VMware Cloud Foundation: Deploy, Configure, Manage (5.0)

By the end of the course, you should be able to meet the following objectives:

• Plan a deployment for VMware Cloud Foundation
• Understand VMware Cloud Foundation and supporting architecture
• Configure VMware Cloud Foundation for VMware Cloud Connectivity
• Understand the VMware Cloud Foundation subscription licensing model
• Perform Day-Zero tasks
• Perform VMware Cloud Foundation platform onboarding
• Manage user credentials in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Configure NSX networking in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Deploy and manage Workload Domains
• Deploy vSphere with Tanzu on VMware Cloud Foundation
• Understand and implement storage solutions and related policies
• Perform maintenance tasks for the VMware Cloud Foundation platform
• Manage certificates for VMware Cloud Foundation and connected technologies
• Manage the lifecycle for VMware Cloud Foundation
• Engage with VMware Cloud Foundation Technical Support

Before taking this course, students should take the following courses or have equivalent knowledge and experience:

• VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage
• VMware NSX: Install, Configure, Manage
• VMware vSAN: Install, Configure, Manage

1 Course Introduction

• Introductions and course logistics
• Course objectives

2 VMware Cloud Foundation Overview

• Describe the VMware Cloud Foundation solution
• Describe VMware Cloud Foundation architecture
• Identify VMware Cloud Foundation components
• Describe VMware Cloud Foundation topology

3 VMware Cloud Foundation+ and VMware Cloud Connectivity

• Describe the VMware Cloud Foundation+™ architecture
• Identify the pre-requisites for VCF+
• Describe the VCF+ value added features
• Describe subscription-based licensing parameters
• Describe the subscription process
• Describe the VMware Cloud Gateway™ functionality
• Identify the VMware Cloud Gateway components
• Describe the VMware Cloud Gateway architecture
• Describe VMware Cloud Gateway connectivity to VMware Cloud
• Describe the VMware Cloud platform
• Describe the vSphere+ services used in VCF+
• Demonstrate the capabilities of the cloud UI for VCF+

4 Day Zero Tasks

• Identify the requirements for deploying VMware Cloud Foundation
• Describe the VMware Cloud Foundation bring-up process
• Identify the information required for the Planning and Preparation Workbook
• Complete the Deployment Parameter Workbook
• Describe how VMware Cloud Builder™ automates the deployment process
• Identify the configuration validation process performed by VMware Cloud Builder
• Describe the deployment of the management domain

5 Post-Deployment Operations

• Complete the onboarding wizard
• Understand VMware Cloud Foundation integration with VMware Single Sign-On
• Configure user access to VMware Cloud Foundation
• Describe the importance of user roles in vSphere
• Configure identity sources for VMware Cloud Foundation
• Perform the SDDC Manager backup and restore process
• Identify steps in the NSX backup and restore process
• Manage passwords in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Explain the importance of using VMware Cloud Foundation to manage passwords for vSphere components
• Manage and secure a primary password list
• Describe the process for rotating passwords not managed by VMware Cloud Foundation

6 VMware Cloud Foundation Networking with NSX

• Describe network virtualization with NSX
• Recognize NSX operational planes
• Identify NSX components
• Describe logical switching
• Describe NSX Data Center deployment in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Explain how logical routing works in NSX
• Identify VMware NSX® Edge™ functions
• Describe data plane preparation for NSX Edge nodes in a workload domain
• Recognize tier-0 and tier-1 gateway topologies
• Define application virtual networks
• Describe management domain rack options
• List NSX Edge cluster requirements for vSphere with Tanzu
• Discuss NSX Edge cluster placement considerations

7 Managing Workload Domains

• Define workload domains
• List the types of workload domains
• State scale limits for workload domains
• Identify use cases for multiple clusters in a workload domain
• Define network pools
• Size network pools
• Create network pools
• Commission hosts
• Identify workload domain prerequisites
• Create a workload domain
• Scale a workload domain
• Delete a workload domain
• Decommission hosts
• Describe distinctive design decisions for VMware Cloud Foundation components

8 vSphere with Tanzu in VMware Cloud Foundation

• Explain vSphere with Tanzu
• Define the role of Spherelet
• Describe the supervisor cluster control plane
• Define vSphere with Tanzu namespaces
• Describe the role of NSX networking components
• Discuss vSphere with Tanzu networking topology
• Describe control plane VM management networking requirements
• Plan appropriate IP address CIDR ranges for pod, ingress, and egress networking
• Describe prerequisites for vSphere with Tanzu cluster compatibility
• Deploy VMware vSphere® Add-on for Kubernetes
• Create a vSphere namespace
• Configure limits and permissions for a vSphere namespace

9 VMware Cloud Foundation Storage Management

• Identify storage use cases in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Determine the most appropriate storage option for a workload domain
• Describe different vSphere-native storage design options
• Identify VMware vSAN architecture and components
• Describe vSAN requirements for the management and workload domains
• Define deduplication and compression
• Discuss how to scale vSAN clusters in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Explain how storage policies work with VMware Cloud Foundation vSAN clusters
• Configure storage policies for vSAN
• Explain storage policy failure tolerance rules
• Identify a virtual machine storage policy compliance status

10 Availability and Business Continuity

• Recognize the importance of external service availability
• Describe native vSphere availability options
• Identify stretched cluster use cases
• Identify stretched cluster components
• Recognize stretched cluster requirements in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Prepare and deploy a vSAN stretched cluster using APIs

11 VMware Cloud Foundation Certificate Management

• Learn basics of public key infrastructure (PKI)
• Describe the purpose of certificate signing requests (CSRs)
• Describe the use of subject alternative names (SAN)
• Describe available options in SDDC Manager for certificate authorities
• View certificates
• Generate a CSR
• Replace and install certificates for VMware Cloud Foundation components
• Know the available CA options in SDDC Manager
• Configure the Microsoft CA server
• Add OpenSSL CA in SDDC Manager
• Install certificates issued by Microsoft, OpenSSL, and third-party certificate authorities

12 VMware Cloud Foundation Lifecycle Management

• Describe VMware Cloud Foundation Life Cycle Management
• List the products you can upgrade using VMware Cloud Foundation Lifecycle management
• Use online and offline bundle downloads using VMware Cloud Foundation Lifecycle management
• Understand the role of vSphere Lifecycle Management in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Understand vSphere Lifecycle Manager baseline-based and image-based clusters
• Understand how and when to use cluster images
• Describe the importance of Hardware Support Managers
• Describe the upgrade prerequisites
• Outline the upgrade precheck process
• Describe the order of upgrade for VMware Cloud Foundation components
• Upgrade VMware Cloud Foundation software and components

13 VMware Cloud Foundation Troubleshooting

• Use the SoS command-line tool to create log bundles, perform health checks, and check password validity
• List VMware Cloud Foundation services
• Identify VMware Cloud Foundation log files
• Use token IDs to troubleshoot failed workflows