6.5.1

11 Provision Hosts and Set Up Host Customizations
With the rule in place that provisions hosts using an image profile and a host profile, you can
provision specific target hosts. If any host profile items are set to prompt the user for input, the host
comes up in maintenance mode. You apply the host profile or check host compliance to be prompted
for the information. The system associates the host customization with the host.
vSphere Auto Deploy Preinstallation Checklist
Before you can start the tasks in this vSphere Auto Deploy scenario, make sure that your environment
meets the hardware and software requirements, and that you have the necessary permissions for the
components included in the setup.
This scenario is customized for vCenter Server 6.0 and later. For earlier versions of vCenter Server, go to
the corresponding VMware Documentation Center.
For your setup, your system must meet specific software and hardware requirements.
Table 2‑18. Preinstallation Checklist
Required Software and Hardware Details
Operating System A Windows Server 2008 R2 system or later supported Windows
system with Microsoft PowerShell preinstalled. For a full list of
supported operating systems, see Supported host Operating
Systems for VMware vCenter Server installation.
vCenter Server vCenter Server version 6.0 or later to be installed on a Windows
system. You can also install PowerCLI on a different Windows
system. The vSphere Auto Deploy server is part of
vCenter Server. You must enable and start the vSphere Auto
Deploy service on the vCenter Server system. You can perform
many of the setup tasks by logging in to the Windows system,
either directly into the console or by using Remote Desktop
(RDP). See Prepare Your System for vSphere Auto Deploy.
Storage At least 4 GB of free space on the Windows system where
vCenter Server is running. Preferably a second volume or hard
drive.
Storage for ESXi datastores NFS, iSCSI, or FibreChannel, with
servers and storage arrays that are configured so the servers
can detect the LUNs.
n
A list of target IP addresses for NFS or iSCSI.
n
A list of target volume information for NFS or iSCSI.
Host information (for four ESXi hosts) A list of target IP addresses for NFS or iSCSI.
A list of target volume information for NFS or iSCSI.
n
Default route, net mask, and primary and secondary DNS
server IP addresses.
n
IP address and net mask for the VMkernel primary
management network.
n
IP address and net mask for other VMkernel networks such
as storage, vSphere FT, or VMware vMotion.
vSphere Auto Deploy does not overwrite existing partitions by
default.
vSphere Installation and Setup
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