VMware VS4-ENT-PL-A - vSphere Enterprise Plus, Setup Manual

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Table 7
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5. Auto Deploy Stores Information for Deployment
Information Type Description Source of State Information
Image state Executable software to run on an ESXi host. Image profile, created with Image Builder
PowerCLI.
Configuration
state
Configurable settings that determine how the
host is configured, for example, virtual switches
and their settings, driver settings, boot
parameters, and so on.
Host profile, created by using the host profile UI.
Often comes from a template host.
Dynamic state Runtime state that is generated by the running
software, for example, generated private keys or
runtime databases.
Stored in host memory and lost during reboot.
Virtual machine
state
Virtual machines stored on a host and virtual
machine autostart information (subsequent
boots only).
vCenter Server must be available to supply
virtual machine information to Auto Deploy.
User input State that is based on user input, for example,
an IP address that the user provides when the
system starts up, cannot automatically be
included in the host profile.
You can create a host profile that requires user
input for certain values.
When Auto Deploy applies a host profile that
requires an answer to a host, the host comes up
in maintenance mode. Use the host profiles
interface to check the host profile compliance,
and respond to the prompt to customize the host.
The host customization information is stored
with the host.
Auto Deploy Architecture
The Auto Deploy infrastructure consists of several components.
Figure 7
‑
1. vSphere Auto Deploy Architecture
HTTP fetch of images/VIBs
and host profiles (iPXE boot
and update)
public depot
VIBs and
image profiles
Fetch of predefined image
profiles and VIBs
Host profiles
and host
customization
Image
profiles
Auto Deploy
PowerCLI
Auto Deploy
server
(web server)
Host profile
UI
Image Builder
PowerCLI
Rules Engine
ESXi
host
Plug-in
Host
profile
engine
Auto Deploy server
Serves images and host profiles to ESXi hosts. The Auto Deploy server is at
the heart of the Auto Deploy infrastructure.
Auto Deploy rules
engine
Tells the Auto Deploy server which image profile and which host profile to
serve to which host. Administrators use the Auto Deploy PowerCLI to define
the rules that assign image profiles and host profiles to hosts.
vSphere Installation and Setup
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