Installing IBM Spectrum Protect Plus as a VMware virtual appliance

To install IBM Spectrum Protect Plus in a VMware environment, deploy an OVF template. Deploying an OVF template creates a virtual appliance containing the application on a VMware host such as an ESX or ESXi server. To run IBM Spectrum Protect Plus, access the newly created virtual machine. A local vSnap server that is already named and registered is also installed on the virtual machine.

To install IBM Spectrum Protect Plus as a virtual appliance, complete the following steps:

1. Use the vSphere Client to deploy IBM Spectrum Protect Plus. From the File menu, choose Deploy OVF Template. If using the vSphere Web Client, click Create/Register VM, then select Deploy a virtual machine from an OFV or OVA file. Click Next.
2. Specify the location of the .ova template installation file and select it. Click Next.
3. Review the template details and accept the End User License Agreement. Click Next.
4. Provide a meaningful name for the template, which becomes the name of your virtual machine. Identify an appropriate location to deploy the virtual machine. Click Next.
5. Identify the datacenter, server, and resource pool for deployment. When prompted to select storage, select from datastores already configured on the destination host. The virtual machine configuration file and virtual disk files are stored on the datastore. Select a datastore large enough to accommodate the virtual machine and all of its virtual disk files. Click Next.
6. Select a disk format to store the virtual disks. It is recommended that you select thick provisioning, which is preselected for optimized performance. Thin provisioning requires less disk space, but may impact performance. Click Next.
7. Select networks for the deployed template to use. Several available networks on the ESX server may be available by clicking Destination Networks. Select a destination network that allows you to define the appropriate IP address allocation for the virtual machine deployment. Click Next.
8. Enter network properties for the virtual machine default gateway, DNS, IP address, and network prefix. It is recommended that you work with your network administrator when configuring network properties.
   If you are using DHCP instead of static IP address, bypass the fields in this dialog, and click Next. If you don't have access to a DHCP server and want to use a static IP address, assign a static IP by using the nmtui tool.

   Note that a default gateway must be configured properly before deployment. Multiple DNS strings are supported, and must be separated by commas without the use of spaces.

   The network prefix should be specified by a network administrator. The network prefix must be entered using CIDR notation; valid values are 1 - 32.

9. Click Next.
10. Review your template selections. Click Finish to exit the wizard and to start deployment of the OVF template. Deployment might take significant time.
11. After OVF template deployment completes, power on your newly created virtual machine. You can power on the virtual machine from the vSphere Client.
    Important: The virtual machine must remain powered on for the IBM Spectrum Protect Plus application to be accessible.
12. Record the IP address of the newly created virtual machine.
    The IP address is required to log on to the application. Find the IP address in vSphere Client by clicking your newly created virtual machine and looking in the Summary tab.

    Important: Wait several minutes for IBM Spectrum Protect Plus to initialize completely.