---
name: vmware-deploy-vmwaresoftlayer
title: Using cookbooks for VMware deployments
description: VMware® administrators can quickly realize cost-effective hybrid cloud characteristics by deploying into the IBM Cloud® enterprise-grade global cloud. vSphere workloads and catalogs can be provisioned onto VMware® vSphere environments within the IBM Cloud data centers without modifying VMware® VMs or guests. These deployments are made possible by using a common vSphere hypervisor and management and orchestration platform. vSphere implementations can also use other components of the VMware® vCloud Suite – vCloud Automation Center, vCenter Operations Management Suite, vSAN, vCloud Network & Security, Site Recovery Manager, vCenter Orchestrator, and NSX.
last-updated: 2024-07-25
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/vmware?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

# Using cookbooks for VMware deployments
{: #using-vmware-cookbooks}

VMware® administrators can quickly realize cost-effective hybrid cloud characteristics by deploying into the IBM Cloud® enterprise-grade global cloud. vSphere workloads and catalogs can be provisioned onto VMware® vSphere environments within the IBM Cloud data centers without modifying VMware® VMs or guests. These deployments are made possible by using a common vSphere hypervisor and management and orchestration platform. vSphere implementations can also use other components of the VMware® vCloud Suite – vCloud Automation Center, vCenter Operations Management Suite, vSAN, vCloud Network & Security, Site Recovery Manager, vCenter Orchestrator, and NSX.

The core objective of the VMware® cookbook series is to assist vSphere administrators with the deployment of VMware® vSphere environments within an IBM Cloud infrastructure. The cookbooks are not intended to train you how to administer vSphere. For more information about administering vSphere, see [VMware® Education](https://www.broadcom.com/support/education/vmware){: external}.

IBM Cloud has several specific capabilities that give VMware® administrators the flexibility to use bare metal servers and network, storage, and backup and recovery constructs in a self-service manner. You can then use these constructs to deploy fully functional vSphere implementations, which can be built to extend or replace on-premises vSphere implementations (VMware@Home).

The following guides are intended for experienced vSphere administrators. Some topics that are covered, consider that the reader has basic deployment skills to install and configure vSphere and vCenter.
{: note}

* [Build a Single Site VMware® Environment](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/virtualization?topic=virtualization-advanced-single-site-vmware-reference-architecture&format=markdown) You, as the vSphere administrator, are guided through the steps of building your environment, including the use of either Endurance or Performance Block Storage or QuantaStor.
* [vSphere Migration](https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/6.7/com.vmware.vsphere.update_manager.doc/GUID-F7191592-048B-40C7-A610-CFEE6A790AB0.html){: external} Scenarios are presented to help you migrate workloads into VMware® after your vSphere implementation is deployed in an IBM Cloud data center.
* [VMware® backup](https://docs.vmware.com/){: external} describes alternative approaches to backing up, recovering, and archiving VMware-based workloads that are running in a VMware deployment.
* [VMware® disaster recovery guide](https://docs.vmware.com/en/Site-Recovery-Manager/index.html){: external} Documentation for VMware® Site Recovery Manager.