Scenario:
- I have two separate vCenter Servers.
- Each has a vSAN cluster.
- Each cluster is connected to additional separate storage.
- Each cluster is on a different IP range, different naming convention and different domain.
- Hosts in each cluster are identical in spec, reside in the same rack and are physically connected to the same e/w & n/w switches.
- vCenter & ESXi hosts are on 6.0u3 with latest patches with embedded PSC.
Goal:
- Create one cluster with all hosts & one vSAN datastore, one vDS.
- Decommission one vCenter server.
- Decommission one of the external storage devices.
Steps:
-
Export the vDS config on vCenter B and import to vCenter A.
- Decommission vSAN cluster on cluster B.
- Move hosts from vCenter B, cluster B to vCenter A, temporary cluster.
- Re-ip & rename hosts to match hosts in cluster A.
- Add hosts into vSAN cluster A.
- Merging Distributed Virtual Switch.
Export the vDS config on vCenter B and import to vCenter A.
Export vDS Config.
Step 1.On the vCenter to be decomm’d, right click the VDS-Settings-Export Configuration..
(note if like me you had many many distributed port groups, you cannot have multiple dPG’s with the same name on different switches.
Choose Distributed switch and all port groups – ok
Save the backup.zip file.
Step 2. Import/create the new vDS
On the vCenter where you want to import the new vDS, click Networks, right click the datacentre – Distributed Switch – Import Distributed Switch… Choose the backup config file and click next and finish
.
The new/identical distributed switch and port groups should appear in the newer vCenter.