IBM Cloud Docs
Procedure to order Automated instances

Procedure to order Automated instances

  1. In the VMware Solutions console, click the VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) for Classic card in the Create a resource section.

  2. On the Create tab, click the Automated card in the Resource type section.

  3. Select the VMware vCenter Server® version. Then, enter the instance name and select a resource group.

  4. To specify the instance configuration name, click Browse configurations and choose a configuration in the VMware instance configuration manager.

    • If you do not see any configurations in the list and you want to create one, you must first save the instance settings as a new configuration without placing an order.
    • If you want to update a saved configuration or create a new configuration based on a saved one, select the configuration from the side panel, make your changes, and then save.

  5. Select the instance type:

    • Click Primary instance to deploy a single instance in the environment or to deploy the first instance in a multisite topology.
    • Click Secondary instance to connect the instance with an existing (primary) instance in the environment for high availability. Select the primary instance that you want the secondary instance to be connected with, then enter the vCenter Server Administrator password for the primary instance.

  6. If you are a BYOL user, provide your own license keys for all VMware components. Toggle the BYOL switch to Enabled and enter your license keys.

    Bring Your Own License (BYOL) is no longer supported except for migrations or upgrades of existing BYOL clusters. Use this feature only if you are upgrading or migrating an existing BYOL cluster.

  7. Specify the settings for the consolidated cluster:

    1. Specify the cluster name.
    2. Specify the data center location. Click the Edit icon Edit icon and select the geography, data center, and pod to host the instance.
    3. Specify the CPU model: either Cascade Lake or SAP-certified Cascade Lake and choose one of the available configurations. For Cascade Lake, also select the RAM size.
    4. Specify the number of bare metal servers.
    5. If you want to use NFS storage, select the corresponding option.
      • To add and configure file shares individually, toggle the Configure shares individually switch on. Then, click Add shared storage and select the Size (GB) and Performance for each file share. You must select at least one file share.
      • To add and configure the same settings to all file shares, specify the Number of shares, Size (GB), and Performance.
    6. If you want to use vSAN™ storage, select the corresponding option.
      • Select the disk type and size for the vSAN capacity disks, the number of vSAN capacity disks, the disk size for vSAN cache disks, and the number of vSAN cache disks.
      • By default, the Enable vSAN deduplication and compression checkbox is selected. If you do not want to enable vSAN deduplication and compression, clear the checkbox.
    7. Specify the networking type.
    8. Select the uplink speed. The 25 Gb option is available only for specific pods and data center locations.
    9. Select the VLAN settings:
      • If you want to order new public and private VLANs, click Order new VLANs.
      • If you want to reuse the existing public and private VLANs when they are available, click Select existing VLANs and specify the VLANs and the subnets. Optionally, click Portable subnets settings. Then, select the portable subnet for each purpose and click Save.

  8. If you want to deploy a separate workload cluster, toggle the Deploy separate workload cluster switch on and specify the workload cluster configuration.

    If the consolidated or management cluster and the workload clusters are in the same location, you cannot use existing VLANs. Instead, the workload clusters reuse the VLANs from the management cluster.

  9. If you want to deploy a gateway cluster with Juniper vSRX included, toggle the Deploy gateway cluster switch on and specify the gateway cluster configuration.

  10. Specify the Network interface settings:

    1. Enter the Hostname prefix and the root Domain name for the instance that you are creating. For a secondary instance, the domain name is automatically completed.
    2. Specify the DNS configuration.
    3. If you want to customize the hostnames prefix individually, toggle the Configure hostnames individually switch on.

  11. Under Add-on services, review the available services. If you want to deploy an add-on service, toggle its switch on and review the service settings. If configuration is required, click Edit, then complete the edits and click Save. For more information about specific settings for a service, see the corresponding topic for ordering the service.

  12. On the Summary pane, review the instance settings and the estimated price.

    • To save the settings as a new configuration template without placing an order, click Save configuration, enter a name for the configuration, and click Continue.
    • To save the updates to a saved configuration, click Save configuration, select Modify current configuration, and click Continue.
    • To save the updates to a new saved configuration, click Save configuration, select Create new configuration, enter a new name for the configuration, and click Continue.

  13. To place the order, ensure that the account to be charged is correct, review and accept the terms, and then click Create.

Results if you saved a configuration

You get a console notification that the configuration is saved successfully, and then you can find the template in the Instance configurations list. Next, you can manage the configuration template by viewing or deleting it in the Instance configurations list.

Results if you placed an order

  1. The deployment of the instance starts automatically and you receive confirmation that the order is being processed. You can check the deployment status, including any issues that might require your attention, by viewing the Deployment history tab of the instance details.
  2. If you experience vSAN Health alerts and warnings, see How do I manage vSAN Health alerts and warnings?
  3. When the instance is successfully deployed, the components that are described in Technical specifications for Automated instances are installed on your VMware virtual platform. If you ordered add-on services, the deployment of the services starts after your order is completed.
  4. When the instance is ready to use, its status changes to Available, and then you receive a notification by email.
  5. When you order a secondary instance, the VMware vSphere Web Client for the primary instance (linked to the secondary one) might be restarted after your secondary instance order is completed.

Next, you can view and manage the Automated instance that you ordered.

You must manage the IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions components that are created in your IBM Cloud account only from the VMware Solutions console, not the IBM Cloud infrastructure customer portal, or any other means outside of the console. If you change these components outside of the VMware Solutions console, the changes are not synchronized with the console.

CAUTION Managing any IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions components (which were installed into your IBM Cloud account when you ordered the instance) from outside the VMware Solutions console can make your environment unstable. The following activities are considered management activities:

  • Adding, modifying, returning, or removing components

  • Expanding or contracting instance capacity through adding or removing ESXi servers

  • Powering off components

  • Restarting services

    Exceptions to these activities include managing the shared storage file shares from the IBM Cloud infrastructure customer portal. Such activities include ordering, deleting (which might impact data stores if mounted), authorizing, and mounting shared storage file shares.