VMware vCenter Server Appliance - 6.0.1 User Manual

Technical Note

Command-Line Deployment and
Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server
Appliance 6.0 Update 1

vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

This technical note describes the command-line deployment and upgrade processes of the
VMware vCenter Server™ Appliance™.

The vCenter Server Appliance is a preconfigured Linux-based virtual machine that is optimized for running vCenter
Server.

The command-line installer is intended for advanced users who are familiar with vSphere. The main purpose of the
command-line installer is to enable automation and prevent user input errors.

Overview

You can use the vCenter Server Appliance command-line installer, which is integrated with the VMware OVF Tool, to
deploy and upgrade the vCenter Server Appliance.

The command-line deployment process includes downloading the installer ISO file, preparing a deployment template
that is a JSON configuration file, and running the deployment command.

The command-line upgrade process includes downloading the installer ISO file, preparing an upgrade template that is
a JSON configuration file, and running the upgrade command. The upgrade of the vCenter Server Appliance is a
migration of the old version to the latest version, which results in the deployment of a new vCenter Server Appliance.

The installer ISO file contains deployment and upgrade templates of JSON files that contain the minimum configuration
parameters required for the different use cases. You can see the content of the templates in Example 1

Software Included in the vCenter Server Appliance Package

The vCenter Server Appliance package contains the following software:

 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 Update 3 for VMware, 64-bit edition

 PostgreSQL

 vCenter Server 6.0 Update 1 and vCenter Server 6.0 Update 1 components

to Example 16.

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vCenter Server Appliance Components

The vCenter Server Appliance consists of the following components.

 VMware Platform Services Controller

A group of infrastructure services such as vCenter Single Sign-On, License service, and VMware Certificate
Authority

 vCenter Server

A group of services such as vCenter Server, vSphere Web Client, Inventory Service, vSphere Auto Deploy, vSphere
ESXi Dump Collector, and vSphere Syslog Service for vCenter Server Appliance

vCenter Server Appliance Deployment Models

You can deploy the vCenter Server Appliance in one of the following deployment models.

Table 1. vCenter Server Appliance Deployment Models

vCenter Server Appliance Deployment Model Description

vCenter Server Appliance with an embedded Platform
Services Controller

vCenter Server Appliance with an external Platform
Services Controller

All services bundled with the Platform Services Controller
are deployed together with vCenter Server in the same
appliance.

IMPORTANT A vCenter Server with an embedded

Platform Services Controller deployment contains a
standalone Platform Services Controller. You cannot use
the embedded Platform Services Controller to replicate
vCenter Single Sign-On data. Setting up replication
partners between multiple vCenter Server instances with
embedded Platform Services Controllers is not supported.

All services bundled with the Platform Services Controller
are deployed as one appliance and vCenter Server is
deployed as another appliance.

IMPORTANT You must first deploy the Platform Services

Controller and then deploy the vCenter Server Appliance.

For more information about vCenter Server deployment models, see the vSphere Installation and Setup documentation at

http://pubs.vmware.com.

vCenter Server Appliance Upgrade Paths

You can upgrade from the vCenter Server Appliance 5.1 Update 3 or 5.5.x to 6.0 Update 1.

For more information about the vCenter Server upgrade paths, see the vSphere Upgrade documentation at

http://pubs.vmware.com.

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Requirements

Supported Operating Systems for the Command-Line Installer

You can run the vCenter Server Appliance command-line installer from any virtual or physical server in the vSphere
network. The vCenter Server Appliance command-line installer is supported on the following operating systems:

 Windows 7

 Windows Server 2008/2012

 Windows 8

 SUSE Linux 11 SP3 (64-bit)

 Mac OS 10.9

Hardware Requirements

When you deploy or upgrade the vCenter Server Appliance, select to deploy an appliance that is suitable for the size of
your vSphere environment.

The hardware requirements, such as the number of CPUs and memory, depend on the size of your vSphere inventory.

Table 2. Hardware Requirements

Resources Number of CPUs Memory

Platform Services Controller 2 2 GB RAM

Tiny environment

up to 10 hosts, 100 virtual machines

Small environment

up to 100 hosts, 1,000 virtual machines

Medium environment

up to 400 hosts, 4,000 virtual machines

Large environment

up to 1,000 hosts, 10,000 virtual machines

28 GB RAM

4 16 GB RAM

8 24 GB RAM

16 32 GB RAM

NOTE For instances of vCenter Server Appliance with an embedded Platform Services Controller, the
required memory size and number of CPUs are the sum of the values for the Platform Services Controller and
the values for the environment you want to deploy.

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Storage Requirements

The host on which the vCenter Server Appliance is to be deployed or upgraded must meet minimum storage
requirements, depending on the selected deployment model.

Table 3. Storage Requirements

vCenter Server
Appliance with an
External Platform
Services Controller

External Platform
Services Controller
Appliance

Tiny environment

up to 10 hosts, 100 virtual machines

Small environment

up to 100 hosts, 1,000 virtual
machines

Medium environment

up to 400 hosts, 4,000 virtual
machines

Large environment

up to 1,000 hosts, 10,000 virtual
machines

vCenter Server
Appliance with an
Embedded Platform
Services Controller

101 GB 86 GB 25.5 GB

146 GB 108 GB 25.5 GB

270 GB 220 GB 25.5 GB

445 GB 280 GB 25.5 GB

Database Requirements

Each vCenter Server Appliance must have its own database to store and organize server data.

You can use the embedded PostgreSQL database that is included in the vCenter Server Appliance. The PostgreSQL
database supports up to 1,000 hosts and 10,000 virtual machines.

The vCenter Server Appliance supports only an Oracle database as an external database. The supported Oracle
database versions are the same as the as the supported Oracle database versions that are shown in the VMware Product
Interoperability Matrix for vCenter Server 6.0 Update 1. See the VMware Product Interoperability Matrix at

http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/sim/interop_matrix.php.

Host Requirements

You can deploy or upgrade the vCenter Server Appliance on an ESXi host 5.0 or later. You can also deploy or upgrade
the vCenter Server Appliance on an ESXi host or DRS cluster that resides in the inventory of a vCenter Server instance

5.0 or later.

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Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade Steps

You can run the command-line deployment or upgrade of the vCenter Server Appliance from a virtual or physical
machine that is running on a Windows, Linux, or Mac operating system and that meets the operating system
requirements. See section “Supported Operating Systems for the Command-Line Installer” on page 3.

General Deployment and Upgrade Process

You can deploy or upgrade the vCenter Server Appliance from a machine that is in your vSphere network and that is
running on Microsoft Windows, Linux, or Mac.

I

MPORTANT As a precaution in case of failure during the upgrade process, create a snapshot of the vCenter Server

Appliance that you want to upgrade.

To deploy or upgrade the vCenter Server Appliance:

1 Download the installer ISO file from the VMware Web site.

The installer ISO file name is VMware-VCSA-all-6.0.0-yyyyyy.iso, where yyyyyy is the build number.

2 Prepare the JSON configuration file for your deployment or upgrade specification by using the templates that are

available in the installer ISO file. See “Prepare Deployment and Upgrade Templates” on page 26.

3 Navigate to the installer execution directory for your operating system (OS).

 If you are deploying or upgrading the vCenter Server Appliance from a machine with Windows OS, at the

command prompt, navigate to the vcsa-cli-installer\win32 directory.

 If you are deploying or upgrading the vCenter Server Appliance from a machine with Linux OS, at the

command prompt, navigate to the vcsa-cli-installer/lin64 directory.

 If you are deploying or upgrading the vCenter Server Appliance from a machine with Mac OS, at the

command prompt, navigate to the vcsa-cli-installer/mac directory.

4 (Optional) Run a predeployment or preupgrade check without deploying the appliance.

 Verify that you prepared the deployment template correctly.

vcsa-deploy --verify-only

 Verify that you prepared the upgrade template correctly.

vcsa-deploy upgrade --verify-only

path_to_the_json_file

path_to_json_file

NOTE When verifying an upgrade template, the preupgrade check installs an RPM file on the vCenter Server
Appliance that you want to upgrade.

5 Run the deployment or upgrade command.

 Deploy the appliance.

vcsa-deploy --accept-eula

 Upgrade the appliance.

vcsa-deploy upgrade --accept-eula

optional_arguments path_to_the_json_file

optional_arguments path_to_json_file

You can use a space-separated list of optional arguments to set additional configurations. For example, you can set
the location of the log and other output files that the installer generates.

vcsa-deploy --accept-eula --log-dir=

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Optional Arguments of the Command-Line Installer

Table 4. Optional Arguments of the Command-Line Installer

Optional Argument Description

-h, --help Displays the help message for the command.

--template-help Displays the help message for the configuration parameters in the JSON
file.

-v, --verbose Adds debug information to the console output.

-t, --terse Hides the console output. Displays only warning and error messages.

--log-dir, LOG_DIR Sets the location of the log and other output files that the installer

generates.

--verify-only Performs basic verification of the configuration parameters in the JSON
file and verification of the OVF Tool parameters. Does not deploy the
appliance.

--skip-ovftool-verification Performs basic verification of the configuration parameters in the JSON
file and deploys the appliance. Does not perform verification of the OVF
Tool parameters.

--no-esx-ssl-verify Skips the SSL verification for ESXi connections.

Avoid using this option because it might cause problems during
deployment or after deployment because of invalidated values passed to
the appliance.

--sso-ssl-thumbprint, SSL-SHA1-THUMBPRINT Validates server certificate against the supplied SHA1 thumbprint.

--accept-eula Accepts the end-user license agreement

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Using the Deployment and Upgrade Templates

This section provides details about the vCenter Server Appliance deployment and upgrade templates and how to use
the templates to prepare the JSON configuration files for your deployment or upgrade specification.

Templates for New Deployments

For deployment of the vCenter Server Appliance, the installer ISO file contains eight JSON templates that are located
in the vcsa-cli-installer/template/install directory:

Table 5. Templates of JSON Files for Deployment of the vCenter Server Appliance

Template JSON File Description

embedded_vCSA_on_ESXi.json Contains the minimum configuration parameters required for deployment of a

vCenter Server Appliance with an embedded Platform Services Controller on
an ESXi host. See the template in Example 1.

embedded_vCSA_on_VC.json Contains the minimum configuration parameters required for deployment of a

vCenter Server Appliance with an embedded Platform Services Controller on
an ESXi host or DRS cluster that resides in the inventory of a vCenter Server
instance. See the template in Example 2.

PSC_on_ESXi.json Contains the minimum configuration parameters required for deployment of a

PSC_on_VC.json Contains the minimum configuration parameters required for deployment of a

PSC_replication_on_ESXi.json Contains the minimum configuration parameters required for deployment of a

PSC_replication_on_VC.json Contains the minimum configuration parameters required for deployment of a

VC_on_ESXi.json Contains the minimum configuration parameters required for deployment of a

VC_on_VC.json Contains the minimum configuration parameters required for deployment of a

Platform Services Controller appliance on an ESXi host. See the template in

Example 3.

Platform Services Controller appliance on an ESXi host or DRS cluster that
resides in the inventory of a vCenter Server instance. See the template in

Example 4.

replicating Platform Services Controller appliance on an ESXi host. See the
template in Example 5.

replicating Platform Services Controller appliance on an ESXi host or DRS
cluster that resides in the inventory of a vCenter Server instance. See the
template in Example 6.

vCenter Server Appliance with an external Platform Services Controller on an
ESXi host. See the template in Example 7.

vCenter Server Appliance with an external Platform Services Controller on an
ESXi host or DRS cluster that resides in the inventory of a vCenter Server
instance. See the template in Example 8

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Example 1. Content of the embedded_vCSA_on_ESXi.json Deployment Template

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to deploy a vCenter Server with an embedded Platform Services

"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "small",
"name": "vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"esx": {
"hostname": "<ESXi host name or IP address>",
"username": "root",
"password": "<Password of the ESXi host root user>",
"datastore": "<ESXi host datastore>"
},
"network": {
"hostname": "<Host name>",
"dns.servers": [
"<DNS Server IP Address>",
"<Alternate DNS Server IP Address>"
],
"gateway": "<Gateway IP address>",
"ip": "<Static IP address>",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "<The value must be 0-32>"
},
"os": {
"password": "<vCenter Server Appliance root password>",
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"password": "<vCenter Single Sign-On password>",
"domain-name": "vsphere.local",
"site-name": "<SSO site name>"
}
}
}

Controller to an ESXi host.",

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Example 2. Content of the embedded_vCSA_on_VC.json Deployment Template

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to deploy a vCenter Server with an embedded Platform Services

"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "small",
"name": "vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"network": {
"hostname": "<Host name>",
"dns.servers": [
"<DNS Server IP Address>",
"<Alternate DNS Server IP Address>"
],
"gateway": "<Gateway IP address>",
"ip": "<Static IP address>",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "<The value must be 0-32>"
},
"os": {
"password": "<vCenter Server Appliance root password>",
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"password": "<vCenter Single Sign-On password>",
"domain-name": "vsphere.local",
"site-name": "<SSO site name>"
},
"vc": {
"hostname": "<vCenter Server host name or IP address>",
"username": "[e-mail]",
"password": "<vCenter Server password>",
"datacenter": [
"folderA",
"folderB",
"Datacenter"
],
"datastore": "<Datastore connected to target>",
"target": [
"folder1",
"folder2",
"<Target identifier>"
]
}
}
}

Controller to a vCenter Server.",

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Example 3. Content of the PSC_on_ESXi.json Deployment Template

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to deploy a Platform Services Controller to an ESXi host.",
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "infrastructure",
"name": "vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"esx": {
"hostname": "<ESXi host name or IP address>",
"username": "root",
"password": "<Password of the ESXi host root user>",
"datastore": "<ESXi host datastore>"
},
"network": {
"hostname": "<Host name>",
"dns.servers": [
"<DNS Server IP Address>",
"<Alternate DNS Server IP Address>"
],
"gateway": "<Gateway IP address>",
"ip": "<Static IP address>",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "<The value must be 0-32>"
},
"os": {
"password": "<vCenter Server Appliance root password>",
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"password": "<vCenter Single Sign-On password>",
"domain-name": "vsphere.local",
"site-name": "<SSO site name>"
}
}
}

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Example 4. Content of the PSC_on_VC.json Deployment Template

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to deploy a Platform Services Controller to a vCenter Server.",
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "infrastructure",
"name": "vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"network": {
"hostname": "<Host name>",
"dns.servers": [
"<DNS Server IP Address>",
"<Alternate DNS Server IP Address>"
],
"gateway": "<Gateway IP address>",
"ip": "<Static IP address>",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "<The value must be 0-32>"
},
"os": {
"password": "<vCenter Server Appliance root password>",
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"password": "<vCenter Single Sign-On password>",
"domain-name": "vsphere.local",
"site-name": "<SSO site name>"
},
"vc": {
"hostname": "<vCenter Server host name or IP address>",
"username": "[e-mail]",
"password": "<vCenter Server password>",
"datacenter": [
"folderA",
"folderB",
"Datacenter"
],
"datastore": "<Datastore connected to target>",
"target": [
"folder1",
"folder2",
"<Target identifier>"
]
}
}
}

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Example 5. Content of the PSC_replication_on_ESXi.json Deployment Template

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to deploy a Platform Services Controller to an ESXi host, joining an

"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "infrastructure",
"name": "vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"esx": {
"hostname": "<ESXi host name or IP address>",
"username": "root",
"password": "<Password of the ESXi host root user>",
"datastore": "<ESXi host datastore>"
},
"network": {
"hostname": "<Host name>",
"dns.servers": [
"<DNS Server IP Address>",
"<Alternate DNS Server IP Address>"
],
"gateway": "<Gateway IP address>",
"ip": "<Static IP address>",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "<The value must be 0-32>"
},
"os": {
"password": "<vCenter Server Appliance root password>",
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"password": "<vCenter Single Sign-On password>",
"domain-name": "vsphere.local",
"first-instance": false,
"replication-partner-hostname": "<Host name of the replication partner>",
"site-name": "<SSO site name>"
}
}
}

existing vCenter Single Sign-On domain.",

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Example 6. Content of the PSC_replication_on_VC.json Deployment Template

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to deploy a Platform Services Controller to an ESXi host, joining an

"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "infrastructure",
"name": "vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"esx": {
"hostname": "<ESXi host name or IP address>",
"username": "root",
"password": "<Password of the ESXi host root user>",
"datastore": "<ESXi host datastore>"
},
"network": {
"hostname": "<Host name>",
"dns.servers": [
"<DNS Server IP Address>",
"<Alternate DNS Server IP Address>"
],
"gateway": "<Gateway IP address>",
"ip": "<Static IP address>",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "<The value must be 0-32>"
},
"os": {
"password": "<vCenter Server Appliance root password>",
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"password": "<vCenter Single Sign-On password>",
"domain-name": "vsphere.local",
"first-instance": false,
"replication-partner-hostname": "<Host name of the replication partner>",
"site-name": "<SSO site name>"
}
}
}

existing vCenter Single Sign-On domain.",

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Example 7. Content of the VC_on_ESXi.json Deployment Template

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to deploy a vCenter Server to an ESXi host.",
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "management-small",
"name": "vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"esx": {
"hostname": "<ESXi host name or IP address>",
"username": "root",
"password": "<Password of the ESXi host root user>",
"datastore": "<ESXi host datastore>"
},
"network": {
"hostname": "<Host name>",
"dns.servers": [
"<DNS Server IP Address>",
"<Alternate DNS Server IP Address>"
],
"gateway": "<Gateway IP address>",
"ip": "<Static IP address>",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "<The value must be 0-32>"
},
"os": {
"password": "<vCenter Server Appliance root password>",
"platform.service.controller": "<System name of the Platform Services Controller>",
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"password": "<vCenter Single Sign-On password>",
"domain-name": "vsphere.local",
"site-name": "<SSO site name>"
}
}
}

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Example 8. Content of the VC_on_VC.json Deployment Template

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to deploy a vCenter Server to a vCenter Server.",
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "management-small",
"name": "vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"network": {
"hostname": "<Host name>",
"dns.servers": [
"<DNS Server IP Address>",
"<Alternate DNS Server IP Address>"
],
"gateway": "<Gateway IP address>",
"ip": "<Static IP address>",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "<The value must be 0-32>"
},
"os": {
"password": "<vCenter Server Appliance root password>",
"platform.service.controller": "<System name of the Platform Services Controller>",
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"password": "<vCenter Single Sign-On password>",
"domain-name": "vsphere.local",
"site-name": "<SSO site name>"
},
"vc": {
"hostname": "<vCenter Server host name or IP address>",
"username": "[e-mail]",
"password": "<vCenter Server password>",
"datacenter": [
"folderA",
"folderB",
"Datacenter"
],
"datastore": "<Datastore connected to target>",
"target": [
"folder1",
"folder2",
"<Target identifier>"
]
}
}
}

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Templates for Upgrading a vCenter Server Appliance 5.1 Update 3

For upgrade of the vCenter Server Appliance from 5.1 Update 3 to 6.0 Update 1, the installer ISO file contains two JSON
templates that are located in the vcsa-cli-installer/template/upgrade/5.1 directory.:

Table 6. Templates of JSON Files for Upgrade of the vCenter Server Appliance 5.1 Update 3

Template JSON File Description

embedded_vCSA_on_ESXi.json Contains the minimum configuration parameters required for upgrade of a

vCenter Server Appliance 5.1 Update 3 to a vCenter Server Appliance 6.0
Update 1 with an embedded Platform Services Controller on an ESXi host. See
the content of the template in Example 10.

embedded_vCSA_on_VC.json Contains the minimum configuration parameters required for upgrade of a

vCenter Server Appliance 5.1 Update 3 to a vCenter Server Appliance 6.0
Update 1 with an embedded Platform Services Controller on an ESXi host or
DRS cluster that resides in the inventory of a vCenter Server instance. See the
content of the template in Example 10.

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Example 9. Content of the embedded_vCSA_on_ESXi.json Template for Upgrade From Version 5.1 Update 3

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to upgrade a vCenter Server from 5.1 Update 3 to 6.0.",
"source.vc": {
"esx": {
"hostname": "<IP or FQDN of the ESXi on which the source vCenter Server Appliance resides>",
"username": "root",
"password": "<Password for the ESXi on which the source vCenter Server Appliance resides>"
},
"vc.vcsa": {
"hostname": "<IP address or FQDN of the source vCenter Server Appliance>",
"username": "root",
"password": "<Password of the vCenter administrator user>",
"root.password": "<Password for the root user of the source vCenter Server Appliance guest

}
},
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "small",
"name": "Upgraded-vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"os": {
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"password": "<vCenter Single Sign-On password>",
"domain-name": "vsphere.local",
"site-name": "<SSO site name>"
},
"temporary.network": {
"hostname": "<Host name>",
"dns.servers": [
"<DNS Server IP Address>",
"<Alternate DNS Server IP Address>"
],
"gateway": "<Gateway IP address>",
"ip": "<Static IP address>",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "<The value must be 0-32 for an IPv4 address>"
}
}
}

operating system>"

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Example 10. Content of the embedded_vCSA_on_VC.json Template for Upgrade From Version 5.1 Update 3

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to upgrade a vCenter Server from 5.1 Update 3 to 6.0.",
"source.vc": {
"esx": {
"hostname": "<IP or FQDN of the ESXi on which the source vCenter Server Appliance resides>",
"username": "root",
"password": "<Password for the ESXi on which the source vCenter Server Appliance resides>"
},
"vc.vcsa": {
"hostname": "<IP address or FQDN of the source vCenter Server Appliance>",
"username": "root",
"password": "<Password of the vCenter administrator user>",
"root.password": "<Password for the root user of the source vCenter Server Appliance guest

}
},
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "small",
"name": "Upgraded-vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"os": {
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"password": "<vCenter Single Sign-On password>",
"domain-name": "vsphere.local",
"site-name": "<SSO site name>"
},
"temporary.network": {
"hostname": "<Host name>",
"dns.servers": [
"<DNS Server IP Address>",
"<Alternate DNS Server IP Address>"
],
"gateway": "<Gateway IP address>",
"ip": "<Static IP address>",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "<The value must be 0-32 for an IPv4 address>"
},
"vc": {
"hostname": "<vCenter Server host name or IP address>",
"username": "[e-mail]",
"password": "<vCenter Server password>",
"datacenter": [
"folderA",
"folderB",
"Datacenter"
],
"datastore": "<Datastore connected to target>",
"target": [
"folder1",
"folder2",
"<Target identifier>"
]
}
}
}

operating system>"

VMware, Inc. 18

Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

Templates for Upgrading a vCenter Server Appliance 5.5.x

For upgrade of the vCenter Server Appliance from 5.5.x to 6.0 Update 1, the installer ISO file contains six JSON
templates that are located in the vcsa-cli-installer/template/upgrade/5.5 directory.

Table 7. Templates of JSON Files for Upgrade of the vCenter Server Appliance 5.5.x

Template JSON File Description

embedded_vCSA_on_ESXi.json Contains the minimum configuration parameters required for upgrade of a

vCenter Server Appliance 5.5.x with an embedded vCenter Single Sign-On
server to a vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1 with an embedded Platform
Services Controller on an ESXi host. See the content of the template in

Example 11.

embedded_vCSA_on_VC.json Contains the minimum configuration parameters required for upgrade of a

vCenter Server Appliance 5.5.x with an embedded vCenter Single Sign-On
server to a vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1 with an embedded Platform
Services Controller on an ESXi host or DRS cluster that resides in the inventory
of a vCenter Server instance. See the content of the template in Example 12.

PSC_on_ESXi.json Contains the minimum configuration parameters for required upgrade of a

PSC_on_VC.json Contains the minimum configuration parameters required for upgrade of a

VC_on_ESXi.json Contains the minimum configuration parameters required for upgrade of a

VC_on_VC.json Contains the minimum configuration parameters required for upgrade of a

vCenter Single Sign-On appliance 5.5.x to a Platform Services Controller
appliance 6.0 Update 1 on an ESXi host. See the content of the template in

Example 13.

vCenter Single Sign-On appliance 5.5.x to a Platform Services Controller
appliance 6.0 Update 1 on an ESXi host or DRS cluster that resides in the
inventory of a vCenter Server instance. See the content of the template in

Example 14.

vCenter Server Appliance 5.5.x with an external vCenter Single Sign-On server
to a vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1 with an external Platform Services
Controller on an ESXi host. See the content of the template in Example 15.

IMPORTANT Before you upgrade the vCenter Server Appliance 5.5.x with an

external vCenter Single Sign-On server, you must upgrade the external vCenter
Single Sign-On server and its replicating partners, if any exist in the domain, to
Platform Services Controller instances.

vCenter Server Appliance 5.5.x with an external vCenter Single Sign-On server
to a vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1 with an external Platform Services
Controller on an ESXi host or DRS cluster that resides in the inventory of a
vCenter Server instance. See the content of the template in Example 16.

IMPORTANT Before you upgrade the vCenter Server Appliance 5.5.x with an

external vCenter Single Sign-On server, you must upgrade the external vCenter
Single Sign-On server and its replicating partners, if any exist in the domain, to
Platform Services Controller instances.

VMware, Inc. 19

Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

Example 11. Content of the embedded_vCSA_on_ESXi.json Template for Upgrade From Version 5.5.x

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to upgrade a vCenter Server with an embedded Platform Services

"source.vc": {
"esx": {
"hostname": "<IP or FQDN of the ESXi on which the source vCenter Server Appliance resides>",
"username": "root",
"password": "<Password for the ESXi on which the source vCenter Server Appliance resides>"
},
"vc.vcsa": {
"hostname": "<IP address or FQDN of the source vCenter Server Appliance>",
"username": "[e-mail]",
"password": "<Password of the vCenter Single Sign-On user [e-mail]>",
"root.password": "<Password for the root user of the source vCenter Server Appliance guest

}
},
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "small",
"name": "Upgraded-vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"os": {
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"site-name": "<SSO site name>"
},
"temporary.network": {
"hostname": "<Host name>",
"dns.servers": [
"<DNS Server IP Address>",
"<Alternate DNS Server IP Address>"
],
"gateway": "<Gateway IP address>",
"ip": "<Static IP address>",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "<The value must be 0-32 for an IPv4 address>"
}
}
}

Controller from 5.5 to 6.0.",

operating system>"

VMware, Inc. 20

Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

Example 12. Content of the embedded_vCSA_on_VC.json Template for Upgrade From Version 5.5.x

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to upgrade a vCenter Server with an embedded Platform Services

"source.vc": {
"esx": {
"hostname": "<IP or FQDN of the ESXi on which the source vCenter Server Appliance resides>",
"username": "root",
"password": "<Password for the ESXi on which the source vCenter Server Appliance resides>"
},
"vc.vcsa": {
"hostname": "<IP address or FQDN of the source vCenter Server Appliance>",
"username": "[e-mail]",
"password": "<Password of the vCenter Single Sign-On user [e-mail]>",
"root.password": "<Password for the root user of the source vCenter Server Appliance guest

}
},
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "small",
"name": "Upgraded-vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"os": {
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"site-name": "<SSO site name>"
},
"temporary.network": {
"hostname": "<Host name>",
"dns.servers": [
"<DNS Server IP Address>",
"<Alternate DNS Server IP Address>"
],
"gateway": "<Gateway IP address>",
"ip": "<Static IP address>",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "<The value must be 0-32 for an IPv4 address>"
},
"vc": {
"hostname": "<vCenter Server host name or IP address>",
"username": "[e-mail]",
"password": "<vCenter Server password>",
"datacenter": [
"folderA",
"folderB",
"Datacenter"
],
"datastore": "<Datastore connected to target>",
"target": [
"folder1",
"folder2",
"<Target identifier>"
]
}
}
}

Controller from 5.5 to 6.0.",

operating system>"

VMware, Inc. 21

Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

Example 13. Content of the PSC_on_ESXi.json Template for Upgrade From Version 5.5.x

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to upgrade a Platform Services Controller from 5.5 to 6.0.",
"source.vc": {
"esx": {
"hostname": "<IP or FQDN of the ESXi on which the source vCenter Server Appliance resides>",
"username": "root",
"password": "<Password for the ESXi on which the source vCenter Server Appliance resides>"
},
"vc.vcsa": {
"hostname": "<IP address or FQDN of the source vCenter Server Appliance>",
"username": "[e-mail]",
"password": "<Password of the vCenter Single Sign-On user [e-mail]>",
"root.password": "<Password for the root user of the source vCenter Server Appliance guest

}
},
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "infrastructure",
"name": "Upgraded-vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"os": {
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"site-name": "<SSO site name>"
},
"temporary.network": {
"hostname": "<Host name>",
"dns.servers": [
"<DNS Server IP Address>",
"<Alternate DNS Server IP Address>"
],
"gateway": "<Gateway IP address>",
"ip": "<Static IP address>",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "<The value must be 0-32 for an IPv4 address>"
}
}
}

operating system>"

VMware, Inc. 22

Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

Example 14. Content of the PSC_on_VC.json Template for Upgrade From Version 5.5.x

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to upgrade a Platform Services Controller vCenter Server from 5.5 to

"source.vc": {
"esx": {
"hostname": "<IP or FQDN of the ESXi on which the source vCenter Server Appliance resides>",
"username": "root",
"password": "<Password for the ESXi on which the source vCenter Server Appliance resides>"
},
"vc.vcsa": {
"hostname": "<IP address or FQDN of the source vCenter Server Appliance>",
"username": "[e-mail]",
"password": "<Password of the vCenter Single Sign-On user [e-mail]>",
"root.password": "<Password for the root user of the source vCenter Server Appliance guest

}
},
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "infrastructure",
"name": "Upgraded-vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"os": {
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"site-name": "<SSO site name>"
},
"temporary.network": {
"hostname": "<Host name>",
"dns.servers": [
"<DNS Server IP Address>",
"<Alternate DNS Server IP Address>"
],
"gateway": "<Gateway IP address>",
"ip": "<Static IP address>",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "<The value must be 0-32 for an IPv4 address>"
},
"vc": {
"hostname": "<vCenter Server host name or IP address>",
"username": "[e-mail]",
"password": "<vCenter Server password>",
"datacenter": [
"folderA",
"folderB",
"Datacenter"
],
"datastore": "<Datastore connected to target>",
"target": [
"folder1",
"folder2",
"<Target identifier>"
]
}
}
}

6.0.",

operating system>"

VMware, Inc. 23

Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

Example 15. Content of the VC_on_ESXi.json Template for Upgrade From Version 5.5.x

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to upgrade a vCenter Server from 5.5 to 6.0.",
"source.vc": {
"esx": {
"hostname": "<IP or FQDN of the ESXi on which the source vCenter Server Appliance resides>",
"username": "root",
"password": "<Password for the ESXi on which the source vCenter Server Appliance resides>"
},
"vc.vcsa": {
"hostname": "<IP address or FQDN of the source vCenter Server Appliance>",
"username": "[e-mail]",
"password": "<Password of the vCenter Single Sign-On user [e-mail]>",
"root.password": "<Password for the root user of the source vCenter Server Appliance guest

}
},
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "management-small",
"name": "Upgraded-vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"os": {
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"site-name": "<SSO site name>"
},
"temporary.network": {
"hostname": "<Host name>",
"dns.servers": [
"<DNS Server IP Address>",
"<Alternate DNS Server IP Address>"
],
"gateway": "<Gateway IP address>",
"ip": "<Static IP address>",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "<The value must be 0-32 for an IPv4 address>"
}
}
}

operating system>"

VMware, Inc. 24

Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

Example 16. Content of the VC_on_VC.json Template for Upgrade From Version 5.5.x

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to upgrade a vCenter Server from 5.5 to 6.0.",
"source.vc": {
"esx": {
"hostname": "<IP or FQDN of the ESXi on which the source vCenter Server Appliance resides>",
"username": "root",
"password": "<Password for the ESXi on which the source vCenter Server Appliance resides>"
},
"vc.vcsa": {
"hostname": "<IP address or FQDN of the source vCenter Server Appliance>",
"username": "[e-mail]",
"password": "<Password of the vCenter Single Sign-On user [e-mail]>",
"root.password": "<Password for the root user of the source vCenter Server Appliance guest

}
},
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "management-small",
"name": "Upgraded-vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"os": {
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"site-name": "<SSO site name>"
},
"temporary.network": {
"hostname": "<Host name>",
"dns.servers": [
"<DNS Server IP Address>",
"<Alternate DNS Server IP Address>"
],
"gateway": "<Gateway IP address>",
"ip": "<Static IP address>",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "<The value must be 0-32 for an IPv4 address>"
},
"vc": {
"hostname": "<vCenter Server host name or IP address>",
"username": "[e-mail]",
"password": "<vCenter Server password>",
"datacenter": [
"folderA",
"folderB",
"Datacenter"
],
"datastore": "<Datastore connected to target>",
"target": [
"folder1",
"folder2",
"<Target identifier>"
]
}
}
}

operating system>"

VMware, Inc. 25

Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

Prepare Deployment and Upgrade Templates

You can deploy and upgrade the vCenter Server Appliance with minimum configurations by setting values to the
configuration parameters in the templates that are available in the installer ISO file. The configuration parameters that
are not included in the templates are set to their default values. You can add configuration parameters in the templates
to set their values for your deployment or upgrade specification.

To prepare the deployment or upgrade templates:

1Open the templates subfolder that is located in the vsca-cli-installer directory.

2 Copy the template files to your workspace.

3 Open a template file in a text editor.

4 Fill in the required fields and, optionally, add new parameters to the template.

5 Save in UTF-8 format and close the file.

You can create and save as many templates as are needed for your specific environment.

VMware, Inc. 26

Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

Configuration Parameters for New and Upgrade Deployments

Tab le 8 lists the configuration parameters in the target.vcsa section that you use to provide input data for the new

vCenter Server Appliance in the deployment and upgrade templates.

You must provide the parameters with values for your deployment or upgrade specification. For example, if you want
to deploy the appliance with an external database, you must provide the database parameter subsection.

Table 8. List of the Configuration Parameters in the target.vcsa Section

Parameter Default Description

appliance subsection

deployment.network - The network of the ESXi host on which you want to deploy the

deployment.option tiny The size of the vCenter Server Appliance depending on the size of

image Package included in

the installer ISO file

name - The name of the vCenter Server Appliance.

thin.disk.mode true A Boolean value.

vCenter Server Appliance.

Required only if the ESXi host, on which you want to deploy the
vCenter Server Appliance, has more than one network.

your vSphere environment. The value can be:

 tiny

vCenter Server Appliance with an embedded Platform
Services Controller for up to 10 hosts and 100 virtual machines

 small

vCenter Server Appliance with an embedded Platform
Services Controller for up to 100 hosts and 1,000 virtual
machines

 medium

vCenter Server Appliance with an embedded Platform
Services Controller for up to 400 hosts and 4,000 virtual
machines

 large

vCenter Server Appliance with an embedded Platform
Services Controller for up to 1,000 hosts and 10,000 virtual
machines

 management-tiny

vCenter Server Appliance with an external Platform Services
Controller for up to 10 hosts and 100 virtual machines

 management-small

vCenter Server Appliance with an external Platform Services
Controller for up to 100 hosts and 1,000 virtual machines

 management-medium

vCenter Server Appliance with an external Platform Services
Controller for up to 400 hosts and 4,000 virtual machines

 management-large

vCenter Server Appliance with an external Platform Services
Controller for up to 1,000 hosts and 10,000 virtual machines

 infrastructure

Platform Services Controller appliance

The filepath to the vCenter Server Appliance installation package.

If true, the vCenter Server Appliance is deployed with a thin
mode virtual disk.

VMware, Inc. 27

Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

Table 8. List of the Configuration Parameters in the target.vcsa Section

Parameter Default Description

database subsection

NOTE Use the database subsection only in the deployment templates to configure the database of the vCenter Server

Appliance. The database configurations for the upgraded vCenter Server Appliance are migrated from the old
vCenter Server Appliance.

For information about or assistance with the external Oracle database configuration, see the Oracle documentation.

type embedded The vCenter Server Appliance database type. The value can be:

 embedded

The vCenter Server Appliance uses the embedded
PostgreSQL database. This database is suitable for small scale
deployments.

 external

The vCenter Server Appliance uses an existing external Oracle
database.

user - The vCenter Server Appliance database user.

Required only if the value of the type parameter is external.

password - The password of the vCenter Server Appliance database user.

Required only if the value of the type parameter is external.

provider - The vCenter Server Appliance database provider. The value can be

only oracle.

Required only if the value of the type parameter is external.

instance - The Oracle database instance name.

Required only if the value of the type parameter is external.

servername - The vCenter Server Appliance database server hostname.

Required only if the value of the type parameter is external.

serverport - Oracle database port number.

Required only if the value of the type parameter is external.

esx subsection

NOTE Required only if you are deploying the vCenter Server Appliance on an ESXi host or if you are upgrading a

vCenter Server Appliance on an ESXi host that is different from the ESXi host on which the old vCenter Server
Appliance is running.

hostname - The IP address or FQDN of the ESXi host on which you want to

deploy the vCenter Server Appliance.

username - A user name with administrative privileges for the ESXi host on

which you want to deploy the vCenter Server Appliance.

password - The password of the ESXi host user with administrative

datastore - The name of the datastore on which you want to deploy the

vc subsection

privileges.

vCenter Server Appliance. The datastore must have at least 15 GB
of free space and must be accessible from the ESXi host on which
you are deploying the vCenter Server Appliance.

NOTE Required only if you are deploying or upgrading the vCenter Server Appliance on a vCenter Server instance.

hostname - The IP address or FQDN of the vCenter Server instance on which

you want to deploy the vCenter Server Appliance.

username - A vCenter Single Sign-On user name with administrative

privileges for the vCenter Server instance on which you want to
deploy the vCenter Server Appliance.

password - The password of the vCenter Single Sign-On user with

administrative privileges for the vCenter Server instance.

VMware, Inc. 28

Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

Table 8. List of the Configuration Parameters in the target.vcsa Section

Parameter Default Description

datacenter - The name of the vCenter Server datacenter that contains the ESXi

vm.folder - A VM folder in the vCenter Server datacenter on which you want

datastore - The name of the datastore on which you want to deploy the

target - The ESXi host or DRS cluster on which you want to deploy the

network and temporary.network subsections

host or DRS cluster on which you want to deploy the vCenter
Server Appliance.

If the datacenter is located in a folder, you must set the path to the
datacenter as a comma-separated list, for example, ["folder1",
"datacenter"].

to deploy the vCenter Server Appliance.

vCenter Server Appliance. The datastore must have at least 15 GB
of free space and must be accessible from the vCenter Server
instance on which you are deploying the vCenter Server
Appliance.

vCenter Server Appliance.

If the ESXi host or DRS cluster is located in a folder, you must set
the path to the ESXi host or DRS cluster as a comma-separated list,
for example, ["folder2", "esxi-host.badger.com"].

NOTE Use the network subsection only in the deployment templates to configure the network of the vCenter Server
Appliance. Use the

temporary.network subsection only in the upgrade templates to configure a temporary network

for migrating the data from the old vCenter Server Appliance to the new vCenter Server Appliance. The network
configurations for the upgraded vCenter Server Appliance are migrated from the old vCenter Server Appliance.

hostname - Primary network identity. The value can be an FQDN or IP

address, preferably an FQDN.

You cannot change the value of this parameter after the
deployment.

The FQDN and dotted-decimal numbers must comply with the

RFC 1123 guidelines.

ip.family - Network IP address family. The value can be:

 ipv4

 ipv6

NOTE Do not use the ipv6 option for the temporary.network

subsection in the upgrade templates. You can use the ipv6 value
only for the network subsection in the deployment templates.

mode - Network mode. Use this parameter to choose how to allocate the

IP address of the vCenter Server Appliance. The value can be:

 static

You must set the static IP address and network settings.

 dhcp

A DHCP server is used to allocate the IP address. Use this
option only if the DHCP server is available in your
environment.

ip -Network IP address.

Required only if the value of the mode parameter is static.

Depending on the value of the ip.family parameter, you must
set an IPv4 or IPv6 address.

An IPv4 address must comply with the RFC 790 guidelines.

An IPv6 address must comply with the RFC 2373 guidelines.

dns.servers - A comma-separated list of IP addresses of network DNS servers.

Could be a JSON array, for example, ["1.2.3.4",

"127.0.0.1"], or a serialized string, for example,
"1.2.3.4,127.0.0.1".

VMware, Inc. 29

Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

Table 8. List of the Configuration Parameters in the target.vcsa Section

Parameter Default Description

prefix - Network prefix length.

Required only if the value of the mode parameter is static.

For IPv4, the value can be between 0 and 32.

For IPv6, the value can be between 0 and 128.

gateway - IP address of the default gateway.

For IPv6, the value can be default.

ports - Port numbers on which the vCenter Server Appliance

communicates with other vSphere components.

os subsection

password - Password for the root user of the Linux operating system of the

vCenter Server Appliance.

NOTE Use only in the deployment templates. When you upgrade

a vCenter Server Appliance, the new vCenter Server Appliance
uses the root password of the old vCenter Server Appliance.

ssh.enable false A Boolean value.

If true, the vCenter Server Appliance is deployed with the SSH
administrator login option enabled.

You can change this setting after the deployment.

ntp.servers - Optional. A comma-separated list of host names or IP addresses of

NTP servers for time synchronization. Could be a JSON array, for
example, ["ntp1.com". "ntp2.com"], or a serialized string, for
example, "ntp1.com,ntp2.com".

NOTE Use only in the deployment templates. When you upgrade

a vCenter Server Appliance, the new vCenter Server Appliance
uses the time synchronization settings of the old vCenter Server
Appliance.

time.tool-sync false Optional. A boolean value.

If true, the vCenter Server Appliance is deployed with the
VMware Tools time synchronization option enabled. VMware
Tools synchronizes the time of the appliance with the time of the
ESXi host.

Ignored if you set the ntp.servers parameter.

NOTE Use only in the deployment templates. When you upgrade

a vCenter Server Appliance, the new vCenter Server Appliance
uses the time synchronization settings of the old vCenter Server
Appliance.

platform.service.controller - System name of the Platform Services Controller with which you

want to register the vCenter Server Appliance.

You cannot use an FQDN if the system name of the Platform
Services Controller is an IP address, and the reverse.

Required only if you are deploying a vCenter Server Appliance
with an external Platform Services Controller.

NOTE Use only in deployment templates. When upgrading a

vCenter Server Appliance with an external vCenter Single
Sign-On, the new vCenter Server Appliance is registered with the
old vCenter Single Sign-On that you have upgraded to a Platform
Services Controller.

VMware, Inc. 30

Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

Table 8. List of the Configuration Parameters in the target.vcsa Section

Parameter Default Description

sso subsection

password - Password of the vCenter Single Sign-On administrator user

account, administrator@your_domain_name.

If you are deploying a vCenter Server Appliance with an
embedded Platform Services Controller or the first Platform
Services Controller instance of your identity domain, you must set
the password for the vCenter Single Sign-On administrator user
account.

The password must adhere to the following requirements:

 At least 8 characters

 No more than 20 characters

 At least one uppercase character

 At least one lowercase character

 At least one number

 At least one special character (for example, ’!’, ’(’, or ’@’)

 Only visible lower-ASCII characters. Cannot use spaces

and non-printing control characters such as BEL, Nul, and
so on.

If you are deploying a vCenter Server Appliance with an external
Platform Services Controller, you must provide the password of
the vCenter Single Sign-On administrator user account of the
Platform Services Controller with which you want to register the
appliance.

If you are deploying a replicating Platform Services Controller,
you must provide the password of the vCenter Single Sign-On
administrator user account of the Platform Services Controller
with which you want to join the appliance.

If you are upgrading a vCenter Server Appliance 5.1 Update 3, you
must provide the password of the vCenter Single Sign-On
administrator user account.

NOTE Do not use for upgrading a vCenter Server Appliance 5.5,

because the new vCenter Server Appliance uses the password of
the vCenter Single Sign-On administrator user account of the old
vCenter Server Appliance.

domain-name - The vCenter Single Sign-On domain name, for example,

vsphere.local.

If you are deploying a vCenter Server Appliance with an
embedded Platform Services Controller or the first Platform
Services Controller instance of your identity domain, you must set
the vCenter Single Sign-On domain name.

If you are deploying a vCenter Server Appliance with an external
Platform Services Controller, you must provide the vCenter Single
Sign-On domain name of the Platform Services Controller with
which you want to register the appliance.

If you are deploying a replicating Platform Services Controller,
you must provide the vCenter Single Sign-On domain name of the
Platform Services Controller with which you want to join the
appliance.

first-instance - A Boolean value.

If true, the deployment creates a new vCenter Single Sign-On
domain.

Required if you are deploying a replicating Platform Services
Controller, when you must use the false value.

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Table 8. List of the Configuration Parameters in the target.vcsa Section

Parameter Default Description

replication-partner-hostname - The host name, FQDN or IP address, of the Platform Services

site-name - Required. The vCenter Single Sign-On site name.

Controller replication partner.

Required only if you are deploying a replicating Platform Services
Controller, that is, if the value of the first-instance parameter
is false.

You cannot change the vCenter Single Sign-On site name after
deploying or upgrading the vCenter Server Appliance

.

Configuration Parameters for Deployments to Upgrade

Tab le 9 lists the configuration parameters that you use to provide input data for the existing vCenter Server Appliance

in the upgrade templates.

Table 9. List of the Configuration Parameters in the source.vc Section

Parameter Default Description

esx subsection

hostname - The host name or IP address of the ESXi host which runs the

vCenter Server Appliance that you want to upgrade.

username - A user name with administrative privileges for the ESXi host

which runs the vCenter Server Appliance that you want to
upgrade.

password - The password of the ESXi host user with administrative

privileges.

vc.vcsa subsection

hostname - The host name or IP address of the vCenter Server Appliance that

you want to upgrade.

username administrator@

your_domain_name

password - The password of the vCenter Single Sign-On user with

root.password - The password of the operating system root user of the vCenter

A vCenter Single Sign-On user name with administrative
privileges for the vCenter Server Appliance that you want to
upgrade.

administrative privileges for the vCenter Server Appliance that
you want to upgrade.

Server Appliance that you want to upgrade.

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vCenter Server Appliance Deployment Example

Use the templates in the following example to deploy two pairs of virtual appliances on two ESXi hosts. The template
displayed in Example 17 deploys the first Platform Services Controller on the first ESXi host, and the template displayed
in Example 18 deploys a replicating Platform Services Controller on the second ESXi host. Example 19 and Example 20
deploy two vCenter Server Appliance instances with an external Platform Services Controller. The first
vCenter Server Appliance is deployed on the first ESXi host and is registered with the first Platform Services Controller.
The second vCenter Server Appliance is deployed on the second ESXi host and is registered with the second Platform
Services Controller.

I

MPORTANT You must first deploy the Platform Services Controller, and then you can deploy the vCenter Server

Appliance and register it with this Platform Services Controller.

By having two or more Platform Services Controllers that replicate their vCenter Single Sign-On data, you can ensure
high availability of your system.

Table 10. Values of the Parameters Used in the Example Deployment Templates

IP addresses of the ESXi hosts

Root passwords of the ESXi hosts

IP addresses of the local DNS servers

IP address of the default gateway

Static IP addresses for the new appliances

Root passwords for the Linux OS of the new
appliances

vCenter Single Sign-On domain name

vCenter Single Sign-On administrator password

10.100.100.1 and 10.100.100.2

P@ss!w0rd

10.100.100.7 and 10.100.100.8

10.100.100.253

10.100.100.10, 10.100.100.11, 10.100.100.12, and

10.100.100.13

Admin1!

vsphere.local

SSOadm!n601

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Example 17. Example Template for Deployment of the First Platform Services Controller

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to deploy a Platform Services Controller to an ESXi host.",
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "infrastructure",
"name": "platform-services-controller-1",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"esx": {
"hostname": "10.100.100.1",
"username": "root",
"password": "P@ss!w0rd",
"datastore": "datastore1"
},
"network": {
"hostname": "platform_services_controller1.my.company.com",
"dns.servers": [
"10.100.100.7",
"10.100.100.8"
],
"gateway": "10.100.100.253",
"ip": "10.100.100.10",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "24"
},
"os": {
"password": "Admin1!",
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"password": "SSOadm!n601",
"domain-name": "vsphere.local",
"site-name": "First-Site"
}
}
}

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Example 18. Example Template for Deployment of the Second Platform Services Controller

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to deploy a Platform Services Controller to an ESXi host, joining an

"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "infrastructure",
"name": "platform-services-controller-2",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"esx": {
"hostname": "10.100.100.2",
"username": "root",
"password": "P@ss!w0rd",
"datastore": "datastore1"
},
"network": {
"hostname": "platform_services_controller2.my.company.com",
"dns.servers": [
"10.100.100.7",
"10.100.100.8"
],
"gateway": "10.100.100.253",
"ip": "10.100.100.11",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "24"
},
"os": {
"password": "Admin1!",
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"password": "SSOadm!n601",
"domain-name": "vsphere.local",
"first-instance": false,
"replication-partner-hostname": "platform_services_controller1.my.company.com",
"site-name": "Second-Site"
}
}
}

existing vCenter Single Sign-On domain.",

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Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

Example 19. Example Template for Deployment of the First vCenter Server Appliance Instance

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to deploy a vCenter Server to an ESXi host.",
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "management-tiny",
"name": "management-node-1",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"esx": {
"hostname": "10.100.100.1",
"username": "root",
"password": "P@ss!w0rd",
"datastore": "datastore1"
},
"network": {
"hostname": "vcenter1.my.company.com",
"dns.servers": [
"10.100.100.7",
"10.100.100.8"
],
"gateway": "10.100.100.253",
"ip": "10.100.100.12",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "24"
},
"os": {
"password": "Admin1!",
"platform.service.controller": "platform_services_controller1.my.company.com",
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"password": "Admin?61",
"domain-name": "vsphere.local",
"site-name": "First-Site"
}
}
}

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Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

Example 20. Example Template for Deployment of the Second vCenter Server Appliance Instance

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to deploy a vCenter Server to an ESXi host.",
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "management-tiny",
"name": "management-node-2",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"esx": {
"hostname": "10.100.100.2",
"username": "root",
"password": "P@ss!w0rd",
"datastore": "datastore1"
},
"network": {
"hostname": "vcenter2.my.company.com",
"dns.servers": [
"10.100.100.7",
"10.100.100.8"
],
"gateway": "10.100.100.253",
"ip": "10.100.100.13",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "24"
},
"os": {
"password": "Admin1!",
"platform.service.controller": "platform_services_controller2.my.company.com",
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"password": "SSOadm!n601",
"domain-name": "vsphere.local",
"site-name": "Second-Site"
}
}
}

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Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

vCenter Server Appliance 5.1 Update 3 Upgrade Example

Use the template in Example 21 to upgrade a vCenter Server Appliance 5.1 Update 3 to a vCenter Server Appliance 6.0
Update 1 with an embedded Platform Services Controller on a DRS cluster from the inventory of a vCenter Server
instance.

Table 11. Values of the Parameters Used in the Example Upgrade Template in Example 21

IP address of the ESXi host on which the vCenter
Server Appliance is running.

Root password of the ESXi host

IP address of the vCenter Server Appliance 10.100.100.10

vCenter Single Sign-On administrator password
of the vCenter Server Appliance

Root password of the Linux OS of the vCenter
Server Appliance

10.100.100.1

P@ss!w0rd

ssoadm!n513

Admin1!

vCenter Single Sign-On administrator password
for the new upgraded vCenter Server Appliance

vCenter Single Sign-On domain name for the new
upgraded vCenter Server Appliance

vCenter Single Sign-On site name for the new
upgraded vCenter Server Appliance

IP addresses of the local DNS servers for the
temporary network by which the old appliance
migrates the data to the new appliance

IP address of the default gateway for the
temporary network by which the old appliance
migrates the data to the new appliance

Static IP address that is temporarily used for the
new vCenter Server Appliance

IP address of the vCenter Server instance on which
you are deploying the new upgraded vCenter
Server Appliance

vCenter Single Sign-On administrator password
of the vCenter Server instance on which you are
deploying the new upgraded vCenter Server
Appliance

SSOadm!n601

vsphere.local

Site-One

10.100.100.7 and 10.100.100.8

10.100.100.253

10.100.100.112

10.100.100.55

SSOadm!n55

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Command-Line Deployment and Upgrade of VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1

Example 21. Example Template for Upgrading a vCenter Server Appliance 5.1 Update 3

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to upgrade a vCenter Server from 5.1 Update 3 to 6.0.",
"source.vc": {
"esx": {
"hostname": "10.100.100.1",
"username": "root",
"password": "P@ss!w0rd"
},
"vc.vcsa": {
"hostname": "10.100.100.10",
"username": "root",
"password": "ssoadm!n513",
"root.password": "Admin1!"
}
},
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "small",
"name": "Upgraded-vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"os": {
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"password": "SSOadm!n601
"domain-name": "vsphere.local",
"site-name": "Site-One
},
"temporary.network": {
"hostname": "Temporary-vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"dns.servers": [
"10.100.100.7",
"10.100.100.8"
],
"gateway": "10.100.100.253",
"ip": "10.100.100.112",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "24"
},
"vc": {
"hostname": "10.100.100.55",
"username": "[e-mail]",
"password": "SSOadm!n55",
"datacenter": [
"folder1",
"Datacenter1"
],
"datastore": "Datastore1",
"target": "DRS_Cluster1"
}
}
}

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vCenter Server Appliance 5.5 Upgrade Example

Use the following templates to upgrade a vCenter Server Appliance 5.5 with an external vCenter Single-Sign-On server
to a vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1 with an external Platform Services Controller on the same ESXi host. The
template that is displayed in Example 22 upgrades a vCenter Server Appliance 5.5.x that contains a vCenter Single
Sign-On server to a vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1 that contains a Platform Services Controller. The template
that is displayed in Example 23 upgrades a vCenter Server Appliance 5.5.x that contains a vCenter Server instance to a
vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 Update 1.

I

MPORTANT You must first upgrade the vCenter Single-Sign-On server to a Platform Services Controller, and then you

can upgrade the vCenter Server Appliance that is registered with this vCenter Single-Sign-On server.

Tab le 12 summarizes the values of the parameters used in the example templates.

Table 12. Parameters Used in the Upgrade Templates in Example 22 and Example 23

IP address of the ESXi host on which the vCenter
Single Sign-On server and the vCenter Server
Appliance are running

Root password of the ESXi host

IP address of the vCenter Single Sign-On server 10.100.100.10

IP address of the vCenter Server Appliance 10.100.100.11

vCenter Single Sign-On administrator password

Root passwords of the Linux OS of the vCenter
Single Sign-On server and the vCenter Server
Appliance

vCenter Single Sign-On site name for the new
upgraded appliances

IP addresses of the local DNS servers for the
temporary network by which the old appliance
migrates the data to the new appliance

IP address of the default gateway for the
temporary network by which the old appliance
migrates the data to the new appliance

Static IP address that is temporarily used for the
new appliances

10.100.100.1

P@ss!w0rd

SSOadm!n55

Admin1!

Site-One

10.100.100.7 and 10.100.100.8

10.100.100.253

10.100.100.112

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Example 22. Example Template for Upgrade of a vCenter Single Sign-On Server 5.5.x to a Platform Services Controller

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to upgrade a Platform Services Controller from 5.5 to 6.0.",
"source.vc": {
"esx": {
"hostname": "10.100.100.1",
"username": "root",
"password": "P@ss!w0rd"
},
"vc.vcsa": {
"hostname": "10.100.100.10",
"username": "[e-mail]",
"password": "SSOadm!n55",
"root.password": "Admin1!"
}
},
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "infrastructure",
"name": "Upgraded-Platform-Services Controller",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"os": {
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"site-name": "Site-One"
},
"temporary.network": {
"hostname": "Temporary-Platform-Services-Controller",
"dns.servers": [
"10.100.100.7",
"10.100.100.8"
],
"gateway": "10.100.100.253",
"ip": "10.100.100.112",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "24"
}
}
}

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Example 23. Example Template for Upgrade of a vCenter Server Appliance 5.5.x

{
"__version": "1.1",
"__comments": "Sample template to upgrade a vCenter Server from 5.5 to 6.0.",
"source.vc": {
"esx": {
"hostname": "10.100.100.1",
"username": "root",
"password": "P@ss!w0rd"
},
"vc.vcsa": {
"hostname": "10.100.100.11",
"username": "[e-mail]",
"password": "SSOadm!n55",
"root.password": "Admin1!"
}
},
"target.vcsa": {
"appliance": {
"deployment.network": "VM Network",
"deployment.option": "management-small",
"name": "Upgraded-vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"thin.disk.mode": true
},
"os": {
"ssh.enable": true
},
"sso": {
"site-name": "Site-One"
},
"temporary.network": {
"hostname": "Temporary-vCenter-Server-Appliance",
"dns.servers": [
"10.100.100.7",
"10.100.100.8"
],
"gateway": "10.100.100.253",
"ip": "10.100.100.112",
"ip.family": "ipv4",
"mode": "static",
"prefix": "24"
}
}
}

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