VCSA 8.0.2 OVA Deployment Settings Quick Reference

Prerequisites

• OVA uploaded to ESXi datastore: /vmfs/volumes/MAC_LOCAL/ISO/VMware-vCenter-Server-Appliance-8.0.2.00100-22617221_OVF10.ova
• ESXi host: Mac Pro (192.168.10.7) running ESXi 7.0.3

Deployment Steps in ESXi Web UI

1. Start OVA Deployment

• Navigate to Virtual Machines
• Click Create/Register VM
• Select Deploy a virtual machine from an OVF or OVA file
• Click Next

2. Select OVA File

• Name: vcsa
• Click Browse and navigate to:
  • Datastore: MAC_LOCAL
  • Folder: ISO
  • File: VMware-vCenter-Server-Appliance-8.0.2.00100-22617221_OVF10.ova
• Click Next

3. Select Storage

• Datastore: MAC_LOCAL
• Disk provisioning: Thin Provision
• Click Next

4. Deployment Options

When the deployment options appear, you’ll need to fill in multiple sections:

Networking Properties

Property	Value
Network 1	VM Network
IP Address Family	IPv4
Network Mode	static
IP Address	192.168.10.11
Network Prefix	24
Default Gateway	192.168.10.1
DNS Servers	192.168.10.1,8.8.8.8
Domain Search Path	markalston.net
FQDN	vcsa.markalston.net

SSO Configuration

Property	Value
SSO Domain Name	vsphere.local
SSO Password	Cl0udFoundry!
Confirm Password	Cl0udFoundry!

System Configuration

Property	Value
Root Password	Cl0udFoundry!
Confirm Password	Cl0udFoundry!
NTP Servers	pool.ntp.org
SSH Enabled	✓ Yes

Deployment Size

Property	Value
Deployment Size	medium

CEIP

Property	Value
Join CEIP	☐ No (unchecked)

5. Review Settings

• Verify all settings are correct
• Important: The deployment will show as “Medium” with:
  • vCPUs: 8
  • Memory: 30 GB
  • Storage: ~908 GB (thin provisioned)
• Click Finish

Deployment Progress

• The OVA deployment will take approximately 15-30 minutes
• Monitor progress in the Recent Tasks pane
• The VM will automatically power on after deployment

Post-Deployment Steps

1. Wait for Services to Start

• After VM powers on, wait 10-15 minutes for all services to initialize
• You can monitor by pinging: ping vcsa.markalston.net

2. Access VCSA

• vSphere Client: https://vcsa.markalston.net
  • Username: administrator@vsphere.local
  • Password: Cl0udFoundry!
• VAMI (Appliance Management): https://vcsa.markalston.net:5480
  • Username: root
  • Password: Cl0udFoundry!

3. Initial Configuration via VAMI

1. Navigate to https://vcsa.markalston.net:5480
2. Login as root
3. Complete Stage 2 setup if prompted
4. Configure:
   • Time zone
   • Update settings
   • Backup schedule

4. Add ESXi Hosts to vCenter

Once logged into vSphere Client:

1. Create Datacenter:
   • Right-click on vCenter → New Datacenter
   • Name: Homelab-DC

2. Add ESXi Hosts:

   Host: esxi-nuc-01.markalston.net (192.168.10.8) - ESXi 8.0.3
   Host: esxi-nuc-02.markalston.net (192.168.10.9) - ESXi 8.0.3
   Host: esxi-nuc-03.markalston.net (192.168.10.10) - ESXi 8.0.3
   Host: macpro.markalston.net (192.168.10.7) - ESXi 7.0.3
   

   • Username: root
   • Password: Cl0udFoundry!
3. Create Cluster (Optional):
   • Name: Compute-Cluster
   • Add Intel NUCs to cluster
   • Keep Mac Pro separate for management

5. Configure DNS

Add DNS A record for vcsa.markalston.net:

# If using Route 53
aws route53 change-resource-record-sets \
  --hosted-zone-id <your-zone-id> \
  --change-batch '{
    "Changes": [{
      "Action": "CREATE",
      "ResourceRecordSet": {
        "Name": "vcsa.markalston.net",
        "Type": "A",
        "TTL": 300,
        "ResourceRecords": [{"Value": "192.168.10.11"}]
      }
    }]
  }'

Troubleshooting

Can’t Access Web Interface

• Verify services are running: ssh root@192.168.10.11
• Check service status: service-control --status --all
• Restart all services: service-control --restart --all

Network Issues

• Verify IP configuration: ssh root@192.168.10.11
• Check network: ip addr show
• Test connectivity: ping 192.168.10.1

Certificate Warnings

• Expected on first access
• Accept the self-signed certificate
• Can replace with proper certificates later

Important URLs

• vSphere Client: https://vcsa.markalston.net
• VAMI: https://vcsa.markalston.net:5480
• API Explorer: https://vcsa.markalston.net/apiexplorer

Resource Usage on Mac Pro

After deployment, the Mac Pro will be running:

• VCSA VM: 8 vCPUs, 30GB RAM
• Available: 4 cores, 98GB RAM for other workloads
• Perfect balance for a management host

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Quick Copy Commands:

IP: 192.168.10.11
FQDN: vcsa.markalston.net
SSO: administrator@vsphere.local
Pass: Cl0udFoundry!