields in the vCenter Properties section:

   Hostname/IP

   Enter the resolvable IP address or a resolvable path and machine name.

   Use existing user

   Enable to select a previously entered user name and password for the vCenter Server instance.

   Username

   Enter your user name for the vCenter Server instance.

   Password

   Enter your password for the vCenter Server instance.

   Port

   Enter the communications port of the vCenter Server instance. The typical default port is 443.

   Certificate

   Tip:

   You must use the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) to validate the VMware certificate. Using an IP address may fail to validate the VMware certificate.

   In the Certificate field, select one of the following options to import the vCenter Server certificate to the IBM Storage Protect Plus server:

   Use existing certificate

   Click Select to select an existing certificate from the Select a certificate list.

   Copy and paste

   In the Enter certificate name field, enter a name for the certificate. Then, paste the contents of the certificate in the Copy and paste certificate here field and click Create.

   Upload

   1. Download the file from the vCenter server to the local machine where you are running the browser.
   2. Click Choose file and search for the downloaded certificate in your system.
   3. Click Upload.

   Get Certificate

   Click Get Certificate to automatically retrieve the certificate that is associated with the vCenter Server that is specified in the Hostname/IP field.

5. In the Options section, configure the following option:

   Maximum number of VMs to process concurrently per ESX server and per SLA

   Set the maximum number of concurrent VM snapshots to process on the ESX server. The default setting is 3.

6. Click Save. IBM Storage Protect Plus confirms a network connection, adds the vCenter Server instance to the database, and then catalogs the instance.
   If a message appears indicating that the connection is unsuccessful, review your entries. If your entries are correct and the connection is unsuccessful, contact a network administrator to review the connections.