With VMware Aria Automation Assembler profiles, you can define network and storage profiles for a specific account region.

Network Profiles

A network profile in VMware Aria Automation Assembler describes the behavior of the cloud-specific network to be deployed. For example, a network might require specific network services or access.

Network profile capability tags define a group of networks and workload-specific network characteristics that are available for a cloud account in a particular region. Network profile capability tags are matched to cloud template constraint tags during provisioning. Capability tags are applied to all networks in the network profile.

Network profiles can match the key:value constraint pair in a cloud template network configuration. If a network profile is configured for a public IP address, only networks that match networkType:public are matched during the deployment process.

You can use network policies within a network profile to define network settings, such as private or public networks, on-demand networks, and security groups generation. For example, you can create an on-demand network for each deployment using an NSX transport zone or a public cloud network domain. The existing public and private networks within the network profile are used as the underlying or upstream networks. You can match network type tags with cloud template constraints to place the deployed workload in a specific network.

Table 1. Example VMware Aria Automation Assembler Network Profiles

Account / Region

Profile Type

Network Profile Name

Network Characteristics

Capability Tags

sfo-w01-vc01 / sfo-w01-dc01

Existing Networks

net-existing-sfo-w01-vc01

  • Name: sfo-prod-web-172-11-10-0-24

  • CIDR: 172.11.10.0/24

  • function:web

  • env:prod

  • Name: sfo-prod-db-172-11-11-0-24

  • CIDR: 172.11.11.0/24

  • function:db

  • env:prod

  • Name: sfo-prod-app-172-11-12-0-24

  • CIDR: 172.11.12.0/24

  • function:app

  • env:prod

lax-w01-vc01 / lax-w01-dc01

Existing Networks

net-existing-lax-w01-vc01

  • Name: lax-prod-web-172-21-10-0-24

  • CIDR: 172.21.10.0/24

  • function:web

  • env:prod

  • Name: lax-prod-db-172-21-11-0-24

  • CIDR: 172.21.11.0/24

  • function:db

  • env:prod

  • Name: lax-prod-app-172-21-12-0-24

  • CIDR: 172.21.12.0/24

  • function:spp

  • env:prod
Note:

The scope of this solution includes only VMware Cloud Foundation. Examples include both private and public cloud network profiles for VMware Aria Automation Assembler in a multi-cloud context.

Table 2. Design Decisions on Network Profiles for VMware Aria Automation Assembler in VMware Aria Automation

Decision ID

Design Decision

Design Justification

Design Implication

PCA-VAA-CA-CFG-023

For each account region, add one or more network profiles based on network characteristics available for consumption.

You can add networks with predefined characteristics that can be consumed during a deployment process.

You must manage network profiles for each account region as updated across VMware Cloud Foundation instances.

PCA-VAA-CA-CFG-024

For each network in a network profile, add one or more capability tags.

You use capability tags to manage the workload network placement logic during the deployment process.

You must manage capability tagging on each network profile for workflow placement selection during a deployment process.

Storage Profiles

A storage profile in VMware Aria Automation Assembler describes cloud-specific storage on which workloads can be deployed based on a set of characteristics.

Storage profiles are organized under cloud-specific regions. A vCenter Server cloud account can have a single cloud / region, for example, us-west-1, with multiple storage profiles.

Note:

A public cloud account, such as Amazon Web Services, can have multiple regions, for example, AWS us-east-1 and us-west-1, with multiple storage profiles for each.

Storage profiles include cloud-specific configurations and a means to identify the type of storage by capability tags. At deployment time, tags are matched against the provisioning service request constraints to create the required storage. You can also specify if a profile to be used as the default for an account region.

Table 3. Example VMware Aria Automation Assembler Storage Profiles

Account / Region

Cloud Account Type

Storage Profile Name

Storage Characteristics

Capability Tags

sfo-w01-vc01 / sfo-w01-dc01

vCenter Server

standard-sfo-w01-cl01-vsan-default

  • Disk Type: Standard

  • Storage Policy: vSAN Default Storage Policy

  • Datastore/Datastore Cluster: sfo01-w01-vsan

  • Provisioning Type: Thin

  • Disk Mode: Dependent

  • Supports Encryption: Enabled

  • Preferred Storage: Enabled

  • tier:platinum

sfo-w01-vc01 / sfo-w01-dc01

vCenter Server

standard-sfo-w01-cl01-nfs-default

  • Disk Type: Standard

  • Storage Policy: Datastore Default

  • Datastore/Datastore Cluster: sfo01-w01-nfs-dscluster-01

  • Provisioning Type: Thin

  • Disk Mode: Dependent

  • Supports Encryption: Disabled

  • Preferred Storage: Disabled

  • tier:silver

lax-w01-vc01 / lax-w01-dc01

vCenter Server

standard-lax-w01-cl01-vsan-default

  • Disk Type: Standard

  • Storage Policy: vSAN Default Storage Policy

  • Datastore/Datastore Cluster: sfo01-w01-vsan

  • Provisioning Type: Thin

  • Disk Mode: Dependent

  • Supports Encryption: Enabled

  • Preferred Storage: Enabled

  • tier:platinum

lax-w01-vc01 / lax-w01-dc01

vCenter Server

standard-sfo-w01-cl01-nfs-default

  • Disk Type: Standard

  • Storage Policy: Datastore Default

  • Datastore/Datastore Cluster: sfo01-w01-nfs-dscluster-01

  • Provisioning Type: Thin

  • Disk Mode: Dependent

  • Supports Encryption: Disabled

  • Preferred Storage: Disabled

  • tier:silver
A cloud-independent placement is supported. For example, different cloud storage might have different performance characteristics but still be considered for deployment based on capability tags. For example, a platform can have two different vendor accounts and a region. A storage profile for each region is tagged with a tier:platinum constraint. During provisioning, a request containing a tier:platinum:hard tag for a hard constraint looks for a matching capability, regardless of the cloud vendor. After that, a match applies the settings from the associated storage profile during the creation of the deployed storage item.
Table 4. Design Decisions on Storage Profiles for VMware Aria Automation Assembler in VMware Aria Automation

Decision ID

Design Decision

Design Justification

Design Implication

PCA-VAA-CA-CFG-025

For each account region, add one or more storage profiles based on storage characteristics available for consumption.

You can add storage with defined characteristics that can be consumed during a deployment process.

You must manage storage profiles for each account region as storage is added, removed, and updated across VMware Cloud Foundation instances.

PCA-VAA-CA-CFG-026

For each storage profile, add one or more capability tags.

You use capability tags to manage the workload storage placement logic during the deployment process.

You must manage capability tagging on each storage profile for the workflow placement logic during a deployment process.