Holodeck 5.1.1 Single Site Overview

Single Site Overview

The Single Site Holodeck environment is automatically deployed utilizing VLC by using either the GUI or the CLI

A Single Site Environment contains:

• Four node VCF management domain on nested vSAN Ready Nodes

• Optional three additional nested hosts in a workload domain, or second vSphere cluster in the management domain, or just commissioned into inventory.

• NSX fully configured

• AVN/NSX Edge Deployed (recommended)

• Tanzu deployed

• Customized Cloud Builder VM configured to provide DHCP, NTP, DNS, BGP peering and L3 routing within the environment

VLC can also automate deployment of an optional second VCF instance per environment to provide a multi-site configuration for advanced lab exercises as long as the physical host can support the resource requirements.  Note: multi site deployments can only be performed using the CLI deployment method. Single site deployments can be deployed using the GUI, or the CLI.

Note: VCF Lab Constructor (VLC) is not a VMware supported product, it is similar to a Fling.

The VLC-Holo-Site-1 is the primary configuration deployed.  VLC-Holo-Site-1 configuration matches the lab configuration in the VCF Hands-On Lab HOL-2446 and the nested configuration in the VCF Experience Program.

Each Holodeck deployment runs an identical nested configuration. A Holodeck environment can be deployed with a standalone VLC-Holo-Site-1 configuration, separation of the environments handled at the VMware vSphere Standard Switch (VSS) level.  Each Holodeck pod is configured with a unique VSS per site.  A VMware vSphere Port Group is configured on each VSS and configured as a VLAN trunk.

• Components on the port group to use VLAN tagging to isolate communications between nested VLANs. This removes the need to have physical VLANs plumbed to the ESXi host to support nested labs.

• When the Holo-Site-2 configuration is deployed it uses a second VSS and Port Group for isolation from Holo-Site-1

The VLC Holodeck configuration customizes the VCF Cloud Builder Virtual Machine to provide several support services within the pod to remove the requirement for specific customer side services. A Cloud Builder VM is deployed per Site to provide the following within the pod:

• DNS (local to Site1 within the pod, acts as forwarder)

• NTP (local to Site1  within the pod)

• DHCP (local to Site1  within the pod)

• L3 TOR for vMotion, vSAN, Management, Host TEP and Edge TEP networks within  site

• BGP peer from VLC Tier 0 NSX Edge (Provides connectivity into NSX overlay networks from the lab console)

The figure below shows a logical view of the VLC-Holo-Site-1 configuration within a Holodeck Pod. The Site-1 configuration uses DNS domain vcf.sddc.lab and VLAN 10-15

Figure 1: Holodeck Logical Networking Diagram

Accessing Holodeck Environment

User access to the Holodeck pod is via the Holo-Console.  Access to Holo-Console is available via two paths:

• Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connection to the external IP of the Holo-Router.  Holo-Router is configured to forward all RDP traffic to the instance of Holo-Console inside the pod.

  • Microsoft Remote Desktop Client for Mac

  • Remote Desktop Client for Windows (via Microsoft Store)

• Access Holo-Console via ESXi host

  • Browser console (native to vSphere Client)

  • VMware Remote Console (Requires Broadcom Support login)