6.5.1

2 Test the working rule set rules against a host to make sure that everything is working correctly.
3 Refine and retest the rules in the working rule set.
4 Activate the rules in the working rule set.
If you add a rule in a PowerCLI session and do not specify the NoActivate parameter, all rules that
are currently in the working rule set are activated. You cannot activate individual rules.
See the PowerCLI command-line help and Managing vSphere Auto Deploy with PowerCLI Cmdlets for
more information on using vSphere Auto Deploy with PowerCLI cmdlets. See Managing vSphere Auto
Deploy with the vSphere Web Client for more information on using vSphere Auto Deploy with the
vSphere Web Client.
vSphere Auto Deploy Boot Process
When you boot a host that you want to provision or reprovision with vSphere Auto Deploy, the vSphere
Auto Deploy infrastructure supplies the image profile and, optionally, a host profile, a vCenter Server
location, and script bundle for that host.
The boot process is different for hosts that have not yet been provisioned with vSphere Auto Deploy (first
boot) and for hosts that have been provisioned with vSphere Auto Deploy and added to a vCenter Server
system (subsequent boot).
First Boot Prerequisites
Before a first boot process, you must set up your system. Setup includes the following tasks, which are
discussed in more detail in Preparing for vSphere Auto Deploy.
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Set up a DHCP server that assigns an IP address to each host upon startup and that points the host
to the TFTP server to download the iPXE boot loader from.
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If the hosts that you plan to provision with vSphere Auto Deploy are with legacy BIOS, verify that the
vSphere Auto Deploy server has an IPv4 address. PXE booting with legacy BIOS firmware is possible
only over IPv4. PXE booting with UEFI firmware is possible with either IPv4 or IPv6.
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Identify an image profile to be used in one of the following ways.
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Choose an ESXi image profile in a public depot.
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(Optional) Create a custom image profile by using vSphere ESXi Image Builder, and place the
image profile in a depot that the vSphere Auto Deploy server can access. The image profile must
include a base ESXi VIB.
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(Optional) If you have a reference host in your environment, export the host profile of the reference
host and define a rule that applies the host profile to one or more hosts. See Setting Up a vSphere
Auto Deploy Reference Host.
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Specify rules for the deployment of the host and add the rules to the active rule set.
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