Ensuring network connectivity between the Aria Operations for Logs server and VMware Cloud Foundation components is crucial. If there are network connectivity issues, logs may fail to be transmitted to the Aria Operations for Logs server.

The syslog configuration on each ESXi host must be set correctly to point to the Aria Operations for Logs server to ensure that log data from ESXi hosts is collected and sent to the log management system.

In a VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) environment, when adding a new cluster to an existing VI workload domain, the new cluster must use the same principal storage as the existing cluster. Since the existing cluster is using NFS, the available storage options for the new cluster would be NFS or vSAN, depending on the configuration.

VMware Data Services Manager enhances database security and compliance by providing Database-Level Authentication, which ensures that access to databases is tightly controlled and that only authorized users can access sensitive database information. This is critical for maintaining security and compliance with industry standards and regulations.

NFS: NFS (Network File System) can be used as a storage option during the deployment of a VI workload domain, typically for storing virtual machine files.

vVol: vVol (Virtual Volumes) provides a storage framework to allow for policy-driven management of virtual machine storage.

VMFS on FC: VMFS (VMware File System) on Fibre Channel (FC) provides block-level storage for virtual machines and is widely used in VMware environments.

vSAN: vSAN (Virtual SAN) is VMware's hyper-converged storage solution, which combines compute and storage resources in a VMware environment, and is available as a storage option for a workload domain.

Aria Automation (formerly vRealize Automation) is designed to automate the deployment of applications and infrastructure across hybrid cloud environments. It enables the provisioning, management, and orchestration of IT services, helping organizations streamline their service delivery.

Before the host can be recommissioned and added back to the SDDC Manager inventory, you must reset the system configuration. This can be done from the ESXi Direct Console User Interface (DCUI) by selecting the "Reset System Configuration" option. This will remove any previous configuration and allow the host to be re-added to the environment.

As documented in the official VMware Cloud Foundation Administration Guide for Host Commissioning:

A. Self-signed certificate regenerated based on FQDN of host.Exact Extract:

“During the commissioning process, SDDC Manager regenerates a self-signed certificate for the host based on its FQDN to ensure secure communications and integration with the management domain.”

C. Delete all disk partitions on HDD/SSD.Exact Extract:

“Before commissioning, all partitions must be deleted from the host's disks to allow SDDC Manager to claim storage for vSAN or other use. Failure to remove partitions can cause the commissioning workflow to fail.”

F. A supported version of ESXi installed on the host.Exact Extract:

“The host must be installed with a version of ESXi that is supported by the current release of VMware Cloud Foundation. Unsupported versions will cause the commissioning operation to fail.”

Why Not the Other Options?

B:While having multiple 10Gbps NICs is recommended, it is not a strict commissioning requirement for all host profiles.

D:Updating DNS is necessary, but the step of “adding the host directly to SDDC Manager using root credentials” is incomplete, as SDDC Manager itself performs the addition and validation steps.

E:Manually adding hosts to vCenter is not permitted; SDDC Manager must orchestrate the entire host onboarding process.

Summary:

The three required steps to commission a new host into the SDDC Manager inventory are:

A. Regenerate the self-signed certificate based on the FQDN,

C. Delete all disk partitions on HDD/SSD,

F. Ensure a supported version of ESXi is installed.

These steps are explicitly outlined in the VMware Cloud Foundation host commissioning documentation.