Configuring DNS with VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat in a WAN environment

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

This article provides information about configuring DNS with VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat in a WAN environment.

Resolution

VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat is designed to integrate with DNS technology where the DNS is itself integrated with the Active Directory. VMware recommends that VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat be installed in an Active Directory Integrated DNS environment.

 

For more information about VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat and DNS integration, refer to the Additional Information section.

 

Domain Name System (DNS) provides efficient name resolution and interoperability with standards-based technologies. Deploying DNS in your client/server infrastructure enables resources on a TCP/IP network to locate other resources on the network by using host name-to-IP address resolution and IP address-to-host name resolution. The Active Directory service requires DNS for locating network resources.

Active Directory Integrated Environments

VMware recommends that VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat be installed in an Active Directory Integrated DNS environment.

In a standard DNS zone, there can be one Primary and multiple Secondary DNS servers. The Primary is the Start of Authority (SOA) server for that zone and the other servers are secondary. When adding a new host record, like a new server is added into the zone, the record is inserted only in the Primary DNS server. The information is available on the Secondary servers during the replication process between the Primary and Secondary servers.

In an Active Directory (AD) Integrated DNS environment, all servers are updated within the AD through replication (a change on any one server is replicated to all other Active Directory databases).

For instructions on converting to an Active Directory Integrated DNS environment, see the Additional Information section.

When installing VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat in a WAN configuration, VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat automatically creates and configures the tasks needed to run DNSUpdate.exe. VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat Setup gathers the required information during the installation process and uses that information to configure the DNSUpdate task. See the example below.

 

 

If VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat was initially installed in a LAN configuration and later changed to a WAN configuration or problems are encountered with the operation of DNSUpdate.exe, refer to vCSHB-Ref-1440 or Correcting problems when DNSUpdate Encounters Secondary DNS Servers in VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat (1008583) for information about configuring the DNSUpdate task.

Windows Non-Active Directory Integrated Environments

VMware recommends that if the current environment is not Active Directory integrated, that migration to Active Directory integrated be performed prior to installing any VMware solution. See the Additional Information section for Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that provide procedures for migrating to an Active Directory integrated environment.

In the event that Active Directory integration is not possible or not desired, the DNSUpdate utility can be configured to update specific DNS servers when identified by IP address.

To update DNS servers using the DNSUpdate utility in a non-Active Directory integrated environment:

1. Launch the VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat Console.
2. Click Advanced > Application.
3. Select Tasks.
4. Click User Accounts.
5. Click Add.
6. Enter the credentials for an account with rights to update the DNS (a member of the Administrators or Server Operators group on the target server).
7. Click OK and Close.
8. Click Add to add a new task.
9. Provide a descriptive name for the Task.
10. Select Network Configuration for Task type.
11. Select either Primary or Secondary for the server the task should run on as appropriate.
12. In the Command field, run the DNSUpdate command with appropriate flags as shown in the example.
13. In the Run As field select the user appropriate user account from the dropdown and click OK.

For example, Dnsupdate -p -s -ns

Note: This updated the DNS at address .

For Linux Non-Active Directory Integrated Environments, see Configuring VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat to update BIND9 DNS Servers deployed in a WAN (1008605).

Additional Information

 

 

Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:

• How To Convert DNS Primary Server to Active Directory Integrated (Win2003 Svr)