64-bit vCenter install, 32-bit ODBC DSN required!
A few weeks ago I attempted to build out a vCenter instance at an office in Europe, intended to be added to my main vCenter instance as a linked clone. Reading the release docs for vCenter 4.0, it is apparent that future releases of vCenter will not be supported in a 32-bit environment. This led me to decide to build this new vCenter out as 64-bit from the start (and to make a note to upgrade my existing main vCenter in the future). During the vCenter installation, the installer prompted me for a 32-bit ODBC source, even though I had already installed the x64 SQL Native Client connector and setup a connection to my SQL enterprise cluster.
A quick search on the web provided some simple instructions to setup a 32-bit ODBC DSN.
To configure a 32-bit ODBC DSN you launch the 32-bit version of the Data Source Administrator. It is located in %systemdrive%\Windows\SysWoW64\Odbcad32.exe
One launched, you can go ahead and create the necessary DSN and the installer will be happy!
Tags: Administrator. It, bit, clone, data source, DSN, esx, Europe, instance, ODBC, release docs, source administrator, sql enterprise, vCenter, VMware, vSphere/ESX
