Cisco vWAAS on VMware ESXi

This chapter describes how to use Cisco vWAAS on VMware ESXi, and contains the following sections:

About Cisco vWAAS on VMware ESXi

Cisco vWAAS for VMware ESXi provides cloud-based application delivery service over the WAN in ESX and ESXi-based environments. Cisco vWAAS on VMware ESXi is delivered as an OVA file. The Cisco Unified vWAAS OVA file helps you to deploy as an instance of a required Cisco vWAAS model.

Supported Host Platforms and Software Versions

This section contains the following tables:

  • Platforms and software versions supported for Cisco vWAAS on VMware ESXi.

  • Supported Cisco WAAS versions for VMware ESXi for a new Cisco vWAAS installation.

  • Supported Cisco WAAS versions for VMware ESXi for a Cisco vWAAS upgrade.

VMware ESXi Server Datastore Memory and Disk Space for Cisco vWAAS and vCM Models

The following table shows VMware ESXi server datastore memory and disk space per Cisco vWAAS model, for Cisco WAAS v4.3.1 through v5.3.5, and for Cisco WAAS v5.4.x through v6.x.

Table 1. vCPUs, Server Datastore Memory, and Disk Space by Cisco vWAAS Model

For Cisco WAAS v4.3.1 through v5.3.5

For Cisco WAAS v5.4.x through v6.x

Cisco vWAAS Model

vCPUs

VMware ESXI Datastore Memory

Disk

vCPUs

VMware ESXI Datastore Memory

Disk

vWAAS-150 (for Cisco WAAS Version 6.x)

–-

–-

–-

1

3 GB

160 GB

vWAAS-200

1

2 GB

160 GB

1

3 GB

260 GB

vWAAS-750

2

4 GB

250 GB

2

4 GB

500 GB

vWAAS-1300

2

6 GB

300 GB

2

6 GB

600 GB

vWAAS-2500

4

 8 GB

400 GB

4

8 GB

750 GB

vWAAS-6000

4

8 GB

500 GB

4

11 GB

900 GB

vWAAS-12000

4

12 GB

750 GB

4

12 GB

750 GB

vWAAS-50000

8

48 GB

1500 GB

8

48 GB

1500 GB

The following table shows VMware ESXi server datastore memory and disk space per Cisco vCM model, for Cisco WAAS v4.3.1 through v5.3.5, and for Cisco WAAS v5.4.x through v6.x.

Table 2. vCPUs, Server Datastore Memory, and Disk Space by Cisco vCM Model

For Cisco WAAS v4.3.1 through v5.3.5

For Cisco WAAS v5.4.x through v6.x

Cisco vCM Model

vCPUs

VMware ESXI Datastore Memory

Disk

vCPUs

VMware ESXI Datastore Memory

Disk

vCM-100N

2

2 GB

 250 GB

2

2 GB

250 GB

vCM-500N

–-

 –- –-

2

2 GB

300 GB

vCM-1000N

–-

–-

 –-

2

4 GB

400 GB

vCM-2000N

4

8 GB

 600 GB

4

8 GB

 600 GB

Note

For Cisco WAAS resized CPU and Memory values, refer to Cisco vWAAS and vCM Sizing Guidelines for Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.3x and Later and Cisco vWAAS Resizing Guidelines in the chapter "Introduction to Cisco vWAAS."

OVA Package Formats for vWAAS on VMware ESXI

This section contains the following topics:


Note
For a listing of hypervisor OVA, zip, and tar.gz files for vWAAS, see the Cisco Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) Software Download page and select the WAAS software version used with your vWAAS instance.

OVA Package for vWAAS on VMware ESXi in WAAS Version 6.4.1 and Later

For Cisco vWAAS on VMware ESXi in Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1 and later, Cisco provides a single, unified OVA for NPE and non-NPE version of the Cisco WAAS image for all the Cisco vWAAS models for that hypervisor.

Each unified OVA package is a preconfigured VM image that is ready to run on a particular hypervisor. The launch script for each unified OVA package file provides the model and other required parameters to launch Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS in the required configuration.

The following are examples of the unified OVA and NPE OVA package filenames for Cisco vWAAS in VMware ESXi, for vWAAS in WAAS 6.4.1 to 6.4.3x:

  • OVA: Cisco-WAAS-Unified-6.4.3c-b-42.ova

  • NPE OVA: Cisco-vWAAS-Unified-6.4.3c-b-42-npe.ova

The following are examples of the unified OVA and NPE OVA package filenames for Cisco vWAAS in VMware ESXi, for vWAAS in WAAS 6.4.5x:

  • OVA: Cisco-WAAS-Unified-6.4.5-b-69.tar

  • NPE OVA: Cisco-WAAS-Unified-6.4.5-npe-b-69.tar

The unified OVA package for VMware ESXi contains the following files:

  • OVF file: Contains all resource information.

  • Flash disk image

  • Data system disk

  • Akamai disk

Use the VMware ESXi OVF template wizard to deploy these files, as described in Installing VMware ESXi for Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Versions 5.x to 6.2.x and in Installing VMware ESXi for Cisco vWAAS for Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1 through 6.4.3a.

OVA Package for vWAAS on VMware ESXi in WAAS Version 5.x to 6.2.x

For Cisco vWAAS on VMware ESXi in Cisco WAAS Version 5.x through 6.2.x, Cisco provides an OVA or NPE OVA package for each Cisco vWAAS connection profile and for each Cisco vCM connection profile, shown in the following two tables.

Table 3. Cisco OVA Package Format Examples for vWAAS on VMware ESXi, WAAS v5.x to 6.2.x

Package Format

File Format Example

Cisco vWAAS 150 package file

Cisco vWAAS 150 package file for NPE

  • Cisco-vWAAS-150-6.2.3d-b-68.ova

  • Cisco-vWAAS-150-6.2.3d-npe-b-68.ova

Cisco vWAAS 200 package file

Cisco vWAAS 200 package file for NPE

  • Cisco-vWAAS-200-6.2.3d-b-68.ova

  • Cisco-vWAAS-200-6.2.3d-npe-b-68.ova

Cisco vWAAS 750 package file

Cisco vWAAS 750 package file for NPE

  • Cisco-vWAAS-750-6.2.3d-b-68.ova

  • Cisco-vWAAS-750-6.2.3d-npe-b-68.ova

Cisco vWAAS 1300 package file

Cisco vWAAS 1300 package file for NPE

  • Cisco-vWAAS-1300-6.2.3d-b-68.ova

  • Cisco-vWAAS-1300-6.2.3d-npe-b-68.ova

Cisco vWAAS 2500 package file

Cisco vWAAS 2500 package file for NPE

  • Cisco-vWAAS-2500-6.2.3d-b-68.ova

  • Cisco-vWAAS-2500-6.2.3d-npe-b-68.ova

Cisco vWAAS 6000 package file

Cisco vWAAS 6000 package file for NPE

  • Cisco-vWAAS-6000-6.2.3d-b-68.ova

  • Cisco-vWAAS-6000-6.2.3d-npe-b-68.ova

Cisco vWAAS 12k package file

Cisco vWAAS 12k package file for NPE

  • Cisco-vWAAS-12k-6.2.3d-b-68.ova

  • Cisco-vWAAS-12k-6.2.3d-npe-b-68.ova

Cisco vWAAS 50k package file

Cisco vWAAS 50k package file for NPE

  • Cisco-vWAAS-50k-6.2.3d-b-68.ova

  • Cisco-vWAAS-50k-6.2.3d-npe-b-68.ova
Table 4. Cisco OVA Package Format Examples for vCM in WAAS Versions earlier than Version 6.4.1

Package Format

File Format Example

Cisco vCM 100N package file

Cisco vCM 100N package file for NPE

  • Cisco-vCM-100N-6.2.3d-b-68.ova

  • Cisco-vCM-100N-6.2.3d-npe-b-68.ova

Installing VMware ESXi for Cisco vWAAS

This section contains the following topics:

Using VMware vCenter to Install VMware ESXi for Cisco vWAAS in WAAS v6.4.3b and Later

Before you begin


Note

On VMware ESXi, the OVA deployment for Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1 and later must be done only through VMware vCenter.

  • Ensure that the required supporting plugins like Adobe Flash and Client Interaction Plugin are installed.

  • For OVA deployments, always use vSphere Web Client (Flash), because HTML5 mode does not have all the functionality supported.

Procedure

Step 1

Open the VMware vSphere Web Client with your specified vCenter IP address.

  • For VMware Version 6.5 for vWAAS in WAAS Version 6.4.3b and later, select the Flash method of login.

  • For VMware Version 6.7 for vWAAS in WAAS Version 6.4.3c and later, select the Flex method of login.

Step 2

Log in to the VMware vCenter Single Sign-On window.

Figure 1. VMware vCenter Single Sign-On Window
Step 3

Navigate to the required datacenter host on which the deployment will be done.
Step 4

Click the required host to highlight it, as shown in the following figure.

Figure 2. Navigator > Datacenter > Host Menu Option
Step 5

After you have highlighted the required host, right-click and select Deploy OVF Template....

Figure 3. Deploy OVF Template... Menu Option
Step 6

In the Deploy OVF Template > Select Template window, shown below, follow these steps:

  1. Enter the URL to download the OVA package or browse for the downloaded OVA file using the Browse button.

  2. Click Next.

Figure 4. Deploy OVF Template > Select Template Window
Step 7

In the Deploy OVF Template > Select Name and Location window, shown below, follow these steps:

  1. In the Name field, enter the name of the Cisco vWAAS model to be deployed.

  2. Click the Browse tab and select a datacenter or folder.

  3. Click Next.

Figure 5. Deploy OVF Template > Select Name and Location Window
Step 8

In the Deploy OVF Template > Select a Resource window, select the resource (the host) where the OVA will be deployed.

Figure 6. Deploy OVF Template > Select a Resource Window
Step 9

In the Deploy OVF Template > Review Details window, verify that the template details are correct. The following figure shows a Review Details window with configuration notices and guidance messages.

Figure 7. Deploy OVF Template > Review Details Window
Step 10

In the Deploy OVF Template > Select Configuration window, shown below, follow these steps:

  1. From the Configuration drop-down list, choose the configuration of the deployed Cisco vWAAS model.

  2. Click Next.

Figure 8. Deploy OVF Template > Select Configuration Window
Step 11

In the Display OVF Template > Select Storage window, shown below, follow these steps:

  1. From the Select virtual disk format drop-down list, select the type of storage required for your system: Thick Provision Lazy Zeroed, Thin Provision, or Thick Provision Eager Zeroed.

  2. From the VM storage policy drop-down list, choose the VM storage policy for your system.

  3. Click Next.

Figure 9. Deploy OVF Template > Select Storage Window
Step 12

From the Deploy OVF Template > Select Networks window:

  1. From the Destination Network drop-down list, choose the appropriate VM network for your system.

  2. Click Next.

Figure 10. Deploy OVF Template > Select Networks Window
Step 13

In the Deploy OVF Template > Customize Template window, review the information and click Next.

Note 

Do not edit any values in the text boxes. Altering the values will lead to failure in deployment.

Figure 11. Deploy OVF Template > Customize Template Window
Step 14

In the Deploy OVF Template > Ready to Complete window, shown below, follow these steps:

  1. Review and confirm configuration data, including Cisco vWAAS model name, storage mapping, network mapping, number of connections, and disk sizes.

  2. Click Next.

Figure 12. Deploy OVF Template > Ready to Complete Window
Step 15

The Recent Tasks pane of the VMware vSphere Web Client window displays the status of the import and deployment of the image.

Figure 13. VMware vSphere Web Client Recent Tasks Pane - In-Progress Status
Step 16

After deployment is complete, the Recent Tasks pane items show Completed for the deployed Cisco vWAAS image.

Figure 14. VMware vSphere Web Client Recent Tasks Pane - Completed Status
Step 17

After deployment is complete, use the Power > Power On menu option to power on the device.

Sporadically, deployment may fail due to a communication error between VMware vCenter and the VMware ESXi host. If this occurs during deployment, try one of the following steps and then deploy the OVA again.

  • Increase the timeout value as 120 or higher in the config.vpxd.heartbeat.notrespondingtimeout field.

    Or

  • While deploying, choose the Disk Type option as Thin Provisioning and use the following procedure to convert the disks to Thick Eager Zero.

    1. Wait for the deployment to complete 100%.

    2. Ensure the deployed VM is in Power-Off state. If it is not, power off the device before proceeding to the next step.

    3. Navigate to the folder of the virtual disk you want to inflate.

      • In the vSphere Web Client, browse to the virtual machine.

      • Click the Datastores tab.

        The datastore that stores the virtual machine files is listed.

      • Select the datastore and click the Browse Files icon.

        The datastore browser displays contents of the datastore.

    4. Expand the virtual machine folder and browse through the list of files. The files with extension .vmdk will have the virtual disk icon.

    5. Right-click the .vmdk virtual disk file and select the Inflate option.

    6. Repeat the above step for all the .vmdk files in the deployed VM.

Step 18

Use the Open Console menu option to open the device console. The following two figures show the Open Console menu option and the Device Console.

Figure 15. VMware vSphere Web Client Open Console Menu Option
Figure 16. Device Console

Using VMware OVF Tool to Install VMware ESXi for Cisco vWAAS in WAAS v6.4.3b and Later

Before you begin

The VMware OVF Tool is a command-line utility that allows you to deploy a required Cisco vWAAS model using Cisco vWAAS Unified OVA package file.


Note

The procedure for installing the Cisco vWAAS VM with the VMware OVF tool is available for Cisco vWAAS in VMware ESXi Version 6.5 only.

Procedure

Step 1

Identify the -deploymentOption of the vWAAS model you want to deploy.

  • The supported original and resized Cisco vWAAS models are:

    • Original Cisco vWAAS models supported:

      vWAAS-150

      vWAAS-200

      vWAAS-750

      vWAAS-1300

      vWAAS-2500

      vWAAS-6000

      vWAAS-6000R

      vWAAS-12000

      vWAAS-50000

      vWAAS-150000

      To deploy an original Cisco vWAAS model: Use the designation VW_, for example, VW_6000.

    • Resized Cisco vWAAS models supported:

      vWAAS-150

      vWAAS-200

      vWAAS-750

      vWAAS-1300

      vWAAS-2500

      vWAAS-6000

      vWAAS-6000R

      vWAAS-12000

      vWAAS-50000

      To deploy a resized vWAAS model: Use the designation _Res, for example, VW_6000_Res.

  • The supported original Cisco vCM models are:

    vCM-100

    vCM-500

    vCM-1000

    vCM-2000

    To deploy an original vCM model: Use the designation VC_, for example, VC_500.

Step 2

Download the Cisco vWAAS Unified OVA to your host.
Step 3

To deploy the Cisco vWAAS Unified OVA, in the VMware OVF Tool, use the following CLI commands:

> ovftool \
--allowExtraConfig \
--diskMode=eagerZeroedThick \
--datastore=<your-datastore-to-deploy> \
--deploymentOption=<selected vWAAS-model> \
--powerOn \
--name=<name-of-the-vm> \
<path-to-downloaded/<downloaded-ova-file> \
'vi://<vCenter-login>:<vCenter-Passwd>@<vCenter-server-ip>/?ip=<ESXi-Host-IP>'

Example: 

> ovftool \
--allowExtraConfig \
--diskMode=eagerZeroedThick \
--datastore=NewDatastore \
--deploymentOption=VW_150 \
--powerOn \
--name=vWAAS \
/home/ovftool/Cisco-WAAS-Unified-6.4.3b-b-52.ova \
'vi://administrator@vsphere.local:vSpherePasswd@1.1.1.1/?ip=2.2.2.2'
Opening OVA source: /home/ovftool/Cisco-WAAS-Unified-6.4.3b-b-52.ova
The manifest validates
Opening VI target: vi://administrator%40vsphere.local@1.1.1.1:443/
Deploying to VI: vi://administrator%40vsphere.local@1.1.1.1:443/
Transfer Completed
Powering on VM: vWAAS
Task Completed
Completed successfully

Installing VMware ESXi for Cisco vWAAS for Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1 through 6.4.3a

Before you begin

  • Ensure that the required supporting plugins like Adobe Flash and Client Interaction Plugin are installed.

  • For OVA deployments, always use vSphere Web Client (Flash) or vSphere Web Client (Flex), because HTML5 mode does not have all the functionality supported.

Procedure

Step 1

From the vSphere Client, choose Deploy OVF Template > Deployment Configuration.

Step 2

From the Configuration drop-down list, choose the Cisco vWAAS model for this hypervisor.

Note 
When you choose a Cisco vWAAS model, that model’s profile is displayed. For example, if you choose vWAAS-150, the vSphere Client displays a configuration such as 1 vCPU, 3 GB RAM.
Step 3

Click Next.

Step 4

In the Deploy OVF Template window, choose Source to select the source location for the deployed template.

Step 5

From the Deploy from a file or URL drop-down list, click Browse....

The Name and Location window is displayed.

Step 6

Enter a unique name for the deployed template, and select a location for the deployed template.

  1. In the Name field, enter a unique name for the deployed template. The template name can contain up to 80 alphanumeric characters.

  2. In the Inventory Location listing, select a folder location.

Step 7

Click Next.

Step 8

In the Deploy OVF Template window, select Deployment Configuration.

Step 9

From the Configuration drop-down list, choose the Cisco vWAAS model for your system.

Note 
When you select a Cisco vWAAS model, the window displays configuration information. For example, if you select vWAAs-200, the window will display a description such as Deploy a vWAAS-200 connection profile with 1 vCPU, 3 GB RAM.
Step 10

Click Next.

Step 11

In the Deploy OVF Template window, select Disk Format.

Step 12

In the Datastore: field, enter the datastore name.

Step 13

For provisioning, choose one of the following virtual disk format types:

  • Thick Provision Lazy Zero: The entire space specified for virtual disk files is allocated when the virtual disk is created. The old data on the physical device is not erased when the disk is created, but zeroed out on demand, as needed, from the VM.

  • Thick Provision Eager Zero: The entire space specified for virtual disk files is allocated when the virtual disk is created. Old data is erased when the disk is created. The thick provision eager zero option also supports VMware fault tolerance for high availability.

Note 
The Thin Provision option is not available for Cisco vWAAS with VMware ESXi.
Step 14

Click Next.

The VMware ESXi hypervisor is created for the specified Cisco vWAAS model.

Installing VMware ESXi for Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Versions 5.x to 6.2.x

Procedure

Step 1

From the vSphere Client, choose File > Deploy OVF Template.

The Source window appears.

Figure 17. File > Deploy OVF Template
Step 2

Click Browse.

The Open window appears.

Step 3

Navigate to the location of the vWAAS OVA file and click Open.

  • If the virtual host was created using an OVA of Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Version 5.1.x or later, proceed to Step 4.

  • If the virtual host was created using an OVA file of Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Version 5.0 or earlier, and you have upgraded Cisco vWAAS from inside Cisco WAAS, you must verify that the SCSI Controller Type is set to VMware Paravirtual. Otherwise, Cisco vWAAS will boot with no disk available, and will fail to load the specified configuration.

  • If needed, change the SCSI Controller Type to VMware Paravirtual by following these steps:

  1. Power down the Cisco vWAAS.

  2. From the VMware vCenter, choose vSphere Client > Edit Settings > Hardware.

  3. Choose SCSI controller 0.

  4. From the Change Type drop-down list, verify that the SCSI Controller Type is set to VMware Paravirtual. If this is not the case, choose VMware Paravirtual.

  5. Click OK.

  6. Power up the Cisco vWAAS, in Cisco WAAS Version 6.1.x or later.
Step 4

To accept the selected OVA file, click Next.

The Name and Data Center Location window appears.

Figure 18. Deploy OVF Template > Name and Data Center Location
Step 5

Enter a name for the Cisco vWAAS VM, choose the appropriate data center, and then click Next.

The Cluster window appears (if a cluster is configured), or the Resource Pool window appears (if a resource pool is configured). Otherwise, the Datastore window appears (if this window appears, skip to Step 7).

Step 6

If configured, choose a cluster for the Cisco vWAAS VM. Otherwise, select the resource pool and then click Next.

The Datastore window appears.

Figure 19. Deploy OVF Template > Datastore
Step 7

Choose a datastore to host the virtual machine and click Next.

Note 

The datastore must be formatted with a block size greater than 1 MB to support file sizes larger than 256 GB.

The Create a Disk window appears.

Step 8

The Disk Provisioning section has three disk format options: Thick Provision Lazy Zeroed, Thick Provision Eager Zeroed, and Thin Provision. Select Thick Provision Eager Zeroed.

Note 

You must choose the Thick Provision Eager Zeroed disk format for Cisco vWAAS deployment; this is the format recommended with Cisco vWAAS deployment for a clean installation.

Step 9

Click Next.

The Network Mapping window appears.

Figure 20. Deploy OVF Template > Network Mapping
Step 10

Choose the network mapping provided by VMware ESXi and click Next. You have the option to change this later if necessary.

The Ready to Complete window appears.

Step 11

To complete the installation, click Finish.

The Status window appears while the OVA file is being deployed.

Figure 21. Cisco vWAAS: Status Window
Step 12

When the deployment is finished, the Deployment Completed Successfully window appears.

Step 13

Click Close.

Step 14

You are ready to start the VM. Highlight the vWAAS VM and click Power on Virtual Machine.

Step 15

After Cisco vWAAS finishes booting, click the Console tab to view bootup messages.

Note 

Under rare conditions, the Cisco vWAAS VM may boot into diskless mode if other VMs on the host VM server do not release control of system resources or the physical disks become unresponsive. For more information, see the chapter "Troubleshooting Cisco vWAAS."

For more information on Cisco vWAAS configuration, see the chapter "Configuring Cisco vWAAS and Viewing Cisco vWAAS Components."

Operating Guidelines for VMware ESXi in Cisco vWAAS in WAAS v6.4.3 and Later

Consider the following guidelines for Cisco vWAAS in WAAS Version 6.4.3x and VMware ESXi 6.0 or later.

  • To ensure that configured routers are displayed in the routing table output, after deployment is completed, and the Cisco vWAAS-200 is configured with IP address and default gateway:

    1. In VMware vSphere, choose the Virtual Hardware tab, and from the Adapter Type drop-down list, choose the VMXNET3.

    2. If the adapter type is set to any other option, such as Flexible or e1000, the configured routers will not appear in the routing table output.

    3. To verify that the configured routers appear in the routing table output, run the show ip route EXEC command.

  • If you had already configured the Cisco vWAAS with a different adapter:

    1. Power off the VM.

    2. From the host, change the adapter type to VMXNET3.

    3. Power on the VM.

    4. To verify that the configured routers appear in the routing table output, run the show ip route EXEC command.

Upgrade and Downgrade Guidelines for vWAAS on VMware ESXi

Consider the following guidelines when upgrading or downgrading your Cisco WAAS system with Cisco vWAAS on VMware ESXi:

  • When upgrading Cisco vWAAS, do not upgrade more than five vWAAS nodes at the same time on a single Cisco UCS device. Upgrading more than five vWAAS nodes at the same time may cause the vWAAS devices to go offline and into diskless mode.

  • If the virtual host was created using an OVA file of Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Version 5.0 or earlier, and you have upgraded Cisco vWAAS within Cisco WAAS, you must verify that the SCSI Controller Type is set to VMware Paravirtual. Otherwise, the Cisco vWAAS will boot with no disk available and will fail to load the specified configuration.

    If needed, change the SCSI Controller Type to VMware Paravirtual by following these steps:

    1. Power down the Cisco vWAAS.

    2. From the VMware vCenter, choose vSphere Client > Edit Settings > Hardware.

    3. Choose SCSI controller 0.

    4. From the Change Type drop-down list, verify that the SCSI Controller Type is set to VMware Paravirtual. If this is not the case, choose VMware Paravirtual.

    5. Click OK.

    6. Power up the Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Version 6.1.x or later.