That teaser was clearly written by someone unfamiliar enough with Linux and databases to confuse the two.  Hint: vCenter for Linux is a VM appliance — the distro is irrelevant — and referring to a database as a Linux distro is just plain incorrect.

Linux is not Finnish for “free”

It is critical to point out that “Linux” does not necessarily mean “free.”  Just because an ISV provides a product that runs on the Linux platform does not imply the product is open source.  There is more to Linux than LAMP, and while administering Oracle is not for the uninitiated, you don’t typically hear folks denigrating it as closed-source.

Slow news day?

The install guide clearly states that the technical preview of vCenter on Linux requires Oracle 10 or later.  Writing an article about how disappointing it was to use a product in an unintended way — with MySQL — is puzzling.

The article can be summarized like this:

• VMware released a tech preview of vCenter on Linux
• The documentation states that an Oracle database is required
• All respectable Linux apps work perfectly well with MySQL
• Therefore, vCenter should work with MySQL — with just a few tweaks
• It doesn’t!?
• vCenter on Linux is not a true Linux application!

Constructive Criticism

Software providers need feedback from vocal customers — it benefits everyone.  Check out the comments made by several VMware customers in my vCenter on Linux post.  The sentiment is the same.  There is nothing wrong with asking for — or demanding — support for another database platform.   But trying to port it alone and screaming from a bully pulpit when it doesn’t work… that just doesn’t make sense.

Personally, I hope VMware can support an open-source database for vCenter, too.  Being able to deliver a ready-to-run appliance solution would be a great benefit.

Related posts:

1. Installing vCenter on Linux Technical Preview
2. Microsoft seeks to stem Azure exodus with huge appliance
3. VMware vCenter Server 4 task and event retention
4. VMware vCenter really needs an agent

Fire up the vCenter Linux Appliance

Download the OVF and import it to your ESX host.

Power it on and accept the EULA, you will end up at this screen:

NOTE: VMware accidentally included the  Highly Confidential Beta Software EULA with the vCenter on Linux appliance.  I have confirmed with one of the beta program managers and product management that this is not a private beta.  After all, Dr. Stephen Herrod told everyone about it in his keynote today.

Next, configure networking via the menu option or determine the current DHCP IP address — log in as root/vmware and run ifconfig (or just look at the VI Client summary for the VM).

Download the two instant client packages from Oracle to your workstation, as specified in the install documentation.  Copy them to the vCenter VM, like this:

Prepare an Oracle Database

I’m not going to cover how to install Oracle.  Let’s just say it’s not a next-next-finish operation.  You can get the free Oracle Express Edition or use an existing instance already present in your environment.  What I will give you is a simple recipe to prepare your Oracle instance for hosting a vCenter database.

Save the following code as “vpxadmin.sql” on your Oracle server.

CREATE SMALLFILE TABLESPACE "VPX" DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/vcdb/vpx01.dbf' SIZE 100M AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 10M MAXSIZE UNLIMITED LOGGING EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL SEGMENT SPACE MANAGEMENT AUTO;
 
CREATE USER "VPXADMIN" PROFILE "DEFAULT" IDENTIFIED BY "secretpassword" DEFAULT TABLESPACE "VPX" ACCOUNT UNLOCK;
 
GRANT CONNECT TO VPXADMIN;
GRANT resource TO VPXADMIN;
GRANT CREATE VIEW TO VPXADMIN;
GRANT CREATE any SEQUENCE TO VPXADMIN;
GRANT CREATE any TABLE TO VPXADMIN;
GRANT EXECUTE ON dbms_job TO VPXADMIN;
GRANT EXECUTE ON dbms_lock TO VPXADMIN;
GRANT unlimited tablespace TO VPXADMIN;

Then, just execute it:

$ sqlplus / as sysdba @vpxadmin.sql

This will create a tablespace and credentials for your vCenter database.

These four things are required in order to connect vCenter on Linux to Oracle:

1. Hostname or IP address
2. Instance name – by default in Oracle this is often “orcl” but you or your DBA may have changed it.  You probably need the fully-qualified version, which would be something like “orcl.whatever.yourcompany.com” — this likely is not the same as the FQDN/hostname of the server.  In the following example, I am using “vcdb.vmware.com” as my instance.
3. Login id: VPXADMIN
4. Password: secretpassword (please change this)

Configure vCenter on Linux Database Connection

Reboot the vCenter VM.  On next boot, the Oracle drivers are detected and installed automatically:

Enter your Oracle connection information and you are done:

Connect to vCenter on Linux with the VI Client

If you already have a recent VI Client installed, you should be able to use it — or download and install by pointing your web browser to your vCenter VM IP.  When you are ready, log in to your new vCenter on Linux (use the root account, not the database account), create a datacenter, add hosts, and try it out.

Related posts:

1. vCenter for Linux article disappointing
2. VMware vCenter Server Appliance and vRAM Reporting
3. VMware vCenter Server 4 task and event retention
4. VMware vCenter CapacityIQ 1.0.1 for vSphere