Working with Host Profiles: Synchronize ESXi Host Configurations

 

 

How to Add a Second ESXi Host to the Team vCenter Server System
The following steps will show you how to remove a host from your vCenter Server instance and add it to the team vCenter Server instance.

  1. Go to Home > Inventory > Hosts and Clusters.
  2. Remove your ESXi host from the inventory:
    1. Right-click your ESXi host in the inventory and select Remove.
    2. Click Yes to confirm removal.
  3. Exit vSphere Client.
  4. Add the ESXi host to the team vCenter Server system:
    1. Open vSphere Client. Log in to the team vCenter Server system.
    2. Go to Home > Inventory > Hosts and Clusters.
    3. Expand inventory.
    4. Right-click Lab Servers folder in inventory and select Add Host.
    5. Do the following when the Add Host wizard appears:
      1. Enter a fully qualified host name of the higher-numbered ESXi host. (Host Name)
      2. Type root. (Username)
      3. Enter the root password and click Next. If a security alert appears, click Yes. (Password)
      4. View the information. (Host Summary)
      5. Select the vSphere 4 Enterprise Plus license key. If you see a warning message that the license key that you selected is a part of another vCenter Server inventory, click Use key.(Assign License)
      6. Leave the default. (Lockdown Mode)
      7. Select the Training datacenter. (Virtual Machine Location)
      8. Review the configuration summary and click Finish. (Ready to Complete)
  5. Monitor the progress of the task in the Recent Tasks pane. After task is finished, your ESXi host appears in the Lab Servers folder in the inventory.
  6. Go to Home >Inventory > VMs and Templates.
  7. Move virtual machine(s) to your desired folder.

Note that the templates that were created using the higher numbered ESXi host do not appear in the VMs and Templates inventory view. The templates would have to be registered (added into the inventory) with the lowered-numbered ESXi host.

 

 

 

 

 

How to Create Disparate Configurations
The following steps will show you how to create an internal virtual switch on the lower-numbered ESXi host.

  1. Go to Home > Inventory > Hosts and Clusters.
  2. Select the lower-numbered ESXi host in the inventory and click the Configuration tab.
  3. In the Hardware list, select Networking.
  4. Click the Add Networking link.
  5. Do the following when the Add Network wizard appears:
    1. Click Virtual Machine. (Connection Type)
    2. Deselect all check boxes. No vmnic adapter should be selected. (Network Access)
    3. Type Internal Virtual Machine Network. (Connection Settings)
    4. Click Finish. (Ready to Complete)
  6. Verify that the new virtual switch is displayed in the Networking pane.

 

 

 

How to Create a Host Profile
The following steps will show you how to build a host profile based in the configuration of the lower-numbered ESXi host in the vCenter Server inventory.

  1. Use the vSphere Client to log in to the team vCenter Server system.
  2. GO to Home > Management > Host Profiles.
  3. Click Create Profile.
  4. Do the following when the Create Profile wizard appears:
    1. Click Create Profile from existing host and click Next. (Select Creation Method)
    2. Expand the inventory view and click the lower-numbered ESXi host. Click Next. (Specify Reference Host)
    3. Type Add Internal vSwitch. No description is necessary. (Profile Details)
    4. Click Finish. (Ready to Complete)

 

 

 

How to Attach a Host Profile to an ESXi Host and Check Compliance
The following steps will show you how to attach the host profile to the higher-numbered ESXi host and check for compliance.

  1. Use the vSphere Client to log in to the team vCenter Server system.
  2. Go to Home > Inventory > Hosts and Clusters.
  3. Select the higher-numbered ESXi host in the inventory and click the Virtual Machines tab.
  4. Shut down all virtual machines that are powered on. Right-click each virtual machine and select Power > Shut Down Guest. Click yes to confirm the shutdown. Wait for all virtual machines to shut down and power off. TIP: To shut down multiple virtual machines at the same time, sort the list of virtual machines by state so that all powered-on virtual machines are sequential in the list. Select the first powered-on virtual machine. Hold down the Shift key and click the last powered-on virtual machine in the list. Right-click the last powered-on virtual machine in the list and select Power > Shut Down Guest.
  5. Right-click the higher-numbered ESXi host in the vCenter Server inventory and select Enter Maintenance Mode.
  6. Click yes to confirm the action.
  7. Go to Home > Management > Host Profiles.
  8. Right-click the Add Internal vSwitch host profile and select Attach Host/Cluster.
  9. Expand the inventory and select the higher-numbered ESXi host.
  10. Click Attach and click OK.
  11. Select the Add Internal vSwitch host profile.
  12. In the Add Internal vSwitch pane, click the Hosts and Clusters tab.
  13. Select the ESXi host and click the Check Compliance Now link. Review the compliance failures.

 

 

 

How to Apply a Host Profile to an ESXi Host
The following steps will show you how to apply a host profile to synchronize the configurations between the ESXi hosts.

  1. Go to Home > Management > Host Profiles.
  2. Select the Add Internal vSwitch host profile.
  3. Click the Hosts and Clusters tab.
  4. Select the ESXi host and click the Apply Profile link.
  5. When prompted for the credentials of a user with permission to join the domain, enter the domain admin user name and password.
  6. Review the configuration changes to be applied and click Finish.
  7. In the Recent Tasks pane, monitor the process as it applies changes on the host.
  8. In the Hosts and Clusters tab, watch for the ESXi host to change to Compliant.
  9. GO to Home > Inventory > Hosts and Clusters.
  10. Click the Configurations tab.
  11. Click the Networking link.
  12. Verify that the internal virtual switch was created.
  13. Take the higher-numbered host out of maintenance mode and power on its virtual machines:
    1. Right-click the higher-numbered host in the inventory and select Exit Maintenance Mode.
    2. Click the Virtual Machines tab.
    3. Select all virtual machines in the list.
    4. Right-click the last virtual machine in the list and select Power > Power On.