Create VMware Site
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Objective
This document provides instructions on how to install an F5® Distributed Cloud Services single-node site or multi-node site on VMware ESXi. To know more about sites, see Site.
Using the instructions provided in this document, you can deploy a Distributed Cloud Services site by deploying a virtual machine (VM) from an Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) file containing the node as the appliance.
Prerequisites
-
A Distributed Cloud Services Account. If you do not have an account, see Create an Account.
-
VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi) 6.7 or later. The examples in this document are based on version 6.7u2.
-
At least one interface with internet reachability.
-
A Distributed Cloud Services VMware OVA image file. Click here to download.
-
Resource required per VM: Minimum 4 vCPUs and 14 GB RAM.
-
45 GB is the minimum amount required for storage. However, if you are deploying an F5® Distributed Cloud App Stack Site, 100 GB is the recommended minimum amount of storage.
Deploy Site
Perform the steps in the following sections to deploy a Distributed Cloud Services Site on VMware ESXi.
Create a Site Token
Create a site token or use an existing token. If you are configuring a multi-node site, use the same token for all nodes.
Step 1: Log into F5® Distributed Cloud Console (Console) and navigate to site tokens.
- Click
Multi-Cloud Network Connect
.

- Select
Manage
>Site Management
>Site Tokens
.

Step 2: Generate a new site token.
-
Click
Add site token
to create a new token. -
In the
Name
field, enter the token name. -
In the
Description
field, enter a description for the token. -
Click
Add site token
.

Step 3: Note down the new token.
-
Find the token previously created or choose an existing token from the list of tokens displayed.
-
Click
>
to expand the token details in JSON format and note down the value of theuid
field.

Configure VMware ESXi Hypervisor
Step 1: Start process to configure hypervisor.
Log into the VMware ESXi portal using the ESXi host IP address.

Step 2: Configure the host.
Configure the host settings with the options available.

Step 3: Configure the port group management network.
Configure the port group Management Network with a single interface.

Step 4: Configure the port group VM network.
Configure the port group VM Network with a single interface.

Step 5: Configure the virtual switch.
Use the following sample topology:

Install the Node on VMware ESXi Hypervisor
Step 1: Start creating the virtual machine.
Select Create / Register VM
from the Virtual Machines
section.

Step 2: Deploy the virtual machine with an OVF or OVA file.
Select Deploy a virtual machine from an OVF or OVA file
from the options listed.

Step 3: Enter a name for the virtual machine.
Enter the Virtual Machine Name
and click to select or drag and drop the OVA file.
-
Name: Virtual machine name that is represented in the VMware environment.
-
OVA or OVF file: Click to select or drag and drop the OVA file provided or downloaded in the step above into the box.

Step 4: Configure storage.
Configure storage as required based on the storage available on the hypervisor host.

Step 5: Configure the deployment options.
Configure per the following guidelines:
-
Network Mappings: Select the port-group where the VM is going to be connected.
-
Disk provisioning: Select thin or thick provisioning. Default is thin provisioning.
-
Power On automatically: If enabled, it will power on the Virtual Machine as soon as the setup is complete and image uploaded. Default is enabled.

Step 6: Enter additional settings.
These set of parameters enable the machine to boot up and request registration directly in your tenant. These settings also allow you to configure the static IP address. However, DHCP is used by default.
Note: The following settings are only supported with the node Custom vApp properties.
-
Hostname: Specify the hostname for this device - for example:
master-0
. Ensure that host names are distinct and unique in case you are installing nodes for multi-node site. -
Token: Site token required for site generation. The token should be created prior to using it in site creation. See Create a Site Token for more information.
-
Admin Password: Enter the admin password and re-enter in the
Admin Password confirm
field. -
Cluster Name: Set the cluster name.
-
Name for outside network interface: eth0.
-
DHCP support for outside network interface:
yes
. By default, this is set toyes
. If you want to configure static IP addresses, then set this tono
. -
Role for outside network interface:
public
. By default, this is set topublic
as the interface will have internet access. -
IP address/bitmask for network interface: empty by default. If DHCP was set to
no
, then you can configure your static IP address here. Example: 10.1.1.1/24.
Note: Changing the IP address for a registered node is not supported in cases of multi-node sites. You must use fixed IP addresses or DHCP addresses with a fixed lease.
-
Default gateway for outside network interface: empty by default. If DHCP was set to
no
, then you can configure the default gateway for your network here. Example: 10.1.1.254. -
Route destination(destination network) for outside network interface: empty by default. If DHCP was set to
no
, then you can configure the destination here. Because this is the default gateway, we can use 0.0.0.0/0. For specific setups, you can change the default destination. -
Primary DNS: empty by default. If DHCP was set to
no
, then you can configure your DNS Server here. Example: 8.8.8.8. -
Secondary DNS: empty by default. If DHCP was set to
no
, then you can configure your secondary DNS server here. Example: 8.8.4.4. -
Certified Hardware: The supported options are as follows.
vmware-voltmesh
- single service level objective eth0 interface hardware.vmware-voltstack-combo
- for managed k8s and vk8s use cases.vmware-regular-nic-voltmesh
- 2 virtual NICs, when eth0 is SLO dedicated and eth1 is binded as regular interface, which can be optionally configured from VoltConsole post registration.
Note: The default option is
vmware-regular-nic-voltmesh
, and this supports 2 interfaces (ensure that both eth0 and eth1 are available). However, this is loaded by default with eth0 interface set as a dedicated site local outside interface. The other interface is an optional regular interface and can be only configured from Console using fleet after the site is provisioned. For instructions on configuring interfaces using fleet, see Create a Fleet document.
Note: For more information on choosing an appropriate image for your certified hardware, see How to choose an image for your site deployment?.
-
Latitude: Enter latitude. This can also be specified during registration in Console.
-
Longitude: Enter longitude. This can also be specified during registration in Console.

Step 7: Complete the wizard.
Click Finish
.
The OVA file is uploaded, and the virtual machine is built and booted.

Step 8: Perform initial configuration.
- Enter
admin
as username andVolterra123
as the initial password.
Note: In case you already set the admin password during configuring additional settings, this is not required.
-
Update the password after first login per the instructions displayed.
-
Perform inside network configuration per the options displayed.
Note: If you use an NTP server, ensure that the server is reachable. Else leave the NTP server configuration empty so that the F5 Distributed Cloud NTP servers are used.
Register the VMware Site
After the Distributed Cloud Services Node is installed on VMware, it must be registered as a Site in Console.
Note: The USB allowlist is enabled by default. If you change a USB device, such as a keyboard after registration, the device will not function.
Single-node Site Registration
Step 1: Navigate to the site registration page.
- In Console, click
Manage
>Site Management
>Registrations
.
Step 2: Complete site registration.
- Under
Pending Registrations
, find your node name and then click the blue checkmark.
-
In the form that appears, fill in all required fields with the asterisk symbol (
*
). -
Enter a latitude value and a longitude value.
-
Enter other configuration information, if needed.
-
Click
Save and Exit
.
Step 3: Check Site status and health.
It may take a few minutes for the site health and connectivity score information to update.
-
Click
Sites
>Site List
. -
Click on your Site name. The
Dashboard
tab appears, along with many other tabs to inspect your Site. -
Click the
Site Status
tab to verify the following:-
The
Update Status
field has aSuccessful
value for theF5 OS Status
section. -
The
Update Status
field has aSuccessful
value for theF5 Software Status
section. -
The
Tunnel status
andControl Plane
fields under theRE Connectivity
section haveup
values.
-
Multi-node Site Registration
Step 1: Navigate to the site registration page.
- Click
Manage
>Site Management
>Registrations
.
Step 2: Accept the registration requests.
Registration requests are displayed in the Pending Registrations
tab.
-
Click
Accept
to accept the registration requests from themaster-0
,master-1
, andmaster-2
nodes. -
Enter the same values for the following parameters for all the registration requests:
-
In the
Cluster name
field, enter a name for the cluster. Ensure that all master nodes have the same name. -
In the
Cluster size
field, enter3
. Ensure that all master nodes have the same cluster size.
-
-
Enter all mandatory fields marked with the asterisk (
*
) character.
Step 3: Check Site status and health.
It may take a few minutes for the site health and connectivity score information to update.
-
Click
Sites
>Site List
. -
Click on your Site name. The
Dashboard
tab appears, along with many other tabs to inspect your Site. -
Click the
Site Status
tab to verify the following:-
The
Update Status
field has aSuccessful
value for theF5 OS Status
section. -
The
Update Status
field has aSuccessful
value for theF5 Software Status
section. -
The
Tunnel status
andControl Plane
fields under theRE Connectivity
section haveup
values.
-
Note: If you need to change any of the settings for your node, see Update Node Settings.
Update Node Settings
You can change node settings for an installed node or install a new node using a template.
Step 1: Update the settings for an installed node.
-
Power off the virtual machine.
-
In the vSphere/ESXi UI, change the vApp properties.
-
Update the settings, such as cluster, certified hardware, token, etc.
-
Perform factory reset and reboot the virtual machine.
-
Perform the post install and registration steps as instructed in the previous section.
Step 2: Create an OVF file to install a node through template.
-
Select your virtual machine and click
File
>Export to OVF
. -
Enter a name for the OVF file and specify a directory in which to save it.
-
Specify to export the virtual machine as an OVF.
-
Click
Export
to start the OVF export process.
You can customize the node settings using the OVF files saved and boot a virtual machine using the OVF file. Perform the post install and registration steps as instructed in the previous section.
Access Site Local UI
After you create and register your site, you can access its local user interface (UI) to perform certain configuration and management functions. For more information, see Site Local UI Usage.