VMware vSphere Requirements
This page covers the VMware-specific requirements needed before StackConsole can connect CMP to your VMware vCenter environment. Complete the common prerequisites first.
CMP supports VMware vSphere version 8.0.1.0 and above. Older versions are not supported.
1. Access for StackConsole Team​
The StackConsole team needs access to your vCenter Dashboard UI. Choose one:
Option A — VPN Access (preferred)
Provide VPN access to:
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Satish Londhe | satish.londhe@stackconsole.io |
| Abhishek Burkule | abhishek.burkule@stackconsole.io |
Option B — IP Whitelist
Whitelist our jump server:
14.192.19.227
Additionally, provide at least read-only vCenter credentials for the initial assessment:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| vCenter URL | |
| Username (read-only) | |
| Password |
2. CMP VM → vCenter Connectivity​
From all CMP VMs, access to vCenter is required. Private access is recommended for production.
Communication between the CMP VM and vCenter must be allowed on the configured API ports (typically 443).
3. Initial vCenter Structure (Required Immediately)​
CMP uses the vCenter API for all VM operations and requires a specific folder structure to exist before configuration begins.
3.1 Datacenter & Folder Structure​
🔴 Create a CMP Root Folder of type "VM and Template Folder" at the Datacenter level:
- Folder name:
CMP-ROOT-FOLDER(or any agreed name — share the exact name with the StackConsole team) - CMP will automatically create per-customer subfolders inside this root folder at onboarding time
3.2 Host Cluster​
- A Host Cluster is required for VM deployment
- Multiple clusters are supported — each can be mapped to a CMP compute category
- 🔴 DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler) must be enabled on all host clusters used by CMP
3.3 Datastore Cluster / Datastore Pod​
- A Datastore Cluster is required for VM storage
- Multiple clusters are supported — each can be mapped to a CMP storage category
- 🔴 Storage DRS must be enabled on all datastore clusters used by CMP
3.4 VM Template Folder​
- All VM templates must be stored in a dedicated folder in vCenter
- Share the template folder path with the StackConsole team
4. Required vCenter API User & Permissions​
CMP requires two user accounts for vCenter:
| User | Purpose | Access Level |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard user | UI access for the StackConsole team during setup | Read-only (minimum) |
| API user | Used by CMP for all VM operations | Custom role with the permissions below |
Minimum Required vCenter Permissions for the API User​
Create a custom role in vCenter with the following permissions and assign it to the CMP API user:
Reference: VMware Privileges Documentation (vSphere 8.0)
| # | Permission |
|---|---|
| 1 | Datacenter.View |
| 2 | Folder.Browse |
| 3 | Folder.Inventory |
| 4 | Folder.View |
| 5 | Folder.Create |
| 6 | System.Read |
| 7 | System.View |
| 8 | Datastore.FileManagement |
| 9 | Datastore.Browse |
| 10 | VirtualMachine.Inventory.Create |
| 11 | VirtualMachine.Interact.PowerOn |
| 12 | VirtualMachine.Interact.PowerOff |
| 13 | VirtualMachine.Interact.ConsoleInteract |
| 14 | VirtualMachine.Config.AddRemoveDevice |
| 15 | VirtualMachine.Config.CPUCount |
| 16 | VirtualMachine.Config.Memory |
| 17 | VirtualMachine.Config.Rename |
| 18 | VirtualMachine.State.CreateSnapshot |
| 19 | VirtualMachine.State.RemoveSnapshot |
| 20 | VirtualMachine.State.RevertToSnapshot |
| 21 | VirtualMachine.Config.RemoveDisk |
| 22 | VirtualMachine.Config.AddExistingDisk |
| 23 | VirtualMachine.Config.AddNewDisk |
| 24 | VirtualMachine.Config.DiskExtend |
| 25 | VirtualMachine.Config.ResetGuestInfo |
| 26 | Performance.View |
| 27 | Performance.Manage |
| 28 | Network.View |
| 29 | Task.List |
| 30 | Task.Read |
Provide the API user credentials:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| vCenter URL | |
| API Username | |
| API Password |
We recommend creating a dedicated CMP service account in vCenter with only these permissions. This is a security best practice and ensures CMP cannot perform actions outside its intended scope.
5. VM Console Access — ESXi Port Requirements​
For VM console access via CMP, the CMP Backend server must be able to reach each ESXi host on the following ports (using ESXi private IPs):
| Port | Protocol | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| ICMP | — | Basic connectivity check (ping) |
| 80 | TCP | HTTP traffic |
| 443 | TCP | HTTPS / secure traffic |
| 902 | TCP + UDP | VMware console traffic (VMRC) |
| 903 | TCP | Additional VMware remote console port |
vCenter returns direct URLs to the ESXi host for console sessions — not proxied through vCenter. This means the CMP Backend server needs direct network access to all ESXi hosts, not just to vCenter.
Enable access via one of:
- VPN from CMP server to ESXi hosts, or
- Whitelist the CMP server IP on ESXi host firewalls
References:
- VMware vSphere Networking Requirements
- vSphere Ports and Protocols
- HTML Console SDK Programming Guide for vSphere 8.0
6. VM Templates​
To provision VMs from CMP, OS templates must meet specific requirements. Refer to the VMware Template Requirements document for the complete specification.
Key points:
- Templates must be stored in the dedicated VM Template Folder (see section 3.4)
- Templates must support password reset and SSH key injection
- Templates must be cloud-init compatible
7. Supported Features​
CMP supports the following VMware vCenter operations:
VM Lifecycle​
- Create, Start, Stop, Reboot, Reset VM
- VM Console Access (VNC/HTML5)
- Change VM Name
- Reset VM Username & Password
Resource Management​
- Upgrade CPU, Memory, and Storage
Snapshot Management​
- Create, Revert, Delete Snapshots
Disk Management​
- Create new disk
- Attach / Detach disk
- Extend disk size
- Delete disk
Network & IP Management​
- VLAN Management (CMP tracks and manages VLANs per customer)
- Private IP Pool Management (automatic allocation/release)
Import​
- Import existing VMware VMs into CMP for centralized management
8. VMware Checklist​
Complete before scheduling the installation:
- VPN access granted or jump server IP whitelisted
- Read-only vCenter credentials provided
- API user created with all 30 required permissions
- API user credentials provided
-
CMP-ROOT-FOLDERcreated in vCenter - At least one Host Cluster with DRS enabled
- At least one Datastore Cluster with Storage DRS enabled
- VM Template Folder path confirmed
- OS templates prepared per template requirements
- ESXi ports 80, 443, 902, 903 accessible from CMP Backend server
- CMP VMs provisioned with required specs (see common prerequisites)
- Domain, SSL, SMTP provided