Knowledge Base

Checking which Data Source vCenter Server is using

1. Log in to the vCenter Server as an administrator.
2. Click Start > Run, type regedit, and press Enter.
3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\VMware VirtualCenter\DB.
4. The name of the Data Source that is currently being used is in the 1 registry key. Make note of this name for use in subsequent steps of this article.
5. Click File > Exit without making any changes.

Viewing and modifying the database server and/or database used by vCenter Server (Microsoft SQL)

1. Log in to the vCenter Server as an administrator.
2. Click Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC). (For vCenter Server 4.0 running on a 64-bit host, Start > Run > %systemdrive%\Windows\SysWoW64\Odbcad32.exe)
3. Click the System DSN tab.
4. Select the Data Source that vCenter Server is using, as noted in the previous section of this article.
5. Click Configure.
6. On the Configure pane you see the name of the configured database server in the server text box. To change the Database server, type the name or IP address of the new server to be used in this box.
7. Click Next.
8. Enter the appropriate login credentials on the next page. 
   
   Note: The login information here is not saved, it is simply used for the configuration and testing of the Data Source.
    
9. Click Next.
10. On this pane you see the database that has been configured. To change the database, ensure that the check box for Change the default database to is checked and select the database that you want to use for vCenter Server. 
    
    Note: If the database has not been selected, the default database for the account is used. To confirm you have selected the database you need, you must need to login to SQL.
     
11. Click Next.
12. Click Next on the next screen, making no changes.
13. Click Finish.
14. Click Test Data Source to verify the information entered. 
15. When the test completes review the information presented and click OK. 
16. If the test was successful click OK to exit the wizard. If the test did not complete successfully, click Cancel and review the information entered to make sure it is valid.
17. Once the test is successful click OK to exit the ODBC Data Source Administrator window.

Note: For information on modifying the SQL username and password, see Changing the vCenter Server database user ID and password (1006482).

Viewing and modifying the database server and/or database tablespace used by vCenter Server (Oracle)

To view or modify the database server and/or database that vCenter Server is configured to use when using Oracle:

1. Log in to the vCenter Server as an administrator.
2. Click Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC).  (For vCenter Server 4.0 running on a 64-bit host, Start > Run > %systemdrive%\Windows\SysWoW64\Odbcad32.exe)
3. Click the System DSN tab.
4. Select the Data Source that vCenter Server is using.
5. Click Configure.
6. On the Oracle ODBC Driver Configuration window, note the TNS Service Name.
7. Edit the tnsnames.ora file with a text editor. This file is generally located in C:\Oracle\Oraxx\NETWORK\ADMIN (where xx is either 9I or 10g). There is an entry similar to the following, where VPX is the TNS Service name noted in Step 6:
   
   VPX =
   (DESCRIPTION =
   (ADDRESS_LIST =
   (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=<server>)(PORT=1521))
   )
   (CONNECT_DATA =
   (SERVICE_NAME = <ServerTableSpace>)
   )
   )
   HOST =
   
   In this example, HOST=<server> is the managed host to which the client needs to connect, and SERVICE_NAME = <ServerTableSpace> is the TNS Service name that is being used from the Oracle server.
    
8. To change the host that is being connected modify <server>, to the name of the new server that the Data Source connects to. 
9. To change the tablespace that is being used, modify <ServerTableSpace> to the name of the tablespace being used on the Oracle server.
10. When this is complete, save and close the file.

To confirm that the changes are successful:

1. Click Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC).  (For vCenter Server 4.0 running on a 64-bit host, Start > Run > %systemdrive%\Windows\SysWoW64\Odbcad32.exe)
2. Click the System DSN tab.
3. Select the Data Source that vCenter Server is using.
4. Click Configure.
5. Click Test Connection.
6. Enter the username and password, and click OK.
7. Review the message that is presented. If the change was successful, click OK and exit out of the driver configuration wizard. If the test fails, review and correct the changes to the configuration and try the test again.

Modifying the username and password vCenter Server uses to connect to the database server (valid only for vCenter Server 2.5.x and below)

1. Log in to the vCenter Server as an administrator.
2. Click Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs.
3. Click VMware VirtualCenter Server or VMware vCenter Server from the list of currently installed programs.
4. Click Change.
5. Click Next.
6. Select Repair.
7. Click Next.
8. Ensure that the Use an existing database server is highlighted. 
   
   Note: If you are using an MSDE or SQL Express installation of vCenter Server, it is setup to use Windows Authentication by default and uses the account the service is set to start with. It is not recommended to change this configuration.
    
9. Click Next.
10. This page is where the is where the new username and password are entered. Ensure that the Data Source name is correct, then enter the new username and password.
11. Click Next.
12. Click No when you are prompted with the following message:
    
    The DSN points to an existing VMware VirtualCenter repository.  Do you want to reinitialize the database and start over with a blank configuration?
    
    
    
    
    Warning: If you select yes, you overwrite your existing configuration, with a blank new one.
     
13. Click Next through the remainder of the installation, leaving the default options selected.
14. On the Ready to Repair the program screen click Install.
15. When the repair is complete close out of the installer by clicking Finish.

To reset the username and password manually, without running the installer (valid for all versions of vCenter Server)

1. Log in to the vCenter Server as an administrator.
2. Click Start > Run, type regedit, and click OK. The Registry Editor window opens.
3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\VMware VirtualCenter\DB.
4. The user that is configured for database connectivity is in the 2 registry key. 
5. Right-click on the 2 key, and choose Modify.
6. Change the Value data to the name of the new user account. 
7. Click OK.
8. Click File > Exit without making any changes.

1. Click Start > Run, type cmd, and click OK. The command prompt window opens.
2. Navigate to the directory in which vCenter Server is installed. In VirtualCenter 2.0.x, it is installed by default in C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter 2.0\. In VirtualCenter 2.5.x and vCenter Server 4.x, it is installed by default in C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VirtualCenter Server\.
3. Type vpxd.exe -p.
4. When prompted, enter the new password and press Enter.
5. Retype the password and press Enter again to complete the password change.
   
   Note: You must change the password through the command line, as it is encrypted in the registry.