Import a vLCM Cluster image to SDDC Manager using PowerVCF

Before you can deploy a vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) image based cluster in VMware Cloud Foundation, you must first import an image into the Image Management Inventory in SDDC Manager. You can do this via the SDDC Manager UI for a pre existing cluster.

Or you can now use PowerVCF to import the image thanks to the addition of New-VCFPersonality (vLCM images are known as personalities in VCF hence the name of the cmdlet).

The sequence of events to be able to import an image is as follows:

1. Extract a vLCM image from a host that you wish to use in the workload domain. The host doesn’t need to be in the vCenter or SDDC Manager inventory
2. Create a temporary cluster in vCenter (must be created in a VCF workload domain) and assign the image from the previous step.
3. Import the image from the source cluster into SDDC Manager

To achieve step 1 we can use PowerCLI

# Variables

$sourceHostUrl = "https://sfo01-w01-esx01.sfo.rainpole.io"
$sourceHostBuild = "21495797"
$sourceHostRootPassword = "VMw@re1!"
$vcenterFQDN = "sfo-m01-vc01.sfo.rainpole.io"
$ssoUsername = "administrator@vsphere.local"
$ssoPassword = "VMw@re1!"
$vcenterDC = "sfo-m01-dc01"
$sddcManagerFQDN = "sfo-vcf01.sfo.rainpole.io"
 
# Retrieve the source host thumbprint

$response = [System.Net.WebRequest]::Create($sourceHostUrl)
$response.GetResponse()
$cert = $response.ServicePoint.Certificate
$sourceHostThumbprint = $cert.GetCertHashString() -replace '(..(?!$))','$1:'

# Connect to vCenter and import the image from the source host to the depot

connect-viserver -server $vcenterFQDN -user $vcenterUsername -password $vcenterPassword

$OfflineHostCredentials = Initialize-SettingsDepotsOfflineHostCredentials -HostName $sourceHostUrl -UserName "root" -Password $sourceHostRootPassword -Port 443 -SslThumbPrint $sourceHostThumbprint

$OfflineConnectionSpec = Initialize-SettingsDepotsOfflineConnectionSpec -AuthType "USERNAME_PASSWORD" -HostCredential $OfflineHostCredentials

Invoke-CreateFromHostDepotsOfflineAsync -SettingsDepotsOfflineConnectionSpec $SettingsDepotsOfflineConnectionSpec

# Create a temporary cluster and assign the image

$LcmImage = Get-LcmImage -Type BaseImage | where {$_.Version -match $sourceHostBuild}
$clusterID = (New-Cluster -Location $vcenterDC -Name 'vLCM-Cluster' -HAEnabled -DrsEnabled -BaseImage $LcmImage).ExtensionData.MoRef.Value

# Import the image to SDDDC Manager

Request-VCFToken -fqdn $sddcManagerFQDN -username $ssoUsername -password $ssoPassword

$vCenterID = (Get-VCFvCEnter | where {$_.fqdn -match $vcenterFQDN}).id

New-VCFPesonality -name "21495797" -vCenterId $vCenterID -clusterId $clusterID

That should import the new image into the SDDC Manager image repo for use creating a vLCM image based workload domain.