Last time I went through the deployment of the main Log Insight cluster, now we have to add a forwarder. Actually I didn’t do any configuration yet in the cluster, because many steps can be done together for the cluster and the forwarder(s). The process is almost the same as it was last time, therefore I’m just running through the first couple of steps and focusing only to the differences on the Product page.
A, Before we start the process there are pre-requisities here too:
- FQDN, IP, DNS name resolution for the fowarder, and other network informations like: Gateway, Netmask etc…
- A signed certificate. This time the standard certificate will be fine. You don’t need to worry about other cluster members or the VIP address.
- A valid license
- a vCenter Server, a folder and/or resource pool – these items are optional
- Datastore for the deployed VM and its Logs.
B, Log in to your vRLCM deployment and select Lifecycle Operations › Create Environment
C, Fill our the form. Add the name of the environment, admin’s e-mail, a default password. Select the datacenter as well. Then click on Next.
D, Select the Product, which was vRealize Log Insight v8.1.1., while the installation type should be new.
E, Accept the EULA on the bottom of the page, then click Next.
F, Select a License, validate then click Next.
G, Select the relevant Certificate or you can upload it on this page too with clicking on +. Click Next.
H, Enter the Infrastructure details like vCenter Server, Cluster, Network etc…. Click Next. Enable IDM integration as well.
I, On the next page, enter the network details, select the already defined DNS and NTP servers.
J, On products page, you can see the same details as last time, but now we don’t need to Configure Cluster VIP (actually it depends on your environment. In this deployment I don’t need it). Enable VM Compatibility Upgrade and IDM integration. Node size is small for me, but this is uniqie, this could be different in your environment.
Just like last time we have to add a few components. I have added the followings:
Retention period is 90 days for me, while the disk is another 2048GB. The logs will be saved here for 90 days (FIFO). Therefore in case of any network or replication issue the forwarder keeps the logs safe and send them once the connection fixed or the issue was solved.
There is an option to add the Log Forwarding and vCenter integration, but for me it wasn’t successful a couple of times, so I’ve decided to add it later, when the environment is ready. This two task is very easy, no need to worry about, I will share the details later.
Once it’s complete, click on Next.
K, Run Precheck, then click on Next.
L, Check the Summary, if all looks fine, click on SUBMIT and start the deploy process.
M, The progress can be checked on the next page, or on the Requests tab.
Once it’s complete we have the environment ready. In the next part I’ll configure the central IDM authentication for all of the instances and add log sources.
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