Starting with Cyfuture Cloud Console 9.5, vApps support IPv6 connectivity. You can assign IPv6 addresses to virtual machines connected to IPv6 networks.
Important All steps for working with vApps are documented from the card view, assuming that you have more than one virtual data center. Completing the same procedures from the grid view is also possible, but the steps might slightly vary.
You can view vApps in a grid view or in a card view.
Procedure
On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
To view the vApps in a grid view, click . To view them in a card view, click . The list of vApps displays in a grid or as a list of cards.
(Optional) Configure the grid view to contain details you want to see.
From the grid view, click the Grid editor icon ().
Select the vApp details you want to include in the grid view by selecting the check box next to each detail you want to see.
To save your changes, click OK .
The selected details appear as columns for each vApp.
4. (Optional) From the grid view, click on the left of a vApp, to display the actions you can take for the selected vApp. For example, you can shut down a vApp.
Build a New vApp
Instead of creating a vApp based on a vApp template, you can decide to create a vApp using virtual machines from catalogs, new virtual machines, or a combination of both.
Building a vApp requires you to provide a name and optionally a description of the vApp. You can go back and add the virtual machines to the vApp at a later stage.
Prerequisites.
This operation requires the rights included in the predefined vApp Author role or an equivalent set of rights
Procedure
On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
Select New vApp.
Enter a name and, optionally, a description for the vApp.
(Optional) If you want the vApp to power on upon deployment, select the Power on check box.
Note - The vApp can power on only if there are virtual machines in it.
5. (Optional) Search the catalog for virtual machines to add to this vApp or add a new, blank virtual machine by clicking Add Virtual Machine.
If there are no virtual machines in the catalog, create a virtual machine and add it to the vApp.
a. Enter the name and the computer name for the virtual machine.
Important- The computer name can contain only alphanumeric characters and hyphens. A computer name cannot consist of digits only and cannot contain spaces.
b. (Optional) Enter a meaningful description.
c. Select how you want to deploy the virtual machine.
Option
Action
New
You deploy a new virtual machine with customizable settings.
Select an Operating System family and Operating System.
(Optional) Select a boot image.
(Optional) Select a VM placement policy and a VM sizing policy.
VM placement and VM sizing policy drop-down menus are visible only if the service provider has published such policies to the organization VDC.
4. Select the size of the virtual machine or click Custom Sizing Options to enter the compute, memory, and storage settings manually.
The predefined sizes of the virtual machine are small, medium, or large.
5. Specify the storage options such as storage policy and size in GB.
6 . Specify the network settings for the virtual machine, such as network, IP mode, IP address, and primary NIC.
From Template
You deploy a virtual machine from a template that you select from the templates catalog.
1. Select the virtual machine template from the catalog.
(Optional) Select a VM placement policy and a VM sizing policy.
VM placement and VM sizing policy drop-down menus are visible only if the service provider has published such policies to the organization VDC. If the selected template has assigned policies, you might be limited to the predefined template policies.
(Optional) Select to use a custom storage policy and select the policy from the Custom storage policy to use.
If there is an end-user license agreement available, you must review and accept it.
d. To add the virtual machine to the vApp click OK.
You can see the added virtual machine in the catalog.
6. (Optional) Repeat Step 5 for each additional virtual machine you want to create within the vApp.
7. To complete the creation of the vApp, click Create.
Results
The vApp is created. When the vApp powers on, the virtual machines in it are created and powered on as well.
Create a vApp From an OVF Package
You can create and deploy a vApp directly from an OVF package without creating a vApp template and a corresponding catalog item.
Cyfuture Cloud Console has its own restrictions for OVF deployments that differ from the restrictions in VMWare vCenter Server. As a result, an OVF deployment that is successful in VMWare vCenter Server might fail in Cyfuture Cloud Console.
Cyfuture Cloud Console supports OVF 1.1, but it does not support all the sections of the OVF 1.1 schema. For example, the DeploymentOptions section in OVF is not supported.
An OVF deployment in Cyfuture Cloud Console involves many components, such as TransferService, spool area on NFS mount, NFC connection to VMWare vCenter Server, checksum validation, etc. If any of these components fail, this results in OVF upload failure.
If you upload an OVF package with a manifest file, Cyfuture Cloud Console validates the SHA-1 hash of the OVF descriptor file and all VMDK files to the values in the manifest.mf file. If any hash does not match, the upload fails. A system administrator can disable this check by setting the CONFIG property to ovf.manifest.check.disabled.
Prerequisites
Verify that you have an OVF package to upload and that you have permission to upload OVF packages and deploy vApps.
Verify that the OVF version in the OVF descriptor file is not 0.9.
The default maximum supported size of an OVF descriptor file in Cyfuture Cloud Console is 12 MB. You can override this by editing the CONFIG property ovf.descriptor.size.max.
Verify that the default maximum allowed size of the manifest file (.mf extension) is 1 MB.
Verify that the OVF package complies with the OVF XSD schema.
If a hardware version is provided in the VirtualSystemType element of the OVF descriptor file, verify that it is lower than the highest hardware version that is supported in the VDC where you upload the OVF.
If the OVF descriptor file contains ExtraConfig elements, verify that your system administrator included these elements in AllowedList of extraConfigs elements. Elements that are not included in the AllowedList cause the OVF upload to fail with a validation error.
Procedure
On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
Click Add vApp from OVF.
Click the Upload () button and browse to a location accessible from your computer, and select the OVF/OVA template file.
The location might be your local hard drive, a network share, or a CD/DVD drive. The supported file extensions include .ova, .ovf, .vmdk, .mf, .cert, and .strings files. If you select to upload an OVF file, which references more files than you are trying to upload, for example, a VMDK file, you must browse and select all files.
Click Next.
Verify the details of the OVF/OVA template you are about to deploy and click Next.
Enter a name and, optionally a description for the vApp, and click Next.
(Optional) Change the computer name of the vApp so that it contains only alphanumeric characters.
This step is required only if the name of the vApp contains spaces or special characters. By default, the computer name is prepopulated with the name of the virtual machine. However, computer names must contain only alphanumeric characters.
From the Storage Policy drop-down menu, select a storage policy for each of the virtual machines in the vApp, and click Next.
Select the networks to which you want each virtual machine to connect.
Select a network for each virtual machine from the Network drop-down menu.
You can select the Switch to the Advanced Networking workflow check box, and enter the network settings such as primary NIC, network adapter type, network, IP assignment and IP address settings for each virtual machine in the vApp manually.
You can configure additional properties for virtual machines after you complete the wizard.
1. Click Next.
11. Customize the hardware of the virtual machines in the vApp, and click Next.
Option
Description
Number of virtual CPUs
Enter the number of virtual CPUs for each virtual machine in the vApp.
The maximum number of virtual CPUs that you can assign to a virtual machine depends on the number of logical CPUs on the host and the type of guest operating system that is installed on the virtual machine.
Cores per socket
Enter the number of cores per socket for each virtual machine in the vApp.
You can configure how the virtual CPUs are assigned in terms of cores and cores per socket. Determine how many CPU cores you want in the virtual machine, then select the number of cores you want in each socket,
depending on whether you want a single core CPU, dual-core CPU, tri-core CPU, and so on.
Number of cores
View the number of cores for each virtual machine in the vApp. The number changes when you update the number of virtual CPUs.
Total memory (MB)
Enter the memory in MB for each virtual machine in the vApp.
This setting determines how much of the ESXi host memory is allocated to the virtual machine. The virtual hardware memory size determines how much memory is available to applications that run in the virtual machine. A virtual machine cannot benefit from more memory resources than its configured virtual hardware memory size.
12. On the Ready to Complete page, review your settings and click Finish.
Results
The new vApp appears in the card view.
Add a vApp from a Catalog
If you have access to a catalog, you can use the vApp templates in the catalog to create vApps.
A vApp template can be based on an OVF file with properties for customizing the virtual machines of the vApp. The vApp inherits these properties. If any of those properties are user-configurable, you can specify their values.
Prerequisites
To access vApp templates in public catalogs, verify that you are an organization administrator or a vApp author.
To access vApp templates in organization catalogs that are shares to you, verify that you are at least a vApp user.
Procedure
On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
Click New and select Add vApp from Catalog.
Select a template to import and click Next.
Enter a name and, optionally, a description for the vApp.
Enter a runtime lease and a storage lease for the vApp, and click Next.
From the Storage Policy drop-down menu, select a storage policy for each of the virtual machines in the vApp, and click Next.
If the placement policies and the sizing policies for the virtual machines in the vApp are configurable, select a policy for each virtual machine from the drop-down menu.
If the compute properties for the virtual machines in the vApp are configurable, customize them and click Next.
Option
Description
Virtual CPUs
Enter the number of virtual CPUs for each virtual machine in the vApp.
The maximum number of virtual CPUs that you can assign to a virtual machine depends on the number of logical CPUs on the host and the type of guest operating system that is installed on the virtual machine.
Cores per socket
Enter the number of cores per socket for each virtual machine in the vApp.
You can configure how the virtual CPUs are assigned in terms of cores and cores per socket. Determine how many CPU cores you want in the virtual machine, then select the number of cores you want in each socket,
depending on whether you want a single core CPU, dual-core CPU, tri-core CPU, and so on.
Number of cores
View the number of cores for each virtual machine in the vApp.
The number changes when you update the number of virtual CPUs.
Memory
Enter the memory in MB for each virtual machine in the vApp.
This setting determines how much of the ESXi host memory is allocated to the virtual machine. The virtual hardware memory size determines how much memory is available to applications that run in the virtual machine. A virtual machine cannot benefit from more memory resources than its configured virtual hardware memory size.
9. If the hardware properties of the virtual machines in the vApp are configurable, customize the size of the virtual machine hard disks and click Next.
10. If the networking properties of the virtual machines in the vApp are configurable, customize them and click Next.
a. On the Configure Networking page, select the networks to which you want each virtual machine to connect.
b. (Optional) Select the check box to switch to the Advanced Networking workflow and configure additional network settings for the virtual machines in the vApp.
11. Review the vApp settings and click Finish.
Create a vApp from a vApp Template
You can create a new vApp based on a vApp template stored in a catalog to which you have access.
If the vApp template is based on an OVF file that includes OVF properties for customizing its virtual machines, those properties are passed to the vApp. If any of those properties are user- configurable, you can specify the values.
Prerequisites
Only organization administrators and vApp authors can access vApp templates in public catalogs.
vApp users and above can access vApp templates in organization catalogs shared to them.
Procedure
In the top navigation bar, click Libraries and in the left panel, select vApp Templates. The list of templates appears in a grid view.
Click the radio button next to the vApp template you want to use and click Create vApp.
Enter a name and, optionally, a description of the vApp.
Specify how long this vApp can run before it is automatically stopped in hours or days.
Specify for how long the stopped vApp remains available before being automatically cleaned up in hours or days.
Click Next.
Select the virtual data center in which you want to create the vApp.
Select a storage policy.
Click Next.
For Cyfuture Cloud Console 10.2.2 and later, configure the VM placement and sizing policies.
Starting with version 10.2.2, placement policies are global and you can publish them to multiple provider VDCs and vApp templates include both sizing and placement policy information.
Select the networks to which you want each virtual machine to connect.
Select a network for each virtual machine from the Network drop-down menu.
You can select the Switch to the Advanced Networking workflow check box, and enter the network settings such as primary NIC, network adapter type, network, IP assignment and IP address settings for each virtual machine in the vApp manually.
You can configure additional properties for virtual machines after you complete the wizard.
Click Next.
13. Customize the hardware of the virtual machines in the vApp, and click Next.
Option
Description
Number of virtual CPUs
Enter the number of virtual CPUs for each virtual machine in the vApp.
The maximum number of virtual CPUs that you can assign to a virtual machine depends on the number of logical CPUs on the host and the type of guest operating system that is installed on the virtual machine.
Cores per socket
Enter the number of cores per socket for each virtual machine in the vApp.
You can configure how the virtual CPUs are assigned in terms of cores and cores per socket. Determine how many CPU cores you want in the virtual machine, then select the number of cores you want in each socket,
depending on whether you want a single core CPU, dual-core CPU, tri-core CPU, and so on.
Number of cores
View the number of cores for each virtual machine in the vApp. The number changes when you update the number of virtual CPUs.
Total memory (MB)
Enter the memory in MB for each virtual machine in the vApp.
This setting determines how much of the ESXi host memory is allocated to the virtual machine. The virtual hardware memory size determines how much memory is available to applications that run in the virtual machine. A virtual machine cannot benefit from more memory resources than its configured virtual hardware memory size.
Hard disk properties
Enter the size of the virtual machine hard disk in MB.
14. On the Ready to Complete page, review your settings and click Finish.
Results
The new vApp appears in the card view.
Import a Virtual Machine from VMWare vCenter Server as a vApp
If you have system administrator rights, you can import VMWare vCenter Server VMs as vApps to Cyfuture Cloud Console.
Importing a virtual machine does not keep the virtual machine reservation, limit, and shares settings that are configured in VMWare vCenter Server. Imported virtual machines get their resource allocation settings from the organization virtual data center on which they reside.
Prerequisites
To see and import virtual machines from VMWare vCenter Server, verify that you have system administrator rights.
Procedure
On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
Click New and select Import from VMWare vCenter.
From the drop-down menu, select a VMWare vCenter Server instance from which to import a virtual machine.
Select a virtual machine to import.
Enter a name and, optionally, a description for the vApp.
From the drop-down menu, select a virtual data center in which to store and run the vApp.
(Optional) From the drop-down menu, select a storage policy for the vApp.
(Optional) To delete the source virtual machine, toggle on the Move Virtual Machine option.
9. Click Import
Performing Power Operations on vApps
You can perform power operations on vApps, such as power on or off a vApp, suspending or resetting a vApp.
Power on a vApp
Powering on a vApp powers on all the virtual machines in the vApp that are not already powered on.
Prerequisites
You are at least a vApp author.
Procedure
On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
Click to view the vApps in a card view.
3. From the Actions menu of the vApp you want to power on, select Power On.
Results
The vApp is powered on.
Power off a vApp
Powering off a vApp powers off all the virtual machines in the vApp. To perform certain actions, such as adding a vApp to a catalog, copying it, or moving it to another VDC, first you must power off the vApp.
Prerequisites
The vApp must be started.
Procedure
On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
Click to view the vApps in a card view.
From the Actions menu of the vApp you want to stop, select Power Off.
Click OK.
Results
All virtual machines in the vApp and the vApp itself are powered off.
Reset a vApp
Resetting a vApp clears state (memory, cache, and so on), but the vApp continues to run.
Procedure
On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
Click to view the vApps in a card view.
3. From the Actions menu of vApp you want to reset, select Reset.
Results
The state is cleared, and the vApp continues to run
Suspend a vApp
Suspending a vApp preserves its current state by writing the memory to disk.
Prerequisites
The vApp is running.
Procedure
On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
Click to view the vApps in a card view.
From the Actions menu of the vApp you want to suspend, select Suspend.
Results
The vApp is suspended and its state is preserved.
Discard the Suspended State of a vApp
If a vApp is in a suspended state and you no longer have to resume the use of the vApp, you can discard the suspended state. Discarding the suspended state removes the saved memory and returns the vApp to a powered-off state.
Prerequisites
The vApp must be in a suspended state.
Procedure
1 On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
2 Click to view the vApps in a card view.
3 From the Actions menu of the suspended vApp, select Discard Suspended State.
Results
The state is discarded and the vApp is powered off.
Power on Multiple vApps
You can power on multiple vApps simultaneously. This action powers on all the VMs in the vApp that are not already powered on.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are at least vApp author.
Procedure
1 On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
2 Toggle on the Multiselect option.
3 Select the vApps that you want to power on.
4 From the Actions menu, select Power On.
5 Click OK to confirm.
Power off Multiple vApps
You can power off multiple vApps simultaneously. This action powers off all the virtual machines in the vApps. To perform certain actions, such as adding a vApp to a catalog, copying it, or moving it to another virtual data center, first you must power off the vApp.
Prerequisites
Verify that the vApps are started.
Verify that you are at least vApp author.
Procedure
1 On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
2 Toggle on the Multiselect option.
3 Select the vApps that you want to power off
4 From the Actions menu, select Power Off.
5 Click OK to confirm.
Discard the Suspended State of Multiple vApps
If multiple vApps are in a suspended state and you no longer have to resume their use, you can discard the suspended state of the vApps simultaneously. Discarding the suspended state removes the saved memory and returns the vApps to a powered-off state.
Prerequisites
Verify that the vApps are in a suspended state.
Verify that you are at least vApp author.
Procedure
1 On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
2 Toggle on the Multiselect option.
3 Select the suspended vApps that you want to power off.
4 From the Actions menu, select Discard Suspended State.
Results
The vApps are powered off.
Reset Multiple vApps
Resetting multiple vApps simultaneously clears their state, which includes memory, cache, and so on, but the vApps continue to run.
Prerequisites
Verify that the vApps are started and the virtual machines in them are powered on.
Verify that you are at least vApp author.
Procedure
1 On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
2 Toggle on the Multiselect option.
3 Select the vApps that you want to reset.
4 From the Actions menu, select Reset and click OK to confirm.
Results
The state of each vApp is cleared, and the vApps continue to run.
Suspend Multiple vApps
Suspending multiple vApps simultaneously preserves their current state by writing the memory to disk.
Prerequisites
Verify that the vApps are running.
Procedure
1 On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
2 Toggle on the Multiselect option.
3 Select the vApps that you want to suspend.
4 From the Actions menu of the vApp you want to suspend, select Suspend, and click OK to confirm.
Results
The vApps are suspended and their state is preserved.
Open a vApp
You can open a vApp to view the virtual machines and networks it contains. You can also view a diagram showing how the virtual machines and networks are connected.
Procedure
1 On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
2 Click to view the vApps in a card view.
From the card view, you can see general information for each vApp, such as its name, power state, lease information, date of creation, owner, the number of virtual machines associated with the vApp, total number of CPUs, total storage and memory, and associated networks.
3 To view the detailed settings of a selected vApp, click Details on the vApp card.
Edit vApp Properties
You can edit the properties of an existing vApp, including the vApp name and description, lease settings, order in which to start the virtual machines in the vApp, sharing settings, and network settings.
Edit the General Properties of the vApp
You can review and change the name, description, and other general properties of a vApp.
Prerequisites
Verify that the vApp is powered off.
Procedure
1 On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
2 Click to view the vApps in a card view.
3 In the card of the selected vApp, click Details to view and edit the vApp properties.
4 Review and change the properties as needed, and click Save.
Option
Action
Name
Enter a new name for the vApp.
Description
Type an optional description of the vApp
Virtual data center
The name of the data center to which the vApp belongs.
Snapshot
If there is a snapshot, details for it display.
Leases
Select Renew to renew the lease.
a. Schedule the runtime lease in number of hours or days.
Defines how long the vApp can run before it is automatically stopped.
b. Schedule the storage lease in number of hours or days.
Defines the how long the vApp remains available before being automatically deleted
Results
The general settings are saved.
Edit the Start and Stop Order of Virtual Machines in a vApp
You can configure the start and stop order of virtual machines within your vApp. Configure the start and stop order in case you have applications installed in the virtual machines that must start and stop in a particular order.
These settings are useful if you need to start and stop your virtual machines in a particular order. For example, one virtual machine houses a database server, another houses an application server, and the last houses a web server. In order for the related functions to work properly, the database server must start first, the application server must start second, and the web server must start last.
Prerequisites
Verify that the vApp is powered off.
Procedure
1 On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
2 Click to view the vApps in a card view.
3 In the card of the selected vApp, click Details.
4 Click the Start and Stop Order tab and click Edit.
5 Edit the start and stop order properties for each virtual machine, and click OK.
Option
Action
Start Order
Enter the order in which you want the virtual machine to start. You must enter a value for each machine in the sequence.
Start Action
Select a start action.
The start action determines what happens to a virtual machine when you start the vApp that contains it. By default, this option is set to Power On.
Start Wait
Start Wait
Enter the start wait time.
The start wait time is the amount of time (in seconds) that you want to wait before Cyfuture Cloud Console starts the next machine in the sequence.
Stop Action
Select the stop action.
The stop action is the action the virtual machine takes when you stop the vApp that contains it. If you select Power Off, the VM powers off without performing shutdown actions that ensure stability (which is the equivalent of pulling a plug out of a socket). Select this action if you have not installed Cyfuture Cloud Tools. Otherwise, select Shut Down, which ensures stability upon shutting down.
Stop Wait
Enter the stop wait time.
The stop wait time is the amount of time (in seconds) that you want to wait before Cyfuture Cloud Console shuts down the next virtual machine in the sequence.
Edit the Guest Properties of a vApp
If a vApp includes user-configurable OVF properties, you can review and modify those properties.
If a virtual machine in the vApp includes a value for a user-configurable property of the same name, the virtual machine value takes precedence.
Prerequisites
Verify that the vApp is stopped and that its guest properties are user-configurable.
Procedure
1 On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore and from the left panel, select Virtual Machines.
2 Click to view the list in a card view and, optionally, arrange the list of virtual machines from the Sort by drop-down menu.
3 In the card of the virtual machine you want to edit, click Details.
4 Click Guest Properties and click Edit.
5 Modify the guest properties for the vApp and click OK.
Share a vApp
You can share your vApps with other groups or users within your organization. The access controls that you set, determine the operations that can be completed on the shared vApps.
Procedure
1 On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
2 Click to view the vApps in a card view.
3 In the card of the selected vApp, click Details, and scroll down to the sharing properties of the vApp.
4 Select the users with whom you want to share the vApp and click Save.
Option
Action
Share with everyone in the organization
Select this option to share with all users in the organization and select the access level.
■ To grant full control, select Full Control.
All users in the organization can open, start, save a vApp as a vApp template, add the template to a catalog, change the owner of the vApp, copy to a catalog, and modify properties.
■ To grant read-only access, select Read Only.
Share with specific users and groups
All users in the organization can open, start, save a vApp as a vApp template, add the template to a catalog, change the owner of the vApp, copy to a catalog, and modify properties.
■ To grant read-only access, select Read Only.
Results
Your vApp is shared with the specified users or groups.
Display a vApp Network Diagram
A vApp network diagram provides a graphical view of the virtual machines and networks in a vApp.
Prerequisites
To view the vApp network diagram, your vApp must contain less than 40 virtual machines. If the vApp contains more than 40 virtual machines, the diagram is not available.
Procedure
1 On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
2 Click to view the vApps in a card view.
3 In the card of the selected vApp, click Details.
4 Click the Networks Diagram tab.
The diagram showing how the virtual machines and the networks in the vApp are connected is displayed. A star sign represents a primary NIC. If a NIC is connected, its color is green, if a NIC is not connected, its color is white.
5 (Optional) To highlight the connected virtual machines and networks, click a network or a virtual machine.
The connected objects and the connections between them are highlighted.
What to do next
You can add virtual machines or networks from this page.
Working with Networks in a vApp
The virtual machines in a vApp can connect to vApp networks (isolated or routed) and organization virtual data center networks (direct or fenced). You can add networks of different types to a vApp to address multiple networking scenarios.
Virtual machines in the vApp can connect to the networks that are available in a vApp. If you want to connect a virtual machine to a different network, you must first add it to the vApp.
A vApp can include vApp networks and organization virtual data center networks. A vApp network can be isolated or routed. An isolated vApp network is contained within the vApp. You can also route a vApp network to an organization virtual data center network to provide connectivity to virtual machines outside of the vApp. For routed vApp networks, you can configure network services, such as a firewall and static routing.
Note Organization VDCs that are backed by Networking Data Center for vSphere support routed, isolated and direct vApp networks.
Organization VDCs that are backed by Advanced Networking Data Center support isolated and direct vApp networks.
You can connect a vApp directly to an organization virtual data center network. If you have multiple vApps that contain identical virtual machines connected to the same organization virtual data center network and you want to start the vApps at the same time, you can fence the vApp. Fencing the vApp allows you to power on the virtual machines without conflict, by isolating their MAC and IP addresses.
The networks that you add to the vApp use the network pool that is associated with the organization virtual data center in which you created the vApp.
View vApp Networks
You can access and view the networks in a vApp.
Prerequisites
Procedure
1 On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
2 Click to view the vApps in a card view.
3 In the card of the selected vApp, click Details.
4 Click the Networks tab.
The list of networks, if there are any, is displayed. You can view information about each network, such as name, gateway, netmask, connection and retain IP and NAT resources.
5 (Optional) To edit the columns to see, click the Grid editor icon () and select or deselect the check boxes of the columns you want to be displayed or hidden, respectively.
Fence a vApp Network
Powering on identical virtual machines which are included in different vApps might result in a conflict. To allow powering on of identical virtual machines in different vApps without conflicts, you must fence the vApp.
Fencing a vApp isolates the MAC and IP addresses of the virtual machines and changes the connection type of the organization VDC networks from direct to fenced. On the fenced networks firewall is automatically enabled and configured so that only outgoing traffic is allowed. When you fence a vApp, you can also configure NAT and firewall rules on the fenced networks.
Prerequisites
You can fence only direct vApp networks. If the vApp uses more than one network and the other networks are, for example, routed, only the direct network is fenced.
The virtual machines in the vApp that use the direct network must be stopped, so that the direct vApp network is not currently in use.
Procedure
1 On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
2 Click to view the vApps in a card view.
3 In the card of the selected vApp, click Details.
4 Click the Networks tab.
5 If the vApp is not fenced, click the Edit button.
6 Toggle on the Fence vApp option and click OK.
Results
The IP and MAC addresses of the virtual machines become isolated. You can power on identical virtual machines in different vApps without a conflict.
Add a Network to a vApp
You can add a network to a vApp to make the network available to the virtual machines in the vApp. You can add a vApp network or an organization virtual data center network to a vApp.
Connections can be direct or fenced. Fencing allows identical virtual machines in different vApps to be powered on without conflict by isolating the MAC and IP addresses of the virtual machines.
When fencing is enabled and the vApp is powered on, an isolated network is created from the organization virtual data center network pool. An edge gateway is created and attached to the isolated network and the organization virtual data center network. Traffic going to and from the virtual machines pass through the edge gateway, which translates the IP address using NAT and proxy-AR. This allows a router to pass traffic between two networks by using the same IP space.
Prerequisites
To add an organization virtual data center network, your administrator must have created such a network.
Procedure
1 On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, click the card of the virtual data center you want to explore, and from the left panel, select vApps.
2 Click to view the vApps in a card view.
3 In the card of the selected vApp, click Actions and select Add network.
4 Select the type of network to add.
Option
Action
Organization VDC Network
Select an organization virtual data center network from the list of available networks.
vApp Network
a Enter a name and, optionally, a description for the network. b Enter the network gateway CIDR.
c (Optional) Enter the primary and secondary DNS, and the DNS suffix. d (Optional) Select whether to allow guest VLAN.
e (Optional) Enter static IP pool settings, such as IP ranges.
f (Optional) To be able to connect to an organization virtual data center network, toggle on the Connect to an organization VDC network option and select a network from the list.
5 Click Add.
Results
The network is added to the vApp.
What to do next
Connect a virtual machine in the vApp to the network.
Configuring Network Services for a vApp Network
You can configure network services, such as DHCP, firewalls, network address translation (NAT), and static routing for certain vApp networks.
The network services available depend on the type of vApp network.
