Nodegrid Manager installation on VMware vSphere

Requirements

• EFI firmware

• On vCenter 7.0 U2 and later this component is available by default

• Datacenter in Cluster

• FQDN (datacenter hostname) different from default

• Nodegrid OS image version 5.8.2 or higher (recomended)

Preparation

VMware: Configure a Native Key Provider

Nodegrid Manager requires access to vTPM to be fully functional. vTPM functionalty is provided through a Native Key Provider. This section outline the configuration of a Native Key Provider for Nodegrid Manager

For more information about VMware Native Key Provider, see vSphere Native Key Provider Overview (vmware.com)

Required privilege: Cryptographic operations to manage key servers.

1. Open the **vSphere Client **application.

2. Log in to the vCenter Server system.

3. Browse the inventory list and select the vCenter Server instance.

4. Click Configure,

5. Under Security, click Key Providers.

6. Click Add.

7. Click Add Native Key Provider.

8. Enter a Name. Each logical key provider, regardless of  type, must have a unique name. For more information, see Key Provider Naming.

9. To utilize this vSphere Native Key Provider only by hosts with TPM 2.0, select Use key provider only with TPM protected ESXi hosts checkbox.

10. Click Add Key Provider.

The vSphere Native Key Provider is added and appears in the Key Provider pane. At this point, the vSphere Native Key Provider is not backed up. Before use, back up the vSphere Native Key Provider. See Back up a vSphere Native Key Provider (vmware.com)

To add vTPMs to the  ESXi hosts, see Securing Virtual Machines with Virtual Trusted Platform Module.

To encrypt virtual machines, see Use Encryption in Your vSphere Environment.

Nodegrid Manager ISO image

The following steps describe how to obtain a Nodegrid Manager ISO file:

1. Access with your credentials https://zpecloud.com or https://zpecloud.eu depending upon your region.

2. Select Profiles > Software

3. Select a  VSR Nodegrid version, e.g., Nodegrid_Platform_v5.8.2_20230114.

4. Download the ISO file.

NOTE: The iso file can also be obtained through the support portal.

Create a Nodegrid Manager instance

Upload Nodegrid Manager ISO to Data Storage

1. Open the vSphere Client application.

2. Upload NG iso image to vCenter storage.

Create a Nodegrid Manager VM

1. On Menu drop-down., select Hosts and Clusters.

2. On the Actions drop-down., select New Virtual Machine. Click Next.

3. On the Select a creation type page: Select Create a new virtual machine. Click Next.

4. On the Select a name and folder page: Enter a Name for the VM. Select the Location for the new VM. Click Next.

5. On the Select a compute resource page: Select the Destination Compute Resource. Click Next.

6. On the Select storage page: Select the Storage Configuration. Click Next.

7. On the Select compatibility page: On the Compatible drop-down., select ESXi 6.7 and later. Click Next.

8. On the Select a guest OS page:

   • On the Guest OS Family drop-down, select Linux.

   • On the Guest OS Version drop-down, select Other 4.x or later Linux (64-bit).

   • Click Next.

9. On the Customize hardware page, Virtual Hardware tab, select:

10. On New CD/DVD Drive - Datastore ISO File: Select the uploaded iso image. Select Connected at power on checkbox.

11. To create a second network adapter, on Add new device, select Network Adapter. Under New network, for both network adapters, enter Adapter type = E1000E.

12. On the Customize hardware page, VM Options tab: Click Add new device and select Trusted Platform Module.

13. On the Customize hardware page, VM Options tab: Under Boot options select:
    Firmware = EFI
    Secure boot = disabled**
    Click Next.

14. On Ready to complete page: Review the VM configuration details. Click Finish.

Installation of Nodegrid Manager

1. Select Begin Installation. The VM installation process begins.

2. Select Normal Nodegrid installation.

3. To accept the License Agreement, ether accept.

4. The Nodegrid Manager installation process begins. When finished, reboot the VM.

5. After the VM reboots, access the Nodegrid Manager terminal with the following credentials:

   • user: admin

   • password: admin

6. Follow the process to change the admin password

7. Execute the following commands on the cli:

show settings/network_connections/
show system/routing_table

The IP address assigned to the Nodegrid Manager in this example is 192.168.122.171.

Web Access to the  Nodegrid Manager

To access the Nodegrid Manager WebUI.

1. Open the link https://private-IP in a browser, e.g., https://192.168.122.171

2. Log in to the with default credentials:

• user: admin

• password: admin

3. Follow the steps to change the password

4. Congratulations! You have successfully deployed a  Nodegrid Manager

Enroll Nodegrid Manager to ZPE Cloud

A Nodegrid Manager can be managed from ZPE Cloud. For this is it must be enrolled to the customer's ZPE Cloud instance.

1. Login to the ZPE Cloud account Global , EU or onPrem

2. Go to SETTINGS :: ENROLLMENT :: CLOUD.

3. Copy the Customer Code and Enrollment Key (required to claim the vSR).
    

4. In a browser, login to Nodegrid Manager with https://IP-ADDRESS.

5. Go to Security :: Services and enable ZPE Cloud service.
    

6. Go to System :: Toolkit :: Cloud Enrollment.
    

7. Enter the following:
   a. URL: URL of the zpecloud instance, default https://zpecloud.com
   b. Customer Code: Enter the copied Customer Code from the Cloud Instance.
   c. Enrollment Key: Enter the copied Enrollment Key.
    

8. Click ENROLL.
    

9. The unit is enrolled on ZPE Cloud and is available in ZPE Cloud under DEVICES :: AVAILABLE.
    

10. To manage the vSR, select and click ENROLL.

11. When enrolled, the vSR is managed on ZPE Cloud, the same as any other Nodegrid device.