vRealize Automation requires several Windows virtual machines to act as IaaS components in a distributed configuration. These redundant components provide high availability for the vRealize Automation infrastructure features.

About this task

To facilitate cloning, this design uses the vra7-template and the vra7-proxy-agent-template image customization specification templates and the windows-2012r2-64 VM template. A fully redundant vRealize Automation deployment requires eight virtual machines that run on Windows. Repeat this procedure eight times by using the information in the following table to create eight VMs.

VM Name

NetBIOS name

vCenter Folder

IP

vCPU

Memory

Image Customization Specification Template

Network

vra01iws01a.rainpole.local

vra01iws01a

sfo01-m01fd-vra

192.168.11.54

2

4 GB

vra7-template

vxw-dvs-xxxx-Mgmt-xRegion01-VXLAN

vra01iws01b.rainpole.local

vra01iws01b

sfo01-m01fd-vra

192.168.11.55

2

4 GB

vra7-template

vxw-dvs-xxxx-Mgmt-xRegion01-VXLAN

vra01ims01a.rainpole.local

vra01ims01a

sfo01-m01fd-vra

192.168.11.57

2

4 GB

vra7-template

vxw-dvs-xxxx-Mgmt-xRegion01-VXLAN

vra01ims01b.rainpole.local

vra01ims01b

sfo01-m01fd-vra

192.168.11.58

2

4 GB

vra7-template

vxw-dvs-xxxx-Mgmt-xRegion01-VXLAN

vra01dem01a.rainpole.local

vra01dem01a

sfo01-m01fd-vra

192.168.11.60

2

6 GB

vra7-template

vxw-dvs-xxxx-Mgmt-xRegion01-VXLAN

vra01dem01b.rainpole.local

vra01dem01b

sfo01-m01fd-vra

192.168.11.61

2

6 GB

vra7-template

vxw-dvs-xxxx-Mgmt-xRegion01-VXLAN

sfo01ias01a.sfo01.rainpole.local

sfo01ias01a

sfo01-m01fd-vraias

192.168.31.52

2

4 GB

vra7-proxy-agent-template

vxw-dvs-xxxx-Mgmt-RegionA01-VXLAN

sfo01ias01b.sfo01.rainpole.local

sfo01ias01b

sfo01-m01fd-vraias

192.168.31.53

2

4 GB

vra7-proxy-agent-template

vxw-dvs-xxxx-Mgmt-RegionA01-VXLAN

Prerequisites

  • Verify that you have created the Windows 2012 R2 VM template, windows2012r2-template.

  • SHA512 is disabled in Windows for TLS 1.2 by default. If SHA512 certificates will be used for vRealize Automation, you need to install the windows update in Microsoft KB2973337.

Procedure

  1. Log in to the Management vCenter Server by using the vSphere Web Client.
    1. Open a Web browser and go to https://sfo01m01vc01.sfo01.rainpole.local/vsphere-client.
    2. Log in using the following credentials.

      Setting

      Value

      User name

      administrator@vsphere.local

      Password

      vsphere_admin_password

  2. In the Navigator pane, select Global Inventory Lists > vCenter Servers and click the sfo01m01vc01.sfo01.rainpole.local.
  3. Click VM Templates in Folders, right-click the IaaS windows template win2012r2-template in the VM Templates in Folders pane, and select New VM from this Template.
  4. On the Select a name and folder page of the Deploy From Template wizard, specify a name and location for the virtual machine. 
    1. Enter vra01iws01a.rainpole.local in the Enter a name for the virtual machine text box.
    2. In the Select a location for the virtual machine pane, select the sfo01-m01fd-vra folder in the sfo01-m01dc datacenter under sfo01m01vc01.sfo01.rainpole.local, and click Next.
  5. On the Select a compute resource page, select sfo01-m01-mgmt01, and click Next.
  6. On the Select storage page, select the datastore on which to create the virtual machine's disks.
    1. Select vSAN Default Storage Policy from the VM Storage Policy drop-down menu.
    2. Select the sfo01-m01-vsan01 vSAN datastore from the datastore table and click Next.
  7. On the Select Clone options page, select the Customize the operating system check box, and click Next.
  8. On the Customize guest OS page, select the vra7-template from the table, and click Next.
  9. On the User Settings page, enter the following values, and click Next.

    Setting

    Value

    NetBIOS name

    vra01iws01a

    IPv4 address

    192.168.11.54

    IPv4 subnet mask

    255.255.255.0
  10. On the Ready to Complete page, review your settings and click Finish.

    When the deployment of the virtual machine completes, you can customize the virtual machine.

  11. In the Navigator, select VMs and Templates.
  12. Right-click the vra01iws01a.rainpole.local virtual machine and select Edit Settings.
  13. Click Virtual Hardware and configure the following settings:

    Setting

    Value

    CPU

    2

    Memory

    4096 MB

    Network adapter 1

    vxw-dvs-xxxx-Mgmt-xRegion01-VXLAN
  14. Right-click the virtual machine vra01iws01a.rainpole.local, and select Power >  Power on.
  15. From the Virtual Machine Console, verify that vra01iws01a.rainpole.local reboots, and uses the configuration settings that you specified.

    After the Windows customization process completes, a clean desktop appears.

  16. Log in to the Windows operating system and perform final verification and customization.
    1. Verify that the IP address, computer name, and domain are correct.
    2. Verify vRealize Automation service account svc-vra@rainpole.local has been added to the Local Administrators Group.
      Note:

      You may notice that the virtual machine failed to execute all the steps in the customization specification. When this occurs:

      • Delete the virtual machine and its customization specification.

      • Retry creating the Windows virtual machines for the IaaS components by creating a new customization specification and provisioning a virtual machine using the newly recreated customization specification.

  17. Repeat this procedure to deploy and configure the remaining virtual machines.