VMware Cloud Director Extension for Knowledge Options is a plug-in for VMware Cloud Director that provides up information and messaging companies to the VMware Cloud Director portfolio. It affords cloud suppliers and their tenants a set of information and messaging companies similar to VMware SQL with MySQL, VMware SQL with PostgreSQL, and RabbitMQ. Along with deploying and managing these companies at scale, tenants can use information analytics and monitoring via Grafana and Prometheus to test the well being of a service and take motion if a problem happens.

How does the Knowledge Options Extension work?

The Knowledge Options Extension works along with Container Service Extension 4.0 or later. It helps suppliers publish widespread information and messaging companies to their tenants, who in flip can use them for constructing new or sustaining present functions.

The companies are deployed in a Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Cluster that’s managed by Container Service Extension 4.0 or later. The latter performs an important function in service deployment. There’s a service operator that’s put in in a specific tenant Tanzu Kubernetes Cluster which manages the entire lifecycle of the service from the inception to the dissolution.

Here’s a high-level diagram of the Knowledge Options Extension structure.

Set up and Configuration Overview

Knowledge Options Extension is deployed as an ova file and its plug-in will get related with the Cloud Director occasion from the place it will likely be accessed.

There are different configuration steps alongside the best way which have to be carried out. One such is organising a container registry after the plug-in is put in. This configuration step is carried out by the supplier administrator and requires both utilizing Tanzu container registry or the supplier’s personal. This registry will likely be used for pulling the Docker photos of the supported companies and the info options operator.

One other necessary step is for the info options operator to be put in within the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Clusters the place the info resolution companies will likely be deployed. The set up is made by a Tenant Knowledge Options Operator consumer. The operator manages the creation, replace, improve, and deletion of a service on behalf of the consumer.

Use Circumstances

The Knowledge Options Extension can be utilized for numerous functions by tenants just like the creation of database and messaging companies at scale. As soon as these companies can be found in a tenant org, each tenant consumer that has the wanted permissions can create, improve, or delete a PostgreSQL, MySQL, or RabbitMQ service. Superior settings are doable to be utilized throughout the creation of a service, one such is enabling Excessive Availability for VMware SQL with MySQL and VMware SQL with PostgreSQL.

Along with the database and messaging service creation, tenants may handle effortlessly their improve. As soon as a more recent model is detected, the Knowledge Options Extension interface will point out that there’s such obtainable and immediate the consumer to take motion. The tenant directors or customers can improve the chosen service with only a click on, this fashion stopping the respective service from vulnerabilities and maintaining it in test.

Consumption Metering

After the deployment, comes the utilization of the Knowledge Options Extension. Whereas it’s free for use by our companions, the companies it deploys are thought-about billable and their utilization is calculated per-core foundation.

Word: Solely containers within the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Cluster that maintain the deployed service will likely be thought-about billable and never your complete cluster or employee node.

VMware SQL with MySQL and VMware SQL with PostgreSQL

For VMware SQL companies, all containers with information options operators and VMware SQL situations have to be recognized, and the used vCPUs by the companies have to be counted for reporting. The Configuration of vCPUs in Kubernetes is reported as milliCores. To calculate the variety of vCPUs, divide the reported milliCores by 1000.

VMware RabbitMQ

Solely configured Kubernetes vCPU Useful resource Limits for Containers with RabbitMQ Nodes have to be recognized for reporting. Configuration of Kubernetes vCPU Useful resource Limits could also be reported as milliCores. To calculate the variety of vCPUs, divide the reported milliCores by 1000.

The metering of the info options service is at the moment not computerized and requires some handbook steps from the suppliers. For checking which containers run a VMware SQL or RabbitMQ service, you should utilize the Kubernetes CLI instrument kubectl to establish them. For extra data, test the VMware Product Utilization Information.

Another choice for checking the service utilization is by using VMware Chargeback for checking the utilization of companies per tenant.

After the calculations are made, the supplier should manually enter the numbers into the VMware Commerce Portal.

Consumption Reporting

For reporting the consumption of the Knowledge Options companies, the supplier will first have to submit a one-off order within the Commerce Portal for all the info and messaging companies they plan to make use of. The consumption of the deployed companies will should be crammed in a separate row within the month-to-month billing order (MBO) within the Commerce Portal.

The info companies which have HA enabled can have their replicas billable in case they’re engaged in a scorching catastrophe restoration website and billable solely in case of catastrophe for chilly DR websites. Please seek advice from VMware Product Information for readability on what cold and warm DR websites are.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, the Knowledge Options Extension is a long-coveted plug-in for VMware Cloud Director. It was created with the thought to ship the Tanzu Knowledge Options to Cloud Director. Now it is a reality for some companies, although others nonetheless stay on the roadmap.

With Knowledge Options Extension we intention at enriching the Cloud Director portfolio of companies and enabling suppliers to ship extra companies to their tenants which can enhance their digital transformation.

For extra data on the Knowledge Options Extension necessities and deployment, test its product documentation. To seek out solutions to questions relating to the deployment, improve, utilization, and metering of the extension, learn the next FAQ.

For some other questions, test our cloud supplier Slack channel.