You can use the vcenter deployment API to run the install stage 2 process of your vCenter Server instance.

Install Workflow and Install Stage 2 Workflow show example install workflows.

During stage 1, the vCenter Server instance is in a NOT_INITIALIZED state. After a successful deployment, the vCenter Server instance enters in an INITIALIZED state. If there are errors during stage 1, the vCenter Server instance stays in a NOT_INITIALIZED state and you must redeploy it.

You can check the state of the vCenter Server instance before, during, and after the setup process. You can run the install stage 2 process if the vCenter Server instance is initialized. You can check the setup configuration before you initiate stage 2 by running pre-checks. If errors or warnings appear during the validation of the install specification, you must remove the causes and correct the specification.

During the setup process, the regular vCenter Server instance state is CONFIG_IN_PROGRESS. The vCenter Server instance can also enter in a FAILED or QUESTION_RASED state. If a question appears during the setup, the vCenter Server instance enters in a QUESTION_RAISED state and stays in it until you provide an answer. You can set questions to receive automatic answers in the install spec and if a question is raised during the setup process, the default answer value is automatically provided as the answer to the question.

If errors occur during the setup process, the vCenter Server instance enters in a FAILED state and you must restart the setup after the causes are removed. If the setup is successful, the vCenter Server instance enters in a CONFIGURED state.

Figure 1. Install Workflow
A flow chart with the Install states, which shows the possible workflow paths between the Start and End points.

For information about the states of the vCenter Server instance and available operations, see Setting Up a Newly Installed vCenter Server Instance.

Figure 2. Install Stage 2 Workflow
A flow chart with the Install Stage 2 steps, which shows each individual step between the Start and End points.

You can run the setup pre-checks and the install stage 2 process by creating and passing an InstallSpec. In InstallSpec, you define the setup configuration. See Install Stage 2 Workflow . You can run the setup in silent mode by setting the InstallSpec.auto_answer to true. The default value of InstallSpec.auto_answer is false and the setup is in interactive mode, in which you must provide answers to the raised questions.

For information about the classes, variables, and default values, see the API reference documentation.