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

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Set Up Stateless Hosts to Use Auto Deploy with Caching on page 184
You can set up your system to provision hosts with Auto Deploy, and configure the hosts to use
stateless caching. If the Auto Deploy server is not available when a host reboots, the host uses the
cached image.
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Enable Stateful Installs for Hosts Provisioned with Auto Deploy on page 186
You can set up hosts provisioned with Auto Deploy to cache the image to disk and to use the cached
image on subsequent boots. After the image is cached, the hosts act like hosts on which an image is
installed.
Introduction
The System Cache Configuration host profile supports stateless caching and stateful installs.
Stateless caching is a good solution when you use the Auto Deploy infrastructure, but you require a
safeguard in case the Auto Deploy server is unavailable. Hosts provisioned with stateless caching host
profile settings continue to be provisioned with Auto Deploy. Stateful installs support network installation
through Auto Deploy. After the initial installation, hosts that are provisioned with stateful install host
profile settings will boot from disk.
Use Cases
The System Cache Configuration host profile supports the following use cases.
Hosts provisioned with
Auto Deploy cache the
image (stateless
caching)
Set up and apply a host profile for stateless caching. You can cache the image
on a local disk, a remote disk, or a USB drive. Continue provisioning this
host with Auto Deploy. If the Auto Deploy server becomes unavailable, the
host boots from the cache.
Hosts provisioned with
Auto Deploy become
stateful hosts
Set up and apply a host profile for stateful installs. When you provision a
host with Auto Deploy, the image is installed on the local disk, a remote
disk, or a USB drive. For subsequent boots, you boot from disk. The host no
longer uses Auto Deploy.
Preparation
To successfully use stateless caching or stateful installs, decide how to set up the system and set the boot
order.
Chapter 7 Installing ESXi
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