The document introduces vCAT (VMware Cloud Architecture Toolkit), which provides guidance for architects on designing, implementing, operating and consuming a VMware cloud. It outlines a 5 step process for architecting a VMware cloud that includes assessing needs, defining services, designing resources, deploying examples, and managing the cloud lifecycle. The document then provides an example of using vCAT to design initial storage requirements for a private cloud being built for a software development company.

1. © 2011 VMware Inc. All rights reserved
vCAT 3.0 - Architecture to Implementation
Ben Lin, Global vCloud Specialist, VMware, Inc.

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What is vCAT ?
 Intended for technical architects with a solid foundation of vSphere and
infrastructure knowledge.
 Provides design guidance and examples to build, operate, and consume a
VMware based cloud
 Targeted solution intended to help technical architects to get the information
they need quickly and efficiently.

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vCloud Architecture Toolkit
Additional Tools
Architecture documents
VMware vCloud
Service Definition
What should be considered
when designing a vCloud?
What does my vCloud offer?
VMware vCloud
Implementation
Examples
Are there existing
examples?
Introduction
What is vCAT?
Architecting a
VMware vCloud
Operating a
VMware vCloud
Consuming a
VMware vCloud
Workflow
Examples Software
Tools
Cloud
Bursting

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Five Steps
DEPLOYDEFINE DESIGNASSESS MANAGE
Architecting
Operating
Consuming
Service
Definition
Implementation
Examples

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Storage Design Pattern
You have been hired to design a VMware based private cloud for a
software development company.
The customer is currently in discussions with their storage vendor on
pricing and protocols for a new storage array to accommodate the cloud
workloads.
Provide the initial storage requirements and logical design.

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Step 1: Assess
Current State
 Average storage capacity for typical workloads?
 What are the application I/O profiles?
 Are multiple of tiers of storage needed?
 Are there existing SLAs for storage performance?
 Project budget?
 Preferred storage vendor?
 Preferred storage protocol?
 Can existing storage be used?
DEPLOYDEFINE DESIGNASSESS MANAGE

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Service Requirements
 Single tier of service for storage and compute
 Accommodate up to 500 virtual machines averaging 60GB
Guest OS and Data Storage.
 Flexible way to control or ensure storage performance.
 Expected concurrent powered on VM’s is 50%
 Minimize the capacity and cost of storage
 Constraints
 Existing storage vendor
 NFS preference
 Minimal vCloud experience
Step 2: Define
VMware vCloud Architecture Toolkit
Service Definition
DEPLOYDEFINE DESIGNASSESS MANAGE

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Architecting a
VMware vCloud
Resource
Groups
Storage
Tiering
Storage I/O
Control
VAAI
Storage DRS
vCloud
Resource
Design
Provider
Virtual
Datacenter
Organization
Virtual
Datacenter
Thin
Provisioning
Fast
Provisioning
Step 3: Design
Primary
Document
Major Section
Sub Section
Design
Consideration
Storage DRS
 Supported in vCloud
Director 5.1
 Works with linked clones
 New REST API object type
DATASTORE_CLUSTER
 Linked clone configuration
not supported across
clusters
DEPLOYDEFINE DESIGNASSESS MANAGE

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Implementation
Examples
Storage
vApp
Snapshot
Example
Storage
DRS
Step 4: Deploy
Primary
Document
Major Section
Implementation
Example
Snapshot Example
 vCenter representation
 Snapshot flow
 Snapshot options
 Implications
DEPLOYDEFINE DESIGNASSESS MANAGE

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Step 5: Manage
Consider processes needed to support the entire
cloud service lifecycle
Reference additional vCAT documents
 Operating a VMware vCloud
Consuming a VMware vCloud
 Workflow Examples
 Software Tools
VMware vCloud Architecture Toolkit
Operating a VMware vCloud
Consuming a VMware vCloud
Workflow Examples
Software Tools
Version 3.0
August 2012
DEPLOYDEFINE DESIGNASSESS MANAGE

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Questions
http://vmware.com/go/vcat