vSphere 7 Autoeploy Statefull Install to Cluster with Single Image

[OsburnM]

Greetings all-- could use some suggestions before opening an SR...

Have a brand new vSphere 7 Cluster object created. vLCM Set to Single Image and a host profile set on the cluster. The host profile has the "System Image Cache Profile Settings > Enable stateful installs on the host" set in the host profile.

The AutoDeploy Deploy Rule is set to match on the MAC. It properly picked up the deploy image as seen generated by vLCM & same for the host profile (says Image & Profile will be generated from the Cluster Image/Profile settings).

This all seems pretty straight forward. However, when I go to PXE boot the host the first time (never having been in vCenter yet-- no Host Profile Customization answer file set) I get the following error: "Host cannot be added to the cluster. Stateless host cannot be added to clusters using a single image to manage hosts. "

I know AutoDeploy/Stateless isn't supported with vLCM/Single Image-- but Stateful yet, it can't join the cluster & get the profile setting to make it stateful because it's detecting as stateless initially.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

[maksym007]

Interesting topic. Am I right that you want via Autodeploy to install a new ESXi host and to have him in the cluster, automatically?

[OsburnM]

Exactly. We're a pretty heavy AutoDeploy shop today. Way too many hosts/clusters to simply mount an iso manually for each host just to get ESX on it enough to where vLCM can take it from there. So let it pxe boot with AutoDeploy, get in the cluster, and let the host profiles take it from there.

[nazgul201110141]

ever found the solution?

[vrathna]

To boot Autodeploy stateless host to vLCM cluster you do not need to attach Host Profile to the cluster. vLCM cluster will handle cache profile settings internally.

So steps are, Create a vLCM cluster.  Create Autodeploy rule with vLCM cluster location and PXE boot the host. As part of the host boot process host will become stateful install and get add to vLCM cluster

[nazgul201110141]

thnx, will try that.

although it seems that there is something with the rule.

when i dont use a rule it boots up to the screen where it says you do not have a rule and of course waits for 5min.

when i have a rule, it boots, get's his ip, etc. but at the point it comes to the register stuff it just gives me dots for a long time until it finally fails. 

when not using vLCM and just autodeploy with an image it goes as it should.

[sicnarf_latosa]

Try to remediate then reboot the ESXi one more time.