vRO: Out-of-box workflow question

[jonebgood_157]

I see a pre-canned workflow called "Reprovision a host with a new image".  I have auto-deploy in my vCenter and can setup an image and ruleset.  My question is if this workflow will actually upgrade the ESXi hosts for me?  Will it retain all the current settings on the host? I guess I'm looking for a vRO workflow that can upgrade my ESXi hosts to 8.x that someone can just use the context action to perform.  Also, will in maintenance mode the host or do I need to setup an pre-workflow to do that operation?

[Sravan_k]

• The "Reprovision a host with a new image" workflow in vRO does not upgrade the host but rather re-images it with a new ESXi version.
• You will need to ensure that the host is placed into maintenance mode beforehand, which can be handled via a custom pre-workflow.
• For upgrading to ESXi 8.x, Auto Deploy with image profiles in vCenter can be used along with a custom vRO workflow to automate the process, though configurations will likely need to be reapplied after the host is re-imaged.

1. Will the workflow upgrade the ESXi host?

• No, this workflow does not perform an upgrade in the typical sense (i.e., upgrading an existing ESXi host from one version to another like 7.x to 8.x).
• Instead, it provisions a new host image to replace the existing configuration. This involves wiping the host and installing a fresh version of ESXi, which could be an upgrade if you’re deploying a newer version, but it’s effectively re-imaging the host.

2. Will it retain the current settings on the host?

• No, this workflow will not retain the settings on the host (such as networking, storage, or custom configurations). When reprovisioning a host with a new image, the host is essentially being reset to default settings according to the new image profile.
• If you want to retain the settings, you’ll need to back up the host’s configuration (using esxcli or VMware’s Host Profiles) before reprovisioning and then reapply or restore the configuration after the provisioning is completed.

3. Pre-requisite Workflow for Host Maintenance Mode

• Yes, you will likely need a pre-workflow to put the host into maintenance mode.
  • The "Reprovision a host with a new image" workflow does not automatically place the host into maintenance mode before reprovisioning. Typically, the host needs to be in maintenance mode to ensure that no workloads are running during the imaging process.
  • You can create a simple vRO workflow to:
    1. Put the host into maintenance mode (esxcli system maintenanceMode set --enable true).
    2. Ensure that no VMs are running or are evacuated from the host.
    3. Trigger the "Reprovision a host with a new image" workflow afterward.
    This will allow for safe reprovisioning while avoiding issues with running workloads.