VMware VS4-ENT-PL-A Setup Guide - Page 184

vSphere Installation and Setup 3 Auto Deploy provisions each host with the new image profile. The exact effect of applying the host profile depends on the host profile you selected and on whether the host was previously provisioned with Auto Deploy. Table 7‑9. First Boot and Subsequent Boots Comparison First Boot Subsequent Boots For stateful installs, Auto Deploy installs the image. For stateful installs, the host boots from disk. For stateless caching, Auto Deploy provisions the host and caches the image. For stateless caching, Auto Deploy provisions the host. n If Auto Deploy provisioned the host before but stateless caching was not set up before, Auto Deploy caches the image. n If Auto Deploy provided the host before and cached the image, Auto Deploy provisions the host using the information in the rules. n If Auto Deploy is unavailable, the host boots from the cached image. Set Up Stateless Hosts to Use Auto Deploy with Caching You can set up your system to provision hosts with Auto Deploy, and configure the hosts to use stateless caching. If the Auto Deploy server is not available when a host reboots, the host uses the cached image. A host that is set up for stateless caching uses the cached image only if the Auto Deploy server is not available when the host reboots. In all other situations, the host is provisioned with Auto Deploy. If you change the rule that applies an image profile to the host, and you perform a test and repair compliance operation, Auto Deploy provisions the host with the new image and the new image is cached. Set up a highly available Auto Deploy infrastructure to guarantee that virtual machines are migrated to the host if the host reboots. Because vCenter Server assigns virtual machines to the host, vCenter Server must be available. See "Set up a Highly Available Auto Deploy Infrastructure," on page 204. You can set up your environment for stateless caching by applying host profiles directly or by using PowerCLI rules. Table 7‑10. Setting up hosts for stateless caching or stateful installs Workflow Stateless caching Stateful install Apply host profile directly Write and apply PowerCLI rules Apply the host profile either to individual hosts or to all hosts in a folder or cluster. See "Configure a Host Profile to Use Stateless Caching," on page 185. Apply the host profile either to individual hosts or to all hosts in a folder or cluster. See "Configure a Host Profile to Enable Stateful Installs," on page 186. Set up a reference host with a host profile that has the caching setup you want. Write an Auto Deploy PowerCLI rule that provisions the host and that applies a host profile that is set up for stateless caching. See "Assign a Host Profile to Hosts," on page 174. Set up a reference host with a host profile that has the caching setup you want. Write an Auto Deploy PowerCLI rule that provisions the host and that applies a host profile that is set up for stateful installs. See "Assign a Host Profile to Hosts," on page 174. Prepare for Auto Deploy with Stateless Caching Before you can start provisioning a host that uses stateless caching with Auto Deploy, you must verify that your environment is set up for Auto Deploy, prepare Auto Deploy PowerCLI rules, and set the host boot order. Prerequisites n Decide which disk to use for caching and determine whether the caching process will overwrite an existing VMFS partition. 184 VMware, Inc.