VMware Smart Assurance software is deployed in phases. In the first phase, the domains that feed the VMware Smart Assurance Service Assurance Manager are deployed. If there are many types of underlying VMware Smart Assurance domain, each type can be deployed in a separate phase. The sequence of these initial phases is determined by the priorities of the organization and the complexity of each domain.
An VMware Smart Assurance Service Assurance Manager is typically deployed in the initial phases with these underlying VMware Smart Assurance domains, but only in a simple, standard configuration. This deployment is intended to only validate the operation of the VMware Smart Assurance domains and is described in the deployment guide for that domain.
After the initial phases, the production design of the VMware Smart Assurance Service Assurance Manager configuration is deployed. This deployment phase is covered in this guide and includes the design, installation, and configuration of VMware Smart Assurance Service Assurance Manager. The VMware Smart Assurance Installation Guide for SAM, IP, ESM, MPLS, and NPM Managers and the VMware Smart Assurance Service Assurance Manager Configuration Guide provide specific installation and configuration details.
As shown in Stages in an VMware Smart Assurance deployment phase, each phase in the deployment process can be further divided into four distinct stages:
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Stage 1: Designing the deployment
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Stage 2: Installing and configuring the components
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Stage 3: Validating the deployment
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Stage 4: Tuning and maintaining the deployment to improve performance
Figure 1. Stages in an VMware Smart Assurance deployment phase 
During each stage of deployment, it is vitally important that you document all aspects of the deployment that could be required to recreate, troubleshoot, and reconfigure the installation. “Document the deployment” on page 28 provides information on creating a document for this information.
