VMware Cloud Supplier Lifecycle Supervisor 1.6 is now GA

We’re satisfied to announce the overall availability of VMware Cloud Supplier Lifecycle Supervisor (VCPLCM) model 1.6 as of nineteenth October, 2023. 

With VCPLCM, we goal to cut back the complexities and simplify the operational efforts of control and upkeep of VMware merchandise for our Cloud Supplier Companions. Our focal point has been to dump as a lot efforts of our companions on redundant duties like upgrading, product control and day-2 operations. Our means is to automate those procedure to rule out human mistakes and reduce upkeep downtimes.

We now have been increasing the fortify for extra merchandise right through our model releases and feature repeatedly added options that receive advantages our companions.

In our earlier model (VCPLCM 1.5), we introduced the automobile registration of Utilization Meter and Interop Reporting together with improvements round process execution. On this liberate we carry you some nice additions with the primary focal point on: 

•  Improving the Consumer Enjoy  
• Increasing product and upkeep fortify 

Allow us to in brief see what those are sooner than we delve deeper into every of those additional within the weblog.  

Enhanced Consumer Enjoy:  

To begin, the brand new model lets in extra controls for the consumer. We now have presented the brand new “Management” choice that is helping Suppliers to safely delegate and regulate upkeep and control operations to the respective personas every with separate login credentials. 

Some other giant trade is the creation of the brand new UI for product registration – making it more effective and directly ahead to deploy or sign up new merchandise on VCPLCM.   

Prolonged Product Strengthen: 

Customers can now sign up NSX Complex Load Balancer on VCPLCM and combine it with VMware Cloud Director and Utilization Meter.  

The addition at the Knowledge Backup and Restoration entrance a protracted waited ask, is now to be had. Customers can now again up knowledge and make sure efficient restoration of the VCPLCM equipment in overall minimizing knowledge loss in case of device disasters or procedure screw ups.

Subsequent, we now have presented a ‘upkeep mode’ transfer for product elements. It is a vital creation as time and again, when upgrading, merchandise want to be restarted, stopped or labored on for more than a few causes, say a patch replace on a node. The node can be unavailable in the ones scenarios with out the operators realize. This transfer would mark nodes as ‘ in upkeep mode’ in order that customers know the standing of the product / part.

Let’s now discover those options intimately:    

Stepped forward consumer enjoy 

We now have enhanced the Consumer Interface, and considerably simplified operations like deployment and registration of an current product.

Fig 1 – New UI for Product registrations

 We now have additionally presented an choice the place customers can view the prevailing binaries within the repository from UI and deploy/improve merchandise accordingly. 

There is not any want to login by means of ssh to the applying and test the binaries. 

Fig 1.1 – view product binary repository via UI

Function-based get entry to control

Function-based get entry to has been presented with model 1.6, customers can now carry out the next:

• Configuration of exterior authentication resources (LDAP/AD)
• Definition and task of roles with permissions for various operations
• Login with other customers and duties assigned to asking for customers.

Fig 1.2 – Consumer control airplane

Fig 1.3 – Outline function founded permission

Day-2 Operations: Repairs mode for VMware Cloud Director

Customers can now allow/disable the upkeep mode of VCD cells.

That is really helpful when acting any patching or upkeep job on VCD cells and to have a unbroken operation. With this complex UI, one can  uncover the state of every VCD cellular from the VCPLCM portal itself.

Fig 1.4 – Repairs mode

Backup and repair VCPLCM

This has been a long-awaited characteristic and we now have gained many requests in regards to the backup and repair characteristic of the VCPLCM equipment.

Now customers can backup and repair VCPLCM home equipment of the similar model and the backup record is password secure which customers have to offer whilst taking the backup.

Beneath are the elements that may be restored the usage of the backup record.

•  Deployed/Registered Merchandise
•  Registered Infrastructure elements
•  Contemporary Duties and Logs.
• Authentication resources, roles and customers
• Vault content material (secrets and techniques akin to passwords and personal keys)
• Certificate and keys for the VCP LCM equipment

Then again, the product binaries within /cplemrepo of the applying received’t be subsidized up and one has to manually backup the ones recordsdata.

Fig 1.5 – Backup & Repair

Fig 1.6 – Protected backup

Fig 1.7 – Protected repair

Registration of NSXALB with VCD and Utilization Meter

You’ll be able to now sign up NSX ALB as an infrastructure part and combine it with VMware Cloud Director and Utilization Meter. This integration will also be executed whilst deploying VMware Cloud Director and Utilization Meter.

Fig 1.8 – Registering NSX ALB

API Improvements 

Beneath are the important thing API Improvements 

• VCPLCM REST API has been up to date with model 4. 
• Model 1, 2 and three of API are nonetheless obtainable, however it is suggested to make use of model 4. 
• Further API operations for restarting, resuming, and rolling again duties. 
• Further API operation to retrieve the request payload of a role, generate an interop file, and archive/learn notifications. 
• CLI and GUI are the usage of v4. Then again, CLI has an technique to paintings with older API variations as smartly (must be in particular specified). 
• An up to date Postman assortment with corresponding pattern payloads for each API variations will also be accessed right here. 

We are hoping this was once useful to you. And, please be happy to touch us on our VCPLCM group slack channel. Or write to us in the event you aren’t a member already. For more info on product and assets, consult with our VMware Cloud Supplier Lifecycle Supervisor Product web page. You’ll be able to additionally consult with the Unlock Notes for extra main points at the liberate. For more info at the product and operation procedures consult with the Product Documentation web page.

We now have printed the VMware Cloud Supplier Lifecycle Supervisor fingers on labs for a first-hand enjoy of the product. Don’t disregard to Take a look at Our Palms on Labs.