Specify Names and vSphere Lifecycle Manager Method

Provide names for the VI workload domain and organization and select whether the VI workload domain will use vSphere Lifecycle Manager images or baselines.

vSphere Lifecycle Manager enables centralized and simplified lifecycle management for VMware ESXi hosts through the use of images and baselines. By default, a new VI workload domain uses vSphere Lifecycle Manager baselines, but you can choose to use vSphere Lifecycle Manager images instead. Consider the following when choosing the vSphere Lifecycle Manager method:

• You cannot stretch clusters that are part of a VI workload domain that uses vSphere Lifecycle Manager images.
• Two-node clusters are not supported in a VI workload domain that uses vSphere Lifecycle Manager baselines. See Prerequisites for a Workload Domain for additional requirements for two-node cluster.

Prerequisites

Verify that you have met the prerequisites described in About VI Workload Domains.

Procedure

1. Type a name for the VI workload domain, such as sfo01. The name must contain between 3 and 20 characters.
   It is good practice to include location information in the name since resource object names (such as host and vCenter names) are generated based on the VI workload domain name.
2. (Optional) Type a name for the organization that requested or will use the virtual infrastructure, such as Finance. The name must contain between 3 and 20 characters.
3. Select Based on License Keys as the licensing mode for this workload domain.
   Important: Do not select Keyless from VMware Cloud. Deploying a VI workload domain with keyless licensing is no longer supported.
4. If you want to use vSphere Lifecycle Manager images as the update method for the VI workload domain, select Manage clusters in this workload domain using images.
   If you choose not to use vSphere Lifecycle Manager images, then the VI workload domain uses vSphere Lifecycle Manager baselines. The update method that you select for the VI workload domain cannot be changed later. For more information on vSphere Lifecycle Manager images, see vSphere Lifecycle Manager Image Management.

   Note: You must use vSphere Lifecycle Manager images in order to create vSphere clusters with only two hosts and those clusters must use NFS, VMFS on FC, or vVols as principal storage.
5. Click Next.