According to VMware definitione vSphere Auto Deploy can provision hundreds of physical hosts with ESXi software. You can specify the image to deploy and the hosts to provision with the image. Optionally, you can specify host profiles to apply to the hosts, a vCenter Server location (datacenter, folder or cluster), and assign a script bundle for each host. In short that is the tool to automate your ESXi deployment or upgrade.

As far as I know in particular on the Polish market it is not a widely used tool. However, it can be helpful for Integrator’s Companies to improve and make far more faster deployment of new environments. Furthermore, VMware claims the scripted or automated deployments should be used for every deployment with 5 or more hosts. Nonetheless, even if you are woring as a System Engineer or  at other implementation position I believe you are not installing new deployments every week..If that is every month – lucky you.

Well, is it really worth to prepare the AutoDeploy environment to deploy for instance 8 new hosts? – It depends.

IMHO, for such small deployments if you are really keen on making it a little bit fater the better way is to use kickstarts scripts. It can be much faster, expecially in case you are using them at least from time to time and you have prepared a good template (According the vSphere 6.5 I’m changing my mind a little bit due to changes which make AutoDpeloy preparation far more quicker)

However, Auto Deploy that’s not only deployment. It can be a kind of environment and change management. That can only be a specific kind of infrastructure where you use AutoDeploy to boot ESXi hosts instead of booting from local hard drives/SD cards.

Nevertheless, in Polands it is easier to meet classic PXE deployment booting from SAN than AutoDeploy. Is it the same trend seen around the world?

I am looking forward to hearing from you about yours experience with Auto Deploy.