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

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3 Auto Deploy provisions each host with the new image profile. The exact effect of applying the host
profile depends on the host profile you selected and on whether the host was previously provisioned
with Auto Deploy.
Table 7
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9. First Boot and Subsequent Boots Comparison
First Boot Subsequent Boots
For stateful installs, Auto Deploy installs the image. For stateful installs, the host boots from disk.
For stateless caching, Auto Deploy provisions the host
and caches the image.
For stateless caching, Auto Deploy provisions the host.
n
If Auto Deploy provisioned the host before but
stateless caching was not set up before, Auto Deploy
caches the image.
n
If Auto Deploy provided the host before and cached
the image, Auto Deploy provisions the host using
the information in the rules.
n
If Auto Deploy is unavailable, the host boots from
the cached image.
Set Up Stateless Hosts to Use Auto Deploy with Caching
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.
A host that is set up for stateless caching uses the cached image only if the Auto Deploy server is not
available when the host reboots. In all other situations, the host is provisioned with Auto Deploy. If you
change the rule that applies an image profile to the host, and you perform a test and repair compliance
operation, Auto Deploy provisions the host with the new image and the new image is cached.
Set up a highly available Auto Deploy infrastructure to guarantee that virtual machines are migrated to the
host if the host reboots. Because vCenter Server assigns virtual machines to the host, vCenter Server must be
available. See “Set up a Highly Available Auto Deploy Infrastructure,” on page 204.
You can set up your environment for stateless caching by applying host profiles directly or by using
PowerCLI rules.
Table 7
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10. Setting up hosts for stateless caching or stateful installs
Workflow Stateless caching Stateful install
Apply host profile directly Apply the host profile either to
individual hosts or to all hosts in a folder
or cluster. See “Configure a Host Profile
to Use Stateless Caching,” on page 185.
Apply the host profile either to individual
hosts or to all hosts in a folder or cluster. See
“Configure a Host Profile to Enable Stateful
Installs,” on page 186.
Write and apply PowerCLI
rules
Set up a reference host with a host
profile that has the caching setup you
want. Write an Auto Deploy PowerCLI
rule that provisions the host and that
applies a host profile that is set up for
stateless caching. See “Assign a Host
Profile to Hosts,” on page 174.
Set up a reference host with a host profile that
has the caching setup you want. Write an
Auto Deploy PowerCLI rule that provisions
the host and that applies a host profile that is
set up for stateful installs. See “Assign a Host
Profile to Hosts,” on page 174.
Prepare for Auto Deploy with Stateless Caching
Before you can start provisioning a host that uses stateless caching with Auto Deploy, you must verify that
your environment is set up for Auto Deploy, prepare Auto Deploy PowerCLI rules, and set the host boot
order.
Prerequisites
n
Decide which disk to use for caching and determine whether the caching process will overwrite an
existing VMFS partition.
vSphere Installation and Setup
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