importing physical machine into vcenter HA cluster on Vsphere 8.0

[Somnathnandy]

Hi All,

I am a just a biginner of VMware, I am trying to setup a vCenter HA Cluster on vSphere 8.0.2. I am having 3 x Dell R6525 Server and 1 x EMC ME5012 iSCSI Storage with direct connectivity through 10G DAC cable. I have installed configured Vmware ESXi 8.0.2 mapped the volumes into these 3 servers and configured the management networks also. I have installled vCenter Server on one of the 3 Vmware servers and configured it with SSO login with ID administrator@vsphere.local. Now vCenter Management console is opening - I have created DC and tried to create HA cluster with 3 hosts. But found the wizard is creating HA cluster with 2 hosts only, 3rd host just after import getting Disconnected and removed even from inventory. When I am trying to reimport is the same is occuring again. When I checked the monitor founf error message "can not import the host as vm is running on it" but the vm is the vCenter on which I I am trying to create the HA cluster so I am unable to shutdown the VM. also the vCenter is not visible on the cluster created with remaining 2 hosts. Other than this there is no error message on the cluster or hosts inside the cluster. Please help me as it is very urgent to create the HA cluster.

Please help. 

[Marco_Luvisi]

Hi @Somnathnandy 

before deploying vCenter need to have a DNS active with all 3 esxi registered and when deploy vCenter use this DNS for resolve your infrastructure.

I suggest you redeploy a new vCenter.

About P2V you can use "vCenter converter" https://www.vmware.com/products/converter.html

Regards.

[Alfista_PS]

Hi,

to create the HA you need to have the all hosts set and imported correctly and also it depends witch HA you will do.

One is possible to do about the QuickSetup which is possible to only once at beginning while this will the system do only once at beginning and then you can over it only add next hosts. Here you can also enable DRS for the cluster. Then you need to go to the Cluster - Services - vSphere Availabiliy menu and there to set it all manually. 

The second possibility is to do it over the vCenter - Settings - vCenter HA menu where you will also create the witness from third host and you will be only able to use two hosts. And there will be installed also more instances from the vCenter (which can now block you). 

I dont know which way you has try to do but you need to choose it and thing about it before you will do it, that you can start to create it, while each has another level os security and HW needs. You can have also both.

Hope this help you to resolve your problem.

[Alfista_PS]

I forgot to write you that all the starting settings are very important like NTP (have all at one server), FQDN including reverse look up on DNS, ... while all can unable to finish some settings.

[Somnathnandy]

Hi @Marco_Luvisi 

Active DNS Means I should deploy Windows ADDS with DNS or any other DNS as active DNS in one VM on one of the 3 VMware servers - is that right? Company wants ADDS in one of the VMs, I thought I shall deply ADDS after creating HA cluster. Till that time I am using public DNS (8.8.8.8 & 4.2.2.2) but the problem is if the firewall stops reachability to other host servers becoming lost. Please suggest.

[hcfede]

Hi,

You need a local DNS server, just like the one you use to set up the ADDS environment.

On the Windows server where the DNS service is installed, you must ensure that all the necessary local DNS records are configured, for example, those for the ESXi hosts and the vCenter.

For internet name resolution, you can set Google's DNS servers as forwarders on the Windows DNS server

[Marco_Luvisi]

Hi @Somnathnandy,

I suggest you create a Windows ADDS with DNS if don't have already in Company LAN or You want have a dedicated ADDS for vSphere infrastructure.

DNS server in LAN is mandatory if you want everything to work properly because vCenter relies heavily on DNS and NTP to configure its services correctly.
Public DNS to configure vCenter's services does not work.

So I recommend that you configure the ADDS services and then redeploy vCenter.
Available for your support, but it is very strange that they sold you 3 nodes and storage without vmware installation services.

[Somnathnandy]

Hi @Alfista_PS 

I installed VCSA on VMware on one host among the 3 hosts, configured it and then logged into it through browser and from there I created the DC on it (by right clicking on the VCSA) and then created Cluster, enabled HA and DRS, added the hosts. But when adding hosts through wizard it is not accepting the host on which VCSA has been installed as a VM to start with. Other 2 hosts are being imported and HA established. All 3 hosts are having same and very high configuration(2 x 32Core CPU/256GB Memory/ 2 x 2 Port 10G NIC) so company is not ready to loose one host among the 3 hosts. Moreover vCenter is not being imported on the cluster automatically as happened in my previous cases with VMware 6.x. 

[Somnathnandy]

Hi @Alfista_PS 

I tried to use NTP but NTP service did not start automatically and there was no entry of NTP service in the service page of the host on the VMware web client - I used host sync option. Please suggest where can I get its entry.

Somnath Nandy

[Somnathnandy]

Screenshot added

[TeknoAD]

Please check if the link helps to isolate the issue

 https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/8.0/vsphere-vcenter-esxi-management/GUID-BA0DF8B7-0F30-46D...

[a_p_]

See whether adding the third host on the Datacenter level works, then in a second step move it to the cluster.

André

[Alfista_PS]

Hi @Somnathnandy,

you can set the NTP on many places for each host at the HOST - Configuration - System - Time Configuration, then in vCenter maintenance menu and by VM's in the VM's Settings - VM Options - VMware Tools - Synchronise time with Hosts.

The Host and vCenter time settings are the main needed that they have the same NTP source that they are in sync.

[Alfista_PS]

Hi @Somnathnandy,

the vCenter running this host is that to which you are already connected?

[Somnathnandy]

Hi @Alfista_PS 

On host level I tried through time setting available in vsphere web client but NTP service did not start. I tried to start NTP manually but I could not find out any entry.

[Somnathnandy]

yes and I have to bring this vcenter on to cluster I have created.

[Alfista_PS]

Hi @Somnathnandy,

try to start it directly on host over ESXi WEB UI. There should work.

[Somnathnandy · Accepted solution]

Hi @a_p_ 

Tried but got disconnected w/o giving any error

[Alfista_PS]

Check the logs, but only when it will not start on ESXi is when the NTP doesnt work or you put there a wrong one.

[Somnathnandy]

Hi @Alfista_PS 

I could not find out any entry for NTP on host vsphere web UI - please help.

Thanks.