Add a Host to an existing vSAN cluster using Quickstart
search cancel

Add a Host to an existing vSAN cluster using Quickstart

book

Article ID: 400637

calendar_today

Updated On:

Products

VMware vSAN

Issue/Introduction

Expansion of an existing VMware vSAN cluster is required to increase compute and storage resources. The environment consists of a 3-node cluster requiring a 4th node integration.

Environment

  • VMware vSphere 7.x, 8.x
  • VMware vSAN OSA

Cause

Expansion of a vSAN cluster can be performed using the Quickstart workflow or via manual configuration.

Resolution

Method 1: vSAN Quickstart (Recommended)

  1. Navigate to the vSAN cluster in the vSphere Client.
  2. Select Configure > vSAN > Quickstart.
  3. Under the Add hosts card, click Add.
  4. Follow the wizard to add the new ESXi host(s), enter credentials, and verify the certificate thumbprint.
  5. In the Configure hosts card, click Configure to normalize networking and storage settings across the new nodes.
  6. Complete the wizard to claim disks and update the cluster configuration.

Method 2: Manual Addition

  1. Add Host to Inventory: Right-click the cluster and select Add Host. Follow the prompts to join the host to the vCenter inventory.
  2. Configure Networking:
    • Select the host > Configure > Networking > VMkernel adapters.
    • Click Add Networking and select VMkernel Network Adapter.
    • Select the designated vSAN Portgroup and enable the vSAN traffic service.
    • Ensure the MTU matches the existing cluster nodes (e.g., 9000 for Jumbo Frames).
  3. Claim Disks (OSA):
    • Select the Cluster > Configure > vSAN > Disk Management.
    • Select the new host and click Claim Unused Disks.
    • Designate 1 Flash device for the Cache tier and at least 1 Flash/HDD for the Capacity tier.
  4. Verify Health:
    • Select the Cluster > Monitor > vSAN > Skyline Health.
    • Click Run Again to ensure all network and physical disk health checks pass.

Additional Information

Powered by Wolken Software