Lab: Deploy VCF Operations and Configure Data Collection

VCF 9.0Intermediateadmincloud-ops⏱ 90 min

VCF Operations 8.18+ compatible with VVF 9.0. Sizing reflects lab (small) deployment.

Objectives

Deploy VCF Operations appliance in a VVF environment
Configure vCenter adapter for inventory and metrics collection
Verify metrics, properties, and log collection after 15-minute baseline
Navigate the VCF Operations UI and identify key dashboards

Prerequisites

Holodeck pod with VVF management domain deployed (vCenter + 3 ESXi hosts + vSAN cluster operational)

Prior labs: vvf-admin-01

Required skills:

vCenter UI navigation
OVA deployment
Basic networking (DNS, NTP)

Lab Environment

Holodeck VVF pod — 3 nested ESXi hosts, vCenter 9.0, vSAN cluster. VCF Operations deployed as nested VM on management cluster.

IP Addressing

Network	Purpose	VLAN
`192.168.10.0/24`	Management	10
`192.168.10.80`	VCF Operations analytics node	10

Credentials

System	Username	Password
vCenter	`administrator@vsphere.local`	Set during VCSA deployment
VCF Operations	`admin`	Set during OVA deployment

Tasks

Task 1 Deploy VCF Operations OVA

manageability

VCF Operations is the primary monitoring platform in VVF. Correct sizing and network configuration during deployment prevents re-deployment later.

Step 1

Download VCF Operations 8.18 OVA from Broadcom Support Portal (formerly my.vmware.com). File: vRealize-Operations-Manager-Appliance-8.18.x.ova (~2.5GB).

Step 2

In vCenter: Right-click management cluster → Deploy OVF Template → Select downloaded OVA.

Step 3

Configure deployment: Name='vcf-ops-01', select compute resource (management cluster), select vSAN datastore, select 'Small' deployment size (4 vCPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB disk).

Step 4

Network configuration: Select management port group, set static IP=192.168.10.80, subnet=255.255.255.0, gateway=192.168.10.1, DNS=192.168.10.10, NTP=192.168.10.10.

DNS A and PTR records must exist for the VCF Operations FQDN before deployment. Without PTR record, adapter connections may fail.

Step 5

Complete deployment wizard → power on the VM. Wait 5-10 minutes for services to initialize.

VM console shows 'vRealize Operations (legacy, now VCF Operations) Manager Appliance' with login prompt.

Step 6

Access initial setup wizard: Browse to https://192.168.10.80 → click 'New Installation' → set admin password → accept EULA.

Use a strong password — this becomes the admin account for all Operations UI access.

Validation Gate

Check: Browse to https://192.168.10.80/ui → login with admin credentials

Expected: VCF Operations home page loads with 'Getting Started' wizard visible

Common Errors

OVA deployment fails with 'insufficient resources'

Cause: Management cluster lacks CPU/memory for small deployment (4 vCPU, 16GB)

Fix: Verify cluster has at least 8GB free RAM beyond existing workloads. In Holodeck, reduce other VM reservations if needed.

Cannot access https://192.168.10.80 after power on

Cause: Services still initializing or DNS misconfigured

Fix: Wait 10 minutes. Check VM console for IP assignment. Verify DNS resolution: nslookup 192.168.10.80 from jumpbox.

Task 2 Configure vCenter Adapter and Start Data Collection

manageability

The vCenter adapter is the primary data source — it discovers all inventory objects and starts metrics collection. Understanding adapter configuration is exam-critical.

Step 1

In VCF Operations UI: Navigate to Administration → Solutions → vSphere → Configure.

Step 2

Add vCenter adapter: Click '+' → enter vCenter FQDN (vcsa-01.lab.local), username (administrator@vsphere.local), password → Test Connection.

Test Connection shows 'Connection successful' with green checkmark.

Step 3

Accept vCenter certificate when prompted. Click Save.

Step 4

Wait 5 minutes for initial collection. Navigate to Environment → vSphere → verify hosts, VMs, clusters, datastores appear in inventory.

Inventory tree shows: Datacenter → Cluster → 3 ESXi hosts → VMs (including vCenter itself).

Step 5

Navigate to one ESXi host → Metrics tab → verify CPU, memory, network metrics are populating.

Metrics won't show anomaly detection or capacity analytics until ~24 hours of baseline data is collected. This is expected behavior.

Validation Gate

Check: Administration → Solutions → vSphere → check Collection State

Expected: Collection State shows 'Collecting' (green). Object count >10 (hosts + VMs + datastores + networks).

Common Errors

Test Connection fails with 'Unable to connect'

Cause: Firewall blocking port 443 between VCF Ops and vCenter, or incorrect FQDN

Fix: Verify: curl -k https://vcsa-01.lab.local from VCF Ops console. Check DNS resolution. Ensure no firewall rules blocking management VLAN.

Inventory shows 0 objects after 10 minutes

Cause: Adapter credentials incorrect or insufficient permissions

Fix: Verify adapter account has at least Read-only role at vCenter root level. Re-enter credentials in adapter config.

Task 3 Explore Default Dashboards and Verify Data Flow

manageability

Understanding built-in dashboards and data flow validates that the deployment is healthy and prepares you for dashboard customization (Lab 09).

Step 1

Navigate to Dashboards → vSphere Overview. Review the pre-built widgets: cluster health scorecards, top VMs by CPU, host memory utilization heatmap.

Step 2

Click on a host in the heatmap → observe widget interaction (other widgets filter to show that host's VMs and metrics).

Selecting a host updates related widgets to show only that host's data.

Step 3

Navigate to Dashboards → vSAN Overview (if vSAN adapter is active). Verify disk health, capacity used/free, and IOPs widgets show data.

Step 4

Navigate to Environment → select any VM → Analysis tab. Review the Health, Risk, and Efficiency badges.

Health=green (no active alerts), Risk=green (no predicted issues), Efficiency=yellow/red (common in lab — resource over-allocation). These badges are key exam concepts.

Validation Gate

Check: Dashboards → vSphere Overview loads with populated widgets showing metrics from all 3 ESXi hosts

Expected: All widgets show data (no 'No Data Available' messages). Host count = 3, VM count matches vCenter inventory.

Final Validation

VCF Operations deployed, collecting data from vCenter, dashboards populated with metrics.

✓ VCF Operations UI accessible at https://192.168.10.80 → Login page loads, admin credentials work

✓ Administration → Solutions → vSphere shows 'Collecting' → Green status, object count matches vCenter inventory

✓ Dashboards → vSphere Overview shows populated widgets → No 'No Data Available' messages, host count = 3

Cleanup / Restore

Snapshot: post-vcf-ops-deployed

• Take snapshot 'post-vcf-ops-deployed' for next lab (VCF Operations for Logs)

Design Reflection (VCDX)

A VCDX panelist would ask: Why deploy VCF Operations in a VVF environment? What monitoring gaps exist without it? How does sizing (small vs medium vs large) affect data retention and analytics accuracy?

Requirements

Centralized monitoring for 3-host VVF cluster
Capacity planning data for expansion decisions
Alert-based notification for proactive issue detection

Constraints

VVF licensing includes VCF Operations but not VCF Automation
Holodeck resource limits restrict deployment to 'Small' size
24-hour baseline required before analytics are meaningful

Assumptions

DNS and NTP are operational in the management network
vCenter adapter account has sufficient privileges
Network connectivity between VCF Ops and all ESXi hosts is unblocked

Risks

Undersized deployment may miss metrics during peak collection
Single analytics node is SPOF — consider HA for production
Stale adapter credentials cause silent collection failures

Self-Assessment Discussion Prompts

What is the minimum viable VCF Operations deployment for a 3-host VVF cluster, and what are the trade-offs?
How would you justify the resource overhead of VCF Operations to a customer who says 'vCenter performance charts are enough'?
If VCF Operations analytics node fails, what monitoring capability remains? How do you design for HA?

Extensions

Configure Remote Collector for multi-site

Deploy a Remote Collector node in a simulated remote site and configure it to report to the primary analytics node.

harder

Install vSAN Content Pack

Download and install the vSAN Management Pack for deeper storage analytics and custom vSAN dashboards.

same

References

VCF Operations 8.18 Deployment GuideTier 1 — Official
VCF Operations Sizing GuideTier 1 — Official
Configuring vCenter AdapterTier 1 — Official

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