ESX deployment appliance v1.05

[brugh]

https://solutionexchange.vmware.com/store/products/esx-deployment-appliance-eda

ESX Deployment Appliance (EDA) is a small and easy to use appliance

that makes deploying ESX servers a breeze. It has a very intuitive

web-interface that can configure and deploy dozens of ESX servers in

minutes. It has a script-builder that will allow any admin to create

%post-scripts that will do most anything one needs to get the ESX hosts

up and running! Even if deploying with RDP/Altiris or the UDA, this

script-builder can help setting those up very quickly.

[brugh]

hmm.. sounds like a timing issue then. perhaps hp starts some things that makes the vim-cmd come too soon or smt. you could try moving the command to another place in the script or just have it wait some time before executing. the busybox shell has a 'sleep' command which can come in handy sometimes

[_chris1]

I´ve got the same problem and found out that in the scriptparts for vMotion the variable is {MyVM} but in the global settings it is myVM.

So if you change

esxcli network ip interface ipv4 set --interface-name [vmkX] --ipv4 ${myVM} --netmask 255.255.255.0 --type static

vim-cmd hostsvc/vmotion/vnic_set [vmkX]

it works on my installations.

[kattrap]

Brugh, 
I'm using the current v1.02 version to do my vSphere 5 rollout. I had a question related to the ntp configuration piece: 

cat > /etc/ntp.conf << __NTP_CONFIG__
restrict default kod nomodify notrap noquerynopeer
restrict 127.0.0.1
server 0.vmware.pool.ntp.org
server 1.vmware.pool.ntp.org
__NTP_CONFIG__
/sbin/chkconfig --level 345 ntpd on

# added the following lines to the config:

esxcli network firewall ruleset set -e true -r ntpClient

/etc/init.d/ntpd start

This doesn't seem to work for 5.0u1 (current patch level). Restarting services or the entire host does not show NTP running/configured from the vSphere Client.

If I configure ntp from the gui, then the ntpd.conf file is reset with new settings and the time looks to be updated correctly.

There also looks to be vicfg-ntp from vCLI / vMA that will set the configuration.

I'm wondering what I might be missing in the kickstart file that makes the difference in this essential service.

Thanks..I've been using EDA happily for years and I think this is the first time I've had to pull off from using EDA...

[brugh]

Good one. I hadn't noticed they changed the syntax for that command. the 'chkconfig' no longer takes the '--level' argument. If you change that to:

/sbin/chkconfig ntpd on

then ntp works fine .

[R1chardW]

I can't seem to import the ovf via Virtual Center deploy ovf template

I'm on VC build  623373 and ESXi5 build 623860

I'm getting a warning about line 70 Unable to parse backing.exclusive

then when it starts to import it fails with Unrecognised handle property identifier

so have you used a later version to export the OVF?

RichardW

[brugh]

that is weird. the ovf should be compatible with anything from esx4 and up. i left the cdrom lines in there so it's easier to attach an ESXi iso to the appliance. perhaps your client doesn't have a cdrom? or your vcenter?

you could try to remove the backing.exclusive line completely. it's not a required parameter.

i'll look into it

[R1chardW]

I removed the lines from the ovf and it started to deploy but immediately came up with the same error 😞

[vkadiyala]

Hi there

What option do i select if i want to install to SAN boot disk what do I enter for the installdisk(currently it says local)

Venkat

[wilmanns]

I am having the exact same error as you. R1chardW

[radio]

Same here.

[brugh]

it seems that workstation, despite the ESX 4 compatibility, generates OVF files that vsphere 4 doesn't understand.

I have no vsphere 4 environment to fix this at the moment so I can't debug/repackage it. But instead of importing the OVF file, you can create a new VM with 200MB ram, put the VMDK from the package on a datastore, use vmkfstools to grow it to a thick disk and add the imported VMDK to the VM. WIth the next minor update i'll try to find an older workstation version to package it properly again. and i'll post a request to fix the OVF creator on the workstation techpreview beta board

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[brugh]

You can use 'remote' for any san disk or a drivername like 'mptsas'. Also, if you have an HP server, it doesn't see the local smartarray disks als 'local' disks and you HAVE to specify the drivername 'hpsa' to prevent overwriting SAN disks!

if you're unsure, perform a manual installation and when the installer starts, press 'alt-F12' and scroll through the output for a list of loaded drivers.

[radio]

I imported the appliance into Workstation 8 and exported it again. The resulting OVF could successfully be deployed in my vCenter 5 environment - file is attached!

[brugh]

thanks, that works perfectly.

I redeployed EDA and updated it to accomodate the new ESX5.1 and better support for SD and USB installs. local harddisk and SAN installs still work too.

get the new EDA 1.05 at http://virtualappliances.eu/?download

[JCV]

Anybody having any issues with the network connection with this version v1.05? Wondering if it is me or not. I can deploy the ovf fine, but when I power the eda on the network link goes down. eda is on a dvs, esxi 5 u1 host. the error that scrolls across the console of the eda is:

vmsvc[738]: [warning] [guestinfo] RecordRoutingInfo: Unable to collect IPv4 routing table.

vmsvc[738]: [warning] [guestinfo] Failed to get nic info.

when I login to the shell I only show a loopback interface...

thanks,

Jon

[JCV]

Found more messages in the boot.log that point to vmtools so I uninstalled the vmware tools that were pre-loaded on the ovf and then re-installed them (using defaults). That cleared the error messages coming from vmtools, but still no network connectivity......

[DennisBray]

I am having the exact same issue with the 1.05 appliance I downloaded last Friday.

Dennis

[brugh2]

That's a weird issue.. i only have limited testing facilities and am reproduce the error.

what happens if you deploy it through ovf import, remove the nic, add a new one and then boot the appliance? does it work then?

[JCV]

I get the same message scrolling across the screen. And still no network connection.