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VMware Validated Design for SDDC 3.0 Generally Available

In the last year since VMware announced the VMware Validated Designs at VMworld 2015, we've delivered on two iterations of the VMware Validated Design for SDDC. The first release, VMware Validated Design for SDDC 1.0, became available as a special offering through VMware Professional services in the spring of 2015. That was then followed by the first generally available release, VMware Validated Designs for SDDC 2.0, which was available in mid-Summer.

Today, we announce general availability of the VMware Validated Design for SDDC 3.0.

The engineering team has been doing a tremendous job incorporating feedback from early adopters to extend the applicability of the designs and add more elements and capabilities.

This generally available release includes all the features and capabilities of the existing prior 2.0 release along with some additional improvements and updates.

Let's take a look at some of the key improvements being incorporated into 3.0:

Flexible Deployment with Distributed Management and Workload Architecture

This VMware Validated Design for SDDC 3.0 simplifies the initial startup, reduces startup hardware cost, and provides flexibility for future growth by transitioning to a flexible distributed management and workload architecture. In prior versions, the functional roles of the pods were separated into: management, edge, and compute (also referred to as workload) pods. While this is a tremendously scalable architecture many customers and partners wanted to see the option to start smaller and have the ability to grow without requiring the fully distributed architecture at startup. This has been accomplished by collapsing the Edge Pod and first Compute Pod into a Shared Edge and Compute Pod.

Flexible Distributed Management and Workload

In 3.0 the Management Pod instantiates all the management, automation and operations solutions for the Sotware-Defined Data Center. These include:

  • vSphere
  • Virtual SAN
  • NSX
  • vRealize Operations w/ Management Packs
  • vRealize Log Insight w/ Content Packs
  • vRealize Automation
  • vRealize Orchestrtor
  • vRealize Business for Cloud
  • Site Recovery Manager
  • vSphere Data Protection

The Shared Edge and Compute Pod provides north-south routing and advanced networking services to workloads in the SDDC. It also provides an location to run the initial workloads in the SDDC. As an SDDC grows, additional Compute Only Pods are added to run more business workloads. And, if desired, the edge services in the SDDC can be separated and powered by a dedicated Edge Pod in the future.

3.0 Deployment Topology

3.0 Core and Pod Topology

Dual-Region Deployment and Operational Guidance

The release includes the expansion from single-region deployment and operations guidance to dual-region.

A dual-region deployment allows an organization to implement an SDDC across two geographical locations, providing portability of applications, and enabling disaster recovery capability of SDDC management, automation and operations solutions between regions. Think San Francisio and Los Angeles, as an example.

Read the Release Notes

Download the Design Documenation

In addition, with the announcement of this design VMware Validated Design for Software-Defined Data Center 3.0 it is my pleasure to share the VMware Validated Design for Software-Defined Data Center 3.x Reference Poster for this upcoming release.

This poster depicts many portions of the fundamental architecture for both quick reference and discussion

VMware Validated Design for Software-Defined Data Center 3.x Poster

Download the Poster at vmware.com/go/vvd-sddc-poster