Need to migrate my Windows 2008 R2 Vcenter Server that is also the Arbiter server for our federation

[jblanc031]

Need to migrate my Windows 2008 R2 Vcenter Server that is also the Arbiter server for our federation

My concern is "

Do the omnistack VM’s on the Simplivity Nodes require VCenter(Arbiter Server) in order to function? The reason I ask is that we plan on migrating our VCenter(Arbiter Server) to a new subnet and I am trying to plan for downtime.  

[gustenar]

Hello, 

Have in mind that if the server's IP is changing then you need to reconfigure the OVCs to point to the new IP address of vCenter and arbiter.  If you are running software 3.7.3 and up then you can do the change yourself, otherwise you need to open a case with support. Also, make sure you know your svtcli user password since you're not going to be able to login with vCenter credentials to the OVC once the server is offline. 

As for the VMs, when you take down the vCenter server and arbiter the VMs will still continue running, as long as the Simplivity node stays up and accessible through the network. 

[DeclanOR]

Hi @jblanc031 

Just to add additionally to the accurate info provided by @gustenar :

Yes, your VM's will continue to run without issue. In fact, your VM's can run even if there was never an arbiter installed. A running arbiter is only needed in a situation where one or more nodes in a cluster are down for whatever reason. It is then that a fuctioning arbiter is required as it acts as a tie-breaker (almost like an additional node). 

Obviously, it is however required to have a running arbiter at all times. In your specific scenario, once your federation/cluster's are healthy, and there is no nodes down for whatever reason, you should not have a problem. Run the svt-federation-show command firstly to make sure the fed is healthy before carrying out any work.

Thanks,

DeclanOR