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Ordering VCF for VPC instances

Ordering VCF for VPC instances

VMware Cloud Foundation for VPC offers flexible options to help you deploy VMware's software-defined data center, VCF for VPC, into your IBM Cloud® Virtual Private Cloud (IBM Cloud VPC) environment.

Requirements for VCF for VPC instances

Review the information in Requirements for VCF for VPC instances.

Components and subscriptions

For more information about the components that are provided, see Supported VCF for VPC products in IBM Cloud VPC.

On-demand subscription

For the on-demand offering, you are billed hourly based on your IBM Cloud VPC bare metal server capacity usage.

1-year and 3-year subscriptions

For the 1-year and 3-year offerings, you need to contact IBM for pricing and discounts.

VMware Cloud Foundation version

VMware Cloud Foundation™ 4.5.2 is installed on your VCF for VPC instance. For more information, see Software BOM for VCF for VPC instances.

Architecture

For the Consolidated architecture, instances are deployed with a management domain. To deploy a workload domain with your instance, select the Standard architecture.

For more information, see Supported VCF for VPC architectures in IBM Cloud VPC.

Deployment

Review the deployment settings.

Instance name

The instance name is preset to myvcf. The instance name is also used as the Schematics workspace name, which is created during deployment.

You can also specify an instance name that meets the following requirements:

  • Only alphanumeric, hyphen (-), and underscore (_) characters are allowed.
  • The maximum length of the instance name is 64 characters.

Resource name prefix

The prefix for all names of the resources to be created in the IBM Cloud VPC infrastructure that your VCF for VPC instance is based on. By default, the prefix vcf is added.

You can also specify a resource name prefix that meets the following requirements:

  • Only alphanumeric and hyphen (-) characters are allowed.
  • The maximum length of the resource name prefix is 10 characters.
  • Must start with an alphabetic character and end with an alphanumeric character.

Resource group

Use resource groups to organize the resources in your account for access control and billing purposes. By default, Create new is selected and a vcf-xxx-rg resource group is created in your account. Ensure that you have permission to create a new resource group in the current account.

You can also select other resource groups according to your needs. You must have permission to add resources to the selected resource group. If you don't have the required permission, contact the account owner to be assigned the Editor or Administrator role on a resource group in the account. For more information, see IBM Cloud IAM roles.

The resource group that you select cannot be changed after the instance is created.

Tags

The tags added to your new created resources in IBM Cloud. For more information about how to use tags and tagging rules, see Working with tags.

Location

Locations are composed of regions (specific geographic areas) and zones (fault tolerant data centers within a region). Select the location where you want to deploy your instance. For the supported locations, see IBM Cloud region and zone availability for VCF for VPC deployment.

Management domain

The management domain is the first domain that is deployed in a VCF for VPC environment. The management domain contains the infrastructure components that are required to manage the entire VCF for VPC deployment.

Root domain name

By default, an IBM Cloud DNS service is ordered and a DNS zone and DNS records are created for all VMware components in the selected IBM Cloud VPC zone. The root domain name must meet the following requirements:

  • The domain name must consist of three or more strings that are separated by a period (.) with a maximum of 50 characters.
  • The first string (NetBIOS name) must start with a lowercase alphabetic character and end with a lowercase alphabetic or numeric character. It must not exceed 15 characters.
  • All strings, except for the last one, can contain only lowercase alphabetic, numeric, and hyphen (-) characters.
  • No consecutive hyphens are allowed.
  • The last string can contain only lowercase alphabetic characters.
  • The length of the last string must be 2-24 characters.

Management host profile

The bare metal server profile that is used by the hosts in the management domain. For the supported profiles, see IBM Cloud region and zone availability for VCF for VPC deployment.

Management host list

Typically, the management domain is deployed as a cluster of vSphere ESXi hosts, which are managed by a VCF for VPC instance.

Number of management hosts

The management domain requires a minimum of 4 hosts and it allows a maximum of 25 hosts.

The quota for bare metal servers is set to 25 per account by default. To increase the quota for a resource, open an IBM Support ticket by following the steps in Getting help and support.

Hostname suffix and name

The hostname suffix is the bare metal server name suffix. The hostname suffix can contain only lowercase alphanumeric characters and can have a maximum length of 6. Ensure that the suffix of each bare metal server is unique. The bare metal server hostname is preset to resource name prefix-mgmt-esx-host name suffix.

Application Virtual Network (AVN)

An Application Virtual Network (AVN) is a software-defined networking concept based on NSX-T Data Center that allows the hosting of management applications on NSX segments. It must be deployed before you can deploy Aria Suite components or implement the Identity and Access Management for VCF for VPC validated solution. For more information, see Deploying Application Virtual Networks in VCF for VPC.

VCF AVN local region network

Two NSX segments (local region and X region) on the NSX Edge cluster are deployed in the default management vSphere cluster. Those NSX segments are used when you deploy the Aria Suite products. Local region segments are local instance NSX segments. IBM Cloud VPC custom routes are created for it pointing to the Tier 0 gateway of the management domain. By default, the route destination is 172.27.16.0/24.

VCF AVN X region network

X region segments are cross-instance NSX segments. IBM Cloud VPC custom routes are created for it pointing to the Tier 0 gateway of the management domain. By default, the destination of the route is 172.27.17.0/24.

Management overlay networks

Management overlay networks are subnets that are allocated in the NSX overlay on the management domain. IBM Cloud VPC custom routes are created for these subnets that point to the Tier 0 gateway of the management domain. By default, the destination of the route is 172.16.0.0/16.

Public floating IPs

The number of public floating IP addresses you want to reserve for the management domain. After the floating IP addresses are ordered, they are associated with the first Bare Metal Server.

Optional management domain settings

With these settings, you can configure your management domain in a more flexible way based on your requirements.

VCF appliance sizing

Review the VCF appliance sizing settings.

Management vCenter VM size

The size of the vCenter Server appliance deployed in the management domain, which determines the number of CPUs and the amount of memory of the appliance. By default, the vCenter Server appliance in the management domain is deployed in small size. For more information, see Deployment model for vCenter Server for the management domain.

Management vCenter storage size

When you deploy the vCenter Server appliance, you must determine the required storage according to the size of the environment, the storage size, and the disk provisioning mode. For more information, see Deployment model for vCenter Server for the management domain.

Management NSX-T size

A highly available NSX Global Manager instance is deployed in the VCF for VPC location instance. You also select an NSX Global Manager appliance size according to the number of anticipated objects that are required to run the management components of the private cloud. For more information, see Deployment model for NSX Global Manager for the management domain.

VCF deployment

Review the VCF deployment settings.

VCF data center name

The data center name in your VCF for VPC instance. The default value is dc01. The VCF for VPC data center name can contain only alphanumeric characters, must start with a letter, and can have a maximum length of 10 characters.

Workload domain

A workload domain is a logical construct that represents a set of resources that are dedicated to a specific application or set of applications. Each Workload Domain is deployed as a separate vSphere cluster within the VCF for VPC environment and can be customized to meet the specific needs of the applications that are deployed. Workload Domains can be used to separate workloads based on characteristics such as security, compliance, performance, or management requirements.

The workload domain is created when you select the VCF for VPC Standard architecture, and it requires a minimum of 3 hosts.

Workload host profile

The bare metal server profile that is used by the hosts in the workload domain. For the supported profiles, see IBM Cloud region and zone availability for VCF for VPC deployment.

Workload host list

The workload domain is deployed as a cluster of vSphere ESXi hosts, which are managed by a VCF for VPC instance.

Number of workload hosts

The workload domain requires a minimum of 3 hosts and can have a maximum of 25 hosts.

The quota for bare metal servers is 25 per account by default. To increase the quota for a resource, open an IBM Support ticket by following the steps in Getting help and support.

Host name suffix and name

Bare metal server name suffixes. By default, the bare metal server hostname is resource name prefix-wl-esx-host name suffix.

The hostname suffix can contain only lowercase alphanumeric characters and can have a maximum length of 10 characters. Ensure that the suffix of each bare metal server is unique.

Workload overlay networks

Workload overlay networks are subnets that are allocated in the NSX overlay on the workload domain. IBM Cloud VPC custom routes are created for these subnets pointing to the Tier 0 gateway of the workload domain. By default, the destination of the route is 172.17.0.0/16.

Public floating IPs

The number of public floating IP addresses that you want to reserve for the workload domain. After the floating IP addresses are ordered, they are associated with the first Bare Metal Server.

Optional workload domain settings

With these settings, you can configure your workload domain in a more flexible way based on your requirements.

VCF appliance sizing

Review the VCF appliance sizing settings.

Workload vCenter VM size

The size of the vCenter Server appliance that is deployed in the workload domain, which determines the number of CPUs and the amount of memory of the appliance. By default, the vCenter Server appliance in the workload domain is deployed in small size. For more information, see Deployment model for vCenter Server for a Virtual Infrastructure workload domain.

Workload vCenter storage size

When you deploy the vCenter Server appliance, you must determine the required storage according to the size of the environment, the storage size, and the disk provisioning mode. For more information, see Deployment model for vCenter Server for a Virtual Infrastructure workload domain.

Workload NSX-T size

A highly available NSX Global Manager instance is deployed in the VCF for VPC location instance. You can also select an NSX Global Manager appliance size according to the number of anticipated objects that are required to run the workload components of the private cloud. For more information, see Deployment model for NSX Manager for a VI workload domain.

Workload NSX Edge VM size

You can determine the size of the NSX Edge appliances for the VI workload domain according to the design objectives of your organization and aggregated requirements of the customer workloads of the SDDC. For more information, see Deployment Model for the NSX Edge Nodes for a Virtual Infrastructure Workload Domain.

Network interface

Review the network interface settings.

DNS records

Additional DNS records to be created in your IBM Cloud VPC for VMware components or the virtual machine (VM) that you want to deploy on VCF for VPC instance. For more information, see Managing DNS records.

VPC zone prefix

An address prefix that is assigned to the VMware components that are deployed in your selected IBM Cloud VPC zone. This prefix helps organize and manage the IP address space for the VMware components within the IBM Cloud VPC zone. It is recommended to use a /22 prefix for approximately 120 hosts or a /23 prefix for approximately 60 hosts. The value is preset to 10.100.0.0/22.

VPC zone prefix Tier 0 uplinks

The NSX-T uplink address prefix for your selected IBM Cloud VPC zone. The value is preset to 192.168.10.0/24.

VPC name

The identifier used to define the name of the newly created IBM Cloud VPC. The IBM Cloud VPC name has the format <resource name prefix>-<3-character random string>-<vpc name>. The default value is vpc. This identifier can have only letters, numbers, and hyphen (-) characters, it must start with a letter, it cannot end with a hyphen, and can have a maximum length of 10 characters.

Customer private routes

A list of private routes created on NSX-T Tier-0 gateway, which includes all private ones that are created for VCF for VPC components.

Advanced integration settings

Review the advanced settings.

Jump server

Determines whether a Windows VM is created in your IBM Cloud VPC. The Windows Server is configured with a public floating IP address to access the IBM Cloud VPC internal network. For security considerations, the Windows VM is not created by default.

IAM access group

Determine whether to create an IBM Cloud Access Group with an access policy for granting access to the resources deployed in your selected resource group. By default, it will not create the access group and access policy, but you can create them after the deployment. For more information about IBM Cloud Access Group, see Assigning access to resources by using access groups.

Observability

For VCF for VPC deployment, you can determine whether to use IBM Cloud Log Analysis with 7-day pricing plan for viewing the logs of VCF for VPCn deployment. If you want to view logging of VCF for VPC deployment with your existing IBM Cloud Log Analysis instance, you can configure the instance ingestion key, then the log is populated to your existing instance. By default, the IBM Cloud Log Analysis service is not ordered. For more information about IBM Cloud Log Analysis and its pricing plans, see Getting started with IBM Cloud Log Analysis and Service plans.

Procedure to order VCF for VPC instances on IBM Cloud VPC

  1. In the VMware Solutions console, click the VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) for VPC card in the Create a resource section.

  2. On the Create tab, review the software components included by clicking View components.

  3. Choose the subscription type.

  4. Select the VCF for VPC architecture.

  5. Specify the Deployment settings.

    1. Enter the instance name and the resource name prefix.
    2. Keep the default value of the resource group or select an existing resource group from the list.
    3. Enter any tags that you might want.
    4. Select the location, including geography, region, and zone.

  6. Specify the Management domain settings.

    1. Specify the root domain name.
    2. Select the IBM Cloud VPC bare metal profile for hosts in the management domain.
    3. Specify the number of bare metal servers.
    4. Specify the hostname suffix of each host.
    5. Specify the IBM Cloud VPC routes for NSX-T AVN networks.
    6. Specify the IBM Cloud VPC routes for NSX overlay network in the management domain.
    7. Specify the number of public floating IP addresses.
    8. Specify the Optional management domain settings: the vCenter appliance size and storage size in the management domain and the NSX-T manager appliance size.

  7. Specify the Workload domain settings.

    The workload domain configuration applies only to the Standard architecture.

    1. Specify the workload domain name.
    2. Select the IBM Cloud VPC bare metal profile for hosts in the workload domain.
    3. Specify the number of bare metal servers.
    4. Specify the hostname suffix of each host.
    5. Specify the IBM Cloud VPC routes for NSX overlay network in the workload domain.
    6. Specify the number of public floating IP addresses.
    7. Specify the Optional workload domain settings: the vCenter appliance size and storage size in the workload domain and the NSX-T manager appliance size.

  8. Specify the Network interface settings.

    1. Enter the additional DNS records for the Aria Suite components or appliances that you want to deploy on VCF for VPC.
    2. Enter the IBM Cloud VPC zone prefix and the IBM Cloud VPC zone prefix Tier 0 uplinks.
    3. Enter the identifier for the newly created IBM Cloud VPC.
    4. Enter the private and public routes that you want to create in IBM Cloud VPC.

  9. Specify the Advanced integration settings.

    1. Specify whether you want to create a Windows VM.
    2. Specify whether you want to create an IAM access group.
    3. Specify whether you want to deploy or use an existing IBM Cloud Log Analysis instance for the VCF for VPC deployment logs.

  10. On the Summary pane, review the instance settings and the estimated price.

  11. To place the order, ensure that the account to be charged is correct, review and accept the terms, and then click Create.

Results after you placed an order

  1. After you place the order, you are redirected to the VCF for VPC page and the status of the newly created instance is Creating.
  2. After IBM Cloud VPC resources and required cloud services are deployed, the VCF for VPC instance will be installed. When deployment is successful, the instance status is Available.
  3. The deployment result is sent to the current user by email.