Deploying an Agent VM Using a vSphere Client

Deploying the Agent VM installs and configures a Data Management for VMware Tanzu agent in a vSphere cluster or VMC cluster.

You will perform the following procedure to install and deploy the Agent VM:

Step 1: Satisfy the Prerequisites
Step 2: Identify the Agent .ova download URL, or optionally download the Agent .ova package
Step 3: Install the Agent .ova on vCenter
Step 4: Power On the Agent VM

Audience

The procedures in this topic are performed by a Data Management for VMware Tanzu user in the Organization Administrator role.

Step 1: Prerequisites

Before you begin deploying the Agent VM, your vCenter must be configured. Ensure that you have on hand and can identify:

The IP address or fully-qualified distinguished name for your vCenter server instance.
Your vCenter administrator credentials.
The vSphere Cluster, VMC cluster, or ESXi host on which you want to install and deploy the VM.
The network or distributed port group that will host the Control Plane Network (eth0) for the Agent VM. This network must be able to access the Control Plane Network (eth1) configured for the Provider VM.
The network information for the Agent VM if you plan to assign it a static IP address, including the IP address, netmask, gateway, and domain information.

Step 2: Downloading the Agent .ova

The Data Management for VMware Tanzu Agent .ova is available as a separate download from VMware Tanzu Network and VMware Customer Connect.

Perform these steps to download the Agent .ova:

Navigate to Data Management for VMware Tanzu on VMware Tanzu Network or VMware Customer Connect, locate and select Agent Virtual Appliance, and download the file.

The format of the Agent virtual appliance download file name is:
```
dms-agent-va-<version>-<build>.ova
```
For example:
```
dms-agent-va-1.0.0.1011-18119822.ova
```
Make note of the directory to which the file was downloaded.

Step 3: Installing the Agent .ova on vCenter

Open a web browser window, and log in to your vCenter server instance:
```
https://vcenter_server_ip_or_fqdn
```
Locate the data center and cluster.
Right click on a cluster or ESXi host, or another inventory object, and then select Deploy OVF Template.

The Select an OVF Template form displays.
Deploy the OVF template at the desired location.
On the Select a compute resource form, select the cluster or ESXi host on which to install the Agent VM. Click NEXT after vCenter successfully completes compatibility checks on the selected object.

After resource validation on the selected deployment target completes, the Review details form displays.
Examine the template details for the Agent VM, taking note of the Size on disk values. This information may help inform your selection of storage configuration for the Agent VM in an upcoming step.
Click NEXT.

The Select storage form displays.

Specify the disk format and the data store for the virtual machine files and virtual disks:

Property Name	Value
Encrypt this virtual machine	This option is currently deactivated.
Select virtual disk format	Select the format of the virtual disk from the drop-down menu. Choices are `Thick Provision Lazy Zeroed` (recommended for production environments), `Thin Provision`, or `Thick Provision Eager Zeroed`. Note that thick formats improve performance, while thin formats save storage space. Storage Provisioning and Space Reclamation in the VMware vSphere documentation provides more information about these settings.
VM Storage Policy	Retain the `Datastore Default` policy or select a preconfigured policy from the dropdown list.
Disable Storage DRS for this virtual machine	When you check this setting, vSphere cannot move the VM to a different datastore.
Disk	Choose the destination storage disk and select the associated table row.

Wait for the compatibility checks for your selections to succeed, and then click NEXT.

The Select networks form displays.
Use the Destination Network drop-down menu to select the Control Plane Network for the Agent VM.
Review the IP Allocation Settings, and then click NEXT to complete the network configuration.

The Agent Customize template form appears.

If you want to onboard an Agent only through the Agent console, use the Customize template to configure these Agent Application properties:

Property Name	Value
Agent VM Root Password	The password for the `root` user on the Agent VM.
VM Admin Password	The password for the `admin` user on the Agent VM.
NTP Server	The NTP server URL. The Provider, Agent, and database VMs must all use the same NTP Server.

(Optional) If you want to onboard an Agent through the Agent console or the Provider console of Data Management for VMware Tanzu, use the Customize template to configure these Agent Application and Provider authentication properties:

Property Name	Value
Agent VM Root Password	The password for the `root` user on the Agent VM.
VM Admin Password	The password for the `admin` user on the Agent VM.
NTP Server	The NTP server URL. The Provider, Agent, and database VMs must all use the same NTP Server.
Provider IP	The IP address of the Provider VM.
Provider Username	The login username of the Provider VM.
Provider Password	The login password of the Provider VM.
Provider API Certificate	The API certificate to trust the Provider host. Though providing value for this property is optional, it is recommended to support enhanced security.

Note: You cannot perform the Agent recovery process through the Provider console. Therefore, do not enter the parameters, Provider IP, Provider Username, Provider Password, and the Provider API Certificate when you install the Agent .ova file to perform the Agent recovery process.

Configure the Networking Properties of the Agent VM. Agent recovery requires that the VM have a static IP address assigned to it. Specify values for the following properties:

Property Name	Value
Default Gateway	The IP address of the default gateway for the Agent VM.
Domain Name	The DNS search domain. Note: Each Agent must be assigned a unique domain name. If the DNS server specified during agent installation is not able to resolve the IP address of the vCenter, check whether the `/etc/hosts` file on the Agent VM has the ip-fqdn entry of the vCenter. If the `/etc/hosts` file in the Agent VM does not have ip-fqdn entry of the vCenter, you need to add the entry.
Domain Name Servers	The IP address of the domain name server for the Agent VM. Note: If there are multiple Domain Name Server entries, separate them by a space and not a comma.
Control Plane Network IP Address	The IP address for the Agent VM on the Control Plane Network.
Control Plane Network Netmask	The netmask or prefix for the Agent VM on the Control Plane Network.

Click NEXT.
Examine the Agent VM configuration displayed on the Ready to complete form, and click FINISH.

Note: It may take some time to deploy the Agent VM. Monitor the Recent Operations table at the bottom of the vCenter UI to follow the progress of the operation.

Step 4: Powering On the Agent VM

Power on the Agent VM after it successfully deploys:

Return to the vCenter UI.
Locate the cluster in which you deployed the VM, recall the name of the VM, and select it from the left navigation pane.
Click the green Play icon at the top of the main pane, or click Actions and select Power->Power On from the pop up menu.

Note: Powering on and initializing the VM may take some time. Monitor the Recent Operations table at the bottom of the vCenter UI to monitor the progress of the power on operation.

Next Steps

You successfully installed and deployed the Agent VM. Next, you perform certain tasks as you prepare to onboard the Agent VM.