Deploying vCloud Connector 2.0

vCloud Connector is a product which provides single user interface to manage multiple clouds (Public vCD Cloud, Private vCD Cloud, vSphere Cloud). This management includes moving contents between clouds, power-on / power-off VMs, suspend/resume VMs, transfer VMs / vApps / Templates between clouds, check performance, etc.

vCloud Connector Components

1. vCloud Connector UI 
2. vCloud Connector Server 
3. vCloud Connector Nodes

Building vCloud Connector Environment

For Cloud Service Providers

Typical deployment for service providers is to have one vCC Server and one vCC Node (utilizing vCC multi-tenant feature). In this case, cloud provider admin will have visibility to all clouds (organizations) through single node. Additionally, vCC Node can be installed in vSphere environment to move VMs between vcloud and vsphere.

For Cloud Clients

In this scenario, the clients will deploy vCC Server which will connect to vCC Node deployed by service provider. vCC Node URL needs to be provided by service provider for client to configure vCC Server along with organization name and credentials.

Note: Organization Credentials to be used by Client vCC Server should have 'Org Admin' privileges.

1. Install vCC Server. This can be done using two methods:

a. Install vCC Server using vSphere Client. This is simple  by deploying OVF Template

b. Install vCC Server using vCD (you need to have at least one organization in order to install vCC Server):

1. Add vCC Server to a vCD Catalog as a vApp Template

2. Create vCC Server from the Template

PS: Only one vCC Server is required to manage vSphere Cloud, vCD Cloud, or both.

A part of vCC Server deployment from template, you need to setup vCC Server network settings. In case of miss-configuration of IP settings, you can run the command /opt/vmware/share/vami/vami_config_net through vCC Server console which will start network setup wizard.

PS: This command should be entered by root account. Else, the script will fail during run due to account privileges and settings won't change.

2. Configure vCC Server.

You need to browse vCC Server web console using the URL: https://#vCC-Server-IP#:5840. Login with default username (admin) and password (vmware).

From there, you need to do basic setup including:

a. Time Zone and Basic Network Settings (IP, DNS, Hostname, Proxy Servers, etc).

Note: Time-Zone changes will reflect on logs after reboot

b. Change Password, Licensing, manage vCC Certificates in case signed ones are imported, Configure Logging Settings and Export Logs.

c. Register vCC Server with vCenter Server (vSphere Client Tab), vcloud.vmware.com, or both. In case vCC Server is registered with vCenter Server, vCC UI can be access using vSphere Client. However, if vCC Server is registered with vcloud.vmware.com, vCC UI can be access by browsing http://vcloud.vmware.com.

PS: For registration with vcloud.vmware.com, vCC-Server should have internet reachability to http://vcloud.vmware.com.

Important

vCC Server can register with one vCenter Server at a time. To register with another vCenter Server, unregister from the current one and register with the new one.  Same is applicable to vcloud.vmware.com, vCC Server can register with only vcloud.vmware.com at a time. To register with another one, unregister from the current one and register with the new one.

On the other hand, only one vCC Server can register with vCenter Server at a time. To register new vCC Server, select the Overwrite existing registration option while registering. However, multiple vCC Servers can register with vcloud.vmware.com using same account. You can select the one you want to manage as below.

In case vCC Server is deployed behind vSE or Physical firewall, the following communication should be allowed:

- TCP 443: For communication between vCC Server and Node and between Nodes. This port is used when SSL is enabled; when SSL is disabled, port 80 is used. 
- TCP 5480: For communication with the vCC Server Admin Web console, for example during the registration process with vcloud.vmware.com.

3. Install vCC Node

As mentioned earlier, vCC Node is required in each entity to be managed by vCC Server. This entity can be vSphere environment, vCD Private cloud, or vCD Public Cloud. In vCD environments, its important to know that vCC Node is mutli-tenant aware.

vCC Node can be installed in a similar way to vCC Server by deploying vCC Node VA using either vSphere Client or vCD. Again during the provisioning, network settings should be configured. In case you want to re-run network setup wizard, you can execute the command /opt/vmware/share/vami/vami_config_net in vCC Node console using root account.

 What is next?

After doing the basic setup which was done as well in vCC Server, here you go.

a. Register vCC-Node with its Cloud. In this registration, vCC-Node will poll all required info about the associated cloud and will be managing it. 

Connect to vCC-Node web console using the URL https://#vCC-Node-IP#:5480. Use the default username (admin) and password (vmware). Navigate to Node tab and configure as below.

b. Register vCC-Node with vCC-Server. After this registration, vCC Server will be sending commands to vCC Node which will execute them on the associated cloud. 

Connect to vCC Server web console using the URL https://#vCC-Server-IP#:5480. Navigate to Nodes tab and configure the parameters as below.

PS: The Local Content Directory Node always appears by default. This node is for Content Sync. Do not edit this Node.

If you have a NODE registered with vCD Cloud and trying to register this NODE with vCC Server, make sure that REST API URL in vCD isn't including "/cloud". Else, vCC-Node won't register with vCC-Server because vCC-Node won't be able to connect to vCD REST API to poll cloud details and provide those details to vCC-Server (URL mismatch)

c. Copy operations between clouds rely on temporary storage resides in vCC-Node before moving actual data into SAN/NFS. The default size of vCC-Node transfer storage is 40 GB. You may increase it for heavier operations.

After changing the transfer storage size, you need to connect to vCC-Node CLI and run the following command (this is required to reflect the new size in the OS):

sudo /opt/vmware/hcagent/scripts/resize_disk.sh

d. Increase the number of concurrent activities from vCC-Node web console.

4. Add Clouds to vCC UI. This is the last step to start management of clouds using vCC.

a. Connect to vCC UI either through vSphere Client or http://vcloud.vmware.com.

b. Add new cloud as shown below. The drop -down menu will list all the clouds registered with vCC Server through their respective vCC Nodes. vCC UI should be able to connect to cloud IP which can be vCenter Server IP or vCD Server IP, NOT vCC NODE.

c. The username/password should be valid on vCD or vCenter Server. The privileges of this account controls what operations can be performed from vCC UI on the cloud. For example, with 'vApp User' privilege, the administrator can't perform copy operation from vCC UI on vCD Cloud (this privilege can't download vApp Template). To have full access, use 'Organization Admin' privilege.