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Catalyst Center Global Manager is deployed as a virtual machine (VM) on VMware ESXi version 7.x or later.
To prepare for the deployment of a Catalyst Center Global Manager on VMware ESXi virtual appliance, complete the following tasks.
To run Cisco Catalyst Center Global Manager on ESXi, VMware vSphere (which includes ESXi and vCenter Server) 7.0.x or later, including all patches, is required. Click here to access an overview of the installation and setup process of VMware vSphere. After you have installed VMware vSphere, confirm that it can be reached from the computer that you will use to deploy the virtual appliance's OVA file.
You can use a web browser to access the vCenter 7.0.x to deploy the OVA of Catalyst Center Global Manager virtual appliance.
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If you purchase Catalyst Center Global Manager through CCW, there is a waiting period of three days before you can download the software. Additionally, since you have purchased Catalyst Center Global Manager, you must be part of the same SA/VA as the individual who performs the deployment during the initial setup process. However, the user who downloads the OVA file can belong to a different SA/VA. |
Save the OVA files to the computer on which you will deploy Catalyst Center Global Manager. From the Cisco-provided link, download the .ova file that you will use to deploy the Catalyst Center Global Manager. The OVA can also be hosted on a web server.
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The size of the .ova file is approximately 23 GB, and the time it takes to download is dependent on the network bandwidth. |
Before you configure the Catalyst Center Global Manager virtual appliance, you need to reserve one 10-Gbps enterprise interface to access the Catalyst Center Global Manager GUI. Write down the IP address for this interface, because you'll need to enter it during appliance configuration.
Note |
During the installation process, you must also configure a secondary interface known as the intracluster interface with a non-routable IP address. In the standard installer, this IP address is predefined and cannot be changed. If this IP address needs to be changed due to network overlap, use the Advanced installer. The intracluster interface's IP address is predefined by Cisco, so the Maglev Configuration wizard populates this information automatically during the configuration process. |
The Catalyst Center Global Manager OVA file is signed with an IdenTrust CA certificate, which is not included in VMware's default truststore. As a result, the Deploy OVF Template wizard's Review details page will indicate that you are using an invalid certificate while completing the wizard. You can prevent this by importing the IdenTrust certificate chain to the host or cluster on which you want to deploy the OVA file.
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Step 1 |
On the VMware Catalyst Center Global Manager host or cluster where your virtual appliance will reside, download trustidevcodesigning5.pem from the same location that Cisco specified to download the Catalyst Center Global Manager OVA file. |
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Step 2 |
Unzip this file. |
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Step 3 |
Log in to the vSphere Web Client. |
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Step 4 |
Choose . |
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Step 5 |
In the Trusted Root Certificates field, click Add. |
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Step 6 |
In the Add Trusted Root dialog box, click Browse. |
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Step 7 |
Navigate to and select the certificate chain that you downloaded in Step 1 (trustidevcodesigning5.pem), then click Open. |
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Step 8 |
Check the Start Root certificate push to vCenter Hosts check box, then click Add. A message indicates that the certificate chain was imported successfully. When you complete the Deploy OVF Template wizard, the Review details page's Publisher field should indicate that you are using a trusted certificate. |
In the Maglev Configuration wizard, you'll be prompted to specify two items:
The Domain Name System (DNS) server that Catalyst Center Global Manager will use to convert domain names to IP addresses.
The Network Time Protocol (NTP) server that Catalyst Center Global Manager will use for clock synchronization. The NTP server must be accessible to the Catalyst Centers, or they should maintain synchronization with a time deviation of less than one second.
Before you configure your Catalyst Center Global Manager, do these steps:
Ensure that the servers you want to use are available and running.
For an NTP server, obtain its IP address or hostname.
For a proxy server, obtain either its URL or IP address or hostname and its login credentials.
For the datastore in which you are planning to deploy a virtual appliance, complete the following procedure so the appliance's virtual machine input/out (I/O) is prioritized over other virtual machines when the network is experiencing I/O congestion.
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Step 1 |
In the vSphere Client, navigate to and click the datastore in which you plan to deploy a virtual appliance. |
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Step 2 |
Click the Configure tab, then click General. |
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Step 3 |
In the Datastore Capabilities area, click Edit. |
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Step 4 |
In the Configure Storage I/O Control window, do the following: |
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Step 5 |
Click OK. |
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