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The vRA virtual appliance (OVA) is downloaded from vmware.com and deployed to a vSphere environment. In a distributed deployment, you will deploy both primary and secondary nodes ahead of kicking off the deployment wizard.
The VA also includes the latest IaaS installers, including the required management agent (that will be covered in the next section).
Checklist:
- Download and Deploy vRA OVA (x2) to vSphere
- Configure VA properties
- Confirm Time settings
- Confirm accessibility post deployment
- Confirm DNS Resolution
Video
Detailed Steps
| Configuration Detail | Screenshots |
|---|---|
| Deploy Primary VA (vrava01)
Log in to the target vSphere Web Client Navigate to the desired cluster, resource pool, folder, etc. Right-click → Deploy OVF Template
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| Select Source
Click Browse… and navigate to the previously-download OVA file. Select the OVA and click Open Once added, click Next to continue… |
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| Review Details
Review OVA details then click Next to continue… |
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| Accept License Agreements
Carefully read the entire EULA Once you’ve memorized the EULA, click Accept Click Next to continue… |
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| Select Name and Folder
Enter a name for this instance (e.g. fde-vrava01). This is the machine name that appears in vCenter. Select a target folder (or datacenter) for machine placement. Click Next to continue… |
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| Select Storage
Select the target datastore (using VSAN datastore in this example). Click Next to continue… |
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| Setup Networks
Use the dropdown to select the target network (dvPortgroup). Click Next to continue… |
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Customize Template Complete the required inputs to customize the OVA deployment:
Be sure a DNS record exists for this VA prior to deploying. VA initialization relies heavily on DNS resolution for a successful deployment. |
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Customize Template – Networking Properties (cont.):
Confirm all your settings then click Next to continue… |
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| Ready to Complete
Check Power on after deployment Review the configuration (twice over) and select Finish to deploy the first vRA OVA. |
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| Deploy Secondary VA (vrava02)
Repeat the steps above to deploy the secondary node. |
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Customize Template Complete the required inputs to customize the OVA deployment:
Be sure a DNS record exists for this VA prior to deploying. VA initialization relies heavily on DNS resolution for a successful deployment. |
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| Ready to Complete
Check Power on after deployment Review the configuration (twice over) and select Finish to deploy the first vRA OVA. |
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| Hang tight while both VA’s are deployed and initialized per the configuration parameters specified above.
This image shows the 2 vRA VA’s deployed alongside the Windows servers that will be used for the IaaS installation. IaaS node prep will be covered in the next topic. |
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| Use VMRC to connect to each of the VA’s.
Confirm both VA’s are booted and configured without error. Also validate the nodes are reachable by the configured IP address and DNS. It’s a good idea to confirm forward and reverse DNS resolution. |
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Time Sync In vSphere Web Client, right-click on each of the of deployed VA’s and select Edit Settings. Navigate to VM Options tab Expand VMware Tools section Ensure Synchronize guest time with host is checked (should be by default). Click OK to accept.
Ensure time for all the vSphere hosts in the cluster are properly configured – either manually or via NTP. |
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Review
I cannot emphasize enough how important DNS configuration is. Be sure all your network settings are valid and DNS resolution is working in all directions. As an added validation check, you can SSH to the appliance(s) at this point (using ROOT/ and confirm Network/IP/DNS is working as expected.
Now that the VA’s are deployed we can move on to prepare the IaaS nodes ahead of running through the Deployment Wizard.
Next Step: 04 – Prepare IaaS Hosts
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