Phase 1: Designing the VMware Smart Assurance deployment

Designing an VMware Smart Assurance deployment consists of gathering the necessary information and then using the information to develop a plan for the VMware Smart Assurance deployment.

Gathering the information is a process that involves both the designer and the network administrators. Network administrators must provide details of their network’s OSI model Layer 2 and Layer 3 infrastructure:

• List the quantities and types of devices such as routers, switches, hubs, and bridges and their ports and interfaces. Include plans for adding or removing equipment during the time period that the deployment design will cover.

• Provide IP addresses for use in discovery, including seed systems and filtering.

• Describe network geography, including locations of Network Operations Centers (NOCs) and equipment.

• Specify LAN and link speeds throughout the network and their relationship to the network geography.

  This information is then applied, using sizing guidelines, to develop a deployment design that will properly support the network. The design should also account for projected growth of the network.

  The design is detailed in a solution architecture diagram and a deployment build guide. In their preliminary stages, the diagram and guide could be used in the answer to an organization’s Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quote (RFQ).

  Once a deployment is contracted, the information in the solution architecture diagram can be refined and verified through meetings with network administrators.

  Design is covered in the following chapters:

• Chapter 2, “Gathering Information for Designing” (normally performed by systems engineers)

• Chapter 3, “Designing the EMC Smarts Deployment” (normally performed by systems engineers and either VMware Professional Services or a partner)

• Chapter 4, “Planning for Discovery” (normally performed by VMware Professional Services or a partner)

• Chapter 5, “Designing Polling and Thresholds” (normally performed by VMware Professional Services or a partner)

• Chapter 6, “Deploying Syslog Processing” (optionally performed by VMware Professional Services or a partner)

• Chapter 9, “Designing for Administration of EMC Smarts Users” (optionally performed by VMware Professional Services or a partner)