VMware vCloud Director: Install, Configure, Manage [V8.10]

This course requires completion of the following course:

•  VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V6] or equivalent knowledge

This course recommends completion of the following e-learning courses:

•  VMware vCloud Director: Fundamentals [V8.10]

•  VMware Virtual SAN: Fundamentals [V6.2]

•  VMware Network Virtualization Fundamentals

Substantial knowledge of TCP/IP networking is helpful.

By the end of the course, you should be able to meet the following objectives:

•  Design a vCloud Director environment

•  Deploy vCloud Director

•  Manage vCloud Director to satisfy service provider needs

•  Configure Virtual SAN and VMware vSphere® storage to enable multiple tiers in provider virtual data 

  centers

•  Create and manage vCloud Director organizations and vApps to satisfy business needs

•  Create and manage vCloud Director catalogs

•  Transfer virtual machine workloads from vSphere into and out of vCloud Director

•  Configure networking for organizations and vApps with the help of NSX

•  Use NSX to create hybrid cloud connectivity between a public cloud and a private cloud

•  Create an interface between vCloud Director and Microsoft Active Directory servers

Cloud architects, systems engineers, data center administrators, and cloud administrators with experience in a service provider or managed services environment

1. Course Introduction

• Introductions and course logistics
• Course objectives

1. Software-Defined Data Center

• Describe the evolution of the software-defined data center
• Describe vSphere
• Describe NSX
• Describe Virtual SAN

1. Cloud Computing and Cloud Director Overview

• Cloud computing overview
• Characteristics of cloud services
• Categories of cloud computing
• VMware offering to enable cloud-based services
• Cloud deployment environments
• VMware vCloud® Air™ network program overview
• Describe vCloud Director in relation to service provider or managed services environments

1. vCloud Director Architecture and Components

• vCloud Director architecture
• Review vCloud Director components and explain their functions
• Examine integration with other VMware products, such as VMware vRealize® Business for Cloud, VMware vRealize® Operations Manager™, NSX, and Virtual SAN
• vCloud Director terms: vApp and catalog
• vCloud Director terms: organization and virtual data center
• Network concepts
• vCloud Director supported storage

1. vCloud Providers

• Identify storage resources for vCloud Director
• Configure and manage storage for providers
• Examine provider space allocation to an organization
• Manage storage requirements for linked clones and shadow virtual machines
• Describe the use cases for Virtual SAN, VMware vSphere® Virtual Volumes™, and legacy storage

1. vCloud Director Organizations

• Create and manage organizations
• Organization virtual data center allocation models
• Recognize resource allocations for an organization
• Create and manage catalogs
• Manage vApps and vApp templates

1. vCloud Networking with NSX

• Describe the basic NSX components in relation to vCloud Director
• Describe the network types available in vCloud Director (external, org, vApp)
• Discuss the organization and vApp network traffic choices
• Examine the function of network pools
• Explain how to share content between organizations and vApps
• Describe options to connect a private cloud to a public cloud
• Review options for external connectivity with VPN

1. Basic Security

• Describe role-based access
• Create custom security roles
• Describe and configure LDAP integration with Active Directory
• Describe single sign-on
• Enable a SAML identity provider
• Describe two-factor authentication

1. Managing Cloud Resources

• Identify how vSphere fulfills vCloud Director requests
• Manage provider and organization virtual data centers

1. Managing vSphere Resources

• Manage VMware vCenter Server® instances
• Manage VMware ESXi™ hosts
• Manage vSphere datastores
• Manage stranded items
• Configure and manage resource pools at the vSphere level

1. Monitoring vCloud Components

• Monitor usage information at provider and organization virtual data centers
• Analyze vCloud Director logs to mirror vCloud Director cells
• Monitor vCloud Director environments with vRealize Operations Manager and VMware vRealize® Log Insight™
• Leverage vRealize Business for cost management

1. vCloud Director API and Metadata

• Describe tools to access the API of vCloud Director
• Use of REST API in VMware vRealize Orchestrator
• Describe access to vCloud Director using VMware vSphere PowerCLI
• Create and update metadata on objects

1. vCloud Director Installation

• vCloud Director setup overview
• vCloud Director hardware and software requirements
• vCloud Director supported platforms
• Network configuration prerequisites
• Install and configure the vCloud Director database
• Configure an Oracle database and a Microsoft SQL Server database
• Create SSL certificates
• Configure VMware NSX® Manager™ for a new vCloud Director installation
• Install and configure an AMQP broker
• Download and install the VMware public key
• vRealize Business integration with vCloud Director

1. vCloud Director Upgrade

• vCloud Director upgrade overview
• Upgrade prerequisites
• NSX requirements
• Additional information
• Best practice for upgrades