Managing VMware Host Profiles

This chapter contains the following sections:

About VMware Host Profiles

VMware host profiles allow you to take an existing host configuration and overlay it onto your ESX/i servers. They also allow you to determine if a host has changed from its original design and help to ensure that all your hosts are identically configured.

A host profile consists of two parts:

Configuration details

Describes policies that govern how a host configuration should look, including details about each specific configuration setting.

Compliance details

Describes a set of checks that are performed to ensure that the host is configured as specified in the profile.

Configuring Hosts Using Host Profiles in Cisco UCS Director

Cisco UCS Director allows you to configure hosts using host profiles. You can either perform the tasks manually using the steps listed below in the given order, or use predefined orchestration workflow tasks available in the Task Library:

Name Description Reference Task name

1. Creating host profiles

A host profile is created by retrieving and encapsulating the configuration of an existing VMware ESX/ESXi host or reference host into a template that can used for configuring other hosts.

Creating Host Profiles Create Host Profile

2. Attaching hosts to host profiles

After you create a host profile, you can attach it to one or more hosts.

Attaching Hosts to Host Profiles Attach Hosts to Host Profile

3. (Optional) Detaching hosts from host profiles

You may detach hosts from host profiles.

Detaching Hosts from Host Profiles Detach Host from Host Profile

4. Applying host profiles

A host profile can be applied to an attached host. When applied, the configuration of the host profile is copied on the attached host.

Applying Host Profiles Apply Host Profile

Viewing Host Profile Reports

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Virtual > Compute.

Step 2

On the Compute page, click Host Profiles.

Step 3

Click the row with the host profile for which you want to view the details.

These are the host profiles available at the cloud level.

Step 4

Click View Details.

Creating Host Profiles

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Virtual > Compute.

Step 2

On the Compute page, click Host Profiles.

Step 3

Click Create.

Step 4

On the Create Host Profile screen, complete the fields.

Step 5

Click Submit.

Attaching Hosts to Host Profiles

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Virtual > Compute.

Step 2

On the Compute page, choose the cloud.

Step 3

On the Compute page, click Host Profiles.

Step 4

Click the row with the host profile to which you want to attach a host.

Step 5

Click Attach Host to Host Profile.

Step 6

On the Attach Host to Host Profile screen, choose the host that you want to attach to the host profile.

Step 7

Click Submit.

Detaching Hosts from Host Profiles

Procedure

Step 1

On the menu bar, choose Virtual > Compute.

Step 2

Choose Virtual > Compute.

Step 3

On the Compute page, click Host Profiles.

Step 4

On the Compute page, click Host Profiles.

Step 5

Click the row with the host profile from which you want to detach the host.

Step 6

Click Detach Host from Host Profile.

Step 7

On the Detach Host from Host Profile screen, choose the host that you want to detach from the host profile.

Step 8

Click Submit.

Applying Host Profiles

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Virtual > Compute.

Step 2

On the Compute page, choose the cloud.

Step 3

On the Compute page, click Host Profiles.

Step 4

Click the row with the host profile that you want to apply.

Step 5

Click Apply Host Profile.

Step 6

On the Apply Host Profile screen, choose the attached host to which you want to apply the host profile.

Step 7

Click Submit.