After you create and configure a data center group, you can create and manage VDC group layer 2 networks spanning the participating virtual data centers.

Add a VDC Group Network Backed by NSX Data Center for vSphere in the VMware Cloud Director Tenant Portal

You can create a VDC group network across all virtual data centers that are participating in a data center group.

You can add only an IPv4 data center group network backed by NSX Data Center for vSphere.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in as a Organization Administrator or a role with the Organization VDC Network: Edit Properties right.

Procedure

  1. From the primary left navigation panel, select Networking.
  2. On the Networks tab, click New.
  3. On the Scope page, select Data Center Group, and select a data center group backed by NSX Data Center for vSphere in which to create the network and click Next.
  4. Enter a meaningful name for the network.
  5. Enter the Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) settings for the network.
    • If you are using IP spaces, select an IP space from the drop-down menu and a subnet prefix.
    • If you are not using IP spaces, enter a CIDR in the format network_gateway_IP_address/subnet_prefix_length, for example, 192.167.1.1/24.
  6. Enter a description of the organization VDC network.
  7. Click Next.
  8. Review the settings and click Finish.

Results

You can see the newly created data center group network in the list of network for the organization.

Its network type is listed as Cross-VDC.

An organization virtual data center network of cross-VDC routing type is created for each participating virtual data center. You can see the VDC group networks of the participating virtual data centers by clicking on the card of a participating virtual data center and then clicking Networks. If a virtual machine or vApp connects to such an organization virtual data center network, this virtual machine or vApp connects to the VDC group network.

What to do next

For each corresponding cross-VDC organization virtual data center network, you can assign static IP addresses and IP pools. See Add IP Addresses to an Organization Virtual Data Center Network IP Pool in the VMware Cloud Director Tenant Portal.

For DNS and DHCP configurations for virtual machines attached to a VDC group network, you can use the VMware Cloud Director OpenAPI. To examine the VMware Cloud Director OpenAPI documentation, go to https://Cloud_Director_IP_address_or_host_name/docs. To view code samples and test VMware Cloud Director OpenAPI calls, go to https://Cloud_Director_IP_address_or_host_name/api-explorer?scope=organization_name.

View or Edit a Data Center Group Network Backed by NSX Data Center for vSphere in the VMware Cloud Director Tenant Portal

You can view the name, the description, and the CIDR settings of a data center group network backed by NSX Data Center for vSphere. You can edit only the name and description of a data center group network backed by NSX Data Center for vSphere.

For information about editing the static IP pool allocation for a data center group network at a virtual data center level, see Add IP Addresses to an Organization Virtual Data Center Network IP Pool in the VMware Cloud Director Tenant Portal.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are assigned the predefined Organization Administrator role or a role that includes the Organization VDC Network: View Properties and the Organization VDC Network: Edit Properties right.

Procedure

  1. From the primary left navigation panel, select Networking.
  2. Click the target network to view its details.
  3. To edit the name and the description of the networks, click Edit.
  4. Edit the network details and click Save.

Synchronize a Data Center Group Network Backed by NSX Data Center for vSphere in the VMware Cloud Director Tenant Portal

To ensure that all participating virtual data centers can access their data center group network backed by NSX Data Center for vSphere, you can synchronize the data center group network.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in as a Organization Administrator or a role with the Organization VDC Network: Edit Properties right.

Procedure

  1. From the primary left navigation panel, select Networking.
  2. In the networks tab, select the radio button next to the name of the target network, and click Sync.
  3. To confirm, click OK.