Integrating an ESX user account with Active Directory

After you create a new ESX user account for the VMwareDisks agent to communicate with an ESX host, you can optionally integrate the account with any existing Active Directory authentication in your environment. Else, the new ESX user account depends on the local authentication mechanism on the ESX host, and you will need to configure one account per host.

Integrating with an existing Active Directory mechanism helps you leverage the same ESX user account across multiple ESX hosts for VMwareDisks agent configurations.

To integrate with Active Directory

  1. Create a domain user in the Active Directory.
  2. Using the VMware vSphere Client, log on to the ESX host, and navigate to Home > Inventory.
  3. In the left pane, click the ESX host and in the right pane, click Configuration.
  4. In the Software panel, click Authentication Services.
  5. Review the Directory Services Configuration.

    If the Directory Service Type is not Active Directory, in the top right corner, click Properties.

  6. In the Directory Service Configuration panel, from the Select Directory Service Type drop down list, select Active Directory.
  7. In the Domain Settings area, specify the Domain, and click Join Domain.

    Alternatively, configure vSphere Authentication proxy.

  8. Enter the user name and password of a directory service user that has permissions to join the host to the domain, and click OK.