You upload the completed deployment parameter spreadsheet to complete bring-up.

Procedure

  1. Upload the deployment parameter sheet in one of the following ways. In the Download Spreadsheet section, click Next.
  2. In the Complete Spreadsheet section, click Next.
  3. In the Upload Spreadsheet section, click Select File. Select the completed parameter sheet and click Open.
  4. After the file is uploaded, click Next to begin validation of the uploaded file. You can download or print the validation list.
    The following audit tasks are performed and validation results are displayed on the UI.
    Task Validation
    JSON validation Validates JSON correctness, syntax, null values, and missing fields or components
    Host and IP DNS records Validates forward and reverse lookup for all hosts in bring-up JSON.
    ESXi Host Readiness Validates SSH access and policy, NTP configuration and policy, DNS configuration, VMNIC availability, vSwitch availability, VM network portgroup , and VLAN check on each host.
    vSAN Disk Availability Validates that required disks for VSAN are available for use.
    License Key Format Validates format, validity, and expiry for ESX, VSAN, vCenter Server, NSX, and Log Insight license keys.
    Password Validation Validates specified passwords. Checks for minimum length, invalid characters, and format.
    Network Configuration Validates CIDR to IP address validity, IP addresses in use, gateways, invalid or missing VLANs, invalid or missing MTU, IP pools, and network spec availability for all components.
    Network Connectivity Validates that the vSAN and vMotion VLANs, MTUs, and gateways specified in the parameter sheet are correctly configured.
    Time Synchronization Validates NTP configuration for all ESX hosts.
    Network IP Pools Validates the following:
    • Pool defines enough IP addresses such that there is one IP address available for each host used for bring-up.
    • Start and end of IP inclusion pools are within the subnet specified for vSAN and vMotion.
    • IP addresses provided in inclusion pool are not in use.
    Cloud Builder Readiness Validates that Cloud Builder has the correct NTP and DNS configuration.
    ESXi Host Version Validates ESXi version installed on the hosts and compares against the VCF-EMS manifest located in /opt/evosddc/bundle/scripts/manifest.json on the Cloud Foundation Builder VM

    To access the bring-up log file, SSH to the Cloud Builder VM as root and open the /opt/vmware/bringup/logs/vcf-bringup-debug.log file.

    If there is an error during the validation and the Next button is grayed out, you can either make corrections to the environment or edit the JSON file and upload it again. Then click Re-Try to perform the validation again.

    If any warnings are displayed and you want to proceed, click Acknowledge and then click Next.

  5. Click Deploy SDDC.
    During the bring-up process, the following tasks are completed.
    • PSC, vCenter Server, vSAN, vRealize Log Insight, and NSX components are deployed.
    • The management domain is created, which contains the management components - SDDC Manager, all vCenter Servers, and NSX Managers and Controllers.

    The status of the bring-up tasks is displayed in the UI.

    After bring-up is completed, a green bar is displayed indicating that bring-up was successful. A link to the SDDC Manager UI is also displayed.

    If there are errors during bring-up, see Troubleshooting Cloud Foundation Deployment for guidance on how to proceed.

  6. Click Download to download a detailed deployment report. This report includes information on assigned IP addresses and networks that were configured in your environment.
  7. After bring-up is completed, click Finish.
  8. In the SDDC Deployment Completed dialog box, click Launch SDDC Manager.
  9. Verify the following:
    • View management domain details.
    • Log in to vCenter Server and verify the management cluster, vSAN cluster, and deployed VMs.
  10. Power off the Cloud Builder VM.
    The Cloud Builder VM includes the VMware Imaging Appliance, which you can use to install ESXi on additional servers after bring-up is complete. You can delete the Cloud Builder VM to reclaim its resources or keep it available for future server imaging.
    Caution: Do not modify or delete any vDS or port groups, or modify the default configuration.