This section describes the supported and unsupported configurations for converting an existing vSphere environment into a VMware Cloud Foundation management domain, or importing an existing vSphere environment as a VI workload domain.

The requirements and supported configurations vary slightly across different versions. Confirm the versions of the VCF Import Tool and SDDC Manager that you are running support your use case.

Considerations by Domain Type

Category

Management Domain Considerations

VI Workload Domain Considerations

Recommendation

VMware Cloud Foundation Software BOM Alignment

 VCF Import Tool 5.2 requires:
  • vCenter Server 8.0 Update 3a or later
  • ESXi 8.0 Update 3 or later
VCF Import Tool 5.2.1 and 5.2.1.1 require:
  • vCenter Server 8.0 Update 3c or later
  • ESXi 8.0 Update 3b or later
 All versions of the VCF Import Tool support:
  • vCenter Server 7.0 Update 3h or later
  • ESXi 7.0 Update 3g or later

Upgrade the domain to at least the minimum required versions.

Caution:

vCenter Servers originally deployed at a version below 6.5 may encounter an issue upgrading to 8.0U3. See KB370882 for more details.

Ports & Protocols

Must align with https://ports.esp.vmware.com/home/VMware-Cloud-Foundation

Caution:

vCenter Server must be using port 443.

Custom ports for vCenter Server are not currently supported for import. Please wait for a future version of VCF that will support importing vCenter Server using custom ports.

vCenter Server VM Location

Must be co-located

Must be located in the management domain, or co-located

Move the vCenter Server VM to a supported location. See this for more information on cross vCenter vMotion.

Single Sign-On

SSO domain names for imported environments do not need to be unique within a VMware Cloud Foundation instance

Each SSO domain should contain only a single vCenter Server. ELM is not supported

Remove the vCenter instance from the ELM ring, creating multiple SSO domains

Cluster - Storage

  • Default cluster must be one of vSAN, NFS v3, VMFS-FC.

  • NFS 4.1, FCoE, VVOLs or native iSCSI are not supported

Select a cluster with primary storage from the supported list

Clusters cannot be stretched vSAN

vSAN stretched clusters are not currently supported. Please wait for a future version of VCF that will support importing vSAN stretched clusters.

  • VCF 5.2: All clusters (vSAN, NFS, FC) must be 4 nodes minimum.

    VCF 5.2.1.x: When using vSAN, vLCM image clusters must be 3 nodes minimum and vLCM baseline clusters must be 2 nodes minimum.

  • VCF 5.2.1.x: When using NFS or FC and vLCM images, the default cluster must be 2 nodes minimum. When using NFS or FC and vLCM baselines, the default cluster must be 4 nodes minimum.

  • When using vSAN, all clusters must be 3 nodes minimum.

  • When using NFS or FC all clusters must be 2 nodes minimum

Expand the cluster to the minimum number of nodes for the relevant storage type

When using vSAN, compression only (applicable for OSA) is not supported

Dedupe and compression are supported together. Either enable dedupe, or disable compression.

Cluster - Network

vCenter Server must not have an existing NSX instance registered

vCenter Servers with existing NSX registrations are not currently supported for import
LACP support
  • VCF Import Tool 5.2.1.1 with SDDC Manager 5.2.1.1: Supported
  • Earlier versions: Not supported

For earlier versions of the VCF Import Tool and SDDC Manager 5.2.1.1, you can use teaming options available with vSphere Distributed Switch and N-VDS to provide load balancing and failover instead of LACP

Use vSphere Distributed Switches only. Standard or Cisco virtual switches are not supported

Note: When using the VCF Import Tool 5.2.1.1 with SDDC Manager 5.2.1.1, your hosts can have a standard switch, as long they also have a vSphere distributed switch.

To move to a vSphere Distributed Switch. See this procedure.

VMkernel IP addresses must be statically assigned

Move to statically assigned IP addresses

Multiple VMkernels for a single traffic type (vSAN , vMotion) are not supported

Reconfigure to a single VMkernel per traffic type

VCF Import Tool 5.2.1.1 with SDDC Manager 5.2.1.1: ESXi hosts can have a different number of physical uplinks (minimum 2) assigned to a vSphere distributed switch. Each uplink must be a minimum of 10Gb.

Ealier versions: ESXi hosts must have the same number of physical uplinks (minimum 2) assigned to a vSphere distributed switch. Each uplink must be a minimum of 10Gb
  • Use the VCF Import Tool 5.2.1.1 with SDDC Manager 5.2.1.1
  • Or, reconfigure uplinks accordingly

vSphere distributed switch teaming policies must match VMware Cloud Foundation standards

See here for VMware Cloud Foundation teaming policies

Dedicated vMotion network must be configured

Configure a dedicated vMotion network
vSphere distributed switch

VCF Import Tool 5.2.1.1 with SDDC Manager 5.2.1.1: Supports clusters that share a vSphere distributed switch.

Earlier versions: Each cluster must have a dedicated vSphere distributed switch
  • Use the VCF Import Tool 5.2.1.1 with SDDC Manager 5.2.1.1
  • Or, ensure that each cluster has its own vSphere distributed switch

Cluster - Compute

Clusters must not be VxRail managed

VxRail is not currently supported. Please wait for a future version of VCF that will support importing VxRail
Clusters that use vSphere Configuration Profiles are not supported vSphere Configuration Profiles were introduced as part of vSphere 8.0 and do not yet support NSX.

All clusters must be running vSphere 8.0U3 or later

ESXi build number must be consistent within a cluster

Upgrade hosts to align build numbers

DRS must be fully automated

Enable DRS and set to fully automated
Standalone hosts
  • VCF Import Tool 5.2.1.1 with SDDC Manager 5.2.1.1: Supports standalone hosts, as long as the vCenter has a cluster that meets the import/convert requirements.
    Important: You cannot perform any day-N operations on standalone hosts using SDDC Manager.
  • Earlier versions: Not supported
  • Use the VCF Import Tool 5.2.1.1 with SDDC Manager 5.2.1.1
  • Or, remove the standalone host from the vCenter Server inventory
Single host clusters
  • VCF Import Tool 5.2.1.1 with SDDC Manager 5.2.1.1: Supports single host clusters, as long as the vCenter has a cluster that meets the import/convert requirements.
    Important: You cannot perform any day-N operations on single host clusters using SDDC Manager.
  • Earlier versions: Not supported
 Use the VCF Import Tool 5.2.1.1 with SDDC Manager 5.2.1.1
vSphere Lifecycle Manager method
  • VCF Import Tool 5.2.1.1 with SDDC Manager 5.2.1.1: Supports importing/converting a vCenter with a mix of vSphere Lifecycle Manager image and vSphere Lifecycle Manager baseline clusters
  • Earlier versions: Clusters in the same vCenter must all be managed using the same vSphere Lifecycle Manager method. You cannot import or convert a vCenter that includes clusters with a mix of vSphere Lifecycle Manager images and vSphere Lifecycle Manager baselines.
 Use the VCF Import Tool 5.2.1.1 with SDDC Manager 5.2.1.1

Configuration Support by Domain Type

Table 1. Configuration Support by Domain Type

Configuration

Converted Management Domain

Imported VI Workload Domain

VCF Deployed Management Domain

VCF Deployed VI Workload Domain

Additional Information

Deployment with NSX VLAN-backed

Yes

Yes

No

No

 To manually enable virtual networking for a converted/imported workload domain see VMware Cloud Foundation: Enabling Virtual Networking on Imported Workload Domains.

NSX Edge deployment

Yes*

Yes*

Yes

Yes

 * Requires virtual networking. See VMware Cloud Foundation: Enabling Virtual Networking on Imported Workload Domains.

AVN

Yes*

N/A

Yes

N/A

*Requires NSX edge cluster, which requires virtual networking. See VMware Cloud Foundation: Enabling Virtual Networking on Imported Workload Domains.

Aria Lifecycle deployment in VCF aware mode

Yes*

N/A

Yes

N/A

* Requires virtual networking. See VMware Cloud Foundation: Enabling Virtual Networking on Imported Workload Domains.

Fibre channel storage as primary storage

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

NFS v3 storage as primary storage

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

vCenter Appliances co-located in a workload domain cluster

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Non standard VCF networking, such as link aggregation to the hosts (LACP)

Yes*

Yes*

No

No

 *Requires SDDC Manager 5.2.1.1 and VCF Import Tool 5.2.1.1.

Enhanced Link Mode (ELM)

No

No

Yes

Yes

AVI Load Balancer

Yes*

Yes*

Yes

Yes

 * Requires virtual networking. See VMware Cloud Foundation: Enabling Virtual Networking on Imported Workload Domains.

vSAN Stretched Cluster

No

No

Yes

Yes

WCP Enabled clusters

No

No

Yes

Yes

L3 vSphere Cluster create/Add Host

No

No

No

Yes

vVOL enabled storage

No

No (New clusters can be added post import that utilize vVOL enabled storage)

No (Supplemental only)

Yes

Multi-Region/DR

No

No

Yes

Yes

VMware Validated Solutions

No

No

Yes

Yes

ESXi Host Password management

No

No

Yes

Yes

Add/remove host to a cluster

Yes*

Yes*

Yes

Yes

* Must be done in vCenter and then perform a sync operation