Deploying the Aria Suite on VMware Cloud Foundation

The information contained in this blog is based on Cloud Foundation version 5.1.1 and Aria Lifecycle version 8.16.  If you are new to the Aria Suite I invite you to watch the "What is VMware Aira Suite" video (avaialble here) for a quick introduction.  The video is a bit dated as it it uses the old “vRealize Suite” name, but it still provides a good overview of the suite.  Just keep in mind that VMware rebranded the vRealize Suite to Aria Suite in April of 2023.  

I’m often asked for recommendations on how to deploy the Aria Suite on VMware Cloud Foundation.  In this post I will discuss the options and share my opinion on the pros and cons associated with each.

Before I get into a discussion of the Cloud Foundation deployment options for the Aria Suite, I’d like to start with a brief overview of the process used to deploy the Aria Suite.  You begin by deploying the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle (VASL) appliance.  Once the VASL is deployed, you login to the appliance and use it to then deploy the other Aria components such as Aria Logs, Aria Operations, Aria Operations for Networks, and Aria Automation.  After the Aria components have been deployed, you continue to use the VASL to manage the ongoing lifecycle (i.e. patch and upgrade) of the deployed components.  This procedure is the same whether you are deploying the Aria Suite as part of a Cloud Foundation private cloud or installing it as a standalone solution in your data center.

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Once the Aria components have been deployed, you are able to configure them to work with your Cloud Foundation workload domains.  For example, you can use Aria Logs to collect and aggregate log files, you can use Aria Operations to monitor the health and performance as well as enable capacity planning for the clusters that make up the workload domains, and you can automate deployment of application workloads into the workload domains using Aria Automation.

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Where the questions come, and hence this blog post, is when deploying the Aria Suite as part of a Cloud Foundation private cloud you are presented two options for installing the VASL. You can choose to deploy the VASL as a standalone appliance that sits outside of the Cloud Foundation management domain, or you can choose to deploy the VASL from the SDDC manager into the management domain as an integrated component in what is commonly referred to as ‘VCF-aware mode’. Let’s look at these two approaches in a bit more detail. 

Option 1:  Deploy the VASL Outside the Cloud Foundation Management Domain

To deploy the VASL outside of Cloud Foundation you simply use the VASL installer to install the appliance into your data center on any available vSphere cluster.  Note that this could be a cluster that is configured as part of a Cloud Foundation workload domain, to include the management cluster, or it could be any cluster that sits outside of a cloud foundation.  The point being that it’s up to you to decide where to run the VASL.

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The primary benefit for using this approach is that you have flexibility in how the Aria Suite gets deployed. You can, for example, choose to do a very simple deployment or you can choose to do a large complex deployment.  It’s up to you to decide both where and how the Aria components get deployed, both in terms of size of the appliances as well as number of nodes and configuration.

It has been my experience that  deploying the VASL as a standalone component outside of Cloud Foundation is preferred by admins who are highly experienced with the Aria Suite and who like to have control over the design and implementation of the Aria components.  This approach is also commonly used when wanting to monitor both VCF and non-VCF environments.  I personally use this approach in my lab where I need the flexibility of doing a minimal install and where I’m not concerned about things like data protection, high availability, or disaster recovery, nor do I need to worry about things like identity management or using load balancers.

So to recap the standalone mode, deploying the Aria Suite outside of Cloud Foundation follows the relatively straightforward process of using the VASL installer and working through the installation steps.  The key advantages of using this approach are that it provides flexibility in the topology as the admin has full control on where and how the Aria Suite gets deployed.  The flip side is that it’s best suited for admins who have a lot of experience and who have a good understanding of the Aria Suite.  In addition, the SDDC manager and VASL have no awareness of each other and thus does not include any of the benefits provided by the VCF-aware option (discussed next).

Option 2: VASL deployed as part of the Cloud Foundation Management Domain

The second option is to deploy the VASL from the SDDC Manager in what is referred to as ‘VCF-aware mode’.  As the name implies, when deployed in VCF-aware mode the SDDC Manager and VASL are aware of each other, and this awareness provides several benefits.  However, these benefits come at a cost as you lose flexibility in choosing where and how the Aria Suite gets installed.  Let’s start by looking at the benefits:    

1. Visibility and Quick Access Links.  From the SDDC Manager UI you are able to view the Aria Suite components that have been deployed.  In addition, the SDDC Manager provides links that allow you to quickly connect to the different Aria component UIs.  

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2. Centralized Password Management.   When deployed in VCF-aware mode, the SDDC Manager provides centralized password management for the ‘root’ and ‘admin’ accounts associated with the appliances that make up the Aria Suite.

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3. Centralized Certificate Management.  The VCF-aware mode also provides centralized certificate management for the VASL appliance.  To manage the certificate for the VASL, you simply navigate to the management domain where under the Certificates tab you will see the VASL listed alongside the vCenter and NSX appliances.

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4. Auto Populating of Data in VASL.  Running in VCF-aware mode simplifies the deployment of  the separate Aria components by auto-populating forms with the pertinent data discovered from the SDDC Manager.

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5. Integration with NSX.  A final benefit is the integration with NSX and specifically the NSX load balancer.  When deploying the Aria components in “cluster mode”, there are multiple appliances that get deployed as part of a highly available cluster.  These clusters need to be front-ended by a load balancer.  When running in VCF-aware mode, the VASL is aware of the NSX fabric and able to automate the creation of an NSX load balancer and facilitate the creation of virtual servers for Workspace One, Aria Operations, and Aria Automation.

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As I mentioned, while there are a number of benefits associated with running the VASL in VCF-aware mode, you do lose flexibility in terms of choosing where and how to deploy the Aria Suite.  When running in VCF-aware mode It is important that you be familiar with the VMware Validated Solutions as you will be required to follow the prescriptive design that is laid out in these solutions.  This includes deploying the Aria components in the Cloud Foundation management domain and deploying them in ‘cluster mode’.  The following is a list of prerequisites and other requirements that you will need to be aware of when choosing to deploy the VASL in VCF-aware mode.

1. Account for the Aria Suite Components when sizing the Management Domain

When running in VCF-aware mode, all the Aria Suite components run in the Management  domain. As such, it is important when designing your private cloud that you plan for and factor in the Aria Suite components when sizing the VCF management domain. 

2. Deploy the VASL appliance from the SDDC Manager

As was previously mentioned, the first step to deploying the Aria Suite is to deploy the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle appliance.  When deploying in VCF-aware mode, this task is done from the SDDC Manager.  To do this, you will first need to download the VASL install bundle to the SDDC Manager and then initiate the installation from the VMWare Aria Suite tab in the SDDC Manager UI.

3. Configure Application Virtual Networks in VCF

Prior to deploying the Aria Suite you will need to deploy Application Virtual Networks (AVNs).  AVNs identify the two networks that will be used to host the Aria Suite components.  Fortunately this is easily done from the SDDC Manager.

4. Deploy an NSX Edge Cluster

Prior to deploying the Aria Suite you will need to deploy an NSX Edge Cluster.  The edge cluster hosts the NSX load balancers that are used to frontend the clustered Workspace ONE, Aria Automation and Aria Operations appliances.  

It has been my experience that deploying the VASL in VCF-aware mode is preferred by admins who are new to the Aria Suite.  These folks tend to prefer this approach because it removes some of the complexity associated with having to design your Aria Suite topology as it follows a standardized methodology that is well documented in the VVS.  In addition, the VCF aware mode takes into account things like high availability and disaster recovery, which is always beneficial should you be deploying a production instance of the Aria Suite.

To recap the VCF-aware mode - deploying the Aria Suite in VCF-aware mode provides a number of benefits to include visibility and quick access from the SDDC manager, centralized password and certificate management, auto populating values in the VASL when deploying Aria components, as well as NSX integration for things like AVS and load balancers.  On the flip side, the VCF-aware mode is less flexible as it does require you to follow a prescriptive design and it does come with a number of additional prerequisites.  Fortunately, many of the prerequisites are fully automated from the SDDC Manager. 

Summary

The Aria Suite provides cloud management, monitoring, and capacity planning for the VMware private cloud.  There are two ways you can deploy the Aria Suite in Cloud Foundation. You can deploy the VASL outside of the SDDC Manager or you can deploy the VASL from the SDDC Manager in what is referred to as ‘VCF-aware mode’.  The former approach is typically preferred by admins who are more experienced with the Aria Suite and who desire more control over the deployment topology.  The latter approach is typically preferred by admins who are new to the Aria Suite and who prefer a more prescriptive solution.  Along with providing a standardized and prescriptive approach to deploying the Aria Suite in Cloud Foundation, the VCF-aware mode provides additional benefits through its tight integration with the SDDC manager. 

To learn more about VMware Cloud Foundation and its integration with the Aria Suite visit the Cloud Foundation Tech Zone at https://core.vmware.com.