Deploying the VMware Telco Cloud Automation Manager-Control Plane and VMware Telco Cloud Automation Manager appliances require information about your vCenter Server sites, networks, and configurations.

You can deploy VMware Telco Cloud Automation in the following ways:
  • Cloud native-based deployment (primiarly used for public cloud AWS and EKS)
  • VM-based deployment
    Note:
    • VM-based deployments are preferred for vSphere environments.
    • It is recommended to deploy CN-based TCA only in Public Cloud environments.
This guide covers both deployment types.
Note:
  • To ensure high availability in a VM-based deployment, deploy the VMware Telco Cloud Automation Manager-Control Plane and VMware Telco Cloud Automation Manager appliances on a vSphere HA-enabled cluster. When the primary ESXi host where the virtual machine is deployed becomes unavailable, vSphere HA migrates the virtual machine to a secondary ESXi host and the appliances are restored. Restoration time can vary according to the environment, but ideally, it takes between 5 and 10 minutes to restore the appliances and its services. For more information about vSphere HA, see vSphere HA. This option is not applicable for a cloud-native VMware Telco Cloud Automation appliance.

Collecting the required configuration details in advance can greatly reduce the time and resources to deploy. Use the checklists provided in this document for pre-installation planning.

Installation Checklist

This installation checklist applies to both VMware Telco Cloud Automation Manager-Control Plane and VMware Telco Cloud Automation Manager.

Note:

If you are installing VMware Telco Cloud Automation Manager-Control Plane with VMware Cloud Director, gather additional information as listed in "Installation Checklist for VMware Cloud Director."

Checklist item

Details

Software versions

Verify that VMware software versions meet the minimum requirements. See Software Version Support and Interoperability.

License key

Obtain the key from your VMware account team.

Note:

If you are planning to install a TCA Manager with Workflow Hub, obtain the advance license.

Download OVA

Download and verify checksum of the OVA before the installation date.

Service account available on vCenter

Verify that a service account with administrator privileges exists in the vCenter.

NSX preparation and credentials

(Not required for installing VMware Telco Cloud Automation Manager)

  • Determine that all hosts in the cluster are NSX prepared and the transport zone is known.

  • Verify the NSX Manager credentials, which are required to pair VMware Telco Cloud Automation Manager-Control Plane with the NSX Manager.

  • Networks should be inter routable or networks should be reachable with each other. Example: MC and WC cluster networks should reach to management network of VC and TCA components.

Cluster or Resource Pool name

Confirm the location where the components are deployed.

Network name

Identify the Distributed Virtual Port Group name to which the VMware Telco Cloud Automation Manager-Control Plane connects.

IP address for component Manager

Confirm the IP address assigned to the VMware Telco Cloud Automation Manager-Control Plane or VMware Telco Cloud Automation Manager component on the Management VLAN.

Prefix length

Confirm the prefix length of the Management VLAN.

Gateway IP address

Confirm the IP address of the Management VLAN gateway.

Datastore

Identify the datastore where the VMware Telco Cloud Automation Manager-Control Plane and VMware Telco Cloud Automation Manager components are deployed. Each requires a minimum of 356.81GB.

DNS Server

Verify the IP address and hostname of the DNS Server. Name resolution is required for activation and for the VMware Telco Cloud Automation components.

Network Time Protocol Server name

Verify the IP address and hostname of the NTP Server. Time synchronization is required for activation and for the VMware Telco Cloud Automation components.

Attention:

All vSphere components must be synchronized using NTP.

Aria Automation Orchestrator credentials

Gather the administrative credentials for Aria Automation Orchestrator.

Aria Operations for Logs

Verify the address and log ingress port of Aria Operations for Logs along with its credentials. Aria Operations for Logs is used to obtain TCA component logs for troubleshooting.

Installation Checklist for VMware Cloud Director Deployments

Gather these installation details when installing VMware Telco Cloud Automation Manager-Control Plane in VMware Cloud Director environments.

Checklist Item

Details

Org quotas

Take note of Quotas present on the Org. For example, this quota can be a virtual machine limit. Determine how many vCenters and NSX servers are configured in VMware Cloud Director.

VMware Cloud Director credentials

Gather the system administrator credentials for configuring VMware Telco Cloud Automation Manager-Control Plane with VMware Cloud Director.

vCenter and NSX credentials

Gather the administrative credentials for both the vCenter Server and NSX Manager.

vRealize Orchestrator credentials

Gather the administrative credentials for vRealize Orchestrator.

VMware Cloud Director notifications

  • Determine if RabbitMQ (RMQ) is enabled in VMware Cloud Director.

  • Identify the RMQ type. Only non-SSL or SSL with credentials is supported.

  • Gather the RMQ Notifications user name and password.

VMware Cloud Director public addresses

Determine if VMware Cloud Director public addresses are set:

  • API: VMware Cloud Director secure public REST API base URL

  • API: VMware Cloud Director secure public REST API certificate chain

  • Web Console: VMware Cloud Director secure public URL

  • Web Console: VMware Cloud Director secure certificate chain