Set up the Key Management Server Cluster

Before you can start with virtual machine encryption tasks, you must set up the key management server (KMS) cluster. That task includes adding the KMS and establishing trust with the KMS. When you add a cluster, you are prompted to make it the default. You can explicitly change the default cluster. vCenter Server provisions keys from the default cluster.

The KMS must support the Key Management Interoperability Protocol (KMIP) 1.1 standard. See the vSphere Compatibility Matrices for details.

You can find information about VMware certified KMS vendors in the VMware Compatibility Guide under Platform and Compute. If you select Compatibility Guides, you can open the Key Management Server (KMS) compatibility documentation. This documentation is updated frequently.