In this post we will discuss how to migrate the vCenter Server Appliance with Embedded Platform Service Controller (PSC) to External PSC. Currently there are a vCenter Server Appliance 6.5 with Embedded PSC is running. After the migration, the vCenter Server Appliance 6.5 is running with External PSC.

NOTE: This migration is limited to Platform Services Controllers existing within the same vSphere Domain and in the same site. 

vCenter Server with an Embedded Platform Services Controller

vCenter Server with an External Platform Services Controller

Lab Environment:

vCenter Server Appliance : 6.5.0 Build 5973321

First, we need to prepare a new PSC by vCenter Server Appliance Installer, click Install.

Next.

Next.

Select Platform Services Controller, then Next.

Connect to the target vCenter Server or ESXi host, then Next.

Setup the name of PSC and root password, then Next.

Select the target datastore, then Next.

Setup the Network of PSC, then Next.

Click Finish to deploy PSC.

Click Continue to go to stage 2.

Next.

Setup the NTP, then Next.

Select Join an existing SSO domain, then Next.

Input the information of existing SSO domain, then Next.

Select to join an existing site, then Next.

Next.

Click Finish to deploy and configure PSC.

OK.

When the new PSC is ready, we can start the PSC migration. First we login into vCenter Server Appliance by SSH, execute the following cli to validate PSC replication partners. We can see two PSC, vc.vclass.local (Embedded PSC) and psc.vclass.local (External PSC).

cd /usr/lib/vmware-vmdir/bin

./vdcrepadmin -f showservers -h localhost -u Administrator -w <<Password>>

To check the all services of vCenter server, make sure all services are running.

Now we can continue with the external psc migration, execute the following cli.

cmsso-util reconfigure –repoint-psc <<FQDN of external PSC>> –username <<administrator>> –domain-name <<SSO domain>> –passwd <<Password>>

Once the migration is completed successfully it will show the status message as “The vCenter Server has been successfully reconfigured and repointed to the external Platform Services Controller psc.vclass.local”.

Finally, login the external PSC we can verify replication partners again to see that the embedded PSC has been decommissioned, and the external PSC is the only one listed. This PSC migration is completed successfully.

Categories: VMware

Victor Wu

Chief Architect, Blogger, Author at Dell EMC Knowledge Sharing & Packt