---
name: vmwaresolutions-vcs-openshift-arch
title: VMware Solutions SDDC architecture
description: As of 17 July 2025, new automated installations of Red Hat® OpenShift® for VMware® are no longer available for new or existing deployments of VMware Cloud Foundation for Classic - Automated instances. You can still use or delete your existing Red Hat OpenShift for VMware automated installations until 16 July 2026. The service will no longer be available from 17 July 2026.
last-updated: 2025-10-24
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/vmwaresolutions?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.

# VMware Solutions SDDC architecture
{: #vcs-openshift-arch}

As of 17 July 2025, new automated installations of Red Hat® OpenShift® for VMware® are no longer available for new or existing deployments of VMware Cloud Foundation for Classic - Automated instances. You can still use or delete your existing Red Hat OpenShift for VMware automated installations until 16 July 2026. The service will no longer be available from 17 July 2026.
{: deprecated}

## Common services components
{: #vcs-openshift-arch-common-services}

In the VMware Solutions console, click **Resources > VCF for Classic** from the left navigation panel.

Common services provide the services that are used by other services in the cloud management platform. Common services include identity and access services, domain name services, and NTP services.

![Common services](../../images/openshift-commonservices.svg){: caption="Common services" caption-side="bottom"}

### Identity and access services
{: #vcs-openshift-arch-identity}

As part of the VMware Cloud Foundation for Classic automation, a Microsoft® Active Directory™ (AD) is employed for Identity Management. A single AD virtual server instance (VSI) is deployed. The vCenter is configured to use AD authentication and you can configure Red Hat® OpenShift® for LDAP authentication.

### Domain Name Services
{: #vcs-openshift-arch-dns}

The VCF for Classic deployment uses the deployed AD VSIs as DNS servers for the instance. All deployed components, such as, vCenter, PSC, NSX®, and ESXi™ hosts, are configured to point to AD as their default DNS.

### NTP services
{: #vcs-openshift-arch-ntp}

The VCF for Classic deployment uses the IBM Cloud® infrastructure NTP servers. All deployed components are configured to use these NTP servers. Having all components within the design that uses the same NTP servers is critical for certificates and AD authentication to function correctly.

## Related links
{: #vcs-openshift-arch-related}

* [VCF for Classic and Red Hat OpenShift architecture overview](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/vmwaresolutions?topic=vmwaresolutions-vcs-openshift-intro&format=markdown)
* [System context for VCF for Classic and Red Hat OpenShift architecture](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/vmwaresolutions?topic=vmwaresolutions-vcs-openshift-syscontext&format=markdown)
* [Red Hat OpenShift architecture](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/vmwaresolutions?topic=vmwaresolutions-vcs-openshift-redhat-arch&format=markdown)
* [Storage options on IBM Cloud and Red Hat OpenShift](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/vmwaresolutions?topic=vmwaresolutions-vcs-openshift-storage&format=markdown)