As of today, February 27th, 2024, Broadcom’s End-User Computing (EUC) Division is embarking on a new journey with global investment firm KKR. In a definitive agreement announced earlier today, KKR will acquire the EUC Division from Broadcom, marking an exciting new chapter for both companies and their customers and partners.

This development is significant not only for Broadcom and KKR but also for the entire end-user computing industry. The acquisition represents a strategic investment in the future of EUC, which is poised to play a critical role in shaping the modern workplace. With KKR’s support, the EUC Division will be able to further accelerate its innovation and growth, providing customers with even more cutting-edge solutions and services.

For Broadcom, this transaction represents a significant milestone in its ongoing efforts to optimize its portfolio and focus on core areas of strength. The company remains committed to delivering the highest quality products and services to its customers and will continue to do so through its industry-leading hardware and software solutions.

The acquisition is also expected to have a positive impact on VMware, a leading provider of cloud infrastructure and business mobility solutions that is part of the EUC Division. With KKR’s support, VMware will be able to expand its reach and offerings, providing customers with even more comprehensive and integrated solutions for their end-user computing needs.

At the same time, this development also presents an exciting opportunity for KKR and its partners. The investment firm has a proven track record of successfully integrating and growing technology companies, and it is expected to bring significant resources and expertise to the EUC Division. With KKR’s support, the division will be able to accelerate its growth and innovation, further solidifying its position as a leader in the end-user computing industry.

In conclusion, today’s announcement marks an exciting new chapter for the End-User Computing Division of Broadcom and its customers and partners. With KKR’s support, the division will be able to accelerate its growth and innovation, providing even more cutting-edge solutions and services to the market. All your base are belong to us!

It is with great pleasure that I announce my selection as a vExpert for the third year in a row! This recognition would not have been possible without the support of my colleagues, peers, and the vExpert PROs who managed the application voting process.

First and foremost, I would like to extend my gratitude to everyone who applied for the vExpert program. The sheer number of applications is a testament to the incredible talent and dedication of the VMware community. I am honored to be part of such an esteemed group of individuals, and I look forward to continuing to contribute to the community in the years to come.

I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to the vExpert PROs for their tireless efforts in managing the application voting process. The amount of work that goes into selecting the vExperts is enormous, and I am grateful for their dedication to ensuring the integrity and credibility of the program.

As a vExpert, I am committed to continuing my involvement in the VMware community. This includes sharing my knowledge and expertise through blog posts, social media, and other channels, as well as engaging with fellow vExperts to advance the state of virtualization technology. I am excited to be part of this elite group of individuals who are driving innovation and excellence in the field.

In conclusion, I would like to thank everyone involved in the vExpert program for their hard work and dedication. I am honored to be selected as a vExpert for the third time in a row, and I look forward to continuing my involvement in the VMware community. Together, we can achieve great things and push the boundaries of what is possible with virtualization technology.

As the famous internet meme goes, “All your base are belong to us.” But in this case, all my knowledge, expertise, and passion for virtualization belong to the VMware community, and I am committed to sharing them with everyone who is interested. Thank you again to everyone who has supported me on this journey, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for our community.

VMware by Broadcom: A New Era for End-User Computing

In a significant move, Broadcom has completed its acquisition of VMware, marking a new era for end-user computing. As part of the acquisition, VMware will now operate as four separate divisions within Broadcom, each focused on a specific product group. This restructuring is aimed at refocusing VMware on its core business units and divesting itself of end-user computing (EUC), which includes products such as Horizon, Workspace One, and App Volumes.

The Future of VMware’s Product Portfolio

With this acquisition, Broadcom has announced significant changes to VMware’s product portfolio. The new licensing bundles will be offered as “Disconnected,” meaning no VMware Cloud connectivity. However, an optional “Connected” capability is planned for the future. The products included in VMware Cloud Foundation, vSphere Foundation, and vSphere Standard are:

* vCenter Server

* vSphere ESXi

* vSAN

* NSX-T Data Center

* Networking and Security (excluding Firewall)

The vSphere Essentials Plus will continue to be supported, but it will not be included in the new licensing bundles. The NSX product only includes networking, and security features, load balancing, gateway firewall, and distributed firewall (microsegmentation) services must be purchased separately.

FAQs on VMware’s New Structure and Product Offerings

To help customers understand the changes, Broadcom has provided a list of frequently asked questions along with their answers. Here are some of the most important ones:

* Q: Does VMware Cloud Foundation include all the features of the component products? A: No, only NSX Networking is included in VCF. Security features, load balancing, gateway firewall, and distributed firewall (microsegmentation) services must be purchased separately.

* Q: Which VCF version will the new offerings use? A: The new offerings will be based on VCF 5.1.

* Q: Is Avi LB integrated with VCF as part of 5.1 release? A: No, Avi LB is planned to be integrated into VCF as part of a later release.

* Q: Is Microsegmentation included in VCF? A: No, only NSX Networking for VCF is included in VCF. The Microsegmentation feature can be purchased as an add-on.

* Q: Will existing NSX customers who rely on microsegmentation be able to transition to VCF without losing this functionality? A: Yes, these customers will be able to purchase both VCF and the Firewall add-on.

* Q: What capabilities are included in vSAN Add-on? A: The vSAN Add-on includes vSAN Enterprise features, including vSAN Max. Pricing is per TiB.

* Q: Is there an option for VCF for External Storage? A: Yes, customers can optionally deploy external storage arrays as primary storage in a VCF environment, but must still license vSAN for all VCF domains.

Conclusion

The acquisition of VMware by Broadcom marks a new era for end-user computing. While the company is refocusing on its core business units and divesting itself of EUC, it is also introducing significant changes to its product portfolio. The new licensing bundles offer customers more flexibility and choice, while the FAQs provide valuable insights into the future of VMware’s products and services. As a leading provider of virtualization and cloud computing solutions, VMware by Broadcom is poised to continue delivering innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of its customers.

VMware’s Multi-Cloud Management Strategy and Aria Portfolio Updates

In recent news, VMware has made significant changes to its multi-cloud management strategy and Aria portfolio. As a result, the company is poised to deliver even more value to its customers. In this blog post, we will explore these updates and how they impact the future of cloud computing.

Current Multi-Cloud App Strategy

Software agility drives business agility, and the ability to deliver new applications and functionality more frequently is what separates companies from their competitors. Accelerating application delivery means the ability to develop, operate, and optimize applications on any cloud. This app strategy is made possible by the implementation of a multi-cloud operating model that is proactive and effective.

In the data center, infrastructure and operations teams must provide an IaaS layer by adding virtualization and cloud management software to physical infrastructure. Here, VMware customers are called “cloud builders” (1a), while in the public cloud, they are “cloud consumers” (1b). VMware’s Aria Universal Suite offerings deliver the management solutions that help transform compute, storage, and networking resources into a true IaaS cloud surface. Through Aria Universal Suite, cloud builders can turn vSphere and VMware Cloud environments into private and hybrid clouds delivering a true cloud experience.

Aria Universal Suite is made available as an integral part of VMware Cloud Foundation and VMware Cloud Editions (formerly Cloud Packs). Aria Universal Suite comprises:

1. Cloud Management Platform (CMP): Provides a unified management platform for multi-cloud infrastructure, including vSphere, VMware Cloud, and other cloud providers.

2. Networking and Security: Offers advanced networking and security features, such as NSX-T, to protect applications and workloads in the cloud.

3. Cloud Automation: Provides automation tools for cloud provisioning, deployment, and management.

VMware Tanzu Offerings

VMware Tanzu offerings deliver the build platform (2) with key capabilities such as a developer portal and secure supply chains, as well as K8s runtime and management tools needed to run modern applications in production. Operations teams need visibility into their applications and workloads, so they can optimize performance, troubleshoot issues, and ensure compliance with regulations.

Aria Operations for Logs

VMware Aria Operations for Logs introduced new capabilities for logging for VMware Cloud Foundation and the 3rd party ecosystem across on-premises and SaaS to help manage log data at scale with deep operational visibility, intelligent analytics for troubleshooting, and auditing across multi-cloud environments. Provides an unified experience for managing logs across On-prem and Cloud. Allows for easier troubleshooting and knowledge to know where to deep-dive. Allows GDPR compliance where data is kept in the location where it is collected.

Aria Operations for Logs also offers new features such as:

1. Network Visibility: Provides simplified network visibility with AI search and Large Language Models (LLMs) to enable effortless resolution of network and traffic-related issues through natural language queries.

2. Endpoint Management: Offers enhanced endpoint management capabilities to simplify the management of physical servers and remote objects.

3. Workload Optimization: Helps optimize workloads for better performance, reduced costs, and improved security.

Upcoming Events

For those who want to learn more about Aria and what’s new, I will be presenting this in more depth at the VMware vUpdate Austria 2023 event series from 28.11 to 30.11 in Linz, Wien, and Graz. This is a great opportunity to network with other professionals, ask questions, and get hands-on experience with the latest VMware technologies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, VMware’s multi-cloud management strategy and Aria portfolio updates demonstrate the company’s commitment to delivering value to its customers. With Aria Universal Suite and Tanzu offerings, organizations can accelerate their application delivery, simplify network visibility, and optimize workloads for better performance, reduced costs, and improved security. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn more about these exciting developments at the upcoming vUpdate Austria 2023 event series.

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Recently, I encountered an issue while trying to replace the self-signed certificate of Aria Automation using Aria Platform Lifecycle (formerly known as vRealize Lifecycle Manager). Despite signing my CSR (created via Aria Platform Lifecycle) with the customer’s CA using the ECDSA (Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm) hashing algorithm in their intermediate certificates, the replacement failed with error LCMVRAVACONFIG90039.

After importing the signed certificate into the Aria Platform Lifecycle locker via its UI, I attempted to replace the Aria Automation certificate using the respective Lifecycle day-2 operation. However, this failed yet again with the same error, even when I tried it with the skipCertificateValidate property enabled.

Upon digging into the Aria Automation logs, I found an error message that explained Aria Automation expects the encryption or hash algorithm to be one of sha256WithRSAEncryption, sha384WithRSAEncryption, or sha512WithRSAEncryption, while I was offering ecdsa-with-SHA256. This seemed like a purely arbitrary limitation, as I was able to successfully replace the certificate of Workspace One Access (VMware Identity Manager) with the same intermediate certificate chain.

To solve this issue, I found that using the vracli certificate command with the force parameter, as described in VMware KB article 76089, can skip the certificate validation during installation. The procedure is:

1. Force our certificate to be accepted as the Aria Automation Ingress certificate:

Apply the certificate (command must be run on all Aria Automation appliances):

vracli certificate force-accept –certificate

2. Once the re-deployment is completed, we must verify that the certificate has been changed successfully by navigating to the Aria Automation portal.

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In conclusion, when trying to replace the self-signed certificate of Aria Automation using Aria Platform Lifecycle, we may encounter an arbitrary limitation in allowed encryption/hash algorithms. However, by using the vracli certificate command with the force parameter, we can skip the certificate validation and successfully replace the certificate. It is important to note that this solution only works for the Aria Automation Ingress certificate and not for other certificates.

Workaround for Aria Automation REST API Authentication Issues in Orchestrator Extensibility Subscriptions

In a recent development project involving an Extensibility Subscription workflow in Orchestrator, we encountered issues with the Aria Automation CMX REST API authentication when the workflow was invoked from the Aria Automation Service Broker. The resulting error message was “The default Aria Automation host authentication configuration for the session mode is ‘Per User Session’. This leverages the permissions of the account that calls the workflow for authorization in the REST call.”

The root cause of this issue lies in the fact that when an Orchestrator workflow is called from Service Broker, it is executed under the context of the vro-gateway-* user, instead of the requesting user account. This means that the REST call does not have the necessary permissions to collect all information from Aria Automation, leading to the authentication failure.

To resolve this issue, we can use a workflow-level variable to store the requesting user account and pass it as a parameter to the REST API call. This way, we can ensure that the correct user account is used for authentication, avoiding any permission issues.

Here’s the steps to implement this workaround:

1. Create a new workflow-level variable in Orchestrator to store the requesting user account. You can do this by going to the “Variables” tab in the Workflow Designer and clicking the “Add Variable” button.

2. Set the data type of the variable to “User Account”.

3. In the workflow, use the “Get Request User” activity to retrieve the current user account. This activity can be found under the “Web Services” category in the Activity Library.

4. Assign the result of the “Get Request User” activity to the newly created workflow-level variable.

5. In the REST API call, pass the value of the workflow-level variable as a parameter for authentication. This can be done by modifying the REST API call activity to use the variable instead of hardcoding the user account information.

By implementing this workaround, we can ensure that the correct user account is used for authentication when invoking the Extensibility Subscription workflow from the Aria Automation Service Broker. This will resolve the authentication issues and allow the workflow to successfully collect information from Aria Automation.

In conclusion, this blog post has discussed a workaround for Aria Automation REST API authentication issues in Orchestrator Extensibility Subscriptions. By using a workflow-level variable to store the requesting user account and passing it as a parameter to the REST API call, we can ensure that the correct user account is used for authentication, avoiding any permission issues. This solution will help developers resolve similar issues in their own projects and improve the overall functionality of their Orchestrator workflows.

Adding Tanzu Supervisor Clusters with Aria Automation Cloud Assembler for Kubernetes Deployments

In my previous article on setting up a homelab Tanzu environment, I discussed how to create customized Kubernetes clusters associated with vSphere. These supervisor clusters expose Kubernetes APIs to end-users and use ESXI as a platform for worker nodes instead of Linux. In this blog post, we will explore how to add Tanzu supervisor clusters with Aria Automation Cloud Assembler for use in deployments and create namespaces in a supervisor cluster using a cloud template.

Creating Namespaces in a Supervisor Cluster

To create namespaces in a supervisor cluster using Cloud Assembler, follow these steps:

1. In Cloud Assembler, select Infrastructure > Configure > Kubernetes in Cloud Assembly.

2. Click Add Supervisor Cluster and provide the necessary information, such as the name of the cluster, the ESXI hostname, and the vCenter server URL.

3. In the Provisioning tab, select the supervisor cluster that will be associated with the namespaces.

4. Click Add Compute and select the available supervisor cluster, such as cluster1.

5. Click Save to provision the supervisor cluster.

Creating a Kubernetes Zone

To create a Kubernetes zone in Cloud Assembler, follow these steps:

1. In Cloud Assembler, navigate to Infrastructure > Configure > Kubernetes Zone.

2. Select New Kubernetes Zone and provide the necessary information, such as the name of the zone and the vCenter server URL.

3. Click Save to create the Kubernetes zone.

Associating a Project with a Kubernetes Zone

To associate a project with a Kubernetes zone in Cloud Assembler, follow these steps:

1. In Cloud Assembler, navigate to Infrastructure > Administration > Projects.

2. Select the project that you want to associate with your Kubernetes zone.

3. Click the Kubernetes Provisioning tab on the Project page.

4. Click Add Kubernetes Zone and add the zone that we’ve just created.

5. Click Save to associate the project with the Kubernetes zone.

Creating a Storage Profile for Kubernetes Provisioning

To create a storage profile for Kubernetes provisioning in Cloud Assembler, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Infrastructure > Configure > Storage Profiles.

2. Click New Storage Profile and provide the necessary information, such as the name of the profile and the disk customizations.

3. Create the storage profile as follows:

a. Select the appropriate storage policy from the list of available policies.

b. Specify the desired storage capacity and other customizations as needed.

c. Click Save to create the storage profile.

Creating a Cloud Template for Supervisor Namespaces

To create a cloud template for supervisor namespaces in Cloud Assembler, follow these steps:

1. In Cloud Assembler, select Design > Cloud Template and create a new one.

2. Select the Supervisor namespace item on the left menu and drag it to the canvas.

3. Customize the blueprint by letting the user specify the desired name of the namespace and specifying the appropriate storage policy as created previously.

4. Click Save to save the cloud template.

Deploying a Namespace

To deploy a namespace using the cloud template, follow these steps:

1. In Cloud Assembler, select Design > Cloud Template and open the cloud template that we’ve just created.

2. Click Deploy and specify a name for the deployment and the namespace.

3. Wait until the deployment has been finished, and then verify the existence of the namespace in vCenter.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we have covered how to add Tanzu supervisor clusters with Aria Automation Cloud Assembler for use in deployments and create namespaces in a supervisor cluster using a cloud template. By following these steps, you can easily manage and provision Kubernetes resources in your vSphere environment.

This is a comprehensive guide on how to set up an NSX-T lab environment with multiple Edge nodes and Tier-0 Gateway. The guide covers the following topics:

1. Preparing the ESXi hosts for NSX-T installation

2. Creating Transport Node Profiles and applying them to the ESXi cluster

3. Deploying Edge Nodes and configuring the Edge Uplink Trunk segment and Edge Transit segment

4. Configuring a Tier-0 Gateway with north-south connectivity and static routing

5. Creating NSX segments for VM connectivity

6. Verifying connectivity between Tier-0 and uplink router

The guide provides detailed steps and screenshots for each task, making it easy to follow and understand. The guide is written in a humorous way, with references to popular culture and memes, which adds a touch of personality and fun to the tutorial. Overall, this guide is an excellent resource for anyone looking to set up an NSX-T lab environment with multiple Edge nodes and Tier-0 Gateway.

Instant Auto-Removal of Failed Aria Automation Deployments

In a recent project, I was tasked with creating an instant auto-removal feature for failed Aria Automation deployments using a custom day 2 operation in the Aria Automation Deployment API. Specifically, we wanted to execute the deployment resource “delete” action every time a deployment fails, and use an Extensibility subscription to be automatically triggered if the status of the deployment is “FAILED” and the event type equals “CREATE_DEPLOYMENT”.

To achieve this, we used Aria Orchestrator to create a custom action. The actual implementation consisted of the following steps:

1. Create a new workflow for the Extensibility subscription, e.g. name it “Delete Deployment”.

2. Create a new input parameter named “inputProperties” with a type of “Properties”. This input parameter will be used to pass the deployment ID and other properties as needed.

3. Inside the workflow, create a scriptable task with the following JavaScript code:

“`javascript

var vraHostVcoEndpoint = getVraHostVcoEndpoint();

var requestBody = {

“actionId”: “Deployment.Delete”,

“inputProperties”: {

“deploymentId”: ““

}

};

var request = new Request(vraHostVcoEndpoint + “/deployment/api/requests”, null, “POST”, requestBody);

request.setAsync(true);

request.send();

“`

In this code, we first determine the Aria Automation endpoint in the Orchestrator environment using the `getVraHostVcoEndpoint` action. Since we are in a lab environment, we use the default on-premises endpoint. Then, we create a `Request` object with the endpoint, HTTP method (`POST`), and request body. Finally, we set the asynchronous flag to `true` and send the request.

4. To trigger the workflow every time a Aria Automation deployment fails, we create an Extensibility subscription as follows:

“`json

{

“extensibilitySubscription”: {

“displayName”: “Delete Deployment”,

“description”: “Deletes a failed deployment”,

“eventTypes”: [“CREATE_DEPLOYMENT”],

“action”: {

“actionId”: “Delete Deployment”,

“inputProperties”: [“deploymentId”]

},

“filters”: [

{

“filterType”: “AND”,

“filters”: [

{

“filterType”: “EQUALS”,

“property”: “status”,

“value”: “FAILED”

},

{

“filterType”: “EQUALS”,

“property”: “eventType”,

“value”: “CREATE_DEPLOYMENT”

}

]

}

]

}

}

“`

In this subscription, we specify the display name, description, event types, and action. We also define filters to apply to the event, such as status equal to “FAILED” and event type equal to “CREATE_DEPLOYMENT”.

With these steps completed, every time a Aria Automation deployment fails, the custom workflow will be triggered automatically to execute the deployment resource “delete” action. To limit it to a given cloud template, we could use an additional “event.data.blueprintId” condition which specifies the corresponding Cloud template Id.

In conclusion, this feature allows for instant auto-removal of failed Aria Automation deployments using a custom day 2 operation in the Aria Automation Deployment API. By leveraging an Extensibility subscription and the `getVraHostVcoEndpoint` action, we can automatically trigger the workflow every time a deployment fails, and limit it to a given cloud template if necessary.

As an IT professional, I am always on the lookout for new and innovative technologies that can help me streamline my workflows and improve my productivity. Recently, I stumbled upon an old IGEL UD Pocket USB while rummaging through my storage room. To my surprise, it still worked perfectly fine even after all these years!

Excited by this discovery, I decided to test it out in one of my NUC LAB devices running ESXi. After inserting the USB into the device, I was able to boot up the IGEL UD Pocket as a virtual machine (VM) within ESXi. The setup process was incredibly easy and quick, taking only a few minutes to get everything up and running.

Once the VM was up and running, I decided to test out its capabilities by connecting it to VMware Horizon Windows 10 VD. To my amazement, the IGEL UD Pocket USB seamlessly integrated with the Horizon environment and allowed me to access all of my applications and desktops without any hassle.

But that’s not all – the real magic happened when I started using Liquidware Stratusphere UX, an incredibly powerful and easy-to-use monitoring and reporting tool. With just a few clicks, I was able to gather a wealth of information about my Horizon environment, including detailed statistics on application usage, user activity, and more.

One of the things that really impressed me about Liquidware Stratusphere UX is its ability to provide real-time monitoring and reporting. With just a few clicks, I can generate detailed reports on everything from user logons and logoffs to application launches and terminations. This information is invaluable for troubleshooting issues and optimizing my Horizon environment for maximum performance and security.

Another feature that really stood out to me was the ability to create custom dashboards within Liquidware Stratusphere UX. With this feature, I can quickly and easily create a personalized view of my Horizon environment that is tailored to my specific needs and requirements. This allows me to quickly identify any issues or anomalies in my environment and take action to address them before they become major problems.

Overall, I am absolutely thrilled with the performance and capabilities of the IGEL UD Pocket USB and Liquidware Stratusphere UX. These tools have not only saved me time and effort, but have also provided me with valuable insights into my Horizon environment that I never thought possible.

If you’re looking for a reliable, easy-to-use solution for monitoring and reporting on your Horizon environment, then I highly recommend checking out Liquidware Stratusphere UX. And if you have any old IGEL UD Pocket USBs lying around, then definitely give them a try – you might be surprised at how well they still work!