• On-Premises Analytics 2.5.5 for ESXi
• About this Guide
  • Guide Conventions
• System Requirements
  • Supported Firewalls
  • Additional Firewall Requirements
  • Supported Platforms
  • Hardware Compatibility
  • Minimum Requirements
  • IPFIX Based Licensing Model
  • IPFIX Based Capacity Planning
  • Backup and Recovery Information
  • Importing Firewall Configurations
  • Creating a MySonicWall Account
• Installing On-Premises Analytics on ESXi
  • Obtaining the Installation Image
  • Installing On-Premises Analytics on ESXi
  • Configuring On-Premises Analytics on ESXi
  • Adding Firewalls to On-Premises Analytics
• Licensing and Registering Your On-Premises Analytics Instance
  • Registering the On-Premises Analytics Instance
  • Activating Firewall Licensing for Syslog-Based On-Premises Analytics
  • Deregistering Your On-Premises Analytics Instance
• Upgrading On-Premises Analytics
  • Upgrading Analytics 2.5.5
    • Upgrading Analytics with data in external disk
    • Upgrading Analytics with data in internal disk
      • [[[Missing Linked File System.LinkedTitle]]]
    • Unmounting the Hard Disk from older Analytics Version
    • Mounting the Hard Disk on new Analytics
  • Upgrading Analytics using SWI file
• Migrating Data From Internal to External Disk
  • Preparing the Analytics to Add External Disk
  • Adding External Disk
  • Migrating the Data To External Disk
• Using the Management Console
  • Connecting to the Console
  • Management Console Operations
    • System Info
    • Storage
    • Network Interfaces
    • Diagnostics
    • NTP Server
    • Reboot | Shutdown
    • About
    • Logs
  • Using SafeMode on the Management Console
    • Enabling SafeMode
    • Disabling SafeMode
    • Configuring the Network Interfaces in SafeMode
      • Configuring Interface Settings
      • Disabling an Interface
    • Installing a Software Upgrade in SafeMode
    • Downloading Logs in SafeMode
• SonicWall Support
  • About This Document

Installing On-Premises Analytics on ESXi

Install On-Premises Analytics by deploying an OVA file to your ESXi server. Each OVA file contains the software components needed. Deploy the OVA file by using the vSphere or vCenter client, which are available with ESXi.

The elements of VMware must already be in place and the administrator must be familiar with the basics of deploying a virtual appliance on the ESXi server.

Step 7 has some important information about selecting your networks. Even if you do not need all these step-by-step instructions, be sure to follow the instructions in Step 7 to avoid connectivity issues after the deployment.

To perform a fresh install of On-Premises Analytics on ESXi

1. Download the On-Premises Analytics OVA file from MySonicWall to a computer with vSphere / vCenter access.

2. Access vSphere and log on to your ESXi server.

3. Navigate to the location where you want to install the virtual machine, and select the folder.

4. Right-click on the target folder or select Actions and click Deploy OVF Template.

   

5. In the Select template screen,

   • Select Local file.

   • Click Browse and navigate to the On-Premises Analytics OVA file that you had downloaded.

   

6. Click Next.

7. In the Select name and location screen, type a descriptive name for the On-Premises Analytics instance into the Name field, and then select the location for it from the ESXi folder structure.

   

8. Click Next.

9. In the Select a resource screen, click Next to accept the default resource for the selected folder, or select a different resource and then click Next. Wait while the resource is validated. This is the resource pool where you want to deploy the template.

   

10. In the Review details screen, verify the template details and then click Next.

    

11. In the Select storage screen,

    • Select a data store from the table. This is the location where you want to store the virtual machine files.

    • Select virtual disk format from the drop-down list. SonicWall recommends Thick Provision, but any selection will work.

    

12. Click Next.

13. In the Select networks screen, network interfaces are provided in a VM by default — GMS_X0 and GMS_X1. This is the same naming convention as a SonicWall firelwall. GMS_X1 is considered a WAN interface so the Destination Network should be changed to an externally accessible subnet.

    

    The ESXi vswitch configuration should have the option for MAC address changes enabled for the vswitch ports connected to the On-Premises Analytics instance.

    For advanced configurations (DVS), consult the VMware documentation on vswitch configuration.

    GMS_X1 (the default WAN Interface) is set to DHCP by default, with HTTPS management enabled for the On-Premises Analytics instance, as this configuration eases deployments in virtual/cloud environments.

14. Click Next.

15. In the Ready to complete screen, review the settings and click Finish to create the NSv appliance. To change any setting, click Back to navigate back through the screens to make any change.

16. The name of the new On-Premises Analytics appears in the left pane of the vSphere window when complete. To start the configuration of external storage, right click on the VM listing and select Edit Settings.

    

17. Select New Hard Disk from the dropdown for New device and click Add.

    

18. In this case, an additional 500 GB for log storage is defined.

    Define additional storage in line with your license level. Refer to Licensing Model. Including additional storage space, at minimum 500 GB is recommended.

    

19. Bring up the On-Premises Analytics instance. The System Console will show a boot message. This initial boot-up may take 5 to 10 minutes.