Terraform vSphere Catalyst Deployment

This repository contains Terraform scripts to automate the deployment of Cisco Catalyst Center and virtual network devices on a vSphere ESXi environment. The scripts define and manage network infrastructure components such as virtual switches, port groups, and virtual machines, ensuring a streamlined and repeatable deployment process.

Project Description

This Terraform project performs the following tasks:

• Defines ESXi vSwitch Resources: Configures virtual switches on ESXi, optionally setting uplinks and specifying security settings such as promiscuous mode, MAC address changes, and forged transmits.
• Creates ESXi Port Groups: Sets up port groups on specified vSwitches and assigns VLAN IDs if provided.
• Deploys Virtual Machines: Uses OVF deployment to configure virtual machines, including network interfaces and storage options.
• Manages Serial Ports on VMs: Configures virtual serial ports for VMs requiring serial connections, utilizing PowerCLI for script execution on vSphere.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

1. Install Terraform:

   • Follow the instructions on the Terraform website to download and install Terraform for your operating system.

2. Install PowerShell (for macOS):

   • Open a terminal and execute the following command:

     brew install --cask powershell

Repository Structure

• main.tf: Contains the main Terraform configuration for resources.
• provider.tf: Defines provider configurations, such as vSphere.
• README.md: This file, providing project details and instructions.
• terraform.tfvars: Contains variable values for configuration (modify this file for your setup).
• variables.tf: Defines input variables used in the Terraform configuration.

Configuration

Modify the terraform.tfvars file to set up your environment-specific variables. This file is where you specify values for the variables defined in variables.tf.

Basic Terraform Commands

• Initialize the project:

  • Run terraform init to initialize the Terraform working directory and download the necessary provider plugins.

• Apply the configuration:

  • Execute terraform apply to create and configure the specified resources. You will be prompted to confirm the action.

• Destroy the infrastructure:

  • Use terraform destroy to remove all resources defined in the Terraform configuration.

• Refresh the state:

  • Run terraform refresh to update the state file with the real infrastructure state without making changes to the resources.

Debugging and Error Handling

To debug or specify variable files, use the -var-file option with the relevant Terraform commands:

terraform apply -var-file=terraform.tfvars
terraform destroy -var-file=terraform.tfvars