An Update to Managing IBM Power, zSystems & LinuxONE with VMware vRealize Automation version 8.x
By: Setareh Mehrabanzad and Brian LaRose
Overview
Customers needing to provision workloads on IBM Power Systems and IBM zSystems can now leverage the VMware solution with vRealize Automation (vRA). The VMware Center of Excellence along (PSCOE) with IBM have developed an OpenStack endpoint-based Solution which can be used to integrate your existing IBM Power and zSystems with your existing on-prem management stack. This integration is based on vRealize Orchestrator (or VRO) workflows and leverages the existing OpenStack management interface into the PowerVC and IBM Cloud Infrastructure Center (ICIC) management plane. Customers can utilize the design canvas to deploy instances of AIX, i and Linux to IBM Power and Linux to zSystems platforms using the vRA blueprint designer and deliver deployments to heterogenous platforms. The solution allows for the inclusion of components to be added in the design canvas for an application that needs to be deployed across multiple platforms.
Not only does this save time but allows both IBM Power & zSystems platforms to be included in the hybrid cloud architecture using the same unified management plane as x86 allowing the same skillset.
Architecture
vRA 8 OpenStack Endpoint is developed as a docker container which utilizes Ansible scripts to connect to the OpenStack Adapter. The OpenStack Adapter connects to the OpenStack controller such as PowerVC or ICIC creating the integration to provide the ability to provision workloads on both IBM Power and IBM zSystems Platforms.
VMware vRA/vRO Openstack Endpoint supports consumes northbound OpenStack APIs from both PowerVC and ICIC via RESTful APIs to connect, provision and orchestrate workloads. Once the connectivity between the endpoint and the OpenStack controllers is successful, then vRA will conduct an inventory and data collection of the assets that have been configured to its database. These assets consist of images, network, disk volumes, and bring this data to its database for consumption.
Configuration
Once you have completed the order process with VMware Professional services to obtain the OpenStack Endpoint, you’ll receive an email with the requirements and a link to download the endpoint. VMware will schedule a call to install and configure your on prem vRA Endpoint for OpenStack to support IBM Power & zSystems.
Now, that you have the OpenStack Endpoint installed you should be able to see a tile for OpenStack in the Cloud Account Types section of vRA.
Select the Cloud Account Types and select the OpenStack tile to create a connection to PowerVC and ICIC. You will need to create more than one OpenStack Cloud Account Type depending on the number of OpenStack Endpoints that you’re connecting.
To configure the endpoint, you’ll need either the FQDN URL or IP address with the keystone port number (https://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:5000), root access and password and the uuid for the project domain that’s configured in PowerVC or ICIC.
Once you’ve configured the OpenStack Cloud Account Types, and it has successfully authenticated to PowerVC or ICIC it should start conducting a data collection and inventory task. Once this has been completed, you should successfully see a new tile for that endpoint.
Creating a Blueprint
To do a deployment, you need to configure a blueprint by selecting the design option in the dropdown menu. Select a Cloud template from the left pane and create a new form. Once you start the form, you can drag and drop a cloud machine component to the design canvas, and you’ll need to drag and drop a cloud network component and connect the two together. On the right pane or the code editor, select the image, flavor mapping and network that you’ve defined for the deployment within the vRA Projects. Before you deploy the blueprint, you can test the deployment to make sure there are no errors, and the resources are available.
Deployment
Now that you’ve created a blueprint, you should be able to do a deployment.
Running a Day2 Operation
Once you’ve deployed an instance there are several day2 operations that you can perform to manage the lifecycle of the VM. There are several day2 operations that can be performed out of the box. These are start, delete, expire, update tags, power off or stop. The resize option will require a vRO workflow to be integrated on the blueprint.
Use Cases
Typical use cases for this solution consist of DevOps, Capacity Expansion, Data Center Consolidation and Cloud Management.
For DevOps, multiple instances of VMs can be created via the same cloud management providing agility and cloud native capabilities for day1 deployment. At the same, the same instances can be spun up / down per day2 operations via the same seamless dashboard.
For Capacity Expansion, the vRA unified management service catalog can be utilized to access the capacity of IBM Power & zSystems Platforms to deploy new instances of you application without the deep knowledge or expert skills of the platforms.
For Data Center Consolidation, make deployments via the same service catalog and keep licensing costs down due to the scalability of running the application on IBM Power or zSystems.
The cloud management use case provides the ability for hybrid cloud integration simplifying application lifecycle management via the unified single glass pane from day1 to day2 operations for workloads running on IBM Power, zSystems and LinuxONE.
Maintenance
Break/Fix can be scoped in advance if FF SOW for 1 year or 2 years support. If the transaction is T&M break fix can be offered after the end of the engagement as different SoW. This support includes only minor VMware product updates and break/fix. If they want development against major VMware or third-party software versions, it will require a new signed SOW and will begin a new engagement. If the client wants a new OpenStack release to be delivered, they will need to sign a new SOW for a new release, a new engagement and the process starts all over again.
For More Information
Customers should reach out to the core VMware team and get a PS SOW signed so that the work can be delivered. The VMW local team will go to the VMware PS CSE or CSA — Customer Solution Executive or Architect. The local team will need to get a draft SOW for this PSCOE project in Sofia Bulgaria. The CSE/CSA should ask for “vRA 8.0 OpenStack adapter delivered by WWCC CoE.” The client will negotiate with PS, sign the paperwork and the adapter will be delivered and installed. Ask the CSE/CSA to write to PSCoE@vmware.com with the request.
VMware vRealize Automation version 8 Manage and Deploy to IBM zSystems (Linux)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL7aPg4IXxs
VMware vRealize Automation version 8 Manage and Deploy to IBM Power Systems (AIX, i, Linux)
