Deploying Log Insight
During the past four parts, we have done with the followings:
- Deployed vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager
- Deployed Identity Manager
- Configured both applications (Disks, Time, DNS etc…)
- Genetrate and update certificates
- Updated to the latest version
- Configured Users and their passwords, sometimes create a role to them
- Extended our environment with additional vCenter servers.
Now, we have a fully operational Lifecycle Manager deployment, which is ready to manage your own vRealize environment. As I already mentioned in the previous part, there are two options available to continue (1) deploy new products or (2) add already – outside of vRLCM – deployed products. Choose either way, at the time of writing this article those products could be:
- vRealize Automation
- vRealize Operations
- vRealize for Business Cloud
- vRealize Log Insight
- vRealize Network Insight
- vRealize Identity Manager.
I think I will not tell a secret, if I’m saying that I will continue with a clean deployment of Log Insight 8.1.1. Before you start the deployment you have to know many details about your future Log Insight environment. In the planning phase this documentation could be a good starting point: Architecting-a-vrealize-log-insight-solution. This pdf guide is not about the latest Log Insight version, but the design scenarios are still valid.
Most of the components are unique in every environment, therefore the following steps need to be transitioned to your own environment. Maybe, you have to deploy additional workers or worker clusters multiple times, add a couple of different passwords, users/user groups, forwarders or vSphere components, while here I’m just doing it only once.
I will be going through a deployment of a Log Insight cluster with a built-in Load Balancer (VIP), and configure a log forwarder with one vCenter attached to it. In a production system you can have different size of clusters (12 nodes maximum), while the forwarders also could be clustered with a Load Balancer. Before starting anything the architecture design should be already available with proper environment sizes. Size of the environment is unique, but the official calculator could be a great help: https://www.vmware.com/go/loginsight/calculator
Here is what we will achieve during the next few parts of this article:
This environment is for presentation purposes only, not a fully deployed production system, however the screenshots were made during the production deployment.
Note: As we’ve already done many of those steps, I will not share screenshots for every tasks.
Let’s begin…
1, Add new License (Optional)
During the deployment your My VMware account was added, therefore all available license should be visible which are required for the Log Insight, but if you didn’t want to connect your account, then licenses could be added manually.
If this step was missed, and you would like to connect your My VMware account, just perform the following steps. If you don’t want to connect, just skip the first two tasks and jump to Task C.
A, Please log in to your vRLCM instance, select Locker/Password. Create a new item by clicking on ADD to store your My VMware account credentials.
B, Go to the vRLCM home page, then select Lifecycle Operations. Go to Settings, and open My VMware.
Click on ADD MY VMWARE ACCOUNT and add your Username, select the credentials you just created and click on Validate.
If it’s Validated successfully, then ADD it. Now we can check the available licenses.
C, Linceses are stored in the Locker. Go to the vRLCM home page, then select Locker.
In the Locker, select Lincese in right menu.
Check your available licenses, if you need to add one, by clicking on ADD. Enter the Name (Alias) and the key. Click on Validate then Add.
2, Prerequisities of the Log Insight Cluster
Before we could create new Environment, we need to have/know/create the followings:
- FQDN and IP Addresses with name resolution for:
- Load Balancer
- Master node
- Worker node 1
- Worker node 2
- License for vRealize Log Insight
- Signed Certificates for the cluster node which has special requirements. Guide already available about how to create certifications, but in this case the certificate request must contain the IP, FQDN and ShortName for all cluster nodes.
- Cert Requests looks like:
[CERT]
NAME=default
ORG=default
OU=default
LOC=default
ST=default
CC=default
CN= loadbalancer.fqdn
keysize=default
[SAN]
FQDN of Master Node
FQDN of Worker 1
FQDN of Worker 2
ShortName of Master Node
ShortName of Worker 1
ShortName of Worker 2
#Cluster IP
IP - Datastore for your cluster. You can calculate 2TB space per node as this is recommended by VMware.
- Configured vCenter Server, DNS, NTP in vRLCM.
- VM folder (optional)
- NAS achive storage
3, Deploying Log Insight
A, As first step, download the Log Inisght binaries. Please log in to your vRLCM instance, if it’s not done already. Select Lifecycle Operations.
B, Go to Settings and Select Binary Mapping
C, You should see the following screen, click on ADD BINARIES
D, On the next screen select My VMware as Location Type (if you configured it) or just simply upload your ISO and select any of the available options. Click on Discover.
E, Select vRealize Log Insight 8.1.1, with type option Install. Then click on ADD.
F, Please check the Requests page for status of the download.
G, Once the binaries was downloaded, go the the Home Page, and select Create Environment.
H, This form should be already known, just enter the required data. The environment name is LI Main Cluster for me but you can add some extra identifiers, like Datacenter, short name or location. Choose a default password which was created in the Locker and select Datacenter as well. Then click on Next.
I, Select the product you want to install. Click Next.
J, Scroll down and accept the EULA. Click Next.
K, Select an existing one or ADD a new license. Validate then, click on Next.
L, Select the certificate which was already created based in the early instructions. Click Next.
M, Enter the details of your Infrastructure. If you forgot to create something like a folder, then just click on Save and Exit. Login to your vCenter and create the folder. Once its done, vCenter’s inventory must be refreshed. Go to Home › Lifecycle Operations › Datacenters › Select vCenter and click on its refresh button. Now you can continue the deployment. Go to Home › Lifecycle Operations › Manage Environments › In Progress › Resume.
O, Enter the Networking Details, and select the DNS (Edit Server Selection) and NTP servers (Use NTP Server) from the list we already created if the past. Click on Next.
P, Fill out the product properties. Node Size always should be minimum Medium, as recommended. If required it can be larger, but not smaller. Select the Certificate, Enable Cluster VIP and Affinity rules. I have personally enabled the VM compatibility upgrade as well, just like the IDM integration. Language selection is on you, buts I’m always use English.
Q, If you enabled VIP, then the following component will be available. Enter the data.
R, One node will be always enable (Master). Enter the Details.
S, Additional nodes should be required just like additional Disks. Click on the Additional Disk to Nodes once, and the Additional Nodes twice as we need two more worker nodes. We don’t need to add vCenter server integration, neither Log Insight Forwarding here as this role are owned by the forwarder nodes. Retention Notification Threshold could be added, its 90 days for me.
T, This is the list of additional components. Enter the required details for every worker node and 2048GB additional space for them.
U, Add the Value and configure the Unit here.
V, Once all information is added click on Next, and RUN PRECHECK on the next screen:
W, If all looks good, click on export configuration and save for later (in case of rebuilding, for example). Review the summary, and if everything is fine, click on SUBMIT.
X, Progress will be visible during the deployment. Wait until it’s completed.
Now we have the main Log Insight cluster deployed, next time I’ll deploy the forwarder node. Stay tuned….:)
Using vRealize Lifecycle Manager – Part One
Using vRealize Lifecycle Manager – Part Two
Using vRealize Lifecycle Manager – Part Three
Using vRealize Lifecycle Manager – Part Four
Using vRealize Lifecycle Manager – Part Five