The official documentation for deploying the Aria Suite can be found here
First step is to download the bundle by going to sddc-manager -> Repository -> Bundle management. Look for VMware Software Install Bundle – vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager 8.16.0-23377566
After the download is complete we can go to Administration -> VMware Aria Suite and a deploy button should be available. If the deploy button is not available due to X-Region Application Virtual Network is not created errorplease follow the instructions found here:
Verify the Prerequisites and click on begin
Verify the network settings and click Next
Fill up the network and appliance settings and click next
Review the summary and click Finish
We can follow the progress by click on the Task on the bottom of the screen
This allows me to see the subtasks that are running
Once the deployment is complete we can open the Aria Suite Lifecycle by clicking on the Window icon link
Additionally towards the bottom of the page we can see the rest of the Aria Suite components that can be deployed.
We can then log in to the Aria Suite Lifecycle using vcfadmin@local with the credentials used during the deployment.
We can see that the deployment wizard also created a few configurations items.
We can now proceed with the deployment of the rest of the components. The deployments will be done from Aria Suite Lifecycle.
Enabling SSH on NSX appliances via the CLI (Command Line Interface) is an essential skill for VMware administrators, providing a more direct and scriptable approach to managing and configuring the NSX environment. Here’s how to enable SSH on NSX from the CLI, allowing for secure, remote administration of your virtual network infrastructure.
Pre-Requisites
Ensure you have local or console access to the NSX appliance (NSX Manager, NSX Edge, or Controller) for initial setup. Administrative credentials will be required to execute the following commands. The instructions have been tested on NSX 4.1.2.3
Steps to Enable SSH on NSX via CLI
Access the NSX Appliance CLI: Connect to the console of the NSX appliance.
Log in as Admin: Use the username admin and the password configured during the NSX appliance setup to log in.
Enable SSH Service: Execute the command set service ssh start to enable the SSH service. This command starts the SSH daemon, allowing SSH connections to the appliance.
(Optional) Configure SSH Service to Start on Boot: To ensure the SSH service is automatically started upon system reboot, execute set service ssh start-on-boot. This step is crucial for maintaining remote access after system restarts.
Verify SSH Service Status: To confirm the SSH service is running, you can use the command get service ssh. This command displays the current status of the SSH service, including whether it’s running and if it’s configured to start on boot.
Security Considerations
When enabling SSH, consider implementing security measures to protect your NSX environment:
Use Strong Passwords: Ensure that all user accounts have strong, complex passwords.
Implement Access Control: Restrict SSH access to trusted hosts or networks using firewall rules.
SSH Key Authentication: For enhanced security, use SSH key-based authentication instead of passwords.
Regularly Update and Patch: Keep your NSX and all connected systems up to date with the latest security patches.
Conclusion
Enabling SSH on NSX via the CLI is a straightforward process that enhances the manageability and accessibility of your network virtualization environment. With SSH enabled, administrators can securely manage the NSX appliances from remote locations, streamlining operations and maintenance tasks. Always follow security best practices to safeguard your environment against unauthorized access.
With all the recent releases for VCF i noticed that my file system was getting full and once the updates are complete i wanted to reclaim all that used space.
The first step was to identify the Bundle ID. We can find this by going to the bundle itself and checking out the details by clicking on View Details
For example this specific Bundle ID is 86da0038-b68d-4368-8be1-576568a68c54
At this point i had to log in to the sddc manager and issue the following command:
With the release of of VCF 5.1.1 I wanted to get my lab upgraded. The release blog can be found here and the release notes are here
Please note that some of the components within the VCF will still need additional upgrading. Please read the release notes for additional details.
We can start by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the domain -> Update/Patches -> Select the VCF version -> Download now. If you do not see the newest releases go to Administration -> Online Depot and add a VMware Customer Connect account that has access to perform downloads.
The next step is to upgrade VCF by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Select the cloud foundation version we’re upgrading to and click on Update Now for the VMware Cloud Foundation Update 5.1.1
Next we are taken to the Upgrade page where we can follow the upgrade for each one of the components
Once the upgrade is complete we can click Finish to be returned back to the main screen
Because we are changing the SDDC-Manager versions i would strongly recommend to clear cache and log back in before going forward.
Next step is to upgrade NSX-T installation to NSX-T 4.1.2.3. The release notes can be found here.
We can also download it directly from the workload domain by going to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the domain -> Update/Patches -> Download now
Once the download is complete we can proceed with updating the NSX components by clicking on the update now
Make the proper selection and click next
Make the proper selection and click next
Make the proper selection and click next
Review the options and click on Finish
The upgrade will go thought upgrading the NSX edges. We can view the upgrade status by clicking on view status
Once the upgrade is complete we can proceed with the vCenter Upgrade. VCF 5.1.1 comes with vCenter Server 8.0 Updated 2b. The release notes can be found here. We can go to Inventory -> Workload Domains -> Select the workload domain -> Update/Patches -> Under Available updates click on Download now.
Once the download is complete we can click on Update now
Confirm that we have a backup
We can follow the status of the upgrade by clicking on the view status tab
Here we can see the different components that are getting upgraded
Once the upgrade is complete we are taken back to the previous page where we can see that the ESXi servers are next. The release notes can be found here. Click on Download Now.
Once the download is complete we can click on Update now
If we have multiple clusters we can enable Cluster-level selection and select the specific cluster(s) we want to upgrade.
We can also enable sequential cluster upgrade, quick boot and the ability to evacuate offline VMs part of the maintenance. Click Next
We get to review the options once again before we click finish to to submit the task
Once submitted we can view the status by clicking on View Status
And with that we are finished with the workload domain. We can follow the same steps for the other domains
Don’t forget to clean up the download bundles by following the steps from my other blog here
In this post i will go over upgrading my 8.x SSC appliance to 8.16.2. As a pre requirement we do need to have VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle upgraded to 8.16. Instructions can be found here. The upgrade does not include the latest PSPACK that contains the 8.16.2 Aria Automation Config release. Instructions to get the PSPACK can be found on my other blog post here.
To get started we can go to VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> Binary Mapping. (If you haven’t added your My VMware credentials you will need to do that first by going to VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> My VMware)
Click on Add Binaries under Product Binaries
Select My VMware and click on Discover
We can see a list of binaries that have been discovered. We can select what we need and click on Add
This will create a request and start downloading the package. To view the progress we can click on the Click Here hyperlink
Click on the in Progress button to view the details
We now have to wait for the download to complete
After the download is complete we can go to Environments -> View Details on the environment that includes the VMware Aria Automation Config
Under VMware Automation Config tab Click on Upgrade
An Inventory sync is recommended if the environment has changed since Aria Suite Lifecycle performed the last sync. We trigger the sync from the UI or click on Proceed to continue
Select product Version 8.16.2 and click Next. We can also review the compatibility matrix to make sure the environment is compatible.
We can automatically create and delete a snapshot part of the upgrade process
Run the Precheck to make sure there are no errors
Once the check is complete, click on Next. Review the upgrade details and click on Next. We are taken to the progress screen where we can follow the progress.
The system will get rebooted and once its back up we will be on 8.16.2
Here are a few additional blogs that might be useful post upgrade:
In this post i will go over upgrading my 8.x vRA appliance to 8.16.2. As a pre requirement we do need to have VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle upgraded to 8.16. Instructions can be found here. The upgrade does not include the latest PSPACK that contains the 8.16.2 VMware Aria Automation release. Instructions to get the PSPACK can be found on my other blog post here.
To get started we can go to VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> Binary Mapping. (If you haven’t added your My VMware credentials you will need to do that first by going to VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> My VMware)
Click on Add Binaries under Product Binaries
Select My VMware and click on Discover
We can see a list of binaries that have been discovered. We can select what we need and click on Add
This will create a request and start downloading the package. To view the progress we can click on the Click Here hyperlink
Click on the in Progress button to view the details ex:
We now have to wait for the download to complete
After the download is complete we can go to Environments -> View Details on the environment that includes vRA
Click on Upgrade
An Inventory sync is recommended if the environment has changed since LCM performed the last sync. We trigger the sync from the UI or click on Proceed to continue
Select product Version 8.16.2 and click Next. We can also review the compatibility matrix to make sure the environment is compatible.
A new feature that was added was the capability to automatically create a snapshot prior to the upgrade and remove it after the upgrade. On this screen we also have the ability to chose if we want to keep the snapshots post upgrade for validation testing for example. Click next
Run the Precheck to make sure there are no errors
The next screen remind us of hardware requirements for vRA which can be checked here and vIDM which can be checked here. As far as i can tell they haven’t changed since the 8.3 release. Check the I took care of the manual steps above and am ready to proceed check mark and click on Run Precheck
Once the check is complete we can review the checks that were performed and we can continue by clicking Next.
Review the upgrade details and click on Submit. We are taken to the progress screen where we can follow the progress.
The system will get rebooted and once its back up we will be on 8.16.2
Since we are doing a major upgrade i strongly recommend to clean the cache before using the new vRA version.
In this guide i will go over the steps of getting an existing 8.x VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle (formerly vRSLCM vRealize Lifecycle Manager) appliance to support the latest product releases available. Here is a great blog that goes in to the details about what the Product Support Pack is https://blogs.vmware.com/management/2019/01/vrslcm-pspak.html. Typically the newer Product Support Pack is included part of the upgrade for LCM, however sometimes there are product releases in between releases where product support packs come in handy.
The first step is to log in to vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager under the Lifecycle Operations section
Go to settings -> Product Support Pack
We can see that i recently upgraded to 8.16.0.0 however a new update is available 8.16.0.1. Based on what we can see in the details the new support pack adds support for the Aria 8.16.2 products. If an update is not available click on the Check Support Packs Online button and refresh the screen within a few minutes
Click on Apply Version
Verify that a snapshot or a backup exists and click Submit
We can view the progress by clicking on the Click Here link after submitting the request
Once the process is complete the system will most likely reboot. To check the status we can go back to settings -> Product Support Pack. As we can see we are now at the updated patch level
If you get an error when logging in, clear the browser cache and try again
In this guide i will go over the steps of getting an existing 8.x vRSLCM appliance upgraded to the latest 8.16 release. The release notes can be found here. We can upgrade from vRealize Lifecycle Manager to VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle.
The first step is to log in to VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle under the Lifecycle Operations section
Go to Settings -> System Upgrade
Click on Check for Upgrade
We can see that the check found a new version available for 8.16. Click on Upgrade
Verify that a snapshot or backup exists in case the process fails. Check the check mark for I took a snapshot of the vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager before I performed this operation. Click Next
Click on Run Precheck, verify that all check have passed, and click on Upgrade
This will fire up the upgrade process and start upgrading packages. The system will automatically reboot on 8.16 once completed. We can check the version by going to Settings -> System Details
Don’t forget to clear the browser cache in order to avoid any caching issues.
I wanted to reuse my VCF downloaded bundles on another SDDC Manager system so that i wont have to download it from internet again. I found an easy guide here in the VMware documentation. My goal was to download the specific bundle once and upload it on other SDDC Managers.
The first command from SDDC manager was to list the bundles. The lcm bundle transfer utility can be found in /opt/vmware/vcf/lcm/lcm-tools/bin
I replaced the ${depotUser} with my vmware email address and ${product_version} with the version of the VCF product i wanted to install in my case 5.0.0.0. I was greeted with a list of bundle IDs and the specific component that it was for:
Enter Myvmware user password:
Validating the depot user credentials...
Bundle Product Bundle Size Components
Version (in MB)
bundle-80035 5.0.0.0 599.5 MB ESX_HOST-8.0.1-21813344
bundle-80031 5.0.0.0 10089.9 MB NSX_T_MANAGER-4.1.0.2.0-21761691
bundle-80029 5.0.0.0 2044.7 MB SDDC_MANAGER_VCF-5.0.0.0-21822418
bundle-80030 5.0.0.0 251.3 MB SDDC_MANAGER_VCF-5.0.0.0-21822418
bundle-80033 5.0.0.0 9867.6 MB VCENTER-8.0.1.00100-21815093
In my case i need the installer. To download a specific bundle we run
This allowed me to grab the download from /some/temporary/path and save it/upload it on my other SDDC Managers that were missing it.
Finally before the patch can be used in SDDC Manager we need to upload it to the repo. Please note that once we issue the upload command the download gets deleted, so make sure you save the download ahead of time
./lcm-bundle-transfer-util --upload --bundleDirectory /some/temporary/path -b bundle-80029
or via API
curl -k http://127.0.0.1/lcm/bundle/upload -X POST -d ‘{“bundle”:”/some/temporary/path/bundle-80029.tar”,”manifest”:”/some/temporary/path/bundle-80029.manifest”, “signature”:”/some/temporary/path/bundle-80029.manifest.sig”}’ -H ‘Content-Type:application/json’
Once the upload was complete i was able to see it in SDDC Manager as a package that i can apply.