This vBrownBag presentation provides an overview of the integrations available for running vSphere in an OpenStack environment.

1. VMware vSphere in an
OpenStack Environment
A quick, informal, and unofficial look at VMware vSphere in an
OpenStack environment
Scott Lowe, VCDX 39
vExpert, Author, Blogger, Geek
http://blog.scottlowe.org / Twitter: @scott_lowe

2. Agenda
•OpenStack Compute (Nova) integration
•OpenStack Block Storage (Cinder) integration
•VMware OpenStack Virtual Appliance (VOVA)
•Q&A

3. OpenStack Compute (Nova)
Integration
•As of Grizzly, two drivers are available for integrating vSphere
into OpenStack:
•ESX driver (compute_driver=vmwareapi.VMwareESXDriver)
•VC driver (compute_driver=vmwareapi.VMwareVCDriver)
•ESX driver is unable to take advantage of advanced capabilities
(no vMotion, no DRS, no HA)
•VC driver enables the use of vMotion, DRS, HA within
OpenStack deployments

4. OpenStack Compute (Nova)
Integration: ESX Driver
•ESX driver uses one nova-compute instance per ESXi host
•This nova-compute instance typically runs as a VM on the ESXi
host it is “managing”
•Not really being developed/enhanced over time (effort is going
into VC Driver)

5. OpenStack Compute (Nova)
Integration: VC Driver
•The VC Driver was first introduced with Grizzly
•Abstracts an entire cluster as a single nova-compute instance
•Details of ESXi clusters are hidden from OpenStack
•This enables HA, DRS, vMotion, etc.
•Original Grizzly version was single-cluster driver
•To scale to multiple clusters, you’d need multiple nova-
compute instances
•These nova-compute instances could run as separate VMs or
as processes on the same VM

6. OpenStack Compute (Nova)
Integration: VC Driver
•VC Driver in Havana will introduce “multi-cluster” operation
•Allows for a single nova-compute instance to represent
multiple clusters
•Uses multiple cluster_name parameters in nova.conf, one for
each cluster
•Still have the option of using multiple nova-compute instances
to represent multiple clusters

7. OpenStack Compute (Nova)
Integration: VC Driver

8. OpenStack Compute (Nova)
Integration: VC Driver

9. OpenStack Block Storage (Cinder)
Integration
•New to Havana, not present in Grizzly
•Allows for persistent block storage volumes to be stored as
VMDKs on VMFS datastores
•Supports create, attach, detach, destroy operations

10. OpenStack Block Storage (Cinder)
Integration

11. VMware OpenStack Virtual
Appliance (VOVA)
•A “VMware Fling”-type tool designed to help VMware
administrators “kick the tires” with vSphere and OpenStack
•An all-in-one deployment of OpenStack packaged up as a vApp
•Leverages vApp properties to automatically configure
OpenStack and VCDriver
•Get it here: https://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-24626
•Provide feedback! OpenStack Community available at https://
communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/openstack

12. Questions &
answers

13. Thank you!