Enabling Cloud Hub in VMware Cloud Orchestrator (VCO)

Products

• VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to enable Cloud Hub on the VMware SD-WAN Orchestrator (VCO), the Cloud Hub page remains blank and does not load any content. This issue occurs because specific configurations required for Cloud Hub functionality are missing in the VCO system properties and Nginx configuration.

Environment

SDwan Velocloud Orchestrator (VCO / VECO)

Cause

The default VCO configuration does not include the necessary settings to enable Cloud Hub. Specifically:

• The system property vco.system.configuration.data.mcsNginxRedirectionUrl is empty.
• The Nginx configuration files have return 404; directives for the MCS endpoints:
  • /etc/nginx/velocloud/locations/apigw.conf for the /api/mcs endpoint.
  • /etc/nginx/velocloud/locations/vco-new-ui.conf for the /apps/mcs/ endpoint.

These configurations prevent the VCO from properly redirecting traffic for Cloud Hub.

Resolution

To enable Cloud Hub on a VMware-hosted Orchestrator:

• Open a support ticket with VMware to request Cloud Hub activation.

To enable Cloud Hub on an on-premises VCO:

1. Update System Properties in VCO UI:

   • Log in to the VCO UI as the operator admin.
   • Navigate to the "System Properties" section.
   • Set the following system properties:
     • vco.system.configuration.data.mcsNginxRedirectionUrl=https://mcs.orchestrator.vmware.com.
       • This URL must be resolvable by the VCO host and meet the SSL standards specified in the VCO Nginx configuration.
     • session.options.enableMcsServiceAccount=true.
       • This enables the MCS service account functionality.
   • If disabling the Cloud Hub functionality:
     • Set vco.system.configuration.data.mcsNginxRedirectionUrl to a blank value.
     • Set session.options.enableMcsServiceAccount=false.

2. Verify System Property Updates:

   • Check the VCO operator event logs for an event type VCO_SYSTEM_CONFIGURATION_SCRIPT to confirm that the system properties were updated successfully.

3. Verify Nginx Configuration Updates: (This should be Auto Modified).

   • Ensure that the following changes have been applied to the Nginx configuration files:
     • /etc/nginx/velocloud/locations/apigw.conf:
       • Replace return 404; with proxy_pass https://mcs.orchestrator.vmware.com/api/mcs;.
     • /etc/nginx/velocloud/locations/vco-new-ui.conf:
       • Replace return 404; with proxy_pass https://mcs.orchestrator.vmware.com/apps/mcs/;.
   • Confirm that Nginx has been reloaded successfully.

4. Post Configuration Steps:

   • For each VCO that will have Cloud Hub enabled, we need to add the authentication token for that VCO in the AWS Secret Manager.
   • To perform this step, open a support ticket with VMware.

Additional Information

 

• If the required URL (https://mcs.orchestrator.vmware.com) is unavailable or the SSL standards are not met, Cloud Hub functionality will fail.
• Always ensure that system properties and Nginx configurations are backed up before making any changes.
• If issues occur during or after the configuration process, reach out to VMware support for assistance.