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🏗️ Datacenter Build Form - How To Guide

This guide walks you through all the tabs within the Datacenter build form. Each tab must be completed accurately to ensure successful provisioning.

Configure BIOS-related settings for target devices.

Fields:

  • Disable Button: Toggles BIOS setup on or off.
  • + DEVICES: Adds a BIOS device entry.

Per Device:

  • Device: Select the hardware device.
  • Port: Specify the relevant port used by the device.

Set up ESXi hosts, licensing, and networking options.

🧩 ESXi Host

  • Host IP: IP address of the ESXi host.
  • Hostname: Hostname of the ESXi host.
  • Username: Default is root.
  • Password: ESXi root password.

🛠️ Build Settings

  • Select ESXi Version: Choose from available ESXI ISOs.
  • Select License: Choose from available ESXi license templates.
  • Subnet: Subnet for the host.
  • Domain: Domain name for the host.
  • PXE Server: IP or hostname of the PXE boot server.
  • Datastore Name: Name to assign to the ESXi datastore.

🌐 Network Settings

  • Subnet Mask
  • Default Gateway
  • DNS Server 0 / 1
  • NTP Server 0 / 1
  • VLAN: Optional VLAN ID for ESXi management.
  • Enable ESXi SSH: Toggle to enable SSH access.

🔌 vSwitch0 Settings

  • Standard Uplinks: List of standard uplinks to configure.
  • Additional vSwitch Uplinks: Define more uplinks.
  • VM Network: Custom name for the VM network.
  • VLAN: VLAN ID for the VM network.

➕ Added vSwitches

To define multiple vSwitches:

Field Description
Switch Name Name for the vSwitch.
vSwitch Port Groups Port groups assigned to the vSwitch.
vSwitch VLAN VLAN ID to associate.
vSwitch Uplink Network interface to use.

➕ Added VMKs (VMkernel NICs)

Add VMkernel NICs with the following:

Field Description
Name Friendly name for the VMK.
Port Group Assign to a vSwitch port group.
Network IP address or subnet.
Mask Subnet mask.
Gateway Optional gateway IP.
vMotion Checkbox Enable for vMotion if needed.

⚙️ Advanced Options

Optional custom commands to run during ESXi provisioning.

Field Description
Extra Kickstart Commands Provide raw Kickstart script commands to inject during build. Useful for advanced configuration or automation needs.

Use this section with caution. Commands here are executed at a low level and may impact host behavior.

Configure vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) and optionally vSAN.

🧰 VCSA Settings

Field Description
System Name Name of the vCenter system.
Datacenter Name Logical datacenter name in vSphere.
IP Address Static IP for the VCSA.
SSO User Username for the SSO user.
SSO Password Password for the SSO user.
DNS 0 / DNS 1 DNS servers for name resolution.
NTP 0 / NTP 1 NTP servers for time sync.
Appliance Name Hostname of the appliance.
Cluster Name Target vSphere cluster.
Default Gateway Gateway IP for routing.
SSO Domain e.g. vsphere.local.
OS Password Root password for appliance.
Network Prefix CIDR format, e.g., /24.

Optional Settings:

  • [ ] VCSA SSH Enable: Enable SSH access.
  • [ ] Thin Disk Mode: Use thin provisioning for disk storage.
  • Select License: Choose VCSA license.
  • Deployment Options: Select appliance size (Tiny, Small, etc).
  • VCSA Version: Choose software version.

🧱 vSAN Settings

⚠️ vSAN settings are only available if at least 3 ESXi hosts are configured in the ESXi tab.

Field Description
vmk VMkernel interface for vSAN traffic (e.g., vmk1).
Datastore Name Name for the vSAN datastore.
Select License Choose the appropriate vSAN license.

Configure distributed networking.

Fields:

  • VLAN ID: Target VLAN for DVS.
  • DVSwitch Name: Name of the distributed virtual switch.
  • DV Port Name: Port group name within the DVS.
  • Primary NIC: Select from available NIC interfaces.

Define additional virtual machines or import OVA files post-deployment.

➕ VM Section

Click + VM to define one or more VMs:

Field Description
Name VM hostname.
IP Static IP for VM.
RAM (GB) Memory to allocate.
CPU Cores Number of vCPUs.
ISO Path Path to ISO image.
HDDs Add disk size(s) in GB.
Networks Assign VM to a network or port group.

➕ OVA Section

Click + ova to import virtual appliances.

Field Description
OVA Path Path to OVA file (e.g., .ova).
Port Mapping Map NICs to port groups (e.g., GigabitEthernet1 → Port Group).

Attach automated configuration or provisioning scripts.

Fields:

  • Click + Add a Playbook to attach a new playbook.
  • Playbook: Select from available list.
  • Click HIDE VARIABLES to collapse or show variable inputs (if needed).