VMware: What’s new in vSphere 6.5

vCenter Server Appliance

• Enhanced vCenter Install, Upgrade, Patch: Streamlined user experience while deploying, upgrading and patching for vCenter Server. Support for CLI template-based vCenter Server lifecycle management.
• vCenter Server Appliance Migration Tool: Single-step migration process for existing Windows vCenter Server to latest release of vCenter Server Appliance. Assumes the identity of the source Windows vCenter (UUID, IP, OS Name). Support for both CLI and UI methods. Migrations for both embedded and external topologies. VMware Update manager is now included in the migration process.
• Sphere Update Manager for vCenter Server Appliance: Fully embedded and integrated vSphere Update Manager experience for vCenter Server Appliance – with no Windows dependencies!
• Enhanced Auto Deploy: New capabilities such as UI support, improved performance and scale, backup and restore of rules for Auto Deploy.
• Improvements in Host Profiles: Streamlined user experience and host profile management with several new capabilities including DRS integration, parallel host remediation, and improved audit quality compliance results.
• VMware Tools Lifecycle Management: Simplified and scalable approach for install and upgrade of VMware Tools, reboot less upgrade for Linux Tools, OSP upgrades, enhanced version and status reporting via API and UI.
• vSphere Automation API: A new REST based API, SDKs and Multi-Platform CLI (DCLI) is now available to provide simplified VM management and automation of the VCSA based configuration and services.
• Platform Service Controller High Availability: The PSC HA feature include zero configuration high availability with automatic vCenter failover to another PSC within a site. New PSC Site Management client side tools for viewing your topology and viewing PSC HA status. Available for both Windows and Appliance PSCs.
• vCenter High Availability: Protect mission critical vCenter deployments with a native high availability solution that will not only protect against host and hardware failures, but also against vCenter application failures. The vCenter HA solution provides automated failover from active to passive vCenter with expected RTO < 5 mins. Uses synchronous replication so there is no data loss and operates in an Active-Passive configuration with a Witness. Requires 2 network adapters, one for the “public” network and one for the “private” network. And is only be available to the vCenter Appliance.
• vCenter Server Appliance and Database Management: The new 6.5 Appliance Management Interface includes usage monitoring of the embedded vCenter Postgres database by data type and utilization trends, and sends database usage alerts directly into the vSphere web client. Monitor appliance CPU, Memory, and networking utilization trends for more targeted troubleshooting. Send syslog data to remote hosts.
• Native vCenter Server backup and restore: Back up the vCenter Server Appliance and Platform Services Controller in three simple steps in the Appliance Management Interface using industry-standard protocols like HTTP(S), SCP or FTP(S). The file-based backup (encryption optional) will include the embedded Postgres database, vCenter inventory, and all configuration files required to recover vCenter. Restore the appliance from the new vCenter Server 6.5 installer.

About Author

Sander

Sander Daems is founder and author of this blog and working as a Lead (Sr.) Consultant / Technical Project Lead at Unica ICT Solutions. Sander has 15+ years experience in IT, primary focus: virtualization, security and modern worksplace.

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