For any cluster that uses vSphere Configuration Profiles and has a draft configuration created, you can override and replace the configuration settings by importing a valid configuration document or using the configuration settings of a reference host in the cluster.

You can import the configuration document of another cluster and reuse the configuration defined in that other cluster. You can also import a configuration document that you manually edited or created from scratch. You can also import the settings of one of the hosts available in the cluster and use them as common settings for all hosts in the cluster.

Prerequisites

  • Verify that vCenter Server is of version 8.0 Update 2 or later and 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 you have a draft configuration created for the cluster.
  • Verify that you have the required privileges for the import operation. 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. On the Draft tab, select your task.
    Import Option Steps
    Import a JSON file
    1. To import a configuration document, click the horizontal ellipses and select Import from file.

      The Import Configuration from File dialog box appears.

    2. Click Browse to locate the file that you want to import and click Import and overwrite draft.
    Import the configuration of a reference host in the cluster
    1. To import the configuration settings from a reference host in the cluster, click the ellipses and select Import from host.

      The Select reference host dialog box appears.

    2. Click the radio button for the respective host which configuration settings you want to use and click Import and overwrite draft.
  4. Click Close.

Results

The imported configuration settings become the new draft configuration for the entire cluster.

When you replace the settings in the draft configuration with the settings of a single host from the cluster, these settings become the common settings for all hosts in the cluster. If a host in the cluster has settings that differ from the new common settings for the cluster, the original host settings are saved in the new draft configuration as host overrides.

What to do next

You can view the changes applied to the edited draft configuration of the cluster by clicking on Show changes. You can also starts a draft pre-check to ensure that the configuration is valid and to compute the remediation impact on all hosts in the cluster. Then you can remediate the cluster to make all non-compliant hosts compliant.