Workspace ONE Access Design for VMware Cloud Foundation

Workspace ONE Access in VMware Cloud Foundation mode provides identity and access management services to specific components in the SDDC, such as VMware Aria Suite.

Workspace ONE Access provides the following capabilities:

• Directory integration to authenticate users against an identity provider (IdP), such as Active Directory or LDAP.

• Multiple authentication methods.

• Access policies that consist of rules to specify criteria that users must meet to authenticate.

The Workspace ONE Access instance that is integrated with VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle provides identity and access management services to VMware Aria Suite solutions that either run in a VMware Cloud Foundation instance or must be available across VMware Cloud Foundation instances.

For identity management design for a VMware Aria Suite product, see VMware Cloud Foundation Validated Solutions .

For identity and access management for components other than VMware Aria Suite, such as NSX, you can deploy a standalone Workspace ONE Access instance. See Identity and Access Management for VMware Cloud Foundation.

Logical Design for Workspace ONE Access

To provide identity and access management services to supported SDDC components, such as VMware Aria Suite components, this design uses a Workspace ONE Access instance that is deployed on an NSX network segment.

Figure 1. Logical Design for Standard Workspace ONE Access

Table 1. Logical Components of Standard Workspace ONE Access

VMware Cloud Foundation Instances with a Single Availability Zone

VMware Cloud Foundation Instances with Multiple Availability Zones

A single-node Workspace ONE Access instance deployed on an overlay-backed (recommended) or VLAN-backed NSX segment. SDDC solutions that are portable across VMware Cloud Foundation instances are integrated with the Workspace ONE Access instance in the first VMware Cloud Foundation instance.

A single-node Workspace ONE Access instance deployed on an overlay-backed (recommended) or VLAN-backed NSX segment. SDDC solutions that are portable across VMware Cloud Foundation instances are integrated with the Workspace ONE Access instance in the first VMware Cloud Foundation instance. A should-run-on-hosts-in-group vSphere DRS rule ensures that, under normal operating conditions, the Workspace ONE Access node runs on a management ESXi host in the first availability zone.

Figure 2. Logical Design for Clustered Workspace ONE Access

Table 2. Logical Components of Clustered Workspace ONE Access

VMware Cloud Foundation Instances with a Single Availability Zone

VMware Cloud Foundation Instances with Multiple Availability Zones

A three-node Workspace ONE Access cluster behind an NSX load balancer and deployed on an overlay-backed (recommended) or VLAN-backed NSX segment is deployed in the first VMware Cloud Foundation instance. All Workspace ONE Access services and databases are configured for high availability using a native cluster configuration. SDDC solutions that are portable across VMware Cloud Foundation instances are integrated with this Workspace ONE Access cluster. Each node of the three node cluster is configured as a connector to any relevant identity providers vSphere HA protects the Workspace ONE Access nodes. vSphere DRS anti-affinity rules ensure that the Workspace ONE Access nodes run on different ESXi hosts. Additional single-node Workspace ONE Access instance is deployed on an overlay-backed (recommended) or VLAN-backed NSX segment in all other VMware Cloud Foundation instances.

A three-node Workspace ONE Access cluster behind an NSX load balancer and deployed on an overlay-backed (recommended) or VLAN-backed NSX segment. All Workspace ONE Access services and databases are configured for high availability using a native cluster configuration. SDDC solutions that are portable across VMware Cloud Foundation instances are integrated with this Workspace ONE Access cluster. Each node of the three-node cluster is configured as a connector to any relevant identity providers vSphere HA protects the Workspace ONE Access nodes. A vSphere DRS anti-affinity rule ensures that the Workspace ONE Access nodes run on different ESXi hosts. A should-run-on-hosts-in-group vSphere DRS rule ensures that, under normal operating conditions, the Workspace ONE Access nodes run on management ESXi hosts in the first availability zone. Additional single-node Workspace ONE Access instance is deployed on an overlay-backed (recommended) or VLAN-backed NSX segment in all other VMware Cloud Foundation instances.

Sizing Considerations for Workspace ONE Access for VMware Cloud Foundation

When you deploy Workspace ONE Access, you select to deploy the appliance with a size that is suitable for the scale of your environment. The option that you select determines the number of CPUs and the amount of memory of the appliance.

For detailed sizing based on the overall profile of the VMware Cloud Foundation instance you plan to deploy, see VMware Cloud Foundation Planning and Preparation Workbook.

Table 3. Sizing Considerations for Workspace ONE Access

Workspace ONE Access Appliance Size	Supported Limits
Extra Small	3,000 users 30 groups
Small	5,000 users 50 groups
Medium	10,000 Users 100 groups A minimum requirement for VMware Aria Automation
Large	25,000 users 250 groups
Extra Large	50,000 users 500 groups
Extra Extra Large	100,000 users 1,000 groups

Network Design for Workspace ONE Access

For secure access to the UI and API of Workspace ONE Access, you deploy the nodes on an overlay-backed or VLAN-backed NSX network segment.

Network Segment

This network design has the following features:

• All Workspace ONE Access components have routed access to the management VLAN through the Tier-0 gateway in the NSX instance for the management domain.

• Routing to the management network and other external networks is dynamic and is based on the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).

Figure 3. Network Design for Standard Workspace ONE Access

Figure 4. Network Design for Clustered Workspace ONE Access

Load Balancing

A Workspace ONE Access cluster deployment requires a load balancer to manage connections to the Workspace ONE Access services.

Load-balancing services are provided by NSX. During the deployment of the Workspace ONE Access cluster or scale-out of a standard deployment, VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle and SDDC Manager coordinate to automate the configuration of the NSX load balancer. The load balancer is configured with the following settings:

Table 4. Clustered Workspace ONE Access Load Balancer Configuration

Load Balancer Element	Settings
Service Monitor	Use the default intervals and timeouts: Monitoring interval: 3 seconds Idle timeout period: 10 seconds Rise/Fall: 3 seconds HTTP request: HTTP method: Get HTTP request version: 1.1 Request URL: /SAAS/API/1.0/REST/system/health/heartbeat. HTTP response: HTTP response code: 200 HTTP response body: OK SSL configuration: Server SSL: Enabled Client certificate: Cross-instance Workspace ONE Access cluster certificate SSL profile: default-balanced-server-ssl-profil.
Server Pool	LEAST_CONNECTION algorithm. Set the SNAT translation mode to Auto Map for the pool. Static members: Name: host name IP: IP address Port: 443 Weight: 1 State: Enabled Set the above service monitor.
HTTP Application Profile	Timeout 3,600 seconds (60 minutes). X-Forwarded-For Insert
Cookie Persistence Profile	Cookie name JSESSIONID. Cookie mode Rewrite
Virtual Server	HTTP type L7 Port 443 IP Workspace ONE Access cluster IP Persistence Above Cookie Persistence Profile. Application profile Above HTTP application profile. Server pool Above server pool

Integration Design for Workspace ONE Access with VMware Cloud Foundation

You integrate supported SDDC components with the Workspace ONE Access cluster to enable authentication through the identity and access management services.

After the integration, information security and access control configurations for the integrated SDDC products can be configured.

Table 5. Workspace ONE Access SDDC Integration

SDDC Component	Integration	Considerations
vCenter Server	Not Supported	For directory services you must connect vCenter Server directly to Active Directory. See Identity and Access Management for VMware Cloud Foundation.
SDDC Manager	Not Supported	SDDC Manager uses vCenter Single Sign-On. For directory services, you must connect vCenter Server directly to Active Directory
NSX	Supported	If you intend to scale out to an environment with multiple VMware Cloud Foundation instances, for example, for disaster recovery, you must deploy an additional standard instance of Workspace ONE Access in each VMware Cloud Foundation instance. The Workspace ONE Access instance that is leveraged by components protected across VMware Cloud Foundation instances might fail over between physical locations which will impact the authentication to NSX in the first VMware Cloud Foundation instance. See Identity and Access Management for VMware Cloud Foundation.
VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle	Supported	None.

See VMware Cloud Foundation Validated Solutions for the design for specific VMware Aria Suite components including identity management.

Deployment Model for Workspace ONE Access

Workspace ONE Access is distributed as a virtual appliance in OVA format that you can deploy and manage from VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle together with other VMware Aria Suite products. The Workspace ONE Access appliance includes identity and access management services.

Deployment Type

You consider the deployment type, standard or cluster, according to the design objectives for the availability and number of users that the system and integrated SDDC solutions must support. You deploy Workspace ONE Access on the default management vSphere cluster.

Table 6. Topology Attributes of Workspace ONE Access

Deployment Type	Description	Benefit	Drawbacks
Standard	Single node NSX load balancer automatically deployed.	Can be scaled out to a 3-node cluster behind an NSX load balancer Can leverage vSphere HA for recovery after a failure occurs. Consumes less resources.	Does not provide high availability for Identity Provider connectors.
Cluster	Three node clustered deployment using internal PostgreSQL database. NSX load balancer automatically deployed.	Provides high availability for Identity Provider connectors.	May require manual intervention after a failure occurs. Consumes additional resources.

Workspace ONE Access Design Requirements and Recommendations for VMware Cloud Foundation

Consider the placement, networking, sizing and high availability requirements for using Workspace ONE Access for identity and access management of SDDC solutions on a standard or stretched management cluster in VMware Cloud Foundation. Apply similar best practices for having Workspace ONE Access operate in an optimal way.

Workspace ONE Access Design Requirements

You must meet the following design requirements in your Workspace ONE Access design for VMware Cloud Foundation, considering standard or stretched clusters. For NSX Federation, additional requirements exist.

Table 7. Workspace ONE Access Design Requirements for VMware Cloud Foundation

Requirement ID	Design Requirement	Justification	Implication
VCF-WSA-REQD-ENV-001	Create a global environment in VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle to support the deployment of Workspace ONE Access.	A global environment is required by VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle to deploy Workspace ONE Access.	None.
VCF-WSA-REQD-SEC-001	Import certificate authority-signed certificates to the Locker repository for Workspace ONE Access product life cycle operations.	You can reference and use certificate authority-signed certificates during product life cycle operations, such as deployment and certificate replacement.	When using the API, you must specify the Locker ID for the certificate to be used in the JSON payload.
VCF-WSA-REQD-CFG-001	Deploy an appropriately sized Workspace ONE Access instance according to the deployment model you have selected by using VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle in VMware Cloud Foundation mode.	The Workspace ONE Access instance is managed by VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle and imported into the SDDC Manager inventory.	None.
VCF-WSA-REQD-CFG-002	Place the Workspace ONE Access appliances on an overlay-backed or VLAN-backed NSX network segment.	Provides a consistent deployment model for management applications in an environment with a single or multiple VMware Cloud Foundation instances.	You must use an implementation in NSX to support this network configuration.
VCF-WSA-REQD-CFG-003	Use the embedded PostgreSQL database with Workspace ONE Access.	Removes the need for external database services.	None.
VCF-WSA-REQD-CFG-004	Add a VM group for Workspace ONE Access and set VM rules to restart the Workspace ONE Access VM group before any of the VMs that depend on it for authentication.	You can define the startup order of virtual machines regarding the service dependency. The startup order ensures that vSphere HA powers on the Workspace ONE Access virtual machines in an order that respects product dependencies.	None.
VCF-WSA-REQD-CFG-005	Connect the Workspace ONE Access instance to a supported upstream Identity Provider.	You can integrate your enterprise directory with Workspace ONE Access to synchronize users and groups to the Workspace ONE Access identity and access management services.	None.
VCF-WSA-REQD-CFG-006	If using clustered Workspace ONE Access, configure second and third native connectors that correspond to the second and third Workspace ONE Access cluster nodes to support the high availability of directory services access.	Adding the additional native connectors provides redundancy and improves performance by load-balancing authentication requests.	Each of the Workspace ONE Access cluster nodes must be joined to the Active Directory domain to use Active Directory with Integrated Windows Authentication with the native connector.
VCF-WSA-REQD-CFG-007	If using clustered Workspace ONE Access, use the NSX load balancer that is configured by SDDC Manager on a dedicated Tier-1 gateway.	During the deployment of Workspace ONE Access by using VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle, SDDC Manager automates the configuration of an NSX load balancer for Workspace ONE Access to facilitate scale-out.	You must use the load balancer that is configured by SDDC Manager and the integration with VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle.

Table 8. Workspace ONE Access Design Requirements for Stretched Clusters in VMware Cloud Foundation

Requirement ID	Design Requirement	Justification	Implication
VCF-WSA-REQD-CFG-008	Add the Workspace ONE Access appliances to the VM group for the first availability zone.	Ensures that, by default, the Workspace ONE Access cluster nodes are powered on a host in the first availability zone.	If the Workspace ONE Access instance is deployed after the creation of the stretched management cluster, you must add the appliances to the VM group manually. ClusteredWorkspace ONE Access might require manual intervention after a failure of the active availability zone occurs.

Table 9. Workspace ONE Access Design Requirements for NSX Federation in VMware Cloud Foundation

Requirement ID	Design Requirement	Justification	Implication
VCF-WSA-REQD-CFG-009	Configure the DNS settings for Workspace ONE Access to use DNS servers in each VMware Cloud Foundation instance.	Improves resiliency if an outage of external services for a VMware Cloud Foundation instance occurs.	None.
VCF-WSA-REQD-CFG-010	Configure the NTP settings on Workspace ONE Access cluster nodes to use NTP servers in each VMware Cloud Foundation instance.	Improves resiliency if an outage of external services for a VMware Cloud Foundation instance occurs.	If you scale from a deployment with a single VMware Cloud Foundation instance to one with multiple VMware Cloud Foundation instances, the NTP settings on Workspace ONE Access must be updated.

Workspace ONE Access Design Recommendations

In your Workspace ONE Access design for VMware Cloud Foundation, you can apply certain best practices.

Table 10. Workspace ONE Access Design Recommendations for VMware Cloud Foundation

Recommendation ID	Design Recommendation	Justification	Implication
VCF-WSA-RCMD-CFG-001	Protect all Workspace ONE Access nodes using vSphere HA.	Supports high availability for Workspace ONE Access.	None for standard deployments. Clustered Workspace ONE Access deployments might require intervention if an ESXi host failure occurs.
VCF-WSA-RCMD-CFG-002	When using Active Directory as an Identity Provider, use Active Directory over LDAP as the Directory Service connection option.	The native (embedded) Workspace ONE Access connector binds to Active Directory over LDAP using a standard bind authentication.	In a multi-domain forest, where the Workspace ONE Access instance connects to a child domain, Active Directory security groups must have global scope. Therefore, members added to the Active Directory global security group must reside within the same Active Directory domain. If authentication to more than one Active Directory domain is required, additional Workspace ONE Access directories are required.
VCF-WSA-RCMD-CFG-003	When using Active Directory as an Identity Provider, use an Active Directory user account with a minimum of read-only access to Base DNs for users and groups as the service account for the Active Directory bind.	Provides the following access control features: Workspace ONE Access connects to the Active Directory with the minimum set of required permissions to bind and query the directory. You can introduce improved accountability in tracking request-response interactions between the Workspace ONE Access and Active Directory.	You must manage the password life cycle of this account. If authentication to more than one Active Directory domain is required, additional accounts are required for the Workspace ONE Access connector to bind to each Active Directory domain over LDAP.
VCF-WSA-RCMD-CFG-004	Configure the directory synchronization to synchronize only groups required for the integrated SDDC solutions.	Limits the number of replicated groups required for each product. Reduces the replication interval for group information.	You must manage the groups from your enterprise directory selected for synchronization to Workspace ONE Access.
VCF-WSA-RCMD-CFG-005	Activate the synchronization of enterprise directory group members when a group is added to the Workspace ONE Access directory.	When activated, members of the enterprise directory groups are synchronized to the Workspace ONE Access directory when groups are added. When deactivated, group names are synchronized to the directory, but members of the group are not synchronized until the group is entitled to an application or the group name is added to an access policy.	None.
VCF-WSA-RCMD-CFG-006	Enable Workspace ONE Access to synchronize nested group members by default.	Allows Workspace ONE Access to update and cache the membership of groups without querying your enterprise directory.	Changes to group membership are not reflected until the next synchronization event.
VCF-WSA-RCMD-CFG-007	Add a filter to the Workspace ONE Access directory settings to exclude users from the directory replication.	Limits the number of replicated users for Workspace ONE Access within the maximum scale.	To ensure that replicated user accounts are managed within the maximums, you must define a filtering schema that works for your organization based on your directory attributes.
VCF-WSA-RCMD-CFG-008	Configure the mapped attributes included when a user is added to the Workspace ONE Access directory.	You can configure the minimum required and extended user attributes to synchronize directory user accounts for the Workspace ONE Access to be used as an authentication source for cross-instance VMware Aria Suite solutions.	User accounts in your organization's enterprise directory must have the following required attributes mapped: firstname, for example, givenname for Active Directory lastName, for example, sn for Active Directory email, for example, mail for Active Directory userName, for example,sAMAccountName for Active Directory If you require users to sign in with an alternate unique identifier, for example, userPrincipalName, you must map the attribute and update the identity and access management preferences.
VCF-WSA-RCMD-CFG-009	Configure the Workspace ONE Access directory synchronization frequency to a reoccurring schedule, for example, 15 minutes.	Ensures that any changes to group memberships in the corporate directory are available for integrated solutions in a timely manner.	Schedule the synchronization interval to be longer than the time to synchronize from the enterprise directory. If users and groups are being synchronized to Workspace ONE Access when the next synchronization is scheduled, the new synchronization starts immediately after the end of the previous iteration. With this schedule, the process is continuous.
VCF-WSA-RCMD-SEC-001	Create corresponding security groups in your corporate directory services for these Workspace ONE Access roles: Super Admin Directory Admins ReadOnly Admin	Streamlines the management of Workspace ONE Access roles to users.	You must set the appropriate directory synchronization interval in Workspace ONE Access to ensure that changes are available within a reasonable period. You must create the security group outside of the SDDC stack.
VCF-WSA-RCMD-SEC-002	Configure a password policy for Workspace ONE Access local directory users, admin and configadmin.	You can set a policy for Workspace ONE Access local directory users that addresses your corporate policies and regulatory standards. The password policy is applicable only to the local directory users and does not impact your organization directory.	You must set the policy in accordance with your organization policies and regulatory standards, as applicable. You must apply the password policy on the Workspace ONE Access cluster nodes.