Choosing the Version of vCenter Server
As mentioned in the previous section, vSphere 6.7 marks the last release in which vCenter Server comes available as an installable Windows-based application, and all future releases will be the Photon OS Linux–based virtual appliance. As a result, while appearing straightforward on the surface, a critical decision you must make as you prepare to deploy vCenter Server is which version you will use. Will you use the Windows Server–based version, and later use the vCenter Server Appliance Migration utility, or go with the virtual appliance from the get-go?
There are advantages and disadvantages to each approach:
- If your experience is primarily with Windows Server, you may not be familiar with the Linux underpinnings of the vCenter virtual appliance. This introduces a learning curve that you should consider.
- If you need support for Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle RDBMS, the Linux-based vCenter Server virtual appliance won't work; you...
