VMUGCZ Event in Prague – 2024-05-23

A Day of Innovation and Networking

VMware User Group Czech Republic (VMUGCZ)

Yesterday’s VMUGCZ event in Prague was a fantastic success, bringing together professionals and enthusiasts for a day filled with insightful sessions, engaging discussions, and valuable networking opportunities.

Agenda:

Welcome by VMUGCZ Leaders
The event began with a warm welcome from the VMUGCZ leaders, setting the stage for an exciting day ahead. They provided an overview of the agenda, highlighting the key topics and sessions that attendees could look forward to.

Keynote: VCF, AI, and Other Things
Joe Baguley from Broadcom kicked off the keynote with a deep dive into VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), the evolving role of AI, and other emerging technologies. His presentation was followed by a lively Q&A session led by Vlastimil Horák from VMware by Broadcom, allowing attendees to ask questions and engage directly with the experts.

Understanding NSX in VCF: Best Practices for VCF Networking
Karel Novak from VMware by Broadcom delivered a detailed session on understanding NSX within VCF. He shared best practices for optimizing VCF networking, providing practical insights and solutions for common challenges.

Coffee Break and Social Networking
The first coffee break offered a chance for attendees to mingle, discuss the morning sessions, and network with peers and industry experts. It was a great opportunity to build connections and share ideas.

The Future is Here: ExaGrid Tiered Backup Storage
Piotr Łukasiewicz from ExaGrid Systems introduced the latest innovations in tiered backup storage. His presentation highlighted the benefits of ExaGrid’s solutions, emphasizing how they can enhance data protection and recovery strategies.

Ootbi by Object First – Best Storage for Veeam
Walter Berends from ObjectFirst discussed the optimal storage solutions for Veeam, focusing on the features and advantages of Ootbi by Object First. His insights were particularly valuable for those looking to improve their data storage and management practices.

Lunch Break
A delicious lunch provided a welcome break and another opportunity for attendees to network and discuss the day’s topics in a more informal setting.

Google Cloud VMware Engine: AI-Assisted Automation for Your Workloads
Agnieszka Koziorowska from Google presented on the integration of AI-assisted automation with VMware workloads on Google Cloud. Her session showcased practical applications and the significant benefits of this advanced technology.

AI for Accident Analysis and 3D Reconstruction
Enrico Pittini and Pavel Kučera from DataVision demonstrated the use of AI for accident analysis and 3D reconstruction. Their presentation highlighted real-world use cases and the technological advancements driving these innovations.

Coffee Break and Social Networking
Another coffee break allowed attendees to relax and continue their networking conversations, exchanging thoughts on the afternoon sessions.

Before Calling in the Backups
Boris Mittelmann from Veeam discussed the importance of preparedness in backup management. He shared strategies and best practices to ensure effective and efficient backup processes.

VCF aka Virtuální Cloudová Fantazie
A community session led by Martin Dimitrov, Libor Junek, and Josef Zach explored the capabilities of VMware Cloud Foundation. Titled “Virtuální Cloudová Fantazie” this session provided info from real-life VCF deployment.

Roundtable with VMUG Leaders and Speakers
The roundtable discussion offered an interactive platform for VMUG leaders and speakers to engage with the audience. Attendees had the chance to ask questions, share insights, and discuss various topics in an open forum.

Social Networking: Grill, Beer, and Hockey
The event concluded with a relaxed social networking session featuring a grill, beer, and watching the Hockey World Championship on big screen. (Czech Republic vs. USA. [1:0] ) It was a fun and enjoyable end to a day packed with learning and networking.

Overall, the VMUGCZ event in Prague was a resounding success, offering valuable insights, practical knowledge, and plenty of opportunities for professional growth and connection. Check out some photos from the event below!

Joe Baguley (VMware by Broadcom) Keynote

Karel Novak (VMware by Broadcom)

Piotr Lukasiewicz (ExaGrid Systems)

Martin Stetka (Object First)

Walter Berends (Object First)

Google Cloud

Pavel Kučera (DataVision)

Boris Mittelman (Veeam)

Libor Junek, Josef Zach, Martin Dimitrov (community session)

Social links:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7199790189827739648

Upgrade vCloud Director for Service Provider to 9.7

Upgrade to 9.7 is little bit more complicated, because you need to upgrade (if you are using it) PostgreSQL.

Step-by-step guide

  1. Put vCloud Director + PostgreSQL DB vm’s into maintenance in monitoring system.
  2. SSH to vCloud VM and shutdown services:

    /etc/init.d/vmware-vcd stop

  3. Start nginx or apache to show temporary web page (this needs to be configured ahead). It’s just for cases, that users are trying to connect and you don’t want to have a lot of calls/tickets why the vCloud is not running/etc/init.d/nginx start
  4. Check that the temporary page is visible.
  5. Do + check a vCloud vm + vCloud DB vm backup

    do a PostgreDB backup

    1. check free spacedf -hsu – postgrespg_dump vcloud > /var/lib/pgsql/vcloud-backup_20200202.sql

    2. check that backup is not zerols -la /var/lib/pgsql/vcloud-backup_20200202.sql

    3. output must look similar to this:-rw-r–r– 1 postgres postgres 4114824617 Feb 2 22:03 /var/lib/pgsql/vcloud-backup_20200202.sql

  6. Do snapshots on both  VMs “vCloud Director” + “PostgreSQL DB”
  7. Installation and upgrade PostgreSQL DB to v.10

    yum install postgresql10-server

    sudo systemctl stop postgresql-9.6.service && sudo systemctl stop postgresql-10.service

    systemctl stop postgresql-9.6.service

    su postgres

    /usr/pgsql-10/bin/initdb -E UTF8 –locale=en_US.UTF-8 -D /var/lib/pgsql/10/data/

    /usr/pgsql-10/bin/pg_upgrade –old-datadir /var/lib/pgsql/9.6/data/ –new-datadir /var/lib/pgsql/10/data/ –old-bindir /usr/pgsql-9.6/bin/ –new-bindir /usr/pgsql-10/bin/

    change /var/lib/pgsql/10/data/pg_hba.conf same as /var/lib/pgsql/9.6/data/pg_hba.conf

    # TYPE DATABASE USER ADDRESS METHOD
    # “local” is for Unix domain socket connections only
    local all all trust
    # IPv4 local connections:
    host all all 127.0.0.1/32 trust
    # IPv6 local connections:
    host all all ::1/128 trust
    # Allow replication connections from localhost, by a user with the
    # replication privilege.
    #local replication all trust
    #host replication all 127.0.0.1/32 trust
    #host replication all ::1/128 trust
    host all all 0.0.0.0/0 md5

    vi /var/lib/pgsql/10/data/postgresql.conf

    listen_addresses = ‘*’


    Disable PostgreSQL 9.6 and enable and start PostgreSQL 10

    systemctl disable postgresql-9.6.service
    systemctl enable postgresql-10.service
    systemctl start postgresql-10.service

    su postgres
    ./analyze_new_cluster.sh
    ./delete_old_cluster.sh

    Remove old PostgreSQL service

    yum remove postgresql96-server

  8. Check that vcloud DB user is owner of the DB in the postgress!!

    su postgres
    psql
    #list DB’s
    \l

    1. if not change owner of DB “vcloud” to user “vcloud” :ALTER DATABASE vcloud OWNER TO vcloud;
      \l
      \q

    2. optional you can do second DB backup on new PostgreSQL version
      pg_dump vcloud > /var/lib/pgsql/vcloud-backup_pg10_20190505.sql

  9. upgrade vCloud to 9.7
  10. Upload new version/patch to vCloud VM ( ./vmware-vcloud-director-distribution-9.7.0-14535248.bin )
    ensure that file is executable +x flag
    chmod a+x vmware-vcloud-director-distribution-9.7.0-14535248.bin
  11. Run the installation bin file
    ./vmware-vcloud-director-distribution-9.7.0-14535248.bin
  12. run upgrade script
    /opt/vmware/vcloud-director/bin/upgrade
  13. Dont start vCloudDriector services after upgrade DB. Manually started Nginx is running!
    /etc/init.d/nginx stop
    /etc/init.d/vmware-vcd start

  14. Reboot vCloud Director VM
    shutdown -r -t 1
  15. Check vCloud Director: https://_VCLOUD.DOMAIN/
  16. Run script for checking edge VM

    /opt/vmware/vcloud-director/bin/cell-management-tool edge-ip-allocation-updates –host vcloud.domain.xyz –user administrator –status/opt/vmware/vcloud-director/bin/cell-management-tool edge-ip-allocation-updates –host vcloud.domain.xyz –user administrator –update-ip-allocations
  17. After 1-2 business days delete snapshots + DB backup file.

VMware vCloud Director for Service Provider upgrade from 9.7 to 10.0

Check prerequisites, documentation, release notes

Documentation: https://docs.vmware.com/en/vCloud-Director/index.html

Release notes: https://docs.vmware.com/en/vCloud-Director/10.0/rn/VMware-vCloud-Director-for-Service-Providers-100-Release-Notes.html
API: https://code.vmware.com/apis/553/vcloud-director

Instalation,configuration and upgrade guide: https://docs.vmware.com/en/vCloud-Director/9.7/com.vmware.vcloud.install.doc/GUID-F14315CC-B373-4A21-A3D9-270FFCF0A417.html
In my scenario I have CentOS 7 VM where is vCloud director 9.7 running. And another VM where is running PostgreSQL.

Step-by-step guide

  1. stop vCloud services

    /etc/init.d/vmware-vcd stop

  2. backup vCloud DB. In my case PostgreSQL

    su – postgres

    pg_dump vcloud > /var/lib/pgsql/vcloud-backup_20200124-1821.sql

  3. create snapshot on vCloud Director VM a PostgreSQL VM
  4. upload and run installation file

    ./vmware-vcloud-director-distribution-10.0.0-14638910.bin

    Checking free disk space…doneChecking for a supported Linux distribution…Detected CentOS7 systemdoneChecking for necessary RPM prerequisites…doneExtracting VMware vCloud Director. Please wait, this could take a few minutes…vmware-vcloud-director-25.2019.09.12-14636284.x86_64.rpmvmware-vcloud-director-rhel-25.2019.09.12-14636284.x86_64.rpmvmware-vcloud-director-h5ui-25.2019.09.12-14636284.x86_64.rpmvmware-phonehome-1.0.0-14574960.noarch.rpmdoneVerifying RPM signatures…doneAn older version of VMware vCloud Director has been detected and will beupgraded to 10.0.0.If you choose to proceed, the installer will stop the vmware-vcd service,back up any configuration files from the previous release and migrate theproduct configuration as necessary.

    Would you like to upgrade now? (y/n)? y
    Upgrading VMware vCloud Director…
    Installing the VMware vCloud Director 10.0.0 RPM…
    warning: vmware-vcloud-director-25.2019.09.12-14636284.x86_64.rpm: Header V3 RSA/SHA1 Signature, key ID 66fd4949 : NOKEY
    Preparing… ################################# [100%]
    Updating / installing…
    1:vmware-vcloud-director-rhel-25.20################################# [ 13%]
    2:vmware-vcloud-director-25.2019.09warning: /opt/vmware/vcloud-director/etc/global.properties created as /opt /vmware/vcloud-director/etc/global.properties.rpmnew
    ################################# [ 25%]
    3:vmware-vcloud-director-h5ui-25.20################################# [ 38%]
    4:vmware-phonehome-1.0.0-14574960 ################################# [ 50%]
    Cleaning up / removing…
    5:vmware-phonehome-1.0.0-12611311 ################################# [ 63%]
    6:vmware-vcloud-director-h5ui-24.20################################# [ 75%]
    7:vmware-vcloud-director-24.2019.03################################# [ 88%]
    Update completed.
    8:vmware-vcloud-director-rhel-24.20################################# [100%]
    done
    No DSA certificates found; disabling DSA ciphers for SSL/TLS connections. See KB 2056026 for details

    Upgrade installation complete.
    Next steps:

    You will need to upgrade the database schema before starting the
    vmware-vcd service. The product upgrade tool should be run only once per
    vCloud Director group. The tool may be run with the following command:
    /opt/vmware/vcloud-director/bin/upgradeRun upgrade script

  5. Run upgrade script
    /
    opt/vmware/vcloud-director/bin/upgrade

    Welcome to the vCloud Director upgrade utility

    Verify that you have a valid license key to use the version of the
    vCloud Director software to which you are upgrading.

    This utility will apply several updates to the database. Please
    ensure you have created a backup of your database prior to continuing.


    Do you wish to upgrade the product now? [Y/N] y
    Examining database at URL: jdbc:postgresql://Postgre-DB.lab:5432/vcloud?socketTimeout=90
    The next step in the upgrade process will change the vCloud Director database schema.
    Backup your database now using the tools provided by your database vendor.
    Enter [Y] after the backup is complete. y
    Running 5 upgrade tasks
    Executing upgrade task:
    Successfully ran upgrade task
    Executing upgrade task:
    Successfully ran upgrade task
    Executing upgrade task:
    Successfully ran upgrade task
    Executing upgrade task:
    ……………./Successfully ran upgrade task
    Executing upgrade task:
    ……………[15]
    Successfully ran upgrade task
    Database upgrade complete
    Upgrade complete

    Would you like to start the vCloud Director service now? If you choose not
    to start it now, you can manually start it at any time using this command:
    service vmware-vcd start

    Start it now? [y/n] y

    Starting vmware-vcd-watchdog: [ OK ]
    Starting vmware-vcd-cell [ OK ]