The cloud deployment architecture of VMware Cloud Director Availability relies on symmetrical replication operations between the two sites. Deploying multiple VMware Cloud Director Availability instances under one VMware Cloud Director™ site allows for granular access to multiple provider virtual data centers (VDCs) representing separate sites.

Test and Development Deployment

In a test and a development VMware Cloud Director site, you can deploy a minimal setup. In the test cloud site, a single Combined Appliance instance can run all the four main VMware Cloud Director Availability services:
  • The Tunnel Service,
  • The Manager Service,
  • The Cloud Service,
  • And the Replicator Service.

Combined cloud replication appliances in both cloud sites.

In the diagram:
  • The colored components inside the two Combined Appliance instances represent the VMware Cloud Director Availability services, deployed during the installation and the initial configuration of the appliances.
  • Each component has the color of the replication direction it manages. For example, the protected Organization VDC B vApps and VM 2 from Cloud Site 1 to Cloud Site 2 use the Cloud Site 2 Replicator Service.
  • Each replication resides in its destination site. For example, the protections from Cloud Site 1 to Cloud Site 2 reside in Cloud Site 2.

  • The components with no color represent existing components in the VMware Cloud Director sites.

Production Deployment

In a production VMware Cloud Director site, you deploy and configure one or more VMware Cloud Director Availability instances. A single VMware Cloud Director Availability instance consists of the following services, running on three or more dedicated cloud appliances.
  • A single Cloud Tunnel Appliance, running the Tunnel Service.
  • A single Cloud Replication Management Appliance, running the Cloud Service and the Manager Service.
  • One or more Cloud Replicator Appliance instances, each running a Replicator Service instance.

Dedicated cloud replication appliances in both cloud sites.

For information about the network connectivity between the services and between the sites, see Network Requirements and for information about each service, see Services.

Deploying Multiple VMware Cloud Director Availability Instances in VMware Cloud Director

In a production cloud site, you can deploy one or more VMware Cloud Director Availability instances, distributed in provider VDCs.
  • In VMware Cloud Director Availability, each provider VDC represents a cloud site. In each VMware Cloud Director Availability instance, the service provider controls the accessible provider VDCs for that instance.
    Note: A single VMware Cloud Director Availability instance must manage each provider VDC.

    There must be no overlapping provider VDCs managed by multiple VMware Cloud Director Availability instances.

  • A single VMware Cloud Director instance manages all VMware Cloud Director Availability instances, for both a replication source or a replication destination. Each VMware Cloud Director Availability instance registers as a plug-in with its local site name in VMware Cloud Director.
  • Each VMware Cloud Director Availability instance connects to one vCenter Server Lookup service for one Single Sign-On (SSO) domain and can access all the organization VDCs of the organizations, part of the provider VDC.
Multiple Availability instances, each responsible for different SSO domain with multiple provider VDCs under different Lookup services.
  • In SSO domain 1, VMware Cloud Director Availability instance 1 connects to vCenter Server Lookup service 1 and can access the organization VDCs of Organizations X and Y, part of Provider VDC A and B, respectively.
  • In SSO domain 2, VMware Cloud Director Availability instance 2 connects to vCenter Server Lookup service 2 and can access the organization VDCs of Organizations X and Y, part of Provider VDC C and the organization VDCs of Organization X, part of Provider VDC D.
  • In SSO domain N, VMware Cloud Director Availability instance N connects to vCenter Server Lookup service N and can access the organization VDCs of Organization Z, part of Provider VDC N.