VMware Cloud Foundation 

SDDC Deployment (Bring-Up) 

Welcome to this demonstration on how to perform the VMware Cloud Foundation Bring-Up process.  This process has several major steps:

• The administrator will upload a completed Deployment Parameter Sheet (or a properly formatted JSON file). 
• Cloud Builder will initiate a “Validation” process against the provided information. 
• Once Validation completes successfully, the administrator will be allowed to begin the fully automated SDDC Deployment (Bring-Up).

The Bring-Up process requires that all documented Deployment Pre-Requisites are in place (such as Host/Network configurations, and NTP/DNS Services).

We begin by launching a web browser and logging into the Cloud Builder Web Interface.

1. Click [Chrome Shortcut] in the desktop taskbar
2. Click [Cloud Builder] shortcut in the Bookmark Bar
3. Click [Username] to login with the admin user credentials
4. Click [LOG IN] button
5. Click [checkbox] to Agree to the EULA
6. Click [NEXT] button

Select Platform

7. Click [NEXT] button, confirming the "VMware Cloud Foundation" radio button selection

Prerequisites

8. Click [checkbox] confirming that the administrator has reviewed the documented prerequisites for deployment. to confirm that the pre-requisites are configured
9. Click [NEXT] button

Prepare Configuration

10. Click [NEXT] button in the “Download Spreadsheet” section

Note: the Deployment Spreadsheet has already been downloaded. 

11. Click [NEXT] button in the “Complete the Deployment Parameter Spreadsheet” section

Note: the spreadsheet has already been completed with all required site deployment information.

12. Click [SELECT FILE] in the “Upload Configuration File” section
13. Click [vcf-deployment-paramter.xls]
14. Click [Open]

Validate Configuration

15. Click [NEXT] button to start the Validation process

Note: During this process, the contents of the Spreadsheet will be validated.  Cloud Builder will verify NTP and DNS connectivity and function, verify host connectivity, and run network tests on each ESXi Host.

16. Click [NEXT] after Validation completes successfully

Deploy Cloud Foundation

17. Click [DEPLOY SDDC] to begin the fully automated deployment of Cloud Foundation (Bring-Up)

Note: This process takes over two hours to complete.  Cloud Builder will automate the deployment of the SDDC using the provided ESXi hosts.  The hosts will be configured into a vSAN enabled Sphere cluster, with NSX deployed and configured for use.  Best Practice configurations from the VMware Validated Design documentation are applied.

18. Click [FINISH] button after the Bring-Up completes successfully

At this point, VMware Cloud Foundation has been successfully deployed in a “Consolidated Architecture” deployment.  It is fully supported for Administrators to begin deploying application workloads in the Management Domain, and to add more nodes/clusters in order to scale out to documented VMware Cloud Foundation maximums (https://configmax.vmware.com/home). 

Note: The VMware Best practice is to physically separate Management infrastructure from customer application workloads, by deploying a new workload domain, and deploying customer workloads into physically separate infrastructure.  This deployment architecture (where workloads are deployed separate from Management) is referred to as a Standard Architecture deployment.  

For more information on VMware Cloud Foundation, visit our website at vmware.com/go/cloudfoundation.