Tag: Extender

Recap from VMworld 2018 and VMware Cloud Provider Sessions

VMware VMworld is always an amazing experience, but taxing for VMware personnel – from meetings, sessions, and nightly events, it can wear one down. However, I truly enjoy seeing everyone and this was my first time speaking at a VMworld, which I’m very grateful for.

I wanted to provide a recap of my two sessions along with sessions all VMware Cloud Providers should watch.

Why vSAN is the Best Solution for Cloud Provider Environments

This was done with my colleague, Greg Kaffenberger, who is part of our Cloud Strategy team. Our intent was to provide a high-level summary of items we’ve learned when collaborating with Providers on vSAN designs and implementations.

One thing I learned from this process of creating a session is it’s VERY difficult to cover everything you want. Moreover, you want to hit the high-level points. Some of the initial feedback we received was our material was too complex. Greg and I did quite a bit of summarization or sticking the detailed points in the speaker notes section.

Anyway, I thought this session went pretty well. Here’s the YouTube video along with the link to the slides for anyone to utilize –

 

Slide Deck on Google Drive

Case Study: Hybrid Cloud with vCloud Extender from Customer to Provider

This was a very exciting session with Raff Poltronieri at CloudItalia on a solution I’ve spent a lot of time with, vCloud Director Extender. We partnered together to review vCD Extender in technical detail along with the architecture. Raff covered CloudItalia’s experience along with a demonstration of one of their customers migrating from their on-prem environment to CloudItalia’s vCD instance. Furthermore, CloudItalia’s business is now growing because of their utilization of vCloud Director Extender.

vCD Extender, vCloud Availability, our new Data Protection solution for vCD, is just the start of these value-added products for vCloud Director. I am very excited to see what comes in the next 9 to 12 months for vCloud Director, especially around our availability, migration, and data protection products for Cloud Providers.

Video and Google drive to the slide deck below –

Slide Deck on Google Drive

Other Sessions to Review

William Lam did a great job of summarizing and providing the ability to download all recorded sessions here.

These are the other ones I suggest reviewing if you did not catch them live:

  1. Introducing VMware Cloud Provider Pod 
    1. VCPP’s new solution on instantiating a vCD environment, inclusive of all Cloud Provider components. Presented by Yves Sandfort and Wade Holmes.
  2. Delivering Custom Services Through vCloud Director
    1. There are endless possibilities on providing custom services and integration through vCD. This session reviews some of the use cases we worked on so far.
  3. VMware Data Protection Simplicity Meets Power: Converged, Cloud and Beyond
    1. This is covering our new partnership with Dell/EMC on Data Protection capabilities built into vCD.
  4. Cloud Provider Transformation with vCloud Director, NSX, and vRealize Suite
    1. John White at Expedient does a great job going through their environment and how they’ve utilized the VMware Cloud Provider architecture to provide services to their tenants.
  5. Multitenant Managed Service Provider Platform for VMware Cloud Services
    1. This is reviewing our new MSP solution / Cloud Provider Hub and what’s possible with VMC in regards to Cloud Providers.

There’s many more here – this link should be filtered to sessions that have been marked for Cloud Provider Program. 

I truly look forward to the next opportunity to speak and share what I’ve learned on this incredible journey at VMware.

-Daniel

vCloud Director Extender 1.1.0.1 – Org Admin Permissions Script

On June 11th, there was a new release of vCloud Director (vCD) Extender that included a change in the organization administrator permissions. Big thanks to my peer Tomas Fojta for his collaboration and working with the Business Unit on further enhancing this permissions structure.

I have updated the PowerShell permissions script that will add these to the specified org. Note this is ONLY for version 1.1.0.1 of vCD Extender, so I am leaving my previous revisions alone.

I am probably stating the obvious here, but this can also be added via the vCD API. Here are the right references to add if you so choose:

<RightReferences>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/105191de-9e29-3495-a917-05fcb5ec1ad0" name="Organization vDC Gateway: View L2 VPN" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/eeb2b2a0-33a1-36d4-a121-6547ad992d59" name="Organization vDC Gateway: Configure L2 VPN" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/66b32e08-1eeb-37ac-9266-ffbd19b39dd8" name="Right: View" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/4886663f-ae31-37fc-9a70-3dbe2f24a8c5" name="Catalog: Add vApp from My Cloud" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/438e45e9-9389-3e29-9073-638b36921a2a" name="Disk: Create" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/1e5ad20d-1023-34d1-b073-1ea30bce3854" name="Disk: Delete" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/7bbee458-b3c5-3252-ba5a-b1781b1c7b92" name="Disk: Edit Properties" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/fd036ae5-b78b-3c9f-8f28-a7f6b33d0d92" name="Disk: View Properties" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/2cd03d47-38e1-337a-907c-8d5b6a5258f2" name="Organization vDC Distributed Firewall: Configure Rules" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/4e61b5b8-0964-36b6-b021-da39aea724fc" name="Organization vDC Distributed Firewall: View Rules" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/9dc33fcb-346d-30e1-8ffa-cf25e05ba801" name="Organization vDC Gateway: Convert to Advanced Networking" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/d1c77fc0-a4b9-3d99-bd4b-d7fab35e4fae" name="Organization vDC Gateway: View" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/2cd2d9d7-262c-34f8-8bee-fd92f422cc2c" name="General: Administrator Control" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/0b8c8cd2-5af9-32ad-a0bd-dc356503a552" name="General: Administrator View" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/b0cfe989-521b-3d7f-9bc2-f23c74a99633" name="Organization vDC Network: Edit Properties" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/2c8d98ef-4acc-3be4-9214-fcb9682b7a19" name="Organization vDC Network: View Properties" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/6cb3596a-15eb-3c2f-a657-5f14f2039719" name="Organization Network: Edit Properties" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/194c71a1-3d68-3156-b789-6a6384028b78" name="Organization Network: View" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/60be4106-1f9f-325c-8ff4-8bf2c6d9bc0a" name="Organization Network: Create or Delete" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/2dc8abec-2e0d-3789-a5f9-ce0453160b53" name="vApp: Create / Reconfigure" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/df05c07f-c537-3777-8d9b-a9cfe8d49014" name="vApp: Delete" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/c2a29357-1b2a-3f9d-9cd6-de3d525d49f3" name="vApp: Edit Properties" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/580860cd-55bc-322d-ac39-4f9d8e3e1cd2" name="vApp: Power Operations" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/4965b0e7-9ed8-371d-8b08-fc716d20bf4b" name="vApp: Copy" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/8832800f-575f-3501-ad84-8e15f3898f11" name="vApp: Change Owner" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
<RightReference href="{url}/right/5250ab79-8f50-33f9-8af5-015cb39c380b" name="vApp: Edit VM Properties" type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"/>
</RightReferences>

 

Below is the updated PowerShell script. Again, another thanks to Jon Waite for letting me borrow his initial code!

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# vCloud Director Extender Permissions Setup - initially created by KiwiCloud.Ninja - modified by Daniel Paluszek - paluszek.com
# Creation Date: 2018-June-15
# Version 2.1 - for vCD Extender 1.1.0.1 and vCloud Director 9.1
# Adds specific permissions required for vCD Extender Org Admin to connect successfully to cloud instance.
# NOTE: These are tested on version vCD 9.1.0.7905680 and vCD Extender 1.1.0.1
# Note that Organization roles (e.g. Organizational Administrator) still need to be edited to add these rights once is executed
# NOTE: You must be connected to the vCloud API (Connect-CIServer) with a System administrative user prior to running the script for this to work.
# Add your Org name and vCD instance name below
$OrgToUpdate = '&lt;INSERT-ORG-NAME&gt;'
$APIendpoint = '&lt;INSERT-IP-OR-FQDN-OF-VCD&gt;'

Function vCloud-REST(
[Parameter(Mandatory=$true)][string]$URI,
[string]$ContentType,
[string]$Method = 'Get',
[string]$ApiVersion = '27',
[string]$Body,
[int]$Timeout = 40
)
{
$mysessionid = ($global:DefaultCIServers | Where { $_.Name -eq $APIendpoint }).SessionId
$Headers = @{"x-vcloud-authorization" = $mysessionid; "Accept" = 'application/*+xml;version=' + $ApiVersion}
if (!$ContentType) { Remove-Variable ContentType }
if (!$Body) { Remove-Variable Body }
Try
{
[xml]$response = Invoke-RestMethod -Method $Method -Uri $URI -Headers $headers -Body $Body -ContentType $ContentType -TimeoutSec $Timeout
}
Catch
{
Write-Host "Exception: " $_.Exception.Message
if ( $_.Exception.ItemName ) { Write-Host "Failed Item: " $_.Exception.ItemName }
Write-Host "Exiting."
Return
}
return $response
} # Function vCloud-REST End

# Adds required permissions for vCD Extender connectivity - still require to apply permissions in the UI once executed!
$newrights = @{}
$newrights.Add("Organization vDC Gateway: View L2 VPN", "105191de-9e29-3495-a917-05fcb5ec1ad0")
$newrights.Add("Organization vDC Gateway: Configure L2 VPN", "eeb2b2a0-33a1-36d4-a121-6547ad992d59")
$newrights.Add("Right: View", "66b32e08-1eeb-37ac-9266-ffbd19b39dd8")
$newrights.Add("Catalog: Add vApp from My Cloud", "4886663f-ae31-37fc-9a70-3dbe2f24a8c5")
$newrights.Add("Disk: Create", "438e45e9-9389-3e29-9073-638b36921a2a")
$newrights.Add("Disk: Delete", "1e5ad20d-1023-34d1-b073-1ea30bce3854")
$newrights.Add("Disk: Edit Properties", "7bbee458-b3c5-3252-ba5a-b1781b1c7b92")
$newrights.Add("Disk: View Properties", "fd036ae5-b78b-3c9f-8f28-a7f6b33d0d92")
$newrights.Add("Organization vDC Distributed Firewall: Configure Rules", "2cd03d47-38e1-337a-907c-8d5b6a5258f2")
$newrights.Add("Organization vDC Distributed Firewall: View Rules", "4e61b5b8-0964-36b6-b021-da39aea724fc")
$newrights.Add("Organization vDC Gateway: Convert to Advanced Networking", "9dc33fcb-346d-30e1-8ffa-cf25e05ba801")
$newrights.Add("Organization vDC Gateway: View", "d1c77fc0-a4b9-3d99-bd4b-d7fab35e4fae")
$newrights.Add("General: Administrator Control", "2cd2d9d7-262c-34f8-8bee-fd92f422cc2c")
$newrights.Add("General: Administrator View", "0b8c8cd2-5af9-32ad-a0bd-dc356503a552")
$newrights.Add("Organization vDC Network: Edit Properties", "b0cfe989-521b-3d7f-9bc2-f23c74a99633")
$newrights.Add("Organization vDC Network: View Properties", "2c8d98ef-4acc-3be4-9214-fcb9682b7a19")
$newrights.Add("Organization Network: Edit Properties", "6cb3596a-15eb-3c2f-a657-5f14f2039719")
$newrights.Add("Organization Network: View", "194c71a1-3d68-3156-b789-6a6384028b78")
$newrights.Add("Organization Network: Create or Delete", "60be4106-1f9f-325c-8ff4-8bf2c6d9bc0a")
$newrights.Add("vApp: Create / Reconfigure", "2dc8abec-2e0d-3789-a5f9-ce0453160b53")
$newrights.Add("vApp: Delete", "df05c07f-c537-3777-8d9b-a9cfe8d49014")
$newrights.Add("vApp: Edit Properties", "c2a29357-1b2a-3f9d-9cd6-de3d525d49f3")
$newrights.Add("vApp: Power Operations", "580860cd-55bc-322d-ac39-4f9d8e3e1cd2")
$newrights.Add("vApp: Copy", "4965b0e7-9ed8-371d-8b08-fc716d20bf4b")
$newrights.Add("vApp: Change Owner", "8832800f-575f-3501-ad84-8e15f3898f11")
$newrights.Add("vApp: Edit VM Properties", "5250ab79-8f50-33f9-8af5-015cb39c380b")

$myendpoint = $global:DefaultCIServers | Where { $_.Name -eq $APIendpoint }

if (!$myendpoint.IsConnected) {
Write-Host "Not connected to this vCloud endpoint, use 'Connect-CIServer' before running this script."
Exit
}

$org = Get-Org -Name $OrgToUpdate -Server $APIendpoint

if (!$org) {
Write-Host "Couldn't match organization with name $OrgToUpdate, exiting."
Exit
}

$rightsuri = 'https://' + $APIendpoint + "/api/admin/org/" + $org.Id.Substring($org.Id.LastIndexOf(':')+1) + "/rights"

[xml]$rights = vCloud-REST -URI $rightsuri -ContentType 'application/vnd.vmware.admin.org.rights+xml' -Method 'Get' -ApiVersion '27.0'

# Add the new API v27 'RightsReference' elements to the XML returned:
foreach($newrule in $newrights.Keys) {
$newright = $rights.CreateElement("RightReference", "http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5")
$newright.SetAttribute("href","https://$APIEndpoint/api/admin/right/$($newrights.Item($newrule))")
$newright.SetAttribute("name",$newrule)
$newright.SetAttribute("type","application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml")
$rights.OrgRights.AppendChild($newright)
}

# Update the Organization with the ammended rights:
vCloud-REST -URI $rightsuri -ContentType 'application/vnd.vmware.admin.org.rights+xml' -Body $rights.InnerXml -Method 'Put' -ApiVersion '27.0'

Happy migrating,

-Daniel

VMware Lightboard – Intro to vCloud Director Extender

This was my first VMware Lightboard and was a lot of fun! However, it was definitely more challenging than I anticipated. I started off twice and ended within 20 seconds each time because I didn’t like my initial dialog. However, what you see below is my third time. I think I did okay for the first lightboard.

We are definitely getting a lot of questions about the newest release of VMware vCloud Director and vCloud Director Extender. This lightboard should serve as an introduction to vCD Extender and what it can do for providers and consumers of vCloud environments.

I look forward to my next lightboard video! Oh, and there’s been a new release of vCloud Director Extender with some new editions – check it out here! 

-Daniel

vCD Extender – Warm Migration Video

This will be my last post on vCD Extender – an exciting addition to vCloud Director and wanted to provide a comprehensive look at Extender’s functionality.

Link to vCD Extender Warm Migration Setup – Part 1 of 2

Link to vCD Extender Warm Migration Setup – Part 1 of 2

Link to vCD Extender Warm Migration Demo Walkthrough

With this video, I created a new VM called WebApp3 and plan to migrate it over to the vCD Cloud environment. I’ve updated my logical demo diagram to the following:

Here’s the video I recorded – enjoy!