# Provisioning the Cluster

As mentioned in the previous section, this example is starting with three provisioned Ubuntu 22.04 boxes. I also have a HPE Morpheus Enterprise-type Cloud to house the cluster. Begin the cluster creation process from the Clusters list page (Infrastructure > Clusters). Click + ADD CLUSTER and select “HVM”.

![../../_images/createHpevmCluster.png](https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/api/document/sd00007510en_us/GUID-F721FD37-B1E8-48D5-A817-E9A23048CACD-high.png)

HPE Morpheus Enterprise gives the option to select a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) **LAYOUT** or non-HCI. In this example, the HCI Layout is used (requires a three-node minimum). Next, configure the names and IP addresses for the host boxes (**SSH HOST**). The SSH HOST name configuration is simply a display name in HPE Morpheus Enterprise, it does not need to be a hostname. By default, configuration space is given for three hosts which is what this example cluster will have. You must at least configure one and it’s possible to add more by clicking the (+) button. The **SSH PORT** is pre-configured for port 22, change this value if applicable in your environment. Next, set a pre-existing user on the host boxes (**SSH USERNAME** and **SSH PASSWORD**) and **SSH KEY**. Use a regular user with sudo access.

![../../_images/createClusterTop.png](https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/api/document/sd00007510en_us/GUID-15EB662D-9111-4C88-826F-235318761007-high.png)

In the next part of the modal, you’ll configure the storage devices and network interfaces. When Ceph initializes, it needs to be pointed to an initial data device. Configure this in the **DATA DEVICE** field. At this time, only one device may be given but in the near future, an update will allow for multiple devices to be configured which would be added to the total Ceph storage as one large volume. Find your disk name, if needed, with the `lsblk` command. In my case, the target device is located at `/dev/sdb`.

Though not strictly required, it’s recommended to have separate network interfaces to handle cluster management, storage traffic, and compute. In this example case, `eth0` is configured as the **MANAGEMENT NET INTERFACE** which handles communication between the cluster hosts. `eth1` is configured as the **STORAGE NET INTERFACE** and `eth2` is configured as the **COMPUTE NET INTERFACE**. The **COMPUTE VLANS** field can take a single value (ex. 1) or a range of values (ex. 22-25). This will create OVS port group(s) selectable as networks when provisioning workloads to the cluster. If needed, you can find your network interface names with the `ip a` command.

Next, only one **CPU TYPE** is currently supported (`x86_64`) though this may change in the future. For **CPU MODEL** configuration, we surface the entire database of model configurations from `libvirt`. If unsure or if you don’t know of a specific reason to choose one or the other, select `host-model` which is the default option.

Finally, select a **DYNAMIC PLACEMENT** and **POWER POLICY**configuration. When enabled, Dynamic Placement will automatically balance VMs across cluster hosts based on resource utilization. When disabled, VMs will only migrate to a new host if they are pinned to a specific host or failed over and not running on the preferred host. With Power Policy, set Balanced (default) or Performance configuration. Balanced optimizes for a mix of performance and efficiency. Performance mode is optimized for scenarios requiring maximum performance. It reduces network latency by applying configurations similar to the `tuned` "network-latency" profile and switches CPUs into performance mode.

NOTE

Power Policy settings require Agent version 3.0.0+ running on the HVM Host and take effect following the next sync cycle. You can upgrade HVM Host Agents by navigating to the Host detail page, opening the ACTIONS menu, and selecting Upgrade Agent. Alternatively, you can select Download Agent Script to download a script which can be run on the HVM Host to upgrade its Agent version. Download scripts are specific to the HVM Host so you will need an individual script per HVM Host. Power Policy settings will persist following a HVM Host reboot.

Click NEXT to move to the Review tab for final review, and COMPLETE to kick off cluster provisioning.

![../../_images/createClusterBottom.png](https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/api/document/sd00007510en_us/GUID-8FF3A6DF-6A14-4A7D-B4C1-7E6BDB83B44D-high.png)

At this point we’ve kicked off the process for configuring the cluster nodes. Drill into the Cluster detail page and click on the History tab. Here we can monitor the progress of configuring the cluster. HPE Morpheus Enterprise will run scripts to install KVM, install Ceph, install OVS, and to prepare the cluster. In just a short time, the cluster provisioning should complete and the cluster will be ready to deploy workloads.
