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Automatically deploying a new Conferencing Node on a VMware host

To automatically deploy a new Conferencing Node on to a VMware ESXi host:

  1. Ensure that the Management Node can connect directly to the ESXi host server over HTTPS (port 443/TCP), even if you are using vCenter server.
  2. Go to Platform configuration > Conferencing Nodes and select Add Conferencing Node.
  3. From the Deployment type field, select Automatic (ESXi 4.1, 5.x and 6.0).
  4. Select Next.
  5. You are now asked to log in to the VM manager via which the Conferencing Node virtual machine is to be created, by completing the following fields:
    OptionDescription
    VM manager

    Select the VM manager via which this Conferencing Node VM will be created.

    If the VM manager does not appear in the drop-down list, you can add it by clicking to the right of the field.

    Username

    Password

    Enter a valid username and password to log in to the selected VM manager.
    Verify TLS certificatesDetermines whether the certificate presented by the VM manager is verified before the connection is allowed.
  6. Select Next.

    There may be a slight delay while Pexip Infinity locates and logs in to the VM manager, and obtains information from it.

  7. You are now asked to select the datacenter on the VM manager where the Conferencing Node VM will be created, by completing the following field:

    Option Description
    Datacenter

    Select the path of the datacenter in which the Conferencing Node will be created.

    The options available in the drop-down menu reflect what is currently configured in the VM manager.

    Note that this step is skipped if there is only one datacenter configured in the VM manager.

  8. Select Next.
  9. You are now asked to nominate the resource pool on the VM manager where the Conferencing Node VM will be created, by completing the following field:
    OptionDescription
    Resource path

    Select the path of the resource pool in which the Conferencing Node will be created.

    The options available in the drop-down menu are filtered by the datacenter selected in the previous step and reflect what is currently configured in the VM manager. To add a new path, you must do so using vCenter Server (or the ESXi host if you are not using vCenter Server) prior to creating the Conferencing Node.

  10. Select Next.
  11. You are now asked to provide the VM manager with parameters relating to the Conferencing Node, by completing the following fields:
    OptionDescription
    Host network

    Select the host network on which this Conferencing Node will be deployed.

    The options shown here are the vSphere switches that have been configured on the VM manager on which this Conferencing Node is being deployed.

    Host datastore

    Select the datastore on the host server to be used by this Conferencing Node.

    The options shown here are the datastores that have been configured on the VM manager via which this Conferencing Node is being deployed.

  12. Select Next.
  13. You are now asked to provide the VM manager with information regarding the CPUs and memory of the Conferencing Node, by completing the following fields:
    OptionDescription
    Number of virtual CPUs to assignEnter the number of virtual CPUs to assign to the Conferencing Node. We do not recommend that you assign more virtual CPUs than there are physical cores on a single processor on the host server. For example, if the host server has 2 processors each with 8 physical cores, we recommend that you assign no more than 8 virtual CPUs.
    System memory (in megabytes)

    Enter the amount of RAM (in megabytes) to assign to the Conferencing Node. The number entered must be a multiple of 4.

    We recommend 1024 MB (1 GB) RAM for each CPU.

  14. Select Next.
  15. You are now asked to provide the network configuration to be applied to the Conferencing Node, by completing the following fields:

    Option Description
    Name Enter the name that will be used to refer to this Conferencing Node in the Pexip Infinity Administrator interface.
    Description An optional field where you can provide more information about the Conferencing Node.
    IP address Enter the IP address to be assigned to this Conferencing Node when it is created.
    Network mask Enter the IP network mask to be assigned to this Conferencing Node.
    Gateway IP address Enter the IP address of the default gateway to be assigned to this Conferencing Node.
    Hostname

    Domain

    Enter the hostname and domain to be assigned to this Conferencing Node. Each Conferencing Node and Management Node must have a unique hostname.

    The Hostname and Domain together make up the Conferencing Node's DNS name or FQDN. We recommend you assign valid DNS names to all your Conferencing Nodes. For more information, see Assigning hostnames and FQDNs.

    System location

    Select the physical location of this Conferencing Node.

    If the system location does not already exist, you can create a new one here by clicking to the right of the field. This will open up a new window showing the Add system location page. For further information see About system locations.

    IPv6 address The IPv6 address for this Conferencing Node. Each Conferencing Node must have a unique IPv6 address.
    Gateway IPv6 address The IPv6 address of the default gateway.
    IPv4 static NAT address

    The public IPv4 address used by this Conferencing Node when it is located behind a NAT device. Note that if you are using NAT, you must also configure your NAT device to route the Conferencing Node's IPv4 static NAT address to its IPv4 address.

    For more information, see Configuring Pexip Infinity nodes to work behind a NAT device.

    Static routes From the list of Available Static routes, select the routes to assign to the node, and then use the right arrow to move the selected routes into the Chosen Static routes list. For more information, see Managing static routes.
    SSH password

    Enter the password to be used when logging in to this Conferencing Node's Linux operating system over SSH. The username will always be admin.

    Logging in to the operating system is required when changing passwords or for diagnostic purposes only, and should generally be done under the guidance of Pexip support. In particular, do not change any configuration using SSH — all changes should be made using the Pexip Infinity Administrator interface.

  16. Select Finish.

You will be taken to the Deploying Conferencing Node page. The deployment will take several minutes. When complete, the progress bar will show that the Conferencing Node VM has been deployed successfully and the Status will say Deployment succeeded.

Go to Platform configuration > Conferencing Nodes to return to the list of Conferencing Nodes.

After deploying a new Conferencing Node, it typically takes 15-20 minutes before the node is available for conference hosting and for its status to be updated on the Management Node. (Until it is available, the Management Node will report the status of the Conferencing Node as having a last contacted and last updated date of "Never".)

Enabling automatic startup

After deploying a new Conferencing Node from VMware, you must enable automatic startup of that virtual machine (VM). In VMware, automatic startup is disabled by default for every new VM. This means that if the host server is powered down for any reason, when it restarts the VM will not restart and must be started manually.

You can only enable automatic startup after the Conferencing Node has been deployed.

Using the web client

To enable automatic startup using the vSphere web client:

  1. Log in to the VM manager (vCenter Server).
  2. From the left-hand panel, select vCenter > Hosts and Clusters and go to the host server on which the node's VM is installed.
  3. Select the Manage tab.
  4. From the pane on the left-hand side, select VM Startup/Shutdown.
  5. At the top right of the page, select Edit.
  6. Select the relevant node's VM and use the up arrow to move it to the Automatic Startup section.
  7. Select OK.

Using the desktop client

To enable automatic startup using the vSphere desktop client:

  1. Log in to the VM manager (vCenter Server or the ESXi host).
  2. From the left-hand panel, select the host server on which the node's VM is installed.
  3. Select the Configuration tab.
  4. From the Software pane on the left-hand side, select Virtual Machine Startup/Shutdown.
  5. At the top right of the page, select Properties.
  6. Select the relevant VM and use the Move Up button to move it to the Automatic Startup section.
  7. Select OK.

Next steps

Assigning hostnames and FQDNs

Enabling SNMP on Conferencing Nodes