Sow it’s time for a new updated version.

What does the script now:

Disable ipv6

Set DNS domain name

Rename local datastore

Configure NTP

Installs the vSAN ESA Hardware Mock VIB

Installs the Synology NFS Plug-in for VMware VAAI

Installs the Realtek Network Driver for ESXi more information here
I use the 10Gtek 1.25/2.5/5/10GBase-T SFP+ RJ-45 CAT.6a Copper Transceiver on the MS-A2

Configure vSAN DOMNetworkSchedulerThrottleComponent

Generate new certificate on the ESXi host (for the VCF verification check)

Ask are you running Miniforum MS-A2(AMD) host & Then Disable apichv

Enable Memory Tiering

You need to download the vibs separately!
For the installs put the vib’s in the same map as the script
You can download the script: HERE

1. Check if VMware or VCF PowerCLI is installed and is outdated
2. Check if VCF.Powercli is the latest installed
3. If VMware.Powercli is installed upgrade to VCF.Powercli
4. If VCF Powercli is installed but not the latest version upgrade to VCF to the latest version

You can download the script on my github repository: https://github.com/WardVissers/VCF-Public/blob/main/Check%20Installed%20VCF-Powercli%20Version.ps1

$installedVCFPowercli   = Get-InstalledModule VCF.PowerCLI -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
$installedVMwarePowercli   = Get-InstalledModule VMware.PowerCLI -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
$latestVCFPowercli    = Find-Module VCF.PowerCLI -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
$latestVMwarePowercli =  Find-Module VMware.PowerCLI -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
$OldModules = Get-InstalledModule VMware.* -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
$OldModules += Get-InstalledModule VCF.* -ErrorAction SilentlyContinu | Where-Object {[version]$_.Version -lt $latestVCF.Version}

Function Uninstall-OldPowercliEditons {
$Total = $OldModules.Count
$Index = 0
foreach ($Module in $OldModules) {
    $Index++
    $Percent = ($Index / $Total) * 100

    Write-Progress `
        -Activity "Delete old PowerCLI version" `
        -Status "Uninstall version $($Module.Version) ($Index from $Total)" `
        -PercentComplete $Percent

    try {
        Uninstall-Module -Name $Module.name -AllVersions -Force  # -ErrorAction silentlycontinue -ErrorVariable +err
        Write-Host "<img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f5d1.png" alt="🗑" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> Removed: PowerCLI $($Module.Name) with $($Module.Version)"
    }
    catch {
        Write-Error "<img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/274c.png" alt="❌" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> Error with deleting PowerCLI $($Module.Version): $_"
    }

    Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
  }
}

if (-not ($installedVMwarePowercli -or $installedVCFPowercli -or $OldModules )) {
    "<img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/274c.png" alt="❌" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> VCF.PowerCLI is not installed"
    Install-Module VCF.PowerCLI -AllowClobber  -Scope CurrentUser # -SkipPublisherCheck
}
elseif ([version]$installedVCFPowercli.Version -eq [version]$latestVCFPowercli.Version) {
    "<img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/2705.png" alt="✅" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> VCF PowerCLI is up-to-date ($($installed.Version))"
}
elseif ($installedVMwarePowercli) {
    "<img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/2b06.png" alt="⬆" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> VMware Powercli is installed needed upgrade to VCF Powercli"
    Uninstall-OldPowercliEditons
    Write-Host "Uninstall is succes vol"  -ForegroundColor Yellow
    Install-Module VCF.PowerCLI -AllowClobber  -Scope CurrentUser # -SkipPublisherCheck
    Write-Host "Install VCF Powercli is succes" -ForegroundColor Green
}
else {
    "<img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/2b06.png" alt="⬆" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> VCF Powercli Update beschikbaar $($latestVCFPowercli.Version)"
    Uninstall-OldPowercliEditons
    Write-Host "Uninstall is succes" -ForegroundColor Yellow
    Update-Module -Name VCF.PowerCLI -Force
    Write-Host "Update is succes vol" -ForegroundColor Green
}

$installedVCFPowercli   = Get-InstalledModule VCF.PowerCLI -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
$installedVMwarePowercli   = Get-InstalledModule VMware.PowerCLI -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
$latestVCFPowercli    = Find-Module VCF.PowerCLI -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
$latestVMwarePowercli =  Find-Module VMware.PowerCLI -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
$OldModules = Get-InstalledModule VMware.* -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
$OldModules += Get-InstalledModule VCF.* -ErrorAction SilentlyContinu | Where-Object {[version]$_.Version -lt $latestVCF.Version}

Function Uninstall-OldPowercliEditons {
$Total = $OldModules.Count
$Index = 0
foreach ($Module in $OldModules) {
    $Index++
    $Percent = ($Index / $Total) * 100

    Write-Progress `
        -Activity "Delete old PowerCLI version" `
        -Status "Uninstall version $($Module.Version) ($Index from $Total)" `
        -PercentComplete $Percent

    try {
        Uninstall-Module -Name $Module.name -AllVersions -Force  # -ErrorAction silentlycontinue -ErrorVariable +err
        Write-Host "🗑 Removed: PowerCLI $($Module.Name) with $($Module.Version)"
    }
    catch {
        Write-Error "❌ Error with deleting PowerCLI $($Module.Version): $_"
    }

    Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
  }
}

if (-not ($installedVMwarePowercli -or $installedVCFPowercli -or $OldModules )) {
    "❌ VCF.PowerCLI is not installed"
    Install-Module VCF.PowerCLI -AllowClobber  -Scope CurrentUser # -SkipPublisherCheck
}
elseif ([version]$installedVCFPowercli.Version -eq [version]$latestVCFPowercli.Version) {
    "✅ VCF PowerCLI is up-to-date ($($installed.Version))"
}
elseif ($installedVMwarePowercli) {
    "⬆ VMware Powercli is installed needed upgrade to VCF Powercli"
    Uninstall-OldPowercliEditons
    Write-Host "Uninstall is succes vol"  -ForegroundColor Yellow
    Install-Module VCF.PowerCLI -AllowClobber  -Scope CurrentUser # -SkipPublisherCheck
    Write-Host "Install VCF Powercli is succes" -ForegroundColor Green
}
else {
    "⬆ VCF Powercli Update beschikbaar $($latestVCFPowercli.Version)"
    Uninstall-OldPowercliEditons
    Write-Host "Uninstall is succes" -ForegroundColor Yellow
    Update-Module -Name VCF.PowerCLI -Force
    Write-Host "Update is succes vol" -ForegroundColor Green
}

I don’t have much experience with Kubernetes but wanted to try some new things.

The only container that I have running is Home Assistant on Docker.

Got to try to get Kubedoom working. So I did with the following steps.
Maybe in the near future I’ll try to add more games: Retro DOS Games on Kubernetes

Finally having a Kubernetes cluster version 1.32, which was required for running KubeDoom.

Download kubectl

mkdir d:\kubectl

Extract the downloaded ZIP file and place both executables (kubectl.exe and kubectl-vsphere.exe) in a folder such as: d:\kubectl

.\kubectl version –client

mkdir .kube

cd .kube

New-Item config -type file

.\kubectl vsphere login –server=https://31.31.0.7 –insecure-skip-tls-verify

kubectl –kubeconfig=kubernetes-cluster-jzvx-kubeconfig.yaml get pods

kubectl –kubeconfig=kubernetes-cluster-jzvx-kubeconfig.yaml apply -f kubedoom.yaml

kubectl –kubeconfig=kubernetes-cluster-jzvx-kubeconfig.yaml -n kubedoom get svc

The password to Kubedoom is idbehold

Download VNC Viewer: https://www.realvnc.com/en/connect/download/viewer

This is funny and cool!

Some links about the licensing:

Broadcom describes the vSAN licensing in VVF for VDI, https://ftpdocs.broadcom.com/cadocs/0/contentimages/VVF_VDI_SPD_November2024.pdf

You can find more information also here: Omnissa Horizon combined offering with VMware vSphere Foundation for VDI – FAQ (6000381)

So for this test purpose I have 3 x 3.2TB Storage Drives for test.
Sow I have 9.7 TB storage available in a Single node vSAN Cluster

The 100GB “vSAN” Evaluation License comes from the host license! (Licensed for 50years)

With a 2 x 32 core server I have a total of 64 cores.

With 64 Cores and 100Gb/PerCore license I should not extend more then the raw of 6.4TB.

Wit current raw capacity of 9.6TB I get a error

Alarm is gone after removing 1 Disk from the 9.6 TB vSAN Storage (Left 1 Disk as spare). Storage is now 6.4 TB.

So the conclusion is DON’T go above the RAW Core capacity!!!

For design is the following handy:

Horizon Sizing: The Spreadsheet I Made So I’d Stop Yelling at My Monitor

The Hidden Delta Disk Nobody Cared About

ERROR LCMVROPCONFIG20013

Installed Tree: apt install tree # tree

File Exsist on the Offline Depot

File Remove from the Binary Management

Download the upgrade file again

Download the file again: sudo ./vcf-download-tool binaries download –depot-download-token-file=/home/token -d /var/www/html –vcf-version=9.0.1 –type UPGRADE –component VROPS

Pre-staged the VROPS update again

Update successfully

If you are planning to upgrade to latest release of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0.1 and you what to install/upgrade you need to have a offline depot.

I had some struggle with the VCF Fleet upgrades. I thought the VCF installer Offline Depot was sufficient. I seems not.

William Liam did a nice explaining about the options: VCF Software Depot Structure Deep Dive for Install & Upgrade. Which confirms my struggle.

Sow I build my own offline depot

Prerequisites

First, download the required bundle files from the Broadcom VMware portal. This includes:

• vcf-9.0.1.0-offline-depot-metadata.zip (mandatory)
• vcf-download-tool-9.0.1.0.24962179.tar.gz (mandatory)

On the Depot Server (Ubuntu)

Sizing for the disk is minimal 100GB I used 200GB thin Provisiond

I did a Ubuntu install on a 200GB disk (Partition without lvm)

Login

Login with the user account that you create

Sudo passwd root

Vim /etc/ssh/sshd_config

 if the following line exists, possibly commented out (with a # in front):

PermitRootLogin

Then change it to the following, uncommenting if needed (remove the # in front):

PermitRootLogin yes

sudo service ssh restart

now you can login als root

Install Apache and tools

Sudo update

sudo apt install apache2 openssl apache2-utils unzip

Create a certificate config file

nano ~/vcf-openssl.cnf

Paste the following:

[ req ]

default_bits = 2048

prompt = no

default_md = sha256

distinguished_name = dn

x509_extensions = v3_req

[ dn ]

C = US

ST = CA

L = LA

O = TS

OU = IT

CN = flt-depot.wardhomelab.nl

emailAddress = a@b.c

[ v3_req ]

basicConstraints = CA:FALSE

keyUsage = digitalSignature, keyEncipherment

extendedKeyUsage = serverAuth

subjectAltName = @alt_names

[ alt_names ]

DNS.1 = flt-depot.wardhomelab.nl

IP.1 = 192.168.150.246

Replace the values with your organization’s details.

Generate the certificate

cd /etc/apache2
sudo mkdir ssl

sudo openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 \

-newkey rsa:2048 \

-keyout /etc/apache2/ssl/vcf.key \

-out /etc/apache2/ssl/vcf.crt \

-config ~/vcf-openssl.cnf

Create a basic auth user

Sudo htpasswd -c /etc/apache2/.htpasswd vcfadmin

Configure Apache

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/default-ssl.conf

Paste the following:

<VirtualHost *:443>

ServerAdmin webmaster@localhost

DocumentRoot /var/www/html

SSLEngine on

SSLCertificateFile /etc/apache2/ssl/vcf.crt

SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/apache2/ssl/vcf.key

SSLProtocol all -SSLv3 -TLSv1 -TLSv1.1

RequestHeader unset Proxy early

<Directory /var/www/html>

Options Indexes FollowSymLinks

AllowOverride None

AuthType Basic

AuthName “VCF Depot”

AuthUserFile /etc/apache2/.htpasswd

Require valid-user

</Directory>

</VirtualHost>

Enable modules and restart Apache

sudo a2enmod ssl headers

sudo a2ensite default-ssl

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Extract the metadata ZIP

Sudo chmod 777 /home

Upload vcf-9.0.1.0-offline-depot-metadata.zip /home/ with Winscp

Sudo unzip vcf-9.0.1.0-offline-depot-metadata.zip -d /var/www/html

Make sure this file exists:

ls /var/www/html/PROD/metadata/productVersionCatalog/v1/productVersionCatalog.json

Remove Index.html

sudo rm -f /var/www/html/index.html

Create your Download token

Create your Download token in de Broadcom portal

Create a token file in /home folder

Upload the VCF download tool

Sudo mkdir /home/vcf-download-tool

Sudo chmod 777 /home/vcf-download-tool

cd /tmp/vcf-download-tool

Upload the tool in /tmp/vcf-download-tool folder

tar -xf vcf-download-tool-9.0.1.0.24962179.tar.gz

sudo reboot

Run the following

Cd /tmp/vcf-download-tool/bin

sudo ./vcf-download-tool binaries download –depot-download-token-file=/home/token -d /var/www/html –vcf-version=9.0.1 –automated-install –type=INSTALL

Download all the appliances

sudo ./vcf-download-tool binaries list –depot-download-token-file=/home/token –vcf-version=9.0.1 –type=INSTALL –sku=VCF

Upgrade

sudo ./vcf-download-tool binaries download –depot-download-token-file=/home/token -d /var/www/html –vcf-version=9.0.1 –type UPGRADE –component SDDC_MANAGER_VCF

sudo ./vcf-download-tool binaries download –depot-download-token-file=/home/token -d /var/www/html –vcf-version=9.0.1 –type UPGRADE –component VCENTER

sudo ./vcf-download-tool binaries download –depot-download-token-file=/home/token -d /var/www/html –vcf-version=9.0.1 –type UPGRADE –component VRSLCM

sudo ./vcf-download-tool binaries download –depot-download-token-file=/home/token -d /var/www/html –vcf-version=9.0.1 –type UPGRADE –component VROPS

sudo ./vcf-download-tool binaries download –depot-download-token-file=/home/token -d /var/www/html –vcf-version=9.0.1 –type UPGRADE –component NSX_T_MANAGER

sudo ./vcf-download-tool binaries download –depot-download-token-file=/home/token -d /var/www/html –vcf-version=9.0.1 –type UPGRADE –component VCF_OPS_CLOUD_PROXY

sudo ./vcf-download-tool binaries download –depot-download-token-file=/home/token -d /var/www/html –vcf-version=9.0.1 –type UPGRADE –component VRA

Additional

sudo ./vcf-download-tool binaries download –depot-download-token-file=/home/token -d /var/www/html –vcf-version=9.0.1 –type UPGRADE –component VRNI

sudo ./vcf-download-tool binaries download –depot-download-token-file=/home/token -d /var/www/html –vcf-version=9.0.1 –type UPGRADE –component VRLI

sudo ./vcf-download-tool binaries download –depot-download-token-file=/home/token -d /var/www/html –vcf-version=9.0.1 –type UPGRADE –component HCX

sudo ./vcf-download-tool binaries download –depot-download-token-file=/home/token -d /var/www/html –vcf-version=9.0.1 –type UPGRADE –component VRO

sudo ./vcf-download-tool binaries download –depot-download-token-file=/home/token -d /var/www/html –vcf-version=9.0.1 –type UPGRADE –component VIDB

Upgrade Binaries will be visible

On de SDDC manager

Open de VM console

Login with the root user

Vim /etc/ssh/sshd_config

 if the following line exists, possibly commented out (with a # in front):

PermitRootLogin

Then change it to the following, uncommenting if needed (remove the # in front):

PermitRootLogin yes

systemctl restart sshd

Copy vcf.crt

scp root@ftt-depot.wardhomelab.nl:/etc/apache2/ssl/vcf.crt /tmp/vcf.crt

Import the certificate into the Java truststore

sudo keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias vcfDepotCert1 \

-file /tmp/vcf.crt \

-keystore /usr/lib/jvm/openjdk-java17-headless.x86_64/lib/security/cacerts \

-storepass changeit

Reboot

Now u should connect VCF to you offline depot

You want you upgrade to 9.0.1 ivm Edge Issue

Special thanks to vmtechnics for putting me in the right direction

I followed the shutdown order for the management domain.

Edge servers lost from NIC 2 and NIC 3 the network configuration
Edge Servers did not start, not correctly

I deployed a third edge server. Two new distributed port groups were created.

These are missing for the edge01a and edge01b servers. These should not be deleted/missing after shutdown.

Create a distributed port group with a VLAN trunk

Set NIC 2 and 3 to this network.

Edge Nodes’ Edge Cluster is running fine again

I found this on the Daniel Kruger Blog: https://sdn-warrior.org/posts/vcf9-ms-a2-special/

This is a known issue with VCF 9.0.0: When an edge is created by the Setup Network Connectivity UI, the system-created dvpg consumed by the edge gets deleted when the edge is powered on after 24 hrs. The port group assigned to the NSX Edge uplink has disappeared, making it impossible to use the network through NSX Edge. You can find the release notes here.

Build my lab nested, but not enough resources to do a full upgrade to 9.0.1.
So I build the lab again, but physically. More about that later!

I love testing things; you learn so much!

I use for my homelab the MS-A2 with the 2 x 10GbE Intel X710 SFP+ (NIC 1 & 2 from the left). It is silent and fast and have enough power to run VCF 9!

So I bought also the  10GbE SFP+ to Copper Transceiver

But when you connect the MS-A2 to USW Flex 2.5G switch on the switch side is 2.5G.

But on the VMware side is 10GB

No need to do the following: Disable 10GbE NIC Pre-Check in the VCF 9.0 Installer or

Enhancement in VCF 9.0.1 to bypass vSAN ESA HCL & Host Commission 10GbE NIC Check

It working great! No need to buy expensive 10GB switch!

For 8.0U3

 esxcli software sources profile list -d https://dl.broadcom.com/<Your_Broadcom_Download_Token>/PROD/COMP/ESX_HOST/main/vmw-depot-index.xml | grep -i ESXi-8.0U3

For ESX(i) 9

esxcli software sources profile list -d https://dl.broadcom.com/<Your_Broadcom_Download_Token>/PROD/COMP/ESX_HOST/main/vmw-depot-index.xml | grep -i ESXi-9

If you got a memory error run the following commands

If you do not get a list of versions run the following commands :

esxcli system settings advanced set -o /VisorFS/VisorFSPristineTardisk -i 0
cp /usr/lib/vmware/esxcli-software /usr/lib/vmware/esxcli-software.bak
sed -i ‘s/mem=300/mem=500/g’ /usr/lib/vmware/esxcli-software.bak
mv /usr/lib/vmware/esxcli-software.bak /usr/lib/vmware/esxcli-software -f
esxcli system settings advanced set -o /VisorFS/VisorFSPristineTardisk -i 1

Source: https://williamlam.com/2024/03/quick-tip-using-esxcli-to-upgrade-esxi-8-x-throws-memoryerror-or-got-no-data-from-process.html

Install latest Update (ESXi-8.0U3g-24859861-standard)

esxcli software profile update -p ESXi-8.0U3g-24859861-standard -d https://dl.broadcom.com/<Your_Broadcom_Download_Token>/PROD/COMP/ESX_HOST/main/vmw-depot-index.xml

Installation on Nested ESX VM’s

For the nested ESX VMs I am using the generic ESX image. In my lab I’m using 4 nested ESX nodes for vSAN ESA (Minimum is needed is 3).

• Ideally add 24 vCPUs to the nested ESX, but VCF Automation is capable of being deployed with 16 vCPUs
• Check Expose hardware assisted virtualization to the guest OS under CPU
• Add a NVME controller and connect disks to this controller if planning to use vSAN ESA (Don’t forget to remove the old Controller)
• Add at least two VMXNET3 nics connected to the same network
• Choose VMware ESXi 8.0 or later as the Guest OS version.
• Change the IDE CD-ROM to SATA ROM (Failed to locate kickstart on Nested ESXi VM CD-ROM in VCF 9.0)

Config the 4 Host for vSAN ESA

To config the 4 Hosts for vSAN ESA I used my own powercli script where I blogged about here: Config vSAN ESA host or VCF ESA vSAN Host the easy way with Config-VSAN-ESA-VCF-Lab-Host Script

You can download the script HERE!

Installing the Vib works still great. No problem with ESA  Pre-check:

If you have problems check this great blog from William Lam: vSAN ESA Disk & HCL Workaround for VCF 9.0

VCF installer.

At first you have to deploy the VMware Cloud Foundation

The name of the installer is a little off: VCF-SDDC-Manager-Appliance-9.0.0.0.24703748.ova

Download token

If you don’t have a download token from the Broadcom support then it’s a little complicated. I won’t go into this in depth now but here is a nice article if you have a Synology Nas: VCF 9.0 Offline Depot using Synology

(Note: For any vExpert reading this… You need to claim your own domain name because build your profile is not working with a @hotmail.com or @gmail accounts, Noted by Broadcom)

I looks something like this!

10GBE Nic Pre-Check Issue

Next thing to do was: Disable 10GbE NIC Pre-Check in the VCF 9.0 Installer or this should also work: How to change the vmxnet3 link speed of a VM (Not tested)

Deployment

I have deployed the beta in a earlier state. For deployment I used the same json file to start with.

VCF Automation will deployed automatically that was only the change that I changed it

It’s running!

Performance running Nested!!

Above the screenshot from the host with de Nested VCF lab deployment it’s quite cpu intensive (2 x CPU 8cores / 16 Threads)

Optimalization

After the deployment I did three things
– On the vSAN ESA Cluster (Disable Auto Disk Claim) (Keep the warning away)
– On the NSX VM reduce the cpu reservation from 6000 🡪 2000 (It helps but not enough)
– VCF automation VM 24 cores to 16 cores.

NSX en VCF automation are really CPU intensive.

I had deployed also two Edge servers but the server did not like that. Edges are also CPU intensive.

I am thinking about adding MS-01 or MS-A2 for splitting some load.

What are my things I would like to test

• VCF 9 installer (VCF 9 Beta i looked good)
• NVME Tiering
• vSAN ESA Dedub
• VCF 9 with Ubiquiti
• Kubernetes Service now includes Windows containerization
• NSX VPC Support

The VCF Cloud Foundation Installer makes lives a lot easier! More about this coming very soon

The VCF Operations Console is looking good! I used it in the VCF 9 beta

More about this also later!

You can download the needed vib here

A whale ago I found a easy way to the deployment of a VMware SDDC based on vSAN ESA: VCF automated lab deployment with vSAN ESA

It works great. I a few hours you have a working VCF management domain on vSAN ESA.

Sow what about the script

For the Workload domain domain I created de nested ESXi vm’s manually .
And I did some testing for VCF 9 which I created the nested ESXi host also manually.

Configure by hand takes a lot of time. So I did some scripting and I used some code
from: VCF automated lab deployment with vSAN ESA

So I created a script that does the following:

• Login on DHCP address en configure a Fixt IP address based on DNS name
• Disable IPv6
• Rename the local datastore to a uniek name with the name of the host
• Configure NTP
• Install the vSAN ESA VIB mock en restart vSAN mgmt.
• Generate new certificate for the host with the correct domain name in it.
• Enable KB372309 (10GB ethernet for vSAN ESA)

It works great for ESXi Nested nodes (ESXi 8.0u3b and ESXi9.X beta)

You can find the script HERE!!

I works great.

Because the rest of my home work exist of Ubiquity devices I’ve wanted for a long timo to replace my netgear switch’s with a managed one. But the question was which one?

I used the Flex Mini behind the TV and for my PC and NAS. But not for my “server”.

With the release of the Flex 2.5G Switch it will make my homelab a little futher proof.

I have bought in de past the Synology DS723+ which support 2.5G en 10G with a optinal adapter. I wrote about it here

I have the luck that I don’t need to consult with the WAF Sow the decision was made quickly

now I can really use VLANs within the various virtualization solutions and keep things separate from each other

My labs are even more realistic because of this upgrade!

Warning: Use this only in a Homelab!

The trick is to SSH into your SDDC Manager using the vcf user, and the password used during bring-up of the management domain.

When logged in, run su and log in as root using the password used during bring-up.

run: vi /etc/vmware/vcf/domainmanager/application-prod.properties

Hit i in your keyboard to go into insert mode. Go to the end of the file, and append the following:

nsxt.manager.formfactor=medium
nsxt.manager.resources.validation.skip=true
nsxt.manager.cluster.size=1
nsxt.manager.wait.minutes=120

This will make it so that any workload domain you deploy has one NSX Manager, and that it uses a smaller size. Once done, hit ESC in your keyboard, then type :wq and hit enter to save the file. (w = write, q = quit).

Then run systemctl restart domainmanager and you are good to go!

This worked in my nested Cloud Foundation deployment in my lab running 5.2.1.0.

You will still have to fill in the information for the extra nodes in the UI.

The Script:

function ConvertTo-DecimalIP {
param ([string]$ip)
$parts = $ip.Split(‘.’) | ForEach-Object { [int]$_ }
return ($parts[0] -shl 24) + ($parts[1] -shl 16) + ($parts[2] -shl 8) + $parts[3]
}

function ConvertTo-DottedIP {
param ([int]$intIP)
$part1 = ($intIP -shr 24) -band 0xFF
$part2 = ($intIP -shr 16) -band 0xFF
$part3 = ($intIP -shr 8) -band 0xFF
$part4 = $intIP -band 0xFF
return “$part1.$part2.$part3.$part4”
}

$zone = “testlab.nl”
$startip = “192.168.200.10”

$dnsrecords = “vcf-m01-cb01″,”vcf-m01-sddcm01″,”vcf-m01-esx01″,”vcf-m01-esx02″,”vcf-m01-esx03″,”vcf-m01-esx04″,”vcf-w01-esx02″,”vcf-w01-esx03″,”vcf-w01-esx04″,”vcf-w01-esx04″,”vcf-m01-nsx01a”,”vcf-m01-nsx01b”,”vcf-m01-nsx01c”,”vcf-m01-nsx01″,”vcf-w01-nsx01a”,”vcf-w01-nsx01b”,”vcf-w01-nsx01c”,”vcf-w01-nsx01″,”vcf-m01-vc01″,”vcf-w01-vc01″
$count = $dnsrecords.count

# Convert start IP to decimal

$decimalIP = ConvertTo-DecimalIP $startIP
$i = 0

# Loop and print incremented IPs

foreach ($dnsrecord in $dnsrecords) {
$i -lt
$count;
$i++
$currentDecimalIP = $decimalIP + $i
$currentIP = ConvertTo-DottedIP $currentDecimalIP
Add-DnsServerResourceRecordA -Name $dnsrecord -ZoneName $zone -AllowUpdateAny -IPv4Address $currentIP -CreatePtr
Write-Output “DNS record $dnsrecord in $zone with $currentIP is created” -ForegroundColor Green

To very handy command’s when you are building your labs multiple times when using a Windows Server as a DNS Server

I wanted to do it through Powershell but i think this is the easiest way to do.

dnscmd /zoneexport “wardvissers.nl” “wardvissers.nl”

dnscmd /zoneadd “wardhomelab.nl” /primary /file wardhomelab2.nl.dns /load

So now I want to deploy a template with Terraform, which was created earlier by Packer.

First, we need to ensure we have the Terraform downloaded and the vSphere provider Initialized.

1. Install Terraform: You can download it from the official Terraform website and follow the installation instructions for your operating system.

I made my life a little easier to create a PowerShell script that downloads the latest version: Download Terraform.ps1

1. Initialize Your Terraform Configuration: Create a directory for your Terraform configuration files. Inside this directory, create a `main.tf` file (or any `.tf` file) where you will define your provider and other configurations.
   Define the vSphere Provider in Your main.tf: Add the following block to your Terraform configuration file to specify the use of the vSphere provider:

terraform {

  required_providers {

    vsphere = {

      source = “HashiCorp/vsphere”

      version = “> 2.11”

    }

  }

}

provider “vsphere” {

  user           = vcenter_username

  password       = vcenter_password

  vsphere_server = vcenter_server

  # If you have a self-signed cert

  allow_unverified_ssl = true

}

Replace ”vcenter_username”, ” vcenter_password” , ”vcenter_server” with your actual vSphere credentials and server address.

1. Basic Terraform Commands

Terraform.ps1

# Go to the Terraform download folder

$terraformfolder = ‘d:\automation\terraform\’

Set-Location $terraformfolder

# Download Terraform plugins

.\terraform.exe init

# Test Run

.\terraform.exe plan

# Run Terraform

.\terraform.exe apply

# Clean Up what you created

.\terraform.exe Destroy

Initialize the Terraform Working Directory: Run the following command in your terminal from the directory where your Terraform configuration file is located:

terraform init

This command will download the vSphere provider and initialize your Terraform working directory. It sets up and downloads the necessary provider plugins for Terraform to interact with vSphere.

Verify the Installation: After running `terraform init`, you should see output indicating that the vSphere provider has been successfully installed. You can now proceed to create Terraform configurations to manage your vSphere resources.

Deploy a Template VM within vSphere

In this example, we are deploying a VM running Windows Server 2022.

Terraform Module Structure

1. variables.tf: Define the variables for the module.
2. main.tf: Contains the main configuration for the VM.
3. outputs.tf: Define the outputs for the module.

Variables.tf

variable “vsphere_user” {

  default     = “<your_vcenter_username_here>”

   description = “vSphere username to use to connect to the environment – Default: administrator@vsphere.local”

}

variable “vsphere_password” {

  default     = “<your_vcenter_password_here>”

  description = “vSphere vCenter password”

}

variable “vsphere_server” {

  default = “<your_vcenter_here>”

  description = “vSphere vCenter server”

}

variable “datacenter” {

  default = “<your_datacenter_here>”

  description = “vSphere datacenter”

}

variable “cluster” {

  default = “<your_cluster_here>”

  description = “vSphere cluster”

}

variable “network” {

  default = “<vcenter_network>”

  description = “vSphere network”

}

variable “datastore” {

  default = “<your_destination_datastore_>”

  description = “vSphere datastore”

}

variable “template” {

  default = “<your_template_name_here>”

  description = “Template VM”

}

variable “customization_specifications” {

  default = “<vcenter_customization_specifications>”

  description = “Customization Spec”

}

When you run “.\terraform plan” you do a test run to check your coding

When you run “.\terraform apply” build your virtual machine

Based on: https://vminfrastructure.com/2025/03/11/deploying-a-vm-using-terraform/

It works but it need some tweaking and fixing.

Adding a TPM2.0 security device does not work right now
Server 2025 customization does not work

Using OpenSSL should work with any Active Directory Server platform. (Windows, Linux etc.). I use Windows in my case

Requirements:

• Openssl
• FQDN or IP of the Active Directory Server
• LDAPS certificate installed in the Active Directory Server certificate store

Steps:

1. Run the following command from your local computer:
   openssl s_client -showcerts -connect <ip or fqdn of your active directory server>:636
2. In the output, copy the certificate portion of the output to a text file

3. Save the text file as my_ldaps_cert.pem.

The saved certificate can be installed into any software that needs to connect to your Active Directory using LDAPS.

The VMUG Advantage program has offered affordable home lab VMware licensing packages for years, but did cover most over the entire product portfolio.

Last year Broadcom made a change into this.

Option 1: Get vSphere Standard Edition 32 cores for 1 year: Pass one of the following VCP certification exams

• VCP-VVF (admin/architect)
• VCP-VCF (admin/architect)

Option 2:  Get VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 128 cores for 3 years: Purchase & Maintain VMUG Advantage, pass the following VCP certification exam.

• VCP-VCF (admin/architect)

A VMUG Advantage membership was complimentary for vExperts in 2025

The membership is $210 otherwise, and does include a voucher for a 50% discounted VCP-VCF exam

With the requirements in place, head to the Broadcom “VCP Certification Non-Production Licenses” portal and request licenses.

VMware Skyline was great:
• Proactive Issue Identification
• Automated Insights
• Health Scans and Remediation
• Integration with support

VMware by Broadcom are building critical Findings and Self-Help recommendations directly in product starting with VCF (from 5.2) and Aria Operations (from v8.18 July 2024)

Many of the other Skyline features are being planned for inclusion in future  releases in Cloud Foundation and Aria Operations. We will see what the future will bring.
But for now how do you get this working.

First Step:

Update Aria Operations to 8.18.2 (Lastest)

Second Steps:

1. vCenter (Don’t for get enable vSAN), NSX, VCF, Aria vRA

2. Configure log collection in Aria Logs for the following components:

• Configure vCenter server integration in Aria for Logs

• Configure log forwarding on vCenter server, ESXi hosts(automatically in Aria FOR logs), and SDDC manager

3. Integrating VMware Aria Operations for Logs and VMware Aria Operations

4. Connect Skyline Health Diagnostics (SHD)

5. In Aria LoginSight check the vRops integration checkboxes

Bij default Enable launch in context can be disabled when configured at first.

After upgrading and checking the settings its finally working (It can take some time).

1. Free Windows Server 2025 Security Advice Book read here and download here
2. Windows Server 2025 is Certified on VMware vSphere
3. Windows Server 2025 known issues and notifications
4. New & Updated Security Tools
5. Windows Server 2022 to 2025: Active Directory Upgrade Guide

You can find the script on my Github: Link

That script dit not get all info that i wanted. I use is for all my different homelabs.

Funtions: Cluster,Hosts,VMs,vSANVersion,vSanUpgrade,HealthCheckEnabled,TimeOfHclUpdate,StoragePolicy,vSanDiskClaimMode,faultdomaincount,ObjectOutOfcompliance,vSanOverallHealth,vSanOverallHealthDescription,vSanHealthScore,ComponentLimitHealth,OpenIssue,vSanFreeSpaceTB,vSanCapacityTB

Addons:
PerformanceServiceEnabled
PerformanceStatsStoragePolicy
faultdomaincoun
StretchedClusterEnabled
vSanFailureToTolerate (Works only in Second run, Work in Progress)

You schedule the script and send it to your e-mail

VCF MGMT domain

Homelab

Finish