Course Overview
This course enables an administrator to manage a VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) on VxRail solution. It covers reviewing the management interfaces, managing users, roles, and passwords, managing certificates and licenses, managing the workload domains, deploying NSX Edge cluster, performing lifecycle management, configuring multi-instance management, and exploring troubleshooting and support options. Hands on labs are included for practicing key administrative tasks.
Who should attend
This course is intended for customers, partners and Dell Technologies employees who are responsible for administering and managing a VCF on VxRail solution.
Prerequisites
This course assumes that the students are familiar with:
- Basic understanding of VMware Cloud Foundation
- Technical proficiency with VMware ESXi, vSphere and NSX components and user interfaces
- Experience with administering VxRail systems
The following training is recommended:
- VxRail Concepts
- VxRail Administration
- VMware Cloud Foundation Overview
Course Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, participants should be able to:
- Describe the VCF on VxRail system and use the knowledge to deploy or manage the system.
- Locate system components using multiple UIs to manage and support VCF 5 on VxRail deployments.
- Configure and manage users from an external identity source like Microsoft Active Directory
- Configure and manage component passwords
- Configure and manage SSL certificates
- Manage licenses
- Add and remove a host from a VI WLD
- Use the Developer Center to retrieve information and create a service account
- Using the VCF API, deploy an NSX Edge cluster on the VI WLD
- Configure backups for SDDC Manager and NSX Manager
- Update SDDC Manager to another version.
- Deploy VMware Aria Lifecycle Manager using SDDC Manager
- Provide ongoing support
Course Content
The content of this course is designed to support the course objectives. Practical experience is included throughout the course.
Describe VCF on VxRail
- Overview of VCF on VxRail
- VCF on VxRail Architecture
- Supported storage and networking options
- High-level implementation steps for VCF on VxRail
Use multiple UIs to identify system components
- Describe the various user interfaces and explain their uses
- Identify the cluster, hosts and storage for each domain in SDDC manager
- Lab: Identify the cluster, hosts and storage for the Management Domain and VI WLD in SDDC manager
- Identify the cluster, hosts, and storage for each WLD in the vSphere client
- Lab: Identify Mgmt. and VI WLD components using the vSphere Client
- Identify NSX components and segments for each WLD in NSX Manager
- Lab: Identify Mgmt. and VI WLD components using the NSX Manager
Manage User Accounts and Roles
- SSO and identity sources
- Lab: Add Active Directory over LDAP external identity source to VCF
- VCF users and roles
- Lab: Assign roles to groups and test access
Manage System Component Passwords
- Component password management options for VCF
- Lab: Change a password locally on a system component
- Lab: Use the Remediate action to update a component password in SDDC Manager
- Lab: Use the Update action to set a specific password for a VCF component
- Lab: Use the Rotate Now action to set a random password for a VCF component
- Lab: Use the Schedule Rotation action to set an automatic password change schedule
- Lab: Use the lookup_password utility to retrieve a component password
Manage TLS Certificates
- Certificate management options for VCF
- Lab: Manage Certificates
Manage Licenses
- How licensing works in SDDC manager
- Lab: Add a license to SDDC Manager
- Lab: Assign a new license from SDDC Manager
Manage Workload Domain Hosts
- Overview of adding a VxRail host to a workload domain
- Lab: Add a VxRail host to a VxRail cluster using the vSphere client and VxRail plugin
- Lab: Add a VxRail host to a VI workload domain using SDDC Manager.
- Considerations for removing a VxRail host from an existing workload domain
- Lab: Remove a VxRail host from a VI workload domain using SDDC Manager.
Use Developer Center to access and manage VCF
- VCF developer center and API capabilities
- Lab: Retrieve cluster information using developer center
- Lab: Create a service account using developer center
Deploy NSX Edge cluster on a VI WLD using the API
- NSX networking for VI workload VMs
- Lab: Deploy an NSX Edge cluster using API
- Lab: Validate the NSX Edge cluster deployment using NSX Manager
Configure SDDC Manager and NSX Manager Backups
- Various backup types and options for SDDC Manager and NSX Manager
- Lab: Configure an external SFTP server target in SDDC Manager
- Backup schedules for VCF
- Lab: Configure a backup schedule for SDDC Manager, NSX Manager and vCenter.
Upgrade SDDC Manager
- VCF Lifecycle Management (LCM)
- Why and when to perform an update
- Lab: Validate that the correct upgrade bundle is available
- Lab: Perform a Precheck in SDDC Manager
- Lab: Perform an upgrade on SDDC Manager
Deploy VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle
- Lab: Deploy VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle
Support VCF
- Supportability and Serviceability (SoS) Utility
- Lab: Disable the ESXi SSH access for all ESXi hosts using the SOS utility
- Lab: Validate system health using the SOS utility
- Lab: Generate logs using the SOS utility and collect the logs
- Describe VCF log files uses and locations
- Describe how to troubleshoot a failed workflow