Overview

VMware Management takes over VMware vCenter via public APIs and seamlessly integrates some of the features of VMware vCenter Server to achieve a unified management of multiple virtualization platforms on ZStack Cloud. If you have deployed VMware vCenter Server in a data center, you can use VMware Management to take over VMware vCenter. Then you can view vSphere server resources and VM resources managed by VMware vCenter Server, use VMware vSphere resources in the virtual data center, and perform the common operations on VM instances in VMware vCenter clusters.

  • The VMware Management is a separate feature module. To use this feature, you need to purchase both the Base License and the Plus License of the VMware Management. The Plus License cannot be used independently.

  • ZStack Cloud supports multiple vCenter versions, including 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, 6.7, and 7.0.

Concepts

  • vSphere: an enterprise-class virtualization platform provided by VMware. It can convert a data center into an aggregated computing infrastructure that includes compute, storage, and network resources. vSphere consists of multiple software applications, with ESXi and vCenter as the two core components.
  • ESXi: a Type 1 virtual hypervisor (baremetal hypervisor) directly installed on a baremetal physical server. It supports the creation and management of multiple VM instances on an ESXi host.
  • vCenter Server: a centralized management platform of physical and virtual resources on a VMware vCenter. It supports one-click access to and management of ESXi hosts, VM instances, Datastore, network, and other resources.

External Access Fundamentals

ZStack Cloud sends cloud resource control requests to the vCenter through asynchronous event listening methods and receives the returned event contents. In addition, ZStack Cloud can also receive contents that are intuitively pushed by the vCenter. This way, ZStack Cloud achieves bidirectional data synchronization.

Figure 1. ZStack Cloud Managing vCenter Diagram


Environment Preparations

To manage vCenter on ZStack Cloud, you need to prepare ZStack Cloud Private Cloud environment and vCenter environment in advance. You can refer to User Guide for ZStack Cloud installation and deployment.

Environment Preparations for a vCenter

To use ZStack Cloud to manage the virtual resources of a vCenter, you need to make sure that the vCenter meets the following requirements:
  • The vCenter must have a resource hierarchy of data center, cluster and host.
  • The vCenter must support to display the added local storages and shared storages, such as vSAN, FC, iSCSI, and NFS.
    Note: Currently, datastore Cluster is not supported.
  • The vCenter must be configured with port groups of either dvSwitch or vSwitch.
    • dvSwitch scenario:

      Only resources of the hosts that are added to a dvSwitch can be imported to ZStack Cloud. If you do not add a host to a dvSwitch, the associated resources cannot be imported to ZStack Cloud.

    • vSwitch scenario:
      The resources imported to ZStack Cloud must be the resources of the hosts in the same cluster and must be added with at least one same vSwitch name. In addition, they must have at least one same port group attribute (including the same network labels and the same VLAN ID) at the same time.
      Note: ZStack Cloud can only manage VM networks rather than VMkernels or management networks.
  • The existing template virtual machines need to be converted into template types.
Figure 2. vCenter Cluster and Host Information


Figure 3. vCenter Distributed Switch Information


Figure 4. vCenter Template Information


vCenter Basic Resource

Information about the vCenter Basic Resource

ZStack Cloud can manage vCenter basic resources, namely vCenter virtual resources, in a unified manner, currently including the addition of a vCenter, vCenter data synchronization, and the deletion of a vCenter.

After you add a vCenter to the Cloud for the first time, ZStack Cloud will automatically synchronize the clusters, hosts, VM instances, templates, storages, networks, and other resources in the vCenter. You can also synchronize the resources of the vCenter to your current Cloud while you are using it by clicking Sync Data. Then, you can view all these resources on the UI.
  • You can add and manage multiple vCenters.
  • You can filter the vCenter resources before you import them into ZStack Cloud.
    • dvSwitch scenario:

      Only resources of the hosts that are added to a dvSwitch can be imported to ZStack Cloud. If you do not add a host to a dvSwitch, the associated resources cannot be imported to ZStack Cloud.

    • vSwitch scenario:
      The resources imported to ZStack Cloud must be the resources of the hosts in the same cluster and must be added with at least one same vSwitch name. In addition, they must have at least one same port group attribute (including the same network labels and the same VLAN ID) at the same time.
      Note: ZStack Cloud can only manage VM networks rather than VMkernels or management networks.

Add a vCenter

The following table displays the information required to add a vCenter.
Field Description Example
Access Domain Name The address used to access the vCenter: a domain name or an IP address.
  • vc.test.com
  • 172.20.1.166
Administrator The user name for the vCenter administrator. This filed should include an intact domain. administrator@vsphere.local
Access Password The password for the vCenter administrator. Testing123

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > vCenter > Basic Resource. On the Basic Resource page, click Add vCenter. Then, the Add vCenter page is displayed.

On the displayed page, set the following parameters:
  • Name: Enter a name for the vCenter.
  • Description: Optional. Enter a description for the vCenter.
  • Domain: Enter a domain for the vCenter.

    The Domain here is a domain name or an IP address used to access the vCenter, for example, 172.20.1.166.

  • Port: Enter an available port number of the vCenter.
  • User: Enter a user name for the vCenter. The name should include an intact domain.
  • Password: Enter the password corresponding to the vCenter user name. The password should match the practical environment and is case-sensitive.
  • HTTPS/HTTP: Select a transfer protocol for vCenter synchronization. You can choose either HTTP or HTTPS. Default option: HTTPS.
Figure 5. Add Basic Resource


vCenter Details Page

After you add a vCenter successfully, ZStack Cloud will import the clusters, hosts, VM instances, templates, storages, networks, and other resources in the vCenter.

You can view the Overview, Cluster, Primary Storage, Backup Storage, Host, Resource Pool and Audit tab pages on the details page:
  • Overview: This tab page displays the information of the added vCenter, including the basic information and the number of the associated resources.
  • Cluster: This tab page displays the list of the vCenter clusters managed by the Cloud. The displayed information includes the name, the hypervisor type, the number of the hosts, and the state of the clusters.
  • Both the Primary Storage and the Backup Storage tab pages support a datastore list to display the relevant information.
  • The Host tab page allows you to view the states of the hosts in the maintenance mode.
    Note:
    • If a host on the remote vCenter is in the maintenance mode, you can view its state locally via data synchronization.
  • Resource Pool: This tab page displays a list of the resource pools of the managed vCenters, the resource pools and the resources in them (including other resource pools and VM instances). The other information displayed includes the name, type, parent item, VM instance quota, and CPU/memory capacity limit of the vCenter.
    The details page of a single resource pool displays the reservation of the CPU/memory capacity (you cannot allocate the reserved resource capacity), the limit (the upper limit of the allocated resource capacity), quota (the proportional weight of the resource sharing) and other information of the pool.
    • Reservation: Specify the lower limit of the CPU/memory allocation for the resource pool. The value is 0 by default.
    • Limit: Specify the upper limit of the CPU/memory allocation for the resource pool. The value is Unlimited by default.
    • Quota: Specify quota value attained by the resource pool relative to the total resource of its parent resource pool. Sibling resource pools share the resources according to their relative quota value bounded by their Reservations and Limits.
    Note:
    • The vCenter VM instances created on ZStack Cloud do not display the resource pool attributes. Therefore, you cannot find their corresponding information on the Resource Pool tab page.
    • After upgrading the ZStack Cloud of the historical versions (earlier than ZStack Cloud 3.3.0) to the latest version, you need to click Sync Data to view the information of the vCenter resource pools.
    • For more details, refer to VMware Official Documentation.
  • Audit: This tab page displays the operation log of the vCenter.

Manage a vCenter

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, click Resource Center > vCenter > Basic Resource. Then, the Basic Resource page is displayed.

The following table lists the actions that you can perform on a vCenter basic resource.
Action Description
Add vCenter Add a vCenter to the current cloud platform.

After you add a vCenter, ZStack Cloud automatically synchronizes its clusters, hosts, VM instances, storage, networks, and other resources to local. You can view all these resources on corresponding pages.

Edit vCenter Edit the name and the description of a vCenter.
Sync Data Synchronize the vCenter resources to local.
Note:
  • The vCenter Server Appliance (vCSA) deployed on the remote vCenter will not be synchronized to local in case of error operations.
  • Frequent DRS migrations on the remote vCenter may cause a sync failure.
  • ZStack Cloud allows you to specify the time interval for automatic synchronizations of vCenter data. Method:

    Choose Settings > Platform Setting > Global Setting > Advanced > Resource Center > vCenter. Then, set vCenter Data Auto Sync.

Delete vCenter Delete a vCenter.

Deleting a vCenter also deletes the local records of the associated resources. The actual resources on the remote vCenter are not affected.

vCenter VM Instance

Create a vCenter VM Instance

After you add a vCenter, the vCenter VM instances are automatically synchronized to ZStack Cloud. You can also create vCenter VM instances on local.

To create vCenter VM instances, you need to set up a vCenter network (public network, flat network, or VPC network) on ZStack Cloud in advance. For detailed method, see Create a vCenter Network.

The following describes how to create a vCenter VM instance on ZStack Cloud.

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > vCenter > VM Instance. On the VM Instance page, click Create VM Instance. Then, the Create VM Instance page is displayed.

On the displayed page, set the following parameters:
  • Name: Enter a name for the vCenter VM instance.
    Note: The vCenter VM instance name cannot be identical with the vCenter image name.
  • Description: Optional. Enter a description for the vCenter VM instance.
  • Quantity: Select the number of the vCenter VM instances you want to create. You can create vCenter VM instances in bulk.
    Note: Please enter an integer here.
  • Group: Optional. Choose a group for the vCenter VM instance. If you do not set this parameter, the vCenter VM instance goes to the default group.
    Note: Sync Data does not synchronize group information in a vCenter.
  • Instance Offering: Select an instance offering for the vCenter VM instance.
  • Image: Select an image to create the vCenter VM instance.
  • Network Configuration: Select a vCenter public network, flat network, or VPC network that you created before.
    • Make Default: Optional. You can make the network you selected as the default network.
    • Assign IP: Optional. You can assign an IP address on the network you selected for the vCenter VM instance.
    • MAC Address: Optional. You can assign a MAC address on the network you selected for the vCenter VM instance.

    You can click Add Network Configuration to configure another network.

  • Advanced:
    • Disk Offering: Optional. You can select a disk offering to create a volume and attach it to the vCenter VM instance.
    • Cluster: Optional. You can specify a cluster to use the hosts in it to start the vCenter VM instance.
    • Primary Storage: Optional. You can specify a primary storage for the vCenter VM instance.
    • Host: You can specify a host to start the vCenter VM instance.
Figure 6. Create a vCenter VM Instance on ZStack Cloud


Manage a vCenter VM Instance

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > vCenter > VM Instance. Then, the VM Instance page is displayed.

The following table lists the actions that you can perform on a vCenter VM instance.
Action Description
Create vCenter VM Instance Create a vCenter VM instance on ZStack Cloud.
Edit vCenter VM Instance Edit the name and the description of a vCenter VM instance.
Change Group Change the VM group a vCenter VM instance affiliated to.
Start vCenter VM Instance Start a stopped vCenter VM instance.
Stop vCenter VM Instance Stop a running vCenter VM instance.
Note: If the VM instance has HA enabled, you can make the VM instance not automatically reboot this time after being stopped.
Reboot vCenter VM Instance Reboot a running vCenter VM instance.
Resume vCenter VM Instance Resume a paused vCenter VM instance.
Pause vCenter VM Instance Pause a running vCenter VM instance.
Note: Pausing the vCenter VM instance does not equal to stopping the VM instance. Stopping a paused VM instance may influence the operation of the business.
Power Off vCenter VM Instance Force a running vCenter VM instance into the stopped state.
Note: We recommend that you do not power off a VM instance in general scenarios.
Launch Console You can enter the operating system of a vCenter VM instance by launching its console.
Note:
  • This operation applies to the VM instances managed from vCenters of 7.0 or later versions. If you cannot launch the console, please log in to the vCenter and download the trusted root CA certificate on the login page.
  • This operation does not apply to the VM instances managed from vCenters of versions earlier than 7.0. You cannot directly launch the console of a VM instance unless it meets one of the following requirements:
    • It is a vCenter VM instance created on ZStack Cloud.
    • It is a vCenter VM instance rebooted on ZStack Cloud.
    • It is a vCenter VM instance that is migrated on ZStack Cloud and resides on a shared storage.
Clone vCenter VM Instance Clone a VM instance that has the identical system with an existing vCenter VM instance according to its instance offering.
  • You can clone a vCenter VM instance either online or offline.
  • You can clone a vCenter VM instance with attached volumes.
  • You can clone a VM instance from the vCenter VM instance. (You cannot clone the vCenter VM instance as a template currently.)
Migrate vCenter VM Instance Migrate a vCenter VM instance to another compute node.
  • Only hot migration is supported.
  • You can hot migrate a vCenter VM instance on a shared storage with attached volumes.
  • You cannot migrate a vCenter VM instance on a local storage.
  • The migration speed is affected by the network configurations of the two vCenter VM instances. A low network configuration may result in a slow migration speed.
  • Make sure that you have enabled vMotion before you perform the migration.
    • For vCenters of version 5.5, you need to configure a dedicated VMKernel network and enable vMotion. In addition, make sure that IP addresses of the vMotion sub-interface of source VMkernel and destination VMkernel can intercommunicate with each other.
    • For vCenters of 6.0 or later versions, you just need to enable vMotion in the management network.
Modify Instance Offering You can modify the CPU/memory of a vCenter VM instance offline.
Change Owner Change the owner of a vCenter VM instance.
Note: ZStack Cloud supports multi-account management for the managed vCenters. Normal accounts and project members can perform actions on vCenter VM instances.
Set VM HA Set an HA mode for a vCenter VM instance.

NeverStop mode means enabled the HA feature. When a VM instance is shut down due to exceptions, this mode can trigger an automatic VM reboot to improve the VM availability.

Note:
  • If hosts are running properly, VM instances with HA enabled can reboot automatically in case of an abnormal shutdown.
  • If hosts are abnormal or enter the maintenance mode, VM instances on LocalStorage primary storage and with HA enabled can reboot automatically in case of an abnormal shutdown.
  • If in a remote vCenter environment, the Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) service is enabled to provide HA for vCenter VM instances, the HA setting on ZStack Cloud does not take effect on these VM instances.
Note:
  • If you select the NeverStop mode, make sure that the HA Policy is enabled in the platform setting. Otherwise, the NeverStop mode cannot take effect.
  • The VM instances do not HA restart if they are stopped manually or through scheduled jobs.
Set Console Password Set the console password for a vCenter VM instance.
  • This password is the VNC protocol password, not the password of the vCenter VM instance.
  • The setting takes effect after you reboot the VM instance.
Attach Volume Attach an available volume to a vCenter VM instance.
Detach Volume Detach a volume that you attached before from a vCenter VM instance.
Delete vCenter VM Instance Deleting a vCenter VM instance and its local records. In addition, the actual VM instances on the remote vCenter is stopped.
Recover vCenter VM Instance Recover a deleted vCenter VM instance.
Note: The recovered VM instance goes to the VM group it affiliated to before it was deleted. If the original group has been deleted, the VM instance goes to the default group.
Expunge vCenter VM instance Expunge a deleted vCenter VM instance. This action expunges the local records and the actual VM instance on the remote vCenter.

vCenter Network Resource

This topic falls into two parts: create a vCenter network resource and manage a vCenter network resource.

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > vCenter > Network. On the Network page, click Create Network. Then, the Create Network page is displayed.

This topic describes three vCenter network creation scenarios.
  • Create a public network.
  • Create a flat network.
  • Create a VPC network.

Create a Public Network

On the displayed page, set the following parameters:
  • Name: Enter a name for the public network.
  • Description: Optional. Enter a description for the public network.
  • L2 Network Type: Select an L2 network type as needed.
    • Supported types: L2NoVlanNetwork and L2VlanNetwork.
    • If you select L2VlanNetwork, enter the VLAN ID.
  • Switch: Enter the dvSwitch name or vSwitch name of the vCenter as needed.
  • Network Type: Select Public Network here.
  • Cluster: Select a vCenter cluster.
  • Network Range Method: Select a method to add a network range for the public network. You can select IP Range or CIDR.
    • IP Range:
      • Start IP: Set a start IP address for the network range, for example, 172.20.58.200.
      • End IP: Set an end IP address for the network range, for example, 172.20.58.220.
      • Netmask: Set a netmask for the network range, for example, 255.255.0.0.
      • Gateway: Set a gateway for the network range, for example, 172.20.0.1.
    • CIDR: Set a CIDR block for the public network, for example, 192.168.1.1/24.
  • DHCP Service: Optional. Choose whether to enable the DHCP service.
    Note: vCenter public network does not support DHCP services. You need to manually assign an IP address to a VM instance.
Figure 7. Create a vCenter Public Network


Create a Flat Network

On the displayed page, set the following parameters:
  • Name: Enter a name for the flat network.
  • Description: Optional. Enter a description for the flat network.
  • L2 Network Type: Select an L2 network type as needed.
    • Supported types: L2NoVlanNetwork and L2VlanNetwork.
    • If you select L2VlanNetwork, enter a VLAN ID.
  • Switch: Enter the dvSwitch name or vSwitch name of the vCenter as needed.
  • Network Type: Select Flat Network here.
  • Cluster: Select a vCenter cluster.
  • Network Range Method: Select a method to add a network range for the public network. You can select IP Range or CIDR.
    • IP Range:
      • Start IP: Set a start IP address for the network range, for example, 172.20.58.100.
      • End IP: Set an end IP address for the network range, for example, 172.20.58.120.
      • Netmask: Set a netmask for the network range, for example, 255.255.0.0.
      • Gateway: Set a gateway for the network range, for example, 172.20.0.1.
    • CIDR: Set a CIDR block for the flat network, for example, 192.168.1.1/24.
  • DHCP Service: Optional. Choose whether to enable the DHCP service.
    Note: vCenter flat network does not support DHCP services. You need to manually assign an IP address to a VM instance.
Figure 8. Create a vCenter Flat Network


Create a VPC Network

Before you begin:
  • To create a vCenter VPC network, make sure that a ZStack Cloud management node and a vCenter host can communicate with each other.
  • To create a vCenter VPC network, you need to prepare a VPC vRouter in the Network Resource in advance.
    Note: ZStack Cloud provides users with dedicated vCenter vRouter images. You can find the download address of the latest vRouter image on the ZStack Cloud official website.
    • Software: ZStack-vRouter-4.8.38.vmdk
    • Download address: Click here.
On the displayed page, set the following parameters:
  • Name: Enter a name for the VPC network.
  • Description: Optional. Enter a description for the VPC network.
  • L2 Network Type: Select an L2 network type as needed.
    • Supported types: L2NoVlanNetwork and L2VlanNetwork.
    • If you select L2VlanNetwork, enter a VLAN ID.
  • Switch: Enter the dvSwitch name or vSwitch name of the vCenter as needed.
  • Network Type: Select VPC Network here.
  • Cluster: Select a vCenter cluster.
  • VPC vRouter: Select a VPC vRouter.
  • Network Range Method: Select a method to add a network range for the public network. You can select IP Range or CIDR.
    • IP Range:
      • Start IP: Set a start IP address for the network range, for example, 172.20.58.200.
      • End IP: Set an end IP address for the network range, for example, 172.20.58.220.
      • Netmask: Set a netmask for the network range, for example, 255.255.0.0.
      • Gateway: Set a gateway for the network range, for example, 172.20.0.1.
    • CIDR: Set a CIDR block for the VPC network, for example, 192.168.1.1/24.
  • DHCP Service: Optional. Choose whether to enable the DHCP service. The DHCP service is enabled by default.
  • DHCP IP: Optional. Set an IP address for the DHCP server.
  • NIC Type: Select the NIC type for the VPC network.
Figure 9. Create a VPC Network


Manage a vCenter Network

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, click Resource Center > vCenter > Network. Then, the Network page appears.

The following table lists the actions that you can perform on a vCenter network.
Action Description
Create vCenter Network Create a vCenter network. Network type includes public network, flat network, and VPC network.
Edit vCenter Network Edit the name and description of the vCenter network.
Add Network Range Add a network range for the vCenter network. An IPv4 public network supports IP range and CIDR. Flat networks and VPC networks only support IP range.
Set Sharing Mode
Set the sharing mode of a resource. The platform provides the following sharing modes:
  • Share Globally: Shares the resource to all projects and accounts.
  • Share to Specified Projects/Accounts: Shares the resource with specified projects and accounts.
  • Not Share: Revokes the resource from projects and accounts to which the resource is shared. If you set Sharing Mode to Not Share for a resource, other projects and accounts cannot use the resource.
Note:
  • If you change the Sharing Mode setting of a resource from Share Globally to Share to Specified Projects/Accounts, the resource is visible only to the specified projects or accounts the resource is shared to.
  • If the resource that you share to projects orthe specified accounts has been used by these projects or accounts and then you change the Sharing Mode of the resource, the change does not take effect on the projects or accounts. They can reverse and use the resource until it is released.
Delete vCenter Network Deleting a vCenter network resource also deletes local records. Your actual network resources on your remote vCenter will not be affected. (Deleting a vCenter network detaches the corresponding NIC from the vCenter VM instance.)

vCenter Network Service

vCenter network service currently supports the VPC network architecture model.

A VPC network provides network services such as SNAT, DHCP, elastic IP (EIP), port forwarding, load balancing, and IPsec tunnel.
  • SNAT: A VPC vRouter provides the source network address translation (SNAT) service to vCenter VM instances. vCenter VM instances can directly access the Internet by using SNAT.
  • DHCP: Centralized DHCP services realize a dynamic IP address obtainment.
  • EIP: Allows a VPC vRouter to access the private network of a vCenter VM instance through a public network.
  • Port forwarding: Forwards the port traffics of a specified public IP address to the port of a corresponding vCenter VM IP address.
  • Load balancing: Distributes inbound traffics from a public IP address to a group of backend vCenter VM instances, and then automatically detects and isolates unavailable vCenter VM instances.
  • IPsec tunnel: Uses an IPsec tunnel protocol to provide site-to-site VPN connections.

ZStack Cloud supports multi-account management in a managed vCenter. Normal accounts and project members can use vCenter network services, including EIP, port forwarding, and load balancing.

VIP (ESX)

A VPC network uses ESX virtual IP addresses (VIPs) to provide network services, including elastic IP (EIP), port forwarding, load balancing, and IPsec tunnel. This topic falls into the following parts:

VIP Types

Similar to KVM VIPs, an ESX VIP has two types: custom ESX VIP and system ESX VIP.
  1. Custom ESX VIP.
    • Creation: A custom ESX VIP is manually created by users.
    • Network Service:
      • The custom VIP in a VPC network environment can be used for network services, such as EIP, port forwarding, load balancing, and IPsec tunnel.
      • One custom VIP is used for only one EIP service instance.
      • One custom VIP can be used for port forwarding, load balancing, and IPsec tunnel at the same time, and supports multiple instances of the same service type.
        Note: Different types of services cannot use the same port number.
      • The custom VIP cannot be used across VPC vRouters.
    • Deletion:
      • Deleting a custom VIP also deletes all services the VIP provides.
      • Deleting a service of a custom VIP does not affect other services the VIP provides.
  2. System ESX VIP.
    • Creation:

      A system ESX VIP is automatically created by the system after a VPC vRouter is successfully created. This system VIP address is the default public IP address of the routing device.

    • Network service:
      • The system VIP in a VPC vRouter environment is used for network services, such as port forwarding, load balancing, and IPsec tunnel.
      • One system VIP can be used for port forwarding, load balancing, and IPsec tunnel at the same time, and supports multiple instances of the same service type.
        Note: Different types of services cannot use the same port number.
      • One system VIP corresponds to one VPC vRouter.
    • Deletion:
      • Deleting a service of a system VIP does not affect other services the VIP provides.
      • Deleting a VPC vRouter also deletes the corresponding system VIP and all services the VIP provides.

Create a Custom ESX VIP

The steps of creating a custom ESX VIP are basically the same as that of creating a custom KVM VIP.

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > Network Service > Basic Network Service > VIP. On the Custom page, click Create VIP. Then, the Create VIP page is displayed. On the displayed page, set the parameters. For detailed information, you can refer to User Guide.

Note: For Network, select the public network that you created in the vCenter.
Figure 10. Create Custom ESX VIP


How to Use an ESX VIP

The method of using an ESX VIP is basically the same as that of using a KVM VIP.

  • Custom ESX VIP:

    A custom ESX VIP in a VPC network environment can be used for network services, such as EIP, port forwarding, load balancing, and IPsec tunnel. To use custom ESX VIP, you can Create a New VIP or Use an Existing VIP. For detailed information, you can refer to User Guide.

  • System ESX VIP:

    A system ESX VIP in a VPC network environment can be used for network services, such as EIP, port forwarding, load balancing, and IPsec tunnel. The method of using a system ESX VIP is as follows:

    On the main menu of ZStack Cloud Private Cloud, choose Resource Center > Network Service > Port Forwarding/Load Balancing/IPsec Tunnel. On the Port Forwarding, Load Balancing, or IPsec Tunnel page, you can choose to use an existing VIP.

ESX VIP Actions

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > Network Service > Basic Network Service > VIP. Then, the VIP page is displayed.

The following table lists the actions that you can perform on a custom VIP.
Action Description
Create VIP Create a new VIP.
Edit VIP Edit the name and description of the VIP.
Delete VIP Delete the selected VIP.
Note:
  • Deleting a custom VIP also deletes all services the VIP provides.
  • Deleting a service of a custom VIP does not affect other services the VIP provides.

EIP

A VPC network uses custom ESX Virtual IP addresses (VIPs) to provide elastic IP address (EIP) services. With an EIP, a VPC vRouter can access the private network of a vCenter VM instance through a public network.

This topic falls into the following parts:

Create an EIP

The steps of creating an EIP in a vCenter environment are basically the same as that in a KVM environment.

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > Network Service > Basic Network Service > EIP. On the EIP page, click Create EIP. Then, the Create EIP page is displayed. On the displayed page, set the parameters. For detailed information, you can refer to User Guide.
Note:
  • If you choose to create a new VIP to provide EIP service, select public network that you created in the vCenter for Network.
  • If you choose to use an existing VIP to provide EIP service, select an existing custom ESX VIP for VIP.

EIP Actions

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > Network Service > Basic Network Service > EIP. Then, the EIP page is displayed.

The following table lists the actions that you can perform on an EIP.
Action Description
Create EIP Create a new EIP.
Edit EIP Edit the name and description of the EIP.
Attach NIC Attach an EIP to a VM NIC.

Method:

On the EIP page, choose an EIP, and click Attach NIC in the actions list to attach the EIP to a VM NIC.

Choose the NIC that you want to attach, and click OK button to finish the NIC attachment. To cancel the action, click the Cancel button. You can reattach an EIP to a VM NIC after the cancellation.

Detach NIC Detach the VM NIC from the EIP.
Note: If the NIC is in Disabled state, you need to enable the NIC to make the association take effect.
Change Owner Change the owner of the EIP.
Delete EIP Delete the selected EIP.
Note: Deleting an EIP also deletes the corresponding EIP service. To delete the corresponding VIP at the same time, select the Delete VIP checkbox.

Port Forwarding

A VPC network uses custom ESX virtual IP addresses (VIPs) or system ESX VIPs to provide port forwarding service, and has the following features:
  • With the port forwarding service, a VPC vRouter can forward the port traffics of a specified public IP address to the port of a corresponding vCenter VM IP address.
  • If your public IP addresses are insufficient, you can configure port forwarding for multiple vCenter VM instances by using one IP address and port.

Create a Port Forwarding Rule

The steps of creating a port forwarding rule in a vCenter environment are basically the same as that in a KVM environment.

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > Network Service > Basic Network Service > Port Forwarding. On the Port Forwarding page, click Create Port Forwarding. Then, the Create Port Forwarding page is displayed. On the displayed page, set the parameters.
Note:
  • If you choose to create a new VIP to provide port forwarding service, select the public network that you created in the vCenter for Network.
  • If you choose to use an existing VIP to provide port forwarding service, select an existing custom ESX VIP or system ESX VIP for VIP.

Associate a Port Forwarding Rule with a VM NIC

On the displayed Associate VM NIC page, choose the target VM Instance. On the VM NIC page, select the target vCenter VM NIC, and click OK.

Figure 11. Associate VM NIC


Port Forwarding Actions

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > Network Service > Basic Network Service > Port Forwarding. Then, the Port Forwarding page is displayed.

The following table lists the actions that you can perform on a Port Forwarding:
Action Description
Create Port Forwarding Rule Create a new port forwarding rule.
Edit Port Forwarding Rule Edit the name and description of the port forwarding rule.
Associate VM NIC Associate a port forwarding rule with a VM NIC.
Disassociate VM NIC Disassociate a port forwarding rule from a VM NIC.
Delete Port Forwarding Rule Deleting a port forwarding rule also deletes the corresponding port forwarding service. Note that the associated VIP and other services the VIP provides are not affected.

Notes

  • To use port forwarding, make sure that the firewall policy in the VM instances can be accessed by the specified ports.
  • When you use a VIP to provide the port forwarding service, make sure that the ports used by the VIP are not duplicated.
  • A VIP can provide the port forwarding service to different ports of multiple VM NICs on the same L3 network.
  • A VM instance can only use one VIP to provide the port forwarding service.
  • When you disassociate a VIP from a VM instance and associate a VM instance again, you can only select the VM NIC on the same L3 network of the VM instance that you disassociated before.
  • If you select port range for port forwarding, make sure that the source port range and the VM port range are the same. For example, if you set the range of the source port to 22-80, the port range of the VM instance is also 22-80.

Load Balancing

A VPC network uses custom ESX Virtual IP addresses (VIPs) or system ESX VIPs to provide load balancing services.
  • The load balancing service can distribute inbound traffics from a public vCenter IP address to a group of backend vCenter VM instances. It automatically detects and isolates unavailable vCenter VM instances during traffic distribution. This helps to improve the availability and service capability of your business.
  • A load balancer supports HTTP and TCP protocols.
  • A load balancer allows you to flexibly configure multiple forwarding policies to achieve advanced forwarding controlling.
This topic falls into the following parts:

Create a Load Balancer

The steps of creating a load balancer in a vCenter environment are basically the same as that in a KVM environment. The basic workflow is as follows, you can refer to User Guide for more details.
  1. Create a load balancer.
    On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > Network Service > Basic Network Service > Load Balancing. On the Load Balancing page, click Create Load Balancer. Then, the Create Load Balancer page is displayed. On the displayed page, set the parameters.
    Note:
    • If you choose to create a new VIP to provide load balancing service, select the public network that you created in the vCenter for Network.
    • If you choose to use an existing VIP to provide load balancing service, select an existing custom ESX VIP or system ESX VIP for VIP.
  2. Create a listener.

    On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > Network Service > Basic Network Service > Load Balancing. On the Load Balancing page, click a load balancer to enter its details page. On the Listener tab page, click Create Listener. Then, the Create Listener page appears. You can set the parameters on this page.

  3. Attach a backend server group to the listener.

Load Balancer Actions

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > Network Service > Basic Network Service > Load Balancing. Then, the Load Balancer page appears.

The following table lists the actions that you can perform on a load balancer.
Action Description
Create Load Balancer Create a load balancer.
Edit Load Balancer Edit the name and description of the load balancer.
Delete Load Balancer Deleting a load balancer also deletes all associated listeners and related load balancing services. The associated VIP and the other services the VIP provides are not affected.

Listener Actions

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > Network Service > Basic Network Service > Load Balancing. On the Load Balancer page, click a load balancer to enter its details page. Click Listener. Then, the Listener tab page is displayed.

The following table lists the actions that you can perform on a listener.
Action Description
Create Listener Create a new listener.
Edit Listener Edit the name and description of the listener.
Bind Certificate If the protocol of your listener is HTTPS, bind a certificate or a certificate link to your listener. Note that this action is not supported if the protocol of the listener is TCP, HTTP, or UDP.
Disassociate Certificate If the protocol of your listener is HTTPS, you can disassociate a certificate from the listener. Note that this action is not supported if the protocol of the listener is TCP, HTTP, or UDP.
Modify Basic Settings Modify the load balancing algorithm and session persistence mechanism of a listener.
Modify Advanced Settings Modify the advanced settings of a listener, for example, Health Check parameters and HTTP Redirect parameters.
Note:
  • If you enable HTTP Redirect for a HTTP listener, all other configurations on this listener go invalid, including the heath check policy and forwarding rules because all flows to this listener will be redirected to and processed by the destination HTTPS listener. If you need these old configurations, manually sync them to the HTTPS listener.
  • Disable Session Persistence before you can enable HTTP Redirect.
Attach Backend Server Group Attach a backend server group to the selected listener.
Disassociate Backend Server Group Disassociate a backend server group from a listener.
Configure Forwarding rule Configure the forwarding rule of the selected listener on the Forwarding Rule page.
Note: Only HTTP and HTTPS protocols support forwarding rule configuration.
Delete Listener Deleting a load balancer listener also deletes the corresponding load balancing service.

Notes

  • A load balancer supports multiple listeners.
  • The VM NICs attached to the load balancer listener must share the same L3 network.
  • If the protocol of your listener is HTTPS, you can bind only one certificate to your listener at a time. To change your certificate, unbind the current one first.

IPsec Tunnel

A VPC network uses custom ESX virtual IP addresses (VIPs) or system ESX VIPs to provide IPsec tunnel services.
  • The IPsec tunnel service provides site-to-site VPN connections.

How to Use an IPsec Tunnel in VPC Network

The basic workflow of using an IPsec tunnel in a vCenter environment is basically the same as that in a KVM environment. For more details, you can refer to User Guide.
  1. In the first environment, create an IPsec tunnel, specify the local public IP address of the first environment, and specify a local private network that is available. Enter the public IP address of the second environment as the peer IP address, and enter the private network specified in the second environment as the peer network.
  2. In the second environment, create an IPsec tunnel, specify the local public IP address of the second environment, and specify a local private network that is available. Enter the public IP address of the first environment as the peer IP address, and enter the private network specified in the first environment as the peer network.
Note: The VPC network ranges in these two environments cannot overlap.

Create an IPsec Tunnel in the First ZStack Cloud Environment

The steps of creating an IPsec tunnel in a vCenter environment are basically the same as that in a KVM environment.

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud Private Cloud, choose Resource Center > Advanced Network Service > IPsec Tunnel. On the IPsec Tunnel page, click Create IPsec Tunnel. On the displayed Create IPsec Tunnel page, set the parameters.
Note:
  • If you choose to create a new VIP to provide the IPsec tunnel service, select the public network that you created in the vCenter for Network.
  • If you choose to use an existing VIP to provide IPsec tunnel service, select an existing custom ESX VIP or system ESX VIP for VIP.
  • Select a private network attached by the local VPC vRouter for Local Subnet.

Create an IPsec Tunnel in the Second ZStack Cloud Environment

The steps of creating an IPsec tunnel in the second ZStack Cloud environment are the same as those in the first environment. You only need to modify some parameters in the second environment.

After these two IPsec tunnels are created, the private networks in these two ZStack Cloud environments can communicate with each other.

IPsec Tunnel Actions

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > Network Service > Advanced Network Service > IPsec Tunnel. Then, the IPsec Tunnel page is displayed.

The following table lists the actions you can perform on an IPsec Tunnel.
Action Description
Create IPsec Tunnel Create a new IPsec tunnel.
Reconnect IPsec Tunnel Reconnect an IPsec tunnel.
Note: This operation will cause IPsec channel connection temporarily interrupted. Proceed with caution.
Modify Configuration modify the configurations of an IPsec tunnel.
Note: If you modify configurations, IPsec channel connection will be temporarily interrupted. Proceed with caution.
Delete IPsec Tunnel Deleting an IPsec tunnel also deletes the corresponding IPsec tunnel service. Note that the associated VIP and the other services the VIP provides are not affected.

vCenter Volume

vCenter volumes provide storages for vCenter VM instances. Volumes can be divided into following two types:
  • Root volume: A system volume of the VM instance. The root volume supports the system operation of a VM instance.
  • Data Volume: A data volume used for the VM instance. The data volume provides extended storage space for a VM instance.
The management of vCenter volume focuses on the management of vCenter data volumes. This topic falls into the following parts:

Create a vCenter Volume

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud Private Cloud, choose Resource Center > vCenter > Volume > Create Volume. Then, the Create Volume page is displayed.
Note: On the main page of Create Volume, choose Search and click the input box, and you can select vCenter as the filter criteria. Then, you can screen the information related to the specified vCenter.
On the displayed page, set the following parameters:
  • Name: Enter a name for the vCenter volume.
  • Description: Optional. Enter a description for the vCenter volume.
  • Creation Method: Select a method to create the volume. Options: Disk Offering | Volume Image.
    • Disk Offering:
      If you create a vCenter volume with a disk offering, you need to set the following parameters:
      • Disk Offering: Select an appropriate disk offering.
      • Primary Storage and VM Instance: Both optional.
        • Set neither of the two parameters: the volume you create is an uninstantiated volume, and it will be displayed on the Uninstantiated tab page after creation.
          Note: An uninstantiated volume is only a conceptual device that does not occupy any actual space unless you attach it to a VM instance.
        • Set both the two parameters: The volume will be created on the specified primary storage and attached to the specified VM instance.
        • Only set VM Instance: The volume will be created on the primary storage of the specified VM instance.
        • Only set Primary Storage: The volume will be created on the specified primary storage. It is an available volume that occupies the actual space.
    • Volume Image:
      If you create a vCenter volume with a vCenter image, you need to set the following parameters:
      • Volume Image: Select an appropriate volume image. Upload the target volume image to the backup storage in advance.
      • VM Instance: Select the VM instance to attach the volume to. The volume will be created on the primary storage of the specified VM instance.
      • Specify Primary Storage: Optional. If you select this checkbox, the volume will be created on the specified primary storage.
Figure 12. Create a vCenter Volume


Manage a vCenter Volume

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > vCenter > Volume. Then, the Volume page is displayed.

The following table lists the actions that you can perform on a vCenter volume.
Action Description
Create vCenter Volume Create a new vCenter volume via a disk offering or a volume image.
Edit vCenter Volume Edit the name and the description of a vCenter volume.
Enable vCenter Volume Enable a disabled vCenter volume.
Disable vCenter Volume Disable an enabled vCenter volume.
Attach vCenter Volume Attach a vCenter volume to the specified vCenter VM instance as a data volume.
Detach vCenter Volume Detach a vCenter volume from a vCenter VM instance.
Note: Detaching a volume from a running VM instance may affect the business continuity. Proceed with caution.
Change Owner Change the owner of a vCenter volume.
Note: ZStack Cloud supports multi-account management for the managed vCenters. Normal account and project members can perform operations on vCenter volumes.
Delete vCenter Volume The deleted vCenter volume is displayed on the Recycle Bin tab.
Note: Deleting a vCenter volume interrupts data reads/writes of associated VM instances from/to the volume, and makes the volumes unavailable. You cannot attach it to any VM instance unless you recover the volume.
Recover vCenter Volume Recover a deleted vCenter volume. The recovered volume is displayed on the Available Resource tab.
Expunge vCenter Volume Expunge a deleted vCenter volume.
Note: This operation expunges the volume. The expunged volumes cannot be recovered. Proceed with caution.

Notes

Please notice the following points when you use vCenter volumes:
  • You cannot attach a volume to the VM instances of different hypervisor type. For example, you cannot attach the volume of a KVM VM instance to a vCenter instance.
  • You can attach a volume to or detach it from different VM instances of the same hypervisor type.
  • You cannot attach a volume to more than one VM instance at a time.
  • The space occupied by the volume is calculated by using its virtual size. The space occupied during the creation is the virtual size of the volume. It only occupies a small amount of actual space. The actual size of the volume will gradually increase as the number of written files increases.
  • A root volume is an integral part of a VM instance. It cannot be detached from a VM instance.

vCenter Image

On ZStack Cloud, you can add a local image of the VMDK format to the vCenter. You can synchronize the vCenter image state between the remote vCenter and ZStack Cloud through data synchronization. You can add two types of image: system image and volume image.

This topic introduces how to Add a vCenter Image and Manage a vCenter image on ZStack Cloud.

Add a vCenter Image

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud Private Cloud, choose Resource Center > vCenter > Image > Add Image. Then, the Add Image page is displayed.
Note: On the main page of Add Image, choose Search and click the input box, and then you can select vCenter as the filter criteria to screen the information related to the specified vCenter.
On the displayed page, set the following parameters:
  • Name: Enter a name for the vCenter image.
    Note: The vCenter image name cannot be identical with the vCenter VM instance name.
  • Description: Optional. Enter a description for the vCenter image.
  • Image Type: Select an image type. Options: System image | Volume image.
    • System Image:
      To add a vCenter system image, you need to set the following parameters:
      • Platform: Select the platform on which the vCenter image will be running. Options: Linux | Windows | Other.
        Note:
        The platform type of an image decides whether to use a VirtIO driver (including disk drivers and NIC drivers) when you create VM instances.
        • Linux: The VM instances created from the image use VirtIO drivers.
        • Windows: The operating system encapsulated in the image is not installed with VirtIO. Therefore, the VM instances created from the image do not use VirtIO drivers.
        • Other: The operating system encapsulated in the image can be of any types. The VM instances created from the image does not use VirtIO drivers.
      • Backup Storage: Select a vCenter backup storage.
      • URL: Enter a URL to download the vCenter system image.
        Note: You can only add the images of the VMDK format currently.
    • Volume Image:
      To add a vCenter volume image, you need to set the following parameters:
      • Backup Storage: Select a vCenter backup storage.
      • URL: Enter a URL to download the vCenter volume image.
        Note: You can only add images of VMDK format currently.
Figure 13. Add a vCenter System Image


Manage a vCenter image

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > vCenter > Image. Then the Image page is displayed.

The following table lists the actions that you can perform on a vCenter image.
Action Description
Add vCenter Image Add a local image in the .vmdk format to the vCenter. Currently, you cannot add an image of in the .iso format.
Edit vCenter Image Edit the name and the description of a vCenter image.
Enable vCenter Image Enable a disabled vCenter image. After you enable the image, it serves as a backup.
Disable vCenter image Disable an enabled vCenter image. After you disable the image, it no longer serves as a backup.
Set Sharing Mode
Set the sharing mode of a resource. The platform provides the following sharing modes:
  • Share Globally: Shares the resource to all projects and accounts.
  • Share to Specified Projects/Accounts: Shares the resource with specified projects and accounts.
  • Not Share: Revokes the resource from projects and accounts to which the resource is shared. If you set Sharing Mode to Not Share for a resource, other projects and accounts cannot use the resource.
Note:
  • If you change the Sharing Mode setting of a resource from Share Globally to Share to Specified Projects/Accounts, the resource is visible only to the specified projects or accounts the resource is shared to.
  • If the resource that you share to projects orthe specified accounts has been used by these projects or accounts and then you change the Sharing Mode of the resource, the change does not take effect on the projects or accounts. They can reverse and use the resource until it is released.
Change Owner Change the owner of a vCenter image.
Note: ZStack Cloud supports multi-account management on managed vCenters. Normal accounts and project members can use the vCenter images shared by the admin.
Delete vCenter Image Deleting a vCenter image deletes its local records and the actual image on the remote vCenter.
Recover vCenter image Recover a deleted vCenter image. The recovered image appears on the Available tab page.
Expunge vCenter Image Expunge a deleted image. You can only expunge an image in the recycle bin.

vCenter Event Message

On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > vCenter > Event Message. Then, the Event Message page is displayed.

Figure 14. Event Message


Event Message allows you to check vCenter alarm messages, such as the message description, type, the vCenter from which the event message is sent, triggered user, target, and date.
  • The UI can display up to 300 event messages. You can set a time range to check alarm messages within the time range via the time adjustment button at the upper left.
  • You can choose to display alarm message count for each page via display count button at the lower right. Optional value: 10, 20, 50, and 100. You can turn pages by clicking the left/right arrow button.

So far, we have introduced how to use a vCenter managed by ZStack Cloud.

VMware Management Tutorial | 4.8.38 | ZStack Cloud · ZCF | ZStack Resource Center