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ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere 10

Deploy ONTAP tools

Contributors netapp-jani jani
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Deploy ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere as an extra-small single-node appliance that supports NFS and VMFS datastores. The deployment process takes up to 45 minutes.

Before you begin

If you deploy an extra-small single-node configuration, a content library is optional. For multi-node or HA deployments, a content library is required.

In VMware, a content library stores VM templates, vApp templates, and other files. Using a content library simplifies deployment because it is not dependent on direct network access during template operations.

Before you create a content library:

  • Create the content library on a shared datastore so all hosts in the cluster can access it.

  • Create the content library before deploying the ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere OVA.

  • Keep the OVA template in the content library after deployment.

Note If you plan to enable HA later, deploy the ONTAP tools VM in an ESXi cluster or resource pool, not directly on an ESXi host.

To create a content library:

  1. Download the ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere binaries (.ova) and signed certificates from the NetApp Support Site.

  2. Log in to the vSphere Client.

  3. From the vSphere Client menu, select Content libraries.

  4. Select Create.

  5. Enter a name, and create the content library.

  6. Open the content library you created.

  7. Select Actions > Import item, and import the OVA file.

Note For more information, see Creating and Using Content Library.
Note Before deployment, set the cluster Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) to Conservative to prevent VM migration during installation.

ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere is initially deployed as a non-HA configuration. Beginning with ONTAP tools 10.6, CPU hot add and memory hot plug are enabled by default. To scale to HA later, these features must be enabled.

Steps

  1. Download the ONTAP tools OVA file and signed certificates from the NetApp Support Site. If you have already imported the OVA into your content library, skip this step.

  2. Log in to the vSphere server.

  3. Go to the resource pool, cluster, or host where you want to deploy the OVA.

    Important Do not store the ONTAP tools VM on vVols datastores that it manages.

  4. Deploy the OVA from either the content library or the local system.

    From the local system

    From the content library

    a. Right-click and select Deploy OVF template…​.

    b. Choose the OVA file from the URL or browse to its location, then select Next.

    a. Go to your content library and select the library item that you want to deploy.

    b. Select Actions > New VM from this template

  5. In Select a name and folder, enter the VM name and location.

  6. Select a computer resource and select Next. Optionally, check the box to Automatically power on deployed VM.

  7. Review the details of the template and select Next.

  8. Read and accept the license agreement and select Next.

  9. Select the storage for the configuration and the disk format and select Next.

  10. Select the destination network for each source network and select Next.

  11. In the Customize template window, enter the required values. Customize template

    Important

    The values on the Customize template page are required for a successful deployment.

    Pay special attention to these fields:

    • Host name: Enter the ONTAP tools VM host name. Use a valid host name format.

    • ONTAP tools IP address: This is the primary management interface used to access ONTAP tools.

    • IPv4 address: This is the node IP address used for diagnostic shell and SSH access for troubleshooting and maintenance.

    If you use DNS names for the host or vCenter, ensure those names resolve correctly in DNS.
    Note The vCenter hostname is the name of the vCenter Server instance where the ONTAP tools appliance is deployed.

    If you are deploying ONTAP tools in a two-vCenter Server topology, where the appliance is hosted in one vCenter instance and manages another, assign a restricted role for the vCenter instance that hosts ONTAP tools. Create a dedicated vCenter user and role with only the permissions required for OVF template deployment. For details, see Roles included with ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere 10.

    For the vCenter instance managed by ONTAP tools, ensure that the vCenter user account has administrator privileges.

    • Host names must include letters (A-Z, a-z), digits (0-9), and hyphens (-). For dual stack, specify the host name mapped to the IPv6 address.

      Note Pure IPv6 is not supported. Mixed mode is supported with a VLAN that contains both IPv6 and IPv4 addresses.

    • ONTAP tools IP address (formerly load balancer) is the external endpoint for ONTAP tools Manager (https://<ip>:8443/virtualization/ui/), API calls, and plug-in access from the vCenter UI.

    • ONTAP tools virtual IP address (formerly node interconnect) is assigned to the Kubernetes API (kube-api) server and acts as the virtual IP for the Kubernetes control plane.

    • IPv4 address is the node management address mapped to the specified host name, and is used for diagnostic shell and SSH access.

  12. Review the details in the Ready to complete window, select Finish.

    When the deployment task starts, progress is shown in the vSphere task bar.

  13. If you did not select automatic power on, power on the VM after the task completes.

Track installation progress from the VM web console.

If there are discrepancies in the OVF form, a dialog box prompts corrective action. Use the tab key to navigate, make the required changes, and select OK. You have three attempts to resolve issues. If problems continue after three attempts, the installation stops, and you should retry the installation on a new virtual machine.