Holodeck: Workload Domain Contraction

Module 6: Workload Domain Contraction

This module will show the process of reducing capacity in a workload domain by removing a node from a cluster and removing a cluster. The module concludes with decommissioning hosts from the SDDC Manager Inventory.

Prerequisites:

Complete Module 5 Workload Domain Expansion

[Exercise 1] Log in to the environment

1. Open a new tab in the Chrome browser (if necessary)
2. Click the Managed bookmarks folder in the bookmark bar then select SDDC Manager
3. Log into SDDC Manager as user: administrator@vsphere.local with the password: VMware123!  
4. Click Login

[Exercise 2] Remove node from cluster

1. Select Inventory -> Workload Domain -> WLD-01 -> Clusters -> wld01-c01

2. Select Hosts, then select esxi-5
3. Click Remove Selected Hosts

4. Click Remove (as we have 3 hosts remaining we do not need Force)

5. Expected result

[Exercise 3] Remove cluster

1. Select Inventory -> Workload Domain -> WLD-01 -> Clusters -> wld01-c02

2. Select Actions -> Delete Cluster

3. Enter the cluster name (wld01-c02) to confirm then click Delete Cluster

 

4. Monitor progress in the task pane

5. End result

[Exercise 4] Decommission Hosts

 This exercise should be completed each time either a host or a workload domain has been deleted from the SDDC environment.

1. Select Inventory -> Hosts -> Unassigned Hosts
2. Select hosts esxi-5 through esxi-8, then click Decommission Selected Hosts

3. Click Confirm

4. End result should be

At this point in a physical environment the vSphere administrator would wipe the hosts and redeploy vSphere. In the VLC Holodeck environment this is as simple as powering off and deleting the nested ESXi hosts and regenerating with “expansion pack” functionality.