Cloud Infrastructure Design Decisions #
NOTE: For each section below, use either a dedicated decision table for each component in the VVS or a single table with decisions for all components depending on the number of decisions listed. #
Deployment Model for Cloud Infrastructure #
Design Decisions for deploying VMware Cloud Director #
| Design ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| VCPLCM-VCD-001 | Use VCD appliances instead of installing VCD binaries on Linux VMs. | Linux-based deployment of VMware Cloud Director (VCD) isn’t supported by VMware Cloud Provider Lifecycle Manager (CPLCM). The VVS for Cloud Providers recommends the use of a VMware Cloud Director virtual appliance. VCD appliances are the newest format for vCloud Director cells and are optimized to run VCD. They are easier to deploy and manage and easier to support and troubleshoot. VMware recommends the use of appliances instead of Linux cells. No need for Linux licensing as the case in vCloud Director on Linux. No need for external database, as VCD appliances come with internal Postgres database. |
VCD appliances requirements must be considered when designing the primary pod and the associated management cluster. |
| VCPLCM-VCD-002 | Deploy VMware Cloud Director as a cluster of five nodes in the default management vSphere cluster. | VCD appliances host embedded Postgres database. Clustering these instances using five nodes, one primary + two stand-by + two application cells. 5 cells would allow for hosting up to 10,000 VMs and 400 tenants. |
More resources are required in the management cluster associated with the primary pod. |
| VCPLCM-VCD-003 | Protect the VMware Cloud Director cluster virtual machines by using vSphere High Availability. | Supports the availability objectives for VMware Cloud Director without requiring manual intervention during an ESXi host failure event. | None. |
| VCPLCM-VCD-004 | Apply vSphere Distributed Resource Scheduler anti-affinity rules for the VMware Cloud Director cluster virtual machines. | vSphere Distributed Resource Scheduler prevents the VMware Cloud Director cluster virtual machines from residing on the same ESXi host and risking the high availability of the deployment. | You must perform an additional configuration to set up an anti-affinity rule. For a default management vSphere cluster that consists of four ESXi hosts, you can put in maintenance mode only a single ESXi host at a time. |
| VCPLCM-VCD-005 | Place the VMware Cloud Director cluster virtual machines in a designated virtual machine folder. | Provides the organization of the VMware Cloud Director cluster virtual machines in the management domain vSphere inventory. | You must create the virtual machine folder during or after the deployment. |
| VCPLCM-VCD-006 | Use embedded Postgres database for VCD. | The virtual appliance includes an embedded PostgreSQL database fully managed by VMware Cloud Director with built-in replication for maintaining consistency between cells. External database nodes can increase licensing costs and management overhead. |
Using embedded database will require a dedicated network for Postgres database replication. This affects management cluster networking design. |
| VCPLCM-VCD-007 | A single NFS Mount Point will be used for each VCD cells group. | The VMware Cloud Director appliance supports only NFS type of shared storage. The appliance deployment process involves mounting the NFS shared transfer server storage. VCD cells requires this shared storage to store VCD cells group configuration files. VCD appliances can’t start if this storage is not available. This NFS share is also used as a temporary storage for uploads, downloads, and cloning operations across different VMware vCenter instances. Once the transfer operation is completed the data is deleted from the transfer storage. VMware Cloud Director stores the appliance database backups in the pgdb-backup directory in the transfer share. These backup bundles might consume significant space. The multi-cell log bundle collector occupies this space. The multi-cell log bundle collector occupies this space. |
NFS share is required to be available to be able to deploy VCD cells. |
| VCPLCM-VCD-008 | Use vSAN File Services for the NFS share of VCD cells rather than external NFS share on Linux/Windows Virtual Machine | Use NFS File Service Functionality. Starting with vSAN 7.0, you can use the vSAN File Service functionality to export NFS shares by using NFS 3.0 and NFS 4.1 protocols. It’s easier to configure and manage. |
It has its limitations as that of NFS File share and supports SMB, NFSv3 and NFSv4.1 file shares. |
Design Decisions for deploying VMware Cloud Provider Lifecycle Manager #
| Design ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| VCPLCM-001 | Deploy the latest version of VMware Cloud Provider Lifecycle Manager, i.e., 1.4 | VMware Cloud Provider Lifecycle Manager 1.4 provides GUI feature, in addition to API and CLI and supports the latest products for deployment & management. | N/A |
| VCPLCM-002 | Deploy the latest VMware Provider Lifecycle Manager interop bundle. | Interop Bundle contains definitions for new product interoperability and is made available whenever a new version of the supported product is released. | Need to check for the latest interop bundle and download it manually in VMwaer Cloud Provider Lifecycle Manager host. |
| VCPLCM-003 | In VMware Cloud Provider Lifecycle Manager, you can use various methods to deploy or manage products like CLI, API and GUI. In this design document, The API method is suggested. | Use API to deploy VMware Cloud Director. API is a simplified method for the product deployment. Either an existing JSON containing the environment details can be used or can manually deploy the products. The data center feature automates the configuration of underline deployment infrastructure every time a product is deployed. Once can refer the sample postman collection for the deployment of VMware Cloud Director |
Need to have a knowledge of API and understanding of JSON structure. |
| VCPLCM-004 | Use vSAN FS rather than external NFS share on Linux/Windows Virtual Machine | Configure the VMware Cloud Provider Lifecycle Manager repository on an NFS server configured externally as it reduces the risk of consuming space on the VMware Cloud Provider Lifecycle Manager server when more products get deployed and subsequent binaries are copied. | Need to configure an NFS server |
Design Decisions for deploying {VVS component 3} #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP3-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
Integration of Cloud Infrastructure #
Design Decisions for integrating VMware Cloud Director with NSX-T and vCenter for VMware Cloud Foundation #
| Design ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| VCPLCM-CI-001 | Deploy VMware Cloud Director on the management vCenter Server of VMware Cloud Foundation | Easy to manage and configure as it comes bundled with VMware Cloud Foundation. |
N/A |
| VCPLCM-CI-002 | Use NSX-T with comes bundled with VMware Cloud Foundation to integrate with VMware Cloud Director | Easier to configure and manage. Deployed as a part of validated solution with VMware Cloud Foundation. |
N/A |
| VCPLCM-CI-003 | Dedicate VI workloads domains vCenter for tenant workload consumption | Resource Isolation Resource constraints can be avoided as it can be scaled easily based on demand. |
N/A |
Design Decisions for integrating VMware Cloud Director with RabbitMQ #
| Design ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| VCPLCM-CI-004 | Deploy and Configure RabbitMQ for blocking tasks & notifications. | If you want to use blocking tasks, notifications, or VMware Cloud Director API extensions, like Container Service Extension (CSE) and VMware Cloud Director App Launchpad, you need to install and configure a RabbitMQ AMQP Broker. |
Need to deploy and manage RabbitMQ |
Design Decisions for integrating {VVS component 3} #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP3-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
Isolation Model for Cloud Infrastructure #
Design Decisions for creating Tenants {VVS component 1} #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP1-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP1-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP1-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
Design Decisions for creating Tenants {VVS component 2} #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP2-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP2-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP2-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
Design Decisions for creating Tenants in {VVS component 3} #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP3-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
Physical Design of the Cloud Infrastructure #
Design Decisions for Physical Design of ESXi Hosts to support Cloud Infrastructure #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP1-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP1-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP1-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
vCenter Design for the Cloud Infrastructure #
Design Decisions for the Virtual Infrastructure to support Cloud Infrastructure #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP2-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP2-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP2-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
vCenter Server Design for the Cloud Infrastructure #
Design Decisions for vCenter Server Access Control for Cloud Infrastructure #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP2-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP2-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP2-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
NSX Design for the Cloud Infrastructure #
Design Decisions for NSX Access Control for Cloud Infrastructure #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP3-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
Design Decisions for NSX Distributed Firewall Rules for Cloud Infrastructure #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP3-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
Licensing the Cloud Infrastructure #
Design Decisions for licensing Cloud Infrastructure #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP3-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
NSX Design for the Cloud Infrastructure #
Design Decisions for creating Tenants Cloud Infrastructure #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP3-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
How to size the Cloud Infrastructure #
Design Decisions for sizing {VVS component 1} for the Cloud Infrastructure #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP3-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
Design Decisions for sizing {VVS component 2} for the Cloud Infrastructure #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP3-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
Design Decisions for sizing {VVS component 3} for the Cloud Infrastructure #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP3-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
Network Design for the Cloud Infrastructure #
Design Decisions for the Networking Design for Cloud Infrastructure #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP3-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
Design Decisions for the IP Addressing Scheme for Cloud Infrastructure #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP3-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
Design Decisions for the Time Synchronization for Cloud Infrastructure #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP3-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
Lifecycle Management for the Cloud Infrastructure #
Design Decisions for Lifecycle Management of the Cloud Infrastructure #
| Design ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| VCPLCM-VCD-009 | Use VMware Cloud Provider Lifecycle Manager for Lifecycle Management of VMware Cloud Director, Usage Meterand vRealize Operations Manager Tenant App | VMware Cloud Provider Lifecycle Manager can help upgrade VMware Cloud Director, Usage Meter, vRealize Operations Manager Tenant App with the expection of RabbitMQ | You must deploy VMware Cloud Provider Lifecycle Manager in your invironment. |
| VCPLCM-VCD-0010 | Use VMware Cloud Provider Lifecycle Manager for Lifecycle Management of VMware Cloud Director, Usage Meter, RabbitMQ and vRealize Operations Manager Tenant App | Below Day-2 Operations can be performed using VMware Cloud Provider Lifecycle Manager Certificate amanagement: Add and Update product Certificates Node management- Add, delete a node and updating node properties like CPU and memory. |
VMware Cloud Provider Lifecycle Manager needs to be deployed first. |
Information Security and Access of the Cloud Infrastructure #
Design Decisions for Information Security and Access of the Cloud Infrastructure #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP3-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
Monitoring and Alerting of the Cloud Infrastructure #
Design Decisions for Monitoring and Alerting for Cloud Infrastructure #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP3-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
Data Protection of the Cloud Infrastructure #
Design Decisions for Data Protection of Cloud Infrastructure #
| Decision ID | Design Decision | Design Justification | Design Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VVS-COMP3-001 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |
| VVS-COMP3-002 | Decision comment | Justification comments | Implication comments |