Post-Installation Verification

Why Post-Installation Verification Matters

A successful VergeOS installation is only half the story. Before declaring your system production-ready, you need to systematically verify that every component — nodes, storage, networking, and configuration — is operating correctly. Skipping this step risks discovering issues under load when they are far more disruptive to diagnose and resolve.

This page walks through the complete post-installation verification process: dashboard health checks, vSAN validation, network redundancy testing, initial system configuration, and a final functional smoke test.

Step 1: Dashboard Health Checks

The VergeOS Main Dashboard is your single pane of glass for system health. Immediately after installation, log in to the web UI and verify the following:

Accessing the Dashboard

1. Open a web browser and navigate to the system’s configured IP address (e.g., https://10.0.0.2)
2. Log in using the admin credentials created during installation
3. The Main Dashboard loads as the home page

What to Check

Indicator	Expected State	Where to Look
Node status	All nodes “Running” with green status	Nodes tile on Main Dashboard
VergeOS version	All nodes showing the same version	Nodes tile or System > Updates
Pending reboots	None	Node status indicators
CPU utilization	Low / idle baseline	Dashboard CPU tile
RAM utilization	Within expected range (system overhead only)	Dashboard RAM tile
Temperature	Normal operating range	Node details page
Dashboard logs	No unexpected errors or warnings	Logs section at bottom of Dashboard

Baseline Documentation

Record the idle-state metrics (CPU, RAM, temperature) immediately after installation. These baseline values become your reference point for future health checks, capacity planning, and troubleshooting.

Checking Individual Nodes

Navigate to Infrastructure > Nodes and double-click each node to verify:

• Status: Running (green)
• Version: Matches expected VergeOS version
• Uptime: Consistent with installation timeline
• No pending reboot messages

If any node shows a yellow or red status, investigate the specific warnings or errors before proceeding.

Step 2: vSAN Verification

The vSAN is the backbone of your VergeOS storage infrastructure. After installation, confirm that all tiers are healthy and configured as planned.

Verifying Tier Health

Navigate to Infrastructure > vSAN to view the storage tier dashboard:

Check	Expected Result
Tier status	All configured tiers show green/healthy status
Disk count per tier	Matches the number of physical disks assigned during installation
Redundancy status	Confirmed — data is mirrored across nodes
Capacity	Total raw capacity matches expected disk totals
Deduplication	Active (ratio will be minimal on a fresh system)

Understanding Tier Layout

Recall that VergeOS storage tiers are assigned at install time and do not change:

• Tier 0 — Metadata only (vSAN hash map and filesystem index). Stored on high-endurance NVMe drives. This is not a performance cache tier.
• Tiers 1–5 — Workload data tiers. Tier assignment is permanent — VergeOS does not automatically move blocks between tiers.

Verify that your tier assignments match your installation planning documentation. If a disk was assigned to the wrong tier, it must be corrected before workloads are deployed (this may require reformatting the disk).

Checking Drive Health

Within the vSAN dashboard, review individual drive status:

• All drives should show as Online and healthy
• No SMART warnings or errors should be present
• Drive serial numbers should match your hardware inventory documentation

Drive Count Mismatch

If the vSAN shows fewer drives than expected, check that all drives are visible in the node BIOS and that the disk controller is properly configured in JBOD/IT mode. Drives behind a RAID controller in RAID mode will not be visible to VergeOS.

Step 3: Network Verification

Network verification confirms that both the internal core fabric and external connectivity are functioning correctly with proper redundancy.

Core Fabric Connectivity

The core fabric is the high-speed inter-node network that carries vSAN traffic, VM migration, and internal cluster communication. To verify:

1. Navigate to Infrastructure > Nodes, then select each node individually
2. Open Diagnostics > Fabric Configuration
3. Confirm that all paths on all nodes show confirmed: true

Testing Core Fabric Redundancy

VergeOS uses two independent core networks (Core1 and Core2) for redundancy. To validate failover:

1. Simulate a Core1 failure by physically disconnecting a cable or powering down one core switch
2. In the VergeOS UI, navigate to Nodes and wait several minutes
3. Verify all nodes remain in “Running” (green) status
4. Restore the failed link, then repeat the test on Core2

Core Fabric VLAN Isolation

Core fabric VLANs must be completely isolated from all other traffic, including other VergeOS systems on the same physical infrastructure. Each VergeOS system must use unique and exclusive VLAN IDs for its core networks. Coordinate VLAN assignments with your network team and consult the Implementation Guide for any VLAN reservation requirements.

Verifying Core Network Isolation

Each physical core network must operate on its own isolated switch or dedicated VLAN. Verify that:

• Core1 and Core2 are on separate physical switches or separate VLANs
• No other VergeOS systems share these core network VLANs
• Jumbo frames (MTU 9216+) are confirmed on the switch ports

External Network Verification

Confirm external/management connectivity:

1. UI access — Verify the web UI is reachable from the management network
2. Gateway reachability — From a node, confirm the default gateway responds
3. DNS resolution — Verify DNS servers are resolving correctly
4. External redundancy — Simulate a network cable disconnect on Node 1 and confirm the UI remains accessible through Node 2

VMware Bridge

In VMware vSphere, post-installation network verification involves checking vSwitch/vDS uplink status, vmkernel port connectivity, and vMotion network testing. In VergeOS, the concept is simpler: verify the core fabric paths are confirmed, the external network is reachable, and redundancy works for both. There are no separate vmkernel adapters or distributed switches to configure — VergeOS handles all internal routing through the core fabric.

Nutanix Bridge

In Nutanix, post-installation network checks involve verifying CVM communication, Prism Element access, and AHV host networking — each requiring different verification methods. In VergeOS, there is no CVM network to verify. The core fabric replaces the Nutanix backplane network, and the single VergeOS web UI replaces both Prism Element and Prism Central for management access verification.

Step 4: Initial Configuration

With health checks complete, configure the system settings that prepare your environment for production workloads. VergeOS provides a New System Configuration Checklist in the Product Guide — the key items are summarized below.

Review Cluster Settings

Navigate to Infrastructure > Clusters, double-click your cluster, and select Edit. Key settings to review:

Target Max RAM %

Default is 80%. This is the maximum percentage of physical RAM a node should use under normal conditions. During failover, this limit may be temporarily exceeded. Lower values provide more N+1 HA headroom; higher values maximize usable memory.

Default CPU Type

Auto-detected during installation. Verify it matches your actual CPU hardware. If you plan cross-cluster migration, set this to the lowest common CPU type across clusters.

Max RAM per Machine

Sets the maximum RAM for a single VM or tenant node. Recommended: no more than 70–80% of your smallest node’s physical RAM to ensure workloads can always migrate during maintenance or failover.

Storage Buffer per Node

Default is 2 GB. When spare RAM is available, increasing this value can significantly improve vSAN read/write performance.

Cluster Settings Require Reboots

Most cluster setting changes require a node reboot to take effect. Make all your initial adjustments before deploying production workloads to avoid unnecessary maintenance windows later.

Verify Licensing and Updates

1. Navigate to System > Updates
2. Confirm the system is activated and licensed
3. Click Check for Updates and install any available updates
4. Verify the system is running the latest version

Configure SMTP

SMTP configuration is essential for receiving email alerts and reports:

1. Navigate to System > SMTP
2. Configure your SMTP server settings (server address, port, authentication)
3. Send a test email to verify delivery

Register a Server Certificate

The default self-signed certificate should be replaced with a CA-issued certificate for production systems:

1. Navigate to System > Certificates
2. Upload or generate a trusted certificate
3. This ensures browser trust and enables secure integrations with external platforms

Set Up Alert Subscriptions

VergeOS uses Subscriptions to deliver alerts and reports via email. Create both on-demand (triggered) and scheduled subscriptions:

Recommended on-demand subscriptions:

• Main Dashboard status warnings and errors
• Storage tier high-usage alerts (80% warning, 90% critical)
• Drive warnings or errors
• Update packages available

Recommended scheduled subscriptions:

• System dashboard summary (daily)
• vSAN tier dashboard (weekly)
• System snapshots inventory (daily)

Navigate to System > Subscriptions > New to create each subscription. See the Subscriptions Guide for detailed configuration options.

Configure Site Syncs (If DR is Planned)

If disaster recovery is part of your deployment plan, configure site syncs to replicate your system to a secondary VergeOS site. This should be set up before production workloads are deployed so that the initial baseline sync completes while the system is relatively empty.

Verify System Snapshot Settings

By default, VergeOS performs regular full system snapshots. Review and customize the schedule:

1. Navigate to System > Snapshots
2. Verify automatic snapshot schedules are configured
3. Adjust frequency and retention to align with your organization’s RPO requirements

Configure Authentication

For production environments, consider:

• MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication): Strongly recommended for all admin accounts
• External identity providers: Configure Google SSO, Microsoft Entra ID, or other providers as authorization sources
• Password complexity: Review and adjust requirements in Advanced Settings

Step 5: Final Functional Testing

The last step before declaring the system production-ready is a hands-on smoke test that exercises core functionality end-to-end.

Deploy a Test VM

1. Navigate to Machines > Virtual Machines > New
2. Create a small test VM (1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 10 GB disk)
3. Use a lightweight OS image (e.g., a minimal Linux ISO)
4. Power on the VM and verify it boots successfully

Verify Network Connectivity

From within the test VM:

1. Ping the default gateway
2. Test DNS resolution (e.g., nslookup docs.verge.io)
3. Verify internet access if applicable to your network design
4. Confirm the VM can communicate as expected based on your network topology

Test Snapshot and Restore

1. Take a snapshot of the test VM
2. Make a visible change inside the VM (create a file, change a setting)
3. Restore the VM from the snapshot
4. Verify the change is reverted — confirming snapshot integrity

Test VM Migration (Multi-Node Clusters)

If your cluster has more than two nodes:

1. Note which node the test VM is running on
2. Initiate a live migration to another node
3. Verify the VM remains accessible during and after migration
4. Confirm the VM is now running on the target node

Clean Up

After successful testing:

1. Power off and delete the test VM
2. Remove any test snapshots
3. Document the verification results

Post-Verification Checklist

Use this summary checklist to confirm all verification steps are complete:

Category	Verification Item	Status
Dashboard	All nodes running, green status	☐
Dashboard	No errors or warnings in logs	☐
Dashboard	Correct VergeOS version on all nodes	☐
vSAN	All tiers healthy, correct disk counts	☐
vSAN	Redundancy confirmed across nodes	☐
vSAN	Capacity matches planning docs	☐
Network	Core fabric paths confirmed on all nodes	☐
Network	Core fabric redundancy tested	☐
Network	External connectivity verified	☐
Network	External redundancy tested	☐
Config	Cluster settings reviewed (RAM %, CPU type)	☐
Config	System licensed and updated	☐
Config	SMTP configured and tested	☐
Config	Alert subscriptions created	☐
Config	System snapshots configured	☐
Config	Site syncs configured (if applicable)	☐
Config	Authentication/MFA configured	☐
Testing	Test VM deployed and booted	☐
Testing	Network connectivity from VM verified	☐
Testing	Snapshot and restore tested	☐
Testing	Test VM cleaned up	☐

Next Steps

With post-installation verification complete, your VergeOS system is ready for production workloads. The recommended next steps are:

• Update network documentation with final configuration details
• Plan tenant creation and resource allocation (see Module 7: Multi-Tenancy)
• Deploy production VMs and workloads (see Module 6: Virtual Machines)
• Schedule regular health checks to maintain system health over time

Continue to the hands-on lab to practice a complete installation workflow: Lab: 2-Node Installation →