Enable vSphere Configuration Profiles During Cluster Creation

You can enable vSphere Configuration Profiles during the process of creating a cluster. However, in this case, there are some steps which you must perform to create a desired cluster configuration.

If you create a cluster that you manage with a single image, it is created with a default configuration. You must define the desired configuration for the cluster by editing the default settings after the cluster is successfully created. In case you create a cluster that you manage with baselines, it is created with an empty configuration and you must add at least one host to the cluster before setting up the desired cluster configuration. To define the desired configuration for the cluster that you manage with baselines, you must use a reference host from the cluster.

The overall workflow for enabling vSphere Configuration Profiles on a cluster that you manage with a single image and setting up a desired configuration is the following:

1. Create a cluster. For more information, see Creating and Managing vSphere Lifecycle Manager Clusters.
2. Set up the desired configuration for the cluster.
   Note: Starting with vSphere 8.0 Update 2, you can use vSphere Client to create a draft configuration and edit the host configuration settings for a cluster in the user interface.
   • Option 1: Create a draft configuration by using one of the following options:
     • Reuse the settings of the default configuration for the cluster.
     • Reuse the configuration from an existing cluster by exporting its configuration document and importing it into the created draft configuration. See Import a Configuration Document or a Configuration from a Reference Host Into an Existing Draft Configuration
     • Reuse the configuration of one of the hosts in the cluster.
     After creating the draft configuration, edit the configuration settings to achieve the desired configuration for the cluster. For more information, see Create a Draft Configuration in vSphere Client and Edit the Host Settings of a Draft Configuration in vSphere Client.
   • Option 2: Export the configuration schema for the newly created cluster and use it to create your own JSON configuration document, which you can import into the cluster.

     The exported configuration schema document follows the JSON Schema format. You use it to create and edit your own JSON configuration document in an external JSON editor tool.

   • Option 3: Export the default or the draft configuration document of the cluster, edit the JSON file manually, and import it back into the cluster. You can also export and use the default or the draft configuration schema for the cluster to facilitate yourself in editing the desired configuration document.
   • Option 4: Extract the settings from a host in the vCenter Server inventory and import them into the newly created cluster to use them as the common desired configuration.

The overall workflow for enabling vSphere Configuration Profiles on a cluster that you manage with baselines and setting up a desired configuration is the following:

1. Create a cluster and add at least one host to the cluster. For more information about creating a cluster, adding and removing hosts to and from a cluster, see the vCenter Server and Host Management documentation.
2. Set up the desired configuration for the cluster.
   • Option 1: Create a draft configuration by reusing the configuration of one of the hosts in the cluster as reference.

     After creating the draft configuration, edit the configuration settings to achieve the desired configuration for the cluster. For more information, see Create a Draft Configuration in vSphere Client and Edit the Host Settings of a Draft Configuration in vSphere Client.

   • Option 2: Export the configuration schema for the newly created cluster and use it to create your own JSON configuration document, which you can import into the cluster.

     The exported configuration schema document follows the JSON Schema format. You use it to create and edit your own JSON configuration document in an external JSON editor tool.

   • Option 3: Export the draft configuration document of the cluster, edit the JSON file manually, and import it back into the cluster. You can also export and use the default or the draft configuration schema for the cluster to facilitate yourself in editing the desired configuration document.