Rules and Rule Sets

You specify the behavior of the vSphere Auto Deploy server by using a set of rules. The vSphere Auto Deploy rules engine checks the rule set for matching host patterns to decide which items (image profile, host profile, vCenter Server location, or script object) to provision each host with.

The rules engine maps software and configuration settings to hosts based on the attributes of the host. For example, you can deploy image profiles or host profiles to two clusters of hosts by writing two rules, each matching on the network address of one cluster.

For hosts that have not yet been added to a vCenter Server system, the vSphere Auto Deploy server checks with the rules engine before serving image profiles, host profiles, and inventory location information to hosts. For hosts that are managed by a vCenter Server system, the image profile, host profile, and inventory location that vCenter Server has stored in the host object is used. If you make changes to rules, you can use the vSphere Web Client or vSphere Auto Deploy cmdlets in a PowerCLI session to test and repair rule compliance. When you repair rule compliance for a host, that host's image profile and host profile assignments are updated.

The rules engine includes rules and rule sets.

Rules

Rules can assign image profiles and host profiles to a set of hosts, or specify the location (folder or cluster) of a host on the target vCenter Server system. A rule can identify target hosts by boot MAC address, SMBIOS information, BIOS UUID, Vendor, Model, or fixed DHCP IP address. In most cases, rules apply to multiple hosts. You create rules by using the vSphere Web Client or vSphere Auto Deploy cmdlets in a PowerCLI session. After you create a rule, you must add it to a rule set. Only two rule sets, the active rule set and the working rule set, are supported. A rule can belong to both sets, the default, or only to the working rule set. After you add a rule to a rule set, you can no longer change the rule. Instead, you copy the rule and replace items or patterns in the copy. If you are managing vSphere Auto Deploy with the vSphere Web Client, you can edit a rule if it is in inactive state.

You can specify the following parameters in a rule.

Parameter	Description
Name	Name of the rule, specified with the -Name parameter.
Item	One or more items, specified with the -Item parameter. An item can be an image profile, a host profile, a vCenter Server inventory location (datacenter, folder, cluster) for the target host, or a custom script. You can specify multiple items separated by commas.
Pattern	The pattern specifies the host or group of hosts to which the rule applies. vendor Machine vendor name. model Machine model name. serial Machine serial number. hostname Machine hostname. domain Domain name. ipv4 IPv4 address of the machine. ipv6 IPv6 address of the machine. PXE booting with BIOS firmware is possible only with IPv4, PXE booting with UEFI firmware is possible with either IPv4 or IPv6. mac Boot NIC MAC address. asset Machine asset tag. oemstring OEM-specific strings in the SMBIOS. You can specify -AllHosts to apply the item or items to all hosts.

Parameter

Description

Name

Name of the rule, specified with the -Name parameter.

Item

One or more items, specified with the -Item parameter. An item can be an image profile, a host profile, a vCenter Server inventory location (datacenter, folder, cluster) for the target host, or a custom script. You can specify multiple items separated by commas.

Pattern

The pattern specifies the host or group of hosts to which the rule applies.

vendor: Machine vendor name.
model: Machine model name.
serial: Machine serial number.
hostname: Machine hostname.
domain: Domain name.
ipv4: IPv4 address of the machine.
ipv6: IPv6 address of the machine.
PXE booting with BIOS firmware is possible only with IPv4, PXE booting with UEFI firmware is possible with either IPv4 or IPv6.
mac: Boot NIC MAC address.
asset: Machine asset tag.
oemstring: OEM-specific strings in the SMBIOS.

You can specify -AllHosts to apply the item or items to all hosts.

Active Rule Set

When a newly started host contacts the vSphere Auto Deploy server with a request for an image profile, the vSphere Auto Deploy server checks the active rule set for matching rules. The image profile, host profile, vCenter Server inventory location, and script object that are mapped by matching rules are then used to boot the host. If more than one item of the same type is mapped by the rules, the vSphere Auto Deploy server uses the item that is first in the rule set.

Working Rule Set

The working rule set allows you to test changes to rules before making the changes active. For example, you can use vSphere Auto Deploy cmdlets for testing compliance with the working rule set. The test verifies that hosts managed by a vCenter Server system are following the rules in the working rule set. By default, cmdlets add the rule to the working rule set and activate the rules. Use the NoActivate parameter to add a rule only to the working rule set.

You use the following workflow with rules and rule sets.

Make changes to the working rule set.
Test the working rule set rules against a host to make sure that everything is working correctly.
Refine and retest the rules in the working rule set.
Activate the rules in the working rule set.
If you add a rule in a PowerCLI session and do not specify the NoActivate parameter, all rules that are currently in the working rule set are activated. You cannot activate individual rules.

See the PowerCLI command-line help and Managing vSphere Auto Deploy with PowerCLI Cmdlets for more information on using vSphere Auto Deploy with PowerCLI cmdlets. See Managing vSphere Auto Deploy with the vSphere Web Client for more information on using vSphere Auto Deploy with the vSphere Web Client.