When the database is configured and ready, you can start the vCenter Server for Windows installation procedure by double-clicking the autorun.exe file from the installation media.

The Windows installation wizard has been simplified and when it starts, you have the option of installing two components—vCenter Server and VUM. vSphere Update Manager will be covered in Chapter 11, Lifecycle Management, Patching, and Upgrade.

To start the installation, you should select vCenter Server for Windows option and click Finish to begin the installation process:

Looking at the latest development in vCSA 6.5, it looks obvious that the VMware plan is to get rid of the Windows-based vCenter Server in favor of the vCSA. An official post published on the VMware website on August 26, 2017 has confirmed that the Windows version of the vCenter Server will be deprecated with the next numbered release. In the next version of vSphere, the Windows-based vCenter Server will be the final release. Almost a year after its release and having been tested in depth in production, vCSA 6.5 is now robust and stable enough to be the core component of the vSphere environment.

Since the installation process of the vCenter Server is almost the same for Windows and Linux-based versions, the installation procedure will be covered and explained for the vCSA.