Vmware Cloud Foundation as Code… Part 3. Importantly! Introduction. Management and Workloads Domains Architecture as Code. Core Infrastructure Services Architecture as Code. Bill Of Materials. Brief Summary.

Posted on May 2, 2020 by airra

Importantly!

The series of articles “Vmware Cloud Foundation as Code…” are organized and digitized notes from the author’s paper diary. Russian hybrid military aggression and invasion prevented the timely publication of the collected and processed material. The author’s service in the army, the evacuation of his home mini-data center and blog away from the fighting, and later problems with power supply due to the destruction of infrastructure by Russian missiles – all this forced this activity to be suspended.

Russia continues its military aggression, missile strikes damage civilian infrastructure, heat and energy supply. The author, as far as possible, does not stop working on organizing articles for the blog in this extremely difficult time for all Ukrainians and is preparing new material.

The publication date of the article in the title is based on the original entries in the author’s diary.

Final revision of the material of this article: October 13, 27, and December 12, 2024.

Introduction

Hello to all readers of the blog about IT Architecture and Education.

We continue the series of articles “Vmware Cloud Foundation as Code…”.

This series of publications aims to reflect the author’s approach to working with the components of the Vmware Cloud Foundation ecosystem versions 4.x, 5.x and necessary third-party services throughout the entire lifecycle of a cloud solution using only code.

In the previous post, we looked at the initial steps of the author’s approach to the storyline “Vmware Cloud Foundation as code…”.

We optimized the first step: we displayed a visual diagram of the Conceptual Aarchitecture of a Software-Defined Data Center using the code SDDCconceptDiagramV2.ps1 and a new Powershell script module: Draw-VisioDiagram.ps1.

The goal of this step was to optimize the code to achieve transparency and ease of use.

Building on previous work, in this post from the “VMware Cloud Foundation as Code…” series, we will continue the architectural theme and now move on to the Management and Workload Domain Architecture as Code model.

Management and Workloads Domains Architecture as Code

Recall that the VMware Cloud Foundation services ecosystem is mature and quite complex. Therefore, to facilitate understanding of their interaction and the correct sequence of actions during design, implementation and operation, the vendor has prepared a set of accompanying documents: VMware Cloud Foundation Documentation 4.x (archive file name – vcf-40-doc.zip), VMware Validated Design 6.0 (archive file name – vmware-validated-design-60x.zip) and diagrams for VMware Validated Design (archive file name – vvd-diagrams -release-6.0.0.zip).

Let’s start with the next step: creating a visual diagram Management and Workloads Domains Architecture using Сode. In the above-mentioned bundles of documentation, it looks approximately like this:

Figure 1: The result of visualization of the Management and Workloads Domains Architecture using Powershell code and Microsoft Visio.

This diagram is constructed using the following PowerShell code:

$DiagramParameters = [xml]@'
<Diagram Name = "Management and Workloads Domains Architecture">
    <Stensils>
	    <Stensil Name="Basic" File="BASIC_M.vss" AlternativePath="false"/>
    </Stensils>
    <MasterItems>
        <MasterItem Stensil="Basic" Item="Rectangle"/>
    </MasterItems>
    <Items>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.5966" Y="4.3169" Width="10.633" Height="8.1304" FillForegnd="RGB(255,255,255)" LinePattern="0" Text="Management and Workloads Domains Architecture" VerticalAlign="0" ParaHorzAlign="0" CharSize="30 pt" CharColor="RGB(0,112,192)"/>
        <Item Type="Line" BeginX="0.2801" BeginY="7.8147" EndX="10.9193" EndY="7.8147" LineWeight="1 pt" LineColor="RGB(0,112,192)"/>
        <Item Type="Line" BeginX="0.3136" BeginY="7.6132" EndX="0.2734" EndY="7.6132" LineWeight="1.5 pt" LineColor="RGB(59,158,206)"/>
        <Item Type="Line" BeginX="10.7903" BeginY="7.6132" EndX="0.3583" EndY="7.6132" LineWeight="1.5 pt" LineColor="RGB(59,158,206)" LinePattern="3"/>
        <Item Type="Line" BeginX="10.9033" BeginY="7.6132" EndX="10.8632" EndY="7.6132" LineWeight="1.5 pt" LineColor="RGB(59,158,206)"/>
        <Item Type="Line" BeginX="10.9026" BeginY="7.6066" EndX="10.9026" EndY="7.5781" LineWeight="1.5 pt" LineColor="RGB(59,158,206)"/>
        <Item Type="Line" BeginX="10.9026" BeginY="7.1266" EndX="10.9026" EndY="7.5366" LineWeight="1.5 pt" LineColor="RGB(59,158,206)" LinePattern="3"/>
        <Item Type="Line" BeginX="10.9026" BeginY="7.0403" EndX="10.9026" EndY="7.0122" LineWeight="1.5 pt" LineColor="RGB(59,158,206)"/>
        <Item Type="Line" BeginX="10.9026" BeginY="7.0071" EndX="10.8632" EndY="7.0071" LineWeight="1.5 pt" LineColor="RGB(59,158,206)"/>
        <Item Type="Line" BeginX="0.4029" BeginY="7.0071" EndX="10.835" EndY="7.0071" LineWeight="1.5 pt" LineColor="RGB(59,158,206)" LinePattern="3"/>
        <Item Type="Line" BeginX="0.3136" BeginY="7.0071" EndX="0.2734" EndY="7.0071" LineWeight="1.5 pt" LineColor="RGB(59,158,206)"/>
        <Item Type="Line" BeginX="0.2734" BeginY="7.0413" EndX="0.2734" EndY="7.0132" LineWeight="1.5 pt" LineColor="RGB(59,158,206)"/>
        <Item Type="Line" BeginX="0.2734" BeginY="7.4935" EndX="0.2734" EndY="7.0834" LineWeight="1.5 pt" LineColor="RGB(59,158,206)" LinePattern="3"/>
        <Item Type="Line" BeginX="0.2734" BeginY="7.6063" EndX="0.2734" EndY="7.5781" LineWeight="1.5 pt" LineColor="RGB(59,158,206)"/>
        <Item Type="Text" X="5.5801" Y="7.295" Width="10.6394" Height="0.2677" Text="Another Solution Add-On" CharSize="18 pt" CharStyle="17" LinePattern="0" FillForegndTrans="100%"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.4583" Y="6.8192" Width="0.083" Height="0.083" FillForegnd="RGB(61,69,67)" LinePattern="0"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.5966" Y="6.8192" Width="0.083" Height="0.083" FillForegnd="RGB(61,69,67)" LinePattern="0"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.7349" Y="6.8192" Width="0.083" Height="0.083" FillForegnd="RGB(61,69,67)" LinePattern="0"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.5966" Y="5.7842" Width="10.633" Height="1.5799" FillForegnd="RGB(9,149,212)" LinePattern="0"/>
        <Item Type="Text" X="5.6177" Y="6.3414" Width="10.539" Height="0.2677" Text="Cloud Operations and Automation Solution Add-on" CharSize="18 pt" CharStyle="17" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LinePattern="0" FillForegndTrans="100%"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="1.3077" Y="5.5889" Width="1.7995" Height="0.9936" FillForegnd="RGB(9,149,212)" LinePattern="1" Text="Cross-Region Workspace ONE Access" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="3.4499" Y="5.5889" Width="1.7995" Height="0.9936" FillForegnd="RGB(9,149,212)" LinePattern="1" Text="vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.592" Y="5.5889" Width="1.7995" Height="0.9936" FillForegnd="RGB(9,149,212)" LinePattern="1" Text="vRealize Operations Manager" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="7.7342" Y="5.5889" Width="1.7995" Height="0.9936" FillForegnd="RGB(9,149,212)" LinePattern="1" Text="vRealize Log Insight" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="9.8763" Y="5.5889" Width="1.7995" Height="0.9936" FillForegnd="RGB(9,149,212)" LinePattern="1" Text="vRealize Automation" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="2.0643" Y="2.5025" Width="3.5684" Height="4.4805" FillForegnd="RGB(6,106,144)" LinePattern="0"/>
        <Item Type="Text" X="2.0546" Y="4.4439" Width="3.4126" Height="0.2677" Text="Management Domain" CharSize="18 pt" CharStyle="17" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LinePattern="0" FillForegndTrans="100%"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="1.1501" Y="3.5605" Width="1.5752" Height="1.2161" FillForegnd="RGB(6,106,144)" LinePattern="1" Text="SDDC Manager" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="2.8998" Y="3.5605" Width="1.7221" Height="1.2161" FillForegnd="RGB(6,106,144)" LinePattern="1" Text="Region-Specific Workspace ONE Access" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="2.0616" Y="2.5845" Width="3.3984" Height="0.5575" FillForegnd="RGB(6,106,144)" LinePattern="1" Text="NSX-T" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="2.0616" Y="1.9378" Width="3.3984" Height="0.5575" FillForegnd="RGB(6,106,144)" LinePattern="1" Text="vCenter Server" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="2.0616" Y="1.2911" Width="3.3984" Height="0.5575" FillForegnd="RGB(6,106,144)" LinePattern="1" Text="vSAN" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="2.0616" Y="0.6444" Width="3.3984" Height="0.5575" FillForegnd="RGB(6,106,144)" LinePattern="1" Text="ESXi" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.6049" Y="2.5025" Width="3.024" Height="4.4805" FillForegnd="RGB(109,179,68)" LinePattern="0"/>
        <Item Type="Text" X="5.5926" Y="4.4439" Width="2.961" Height="0.2677" Text="Workload Domain" CharSize="18 pt" CharStyle="17" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LinePattern="0" FillForegndTrans="100%"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.6049" Y="3.707" Width="2.8094" Height="0.6652" FillForegnd="RGB(109,179,68)" LinePattern="9" Text="VMware Solution for Kubernetes" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.6049" Y="2.9526" Width="2.8094" Height="0.6652" FillForegnd="RGB(109,179,68)" LinePattern="1" Text="NSX-T (1:1 or 1:N)" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.6049" Y="2.1983" Width="2.8094" Height="0.6652" FillForegnd="RGB(109,179,68)" LinePattern="1" Text="vCenter Server" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.6049" Y="1.4439" Width="2.8094" Height="0.6652" FillForegnd="RGB(109,179,68)" LinePattern="1" Text="Shared Storage
(vSAN, NFS, VMFS)" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.6049" Y="0.6895" Width="2.8094" Height="0.6652" FillForegnd="RGB(109,179,68)" LinePattern="1" Text="ESXi" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="7.3647" Y="2.5025" Width="0.083" Height="0.083" FillForegnd="RGB(61,69,67)" LinePattern="0"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="7.503" Y="2.5025" Width="0.083" Height="0.083" FillForegnd="RGB(61,69,67)" LinePattern="0"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="7.6413" Y="2.5025" Width="0.083" Height="0.083" FillForegnd="RGB(61,69,67)" LinePattern="0"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="9.4011" Y="2.5025" Width="3.024" Height="4.4805" FillForegnd="RGB(109,179,68)" LinePattern="0"/>
        <Item Type="Text" X="9.4068" Y="4.4439" Width="3.0111" Height="0.2677" Text="Workload Domain" CharSize="18 pt" CharStyle="17" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LinePattern="0" FillForegndTrans="100%"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="9.4011" Y="3.707" Width="2.8094" Height="0.6652" FillForegnd="RGB(109,179,68)" LinePattern="9" Text="VMware Solution for Kubernetes" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="9.4011" Y="2.9526" Width="2.8094" Height="0.6652" FillForegnd="RGB(109,179,68)" LinePattern="1" Text="NSX-T (1:1 or 1:N)" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="9.4011" Y="2.1983" Width="2.8094" Height="0.6652" FillForegnd="RGB(109,179,68)" LinePattern="1" Text="vCenter Server" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="9.4011" Y="1.4439" Width="2.8094" Height="0.6652" FillForegnd="RGB(109,179,68)" LinePattern="1" Text="Shared Storage
(vSAN, NFS, VMFS)" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="9.4011" Y="0.6895" Width="2.8094" Height="0.6652" FillForegnd="RGB(109,179,68)" LinePattern="1" Text="ESXi" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
    </Items>
</Diagram>
'@
.\Draw-VisioDiagram.ps1 -VCFasCodeHomeFolder "D:\VCFasCode" -DiagramFileName "Mgmt&WrkldDomainsArchitecture.vsd" -DiagramParameters $DiagramParameters

As we can see, the result fully meets our expectations.

The current version of this code is available on the GitHub resource at this link: Mgmt&WrkldDomainsArchitecture.ps1

Core Infrastructure Services Architecture as Code

For the VMware Cloud Foundation services ecosystem to function effectively, some so-called Core Infrastructure Services will be required: Active Directory, DNS, NTP, Certificate Infrastructure, E-Mail services, etc.

These services will be deployed on the Microsoft Windows platform.

The Architecture diagram of the Core Infrastructure Services planned for integration with VMware Cloud Foundation is shown in the following figure:

Figure 2: The result of visualization of the Core Infrastructure Services Architecture using Powershell code and Microsoft Visio.

The PowerShell code for creating this diagram is:

$DiagramParameters = [xml]@'
<Diagram Name = "Core Infrastructure Services Architecture">
    <Stensils>
	    <Stensil Name="Basic" File="BASIC_M.vss" AlternativePath="false"/>
    </Stensils>
    <MasterItems>
        <MasterItem Stensil="Basic" Item="Rectangle"/>
    </MasterItems>
    <Items>
       
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.5156" Y="6.4254" Width="10.5312" Height="3.9133" FillForegnd="RGB(255,255,255)" LinePattern="0" Text="Core Infrastructure Services Architecture Diagram" VerticalAlign="0" ParaHorzAlign="0" CharSize="30 pt" CharColor="RGB(0,112,192)"/>
        <Item Type="Line" BeginX="0.2801" BeginY="7.8147" EndX="10.7812" EndY="7.8147" LineWeight="1 pt" LineColor="RGB(0,112,192)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.5156" Y="6.0852" Width="10.5312" Height="3.2328" FillForegnd="RGB(0,32,96)" LinePattern="0"/>
        <Item Type="Text" X="5.5966" Y="7.4495" Width="3.3984" Height="0.2677" Text="Core Infrastructure Services" CharSize="18 pt" CharStyle="17" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LinePattern="0" FillForegndTrans="100%"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="2.0332" Y="6.848" Width="3.3984" Height="0.5575" FillForegnd="RGB(0,176,240)" LinePattern="1" Text="Network Time Protocol Service (NTP)" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="1.1199" Y="5.8531" Width="1.5752" Height="1.2161" FillForegnd="RGB(0,176,240)" LinePattern="1" Text="Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="2.8696" Y="5.8531" Width="1.7221" Height="1.2161" FillForegnd="RGB(0,176,240)" LinePattern="1" Text="Primary DNS" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="2.0332" Y="4.8668" Width="3.3984" Height="0.5575" FillForegnd="RGB(0,176,240)" LinePattern="1" Text="Secondary DNS" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.5174" Y="6.8499" Width="3.3984" Height="0.5575" FillForegnd="RGB(0,176,240)" LinePattern="1" Text="E-Mail and Workflow" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.5174" Y="5.8531" Width="3.3984" Height="1.2161" FillForegnd="RGB(0,176,240)" LinePattern="1" Text="Active Directory Certificate Services
(AD CS)" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="5.5174" Y="4.8668" Width="3.3984" Height="0.5575" FillForegnd="RGB(0,176,240)" LinePattern="1" Text="IP Address Space Management (IPAM)" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="8.9899" Y="6.8514" Width="3.3984" Height="0.5575" FillForegnd="RGB(0,176,240)" LinePattern="1" Text="Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="8.0884" Y="5.8604" Width="1.5752" Height="1.2161" FillForegnd="RGB(0,176,240)" LinePattern="1" Text="Windows Admin Center" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="9.8382" Y="5.8604" Width="1.7221" Height="1.2161" FillForegnd="RGB(0,176,240)" LinePattern="1" Text="Monitoring
and
Audit" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
        <Item Type="General" Master="Rectangle" X="8.9899" Y="4.8668" Width="3.3984" Height="0.5575" FillForegnd="RGB(0,176,240)" LinePattern="1" Text="Privilege and Access Management" VerticalAlign="1" ParaHorzAlign="1" CharSize="14 pt" LineWeight="1 pt" CharColor="RGB(255,255,255)" LineColor="RGB(255,255,255)"/>
    </Items>
</Diagram>
'@
.\Draw-VisioDiagram.ps1 -VCFasCodeHomeFolder "D:\VCFasCode" -DiagramFileName "CoreInfraServices.vsd" -DiagramParameters $DiagramParameters

The current version of this code is available on the GitHub resource at this link:  CoreInfraServicesArchitecture.ps1

Bill Of Materials

During the work on this article was used:

  • Dell Vostro 3500 notebook with Microsoft Windows 10 Pro version 22H2 Operating system, 64 bit;
  • Software: Microsoft Visio 2021 MSO (Version 2407 Build 16.0.17830.20166) 64-bit;
  • Task automation and configuration management scripting language: Powershell 5.1.19041.4780;
  • Powershell script module: PSVisio v3.8;
  • Powershell script module: Draw-VisioDiagram.ps1 v3.4;
  • Code for creating the Management and Workloads Domains Architecture diagram: Mgmt&WrkldDomainsArchitecture.ps1;
  • Code for creating the Core Infrastructure Services Architecture diagram: CoreInfraServicesArchitecture.ps1.

All used artifacts are located on the VCFasCode GitHub resource.

Brief Summary

The main theses of this and previous articles were the initial steps of the author’s approach to the storyline “VMware Cloud Foundation as Code…”.

We applied the Architecture as Code concept and created two more diagrams:

  • Management and Workload Domains Architecture Diagram as Code;

and

  • Core Infrastructure Services Architecture Diagram as Code, required to create a multi-functional VMware Cloud Foundation solution.

In the next publications of the “VMware Cloud Foundation as Code…” series, we will focus on the following topics:

  • Design diagram of the initial lab environment model for deploying VMware Cloud Foundation solution services, as Code;
  • Deploying and configuring the initial lab environment components using code;
  • etc.

Follow the news until the meeting is on air in a few days.
Sincerely, AIRRA.

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VMware Training and Certification. Year 2025. Part 10.

Posted on October 14, 2025 by airra

Introduction

Hello to all readers of the blog about IT Architecture and Training!

In the previous article of the “VMware Training and Certification. Year 2025” series, we examined VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle as a core component for managing the lifecycle of VMware’s cloud management platforms.

In this article, we focus on VMware Aria Operations and VMware Aria Operations for Logs – solutions designed to provide deep operational visibility, performance analytics, and proactive monitoring across VMware-based infrastructures.

The Aria Operations and Logs learning domain includes training programs focused on metrics-based monitoring, capacity and cost optimization, log analytics, alerting, and operational troubleshooting. These tools play a critical role in enabling data-driven operations, proactive issue detection, and continuous optimization of private, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments.

This article reviews the current VMware Authorized Training programs for Aria Operations and Aria Operations for Logs, their learning objectives, and their alignment with real-world enterprise operational architectures.

VMware Aria Operations

From an architectural perspective, VMware Aria Operations acts as the central analytics and intelligence engine for VMware infrastructures. It continuously collects metrics and telemetry from vSphere, vSAN, NSX, VMware Cloud Foundation, and cloud services, transforming raw operational data into actionable insights through analytics, capacity models, and predictive algorithms.

The main current training programs for VMware Aria Operations technologies are:

● VMware Aria Operations: Install, Configure, Manage [v8.17]

  • Course code: VAOICM817.
  • Duration: 5 days.
  • Level of difficulty: Professional.
  • Target audience:
    • Experienced system administrators and system integrators;
    • Consultants responsible for designing, implementing, and customizing VMware Aria Operations.
  • Prerequisites: Before taking this course, you must complete at least one the following:
    • VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage
    • 6 months hands-on VMware Aria Operations experience.

This five-day, hands-on training course provides you with the knowledge and skills to deploy a VMware Aria Operations cluster that meets the monitoring requirements of your environment. This course includes advanced capabilities, such as customizing alerts, views, reports, and dashboards, and explains the deployment and architecture in VMware Aria Operations. This course explains application monitoring, certificates, policies, capacity and cost concepts, and workload optimization with real-world use cases. This course covers troubleshooting using the workbench, alerts, and predefined dashboards, and how to manage compliance and configurations. This course also covers several management packs.

VMware Aria Operations for Logs

VMware Aria Operations for Logs complements this capability by providing centralized log ingestion, indexing, and analytics across infrastructure and application components. Together, metrics and logs form a unified operational visibility layer, enabling correlation between performance anomalies, capacity constraints, and underlying system events.

Integrated with VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle, these solutions benefit from standardized deployment and lifecycle automation, ensuring consistent upgrades and configuration management. This architecture enables enterprises to implement proactive operations, support AIOps-driven workflows, and maintain stability and performance across complex, large-scale environments.

The main current training programs for VMware Aria Operations for Logs technologies are:

● VMware Aria Operations for Logs: Install, Configure, Manage [V8.12]

  • Course code: AOLICM812.
  • Duration: 3 days.
  • Level of difficulty: Professional.
  • Target audience: System administrators, system engineers, consultants.
  • Prerequisites: System administration experience with VMware vSphere®deployments or completion of one of the following courses:
    • VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V8];
    • VMware vSphere: Operate, Scale, and Secure [V8].

This three-day course features hands-on training that focuses on deploying, configuring, and managing VMware Aria Operations for Logs 8.12. You will learn the UI enhancements, features, architecture, use cases, and benefits of VMware Aria Operations for Logs. This course provides you with the knowledge and skills to use VMware Aria Operations for Logs 8.12 to monitor your environment.

Brief Summary

This article explored VMware Aria Operations and VMware Aria Operations for Logs as core components of VMware’s cloud management and operations platform. We examined how metrics-driven analytics, log intelligence, and predictive capabilities enable proactive monitoring, performance optimization, and data-driven operations across private, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments.

By aligning operational visibility with standardized lifecycle management through VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle, Aria Operations and Logs form a unified operational intelligence layer that supports stability, scalability, and continuous optimization of modern VMware-based infrastructures.

In the next article of the “VMware Training and Certification. Year 2025” series, we will focus on VMware Aria Automation – the platform that enables infrastructure and application automation through self-service provisioning, policy-based governance, and integration across VMware Cloud Foundation and cloud environments.

We will review the Aria Automation training programs, their architectural role, and how automation becomes a foundational capability for operating modern cloud and platform-based infrastructures.

Follow the news until the meeting is on air in a few days.
Sincerely, AIRRA.

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VMware Training and Certification. Year 2025. Part 9. Introduction. Authorized Training: Multi-Cloud. VMware vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager. Brief Summary.

Posted on September 10, 2025 by airra

Introduction

Hello to all readers of the blog about IT Architecture and Training!

In the previous article of the “VMware Training and Certification. Year 2025” series, we explored VMware Tanzu and Kubernetes as platforms for modern, cloud-native application architectures integrated with the VMware infrastructure stack.

In this article, we move into the domain of Cloud Management and Automation with a specific focus on VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle — a core component responsible for deployment, configuration, upgrade, and lifecycle management of VMware cloud management solutions.

The VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle learning domain includes training programs focused on standardized platform deployment, version management, patching, and operational consistency across cloud management components. These capabilities are essential for organizations operating complex private and hybrid cloud environments where predictable upgrades and controlled lifecycle operations are critical.

This article reviews the current VMware Authorized Training programs related to VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle, their structure and learning objectives, and explains how lifecycle automation supports stable and scalable cloud operations within enterprise architectures.

VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle

From an architectural standpoint, VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle acts as the centralized control plane for managing the full lifecycle of VMware’s cloud management stack. It is responsible for orchestrating the deployment, configuration, upgrade, and patching of VMware Aria components such as Operations, Automation, and related management services in a controlled and predictable manner.

A key architectural capability of Aria Suite Lifecycle is dependency-aware lifecycle management. It understands version compatibility, upgrade paths, and component interdependencies, ensuring that complex multi-product environments can be updated safely without breaking platform integrity. Built-in drift detection and configuration compliance mechanisms allow administrators to identify deviations from standardized baselines and restore systems to a known-good state.

By providing automated workflows for environment validation, backup coordination, pre-upgrade checks, and rollback support, VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle enables organizations to maintain operational stability while continuously evolving their cloud management platforms. This makes it a critical architectural component for enterprises operating large-scale private, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments.

The main current training programs for VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle technologies are:

● VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle: Install, Configure, Manage [V8.10].

  • Course code: VASLICM810.
  • Duration: 2 days.
  • Level of difficulty: Professional.
  • Target audience: Experienced System Administrators and System Engineers.
  • Prerequisites: Basic understanding of VMware Aria Suite or products such as VMware Aria Operations, VMware Aria Operations for Logs, and VMware Aria Automation.

This two-day, hands-on training course focuses on installing, configuring, and managing VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle, which manages products such as VMware Aria Operations, VMware Aria Operations for Logs, and VMware Aria Automation.
This course prepares you to perform Day 0 to Day 2 operations for your environment using VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle.

Brief Summary

In this article, we examined VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle as a foundational component of the Cloud Management and Automation domain. We explored its role in orchestrating deployment, configuration, upgrades, and patching of VMware’s cloud management stack, as well as its ability to enforce version compatibility, detect configuration drift, and maintain operational consistency. The overview of VMware Authorized Training programs demonstrated how Aria Suite Lifecycle enables predictable, stable, and scalable operations across private, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments.

In the next article of the “VMware Training and Certification. Year 2025” series, we will focus on VMware Aria Operations and VMware Aria Operations for Logs. We will review training programs dedicated to performance monitoring, capacity and cost optimization, log analytics, and operational troubleshooting, highlighting how these tools provide deep visibility and proactive operational intelligence across VMware-based infrastructures.

Follow the news until the meeting is on air in a few days.
Sincerely, AIRRA.

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VMware Training and Certification. Year 2025. Part 8.

Posted on August 9, 2025 by airra

Introduction

Hello to all readers of the blog about IT Architecture and Training!

In the previous articles of the “VMware Training and Certification. Year 2025” series, we examined VMware platforms that form the foundation of modern infrastructure and cloud service delivery — from vSphere and Cloud Foundation to Cloud Director. These platforms provide stability, scalability, and operational consistency for virtualized and cloud environments.

In this article, we move into the domain of modern application platforms and focus on VMware Tanzu and Kubernetes — technologies designed to support containerized, cloud-native applications and DevOps-driven development models.

The VMware Tanzu learning domain includes training programs focused on Kubernetes fundamentals, cluster operations, application lifecycle management, platform engineering, and integration with existing VMware infrastructure. These programs are especially relevant for infrastructure architects, platform engineers, and operations teams responsible for bridging traditional virtualized environments with modern container platforms.

This article reviews the current VMware Authorized Training programs for Tanzu and Kubernetes, their learning objectives, and their alignment with real-world enterprise and hybrid cloud architectures.

VMware Tanzu

From an architectural perspective, VMware Tanzu provides a Kubernetes-based platform that is natively integrated with the VMware ecosystem. At its core is Tanzu Kubernetes Grid (TKG) — a VMware-supported, upstream-compliant Kubernetes distribution that enables consistent cluster deployment and lifecycle management across on-premises, private cloud, and public cloud environments.

Tanzu Kubernetes Grid runs directly on VMware vSphere, leveraging ESXi for compute virtualization, vSAN for persistent container storage, and NSX for container networking and security. When deployed as part of VMware Cloud Foundation, Tanzu becomes an integral layer of the Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC), benefiting from standardized architecture, automated lifecycle management, and unified operations.

This tight integration allows organizations to run Kubernetes workloads alongside traditional virtual machines, using common tools, shared infrastructure, and consistent operational models, while supporting modern DevOps practices and cloud-native application architectures.

The main current training programs for VMware Tanzu technologies are:

● VMware vSphere with Tanzu: Deploy, Configure, Manage [V8]

  • Course code: VSTDCM8.
  • Duration: 3 days.
  • Level of difficulty: Professional.
  • Target audience: vSphere administrators and platform operators who are responsible for deploying and managing workloads and services in vSphere with Tanzu .
  • Prerequisites: Experience deploying and managing vSphere;
    • Understanding of Kubernetes and the Kubernetes cluster architecture;
    • Attending one of the following courses is recommended:
      • VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage;
      • Kubernetes Fundamentals and Cluster Operations.

During this three-day course, you focus on deploying and managing VMware vSphere with VMware Tanzu in a VMware vSphere 8 environment. You learn how vSphere with Tanzu provides services to deploy and manage virtual machines, vSphere Pods, Supervisor Services, and VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid clusters. You will also gain experience with day 2 operations and life cycle management of a vSphere with Tanzu environment.

● Kubernetes Fundamentals and Cluster Operations

  • Course code: KFCO.
  • Duration: 4 days.
  • Level of difficulty: Professional.
  • Target audience: Anyone who is preparing to build and run Kubernetes clusters.
  • Prerequisites: Linux concepts and command line proficiency;
    • General networking proficiency.

This four-day course is the first step in learning about Containers and Kubernetes Fundamentals and Cluster Operations.

Through a series of lectures and lab exercises, the fundamental concepts of containers and Kubernetes are presented and put to practice by containerizing and deploying a two-tier application into Kubernetes.

● VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid: Install, Configure, Manage

  • Course code: TKGICM25.
  • Duration: 4 days.
  • Level of difficulty: Professional.
  • Target audience: Platform operators who are responsible for deploying and managing Tanzu Kubernetes Grid clusters.
  • Prerequisites: Understanding of Kubernetes and the Kubernetes cluster architecture;
    • Experience deploying and managing multiple Kubernetes clusters.

During this four-day course, you learn about installing VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid in a VMware vSphere environment and provisioning and managing Tanzu Kubernetes Grid clusters. The course covers how to install Tanzu Kubernetes Grid packages to provide services such as image registry, authentication, logging, ingress, multipod network interfaces, service discovery, image registry, and monitoring, in addition to day 2 operations such as backup, life cycle management, and application-specific tools. The concepts learned in this course are applicable for users who must install Tanzu Kubernetes Grid on supported clouds.

Brief Summary

In this article, we explored VMware Tanzu and Kubernetes as the foundation for modern, cloud-native application platforms within the VMware ecosystem. We reviewed how Tanzu enables organizations to deploy, operate, and scale Kubernetes clusters while integrating seamlessly with existing vSphere and VMware Cloud Foundation infrastructures. The overview of VMware Authorized Training programs demonstrated how Tanzu supports platform engineering, DevOps workflows, and the convergence of traditional virtualized workloads with container-based applications.

In the next article of the “VMware Training and Certification. Year 2025” series, we will shift our focus to Cloud Management and Automation, with particular emphasis on VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle. We will examine training programs dedicated to infrastructure automation, lifecycle management, monitoring, and operational governance, highlighting how VMware Aria enables consistent, automated operations across on-premises, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments.

Follow the news until the meeting is on air in a few days.
Sincerely, AIRRA.

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VMware Training and Certification. Year 2025. Part 7. Introduction. Authorized Training: Data Center Virtualization. VMware Cloud Director. Brief Summary.

Posted on July 7, 2025 by airra

Introduction

Hello to all readers of the blog about IT Architecture and Training!

In the previous article of the “VMware Training and Certification. Year 2025” series, we explored VMware Cloud Foundation as a standardized platform for building and operating private and hybrid cloud infrastructures based on the Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) model.

In this article, we shift the focus from infrastructure platforms to cloud service delivery and consumption models and examine VMware Cloud Director – a key solution for designing, deploying, and operating multi-tenant cloud environments.

The VMware Cloud Director learning domain includes training programs focused on cloud service abstraction, tenant isolation, resource pooling, self-service portals, and policy-based management. These programs are especially relevant for cloud architects, service providers, and enterprise teams building internal cloud platforms (private cloud) or offering Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions.

In this article, we will review the current VMware Authorized Training programs for VMware Cloud Director, analyze their structure and learning objectives, and explain how they align with VMware certification paths and real-world cloud architectures.

VMware Cloud Director

VMware Cloud Director (formerly vCloud Director) is a cloud service-delivery platform used by cloud providers to operate and manage cloud-service businesses. The vendor states that by using VMware Cloud Director, cloud providers deliver secure, efficient, and elastic cloud resources to thousands of enterprises and IT teams across the world.

The main current training programs for VMware Cloud Director technologies are:

● VMware Cloud Director: Deploy, Configure, Manage [V10.6]

  • Course code: VCDDCM106.
  • Duration: 5 days.
  • Level of difficulty: Professional.
  • Target audience: Cloud architects, systems engineers, data center administrators, and cloud administrators with experience in managed services or managing a service provider environment.
  • Prerequisites: This course requires completion of the following course and equivalent knowledge:
    • VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V8];
    • VMware NSX: Install, Configure, Manage [V4.0].

In this five-day course, you focus on installing, configuring, and managing on-premises VMware Cloud Director 10.6. You will learn how to set up and manage VMware Cloud Director, including the provisioning of workloads, creating organizations and Virtual Data Centers (VDCs), and use catalog services that include predefined virtual machines. You will learn about different networks that a system administrator and an organization administrator can configure and use with virtual machines and vApps.

Brief Summary

In this article, we examined VMware Cloud Director as a key platform for delivering and managing cloud services in multi-tenant environments. We reviewed its role in abstracting infrastructure resources, enabling self-service cloud consumption, and enforcing policy-based governance and tenant isolation. The overview of VMware Authorized Training programs highlighted how Cloud Director supports cloud service providers and enterprise IT teams in building scalable, secure, and operationally efficient cloud service platforms.

In the next article of the “VMware Training and Certification. Year 2025” series, we will shift our focus from infrastructure and service delivery to modern application platforms and explore VMware Tanzu. We will review training programs dedicated to Kubernetes, container platforms, and cloud-native application architectures, highlighting Tanzu’s role in bridging traditional virtualized environments with modern, cloud-native workloads.

Follow the news until the meeting is on air in a few days.
Sincerely, AIRRA.

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What’s New in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0: The Cloud That Works for You.

Posted on June 26, 2025 by airra

Introduction

Welcome to my blog dedicated to IT architecture and continuous learning!
Here, we explore cloud platforms, infrastructure design, automation, and the technologies that help IT professionals and architects grow.

Today, we’re diving into VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 — a release that goes beyond features to redefine how we build private cloud environments that are secure, scalable, and smart.

Let’s explore what’s new, how it works, and why it matters for anyone dealing with modern workloads, DevOps, or hybrid infrastructure.

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0

VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0 is not just an update — it’s a fundamental shift in how private clouds are built and managed. Broadcom focuses on unified management, efficiency, security, and modern workloads like Kubernetes and Private AI.

Key Enhancements in VCF 9.0

One Console for Everything

A single pane of glass to manage all components: Compute, Storage, Networking, Tenants, and Security.

Workload Flexibility

Run VMs, containers, and AI/ML on the same platform with support for Kubernetes-as-a-Service and native integrations.

Lower TCO

  • 38% reduction in memory and server costs;
  • 34% lower storage TCO;
  • Up to 3× higher network performance.

Performance Improvements

  • Global deduplication with vSAN ESA;
  • NVMe memory tiering;
  • Optimized vMotion for GPU and AI workloads.

Built-in Security and Compliance

  • Confidential Computing;
  • FIPS 140-2, TLS 1.3;
  • Security Operations Dashboard;
  • Continuous configuration compliance monitoring.

End-to-End Automation

  • VCF Operations Console: central control of lifecycle, access, and upgrades;
  • VCF Installer: faster, validated deployments;
  • VCF Automation Console: IaC, templates, CI/CD, autoscale, cost tracking.

Next-Gen Services

  • Private AI;
  • Disaster Recovery & Ransomware protection;
  • Advanced data services;
  • Network observability.

Ready for Any Environment

  • Edge, On-Prem, Telco, Sovereign, and Public Cloud support;
  • Deprecated: old Intel CPUs (Broadwell/Skylake);
  • Compatibility via Readiness Checklist and Ecosystem Matrix.

Conclusion

VCF 9.0 delivers a cloud-as-a-service experience on your infrastructure — secure, scalable, and efficient. If you’re looking to modernize your datacenter with enterprise-grade automation and full-stack control, this release is the one to watch.

This post provided a high-level overview of what’s new in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 and how it impacts infrastructure strategy.
In upcoming blog posts, we’ll take a deeper look at real-world implementations, automation flows, security practices, and Private AI use cases.

Next up — a deeper dive into VCF 9: real-world practice, automation, security, and uncompromising cloud infrastructure.

See you in a few days. Best regards, AIRRA

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