VCF 9.0.2 Deployment Guide - Project PGNET¶
This repository contains the comprehensive build documentation and "Gold Path" orchestration for deploying VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0.2 in a consolidated home lab environment (pgnet.local).
This is not a generic VCF deployment guide. It is a detailed, step-by-step reference for building the exact environment described in the documentation, using the specific hardware and software configurations outlined in the Bill of Materials (BOM).
This is not supported by VMware. It is a reference implementation for educational and lab purposes only. Use at your own risk.
Architecture Overview¶
The deployment utilizes a Consolidated Architecture on a 3-node ESXi cluster, leveraging vSAN ESA and Memory Tiering to maximize resources. The environment is designed to be fully offline-capable, using local repositories and infrastructure services.
- Primary Domain:
pgnet.local(Active Directory) - Infrastructure Domain:
pgnet.io(DNS/BIND) - VCF Version: 9.0.2
- Storage: vSAN ESA (NVMe) + NFS (Bulk)
Documentation Structure¶
The deployment guide is broken down into logical phases for easier version control and execution.
| Part | Document | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Architecture & Planning | Bill of Materials (BOM), Network Schedule (VLANs/IPs), and Identity Strategy. |
| 02 | Infrastructure Prep | Physical Switch configuration and ESXi Host Bootstrapping (Kickstart). |
| 03 | The Deployment | Deploying the VCF Installer (Cloud Builder) and running the Bring-Up wizard. |
| 04 | Post-Deployment | Day 2 configurations: Identity (AD/LDAP), Certificates, Operations, and BGP Peering. |
| 05 | Operations | VCF Operations (ops.pgnet.io) policies, alert suppression, and operational notes specific to this lab. |
| 06 | Logs Deployment | Deploy and configure VCF Operations for Logs (log.pgnet.io) and forward core platform logs into it. |
| 07 | Automation | VCF Automation (auto.pgnet.io) Day 2 notes: SSO, certificates, and validation for this lab. |
| 08 | NSX & Network Operations | NSX Day 2 runbook plus VCF Operations for Networks (opsnet.pgnet.io) validation. |
| 09 | VKS & Supervisor Services | Supervisor/VKS workflow: VCF CLI context, and installing Supervisor Services (Local Consumption Interface, Contour, CA Cluster Issuer, Harbor, Argo CD). |
| 10 | Windows AD Deployment | Salt-based runbook for provisioning the Windows Server 2022 AD/CA infrastructure (winsrv1) used by VCF. |
| 11 | Salt | Portable Salt state (vcf.sddc-root) that uses vCenter Guest Operations (govc) to enable root SSH on appliances when needed. |
| 99 | Appendices | Reference configurations: FRR Router Config, Full Kickstart Scripts, JSON Specs, and Credentials. |
Key Configurations¶
- Orchestration: Salt Stack is used for repeatable provisioning (Windows AD/CA) and for targeted appliance actions (see Guide 11
vcf.sddc-root). - Routing: BGP is used between the NSX Edge Nodes and the physical core router (UDM/FRR).
- Offline Mode: All lifecycle bundles are managed via an Offline Depot workstation using the OBTU tool.
Contributing / Updating¶
This documentation is maintained via an AI-assisted workflow.
- Stage: Updates are generated in the Gemini Canvas environment.
- Commit: Changes are copied to this repository and committed.
- Deploy: Configurations (JSON/YAML) are applied to the VCF environment.