Mastering VMware vSphere 6. Marshall Nick

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      This configuration tells the ESXi host to take the Auto Deploy image loaded in memory and save it to the local disk after a successful boot. If for some reason the network or Auto Deploy server is unavailable when your host reboots, it will fall back and boot the cached copy on its local disk.

      Stateful Mode

      Just like Stateful Caching mode, the Auto Deploy Stateful mode is configured by editing host profiles within vCenter and the boot order settings in the host BIOS.

      1. Within vCenter, navigate to the Host Profiles section: vCenter Home Host Profiles.

      2. Create a new host profile or edit the existing one attached to your host.

      3. Navigate to System Image Cache Configuration under Advanced Configuration Settings.

      4. Select Enable Stateful Installs On The Host.

      5. Input the disk configuration details, using the same disk syntax as listed earlier in the section “Performing an Unattended Installation of VMware ESXi.” By default it will populate the first available disk (see Figure 2.10).

      6. Click Finish to end the Host Profile Wizard.

      7. Next you need to configure the boot order in the host BIOS to boot from the local disk first, and the network second. This procedure will differ depending on your server type.

      8. The host will boot into Maintenance mode, and you must apply the host profile by clicking Remediate Host on the host Summary tab.

      9. Provide IP addresses for the host and then reboot the host.

      Upon this reboot, the host is now running off the local disk like a “normally provisioned” ESXi host.

      vSphere Auto Deploy offers some great advantages, especially for environments with lots of ESXi hosts to manage, but it can also add complexity. As mentioned earlier, it all comes down to the design and requirements of your vSphere deployment.

      Performing Postinstallation Configuration

      Whether you are installing from a CD/DVD or performing an unattended installation of ESXi, once the installation is complete, several postinstallation steps are necessary, depending on your specific configuration. We’ll discuss these tasks in the following sections.

      Installing the vSphere Desktop Client

      This might come as a bit of shock for IT professionals who have grown accustomed to managing Microsoft Windows–based servers from the server’s console (even via Remote Desktop), but ESXi wasn’t designed for you to manage it from the server’s console. Instead, you should use the vSphere Desktop Client.

      In earlier versions, both stand-alone ESXi hosts and vCenter servers were administered with the C# Client or “legacy desktop client.” vSphere 5.0 introduced the Web Client. Although the first iteration of the Web Client was not as feature rich as the Desktop Client, after vSphere 5.1 the tables turned. To ensure that you can follow which client the instructions are for, I will use the terms vSphere Desktop Client and vSphere Web Client.

      The vSphere Desktop Client is an installable Windows-only application that allows you to connect directly to an ESXi host or to a vCenter Server installation. Using the vSphere Desktop Client to connect directly to an ESXi host requires authentication with a user account that exists on that specific host, whereas connecting to a vCenter Server installation relies on Single Sign-On (explained in Chapter 3) users for authentication. Additionally, a number of significant features – such as initiating vMotion, for example – are available only when you’re connecting to a vCenter Server installation.

You can install either of the vSphere Clients with the vCenter Server installation media. Figure 2.11 shows the VMware vCenter Installer with the vSphere Desktop Client option selected.

Figure 2.11 You can install the vSphere Client directly from the vCenter Server installation media.

      In previous versions of VMware vSphere, one of the easiest installation methods was to simply connect to an ESX/ESXi host or a vCenter Server instance using your web browser. From there, you clicked a link to download the vSphere Client right from the web page. Beginning with vSphere 5.0, the vSphere Desktop Client download link for ESXi hosts doesn’t point to a local copy of the installation files; it redirects you to an Internet-based, VMware-hosted website to download the files.

      Because you might not have installed vCenter Server yet – that is the focus of the next chapter – I’ll walk you through installing the vSphere Web Client from the vCenter Server installation media. Regardless of how you obtain the installer, once the installation wizard starts the process is the same. It is also worth noting that ESXi cannot be directly managed with the Web Client, so you will probably want to install both clients at some point. The Desktop Client can be a useful tool to have around, especially in the event of a vCenter outage. Refer to Chapter 3 for details on the Web Client installation.

      Perform the following steps to install the vSphere Desktop Client from the vCenter Server installation media:

      1. Make the vCenter Server installation media available via CD/DVD to the system where you want to install the vSphere Client.

      If you are installing the vSphere Desktop Client on a Windows VM, you can СКАЧАТЬ