Creating a VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Instance from an Existing VCF Operations and vCenter Environment

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Customers may want to create a new VCF instance using their existing VCF Operations Manager (VCF Ops) and vCenter environment without impacting their production workloads. This is often requested for testing, validation, or disaster recovery planning purposes.

A common concern is understanding the risks associated with performing such convergence or instance creation, especially in environments that do not currently have NSX deployed. Customers often ask:

• What could go wrong during the instance creation process?

• Are there any risks to existing vCenter or ESXi hosts?

• How can the process be performed safely without creating downtime?

Environment

VMware vCenter Server: 8.0U3

Cause

The customer’s question arises from a need to understand the process and risk of convergence when creating a VCF instance from an existing environment. Key concerns include:

• Potential disruption to production vCenter and ESXi workloads

• Misconfiguration of VCF components (vCenter, vSAN, or network)

• Lack of NSX in the current environment may limit deployment pathways

• Ensuring the VCF instance is deployed correctly without impacting existing operations

Resolution

Resolution:
Based on the provided environment and requirements, the following guidance is recommended:

1. Review VMware Cloud Foundation Deployment Pathways:

   • VMware provides detailed deployment options and best practices for creating new VCF instances.

   • Customers should reference the VCF 9.0 Deployment Pathways guide to understand supported methods.

   • This guide outlines prerequisites, supported configurations, and migration/convergence considerations.

2. Assess Environment Readiness:

   • Confirm existing vCenter and ESXi versions are supported for the new VCF instance.

   • Ensure VCF Operations Manager is healthy and all logs and monitoring data are accessible.

   • Validate that the network configuration is compatible with a new VCF deployment.

3. Engage Professional Services (PSO) for Deployment Assistance:

   • Broadcom/VMware support teams focus on break/fix scenarios and cannot provide full design or deployment guidance.

   • Customers requiring VCF instance creation guidance should engage VMware Professional Services. PSO can provide a tailored plan and perform the deployment safely to minimize risk to production workloads.

4. Document and Backup:

   • Before any attempt to create a new instance, ensure that all existing VCF, vCenter, and ESXi configurations are fully backed up.

   • Take snapshots and retain configuration backups to allow rollback in case of unexpected issues.

Additional Information

References:

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 Deployment Pathways

Limitations: Broadcom/VMware support cannot provide step-by-step instance creation instructions for production environments; professional services engagement is recommended.