In the previous article we have created an organization and associated resources with it. Now we really need to test whether the environment actually works or not.
Here I will
- Upload an ISO (CentOS 6.7 x64 Minimal)
- Create a vApp and install two virtual machines with CentOS 6.7 within said vApp
- Create an Edge gateway which is used as a router
- Connect both virtual machines to the virtual router
- Confirm routing to the outside and connectivity between the virtual machines
There is obviously a lot more to it, but going through every single option in vCloud Director would pretty much mean reflecting most of the official documentation and it might not be relevant to your environment.
Let’s get started.
Browse to your catalog and click Upload Media
Unless you used / installed it before – it likely will ask you to install the Integration Plugin for your browser.
Click the hyperlink and save the file to your computer
Before installing, close all your browsers.
Here I am using Firefox. When trying to upload a media again it will ask you to enable / allow the plugin, but I tend to allow it anyway so I don’t get bothered with questions 🙂
I also disable pop-up blockers for the vCloud Director URL
When you now upload an iso – the plugin itself will ask you for permission as it requires access to your local filesystem.
Allow it …. obviously … 🙂
Browse to the iso you wish to upload and hit upload
The reason you disable the pop-up blocker is the progress window – it will … pop up 🙂
Wait until the upload and import is complete.
Once complete, your media should appear in the catalog
Now let’s create the required network, including Edge gateway. Go to Edge Gateways and click 
Select the right size. Here I am using Compact – no need for HA in my ‘template’ environment.
Here I am selecting the external interface for my Edge – I only got one external network. Also select to use it as a gateway.
Give it a name
Confirm the details.
In your vSphere client you should now be able to see the Edge being created. The public IP is taken and assigned from the IP Pool configured in the external network previously.
Wait until the Edge is fully deployed
To find out what the IP assigned to the Edge is, right-Click the Edge and select External IP Allocations
You have seen the IP in your vSphere client, but here we can confirm the IP (external IP that is) is 192.168.1.120, but I am unable to ping it.
This is because by default the firewall is enabled and blocks traffic.
Click Edge Gateway Services
Here you can disable the firewall
And there we go, we got ping to the external interface of the Edge Gateway
I want to create 1-2-1 NAT rules for each virtual machine I create. I therefore need to add two additional external IPs to the public interface of the Edge Gateway
Click Properties
Add two additional IPs under Sub-Allocate IP Pools
We got a router, now we need the actual network. Go to Org VDC Networks
Tick Create a routed network ….. and the newly created Edge
Enter some private network details – can be anything, as long as it is a private network as per RFC1918
Give it a name. I also ensure that the network can be shared with other VDCs in my organization.
And confirm the details
When you check your vSphere client, you can also see that a virtual NSX wire has been created.
Wait until the configuration has finished
We can now create a vApp and its virtual machines.
Give it a name and decide on a lease
Create a new virtual machine – here I don’t have any templates available (yet)
Just like creating virtual machines through the vSphere client, enter all relevant VM details
You can create multiple virtual machines at the same time
Select the storage policy
Select the newly created network. Here I use the Static IP Pool, which automatically assigns IPs to a virtual machine and will then be configured via Virtual Machine Tools.
Leave the defaults
And confirm the details
Now wait until the virtual machines have been created.
Once the virtual machines have been created, insert the CentOS DVD / CD
Select the newly added media
Now power the VMs on and install the OS
While the virtual machines are being installed / created, I will create the required NAT rules.
Select Edge Gateway Services
Move to the NAT tab and create four rules. Here I create an outgoing and incoming NAT rule with no restrictions (it is a lab / template network after all)
- SNAT 172.16.0.100 > 192.168.1.121
- DNAT 192.168.1.121 > 172.16.0.100 (all ports / protocols)
- SNAT 172.16.0.101 > 192.168.1.122
- DNAT 192.168.1.122 > 172.16.0.101 (all ports / protocols)
You can find the description as to what SNAT / DNAT is, in the below screenshots
SNAT 172.16.0.100 > 192.168.1.121
DNAT 192.168.1.121 > 172.16.0.100 (all ports / protocols)
SNAT 172.16.0.101 > 192.168.1.122
DNAT 192.168.1.122 > 172.16.0.101 (all ports / protocols)
Now you should have four NAT rules
Once the virtual machines are installed, you should be able to ping the EXTERNAL IP address of the individual VM
SSH test to VM1 via its public IP. You can see both internal IP and hostname.
SSH test to VM2 via its public IP. You can see both internal IP and hostname.
And of course the connectivity between the VMs via their private IPs is (should) working
You can also test the external ‘external’ connectivity. As mentioned, I NAT my internal range, which for vCloud Director, is external.
This is it. You have now installed and configured NSX 6.2, connected it to vCloud Director 8 for Service Providers, configured a Provider Virtual Datacenter (PVDC), Organization, Organization Virtual Datacenter (Org VDC) and confirmed that the deployment of virtual machines, and its networking, are working.
For everything discussed in these articles, and more, I suggest you consult the official documentation, which can be found here: