PRO TIP: Knowing when to install vRealize Automation 7.x IaaS Prerequisites manually
VMware vRealize vRealize Automation
Published on 1 June 2017 by Christopher Lewis. Words: 340. Reading Time: 2 mins.
VMware vRealize Automation 7.x introduced a #awesome Installation Wizard. This was a #QuantumLeap forward from the vRA6 installation mechanism that can be best described as laborious.
The Installation/Configuration Wizard guides you through all of the stages of the installation and can even install all of the IaaS prerequisites for you. In my experience from vRA6, getting the prerequisites correct, was the place where most pain was caused. This was the reason @vBrianGraf created some powershell scripts to handle it.
However, it is important to remember that the installation of the IaaS prerequisites using the vRA7 Installation Wizard will only work when the solution has access to the internet which could be a problem for most installations (especially if it is behind multi-layers of firewall and security).
When I deploy vRA7 for a customer, I like to control the installation of vRA7 IaaS by installing the prerequisites the old fashioned way and having the wizard just double checking my work. The scripts originally created by Brian Graf, with a few tweaks, still work perfectly well for vRA7.
This means I can, for example, control the version of Java Runtime Edition installed to meet the customer’s requirements (as long as its a supported version), and allows me to download then install the VMware IaaS Management Agent on each IaaS/DEM/Agent server prior to starting the wizard.
Finally, even though the vRA7 Database can be installed automatically as part of the wizard, the SQL Server prerequisites required for this are have to be completed prior to starting the installation wizard because you do not install the** VMware IaaS Management Agent **on the SQL Server/Cluster. So at a minimum, for every install, you’ll have to add the vRA Service Account to the SQL Logins and install/configure MSTDC.
The final word
In my view, manually installing the prerequisites and using the installation wizard just to verify the prerequisites maximises the chance of the wizard being a success on its first go. Even with the Installation Wizard, you will need as much luck as you can muster!
Published on 1 June 2017 by Christopher Lewis. Words: 340. Reading Time: 2 mins.
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