Dispatches¶

Shutdown and Startup a vSphere with Kubernetes Workload Domain

In the last couple of days I've been doing some testing for a VMware Validated Design 6.0.x deployment which, of course, consumes VMware Cloud Foundation 4.0.x. By now, most have heard of vSphere 7 with Kubernetes and Tanzu Kubernetes Cluster which can be deployed in the design - but do you known how do you gracefully shutdown a workload domain and perform a graceful startup from a cold state?

After quite a bit of testing, I'm happy to share the process that I use to perform the processes.

vRealize Suite Account Expirations and Password Requirements

A quick post to share some handy content on the account expidations and password required across vRealize Suite 2019 based on some recent work I've done on the VMware Validated Design 6.0.x release. Enjoy!

Table: Users and Password Expirations

vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager 1.2 Ports and Protocols, Feature URLs, and Service Account Privileges

Behind the scenes in VMware R&D I have been working closely with the product management and engineering team for vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager to improve the experience and workflows.

Three questions that I'm often asked are:

1. What ports and protocols does vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager use for communications?
2. What URLs must be accessible by my organization to use some vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager Features (e.g., My VMware, Marketplace, Product Updates, and the in-product Compatibility Guide)?
3. What permissions are required for a custom role that can be used as a service account for vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager to vSphere communications?

Well, you're in luck. I can answer this where the documentation currently falls short.

VMware Validated Design for SDDC 4.1 Generally Available

As we prepare to head VMworld 2017 in both Las Vegas and Barcleona, we're excited to announce that today, we've released the VMware Validated Deisign for Software-Defined Data Center 4.1 - continuing VMware commitment to delivering standardized, proven, and robust data-center level designs for the Software-Defined Data Center.

The VMware Validated Designs provide our customers and partners comprehensive, prescriptive guidance to plan, build, and operate a Software-Defined Data Center. The designs are extensively tested to ensure all components and their specific versions are validated to work in unison, to scale to predetermined design objectives, and operate as our customers expect.

As with any release, let's jump in a cover what's new in this release.

VMware Validated Design for SDDC 4.0 Architecture Reference Poster

On March 2nd 2017 VMware released the VMware Validated Design for Software-Defined Data Center 4.0. A milestone release in our commitment to delivering our customers standardized, proven, and robust data-center level designs for the Software-Defined Data Center.

The excitement from our customers and partners for this release has been phenomenal – from the wave of product updates, new advanced day-two operations, streamlined online access, and the release of the Solution Enablement Toolkit for partners.

As we talk to customers and partners on a daily basis, there are many questions about the design. We wanted a way to provide a quick architecture reference as you get started with the design.