PowerCLI - Cluster Configuration

I've just decided to create some step by step guide how to create VMware cluster via PowerCLI
Please keep in mind that this guide will not show you how to configure all parameters but should give you an idea how to start.

Prerequisite for this guide:

• vCentre server has to be installed and static IP configured
• All ESX hosts should have hypervisor installed and static management IP configured
• There has to be network connectivity between vCentre and ESX hosts

Connect to your vCentre server

 
Connect-VIServer vcentre.localdomain.local

Get default folder list, we will use it to create datacentre

Get-Folder

PowerCLI C:\> Get-Folder

Name                           Type
----                           ----
Datacenters                    Datacenter
vm                             VM
network                        Network
host                           HostAndCluster
datastore                      Datastore
Discovered virtual machine     VM

Create new datacentre "Datacentre_01"

New-Datacenter -Location Datacenters -Name Datacentre_01

Create new cluster in datacentre "Datacentre_01"

New-Cluster -Name Cluster_01 -Location "Datacentre_01"

On "Cluster_01" enable HA, virtual machines in the cluster should not start if they violate availability constraints, cluster should tolerate 1 host failure, VM swap file should be stored wit VM files, VM restart priority in case of host failure should be "Low", in case of host isolation all running VMs should remain online

Get-Cluster -Name Cluster_01 | Set-Cluster -Name Cluster_01 -HAEnabled:$true -HAAdmissionControlEnabled:$true -HAFailover 1 -VMSwapfilePolicy "WithVM" -HARestartPriority "Low" -HAIsolationResponse "DoNothing" -Confirm:$false

On "Cluster_01" enable DRS and set to be fully automated

Set-Cluster -Cluster Cluster_01 -DRSEnabled:$true -DRSAutomationLevel "FullyAutomated" -Confirm:$false

On "Cluster_01" enable EVC for intel-nehalem

Set-Cluster -Cluster Cluster_01 -EVCMode "intel-nehalem" -Confirm:$false

If you want to disable EVC run:

Set-Cluster -Cluster Cluster_01 -EVCMode $null -Confirm:$false

Add host esx-01 to "Cluster_01"

Add-VMHost -Name esx-01.localdomain.local -Location Cluster_01 -User root -Password password

If you want to remove host from cluster run:

Set-VMHost -VMHost esx-01.localdomain.local -State Disconnected
Remove-VMHost esx-01.localdomain.local -Confirm:$false

Put your host in maintenance mode

Set-VMHost -VMHost esx-01.localdomain.local -State Maintenance

Get esx host physical nic list

Get-VMHost -Name esx-01.localdomain.local | Get-VMHostNetworkAdapter | where {$_.DeviceName -like "*nic*"} | select Name

PowerCLI C:\>Get-VMHost -Name esx-01.localdomain.local | Get-VMHostNetworkAdapter | where {$_.DeviceName -like "*nic*"} | select Name
Name
----
vmnic0
vmnic1
vmnic2
vmnic3

Confirm that there is only one nic attached to default vSwitch0

Get-VMHost -Name esx-01.localdomain.local | Get-VirtualSwitch -Name vSwitch0 | select Nic

PowerCLI C:\>Get-VMHost -Name esx-01.localdomain.local | Get-VirtualSwitch -Name vSwitch0 | select Nic
Nic
---
{vmnic0}

Add 2nd physical nic "vmnic1" to vSwitch0

$nic = Get-VMHost -Name esx-01.localdomain.local | Get-VMHostNetworkAdapter -Physical -Name vmnic1
Get-VMHost -Name esx-01.localdomain.local | Get-VirtualSwitch -Name vSwitch0 | Add-VirtualSwitchPhysicalNetworkAdapter -VMHostPhysicalNic $nic -Confirm:$false

Create new VM port group on vSwitch0

Get-VMHost -Name esx-01.localdomain.local | Get-VirtualSwitch -Name vSwitch0 | New-VirtualPortGroup -Name vPortgroup

Add vlan id 120 to port group "vPortgroup"

Get-VMHost -Name esx-01.localdomain.local | Get-VirtualSwitch -Name vSwitch0 | Get-VirtualPortGroup -Name vPortgroup | Set-VirtualPortGroup -name test -VLanId 120

Create new VM port group on vSwitch0 with vlan id 120

Get-VMHost -Name esx-01.localdomain.local | Get-VirtualSwitch -Name vSwitch0 | New-VirtualPortGroup -Name vPortgroup -VLanId 120

Create new vdSwitch with 2 uplinks

$Datacentre = Get-Datacenter -Name Datacentre_01
New-VDSwitch -Name vdSwitch0 -Location $Datacentre -NumUplinkPorts 2 -LinkDiscoveryProtocol "LLDP" -LinkDiscoveryProtocolOperation "Listen" -MaxPorts 256 -Version "6.0.0"

Set uplink teaming policy for vdSwitch0: dvUplink1 as active and dvUplink2 as standby

Get-VDSwitch -Name vdSwitch0 | Get-VDPortgroup | Get-VDUplinkTeamingPolicy | Set-VDUplinkTeamingPolicy -ActiveUplinkPort dvUplink1 -StandbyUplinkPort dvUplink2

Create new port group Production on vdSwitch0 with 16 ports, vlan id 200 and port binding Ephemeral

Get-VDSwitch -Name vdSwitch0 | New-VDPortgroup -Name Production -NumPorts 16 -VLanId 200 -PortBinding Ephemeral

Create new port group vMotion on vdSwitch0 with 16 ports, vlan id 110 and port binding Ephemeral

Get-VDSwitch -Name vdSwitch0 | New-VDPortgroup -Name vMotion -NumPorts 16 -VLanId 110 -PortBinding Ephemeral

Overwrite uplink teaming policy for vMotion port group: dvUplink2 as active and dvUplink1 as standby

Get-VDSwitch -Name vdSwitch0 | Get-VDPortgroup -Name vMotion | Get-VDPortgroupOverridePolicy | Set-VDPortgroupOverridePolicy -UplinkTeamingOverrideAllowed $true
Get-VDSwitch -Name vdSwitch0 | Get-VDPortgroup -Name vMotion | Get-VDUplinkTeamingPolicy | Set-VDUplinkTeamingPolicy -ActiveUplinkPort dvUplink2 -StandbyUplinkPort dvUplink1

Add esx-01 host to vdSwitch0

Get-VDSwitch -Name vdSwitch0 | Add-VDSwitchVMHost -VMHost esx-01.localdomain.local

Add vmnic2 and vmnic3 of esx-01 host to vdSwitch0 uplinks

$nic2 = Get-VMHost -Name esx-01.localdomain.local | Get-VMHostNetworkAdapter -Physical -Name vmnic2
$nic3 = Get-VMHost -Name esx-01.localdomain.local | Get-VMHostNetworkAdapter -Physical -Name vmnic3
Get-VDSwitch -Name vdSwitch0 | Add-VDSwitchPhysicalNetworkAdapter -VMHostPhysicalNic $nic2 -Confirm:$false
Get-VDSwitch -Name vdSwitch0 | Add-VDSwitchPhysicalNetworkAdapter -VMHostPhysicalNic $nic3 -Confirm:$false

Add vmkernel port to vdSwitch0 to vMotion port group and configure it for vMotion traffic with static IP address

New-VMHostNetworkAdapter -VMHost esx-01.localdomain.local -VirtualSwitch vdSwitch0 -PortGroup vMotion -IP 192.168.0.1 -SubnetMask 255.255.255.0 -VMotionEnabled:$true

Remove your host from maintenance mode

Set-VMHost -VMHost esx-01.localdomain.local -State Connected

And finally I have put all commands together to make easy script to configure a cluster

 
$VIUser="administrator"
$VIPassword="password"
$HostUser="root"
$HostPassword="hostpassword"

$DatacentreName="Datacentre_01"
$ClusterName="Cluster_01"
$vSwitchName="vSwitch0"
$vdSwitchName="vdSwitch0"
$vMotionNet="192.168.0."
$VMotionStartIP=1
$VMotionNetMask="255.255.255.0"$HostNames=@("esx-01.localdomain.local","esx-02.localdomain.local")



Connect-VIServer vcentre.appv4u.com -User $VIUser -Password $VIPassword



New-Datacenter -Location Datacenters -Name $DatacentreName
New-Cluster -Name $ClusterName -Location $DatacentreName
Get-Cluster -Name $ClusterName | Set-Cluster -Name $ClusterName -HAEnabled:$true -HAAdmissionControlEnabled:$true -HAFailover 1 -VMSwapfilePolicy "WithVM" -HARestartPriority "Low" -HAIsolationResponse "DoNothing" -Confirm:$false
Set-Cluster -Cluster $ClusterName -DRSEnabled:$true -DRSAutomationLevel "FullyAutomated" -Confirm:$false
Set-Cluster -Cluster $ClusterName -EVCMode "intel-nehalem" -Confirm:$false

$Datacentre = Get-Datacenter -Name $DatacentreName
New-VDSwitch -Name $vdSwitchName -Location $Datacentre -NumUplinkPorts 2 -LinkDiscoveryProtocol "LLDP" -LinkDiscoveryProtocolOperation "Listen" -MaxPorts 256 -Version "6.0.0"

Get-VDSwitch -Name $vdSwitchName | Get-VDPortgroup | Get-VDUplinkTeamingPolicy | Set-VDUplinkTeamingPolicy -ActiveUplinkPort dvUplink1 -StandbyUplinkPort dvUplink2
Get-VDSwitch -Name $vdSwitchName | New-VDPortgroup -Name Production -NumPorts 16 -VLanId 200 -PortBinding Ephemeral
Get-VDSwitch -Name $vdSwitchName | New-VDPortgroup -Name vMotion -NumPorts 16 -VLanId 110 -PortBinding Ephemeral
Get-VDSwitch -Name $vdSwitchName | Get-VDPortgroup -Name vMotion | Get-VDPortgroupOverridePolicy | Set-VDPortgroupOverridePolicy -UplinkTeamingOverrideAllowed $true
Get-VDSwitch -Name $vdSwitchName | Get-VDPortgroup -Name vMotion | Get-VDUplinkTeamingPolicy | Set-VDUplinkTeamingPolicy -ActiveUplinkPort dvUplink2 -StandbyUplinkPort dvUplink1



foreach ($HostName in $HostNames){

 $VMotionIP=$vMotionNet+$VMotionStartIP
 Add-VMHost -Name $HostName -Location $ClusterName -User $HostUser -Password $HostPassword | Out-Null

 Set-VMHost -VMHost $HostName -State Maintenance | Out-Null

 $nic1 = Get-VMHost -Name $HostName | Get-VMHostNetworkAdapter -Physical -Name vmnic1
 Get-VMHost -Name $HostName | Get-VirtualSwitch -Name vSwitch0 | Add-VirtualSwitchPhysicalNetworkAdapter -VMHostPhysicalNic $nic1 -Confirm:$false

 Get-VDSwitch -Name $vdSwitchName | Add-VDSwitchVMHost -VMHost $HostName 
 $nic2 = Get-VMHost -Name $HostName | Get-VMHostNetworkAdapter -Physical -Name vmnic2
 $nic3 = Get-VMHost -Name $HostName | Get-VMHostNetworkAdapter -Physical -Name vmnic3
 Get-VDSwitch -Name $vdSwitchName | Add-VDSwitchPhysicalNetworkAdapter -VMHostPhysicalNic $nic2 -Confirm:$false
 Get-VDSwitch -Name $vdSwitchName | Add-VDSwitchPhysicalNetworkAdapter -VMHostPhysicalNic $nic3 -Confirm:$false
 New-VMHostNetworkAdapter -VMHost $HostName -VirtualSwitch $vdSwitchName  -PortGroup vMotion -IP $VMotionIP -SubnetMask $VMotionNetMask -VMotionEnabled:$true

 Set-VMHost -VMHost $HostName -State Connected
 $VMotionStartIP++
 $VMotionIP=""
}

Disconnect-VIServer -Confirm:$false