You create a new and empty cluster object by using the Quickstart workflow in the vSphere Client.

Follow the steps to create and configure a new cluster with default settings. To use the vSAN service, turn on vSAN and see Administering VMware vSAN documentation.

Prerequisites

  • Verify that you have sufficient permissions to create a cluster object.
  • Verify that a data center, or folder within a data center, exists in the inventory.
  • Verify that hosts have the same ESXi version and patch level.
  • Obtain the user name and password of the root user account for the host.
  • Verify that hosts do not have a manual vSAN or networking configuration.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to Home > Hosts and Clusters and select a data center.
  2. Right-click the data center and select New Cluster.
  3. Enter a name for the cluster.
  4. Select DRS and vSphere HA cluster features.
    Option Description
    To use DRS with this cluster
    1. Slide the switch to the right to enable the DRS service.
    2. (Optional) Click the info icon on the left to see the Default Settings for the DRS service. You are present with the following default values:
      Automation Level: Fully Automated
      Migration Threshold: 3
    To use HA with this cluster
    1. Slide the switch to the right to enable the vSphere HA service.
    2. (Optional) Click the info icon on the left to see the Default Settings for the vSphere HA service. You are present with the following default values:
      Host Monitoring: Enabled
      Admission Control: Enabled
      VM Monitoring: Disabled
    You can override the default values later on in the workflow.
  5. Click OK.
    The cluster appears in the vCenter Server inventory. You are presented with the Quickstart service under the Configure tab.
  6. (Optional) Click Edit in the Cluster basics card to rename your cluster and to enable or disable cluster services.

Results

You have created an empty cluster in the vCenter Server inventory.

What to do next

Add hosts to the cluster.