You remediate a cluster against the desired or draft configuration to make all non-compliant hosts compliant with the configuration for the cluster.

Starting with vSphere 8.0 Update 2, you can create a draft of the cluster configuration in the vSphere Client and edit the configuration settings directly in the user interface. To make all hosts in the cluster compliant with the draft configuration, you must apply it to the cluster. The apply operation first sets the draft configuration as the new desired configuration for the cluster and then remediates all hosts in the cluster against the new desired configuration.

Before the cluster is remediated, an automatic remediation or draft pre-check is triggered. As a result, the remediation impact is calculated for each host in the cluster. The remediation might require a reboot or the host to enter maintenance mode.

Starting with vSphere 8.0 Update 1, you can enable vSphere Configuration Profiles on a cluster that contains hosts connected to a vSphere Distributed Switch. You can't use vSphere Configuration Profiles to manage the vSphere Distributed Switch configuration of the hosts in the cluster. You must manually fix any drifts in the vSphere Distributed Switch networking configuration of each non-compliant host in the cluster before you start the remediation task.

Note: In vSphere 8.0 Update 3, vSphere Configuration Profiles can manage the vSphere Distributed Switch configuration of the hosts in a cluster managed with a desired configuration. You can also use the workflows for managing and configuring the vSphere Distributed Switches described in the vSphere Networking documentation.

Prerequisites

  • Verify that vCenter Server is of version 8.0 Update 1 or later, if you want to remediate a cluster managed with a single image against the desired configuration.
  • Verify that vCenter Server is of version 8.0 Update 2 or later, if you want to remediate a cluster managed with a single image against a draft configuration.
  • Verify that ESXi is of version 8.0 Update 1 or later for using vSphere Configuration Profiles on a cluster that you manage with a single image.
  • Verify that vCenter Server and ESXi are of version 8.0 Update 3 or later for using vSphere Configuration Profiles on a cluster that you manage with baselines.
  • Verify that you have the required license.
  • Verify that at least one of the hosts in the cluster is out of compliance with the desired configuration.
  • Verify that you have the required privileges for performing remediation. See Required Privileges for Using vSphere Configuration Profiles.

Procedure

  1. In the vSphere Client, navigate to a cluster that you manage with a single image or to a cluster that you manage with baselines.
  2. On the Configure tab, click Desired State > Configuration.
  3. Start the remediation operation.
    • To remediate the cluster against the current desired configuration, on the Compliance tab, click Remediate.
    • To remediate the cluster against the draft configuration, on the Draft tab, click Apply changes.
    The Remediate wizard opens. A remediation pre-check task starts automatically to ensure that remediation can run without issues.
  4. On the Pre-check page, wait for the remediation pre-check to finish, view the pre-check results and click Next.
  5. On the Review Impact page, review the summary of the remediation impact on the cluster and on each host individually.
  6. Click Remediate to close the Remediate wizard.
    The Remediate Cluster Configuration task starts.
  7. (Optional) Click the Operation Details tab to view details about the remediation, the remediation pre-check, or the draft pre-check operations.
    The Operation Details tab gives summarized information or detailed information about the remediation operation or the remediation and draft pre-check operations. Any issues during those operations are listed on the Operation Details tab.

Results

All hosts in the cluster are compliant with the desired configuration.

Note:

More than one user with the required privileges can create a draft configuration for a cluster at the same time. If one of the users remediates the cluster with their draft configuration, the draft configuration becomes the new desired configuration for the cluster. In case another user attempts to remediate the cluster with their draft configuration at the same time, the remediation operation fails with an error. That user can either discard his draft configuration and start anew, or export their current draft and import it at a later time.