VMware Cloud Foundation makes deploying and operating a VMware-based hybrid cloud easy in three ways:
- Standardization: Cloud Foundation implements a standardized, modern HCI architecture that is highly scalable and repeatable. Every Cloud Foundation deployment is built on this common architecture, which provides consistency and eliminates snowflakes.
- Unification and validation: Cloud Foundation combines the core building blocks (vSphere, vSAN and NSX) of the Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC), together with the cloud management capabilities of the VMware vRealize Suite, into an engineered software stack. Cloud Foundation provides a unified SDDC product that is extensively tested and validated to ensure interoperability and compatibility across the entire stack.
- Advanced automation: Cloud Foundation comes with the VMware SDDC Manager, which fully automates the deployment (day 0), configuration (day 1) and ongoing lifecycle (day 2) of the entire SDDC software stack.
You can deploy Cloud Foundation as a private cloud running in your on-premises data center or as part of a public cloud running on capacity leased from a public cloud provider like IBM. Standardizing your private and public cloud on a common SDDC architecture enables a true, modern hybrid cloud. Cloud Foundation delivers an integrated SDDC that extends across clouds and is implemented, operated and managed using a common VMware toolset, allowing you to seamlessly deploy and migrate workloads. It also includes a common set of storage and security policies and removes any concern about virtual machine formats or cross-cloud compatibility challenges.
Automating the full SDDC
In versions of Cloud Foundation before 2.3, the SDDC Manager automated the implementation of the core SDDC foundation to include compute virtualization (VMware vSphere), storage virtualization (VMware vSAN) and network virtualization (VMware NSX for vSphere). To complete the SDDC, customers needed to manually layer on the vRealize Suite (e.g., vRealize Operations and vRealize Automation) in order to implement the Cloud Management Platform and complete their SDDC.
With VMware Cloud Foundation 2.3(released in January), we have extended the advanced automation capabilities of the VMware SDDC manager to now include the ability to fully automate the installation and configuration of both vRealize Operations and vRealize Automation.
Leveraging vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager
Integration of the vRealize Suite in Cloud Foundation is achieved by tying together the SDDC lifecycle automation capabilities from the SDDC Manager with the vRealize Suite lifecycle automation capabilities provided by the new vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager(vRSLCM).
The SDDC Manager UI has been updated to allow customers to initiate the deployment of vRealize Suite components directly from Cloud Foundation. You can choose to deploy either vRealize Operations or vRealize Automation, or both. Both products are installed and configured in accordance with the VMware Validated Designs. Here’s how it works:
- Begin by logging into the SDDC Manager to initiate the deployment of the vRealize Suite component. The SDDC Manager then prompts the cloud administrator for details about the deployment, including the sizing and names of component VMs.
- The SDDC Manager sets up the environment with the necessary VLANs and deploys an NSX Edge Services Gateway, which it configures as a load balancer for the vRealize Suite components. SDDC Manager then deploys the vRSLCM appliance.
- Once the appliance is running, SDDC Manager hands the installation off to vRSLCM, which deploys and configures the vRealize Suite components.
- After the deployment is done, SDDC Manager completes the deployment by configuring HA and DRS settings (i.e., affinity rules, failover policy) and capturing a backup of the configuration.
With this new integration in Cloud Foundation, we’re not adding complexity or introducing new tools with duplicate functionality. We’re leveraging the native capabilities provided by the vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager and working to transparently integrate with the SDDC Manager. This way, we’re able to bring together the latest capabilities provided by vRealize Suite with the advanced automation provided by the SDDC Manager, making it simple for customers to deploy vRealize Suite as part of Cloud Foundation.
Simplifying the SDDC
Instead of spending six months installing vSphere products, trying to configure them and troubleshooting, you can get the installation and configuration done in the first couple of days and spend the extra time in more interesting ways—doing micro-segmentation, creating blueprints and consuming the SDDC. With Cloud Foundation, you spend less time trying to build the SDDC and more time using it.
And now with Cloud Foundation 2.3, we are able to extend these benefits of simplicity and automation to include the vRealize Suite.
Cloud Foundation is all about taking something that has traditionally been complex and difficult and making it easy. Get out of the “implementation business” with Cloud Foundation and spend your time and effort consuming the SDDC and supporting your business.
Find out more about VMware Cloud Foundation 2.3 and how it can easily provide integrated cloud infrastructure.
Read the Cloud Foundation datasheet for the latest specs and features.
Test drive Cloud Foundation 2.3 for free with the Hands-on Lab.
