Cisco ACI Virtual Edge Uninstallation

This chapter describes uninstallation of Cisco ACI Virtual Edge, including prerequisites and uninstallation methods.

About Cisco ACI Virtual Edge Uninstallation

You might need to remove Cisco ACI Virtual Edge for testing or if you need to remove all configuration from the Cisco ACI fabric, resetting the fabric to its initial state.

You can uninstall Cisco ACI Virtual Edge by using the Cisco ACI vCenter Plug-in, the VMware PowerCLI, or a Python script.


Note
In order to use the Cisco ACI Virtual Edge management tools (the ACI vCenter plug-in, the VMware PowerCLI, and Python scripts), we recommend that you use vCenter 6.0 Update 3 or later.

Workflow for Uninstalling Cisco ACI Virtual Edge

The order of tasks that you perform to uninstall Cisco ACI Virtual Edge depends on whether you want to keep using the VMM domain after uninstallation.

  • To remove Cisco ACI Virtual Edge and keep using the VMM domain (in native mode):

    1. Remove all VMs from Cisco ACI Virtual Edge port groups.

      Alternatively, change the switching mode of the Cisco ACI Virtual Edge EPGs from AVE to native.

    2. Uninstall the Cisco ACI Virtual Edge VM, using the Cisco ACI vCenter plug-in, VMware PowerCLI, or a Python script. Follow the instructions in this guide.

  • To remove Cisco ACI Virtual Edge and delete the VMM domain:

    1. Remove all VMs from EPG port groups.

    2. Uninstall the Cisco ACI Virtual Edge VM, using the Cisco ACI vCenter plug-in, VMware PowerCLI, or a Python script. Follow the instructions in this guide.

    3. Remove all hosts from the Cisco ACI Virtual Edge VDS.

    4. Remove all VMM domain associations to EPGs to delete port groups.

    5. Remove the Cisco ACI Virtual Edge VMM domain.

Uninstall Cisco ACI Virtual Edge Using the Cisco ACI vCenter Plug-in


Note
We recommend putting the host in maintenance mode before you uninstall Cisco ACI Virtual Edge if you have a DRS cluster where other hosts have VMs using Cisco ACI Virtual Edge. Going into maintenance mode prevents other VMs from migrating to the host after Cisco ACI Virtual Edge is uninstalled. If there are no other hosts in the cluster where VMs use Cisco ACI Virtual Edge, then you can proceed with uninstalling Cisco ACI Virtual Edge without putting the host in maintenance mode.

Procedure

Step 1

Log in to VMware vSphere Web Client.
Step 2

Choose Cisco ACI Fabric > ACI Virtual Edge.

Step 3

At the top of the central work pane, from the Select an ACI Virtual Edge Domain drop-down list, choose a domain.

When you choose a domain, the work pane displays the host or hosts in the vCenter related to the VMM domain.
Step 4

Choose one or more hosts by clicking the appropriate check box or check boxes.
Step 5

Below the Uninstall ACI Virtual Edge button, if you chose multiple hosts in Step 4, choose how many hosts on which to uninstall Cisco ACI Virtual Edge at the same time using the + and - buttons.

Step 6

Click Uninstall ACI Virtual Edge.

Step 7

In the Uninstall AVE dialog box, click Yes to confirm you wish to proceed with uninstalling Cisco ACI Virtual Edge.

If any of the selected hosts are part of a DRS cluster, a warning popup appears, asking if you agree to have the hosts put in maintenance mode as part of the uninstallation.

Step 8

Complete one of the following sets of actions:

If you... Then...
Want to proceed with the uninstallation with the hosts put in maintenance mode Click Yes.
Want to proceed with the uninstallation but not put the hosts in maintenance mode Click No.

An additional warning displays, asking you to confirm:

  • Click Yes to proceed with uninstallation without putting the hosts in maintenance mode.

  • Click No to cancel the uninstallation.

Do not want to proceed with the uninstallation Click No to cancel the uninstallation.
In the central work pane, the Status column for the host displays the uninstallation progress. You also can view progress of the individual uninstallation tasks in the Recent Tasks area. When uninstallation is complete, Not installed appears in the Status column for the host.

What to do next

If the host is part of a DRS cluster, do not move it out of maintenance mode unless it has been removed from the Cisco ACI Virtual Edge DVS.

Uninstall Cisco ACI Virtual Edge Using the VMware PowerCLI

If you have a Windows platform, you can use the VMware PowerCLI to uninstall Cisco ACI Virtual Edge.

Procedure

Uninstall Cisco ACI Virtual Edge.

Example:

Remove-AveVM –Hostname ESX IP/FQDN –DomainName VMMDomain/DVS name

Uninstall Cisco ACI Virtual Edge Using Python

You can uninstall Cisco ACI Virtual Edge using a Python script.

Before you begin

Set up the Python environment. If you have not already done so, follow the instructions in the section Set Up the Python Environment for Installing Cisco ACI Virtual Edge in this guide.

Procedure

Uninstall Cisco ACI Virtual Edge.

Example:

python remove-avevm.py –vcHost  vCenter IP/FQDN --vcUser vCenter Username --vcPwd vCenter password –hostName ESX IP/FQDN –domainName VMMDomain/DVS name