vCAC 5.2 series – Provision VM on vSphere

Guide how to deploy windows VM on vCenter server compute resources.

Step #1 – Create enterprise group and add compute resources to it

Add vCenter resource to vCloud automation Center

Step #2 – A machine prefix for generating virtual machine names

• Log into vCAC as a Enterprise Administrator
• go to Enterprise Administrator –> Machine Prefixes –> New Machine prefix

Step #3 – Create provisioning group and add users to it

• Log into vCAC as a Enterprise Administrator
• Go to Enterprise Administrator –> Provisioning Groups –> New Provisioning Group
• Provide:
  • Name
  • Group manager email
  • machine prefix
  • Active directory container – if you plan to provision windows VM, otherwise type N/A
  • assign users to roles

Step #4 – Create network profile – optional  when in the network there is no DHCP services

• Log into vCAC as a Enterprise Administrator
• Go to Enterprise Administrator –> Network Profiles –> new network profile
• Edit network profile and assign IP ranges

network profile

Step #5 – create reservation

• Log into vCAC as a Enterprise Administrator
• go to Enterprise Administrator –> Reservation –> New Reservation –> virtual –> vSphere
• Reservation Information:
  • Choose compute resources
  • Reservation name
  • Provisioning group
  • machine quota
  • Priority
• In Resource tab:
  • set memory reservation
  • choose storage and create reservation
  • assign network
• Alerts Tab
  • enable and set up alerts – Optional
  

  reservation

  

  resource reservation

• assign network profile to reservation

assign network profile

Step #6 – prepare virtual machine template for provisioning

• enable WMI on reference machine (template)
• test remote WMI access
• create customization profile
• create template

Step  #7 – A cloning blueprint for the provisioning group and in it select the template and customization specification you created in vCenter Server

• Log into vCAC as a Enterprise Administrator
• go to Enterprise Administrator –> Global Blueprints –> New Blueprint –> virtual –> vSphere
• Blueprint information tab:
  • name
  • assign groups
  • prefix
  • set Approval policy
  • enable blueprint
  • Max # per user

blueprint information

• build information tab
  • Blueprint type – Server
  • Action – clone
  • choose template
  • provisioning workflow – Cloneworkflow
  • clone from – choose tempalte
  • provide customization specs
  • define machine resources
• Security and properties leave unchanged

machine resources

In properties tab you can either assign build profiles or add custom properties. On example below I added custom property called VirtualMachine.NetworkN.ProfileName  where N is a network adapter number. As my template has only one network adapter

custom properties

Basically now everything is ready for provision VM using vCloud Automation Center

• Go to Cloud Sefl provisioning portal https://<selfservice-portal-fqdn>/vCACSelfService –> New request
• choose blueprint –> provide required information and submit request

request VM

You can monitor at your request on portal page.

monitor request