Minimum number of ESXi hosts required on vSAN clusters for deployment of VCF Management Domain
Article ID: 392993
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
The VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Management Domain is a foundational cluster designed for automated lifecycle management. This article describes the mandatory host and storage configurations required for the Management Domain.
Environment
VMware Cloud Foundation
Cause
The Management Domain architecture is strictly locked to vSAN storage during the initial Cloud Builder "bring-up" process. SDDC Manager automation, including patching and scaling, is hard-coded to enforce vSAN storage policies. Manual database modifications to bypass these storage constraints are not supported and risk corrupting the SDDC Manager inventory.
Resolution
For the Management Domain on the default cluster of a VMware Cloud Foundation environment, the minimum requirements are as follows:
Single Availability Zone (Standard vSAN cluster): 4 x ESXi hosts
Two Availability Zones (Stretched vSAN cluster): 8 x ESXi hosts (4 on each site.)
If non-vSAN storage (FC, NFS, or vVOL) is required for additional workloads, deploy a separate Workload Domain (VI WLD).
Non-vSAN clusters are not supported within the Management Domain.
Additional Information
Feedback
