VMware vCloud: Deploy and Manage the VMware Cloud – course recap

Last week I attended the VMware vCloud: Deploy and Manage the VMware Cloud v1.5 course at Global Knowledge in Nieuwegein. The course was led by Eric Sloof (@esloof) from NTPro.nl. This was a four day classroom course that demonstrates how to deploy VMware vCloud for a public, private, or hybrid cloud environment and manage the ongoing operation of the deployment. The course focuses on the private and public vCloud solutions but also includes information on how this approach supports a hybrid solution.

Course Outline

• Course Introduction
• VMware vCloud Director Architecture and Components
• Installing VMware vCloud Director
• VMware vCloud Director Networking
• VMware vCloud Director Providers
• VMware vCloud Director Organizations
• Monitoring VMware vCloud Components
• Cloud Connectivity
• VMware vCloud Security
• Cost Analysis and Reporting with VMware vCenter Chargeback
• Managing Cloud Resources
• Managing vSphere Resources

The labs are divided into two paths: the private cloud and the public cloud.

Labs Outline

• Installing VMware vCloud Director
• Configuring VMware vCloud Director Networking
• Configuring VMware vCloud Director Network Pools
• Configuring VMware vCloud Director Provider vDCs
• Creating Organizations
• Configuring VMware vCloud Director Organization Networks
• Configuring VMware vCloud Director vApp Templates
• Deploying a vApp from the Catalog
• Installing the VMware vCloud Director Remote Console Plug-in
• Deploy vApps in VMware vCloud Director
• Deploying Optional vApps and Networks in VMware vCloud Director
• Monitoring VMware vCloud Components
• Configuring Basic Firewalls
• Configuring VMware vCloud Director VPN Networks
• Configuring VMware vCloud Director Static Routes
• Managing Custom Security Roles
• Integrating LDAP
• Managing Firewalls
• Cost Analysis and Reporting with VMware vCenter Chargeback
• Managing VMware vCloud Resources
• Managing vSphere Resources

I am quite satisfied with this course. The course material covers almost every aspect of the VMware vCloud Director. The course length is okay and labs are well set up. From the start to the end, you will build your own cloud. Install, configure and manage the components and create rapports that will give you an overview of the costs of workloads. I would highly recommend this training if you are a consultant, system engineer or datacenter/cloud administrator. This course will absolutely help you on your daily job.

Special thanks goes to Eric Sloof, thanks for delivering this great course but also to my fellow students @gabvirtualworld, @ibeerens, @Dijker, @afokkema, @eugenedegrave, @KeesHuizer and @LammyVM It’s been good to see you and work with you guys. Thanks!

One more thing, if you want to take the VMware vCloud Director for a test drive, take a look at VMware vCloud website. Under the vCloud Ecosystem you can find vCloud Service Providers which offer you a test account to try a public cloud. I signed up at Stratogen and within a few minutes I was up and running! 🙂

Cheers!

– Marek.Z