VMware's vFabric Application Director automates application deployments on hybrid clouds. It can provision Windows and Linux application middleware for IT operations teams, DevOps teams, application architects, and business application owners. The presentation discusses how Application Director models applications using blueprints and profiles to deploy them across private and public clouds in a standardized way. It also highlights new capabilities in version 5.0 like support for Windows applications, updates to deployed applications, a new user interface, content management features, and integration with Amazon EC2.

1. vFabric Application™ Director – Deploy and Manage
Tomorrow’s Applications – Today
Nicolas Van Wijnsberghe - Sr. Systems Engineer BeLux
@nicwijn
© 2009 VMware Inc. All rights reserved

2. Agenda
§ WHY ?
§ WHAT?
§ HOW?
§ SOMETHING …
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3. CIO IT strategies
Ranking of IT strategies
CIO’s selected as one of their top three in 2012
1. DELIVERING BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
2. REDUCING THE OVERALL COST OF IT
3. DEVELOPING OR MANAGING A FLEX INFRASTRUCTURE
Gartner, Competitive Discussion: Cloud Management, R. Colville, A. Lakhani
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4. Application evolution
Yesterday App Server
• Waterfall development Web Server
• Weeks to provision Database
• Static resources
• Limited change windows
• Hard to debug issues
• $100k+ of compute
• Limited number of users, End Users Internet/Firewall Lan/network Web front-end Services Middleware
in business hours
Tomorrow Web
Server
In Memory
Cache
• Agile development
• Continuous deployment App App
Server
Server
• DevOps
• Chaos Monkey Public Facing
• Dynamic resourcing Database
Message Q
• Spans across data
centers and clouds
• Fraction of compute Private Public
Resources
costs
• Millions of users with
24x7 access
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5. Applications Today
Packaged or Custom Applications
3rd Party Apps, Home grown, SaaS
Written in diverse frameworks
Traditional (Java, .Net) and Modern Frameworks
Deployed on virtual and cloud infrastructure
Span across Private, Public and Hybrid Clouds Public/Private/
Hybrid Cloud
Private Clouds Public Clouds
Cloud Operating Model Business Needs
• High Challenges for IT Operations • Apps released early and often
• Collaboration and Orchestration Needed • Businesses need frequent changes
• Hard to Maintain Control … and expect higher service level.
• …
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_software_development
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6. Traditional Deployment & Configuration Tools Break in the Cloud
§ Complex and time consuming
• Bottom up thinking OS
• Vertical and static approach Configure
MW & Software OS
• On going management is OS OS
procedural and reactive Deploy MW
OS
§ Proliferation of IT assets & Software
!
• Lack of standardization increases MANUAL,
Configure OS
permutations of software CUSTOM - BUILT Deploy
components OS
Deploy
Configure
§ Not cloud aware Deploy OS MW
OS
• Each deployment plan is tied to a
specific infrastructure service
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7. We Need to Optimize Provisioning Processes …
Traditional app provisioning
Setup Infrastructure Setup Application Deploy
Middleware Application
4 days to • Configure N/w and • Deploy and configure • Development
8 weeks Storage application middleware • Test
• Deploy and Configure OS • Connect it to Database • Production
• Different Clouds
What app provisioning should be …
An application architect uses a self-serve application provisioning portal
to fully provision & update applications across any registered cloud
Minutes
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8. Move from Managing Images to Managing Models and Objects
Legacy Image Management
Process
vFabric AppDirector Assemble the
Application
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9. Because Bottom – up approach leads to very long deployments
Environments !
Implement Monitoring Prod
UAT
MANY
Test ENVIRONMENTS
Deploy Application Dev
Testing and !
Troubleshooting
NUMEROUS
HAND-OFFs
Install and Configure DB, AppServer,
WebServer and restore Data / Backup
Install and Configure
HW, NW, Storage
IT-Review and
Procurement
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10. Bottom – up approach leads to month long deployments
Environments
Implement Monitoring Prod
UAT
Test
Deploy Application Dev CHALLENGES
• Duplicated Effort
Testing and
Troubleshooting
• Rework Required
Install and Configure DB, AppServer, • Slow Workflow
WebServer and restore Data / Backup
• Multiplied Efforts
Install and Configure
HW, NW, Storage
! SLOW RESPONSE
IT-Review and
Procurement ! SYSTEMIC DELAYS
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11. Contradicting objectives
Want to release apps Want to ensure system
early and often stability and service levels
Application Operations
Developers Management
• Develop apps “uncontrolled” in the cloud • Focus on maintaining efficiency
• Agile development using frameworks • Changes cause 40% of unplanned downtime
• Expand into new application types
! SYSTEMIC DELAYS
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12. Starting Over ? - The Big Four are worse than useless
I’m a Blind
Dinosaur
=
§ The new environment produces requirements that legacy solutions cannot meet
§ Legacy solutions get broken by virtualization and the cloud
§ Legacy vendors are not going to be able to acquire themselves out of this mess
§ Put the dino in a cage and do not let him out – build a new management stack
for your virtualization/cloud environment – isolate the dino to your legacy
physical environment
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13. Wouldn’t it be nice to Move from …
è How we have been using provisioning on vSphere …
è Bundles of OS, Application Layers and
Runtime Configurations (data, parameters, … )
è Cloning from pre-defined OS/App template
approach + 3rd party integrations …
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14. … towards This new Model - aka Blueprints, …
è As an Application Owner I want to
<set sa pass> deploy a new Sharepoint Service
è As a Middleware Administrator I need
a Windows 2008R2 Server with a MS
SQL Server, Antivirus and DB instance
provisioned with a local sa account and
with a password I can choose
è Nicolas just wants an empty Windows
server to do some basic testing.
è As a Developer I need a Redhat server
with a Tomcat instance and my application
(war, ear, …) deployed ready to go …
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15. Requirements for application management in the cloud
Think top down & Application Portability
§ Standardize on best practices assets to eliminate
duplication of efforts
§ Portability:Model once and deploy on any cloud
private/public/hybrid cloud
§ Create flexible applications, loosely coupled with the
underlying infrastructure
Simplify and Automate Cloud Infrastructure
§ Automate for velocity and to eliminate troublesome,
differing configurations
§ Develop applications using modern frameworks for
agile deployment and management
§ Simplified & standardized Deployment:
§ Ready to use oob content libaries
§ Empower the application owners
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16. Agenda
§ WHY ?
§ WHAT?
§ HOW?
§ SOMETHING …
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17. VMware’s Application Director = Solution for …
§ Windows & Linux Application Middleware Provisioning for:
• IT Operations Teams
• DevOps > Agile Development teams
• Application Architects
• Business Application Owners
Optimize
Increase
Build Deploy Monitor agility and
operational
efficiency
vFabric Runtime
vFabric Application Management
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18. VMware’s Application Director
§ AppDirector automates Application Deployments on hybrid clouds, today !
Applications
Custom
or
Packaged
App
binaries,
configs
.war,
.jar,
.msi,
.zip
etc
Middleware,
OS
Application Runtime Platforms App
servers,
messaging,
web
servers,
databases,
opera7ng
systems,
load
balancers,
etc
vCloud Director vCloud Director EC2
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19. AppDirector automates
application deployments on
hybrid clouds, specifically on
VCD 1.5
§ Windows & Linux Application Middleware Provisioning for:
• IT Operations teams
• DevOps > Agile Development teams
• Application Archticts
• Business Application Owners
• IN your Organization
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20. Agenda
§ WHY ?
§ WHAT?
§ HOW?
§ SOMETHING …
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21. Model applications top - down via Blueprints
§ Abstract applications from IAAS
§ Streamline the deployment process
§ Reduce complexity resulting from differing configurations
<step 1> Create Reusable Application Services </step 1>
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22. Standardize on best practices application components
§ Maintain control and limit sprawl of non-standard software configurations
§ Leverage a rich out - of - the box components library > Catalogs
§ Improve quality of services > Self Service Portals for all Teams
<step 2> Create Application Blueprints </step 2>
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23. Assign IAAS to Applications via Deployment Profiles
§ Automates and simplifies deployment
§ Establish IT as a broker of services
§ Empowers IT to govern services
<step 3> Publish Deployment Profiles </step 3>
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24. Flexibility to Deploy the Application Everywhere …
§ Support any application stack … java, .Net , frameworks, …
§ Custom or ISV delivered software packages for Linux & Windows
§ Deploy across vSphere environmnets and Public Cloud (vCD orEC2)
Application Director
Cloud Abstraction Layer
Private Public
24 <step 4> Deploy in an Environment </step 4>

25. Combined: Collaborative Platform for various roles
Application Blueprint Logical Application Topology with
Application Binaries
Application Policies, Configurations
Monitoring, CMDB, …
Application Stack - (Middleware, OS)
Architect
Deployment Deployment Deployment Collection of deployment settings
Profile Profile Profile Makes blueprints portable across clouds
<DEV> <TEST> <PROD>
App Dev, QA,
Release, Operators Standardized configurations of
OS, Middleware
Catalog
Deployment Environments
Private Public
vCloud EC2
vCloud
Middleware Admin,
Cloud Admin
Application Packagers
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26. Yes .. a DEMO .. Finally …
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27. Agenda
§ WHAT?
§ WHY?
§ HOW?
§ WHAT’s NEW !
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28. Support Provisioning on Windows Platform
Windows MW/.Net
services
Windows
OS templates
§ Windows Support § Features / Use Cases
• Supporting Java applications on Windows • Deploy N-tier app on Windows templates
templates • Support Custom and Packaged apps
• Supporting .Net application provisioning • Out of the box Blueprints & Services for
• Native Support of .cmd and Powershell Windows MW like IIS, SQL Server
• Out of the box Windows OS templates
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29. Other Key Application Director 5.0 Capabilities
§ New App Director User Interface
• Application & Deployments
§ LDAP Support
• Single Source of User Management
• Connect to corporate LDAP to access user/
group privileges
§ APIs
• Support APIs to integrate with
existing solutions
• Schedule Deployments, Updates, Import/
Export Catalog Services
§ Support Quick Deploy
• for App Developers / DevOps
§ Integrate with Process and
Change Mgmt Systems
• Call vCO workflows to help meet
broader organizational goals
§ Sharing Blueprints
• Share application blueprints, services & tasks
across Application Director instances
between partners, content providers and
customers
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30. Support Amazon Cloud (EC2) Deployments
Deploy on Amazon
AWS
EC2 Deployment
profile
§ Deploy on EC2 § Features / Use cases
• Deploy application on EC2 • Deploy app on EC2
without need for any Blueprint
changes
• Deploy app in multiple Data
Centers (regions) in EC2
• Hybrid Cloud Story
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31. Support Updates – Code, Configurations and Scale Out Topology
Scale out to
5 nodes
§ Support Application § Features / Use cases
Provisioning across Lifecycle: • Deploy a new code to existing deployed app(s)
• Update deployed applications for code, • Deploy a new configuration to existing
configuration or topology or a deployed app (s)
combination of all of them. • Update a new topology for Scale OUT like
• MW version upgrades not yet cluster or
supported • Update MW comp to an existing deployed
application
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32. Application Management Marketplace
§ Easy access to 100’s of best practice application components / blueprints
§ Accelerates building or transferring workload to VMware enabled clouds
§ Delivers cloud ready solutions
Development platforms
Platform support tools
Productivity
& Support
Public Private
Update - Patch - Monitor
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33. Solution Exchange with new Blueprints
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34. Summary What’s New
§ Windows Support
§ Update – Scale Out,
Configuration
§ New User Interface
• Application & Deployments
§ Content Management
• Import/Export f Blueprints,
Services & Tasks
§ Supporting EC2
Deployments
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35. Nicolas Van Wijnsberghe
Sr. Systems Engineer VMware BeLux
@nicwijn
Info on
www.appdir.info
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