WilliamLam.com

Logging into vCenter when vCenter Cloud Gateway (VCGW) is disconnected from vSphere+ Cloud Service

by // 2 Comments

As part of setting up access to the vSphere+ / vSAN+ Cloud Service, a vCenter Cloud Gateway (VCGW) is deployed into your on-premises infrastructure and serves as a gateway between your vCenter Server(s) and the VMware Cloud Console.

If the VCGW has connectivity issues to the VMware Cloud Console for whatever reason, your infrastructure and workloads continue to run but you will not be able to perform any operations through the VMware Cloud Console until connectivity is restored.

UPDATE (06/21/23) - The period in which VMware declares a VCGW unreachable has been updated from 24hrs to 7 days. This means even if your VCGW loses connectivity, you will still be able to login to your on-premises vCenter Server and/or SDDC Manager without needing to go to emergency URL.

However, if you attempt to login into your on-premises vCenter Server(s) using the vSphere UI, you may be surprised to find the following error message.


The message may looking alarming at first about not being able to login, but can still login even if connectivity between the VCGW and VMware Cloud Console has been lost.

While I will agree the user experience may not very intuitive, the hint is in the URL link below where it says "Still having connection problems?"

[Read more...]

VMware Cloud Foundation with a single ESXi host for Management Domain?

by // 16 Comments

By default, VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) requires a minimum of 4 ESXi hosts to construct the Management Domain which is fine for a production environment, but it can be a challenge for those interested in explore VCF in a homelab setting.

I recently came to learn about a really cool tidbit from one of our VCF Engineers on how you can actually deploy a VCF Management Domain using just a single ESXi host, ideal for a homelab setup! 😍


Not only could this benefit users in deploying a physical VCF setup but it would also benefit anyone using my Automated Lab Deployment Script for VCF, which makes it super easy by leveraging my Nested ESXi Virtual Appliance VMs.


In fact, that was how I quickly verified this trick works using my VCF automation script 😀

The way that this work is a configuration change to Cloud Builder to tell it to allow a single ESXi host to be used and it will simply setup a single node vSAN Cluster, which is typically how you would bootstrap if you were doing a greenfield deployment. The only difference here is that instead of adding additional 3 x ESXi hosts to provide redundancy for Management Domain, it simply is relaxing that requirement and thus allowing for a single ESXi host. vSAN is still a requirement for VCF Management Domain, so ensure you can meet those requirements still.

[Read more...]

Heads Up - 24GB & 48GB DDR5 SODIMM memory now available

by // 2 Comments

For small or ultra small form factor (SFF/USFF) systems like the popular Intel NUC, SODIMM (Small-Outline Dual Inline Memory Module) memory is commonly used, which has been limited to a maximum of 64GB (2 x 32GB module) memory since 2019, which I had first shared that the Intel NUC could used the new 32GB modules. While 64GB might have been plentiful back in 2019, it certainly no longer cuts it, especially for any serious VMware Homelab.

Like many, I assumed the SODIMM format has simply hit its limit and with the new proposed CAMM standard looking to replace SODIMM format in the near future, I was honestly not expecting that we could reach higher density modules for SODIMM.

UPDATE (05/18/23) - Officially confirmed Mushkin 48GB DDR5 SODIMM works with DDR5 compatible system with ESXi

UPDATE (05/10/23) - Mushkin has released 48GB modules for three different frequencies (5600, 5200 & 4800 Mhz). For more details, please see below with initial pricing of $349 USD

UPDATE (02/21/23) - Apologies, it looks like Corsair has only released the Desktop memory and NOT Laptop memory (SODIMM) for the new DDR5 capacity modules. I assume those will come shortly, but these are currently only for desktop systems.

Fast forward to 2023, news broke that a new 24GB and 48GB DDR5 SODIMM modules were in the works and today, they just started showing up online for purchase! Currently, only the Corsair Vengeance Desktop (non-SODIMM) with heatsinks are available:

Desktop Memory:

Laptop Memory (SO-DIMM):

This is great news for homelabbers, but before you rush out and make a purchase. These new memory modules are only for DDR5 and there are currently not many SFF/USFF kits that actually support DDR5 and might benefit those in the near term with DIY system. In addition, to get the full benefit, you will also need a system that can support DDR5 5200MHz.