vCloud

vCloud Connector is an enterprise product that provides a single user interface for overseeing multiple public and private clouds and for transferring cloud content from one cloud to another. It allows you to connect multiple clouds, both internal and external, in a single user interface.

Using vCloud Connector, you can stop and start virtual machines, check their performance, and transfer virtual machines, vApps, and templates from one cloud to another. vCloud Connector consists of three distinct components: the vCloud Connector UI, the vCloud Connector Server, and vCloud Connector Nodes.

The vcloud.vmware.com website allows you to access the vCloud Connector UI through your browser and helps you make the move to a hybrid cloud environment. You can view your vCloud Connector through it and you share access to your clouds with others. The website also connects you to a range of public cloud service providers offering evaluation cloud offers and a community of other vCloud Connector users.

Download VMware vCloud Connector v1.5 (free)

This video shows you an overview of how to use the web interface, virtual datacenters, vApps, virtual machines (VM's) and catalogs.You should also take a look at: Video - How to move your VMs to BlueLock’s vCloud Datacenter

VMware has successfully implemented dozens of cloud infrastructures. To help pass along the experience they have accumulated through these deployments, they have assembled a set of documents you may use to better understand both the principles upon which VMware’s cloud strategy is executed, and the actual mechanics of implementing your own cloud infrastructure. Review and use these assets in your own exploration of cloud technologies, and compare them with any real-world advice you may receive from other sources. VMware is confident that the more you know about our architecture and its advantages, the more likely you will be to adopt and leverage that architecture.

VMware recommends you review these documents in order, starting with what to consider when first developing a Cloud strategy, in Requirements for a Cloud. The next two Service Definition documents are presented as aids to developing business and functional requirements for either Public or Private cloud architectures—complete with sample use cases. Linking together the first three documents is the pivotal Architecting a Cloud, which assumes familiarity with at least two of the prior three documents. Finally, the Example documents illustrate from our direct customer experiences what functioning cloud architectures may look like.

• Requirements for a cloud
• Service Definition for a Public Cloud
• Service Definition for a Private Cloud
• Architecting a Cloud
• Implementation Example for a Public Cloud
• Implementation Example for a Private Cloud

http://www.vmware.com/cloud-computing/cloud-architecture/

Charging for cloud storage must account for two costs: the cost of the capacity used and the cost of access to that capacity. For the cost of access, current systems focus on the work requested, such as data transferred or I/O operations completed, rather than the exertion (i.e., effort/resources expended) to complete that work. But, the provider’s cost is based on the exertion, and the exertion for a given amount of work can vary dramatically based on characteristics of the workload, making current charging models unfair to tenants, provider, or both. This paper argues for exertion-based metrics, such as disk time, for the access cost component of cloud storage billing. It also discusses challenges in supporting fair and predictable exertion accounting, such as significant inter-workload interference effects for storage access, and a performance insulation approach to addressing them.

 http://labs.vmware.com/publications/exertion-based-billing

I’ve created an OVF and OVA version of the highly popular Damn Small Linux distribution. Normally you run this OS which is only 50MBs in disk size from an ISO or pen drive but I’ve seen more and more people experimenting with the vCloud Director and really need some small test VMs. Damn Small Linux is ideal for this purpose although it’s very small, it contains some great tools like a browser and shell access.

(Taken from http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/) DSL was originally developed as an experiment to see how many usable desktop applications can fit inside a 50MB live CD. It was at first just a personal tool/toy. But over time Damn Small Linux grew into a community project with hundreds of development hours put into refinements including a fully automated remote and local application installation system and a very versatile backup and restore system which may be used with any writable media including a hard drive, a floppy drive, or a USB device.

DSL has a nearly complete desktop, and a tiny core of command line tools. All applications are chosen with the best balance of functionality, size and speed. Damn Small also has the ability to act as an SSH/FTP/HTTPD server right off of a live CD. In our quest to save space and have a fully functional desktop they've made many GUI administration tools which are fast yet still easy to use. What does DSL have?

XMMS (MP3, CD Music, and MPEG), FTP client, Dillo web browser, Netrik web browser, FireFox, spreadsheet, Sylpheed email, spellcheck (US English), a word-processor (Ted), three editors (Beaver, Vim, and Nano [Pico clone]), graphics editing and viewing (Xpaint, and xzgv), Xpdf (PDF Viewer), emelFM (file manager), Naim (AIM, ICQ, IRC), VNCviwer, Rdesktop, SSH/SCP server and client, DHCP client, PPP, PPPoE (ADSL), a web server, calculator, generic and GhostScript printer support, NFS, Fluxbox and JWM window managers, games, system monitoring apps, a host of command line tools, USB support, and pcmcia support, some wireless support.

Root password: www.ntpro.nl
DSL user password: www.ntpro.nl
Hardware Version: 7
Disk size: 256 MB Thin
Memory: 256 MB
Network: VM Network (DHCP)

Download location: http://www.screencast.com/users/esloof/folders/DSL or Damn Small Linux OVF

VMware has released the vCloud Reference Architecture Kit which can help you with creating Public and Private vCloud implementations.

The Service Definition for Private Cloud describes the creation of a fully virtualized, pooled compute platform for use as an Enterprise Private Cloud, or business-internal organizational cloud computing service, commonly referred to as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). VMware technologies including vSphere, vShield Manager, vCenter Chargeback, and vCloud Director will be used to establish this service.

The result of this service includes secure multi-tenancy for Lines of Business, shared virtualized assets, a self-service user portal, standard catalogues of pre-defined virtual machines & applications with usage metering. Going forward, this service will be enhanced with greater capacity and the preparation for linking with other cloud services either within or beyond the boundaries of the Enterprise.

The vCloud Implementation Example for a Public vCloud Service Provider architecture design document is intended to serve as a reference for architects, and assumes they have familiarity with VMware products, including VMware vSphere, vCenter, and VMware vCloud Director. The vCloud architecture detailed in this document is organized into these sections:

vCloud Definition - Inventory of components that comprise the cloud solution

vSphere Management - vSphere and vCenter components that support running workloads

vSphere Resources - Resources for cloud consumption Design organized by compute, networking, and shared storage, detailed through logical and physical design specifications and considerations

Management and Security - Considerations as they apply to vSphere and VMware vCloud Director Management components

vCloud Logical Design - VMware vCloud Director objects and configuration Relationship of VMware vCloud Director to vSphere objects

Reference Architecture Kit - The vCloud Reference Architecture white papers help existing vSphere users understand what it takes to build a vCloud, both public and private clouds.

• Service Definition for Public Cloud
• Service Definition for Private Cloud
• Architecting a vCloud Whitepaper
• VMware vCloud Implementation Example: Public vCloud Service Provider
• VMware vCloud Implementation Example: Private Enterprise vCloud

Getting Started with Cloud Foundry provides information about installing and starting VMware Cloud Foundry, the VMware Application Platform as a Service (PaaS) solution. This video is intended for anyone who wants to install, configure, and use VMware Cloud Foundry. 
 

In this video I’ll show how to deploy the vCloud Connector virtual appliance and connect it to a vCenter server instance.  vCloud Connector (vCC) allows the vSphere Administrators to use their familiar vSphere Client as a single pane-of-glass view across hybrid clouds. It’s also a great tool when you have to transfer virtual machines between multiple vCenter servers.

They can perform the following operations

• See a list of virtual machines, vApps, virtual machine templates, and vApp templates on vSphere and vCloud Director-based private and public clouds (including vCloud Datacenter Services).
  
• Copy virtual machines, vApps, virtual machine templates, and vApp templates between vSphere and vCloud Director-based private and public clouds.
  
• Perform basic operations (for example, power on/off, suspend, reset, delete) on virtual machines and vApps in vSphere and vCloud Director-based private and public clouds.
  
• Deploy vApp templates as vApps (fenced mode) in vCloud Director-based private and public clouds.
  
• Access vCloud vApp consoles
  
• Directly launch the vCloud URL

This video is also added to my iTunes channel which can be found at Online VMware Training. It looks great on an iPad.

Follow-up "Video – Using the vCloud Connector"

VMware has announced a new free product which enables you to move and control your virtual machines and vApps in the cloud. The vCloud Connector will be available for download in Q1 2011.

VMware announced it has reached a milestone in delivering the enterprise hybrid cloud with the availability of VMware vCloud Datacenter services from BlueLock and Colt and beta services available from Verizon. VMware also introduced VMware vCloud Connector, a free plug-in that will allow all VMware vSphere administrators to immediately begin deploying and managing virtual machines (VMs) across VMware vCloud Powered cloud services from within the VMware vSphere Client. 

http://www.vmware.com/company/news/releases/vcdc-feb2011.html

VMware has released the beta of a new training course called VMware vCloud: Architecting the VMware Cloud. This course is designed to guide students through the decision points and policy choices available for designing and implementing a VMware vCloud environment. Students will learn to appreciate the effects of design choices in VMware vSphere 4, VMware vCloud Director, VMware vCenter™ Chargeback, and the VMware vShield Edge functionality that is included with vCloud Director. The course culminates in a comprehensive workshop about VMware cloud design.

VMware will announce an exciting new product, vCloud Request Manager, on October 12, 2010 at VMworld Copenhagen. vCloud Request Manager provides enterprises with enhanced governance and control of vCloud Director based Private Clouds. It does this by:

1. Adding sophisticated approval workflows to provisioning requests,
2. Automatically tracking software license usage as vApps are commissioned and decommissioned
3. Enforcing standardized settings on vCloud Director “Organizations” through the use of policies called “Blueprints”.

Attend this VMLIVE to understand key launch dates, positioning, FAQ and supporting collateral for this key Q4 launch.

VMware vCloud Request Manager - Enhanced Governance and Control of vCloud Director based Private Clouds

The VMware vCloud API provides support for developers who are building interactive clients of VMware vCloud Director using a RESTful application development style. vCloud API clients and servers communicate over HTTP, exchanging representations of vCloud objects. These representations take the form of XML elements. HTTP GET requests are used to retrieve the current representation of an object, HTTP POST and PUT requests are used to create or modify an object, and HTTP DELETE requests are typically used to delete an object.

The vCloud SDK for .NET is a C# language binding for the vCloud API. It provides a set of C# class libraries and a number of sample applications. The classes and functions in the libraries encapsulate the interfaces, objects, and operations supported by the vCloud API while preserving its RESTful programming style and compatibility with the HTTP protocol family. This vCloud SDK for .NET Programming Guide provides information about setting up the SDK in the SDK.

http://communities.vmware.com/community/beta/vcloudsdk-net

This video (HD) will show you how to use the vCloud SDK for .NET in Visual Basic 2008.

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