VMware Cloud Foundation 4.5

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Recover the VI Workload Domain vSphere Cluster
Last Updated January 22, 2025

Perform the following tasks to recover the VI workload domain vSphere Cluster

Export the Cluster Settings from the Restored vCenter Server

Before you can restore vSphere clusters of the restored vCenter Server, you must first export the settings so they can be reapplied to the restored cluster.
  • vCenter Server has been restored and powered on.
  1. Start PowerShell.
  2. Replace the values in the sample code with your values and run the commands in the PowerShell console.
    The values in this example are for the management domain. Replace with the values for the specific workload domain you are recovering.
    $restoredVcenterFqdn = "sfo-m01-vc01.sfo.rainpole.io"
$restoredVcenterAdmin = "administrator@vsphere.local"
$restoredVcenterAdminPassword = "VMw@re1!"
$clusterName = "sfo-m01-cl01"
  3. Perform the configuration by running the command in the PowerShell console.
     
    Connect-VIServer -server $restoredVcenterFqdn -user $restoredVcenterAdmin -password $restoredVcenterAdminPassword
Backup-ClusterVMOverrides -clusterName $clusterName 
Backup-ClusterVMLocations -clusterName $clusterName 
Backup-ClusterDRSGroupsAndRules -clusterName $clusterName
Backup-ClusterVMTags -clusterName $clusterName
Disconnect-VIServer * -confirm:$false
  4. Save the JSON file output for later use.
  5. Repeat for all clusters in the vCenter Server.

Remove Non-Responsive ESXi Hosts from the Inventory

Before you can repair a failed vSphere cluster, you must first remove the non-responsive hosts from the cluster.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have exported all cluster settings before proceeding.

UI Procedure

  1. Log into the NSX Manager for the workload domain and navigate to
    System
    Fabric
    Hosts
    Clusters
    .
    In NSX 3.x, the relevant navigation path is
    System
    Fabric
    Nodes
    Host Transport Nodes
     and choose the vCenter from
    Managed by
  2. Select the check box next for the relevant vSphere cluster and click
    Remove NSX
    .
  3. Deselect the check box next for the relevant vSphere cluster.
  4. Expand the cluster and wait for all hosts in the cluster to go into an
    Orphaned
     State
  5. Select the check box that selects all hosts in the cluster without selecting the cluster object itself and select
    Remove NSX
    .
  6. Select the
    Force
     option and submit.
    Wait until all hosts show as unconfigured.
  7. Log in to the vCenter Server with the non-responsive hosts and navigate to the cluster.
  8. Select the cluster, and in the right pane, navigate to the
    Hosts
     tab.
  9. Select the check box for each non-responsive host, right click the selected hosts and select
    Remove from Inventory
    .
    If the cluster use vSphere Lifecycle Manager images, wait for about a minute to allow the background tasks in NSX to complete the removal of the NSX solution from the relevant cluster before proceeding to the next step.
  10. Log in to the NSX Manager for the workload domain and navigate back to
    System
    Fabric
    Hosts
    Clusters
    In NSX 3, the relevant navigation path is
    System
    Fabric
    Nodes
    Host Transport Nodes
     and choose the vCenter from
    Managed by
  11. Select the check box next for the relevant vSphere cluster and click
    Configure NSX
    .
  12. Select the relevant Transport Node Profile and Submit.

PowerShell Procedure

  1. Start PowerShell.
  2. Replace the values in the sample code with your values and run the commands in the PowerShell console.
    The values in this example are for the management domain. Replace with the values for the specific workload domain you are recovering.
    $restoredVcenterFqdn = "sfo-m01-vc01.sfo.rainpole.io"
$restoredVcenterAdmin = "administrator@vsphere.local"
$restoredVcenterAdminPassword = "VMw@re1!"
$clusterName = "sfo-m01-cl01"
$restoredNsxManagerFqdn = "sfo-m01-nsx01.sfo.rainpole.io"
$restoredNsxManagerAdmin = "admin"
$restoredNsxManagerAdminPassword = "VMw@re1!VMw@re1!"
$restoredNsxManagerRootPassword = "VMw@re1!VMw@re1!"
  3. Perform the configuration by running the command in the PowerShell console.
    Remove-NonResponsiveHosts -vCenterFQDN $restoredVcenterFqdn -vCenterAdmin $restoredVcenterAdmin -vCenterAdminPassword $restoredVcenterAdminPassword -clusterName $clusterName -NsxManagerFQDN $restoredNsxManagerFqdn -NsxManagerAdmin $restoredNsxManagerAdmin -NsxManagerAdminPassword $restoredNsxManagerAdminPassword -NsxManagerRootPassword $restoredNsxManagerRootPassword

Add New Hosts to the Cluster in the Restored vCenter Server

You add new hosts to the cluster in the restored vCenter Server for the VI workload domain .

UI Procedure

  1. Log into the restored vCenter Server by using the vSphere Client.
  2. In the
    Hosts and clusters
     inventory, navigate to the cluster.
  3. Right-click the cluster and select
    Add Hosts
    .
  4. Enter the FQDN, user name, and password for each host to be added, and click
    Next
    .
  5. When prompted to accept the SSL certificate for the new hosts, click
    Accept
    .
  6. Click
    Finish
    .

PowerShell Procedure

  1. Start PowerShell.
  2. Replace the values in the sample code with your values and run the commands in the PowerShell console.
    $restoredVcenterFqdn = "sfo-w01-vc01.sfo.rainpole.io"
$restoredVcenterAdmin = "administrator@vsphere.local"
$restoredVcenterAdminPassword = "VMw@re1!"
$clusterName = "sfo-w01-cl01"
$sddcManagerFqdn = "sfo-vcf01.sfo.rainpole.io"
$sddcManagerAdmin = "administrator@vsphere.local"
$sddcManagerAdminPassword = "VMw@re1!"
$extractedSDDCDataFile = ".\extracted-sddc-data.json"
  3. Perform the configuration by running the command in the PowerShell console.
    Add-HostsToCluster -vCenterFQDN $restoredVcenterFqdn -vCenterAdmin $restoredVcenterAdmin -vCenterAdminPassword $restoredVcenterAdminPassword -clusterName $clusterName -sddcManagerFqdn $sddcManagerFqdn -sddcManagerAdmin $sddcManagerAdmin -sddcManagerAdminPassword $sddcManagerAdminPassword -extractedSDDCDataFile $extractedSDDCDataFile

Migrate the ESXi Hosts and VMkernel Adapters to the vSphere Distributed Switch on the Restored vCenter Server

You connect the new cluster hosts to the vSphere Distributed Switch and migrate the VMkernel adapters.

UI Procedure

  1. Log in to the restored vCenter Server by using the vSphere Client.
  2. Add the hosts to the vSphere Distributed Switch.
    1. In
      Networking
       inventory, right-click the vSphere Distributed Switch and select
      Add and Manage Hosts
      .
    2. Select
      Add Hosts
      and click
      Next
      .
    3. On the
      Select hosts
       page, select all the ESX hosts, and click
      Next
      .
    4. On the
      Manage physical adapters
       page, select a free physical adapter, for example vmnic0, and click
      Assign Uplink
      .
    5. Select uplink1 , and click
      Next
      .
    6. On the
      Manage VMkernel adapters
       page, update the following VMkernel adapters to assign them to the appropriate port group on the new distributed switch.
      VMkernel Migration by Domain Type
      Management Domain
      VI Workload Domain
      vmk0 – Management Network port group
      vmk0 – Management Network port group
      vmk1 – vMotion Network port group
      N/A - Not yet created
      vmk2 – vSAN Network port group
      N/A - Not yet created
    7. To assign the VMkernel adapters, select the adapter and under actions for the corresponding port group, click
      Assign
      .
    8. Click
      Next
      .
    9. On the
      Migrate VM networking
       step, click
      Next
      .
    10. Review the information on the
      Ready to complete
       page and click
      Finish
      .
  3. If this is a management domain cluster, migrate the management VMs to the original management port group.
    1. Right-click the temporary management port group and select
      Migrate VMs to Another Network
      .
    2. For destination network, select the management port group on the vSphere Distributed Switch, for example sfo-m01-vc01-vds01-management, and click
      Next
      .
    3. On the
      Select VMs to migrate
       page, select all management VMs and click
      Next
      .
    4. On the
      Ready to complete
       page, click
      Finish
      .
  4. Remove the temporary standard switch on each ESXi Host.
    1. Select the first ESXi host and, on the Configure tab, select
      Networking
      Virtual Switches
      .
    2. Expand
      vSwitch0
       and click the horizontal ellipsis.
    3. Click
      Remove
       and click
      Yes
      .
  5. Add additional host uplinks to the vSphere Distributed Switch.
    1. Right-click the distributed switch and select
      Add and Manager Hosts
      .
    2. Select
      Manage Host Networking
       and click
      Next
      .
    3. On the
      Select hosts
       step, select all the ESX hosts and click
      Next
      .
    4. On the
      Manage physical adapters
       step, select the required free physical adapter(s), for example vmnic1, and from
      Assign Uplink
       select the desired uplinks to corresponding physical adapters, and click
      Next
      .
    5. Click
      Next
       and click
      Next
      .
    6. Review the information on the
      Ready to complete
       page and click
      Finish
      .
If you are running NSX 4.1.2 or later, the NSX installation on each host in the vSphere cluster should self-heal. Monitor the self-healing process until complete in the NSX Manager UI at
System
Fabric
Hosts
Clusters
 before proceeding.

PowerShell Procedure

  1. Start PowerShell.
    Replace the values in the sample code with your values and run the commands in the PowerShell console.
    $restoredvCenterFQDN = "sfo-m01-vc01.sfo.rainpole.io"
$restoredvCenterAdmin = "administrator@vsphere.local"
$restoredvCenterAdminPassword = "VMw@re1!"
$clusterName = "sfo-m01-cl01"
$extractedSDDCDataFile = ".\extracted-sddc-data.json"
  2. Perform the configuration by running the command in the PowerShell console.
    New-RebuiltVdsConfiguration -vCenterFQDN $restoredVcenterFqdn -vCenterAdmin $restoredVcenterAdmin -vCenterAdminPassword $restoredVcenterAdminPassword -clusterName $clusterName -extractedSDDCDataFile $extractedSDDCDataFile
At this point, the NSX installation on each host in the vSphere cluster should self-heal. Monitor the self-healing process until complete in the NSX Manager UI at
System
Fabric
Hosts
Clusters
 before proceeding. It might take several minutes for the process to initiate. If you see an error on the hosts that they are not part of the distributed switch, it just means that the self-healing process is yet to start.

Add VMkernel Adapters to the ESXi Hosts

You add vSphere vMotion and vSAN VMkernel adapters to the new ESXi hosts.

UI Procedure

  1. Log in to the restored vCenter Server by using the vSphere Client.
  2. In the
    Hosts ad clusters
     inventory, select the first ESXi host and on the Configure tab, select
    Networking
    VMkernel adapters
    .
  3. Click
    Add networking
    .
  4. Select
    VMkernel Network Adapter
     and click
    Next
    .
  5. Select
    Select an existing network
    , select the port group for the VMkernel type, and click
    Next
    .
  6. On the
    Port properties
     page, configure the following, leaving the default values for all other settings, and click
    Next
    .
    Setting
    vMotion VMkernel
    vSAN VMkernel
    TCP/IP stack
    vMotion
    Default
    Available services
    N/A
    vSAN
  7. On the
    IPv4 settings
     page, select
    Use static IPV4 settings
     and enter the IP details for each VMkernel adapter from your system documentation, and click
    Next
    .
  8. On the
    Ready to complete
     page, click
    Finish
    .
  9. Repeat the procedure for each ESXi host in the cluster.

PowerShell Procedure

  1. Start PowerShell.
  2. Replace the values in the sample code with your values and run the commands in the PowerShell console.
    $restoredvCenterFQDN = "sfo-w01-vc01.sfo.rainpole.io"
$restoredvCenterAdmin = "administrator@vsphere.local"
$restoredvCenterAdminPassword = "VMw@re1!"
$clusterName = "sfo-w01-cl01"
$sddcManagerFqdn = "sfo-vcf01.sfo.rainpole.io"
$sddcManagerAdmin = "administrator@vsphere.local"
$sddcManagerAdminPassword = "VMw@re1!"
  3. Perform the configuration by running the command in the PowerShell console.
    Add-VMKernelsToHost -vCenterFQDN $restoredvCenterFQDN -vCenterAdmin $restoredvCenterAdmin -vCenterAdminPassword $restoredvCenterAdminPassword -clusterName $clusterName -sddcManagerFqdn $sddcManagerFqdn -sddcManagerAdmin $sddcManagerAdmin -sddcManagerAdminPassword $sddcManagerAdminPassword

Recreate a vSAN Datastore

To recreate the vSAN datastore, you claim cache and capacity disks to create disk groups.

UI Procedure

  1. Connect to the restored vCenter Server by using the vSphere Client, and add the hosts to the vSphere Distributed Switch.
  2. In the
    Hosts and clusters
     inventory, navigate to the cluster and click
    Configure
    .
  3. Under
    vSAN
    , click
    Disk Management
    , and click
    Claim Unused Disks
    .
  4. Select the relevant disks for each tier and click
    Claim
    .
    The process to claim the disks and create the vSAN datastore might take some time. Wait for it to complete.
  5. After the disk groups are created, right-click the datastore and select
    Rename
    .
  6. Enter the original datastore name and click
    OK
    .

PowerShell Procedure

  1. Start PowerShell.
  2. Replace the values in the sample code with your values and run the commands in the PowerShell console.
  3. The values in this example are for the management domain. Replace with the values for the specific workload domain you are recovering.
    $restoredVcenterFqdn = "sfo-m01-vc01.sfo.rainpole.io"
$restoredvCenterAdmin = "administrator@vsphere.local"
$restoredvCenterAdminPassword = "VMw@re1!"
$clusterName = "sfo-m01-cl01"
$extractedSDDCDataFile = ".\extracted-sddc-data.json"
  4. Perform the configuration by running the command in the PowerShell console.
    New-RebuiltVsanDatastore -vCenterFqdn $restoredVcenterFqdn -vCenterAdmin $restoredVcenterAdmin -vCenterAdminPassword $restoredVcenterAdminPassword -clusterName $clusterName -extractedSDDCDataFile $extractedSDDCDataFile

Resolve vSphere HA on Cluster

After recreating a vSAN Datastore, you disable and renable vSphere HA on the cluster so vCLS can self heal

UI Procedure

  1. Connect to the restored vCenter Server by using the vSphere Client, and add the hosts to the vSphere Distributed Switch.
  2. In the
    Hosts and clusters
     inventory, navigate to the cluster and click
    Configure
    .
  3. Under
    Services
    , click
    vSphere Availability
    , and under
    vSphere HA is Turned ON
     click the
    Edit
     button.
  4. Switch off the
    vSphere HA
     toggle button and Click
    OK
    .
  5. Under
    Services
    , click
    vSphere Availability
    , and under
    vSphere HA is Turned ON
     click the
    Edit
     button.
  6. Switch on the
    vSphere HA
     toggle button and Click
    OK
    .

PowerShell Procedure

  1. Start PowerShell.
  2. Replace the values in the sample code with your values and run the commands in the PowerShell console.
  3. The values in this example are for the management domain. Replace with the values for the specific workload domain you are recovering.
    $restoredVcenterFqdn = "sfo-m01-vc01.sfo.rainpole.io"
$restoredvCenterAdmin = "administrator@vsphere.local"
$restoredvCenterAdminPassword = "VMw@re1!"
$clusterName = "sfo-m01-cl01"
  4. Perform the configuration by running the command in the PowerShell console.
    Connect-VIServer -server $restoredVcenterFqdn -user $restoredVcenterAdmin -password $restoredVcenterAdminPassword | Out-Null
Get-Cluster $clusterName | Set-Cluster -HAEnabled $false -confirm:$false | Out-Null
Get-Cluster $clusterName | Set-Cluster -HAEnabled $true -confirm:$false | Out-Null
Disconnect-VIServer * -confirm:$false

Apply Licensing to Cluster Hosts

The hosts in the recovered cluster are will be running evaluation licenses and should have permanent licenses assigned.

UI Procedure

  1. Connect to the restored vCenter Server and license the hosts.
  2. In vCenter Server UI, navigate to the
    Home
    Administration
    Licenses
    Assets> Hosts
  3. Select all hosts that are part of the recovered cluster and click
    Assign License
    .
  4. Choose a valid existing license and click
    OK
    .

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