Comprehensive Guide to implement vRealize Automation 8.x Clustered environment

In my last post, I've discussed how one would deploy a vIDM cluster. Now let's see what does one need to deploy a vRealize Automation 8.x clustered instance

Load Balancer Configuration

I'm using NSX-V as my Load Balancer version 6.4.7

Application Profile

Service Monitor

Pools

Virtual Servers

One more thing to remember, create an application rule and then map it to workspace one virtual server configuration as shown below, why is this needed, I'll explain this later

Once all of these are done, you are pretty much done with the load balancer configuration needed to deploy a distributed instance of vRealize Automation 8.x

Now let's go to the next phase

Configure Certificate and Generate vRA 8.x environment creation request

As a first step, enter all details needed to generate a certificate.

Remember, I am using a default certificate generated by vRLCM so that I can replace it with a CA-signed certificate later

Once the certificate is generated, then create a new vRA environment

Once the vRA 8.1 Cluster option is selected, we will click next and then accept EULA

After EULA, we have to add/apply a license

Enter Certificate information

Enter Infrastructure information

Enter Network Information

Perform PreCheck. All Validations must be successful

I have attached the precheck report here. Download and review if you would like to

dist-vra-precheck-report

.pdf

Download PDF • 59KB

Review all the details and then submit a request

Stages in vRA Distributed Installation

We have 11 stages in total for a distributed vRA deployment

Stage 1: validateenvironmentdata

Stage 2: infraprevalidation

Stage 3: vravaprevalidation

Stage 4: vravainstall

Stage 5: vravajoincluster

Stage 6: vravajoincluster

Stage 7: vravasetlicense

Stage 8: vravainstallcertificate

Stage 9: vravainitializecluster

During this phase, I did encounter issues at a stage where it does vravainitialize

Basically, at a point where it was trying to initialize client secrets, it was failing prematurely

This is the reason we created Application rules while trying to configure the Load Balancer.

Once this was configured, we did retry the installation again

After ensuring the application rule is present you can now see the stage is has been completed successfully

Stage 10: environmentupdate

Stage 11: notificationschedules

vRealize Automation 8.x Clustered Deployment is now completed

Logs to monitor during deployment

vRA Appliances : /var/log/deploy.log
vRLCM Appliance : /var/log/vrlcm/vmware_vrlcm.log

Post Deployment Checks

Ensure the status of all pool members is shown as UP

This is how your LCM environment pane would look

Explore your vRA environment

Access your vRA Load Balancer and it responds back with the login page

In the next few blogs, we shall explore the vRA 8.x configuration and using it with a few advanced blueprints