How to reconfigure vCenter Server with Embedded PSC to vCenter Server with External PSC

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

This article provides steps to reconfigure and repoint the vCenter Server 6.x from an embedded Platform Services Controller (PSC) to an External PSC in the same site within your vSphere domain.

Resolution

Prerequisites:

1. Deploy or install the external Platform Services Controller(PSC) instance as a replication partner of the existing embedded PSC instance in the same vCenter Single Sign-On site.
    
2. Create snapshots of the vCenters and PSCs before making any changes.

You can determine the current vCenter Single Sign-On site by using the vmfad-cli command:

• For a vCenter Server Appliance with an embedded PSC, log in to the appliance shell as root and run the command:
  
  "/usr/lib/vmware-vmafd/bin/vmafd-cli get-site-name --server-name localhost"
   
• For a Windows installation of vCenter Server with embedded PSC, log in as an administrator, open the Windows command prompt, and run the command:
  
  "C:\Program Files\VMware\vCenter Server\vmafdd\vmafd-cli get-site-name --server-name localhost"

Note: The reconfiguration of a vCenter Server instance with an embedded PSC and repointing it to an external PSC instance is a one-way process after which you cannot switch back to vCenter Server with an embedded PSC.

Reconfigure vCenter Server with Embedded PSC to vCenter Server with External PSC
 

1. Login to the vCenter Server:
   
   vCenter Appliance - as root user using SSH.
   Windows v Center - as administrator using RDP.
    
2. Run this command to verify that all PSC services are running:
   
   service-control --status --all
    
3. Run this command:
   
   cmsso-util reconfigure --repoint-psc psc_fqdn_or_static_ip --username username --domain-name domain_name --passwd password [--dc- port port_number]
   
   Note:The FQDN value is case-sensitive.
   
   The options username and password are the administrator user name and password of the vCenter Single Sign-On domain_name.
   
   Use the --dc-port option if the external Platform Services Controller runs on a custom HTTPS port. The default value of the HTTPS port is 443.
   
   For example:
   
   Run this command if the external PSC runs on a custom HTTPS port 449:
   
   cmsso-util reconfigure --repoint-psc psc.acme.local --username administrator --domain-name vsphere.local --passwd Password1! --dc-port 449
    
4. Restart the vCenter Server virtual machine

 

5. Login to the vCenter Server instance by using the vSphere Web Client and verify that the vCenter Server is running and can be managed.