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.

Delete a Workload Cluster from an Oracle Cloud VMware Solution SDDC

Introduction

This tutorial details the process of deleting a workload cluster from an existing Oracle Cloud VMware Solution SDDC. Remember that this process involves permanent removal of resources, so ensure you have thoroughly migrated all data and confirmed application functionality before proceeding. This empowers you to manage your SDDC resources efficiently and optimize your cloud environment.

Objectives

• Delete a workload cluster from an Oracle Cloud VMware Solution SDDC.

Prerequisites

• Understand the Oracle Cloud VMware Solution and its functionalities: For more information, see Get Started with Oracle Cloud VMware Solution.

• SDDC Requirements:

  • The workload cluster you intend to delete must be separate from the Unified Management Cluster. If your SDDC has only one cluster (which is typically the Unified Management Cluster with a minimum of 3 hosts), you cannot delete it using this process. Instead, use the Terminate SDDC function in OCI.

• Pricing and Commitment: Be aware of your existing pricing model and commitment period for the VMware ESXi hosts in the cluster. If a longer commitment exists, billing may continue until the commitment period ends, even after ESXi hosts are deleted.

• Access to VMware Management Tools: You will need valid credentials and access to vCenter, NSX Manager, and Hybrid Cloud Extension (HCX) Manager associated with your SDDC.

• Administrative Privileges: Ensure you have the necessary permissions within Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), vCenter, NSX Manager, and HCX Manager to perform the following tasks:

  • Managing SDDC resources in OCI.
  • Managing hosts, clusters, and datastores in vCenter.
  • Managing networking in vCenter and NSX Manager.

Task 1: Validate and Remove Workload Cluster in vCenter and NSX Manager

1. Log in to vCenter and locate workload cluster.

   1. Access the vCenter server using your credentials.

   2. Navigate to Hosts and Clusters.

   3. Identify and select the specific workload cluster you intend to delete.

   

2. Validate the NSX Manager health.

   1. Access the NSX Manager associated with your SDDC.

   2. Verify the overall health of your environment to ensure a stable platform before proceeding.

   

3. Migrate virtual machines (VMs) and data.

   1. Power down and migrate all virtual machines (VMs) currently residing on the workload cluster you are deleting.

   2. Transfer any other data stored on the related datastores to a different location within your SDDC. This ensures all hosts enter maintenance mode successfully.

   

4. Put hosts in maintenance mode.

   1. Select each host belonging to the workload cluster you are deleting.

   2. Individually put each host into maintenance mode. Verify that all hosts have successfully transitioned to maintenance mode before proceeding.

   

   Note: Failure to ensure all hosts enter maintenance mode successfully can lead to data loss and application downtime. This is a critical step, so double-check the status of each host before moving forward.

5. Move each host one by one out of the workload cluster and place them under the data center.

   

   

6. Removing the hosts from the cluster should automatically trigger the deletion of NSX components from these hosts.

   

7. Within NSX Manager, check the Other Nodes section. The previously removed hosts should now be listed there.

   

8. Validate and confirm that everything is migrated and operational.

   Note: This is a critical step. Double-check that all your applications are operational and all data has been successfully migrated away from the workload cluster. This includes any non-VM data like ISO images.

9. Disconnect and remove the hosts.

   1. Click OK to proceed to disconnect the first host from vCenter.

      

   2. Repeat this process for all remaining hosts that were previously put into maintenance mode.

      

10. Once disconnected, remove all hosts from the vCenter inventory.

    

    

11. Perform additional clean up tasks related to the retired workload cluster.

    1. Delete the empty vCenter cluster (since all hosts are removed).

       

    2. If the workload cluster is a standard shape cluster, delete the empty datastore cluster.

       

    3. Delete the corresponding distributed switch.

       

    4. Within NSX Manager, delete the transport node profile associated with the retired cluster.

    5. Delete the IP pool used for the workload cluster’s VXLAN Tunnel End Point (VTEP) IP.

    6. Delete the uplink profile associated with the cluster.

12. After completing the clean up steps, verify that both vCenter and NSX Manager environments are stable and healthy.

Task 2: Delete the Workload Cluster from OCI Console

1. Log in to the OCI Console, navigate to your SDDC and select the workload cluster you want to delete.

   

2. On the cluster details page, carefully confirm that you have selected the correct cluster for deletion.

   

3. Click Terminate Cluster to begin the process of deleting all resources associated with this specific cluster.

   Note: This action is irreversible. All resources, including ESXi hosts and OCI block volumes linked to the Virtual Machine File System (VMFS) datastore, will be deleted.

4. A confirmation window will appear. Ensure the following checkboxes are selected.

   • Terminating Networking resources: Deletes the Virtual Cloud Network (VCN) components such as subnet and VLANs and their respective route tables and security list or NSGs.

     Note: If you have created any custom security rules or OCI private DNS entries for the cluster, make sure to delete them beforehand to ensure successful deletion.

   • Deleting datastore resources: Remove all block volume attachments and then delete all the block volumes created during the creation of the cluster.

     Note: Any additional volumes added as day 2 operations, need to be cleaned up prior to this step. Else deselect this option and delete volumes manually after the termination of the cluster.

5. Confirm deletion and monitor the status.

   1. Double-check the cluster name displayed for deletion to ensure accuracy.

   2. Click Terminate all to commence the deletion process.

      

   3. Monitor the status within the OCI Console to track the deletion progress.

      

6. Once the deletion is complete, the SDDC view should display your management cluster and any remaining workload clusters. Verify that the SDDC status is Active.

   

As covered in this tutorial, scaling-in resources within your SDDC is a straighforward process. For a deeper dive into the solution or if you have any specific 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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For product documentation, visit Oracle Help Center.

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Delete a Workload Cluster from an Oracle Cloud VMware Solution SDDC

F95832-01

April 2024

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Oracle and/or its affiliates.