Configure the Components › Configure CA Automation Suite for Clouds Base Configuration for ESX › Managing Virtual Machines in VMware ESX › Create and Configure Reservation Manager Resource Pools

Create and Configure Reservation Manager Resource Pools

To build the Reservation Manager resource pools, you first create the resource pool and edit it for the advanced settings and features.

Note: The addition of resource pools is performed in context to the vSphere Datacenter at the time they are added. If the VMware datacenter is renamed, the resource pools that are defined in the Reservation Manager are no longer usable. Therefore, it is important to stabilize the vSphere structure before adding resource pools.

Follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Reservation Manager using the CA Server Automation administrator user credentials and the following URL:

   https://servername:port/ssrm

   See your Installation Worksheet for the values.

2. Click Administer Your Reservation Manager.

   The Administration page opens.

3. Click Manage your resource pools.

   The Resource Pools page opens.

4. Select Add Virtual Pool from the Actions drop-down list in the upper right corner of the Resource Pools list.

   The Add Virtual Pool wizard opens to the Specify Pool page.

5. Enter the pool name and an optional description for the Reservation Manager resource pool, and click Next.

   This associates with one or more Reservation Manager resource pools.

   Note: Resource pool names are read-only after the pools are saved.

   The Specify Virtual Resource Pools page opens where you specify the virtual resource pools that get assigned.

6. Verify or select the vCenter server where the datastore gets assigned to the Reservation Manager resource pool.
7. Select Add from the Actions drop-down list.

   The Add Resource Pool dialog opens so that you can assign VMware virtual resource pools to this Reservation Manager resource pool.

8. Select a data center name, a cluster, or ESX server resource pool as the target for VM creation, and one or more datastores.
9. (Optional) If your site is configured to use storage tiers, select an existing tier or enter new a tier. Select this option for each datastore to assign to the Reservation Manager resource pool.
10. Click OK.

    The pool name Resources is a special case pool name that you select to indicate that all resources on the cluster or ESX server are available for use.

    Note: You can view the usage for individual data stores before making your selection. The data stores must always have enough space to store all the virtual machines that are targeted to this virtual resource pool.

    You are returned to the previous page and a new row is added to the table. You can add as many cluster or ESX server resource pools to this Reservation Manager resource pool as you want.

    The only limitation is that the same VMware vCenter server manages the resource pools. The selected cluster or ESX server resource pools are not associated with a different Reservation Manager resource pool.

11. Click Next.

    The Configure Settings page opens.

12. Complete the following fields. These fields specify the limits on the duration and number of virtual machines a user can request when submitting a reservation for resources.

    VM Name Prefix

    Specifies a prefix for all virtual machine names that are built in the Reservation Manager resource pool. You can also use several variables instead of a specific name: %DATACENTER%, %ORGUNIT%, %PROJECTID%, %RESERVATIONID%, %RESOURCEPOOL%, %USERNAME%, or %HOSTSYSTEM%.

    VM Base Name

    Specifies the VM base name

    VM Name Index Format

    Specifies VM name index format

    VM Name Suffix

    Specifies the VM name suffix

    Maximum Days

    Limits the reservation length to a specified number of days.

    Maximum Systems per User

    Limits how many systems a user can reserve from the pool.

    ITCM Domain Manager

    Specifies the CA IT Client Manager domain manager that manages the software that is installed on the virtual machines. Verify or enter the value.

    Scalability Server

    Specifies the scalability server that installs the software to the virtual machines on the Reservation Manager resource pool. Verify or enter a value.

    Delete After Power Down

    Specifies the post processing that is performed at the reservation end for the virtual machines that are associated with this pool. This option is selected by default, so machines are powered down and destroyed at the reservation end. If unselected, the virtual machines are powered down only.

    Grace Period

    Specifies the grace period.

13. Click Next.

    The Specify Access Policy page opens.

14. (Optional) Select the organizational units whose members are granted access to the systems in the selected virtual resource pool, then click Finish.

    You can click Finish to skip the step in the following cases:

    • When an organizational unit that is granted access to the resource pool is not listed.
    • When you are not sure of organizational units to grant access.

    You can grant access to the resource pool later.

    The Reservation Manager creates a resource pool with the same name as the vCenter resource pool and displays a confirmation message when the process completes successfully. The wizard closes and the Add Virtual Pool page displays the new virtual resource pool in the Resource Pools list.

    The Resource Pool page opens.

15. Verify that the Reservation Manager resource pool was created.
16. Double-click a resource pool.

    The Resource Pools Details page opens. This page contains three tabs: Properties, Resource Pool Details, and Access Policy.

17. Click the Properties tab and provide the information.

    See the CA Service Catalog section on your Installation Worksheet.

18. Clear “Automatically approve reservation requests” checkbox.
19. Select “Allow user to specify the Administrator password” checkbox.
20. Select “Allow users to take a VM snapshot” checkbox. Also, update the Maximum Number of Snapshots count as required.
21. Click the Resource Pool Details tab.

    The Resource Pool Details page opens.

22. (Optional) Edit or assign more datastores.
23. Click the Access Policy tab.

    The Access Policy page opens.

24. (Optional) Add, edit, or remove any organizational units.
25. Click OK.

    You have created and configured a resource pool.