Offering comparison chart
Review the following information to understand the differences in feature support between IBM Cloud® for VMware Solutions offerings.
VCF for Classic - Automated vs Flexible
Review the following table to understand the differences in feature support for VMware Cloud Foundation for Classic - Automated and VMware Cloud Foundation for Classic - Flexible instances.
| Feature | VCF for Classic - Automated | VCF for Classic - Flexible |
|---|---|---|
| Powered by IBM® advanced automation[1] | Yes | No. Self-built and configured. |
| Storage options |
|
NFS, vSAN, or iSCSI - available with manual configuration |
| Number of ESXi™ servers in the initial cluster |
For vSAN: 4 servers[2] or 3 servers[3] For NFS:
|
No limitation. One or more ESXi servers are allowed on the console. For example, you can deploy a 3-node vSAN cluster with FTT=1. |
| Maximum number of ESXi servers |
|
59 per cluster |
| Cloud automated multisite deployment | Supported for new instances | Supported. Automated configuration - not included. |
| Add or remove ESXi servers | Supported | Supported. Automated configuration - not included. |
| Multicluster support | The maximum number depends on VMware® by Broadcom sizing guidelines | Supported. Automated configuration - not included. |
| Client-managed updating and patching of VMware stack | Client-managed updates - Native VMware tools (VMware Update Manager™ or vSphere Lifecycle Manager) | Client-managed updates - Native VMware tools (VMware Update Manager or vSphere Lifecycle Manager) |
| Backup and restore | Manually, by using Veeam® | Backup and restore solution - not included |
| Add-on services | Supported[4] | Not supported by the automation of this solution. You can bring and install your own software. |
| VMware components licensing | Automated for some VMware products | Not automated |