To customize hosts with shared attributes, you can create a host profile in a reference host. To customize individual hosts, you can set up some fields in the host profile to prompt the user for input for each host. You can also edit and export host customizations.

Host Customization

Host profiles allow you to prespecify information, for example, the storage setup or Syslog setup in a reference host to and apply the host profile to a set of target hosts that share the same settings. You can also use host profiles to specify that certain settings are host dependent. If you do so, the host comes up in maintenance mode when you provision it with Auto Deploy. Remediate the host or reset the host customization to be prompted for input. The system stores your input and uses it the next time the host boots.

When the host profile is set to prompt for user input, you must specify a value in the dialog box that appears when you reset the host customization. An error results if you do not specify a value.

Table 1. Host Profile Options that Prompt for iSCSI User Input
Information to Request User Input For Setting the Host Profile Option
When you apply a host profile on a system that includes a profile for iSCSI, you are prompted for several properties. For many of the properties, a system default is available. For some properties, you must specify a value or an error results.
IQN name
If the iSCSI setup uses an IQN name, you are prompted when you apply the host profile. You cannot continue until you provide the name.
CHAP information
If you set up iSCSI to require CHAP authentication, you are prompted for CHAP information including the user name and the secret when you apply the host profile. You cannot continue until you provide the name.
  1. Select Edit Host Profile, click Storage configuration, and click iSCSI Initiator Configuration.
  2. Select the folder for an already enabled initiator and set up the initiator.
  3. Set up the initiator. For many fields, the user is prompted as part of host customization.
Table 2. Host Profile Options that Prompt for Storage User Input
Information to Request User Input For Setting the Host Profile Option
You are setting up the Fixed PSP configuration and want to prompt for the adapter and target IDs for the storage arrays that should use the Fixed PSP.
You can set the option only if the adapter is set up to use the Fixed PSP.
  1. Select Edit Host Profile, click Storage configuration.
  2. Click Native Multipathing (NMP).
  3. Click Path Selection Policy (PSP) configuration.
  4. In the Preferred Path window, select Prompt the user for adapter and target IDs on the host.
Table 3. Host Profile Options that Prompt for Security User Input
Information to Request User Input For Setting the Host Profile Option
Administrator password for ESXi host when the host boots for the first time.
  1. Select Edit Host Profile, and click Security and Services.
  2. click Security Settings and click Security configuration.
  3. In the right panel, select User Input Password to be Used to Configure Administrator Password from the Administrator password drop-down menu.
Preconfigures a user for the ESXi host but prompts for the password for that user on each host when the host boots for the first time.

You can perform this task only if a user configuration already exists. Configure the user by selecting one of the options.

  • Assigned fixed user configurations is available for compatibility with ESX/ESXi 4.1 system, this option displays the password in the clear.
  • Assign advanced fixed user configurations is for users of ESXi 5.0 and later systems.
  • Specify the user configuration in the profile but prompt for password during host configuration allows you to specify the information about the user but prompt for a password on each host.
Prompt the user for credentials when the host joins the Active Directory domain.
  1. Set the Authentication configuration profile to use a fixed domain.
    1. Select Edit Host Profile, click Security and Services.
    2. Click Security Settings, and click Authentication configuration.
    3. Click Active Directory configuration.
    4. In the Domain Name drop-down menu, select Configure a fixed domain name.
  2. Set the method for joining the domain to prompt the user.
    1. Select Edit Host Profile, click Security and Services and click Authentication configuration.
    2. Click Active Directory configuration.
    3. In the Join Domain Method drop-down menu, select Use user specified AD credentials to join the host to domain.
Table 4. Host Profile Options that Prompt for Networking User Input
Information to Request User Input For Setting the Host Profile Option
Prompt the user for the MAC address for a port group. You can have the system prompt the user in all cases (User specified MAC address...) or prompt the user only if no default is available.
  1. Select Edit Host Profile, click Networking configuration, and click Host port group.
  2. Click Management Network.
  3. In the Determine how MAC address for vmknic should be decided field, select how the system manages the MAC address.
    • User specified MAC Address to be used while applying the configuration
    • Prompt the user for the MAC Address if no default is available
Prompt the user for the IPv4 address for each ESXi host to which the profile is applied. You can have the system prompt the user in all cases (User specified IPv4 address...) or prompt the user only if no default is available.
  1. Select Edit Host Profile, click Networking configuration, and click Host port group.
  2. Click Management Network and click IP address settings.
  3. In the IPv4 address field, select how the system manages the IPv4 address.
    • User specified IPv4 Address to be used while applying the configuration
    • Prompt the user for the IPv4 Address if no default is available
Prompt the user for the IPv6 address for each ESXi host to which the profile is applied. You can have the system prompt the user in all cases (User specified IPv6 address...) or prompt the user only if no default is available.
  1. Select Edit Host Profile, click Networking configuration, and click Host port group.
  2. Click Management Network and click IP address settings.
  3. In the Static IPv6 address field, select how the system manages the IPv6 address.
    • User specified IPv6 Address to be used while applying the configuration
    • Prompt the user for the IPv6 Address if no default is available
Prompt the user for the DNS name of the host. You can have the system prompt the user in all cases (User specified host name...) or prompt the user only if no default is available.
  1. Select Edit Host Profile, click Networking configuration, and click DNS configuration.
  2. In the Host name field, select how the system manages the DNS configuration.
    • Prompt the user for host name if default is not available
    • User specified host name to be used while applying the configuration
Prompt the user for the MAC address for a distributed switch, its port group, or one of its services. Right-click the Host virtual NIC folder icon and click the Add sub-profile icon to determine the component to which the setting is applied.

You can decide to prompt the user in all cases or only if no default is available.

  1. Open Networking configuration.
  2. Click Host virtual NIC.
  3. In the Determine how MAC address for vmknic should be decided field, select how the system manages the MAC address for the distributed switch.
    • User specified MAC address to be used while applying the configuration
    • Prompt the user for the MAC address if no default is available
Prompt the user for the IPv4 address for a distributed switch, its port group, or one of its services. Right-click the Host virtual NIC folder icon and click the Add sub-profile icon to determine the component to which the setting is applied.

You can decide to prompt the user only if no default is available or in all cases.

  1. Open Networking configuration.
  2. Click Host virtual NIC.
  3. Click IP address settings.
  4. In the IPv4 address field, select how the system handles the IPv4 address for the distributed switch.
    • User specified IPv4 address to be used while applying the configuration
    • Prompt the user for IPv4 address if no default is available
Prompt the user for the IPv6 address for a distributed switch, its port group, or one of its services. Right-click the Host virtual NIC folder icon and click the Add sub-profile icon to determine the component to which the setting is applied.

You can decide to prompt the user only if no default is available or in all cases.

  1. Open Networking configuration.
  2. Open Host virtual NIC.
  3. Open IP address settings.
  4. In the Static IPv6 address field, select how the system manages the IPv6 address for the distributed switch.
    • User specified IPv6 address to be used while applying the configuration
    • Prompt the user for IPv6 address if no default is available

How Do You Export Host Customizations?

Learn how to export the customized attributes of a vSphere host profile as a .CSV file to your desktop.

For security reasons, sensitive data such as passwords are not exported.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to Hosts and Clusters and select an ESXi host with an attached host profile.
  2. Right-click the ESXi host and select Host Profiles > Export Host Customizations.
  3. Click Save.
    Note: Only an English version of the .csv file is supported.
    The file is saved as a .csv file.

What to do next

After the file is saved to your desktop, you can manually edit the file and save it to apply the customizations later.

How Do You Edit Host Customizations?

Read how to edit host customizations for specific hosts attached to a vSphere host profile or a cluster attached to a host profile.

Procedure

  1. In the vSphere Client, select Menu > Policies and Profiles.
  2. Under Policies and Profiles, click Host Profiles.
  3. Right-click the host profile and select Edit Host Customizations.
  4. Select the host or hosts for which you want to edit the customization, and click Next.
  5. (Optional) To import host customization from your desktop, you can select Import Host Customization .csv in the Customize hosts page.
    If you want to edit host customizations by using a .csv file, you can export the host customizations in .csv file format, edit the values in the answer file fields, and then import the file. For more information on how to export host customizations, see How Do You Export Host Customizations?.
    Note: User input in the Customize hosts pane is overwritten by the import process and the values from the .csv file.
    After importing the .csv file, the text boxes are updated with the information from the file.
  6. Edit the host configuration values and click Finish.

Answer File Field and vSphere Host Profile Extraction

When a new profile is extracted from an ESXi host or post upgrade, host profiles policy options and host customization values are changed. You can get more familiar with the changes by referring to the Answer File Field and Host Profile Extraction table.

After you extract a new host profile from an ESXi host, the values for some of the policy options change. To keep these values, you have to save them manually before extracting the host profile. The Answer File Field and Host Profile Extraction table lists the policy options with changed values and the options that keep their values the same in the newly extracted host profile.

To locate the policy options, navigate to Host Profiles main view, right-click the extracted host profile, and select Edit Host Customizations.

Table 5. Answer File Field and Host Profile Extraction
Policy option path Policy option Variations in the policy options value in the newly extracted profile
Security and Services -> Security Settings -> Security UserInputPasswordConfigOption For default users, it leaves the password unchanged (root).

For non-default users, it always extracts user input.

UserInputPasswordConfigOption If host profile version is earlier than 6.5, this option is not extracted. You explicitly need to create a UserAccount profile in the extracted host profile.
UserInputAdminPasswordOption Changes to fixed. Does not keep user input value.
Storage configuration -> iSCSI Initiator Configuration AdvancedUserInputUserConfigOption Changes to fixed. Does not keep user input value.
UserInputIqn Keeps user input value.
UserInputAlias Keeps user input value.
UserInputChapName Changes to fixed. Does not keep user input value.
UserInputChapSecret Changes to fixed. Does not keep user input value.
UserInputFirstBurstLength Changes to fixed. Does not keep user input value.
UserInputMaxBurstLength Changes to fixed. Does not keep user input value.
General System Settings -> Management Agent Configuration -> SNMP Agent Configuration UserInputMaxReceiveSegmentLength Changes to fixed. Does not keep user input value.
UserInputUsers Changes to fixed. Does not keep user input value.
UserInputV3Targets Changes to fixed. Does not keep user input value.
UserInputEngineId Changes to fixed. Does not keep user input value.
UserInputContact Changes to fixed. Does not keep user input value.
UserInputLocation Changes to fixed. Does not keep user input value.
Security and Services -> Security Settings -> Security -> Active Directory Permission UserInputUserName Keeps user input value.
UserInputPassword Keeps user input value.
Networking Configuration UserInputMacAddress Conditional, prompt user if no default value is available.
UserInputHostName Conditional, prompt user if no default value is available.
UserInputIPAddress Conditional, prompt user if no default value is available.
Advanced Configuration Settings -> Advanced Options UserInputAdvancedConfigOption Changes to fixed. Does not keep user input value.
Advanced Configuration Settings -> System Image Cache Configuration Enable Stateless Caching You must explicitly select the policy option.
Enable Stateful Install You must explicitly select the policy option.
Note: This table does not list all policy options. You must be aware of the policy options you modified before extracting a new host profile.