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Provisioning VMs on VMware vCenter using Quick Start

Quick Start asks you to provide a limited number of configuration settings for BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management so it can fulfill end user requests for automated provisioning of virtual machines (VMs). When you provide configuration information in Quick Start, you identify existing resources. By deriving information from those resources, Quick Start is able to create the generalized definitions that BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management needs to perform provisioning.

This topic describes the end-to-end vCenter approach in Quick Start. It includes the following sections:

Video demonstration

You can view a video that demonstrates how to use the vCenter approach to configure BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management so it can fulfill end user requests for automated provisioning of VMs.

Click here to view the video and related information...

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Video contents

Time stamp

Topic

Prerequisites

00:34

vCenter connector

01:33

vCenter environment

04:45

vCenter services

07:24

Tenants

09:07

Users

09:52

Provisioning

10:32

Before you begin

  • Log onto BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management using a cloud administrator account. The cloud administrator must be associated with a provider company. (Click here for details about creating a provider company and a cloud administrator account.) When completing the BMC Remedy AR Systems form for the cloud administrator account, be sure to check Unrestricted Access.

    If you do not use the Cloud Admin template to create the cloud administrator account (the standard approach), create a provider company for the new cloud administrator account and then ensure the account has the following permissions:
    • Cloud Admin
    • Contact Organization Admin
    • DMT Admin
    • Infrastructure Change Viewer
  • Install a Windows RSCD agent on the vCenter server.
  • Ensure that BMC Network Automation is configured so that virtual data centers are enabled.
  • Ensure that conditions in any policies already defined in BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management are set to "Match Any." Quick Start creates its own policies that may conflict with existing policies. For more information, see Adding-and-editing-policies. 
  • Use VMware vCenter Server to create templates from existing virtual machines. For more information on that process, see VMware vCenter online documentation. Any templates should include an RSCD agent.
  • Perform the following tasks to ensure that VMs can be provisioned with network connections:
    • Obtain network device user names and passwords.
    • Obtain IP address ranges.
    • Ensure that a network VLAN ID is available on the switch that you are planning to use for management and customer purposes.
  • Be aware that you can only use Quick Start to create new configurations for BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management. You cannot modify existing configurations.
  • Optionally, review the complete list of required settings before using Quick Start.

  •  Enable unqualified searches on both the Enterprise AR System and Cloud AR System servers. Unqualified searches must be enabled to add tenants and entitlements.

    Click here for details about enabling unqualified searches...
    1. Access the BMC Remedy AR System Administration Console for the Enterprise AR server by entering the following URL in a web browser:
      http://<hostName>:<port>/arsys/forms/<Enterprise AR>/AR+System+Administration%3A+Console/
      Within the URL:
      <hostName> represents the fully qualified name of the server that hosts BMC Remedy mid-tier server.
      <port> represents the port used to communicate with the BMC Remedy mid-tier server.
      <Enterprise AR> represents the name of the server that hosts Enterprise AR Server. 
    2. If necessary, provide authentication credentials.
    3. From the BMC Remedy AR System Administration Console, select General > Server Information.
    4. In the Server Information form, click the Configuration tab.
    5. Check Allow Unqualified Searches.
    6. Click Apply and then click OK.
    7. Access the Cloud AR server by entering the following URL:
      http://<hostName>:<port>/arsys/forms/<Cloud AR>/AR+System+Administration%3A+Console/
    8. Repeat step 3 through step 6.

High-level steps

5StepVcenterBreadCrumb.png

To access Quick Start, click the vertical Workspaces menu on the left side of the BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management Administration Console. Then click Quick Start.

  1. Adding a vCenter connector— Provide information that represents a connection to a vCenter server.
  2. Adding vCenter environments— Use the vCenter connector to identify a set of virtualized hardware and associated network configurations.
  3. Adding vCenter services from templates— Define a service offering based on a Virtual Guest Package (VGP) of an existing VMware vCenter template.
  4. Adding tenants and entitlements— Identify tenants and the offerings to which those tenants are entitled.
  5. Adding tenant users— Identify users who can perform actions for tenants.

After you complete the Quick Start process, users can request VMware VMs using the BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management - My Cloud Services Console.

Adding a vCenter connector

5StepAddVcenterConnector.png

In Quick Start, a connector defines a VMware vCenter and a set of shared network resources for the vCenter.

To add a vCenter connector

  1. On the Quick Start home page, click Add vCenter Connectors. The vCenter Connectors page opens.

    The vCenter Connectors page lists all currently defined Quick Start connectors. In Quick Start, a connector is a vCenter and a set shared network resources for the vCenter.
    vCenterConnectors.gif
    To begin defining a connector, click Add New AddNewIcon.gif. The Create New vCenter Connector page opens.
    NoteWhen creating a vCenter connector, failure can occur during network pod creation. In that situation, the vCenter Connectors page lists the connection have you have created, but the Status column displays a Continue button ContinueIcon.gif. To complete the connector, click Continue. The Create New vCenter Connector page opens. On that page, enter the location name and vCenter password. Then click Save. The Create Network Pod page opens. Provide network information to complete the pod definition.
    TipYou can click on any column header to sort information. 
     
  2. Complete the Create New vCenter Connection page.

    The Create New vCenter Connector page provides information that lets Quick Start use BMC Server Automation to connect to a vCenter server.newvcenterconnectorHF3.gif
    Option
    Description
    vCenter Web Service Protocol
    Select https. The http option is not currently available.
    vCenter Hostname
    Fully qualified name or IP address of the vCenter server.
    vCenter Web Service Port
    Port number for the web service interface to the VMware vCenter. The port number can be any value between 1 and 9999. 443 is typical.
    User Name
    User name of the administrator for the vCenter server that can access BMC Server Automation. This user must have a set of minimum privileges on the vCenter server.
    Password
    Password for the BMC Server Automation user.
  3. Click Next to display the Create Network Pod page.
    The Create Network Pod page lets you define networks that are shared across all of the environments in a vCenter connector. For instance, many cloud environments share a common management or storage network. Other networks are specific to one environment, such as production or development networks or networks made available to particular tenants. You define environment-specific networks when you add vCenter environments.You are not required to specify a network at the pod level. If you do not specify a network on this page, you must define at least one network when you add a vCenter environment.
    1. Provide the following information so Quick Start can access BMC Network Automation, which creates network pods.
      CreateNetworkPod.gif
      Option
      Description
      Datacenter Location
      Location of the datacenter, which is necessary to access BMC Network Automation.
      User Name
      Name of the vCenter server administrator who can access BMC Network Automation.
      Password
      Password for the BMC Network Automation administrative user.
    2. If the network you are adding includes Cisco Nexus 1000V switches, you are prompted for a user name and password for managing these devices. If the vCenter only includes virtual switches (vSwitch) or distributed virtual switches (DVS), the following options are not shown.

      Quick Start assumes all Cisco Nexus 1000V switches within a vCenter require the same user name and password. If your network uses a more complicated set of credentials, you must configure those security profiles using BMC Network Automation.

      NetworkPodPasswordHF3.gif

      Option
      Description
      Switch User Name
      Name of a user who can view and modify Cisco Nexus 1000V switches. Not required for vSwitch or DVS switches.
      Switch Password
      Password of the user who can view and modify switches. Not required for vSwitch or DVS switches.
    3. To provide information about the network you are identifying, click Add NetworkAddNetworkIcon.gif. The page displays options that you can modify. 

      You are not required to specify a network at the pod level. If you do not specify a network here, you must define at least one network when you add vCenter environments.

      NetworkDetails.gif

      Option
      Description
      [VLAN] Port Group
      Any networks that should be shared with all environments. For example, management or storage networks.
      Notes
      • A VLAN can only be used in a single connector or environment network.  If you have multiple port groups on the same VLAN, you will only be able to use one of those port groups.
      • Quick Start can only use port groups with a specified VLAN.  Port groups that leverage untagged or native VLANs must be updated to specify the VLAN ID.
      Network Alias
      An identifying name for the network.
      Gateway
      Address of the IP router that is used to forward traffic to destinations outside of the local network. For example, 10.0.0.1.
      Network
      The IP address for this network. Available addresses within the network address can be further specified using the subnet value. For example, 10.0.0.0.
      Subnet
      A range of IP addresses that are available to the network address. For example, 255.255.255.0.
      Excluded IPs
      IP addresses that should be excluded from the network. Do not exclude the IP address for the gateway, which will cause network pod creation to fail.
      Management
      Flag indicating whether the network is used for management purposes. The provisioned virtual machines must have at least one network that can communicate with BMC Server Automation. This network must be marked as a management network.
    4. To exclude one or more IP addresses, click choose. A utility for specifying IP addresses opens, as shown below. To specify one IP address, enter a value for Start IP address. To specify a range of IP Addresses, enter a value for Start IP address and End IP address. Then click Add AddExclusionsIcon.gif to move the specified addresses to the list of excluded addresses.
      AddExclusions.gif

      Typically, you exclude a network address when it is already being used for other purposes. 
      Hovering over an IP address in the list of excluded addresses displays an icon DeleteIcon.gif. Click it to remove a specified address.
  4. Click Save.
    The vCenter connector is complete. The Quick Start home page appears. A green check GreenCheck.gif next to the Add vCenter Connectors option indicates creation succeeded.

 Quick Start interactions with BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

Click here to learn about the actions Quick Start takes based on your choices in the Add vCenter Connectors wizard.

Action

Related information

Add the vCenter server to those servers managed by BMC Server Automation, set properties for the vCenter custom object, and distribute the vCenter custom object

Create a pod blueprint using the network information provided

Create a pod from the pod blueprint

Onboard the pod

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Adding vCenter environments

5StepVcenterEnvironment.png

A vCenter environment defines the compute, storage, and network resources available for a virtual machine. Essentially, a vCenter environment is one or more VLANs that provides network isolation for tenants in the cloud.

To add a vCenter environment

  1. On the Quick Start home page, click Add vCenter Environments. The vCenter Environments page opens.
    The vCenter Environments page lists all currently defined vCenter environments, which specify the compute, storage, and network resources available for a virtual machine.vCenterEnvironments.gifTo begin defining an environment, click Add New AddNewIcon.gif. The New Environment page opens.
  2. Complete the New Environment page.
    The New Environment page lets you provide information that defines a new vCenter environment. Quick Start uses this information to create a network container in BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management.NewEnvironment.gif
    Option
    Description
    Environment Name
    Name to assign to the vCenter environment. Quick Start uses the environment name when it creates a network container and a tag in BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management.
    Description
    Description of the vCenter environment.
    vCenter Server
    The vCenter server that is specified for the vCenter connector.
  3. Click Next to display the Compute Pools page.
    The Compute Pools page lets you select the clusters and resource pools managed by the VMware Distribute Resource Scheduler (DRS) to include in your environment's compute pool. You can also select hosts not managed by DRS.ComputePools.gif
  4. Click Next to display the Data Storage page.
    The Data Storage page lets you select vCenter datastores to include in your environment's compute pool.StoragePools.gif
  5. Click Next to display the Networks page.
    The Networks page lets you define networks within an environment (that is, within a network container in BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management). You accomplish this by identifying networks that already exist on a port group. Quick Start can use the information about existing networks to define networks where virtual machines can be provisioned.The Networks page also shows networks that were identified while defining a vCenter connector. These "pod-level networks" have only one editable option, Network Alias. You can override the the network alias in the context of this environment.Networks.gif
    1. To add a new network, click Add NewAddIcon.gif and provide the following information:
      Option
      Description
      [VLAN] Port Group
      A port group available on this VLAN. Using a VLAN, you can segment a single physical LAN segment so groups of ports are isolated from one another as if they were on physically different segments.
      Notes
      • A VLAN can only be used in a single connector or environment network.  If you have multiple port groups on the same VLAN, you will only be able to use one of those port groups.
      • Quick Start can only use port groups with a specified VLAN.  Port groups that leverage untagged or native VLANs must be updated to specify the VLAN ID.
      Network Alias
      An identifying name for a network created in BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management. The alias is also used for generating a tag.For pod-level networks, identified while connecting to a vCenter, you can modify the Network Alias.
      Gateway
      Address of the IP router that is used to forward traffic to destinations outside of the local network. For example, 10.0.0.1.
      Network
      IP address for this network. Available addresses within the network address can be further specified using the subnet value. For example, 10.0.0.0.
      Subnet
      A range of IP addresses that are available to the network address. For example, 255.255.255.0.
      Excluded IPs
      IP addresses to exclude from the network. Do not exclude the IP address for the gateway, which will cause creation of the network container to fail.
      Management
      A flag indicating whether the network is used for management purposes. If you do not specify a network at the pod level and you only specify one network at the environment level, you must indicate that the network be used for both management and customer purposes.
      Customer
      A flag indicating the network is used for customer purposes. If you do not specify a network at the pod level and you only specify one network at the environment level, you must indicate that the network be used for both management and customer purposes.
    2. To exclude network addresses from a network, perform the following steps:
      1. To exclude one or more IP addresses from a network, click Choose under Excluded IPs. A utility for specifying IP addresses opens, as shown below.
        AddExclusions.gif
      2. To specify one IP address for exclusion, enter a value for Start IP address. To specify a range of IP Addresses, enter a value for Start IP address and End IP address.
      3. Click Add AddExclusionsIcon.gif to move the specified addresses to the list of excluded addresses.

        Hovering over an IP address in the excluded list displays an icon DeleteIcon.gif. Click it to remove a specified address.
  6. Click Save.
    The vCenter environment is complete. The Quick Start home page appears. A green check GreenCheck.gif next to the Add vCenter Environments option indicates creation succeeded.

Quick Start interactions with BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

Click here to learn about the actions Quick Start takes based on your choices in the Add vCenter Environments wizard.

Action

Related information

Onboard compute resources, which adds the resources to a pod's default compute pool.

Group compute and data storage resources into a compute resource pool

Create a network container blueprint

Create network container

Map compute pools to the network containers

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Adding vCenter services from templates

5StepVcenterServices.png

You must define an offering that end users can choose in a service catalog when they are provisioning virtual machines (VMs).

When you define services, you identify an existing VM template that Quick Start uses as the basis of a Virtual Guest Package (VGP). You also specify network information needed to provision the VM. When provisioning actually occurs, the VGP provides an instruction set and any files needed for implementing the configuration of the new virtual machine.

To add vCenter services from templates

  1. On the Quick Start home page, click Add Services from VM Templates. The vCenter Services and Templates page opens.
    The vCenter Services and Templates page lists all service offerings.ServiceOfferings.gifTo begin defining a service offering, click Add New AddNewIcon.gif. The Choose vCenter Services Template page opens.
  2. Complete the Choose vCenter Services Template page.
    The Choose vCenter Services Template page lets you name the service offering you are creating and select the VM template that is deployed when a user requests this service. 

    ServicesTemplate.gif
    Option
    Description
    Service Name
    Name of the service you want to offer in the service catalog.
    Service Description
    Descriptive text for the service.
    vCenter Server
    The vCenter server identified when you establish a vCenter connector.
    VM Template
    A VM template chosen from the list of VM templates available to the vCenter server.
    OS Key
    The key to the operating system license you are using, including all hyphens in the key. This license is only required when provisioning Windows VMs.
    Admin Password
    A phrase that will be configured as the administrator's password on the virtual machine.
  3. Click Next to display the Create vCenter Services Offering page.
    The Create vCenter Services Offering page lets you specify the processing capabilities and network interface cards (NICs) that will be provisioned to virtual machines. 

    CreateServices.gif
  4. Enter the characteristics of the VM to be provisioned.
    Option
    Description
    CPU Count
    Number of CPUs for the VM being provisioned.
    Memory (MB)
    Amount of memory, in megabytes, that is available to the VM being provisioned.
    Price
    (Optional) Amount a user is charged for use of a virtual machine for a specified period of time. For example, 20 dollars per month.
    Currency
    Type of currency, such as U.S. dollars (USD).
    Period
    Length of time for which a user is charged for use of a virtual machine.
  5. Click Add New AddNewIcon.gifto add a Network Interface Card (NIC).
    The Create vCenter Services Offering page displays a row of options you can use for defining a NIC, as described below.
    NewNIC.gif
    Option
    Description
    Network Alias
    Identifying name for the network to which this NIC connects. Choices are derived from network aliases specified while connecting to a vCenter (that is, defining a connector) and defining networks for the environment.
    Address Pool
    Select one of the following options. You must designate at least one NIC for management purposes.
    • Static — An IP address for the NIC is based on the network, subnet, and excluded address information provided while connecting to a vCenter and defining networks for the environment.
    • DHCP — An IP address for the NIC is automatically obtained from a DHCP server each time the virtual machine boots up.
    Management Network
    A flag indicating whether the network is used for management purposes. At least one management network is required.
    At right on each row, icons let you delete a NIC, move it up, or move it down.You may want to reorder NICs because the default network path for the server is routed through the first NIC in the list. For example, if only one NIC allows Internet traffic, you probably want to position that NIC as first in the list.
  6. Click Save.
    The vCenter services are complete. The Quick Start home page appears. A green check GreenCheck.gif next to the Add Services from VM Templates option indicates creation succeeded.

Quick Start interactions with BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

Click here to learn about the actions Quick Start takes based on your choices in the Add vCenter Services and Templates wizard.

Action

Related information

Run a Virtual Guest Package job in BMC Server Automation to create a VGP of the vCenter template and automatically publish the VGP to the Product Catalog

Create a service blueprint that includes the specified computing and network resources

Create a service offering to specify the computing and network resources that should be provisioned to virtual machines

Create a requestable offering that is visible to end users who are provisioning virtual machines

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Adding tenants and entitlements

5StepVcenterTenant.png

You must define the entitlements that are available to tenants. An entitlement is a set of service offerings that a tenant can request. A tenant in BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management can be a company, organization, or any other group of users. By setting up tenants, you can segregate companies or organizations in the cloud. You can also control what entitlement packages are available for each tenant.

To add tenants and entitlements

  1. On the Quick Start home page, click Add Tenants and Entitlements. The Tenants and Entitlements page opens. 
    Tenants.gif
    To begin creating a user, click Add New AddNewIcon.gif. The Create New Tenant Entitlement page opens.

  2. Complete the Create New Tenant Entitlement page.
    The Create New Tenant Entitlement page provides the information needed to define a tenant and the entitlements available to the tenant.NewTenant.gif

    Option
    Description
    Name
    Name of the tenant.
    Location
    Location of the tenant.This location is not necessarily the same as the location of a vCenter server you specify when creating a vCenter connector.
    Environment Entitlement
    Associates the tenant with an environment.
    Offering Entitlement
    Identifies the service offerings to which the tenant is entitled. For each offering you select, you must ensure that the associated environment (specified with the Environment Entitlement option) is also selected.

    Note

    If you map multiple environments with different network aliases to a single tenant, subsequent provisioning attempts in BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management may fail with policy validation errors.

    If you map multiple environments created from multiple network pods to a single tenant, provisioning may fail because the environment chosen during provisioning may be incompatible with the VM Template or AMI used for service creation.

    Click here for a workaround to either scenario
    1. Apply the QS_Environments tag to the top-level service blueprint for each environment to be provisioned. For more information about applying tags to service blueprints, see Managing-service-blueprint-tags.
    2. Select the Service Governor workspace. Then select Network Container and add a policy with the following characteristics. For more information on adding policies, see Adding-and-editing-policies.
      • Matches all
      • Service Blueprint matches QS_Environments
  3. Click Save.
    The entitlement is defined for a tenant. The Quick Start home page appears. A green check GreenCheck.gif next to the Add Tenants and Entitlements option indicates creation succeeded.

Quick Start interactions with BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

Click here to learn about the actions Quick Start takes based on your choices in the Tenants and Entitlements wizard.

Action

Related information

Create a tenant company

Select entitlement packages for a tenant

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Adding tenant users

5StepVcenterUsers.png

You must create users that are associated with a tenant.

To add tenant users

  1. On the Quick Start home page, click Add Tenant Users. The Tenants and Users page opens.
    The Tenants and Users page lists all users, along with their tenancy and role.TenantsUsers.gif
    To begin creating a user, click Add New AddNewIcon.gif.  The Create New Tenant User page opens. 
  2. Complete the Create New Tenant User page.
    The Create New Tenant User page provides the information needed to define a new user for a tenant.NewUser.gif
    Option
    Description
    First Name
    User's first name.
    Last Name
    User's last name.
    Login
    User's logon ID
    Password
    User's password.
    Role
    One of the following user roles:
    • Cloud Admin—Manage the full life cycle of the cloud environment, including its initial planning, deployment, and configuration, and its continued administration, operation, and maintenance.
    • Org Admin—Manage a subset of the cloud to perform tasks such as monitoring usage, administering virtual firewalls, and maintaining virtual load balancers.
    • End User—Request services, such as the deployment of virtual machines (VMs), through the BMC My Cloud Services Console.
    Tenant Company
    Tenant that is associated with this user.
     
  3. Click Save.
    The user is defined for a tenant. The Quick Start home page appears. A green check GreenCheck.gif next to the Add Tenant Users option indicates creation succeeded.

Quick Start interactions with BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

Click here to learn about the actions Quick Start takes based on your choices in the Tenants and Users wizard.

Action

Related information

Add tenant users

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Recovering from failures

If any of the Quick Start operations described above fail, artifacts from the operation may persist within BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management. To ensure that Quick Start is functioning smoothly, you can perform a cleanup procedure.

 

 

 

 

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