As an administrator, you can configure a Salt minion for your VMware Aria Automation Config users using VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle. To configure the minion, you can either install and upgrade a minion that was installed outside of VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle, or use the minion that is packaged within the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle appliance.

To install or configure a Salt Minion, you select the Configure Lifecycle Minion icon on the System Administration page.

Install a Lifecycle Minion

If no Salt minion is installed, VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle detects this condition and the configuration page automatically provides you with the option to install a minion.

  1. Select the version to install based on the Master version that you have:
    • Version 3006.7
    • Version 3007.0
  2. Click Install.

The Requests page appears so that you can check the status of the request. After the status is complete, return to Settings > Configure Lifecycle Minion to add a Salt master Salt master grain.

Upgrade a Salt minion

If you have a Salt minion with Salt master version 3006.7 installed in VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle, you can select Settings > Configure Lifecycle Minion to upgrade to version 3007.0.

  1. Select version 3007.0.
  2. Click Upgrade.

The Requests page appears so that you can check the status of your request. After the request completes, the Salt minion has been upgraded to version 3007.0 and both versions under Upgrade Minion are greyed out and you return to Settings > Configure Lifecycle Minion to add a Salt master Salt master grain.

Add a Salt master and Salt master grain

To configure a Salt minion, you add add a Salt master and a Salt master grain.
  • The Salt master is the main connection between VMware Aria Automation Config and the rest of the nodes or minions on your network. When you run a job in VMware Aria Automation Config, the command goes to the Salt master for distribution to the targeted minions. See How does Automation Config work.

    To add a Salt master, verify that you have the FQDN configured for the Salt master.

  • A grain is a piece of information about a minion. Grains provide a way to query and use system information dynamically, allowing for a more intelligent and context-aware approach to configuration management.

    A grain is a key/value pair, such as Role:vRSLCM.

To add a Salt master, verify that you have the FQDN of the Salt master.

  1. Add a Salt Master.
    1. Copy and paste the FQDN of the Salt master.
    2. Click Add Master. The Salt master's FQDN appears in the list of Salt Masters.

      If you have Salt masters in a multi-master environment that is outside of VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle, repeat the steps to add multiple Salt masters.

    3. Click Save Salt Masters.

    The Requests page appears so that you can check the status of the request. After the status is complete, log in to VMware Aria Automation Config to accept the minion key and establish the connection between the Salt master and your Salt minion in VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle. See Understanding the Automation Config User Interface.

  2. Add Minion Grain (optional)
    1. Add the grain key.
    2. Add the grain value.
    3. Click Add Grain. The key/value pair for the Salt master grain appears in the list of Grains.
      If you have multiple grains, repeat the steps to add the key/value pairs. In the following example, multiple grains help to identify a minion that is installed in a VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle production appliance that is located in a London datacenter.
      • Role:vRSLCM
      • Type:Production
      • Datacenter:London
    4. Click Save Minion Grains.

    5. The Requests page appears so that you can check the status of the request. After the status is complete, the configuration is saved and propogated to the Salt master and Salt minion.