If you want to create a VI workload domain with a single vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS), using ESXi hosts with two pNICs, you can use the VI Configuration wizard in the SDDC Manager UI.

When you use the SDDC Manager UI to create a VI workload domain, it creates a single vDS for management, vMotion, vSAN, and host overlay traffic. The ESXi hosts that you add to the VI workload domain must have two pNICs and both pNICs will be mapped to the single VDS.

If you want to create a VI workload domain with more than one vDS or use ESXi hosts with more than two pNICs, you must use the VMware Cloud Foundation API. See Deploy a VI Workload Domain Using the VMware Cloud Foundation API.

The SDDC Manager UI supports running multiple VI workload domain creation tasks in parallel.

Procedure

  1. In the navigation pane, click + Workload Domain and then click VI Virtual Infrastructure.
  2. Select the principal storage type and click Begin.
    The Storage Selection settings for a VI workload domain.

Specify Names, vCenter Single Sign-On Domain, and vSphere Lifecycle Manager Method

Provide names for the VI workload domain and organization, choose a vCenter Single Sign-On domain, and select whether the VI workload domain will use vSphere Lifecycle Manager images or baselines.

When you create a VI workload domain, you can join it to the management domain's vCenter Single Sign-On domain or a new vCenter Single Sign-On domain that is not used by any other workload domain. Joining a new vCenter Single Sign-On domain enables a VI workload domain to be isolated from the other workload domains in your VMware Cloud Foundation instance. The vCenter Single Sign-On domain for a VI workload domain determines the local authentication space.
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 images (as long as an image is available), but you can choose to use vSphere Lifecycle Manager baselines 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 an SSO domain option for the VI workload domain.
    Option Description
    Create New SSO Domain Creates a new vCenter Single Sign-On domain:
    • Enter the domain name, for example mydomain.local.
      Note: Ensure that the domain name is unique and does not contain any upper-case letters.
    • Set the password for the SSO administrator account.

      This is the password for the user administrator@your_domain_name.

    • Confirm the administrator password.
    Note: All components in the management domain must be upgraded to VMware Cloud Foundation 5.0 before you can create a new SSO domain.
    Join Management SSO Domain Join the new VI workload domain to the management domain's vCenter Single Sign-On domain.
    Note: You cannot change the SSO domain for a VI workload domain after you deploy it.
  4. To use vSphere Lifecycle Manager baselines as the update method for the VI workload domain, select Manage clusters in this workload domain using baselines (deprecated).
    If no vSphere Lifecycle Manager images are available this option is automatically selected. You can proceed to use vSphere Lifecycle Manager baselines, or exit the wizard and create a vSphere Lifecycle Manager image. For more information on vSphere Lifecycle Manager images, see Managing vSphere Lifecycle Manager Images in VMware Cloud Foundation.
    The update method that you select for a VI workload domain cannot be changed later.
    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.
    • You must use vSphere Lifecycle Manager baselines if you plan to stretch any clusters in the VI workload domain.
  5. Click Next.

Specify vSphere Cluster Details

Provide a name for the workload domain vSphere cluster. If you are using vSphere Lifecycle Manager images, select a cluster image to apply to the hosts.

Prerequisites

You must have a cluster image available if the workload domain is using vSphere Lifecycle Manager images. See Managing vSphere Lifecycle Manager Images in VMware Cloud Foundation.

Procedure

  1. Enter a vSphere cluster name.
  2. Select a cluster image from the drop-down menu.
    The option is only available for VI workload domains that use vSphere Lifecycle Manager images.
    Note: If the cluster image contains a different version of a vendor add-on or component than what is installed on the ESXi hosts you add to the cluster, the hosts will be remediated to use the cluster image during cluster creation.

Specify Compute Details

Specify the details for the vCenter Server that gets deployed for the workload domain.

Procedure

  1. Enter the FQDN for the workload domain's vCenter Server.
    The vCenter Server IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway, are populated based on the FQDN and SDDC Manager details.
  2. Enter and confirm a vCenter Server root password.
  3. Click Next.

Specify Networking Details

Provide information about the NSX Manager cluster to use with the VI workload domain. If you already have an NSX Manager cluster for a different VI workload domain, you can reuse that NSX Manager cluster or create a new one.

Do not share an NSX Manager cluster between workload domains catering to different use cases that would require different NSX Edge cluster specifications and configurations.

See VMware Configuration Maximums for information about the maximum number of workload domains that can be managed by a single NSX Manager instance.

Procedure

  1. On the Networking page of the wizard, select an option for the VI workload domain's NSX Manager instance.
    Option Description
    Create New NSX instance Choose this option to create a new NSX Manager instance for the workload domain.
    Note:
    • You must create a new NSX Manager instance if this is the first VI workload domain in your VMware Cloud Foundation instance.
    • You must create a new NSX Manager instance if your VI workload domain is joining a new SSO domain.
    • Provide the NSX Manager cluster details:
      • FQDNs for three NSX Managers nodes
      • NSX Manager cluster FQDN
      • NSX Manager Admin password
      • NSX Manager Audit password
    Use Existing NSX instance Choose this option to use an existing NSX Manager instance from another VI workload domain.
    Important:
    • You cannot share an NSX Manager instance between VI workload domains that are in different SSO domains.
    • In order to share an NSX Manager instance, the VI workload domains must use the same update method. The VI workload domains must both use vSphere Lifecycle Manager baselines or they must both use vSphere Lifecycle Manager images.
    • Select the NSX Manager instance.
      Note: NSX Managers for workload domains that are in the process of deploying are not able to be shared and do not appear in the list of available NSX Managers.
  2. Enter the VLAN ID for the NSX host overlay network.
  3. Select the IP allocation method.
    Note: You can only use a static IP pool for VI workload domains with uniform L2 clusters. For L3 aware or stretch clusters, DHCP is required for Host Overlay Network TEP IP assignment.
    Option Description
    DHCP With this option VMware Cloud Foundation uses DHCP for the Host Overlay Network TEPs.

    A DHCP server must be configured on the NSX host overlay VLAN. When NSX creates TEPs for the VI workload domain, they are assigned IP addresses from the DHCP server.
    Static IP Pool With this option VMware Cloud Foundation uses a static IP pool for the Host Overlay Network TEPs. You can re-use an existing IP pool or create a new one.
    To create a new static IP Pool provide the following information:
    • Pool Name
    • Description
    • CIDR
    • IP Range.
    • Gateway IP
    Make sure the IP range includes enough IP addresses for the number of hosts that will use the static IP Pool. The number of IP addresses required depends on the number of pNICs on the ESXi hosts that are used for the vSphere Distributed Switch that handles NSX host overlay networking. For example, a host with four pNICs that uses two pNICs for NSX host overlay traffic requires two IP addresses in the static IP pool.
    Note: You cannot stretch a cluster that uses static IP addresses for the NSX host overlay network TEPs.
  4. Click Next.

Select the vSAN Parameters

At the Storage step of the creation wizard, specify the availability you want provisioned for the VI workload domain. This page appears only if you are using vSAN storage for this workload domain.

Based on your selections, SDDC Manager will determine:

  • The minimum number of hosts that it needs to fulfill those selections
  • The specific hosts in your environment that are available and appropriate to fulfill those selections
  • The virtual infrastructure features and their specific configurations that are needed to fulfill those selections
Note: You can modify the VMware vSAN configuration in vSphere without negatively affecting the VMware Cloud Foundation configuration.

Procedure

  1. Specify the level of availability you want configured for the cluster.
    The availability level determines the level of redundancy that is set for the assigned resources.
    Failures to tolerate Description
    0 vSAN requires a minimum of three hosts.
    1 vSAN requires a minimum of four hosts.
    2 vSAN requires a minimum of five hosts.
  2. Select the check box to enable vSAN deduplication and compression.
  3. Click Next.

Specify the VMFS on FC Datastore

If you are using VMFS on FC storage for the workload domain, you must specify the VMFS on FC datastore name.

Procedure

  1. On the Storage page, enter the name of the VMFS on FC datastore.
  2. Click Next.

Specify vVols Storage Details

If you use vVols storage for the workload domain, you must specify the vVols storage details.

Procedure

  1. Select a VASA protocol type.
    vVols supports FC, NFS, and iSCSI storage protocol types.
  2. Select a VASA provider name.
  3. Select a storage container.
  4. Select a VASA user.
  5. Enter a datastore name.
  6. Click Next.

Select Hosts

The Host Selection page displays available hosts along with hosts details. Hosts that are powered off, cannot be accessed via SSH, or have not been properly commissioned are not displayed.

  • Select only healthy hosts.
    To check a host's health, SSH in to the SDDC Manager VM using the vcf administrative user account and type the following command: 
    sudo /opt/vmware/sddc-support/sos --health-check
    When prompted, enter the vcf user password. For more information, see Supportability and Serviceability (SoS) Utility
  • For optimum performance, you must select hosts that are identical in terms of memory, CPU types, and disks.

    If you select unbalanced hosts, the SDDC Manager UI displays a warning message, but you can proceed with the workload domain creation.

  • You cannot select hosts that are in a dirty state. A host is in a dirty state when it has been removed from a cluster in a workload domain.

    To clean a dirty host, re-image the host.

  • When creating a VI workload domain using the SDDC Manager UI, all hosts in a cluster must be associated with the same network pool. You can use the Cloud Foundation API to select hosts from different network pools, as long as those network pools have the same VLAN ID and MTU settings.

Procedure

  1. Select the hosts for creating the VI workload domain.
  2. Click Next.

Specify NFS Storage Details

If you are using NFS storage for this workload domain, you must provide the NFS share folder and IP address of the NFS server.

Procedure

  1. On the NFS Storage page, enter a name for the NFS datastore.
  2. Enter the path to the NFS share.
  3. Enter the IP address of the NFS server.
    Note: When creating additional datastores for an NFS share and server, use the same datastore name. If you use a different datastore name, vCenter overwrites the datastore name provided earlier.
  4. Click Next.

Select Licenses

On the Licenses page select an available license for VMware NSX, vSAN, and vSphere.

Prerequisites

You must have added valid license keys for the following products:
  • VMware vSAN (if using vSAN as the storage option)

    NFS does not require a license

  • VMware NSX
  • VMware vSphere

    Since vSphere and vSAN licenses are per CPU, ensure that you have sufficient licenses for the ESXi hosts to be used for the workload domain.

For information on adding license keys, see Add a License Key.

Procedure

  1. Select a license key for each of the components in the VI workload domain.
  2. Click Next.

View Object Names

The Object Names page displays the vSphere objects that will be generated for the VI workload domain. Object names are based on the VI workload domain name.

Procedure

  1. Review the syntax that will be used for the vSphere objects generated for this domain.
  2. Click Next.

Review Details and Start the Creation Workflow

At the Review step of the wizard, review the information about the workload domain and start the creation workflow. You can also print the information or download a printable version to print later. It can take up to two hours for the domain to be created.

The Review page displays information about the resources and their configurations that are deployed when the workflow creates and deploys the virtual infrastructure for this workload domain.

The hosts that will be added to the workload domain are listed along with information such as the network pool they belong to, memory, CPU, and so on.

Procedure

  1. Scroll down the page to review the information.
  2. Click Finish.
    SDDC Manager validates the VI workload domain confirguration and displays any errors.

    If validation succeeds, the Workload Domains page appears, and a notification is displayed letting you know that VI workload domain is being added. Click View Task Status to view the domain creation tasks and sub tasks.

    If a task fails, you can fix the issue and rerun the task. If the workload domain creation fails, contact VMware Support.
    Note: Multiple VMkernels are created to test the vMotion network, which may cause changes in the MAC addresses and IP address relations. If MAC address filtering is enabled on your physical infrastructure, this may cause issues such as vMotion network connectivity validation failure.

What to do next