During the VxRail initial build process, you can either have a vCenter deployed on the cluster or deploy the cluster on a vCenter instance in your data center. The option to deploy a vCenter on the cluster is referred to as “internal” or “embedded” vCenter Server. A VxRail-supplied vCenter is also considered a “VxRail-managed” vCenter, in the sense that VxRail Manager controls initial configuration and life cycle management. However, you have administrative access to all the management features and functionality that the vCenter instance supports. For consistency, the term that is used throughout this guide is VxRail-managed vCenter Server.

Figure 3.   VxRail-supplied vCenter deployed on a VxRail cluster

The VxRail-supplied vCenter virtual appliance is deployed on the VxRail vCenter Server Network, which is a vSphere virtual network that is configured during the initial build process. The VxRail Manager is deployed on this same virtual network. The vCenter Server Network must be able to reach required external management personnel and data center services. See the VxRail Network Planning Guide for details.