Note:

• This tutorial requires access to Oracle Cloud. To sign up for a free account, see Get started with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Free Tier.
• It uses example values for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure credentials, tenancy, and compartments. When completing your lab, substitute these values with ones specific to your cloud environment.

Add an ESXi Host to an Oracle Cloud VMware Solution Cluster

Introduction

This tutorial details the process of adding a new VMware ESXi host to an existing Standard or Dense shaped cluster within your Oracle Cloud VMware Solution SDDC. You’ll perform this process through the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Console and configure the ESXi host using vCenter Server, NSX Manager, and HCX Manager.

This will enhance your VMware cloud environment’s processing power and flexibility in OCI.

Objectives

• Add a new VMware ESXi host to an existing cluster in your Oracle Cloud VMware Solution SDDC.

• This tutorial provides clear instructions for integrating both Standard and Dense shaped ESXi hosts.

Prerequisites

Before you begin adding a new ESXi host to your Oracle Cloud VMware Solution (OCVS) cluster, ensure you meet the following requirements:

• Understanding OCVS: Familiarize yourself with Oracle Cloud VMware Solution and its functionalities. A helpful starting point is the Get Started with Oracle Cloud VMware Solution guide.

• SDDC: You will need a pre-existing SDDC in your OCI Console containing at least one Unified Management Cluster. This cluster provides essential services for managing workloads within your SDDC. To create a new SDDC, see Create a Multi-Cluster Oracle Cloud VMware Solution Software-Defined Data Center. Additionaly, it is important to review the below considerations:

  • Standard Shapes: For standard shape clusters in your SDDC, there’s a maximum of 32 ESXi hosts allowed.
  • Planning for Host Replacements: It’s highly recommended to not scale to 32 hosts in the cluster for your workloads for potential host replacements in the future. Consider scaling your cluster to a maximum of 30 or 31 hosts. If you need to expand your SDDC to accommodate more workloads, use the Add a Workload Cluster to SDDC functionality.
  • Block Volume Maximums: A single OCI Block Volume can be attached to a maximum of 32 instances. If your Block Volumes are already attached to 32 ESXi hosts, adding another host for replacement becomes impossible.

• Access to VMware Management Tool: Ensure you have valid credentials and access to vCenter Server, NSX Manager, and HCX Manager associated with your SDDC.

• Administrative Privileges: Verify that you have the necessary administrative privileges within OCI, vCenter, NSX Manager, and HCX Manager. These permissions are required for managing SDDC resources, including hosts, clusters, network configurations, and datastores.

Task 1: Add an ESXi Host in OCI Console to a Cluster in Your SDDC

1. Access SDDC details and identify the target cluster.

   1. Navigate to your SDDC details page in the OCI Console.

   2. Locate the specific cluster in which you intend to add the new VMware ESXi host.

   

2. Click Create ESXi Host to add a new VMware ESXi host.

   

3. Enter the VMware ESXi host information.

   • ESXi Host Name (Optional): Enter a name that aligns with the existing hosts in the cluster for easy identification.

   • Release Name: Select a compatible ESXi minor version that aligns with the software stack currently utilized by your SDDC. By accepting defaults, the ESXi software version employed during SDDC or cluster creation will be chosen.

     Important: The “Add ESXi Host” workflow simplifies compatibility by displaying only minor versions within your SDDC’s major ESXi version (like ESXi 7 or 8) that have been officially made available by Oracle Cloud VMware Solution (OCVS). This lets you choose the exact version that matches your existing setup, ensuring everything works together seamlessly. Example: Imagine your SDDC was created with ESXi 7 Update 1d-build 17551050-1. The Release Name drop-down menu will show all updates for ESXi 7 that OCVS has officially made available, from Update 1d-build 17551050-1 to the latest version in ESXi 7 which is Update 3k-build 21313628-1. You won’t see versions not offered by OCVS, eliminating any compatibility issues.

   • Cluster Hardware Type: Keep this default to match the existing cluster shape. Oracle Cloud VMware Solution supports mixed shape architectures for specific use cases. In such scenarios, you can select a supported shape. Generally, supported shapes reside within the same CPU vendor family and represent newer shapes. For more information about mixed shapes, see Announcing the availability of mixed-shape clusters for Oracle Cloud VMware Solution.

   • Number of OCPU Cores: Keep this default to maintain consistency with the existing host configuration, or select new options from the drop-down menu.

   • Capacity Type: Select either On-Demand Capacity or Capacity Reservation, depending on whether you possess reserved instances intended for deployment.

   • Pricing Interval Commitment: Select a pricing commitment of your preference and select the checkbox to confirm your acceptance of the pricing commitment.

   • Select Deleted ESXi Hosts for Billing Continuation (Optional): If applicable, select a valid pricing commitment from the drop-down menu. This section showcases any leftover billing from deleted hosts that can still be consumed by new hosts. For the pricing commitment to utilize any unused credits, the instance shape and OCPU count must correspond within the chosen region.

     

4. (Optional) Review additional details. You can optionally expand the Show ESXi Host Details section to view additional details regarding the VMware version, Availability Domain (AD), and VLANs.

   

5. Once all the options are selected as required, click Create ESXi Host to initiate the deployment process.

   

6. The deployment of a new host can take anywhere between 20-25 minutes. Monitor the progress for completion.

   

7. (Optional) Track work request. If necessary, you can access the progress of the submitted task by navigating back to the Cluster details page at any time. Select Work Requests to see the progress and task details.

   

8. Once the work request is complete, you should see the status of the cluster change from Updating to Active. This signifies that the VMware ESXi host has been successfully added. Now you can proceed with the next tasks within the VMware management tools.

   

Task 2: Get ESXi Host Information and default vCenter Password

This task involves gathering essential details from the OCI Console, including the newly added VMware ESXi host information and the vCenter default password.

1. Locate ESXi host details in OCI console. Within the OCI Console, navigate to Compute and Instances.

2. Identify and document host information.

   1. From the list of instances, select the newly added ESXi host.

   2. Note down the following details for later use.

      1. Private IPv4 address.
      2. Internal Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN).

   

3. Access the SDDC details page within the OCI Console. Locate and securely store the vCenter default password. You will need this password when adding the ESXi host to vCenter in a later task.

   

   Note: Ensure you store the vCenter password securely. Avoid sharing it in plain text or storing it in unencrypted locations.

Task 3: Add ESXi Host to the vCenter Cluster and Configure Host Networking

In this task, we will add a new ESXi host to your vCenter cluster. We will cover the process of adding the host to data center, set it to maintenance mode for network configuration, and move to the appropriate cluster within your vCenter set up.

1. Add ESXi Host to vCenter Cluster.

   1. Access vCenter Server and navigate to the desired data center for the new ESXi host from the inventory pane.

   2. Right-click the chosen data center and select Add Host.

      

   3. In the Add Host wizard, enter the following information.

      • Host name or IP address: Enter the FQDN noted in Task 2. Click Next.

        

      • Connection settings: Enter the credentials for the ESXi host. User name should be root and Password should be the default vCenter password retrieved from the SDDC details page in the OCI Console. Click Next.

        

      • Host Summary: Review the details and click Next.

        

      • Host Lifecycle: Deselect the Manage host with an image. Click Next to continue.

        

      • Assign License: Select an existing vSphere license from the available options to assign a license to the new ESXi host. Click Next.

        

      • Lockdown mode: Select Normal lockdown mode, which is the default setting used with Oracle Cloud VMware Solution deployments. You can adjust this setting based on your specific environment requirements. Click Next.

        

      • VM Location: Keep the default settings for VM placement and click Next.

        

      • Review: Review all the configuration details. Click Finish to submit the task and add the ESXi host to the vCenter cluster.

        

2. Set ESXi Host to Maintenance Mode.

   After successfully adding the ESXi host, right-click on it within the vCenter inventory and select Enter Maintenance Mode. This will take the host offline for further configuration.

   

3. (Optional) Verify Host Status in NSX Manager.

   The newly added ESXi host should be listed under the Other Nodes section with a status of Not Configured for NSX.

   

4. Add ESXi Host to Distributed Switch.

   1. Navigate to the Networking view within vCenter Server.

   2. Select the Distributed Switch (DSwitch) associated with the cluster where the ESXi host would eventually reside.

   3. Right-click the DSwitch or click Actions and select Add and Manage Hosts.

      

   4. In the Add and Manage Hosts window, enter the following information.

      1. Select Add Hosts and click Next.

         

      2. In the Select hosts section, select the ESXi host you just added to the data center and ensure it is currently in maintenance mode. Click Next.

         

      3. Under Manage physical adapters, select vmnic0 and vmnic1 from the drop-down menu.

         

      4. In the Manage VMkernel adapters section, assign each VMkernel adapter (vmk) to a specific port group as shown.

         • vmk0: Management Networking
         • vmk1: vMotion
         • vmk2: vSAN
         • vmk3: Replication
         • vmk4: Provisioning

         

      5. Keep the default values for Migrate VM Networking.

         

   5. Review all configuration details and click Finish to submit and add the ESXi host to the Distributed Switch.

      

5. Move ESXi Host to vCenter Cluster.

   Once the network configuration is complete, you can move it to the intended vCenter cluster. The specific steps for this process may vary slightly depending on your vCenter version, right-click the host and select an option Move to Cluster. In the Move Host into Cluster window, keep the default selection as Put all of this host’s virtual machines in the cluster’s root resource pool.

   

Task 4: Verify NSX Configuration on the ESXi Host

1. After adding the ESXi host to the vCenter cluster, you can observe NSX Manager. NSX automatically pushes the configuration to the newly added host and integrates it into the cluster.

   

2. Monitor the NSX configuration task for successful completion. This process typically takes at least 5 minutes.

3. Once the configuration task finishes, verify that the NSX Configuration status displays as Success within NSX Manager. This confirms that the ESXi host has been successfully configured for NSX.

   

Task 5: Configure Datastores and Exit Maintenance Mode

In this task, configure datastores for your newly added ESXi host. The specific steps depend on whether you are using Standard shape instances with OCI block storage or Dense shape instances with vSAN.

Note: Proceed with Scenario 1 or 2 based on your instance type.

Scenario 1: Configure Virtual Machine File System (VMFS) Datastores (Standard Shapes)

Note: VMFS datastore configuration using OCI Block Storage for the following scenarios:

• Primary storage for Standard shaped instances.
• Secondary VMFS datastore for Dense shaped instances (in addition to potential vSAN datastore).

1. Ensure all the OCI block volumes attached to the other hosts in the cluster are also attached to the newly added ESXi host.

   

2. Copy the iSCSI attachment information for all the block volumes you attached in Step 1. This information will be needed later.

   

3. Access storage adapters.

   1. In vCenter Server, select the newly added ESXi host.

   2. Navigate to Configure and Storage Adapters.

4. Configure iSCSI target servers.

   1. From the right-hand pane, select the iSCSI adapter.

   2. Click Dynamic Discovery and Add to add iSCSI target servers.

   

5. Add all the iSCSI target server IPs you gathered in Step 2.

   

6. Once all iSCSI servers are added, select the iSCSI adapter again and click Rescan Adapters to rescan iSCSI adapter.

   

7. Verify block volume attachments. After the rescan completes, you should see all the block volumes attached as Oracle iSCSI disks.

   

8. Validate datastore availability from the Datastores tab for the newly added host. You should see all the datastores mounted, matching the configuration of the other hosts in the cluster.

   

9. To confirm the datastore presence, navigate to Storage view and select the datastore cluster. Verify that the newly added host appears under the Hosts section.

   

10. Once all configurations are complete, remove the ESXi host from maintenance mode.

    

11. After exiting maintenance mode, validate that your environment remains stable and healthy as expected.

    

    

Scenario 2: Configure vSAN Datastore and Fault Domain (Dense Shapes)

Note: These steps are only applicable if you are using Dense shape instances with vSAN.

1. Before configuring vSAN, ensure the ESXi host is out of maintenance mode. Monitor the progress until completion.

   

2. Access vSAN disk management.

   1. Select Dense Cluster under the data center.

   2. Navigate to Configure, vSAN and Disk Management.

3. To claim unused disks, click Claim Unused Disks.

   

4. Configure vSAN disks. By default, a vSAN cluster requires at least one cache disk and one capacity disk per host. Select the first disk as the cache disk and the remaining disks as capacity disks (typically 7 for Dense shapes). You can adjust this configuration based on your specific environment. Submit the task and wait for successful completion.

   

5. From the right-hand pane, confirm that all available disks on the host are listed and healthy.

   

6. To verify vSAN datastore capacity, navigate to the Storage view and select the vSAN datastore. The summary page should now reflect the increased total capacity due to the added capacity drives.

   

7. To confirm host status in vSAN, go to the Hosts tab within the datastore. You should see the newly added host listed with a Normal status.

   

8. Configure vSAN fault domain. A single OCI region typically has 3 fault domains. vSAN fault domains should mirror these. Oracle Cloud VMware Solution provisioning usually distributes ESXi hosts across all fault domains for optimal balance. Since this is the fourth host, aim to co-locate it with the host which is on the same OCI fault domain. In this case, first host of the cluster resides in FD1 and fourth host is also deployed in OCI FD1.

9. Move host to fault domain. Under vSAN, navigate to Fault Domains. Select the newly added host and move it to the same fault domain (Fault-Domain-1).

   

10. Verify fault domain placement and confirm that the new host now resides within the desired fault domain.

    

Task 6: Validate the New ESXi Host

This task verifies the functionality of the newly added ESXi host by deploying or migrating a test virtual machine to it.

1. Deploy or migrate a test VM.

   1. Deploy a new test VM directly on the newly added ESXi host.

   2. Migrate an existing VM from another host in the cluster to the new host.

2. Verify VM functionality. Once the VM is deployed or migrated, power it on and perform basic tests to ensure it functions as expected. This could involve logging in to the VM operating system and verifying network connectivity, resource availability, and application functionality (if applicable).

   

   If the test VM operates successfully on the new ESXi host, you can proceed with confidence that the host has been configured correctly.

By following these steps, you’ve successfully expanded your vCenter cluster capacity and resources. For further configuration options tailored to your specific VMware environment, consult the relevant vCenter documentation. If you have any Oracle Cloud VMware Solution related questions, refer to the official Oracle Cloud VMware Solution documentation.

Related Links

• Oracle Cloud VMware Solution

• Get Started with Oracle Cloud VMware Solution

• Create a Multi-Cluster Oracle Cloud VMware Solution Software-Defined Data Center

Acknowledgments

• Author - Praveen Kumar Pedda Vakkalam (Principal Solutions Architect)

More Learning Resources

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Add an ESXi Host to an Oracle Cloud VMware Solution Cluster

F96048-01

April 2024

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