A deployment configuration file is an input to the migration coordinator tool. The migration coordinator reads the .json configuration file, validates it against a pre-defined JSON schema, and migrates the vRealize Automation resource configurations from the existing NSX-V environment to a new NSX environment.

The deployment configuration file contains the following configuration information:
  • List of resources that vRealize Automation has created.
  • List of resources that vRealize Automation references from the existing NSX-V environment.
  • List of network interfaces of the workload VMs that vRealize Automation has created.
  • Desired mapping of the vRealize Automation resources to NSX objects.
Mapping example: Consider that your topology has a vRealize Automation created Logical Switch that connects to an existing Distributed Logical Router in NSX-V. The mapping information in the deployment configuration file tells the migration coordinator to do the following:
  • Create a relevant tier-1 gateway in NSX that maps to the Network Profile deployed in vRealize Automation.
  • Attach an NSX overlay segment to the downlink of this tier-1 gateway.

The deployment configuration file is generated from the vRealize Automation environment, and it provides configuration information about all the vRealize Automation created on-demand resources that are deployed over several days of network operations. This configuration file must be valid and conform to a pre-defined JSON schema.

Typically, the cloud administrator generates the deployment configuration file and provides it to the network administrator, who runs the migration coordinator tool in the NSX environment. In some organizations, a single administrator might perform both roles.

Remember, each vRealize Automation deployment can create multiple on-demand networks, and each network can have multiple network interfaces. The networks inside a deployment can consume resources that are either created by vRealize Automation or that are existing in NSX-V.

For example, let us assume that over several days of network operations, you have created multiple deployments in vRealize Automation to deploy the following resources in your NSX-V topology:
  • Deployment 1: For creating two on-demand private networks and one on-demand routed network.
  • Deployment 2: For creating on-demand security groups.
  • Deployment 3: For creating on-demand routed networks with no services.

When you are ready to migrate NSX-V with vRealize Automation to NSX, a single deployment configuration file is generated from vRealize Automation, and uploaded as an input file to the migration coordinator.