Guide to setting up a private cloud using VMware vCloud Director
Introduction:
The goal of this guide is to help you setup a private cloud computing
environment using a product by VMware called, vCloud Director. vCloud uses
virtualization to allow easy setup and expandability of the cloud. vCloud is a recent
product developed by VMware and is becoming more popular.
The goal of this lab is to give you some hands on experience with several
VMware products, but more specifically, vCloud and ESXi server.
For simplicity reason and the lack of enough powerful equipment, this entire
guide can be completed on a single machine running VMware Workstation. For
those who aren’t familiar with VMware Workstation, it is a virtual machine software
suite developed my VMware. The software allows you to setup multiple virtual
computers and to use one or more of these virtual machines simultaneously with
the hosting operating system. VMware Workstation can run virtually any modern
operating system. For the purposes of this lab, we will be installing Microsoft Server
2008, CentOS, and ESXi Server.
Section 1 of this guide will go over the process of installing the host operating
system, installation of VMware Workstation and then the setup of the four virtual
machines.
Section 2 of this guide will go over the process of installing and setting up
HvDC.
Section 3 of this guide will go over the process of installing and setting up
HvCenter.
Section 4 of this guide will go over the process of installing and setting up
RedWood01(CentOS).
Section 5 of this guide will go over the process of installing and setting up
HvESX01(ESXi Server).
Lab Overview:
As you can see in the diagram below, the host opering system will be running
Windows Server 2008 with VMware Workstation 7 installed. As stated above, we
will be using four VMs. Referring to the diagram below, HvDC will be running Server
2008, Active Directory(AD) and DNS. HvCenter will be running Server 2008, vCenter
4.1 Server, and Oracle 11G. Redwood01 will be running CentOS, VMware vCloud
Director. HvESX01 will be running ESXi Server.
In addition to the four base VMs, there will also be nested VM on HvESX01.
Refer to the diagram below for more information.
Figure 1
Requirements for completing this guide:
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VMware vCloud Director – [200MB]
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vShield Manager – [500MB]
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CentOS 64bit DVD ISO – [3.9GB]
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Oracle 11G 64bit Enterprise – [2.1GB]
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Java Development Kit – [78MB]
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vSphere 4.1 Enterprise-Plus (vCenter & ESXi) – [2.5GB]
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VMware Workstation 7.1 – [568MB]
After Downloading all the above burn the CentOS and ESXi to separate discs for installation.
Note – CentOS is 8 cd’s
Please download all the above before starting this lab. You will need to apply with
each different organization for trials licenses to download their product.
To use the Itec server provided by Dr. Lee you must have the Sever 2008 preloaded
onto you team machine to start this lab because the mapping from your computers
cd drive through the VMware has a few problems. Otherwise Skip this step and
install VMware Workstation 7.1 on your home computer.
Section 1 – Installing the Host OS(Server 2008)
The process of installing Server 2008 is very similar to the installation
process that you followed in the ITEC 350 lab. Listed below is the overall process of
installing Server 2008.
Please download all the above before starting this lab. You will need to apply with
each different organization for trials licenses to download their product.
To use the Itec server provided by Dr. Lee you must have the Sever 2008 preloaded
onto you team machine to start this lab because the mapping from your computers
cd drive through the VMware has a few problems. Otherwise Skip this step and
install VMware Workstation 7.1 on your home computer.
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Place the Windows Server 2008 DVD in the DVD drive.
You should see a prompt instructing you to press any key to boot from the
DVD. Press a key. Note: If you don’t see this prompt, then you will have to
change the boot order in the BIOS.
Press Next at the Language window
Press Install now button
Select Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise (Full Installation) and press
Next.
Accept the terms and press Next.
Select the Custom (advanced) installation option.
Press Drive options (advanced)
Remove any previous partitions and create five partitions; one for the host
OS, and each base VM. Divide the partitions evenly.
Press Next
The system will reboot a couple of time during the installation.
You will eventually be prompted to change you password. Press OK to
change the password. Set it to Radford24142
The next step is to activate windows. A window called Initial Configuration
Tasks will be displayed after you change your password. Follow the setups below to
activate windows.
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Press Active Windows link.
Type in the product key located on the sleeve that the DVD was in.
Click Next.
Recommended: Install all available Microsoft Windows updates. You can access
Windows Update from the control panel.
Section 1.1 – Installing VMware Workstation on the host OS.
The following setups below will guide you through the installation and setup
of VMware Workstation. Note - VMware Workstation 7.1 must be used. Any later
version has removed the team environment
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Start the setup by launching the latest 64bit version.
Press Next when the wizard launches
Select Typical and press Next
Press Next at the shortcuts window
Press Continue to begin the installation process
Enter you Serial Number if you have one or press Skip
Press Restart Now
Section 1.2 – Configuring WMware Workstation
In this section, I will go over how to create a “Team” of virtual machines. The
term “Team” is used to describe a group of virtual machines. Our “Team” will be
consisting of four VM. You can refer to Figure 1 for more information.
The following steps will guide you through the process of setting up a “Team
consisting of four VMs.
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Launch VMware Workstation.
You will be prompted to accept the licensing agreement, select I Agree and
press Okay.
Press New Team.
Press Next when the wizard launches
Give the team a name -> Cloud
Press Next
Press the drop-down arrow next to add and select New Virtual Machine
Select Typical and press Next
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Select “I will install this operating system later” and press Next.
Select “Microsoft Windows” and then set the version to Windows Server
2008 R2 x64 and then press Next
Name this machine HvDC
Change the location to one of the partitions that you created earlier and then
press Next
Leave the defaults and press Next at “Specify Disk Capacity” window.
Press Finish
You will be returned to the Team Wizard, press Add and select New Virtual
Machine.
Select Typical and press Next
Select “I will install this operating system later” and press Next.
Select “Microsoft Windows” and then set the version to Windows Server
2008 R2 x64 and then press Next
Name this machine HvCenter
Change the location to one of the partitions that you created earlier and then
press Next
Set the disk capacity to 80GB and press Next
Select Customize Hardware and set the memory to 4GB if on the network
server otherwise 1GB for personal computers.
Press Finish
You will be returned to the Team Wizard, press Add and select New Virtual
Machine.
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Select Typical and press Next
Select “I will install this operating system later” and press Next.
Select “Linux” and then set the version to CentOS x64 and then press Next
Name this machine Redwood01
Change the location to one of the partitions that you created earlier and then
press Next
Leave the defaults and press Next at “Specify Disk Capacity” window.
Select Customize Hardware and set the memory to 1GB, and add a second
NIC by selecting pressing Add and then selecting Network adapter 
Finish.
Press Okay
Press Finish
You will be returned to the Team Wizard, press Add and select New Virtual
Machine.
Select Typical and press Next
Select “I will install this operating system later” and press Next.
Select “VMware ESX” and then set the version to ESX Server 4.0 and then
press Next
Name this machine HvESX01
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Change the location to one of the partitions that you created earlier and then
press Next
Leave the defaults and press Next at “Specify Disk Capacity” window.
Select Customize Hardware and set the memory to 6GB if on the network
server otherwise 1GB for personal computers.
Press Finish
You will be returned to the Team Wizard, press Next
Press Next at the Lan Segment window
Press Finish
Your new “Team” named Cloud should now appear under Favorites on the left
hand side in the Sidebar. Your VMware Workstation should be very similar to
Figure 1.2.
Figure 1.2 – The team Cloud has been created with four VMs
In this section, I will guide you through the process of installing
the VM and setting up all of the necessary components on HvDC. HvDC
will act as the Domain Controller and the DNS server for the lab.
Section 2.1 – Installing the VM
In this section, I will guide you through the process of installing
the OS on HvDC. We will be installing Windows Server 2008 R2 64Bit
Enterprise. The process of installing the OS is simpler and faster than
the installation process that I used to install the Host operating system.
 Open VMware Workstation and select the team you just created
 Cloud
 Verify that you have the OS disk in the driver and then power on
HvDC.
 Right-Click HvDC from Virtual Machines and LAN Segments and
press Power ON – It may take the system up to 30sec to recognize
the disk.
 Select English for Language to install
 Select English(United States) for Time and currency format
 Select US for input method then press Next.
 Press Install Now
 Select Windows Server 2008 Enterprise R2 Sever Enterprise
with Service Pack 1 and press next.
 Accept EULA and press Next.
 Select Custom Installation and then press Next.
 The install should take around 30min
 Click ok
 Set password to Radford123
 Install all available Microsoft Windows updates.
 Configure IP address. i.e. 192.168.164.12
Section 2.2 – Configuring HvDC
Section 2.2.1 – Setting up Domain Controller/AD
 Open Server Manager
 Select Roles from the column on the left.
 Press Add Role
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Press Next
Tick Active Directory Domain Services.
Press Add Selected Features if prompted.
Press Next
Read the information provided and press Next.
Press Install
Press Close
Select Roles Active Directory Domain Services.
Select Run the Active Directory Domain Services Installation
Wizard.
Press Next
Read over the information and press Next.
Select Create a new domain in a new forest and press Next.
Enter a domain name. i.e. “Cloud.local” and press Next.
Press Next
Press Next
Tick the option to install DNS
Press Next
Accept the defaults and press Next.
Enter a restore mode password – Radford123 and press next.
Press Next
Press Finish and then reboot the machine.
Section 2.2.3 – Setting up DNS
This section covers adding the DNS entries to the Forward Lookup Zones for the
domain that was just created. I’m assuming that you selected to install DNS
during the DC setup in the previous section.
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Open DNS management under administrative tools. Start Menu -> Control
Panel -> Administrative Tools –> DNS.
Expand WIN-FL 13R3SOFAR by clicking on the ‘+’
Expand forward lookup zones by clicking on the ‘+’
Right click on the Zones (domain name) _msdcs.Cloud.local and click on
new host (A or AAAA).
Type in the name of the record. i.e. HvCenter, HvDC, ESX01, etc… then
select Add Host
Type in the IP address that you assigned or will assign to the machine.
Remember to add an entry for all four machines.
Section 3 – Setting up HvCenter
In this section, I will guide you through the process of installing the
OS on HvCenter. We will be installing Windows Server 2008 R2 64Bit
Enterprise. The process of installing the OS is simpler and faster than
the installation process that I used to install the Host operating system.
The OS installation is identical to the OS installation in section 2.
 Open VMware Workstation and select the team you just created
 Cloud
 Verify that you have the OS disk in the driver and then power on
HvCenter .
 Right-Click HvCenter from Virtual Machines and LAN Segments
and press Power ON – It may take the system up to 30sec to
recognize the disk.
 Select English and then press Next.
 Press Install Now
 Select Windows Server 2008 Enterprise R2 (Full Installation)
and press next.
 Accept EULA and press Next.
 Select Custom Installation and then press Next.
 Set password to Radford24142
 Install all available Microsoft Windows updates.
 Configure IP address. i.e. 192.168.164.11
 Join to the domain that you just created.
Section 3.1 – Installing Oracle
Oracle is a very popular enterprise database system that is
available. I have chosen to use it for this project because several of the
applications and systems that we will be setting up will need to have a
database backend. Oracle is free to download and use for personal use.
For this task, just download the latest version of Oracle and extract the
contents of the two zip files to a directory on HvCenter. The following
steps goes over the process of installing and configuring Oracle.
Note – Oracle 11g comes in two zip files. You must take the components
from the second file and put them in the component file of the first for a
successful installation.
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You start the setup by executing Setup.exe
Check the Create Starter Database
Set the global database name to “Cloud” and press Next.
Input new Password Radford123 and press Next
After Prerequisite Checks hit Next
Oracle Configuration Manager is not needed hit Next
Press install
Press next after installation
Enter your email address and press Next.
Select the option to Create and Configure a Database and press
Next.
Select Server Class and press Next.
Select Single Instance Database Installation and press Next.
Select Advance Install and press Next
Press Next at the Language options screen.
Select Enterprise Edition and press Next.
Accept the defaults for the storage directories and press Next.
Select General Purpose and press Next.
Accept the defaults for the memory configuration and press Next.
Accept the defaults and press Next.
Accept the defaults and press Next.
Accept the defaults and press Next.
Tick the option to use the same password for all accounts.
Set the password to Radford24142 and press Next.
Review the configuration screen and then press Exit
Press Close when the installation has been completed. – This step
may take a significant time to complete.
Section 3.1.1 – Configuring Oracle
This section is going to go over how to setup a user account that
will be used for this project. The username will be cloud and the
password will be Radford24142 Also note that you will have to be
logged in as administrator or a user account that has administrative
privileges.
 Login as administrator and open a command window.
 You will login to the database cloud using the credentials that you
setup in the previous section.
 sqlplus system/Radford24142@localhost/cloud
 The next command creates a new user by the name of cloud and
assigns a password to that user. The password is Radford24142
 create user cloud identified by Radford24142;
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The next command grants or allows the user that we just created access to
the database.
 grant "RESOURCE", "DBA", "CONNECT" to cloud;
Section 3.2 – Installing VMware vSphere Server
This section will go over the installation process of VMware
vCenter Server and Client.
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Launch the VMware vCenter Installer
Select vCenter Server
Press OK
Press Next
Press Next
Accept the EULA and press Next.
Enter your license key and press Next.
Press Next
Press Next
Press Next
Select Standalone Setup and press Next.
WRITE DOWN ALL OF THE PORT NUMBERS and then press
Next.
 Select Small and then press Next.
 Press Install
 Reboot the machine when the installation has completed.
The next step is to install the vCenter Client. This can be
accomplished by running the VMware vCenter Installer and then
selecting vCenter Client. Remember to reboot the machine upon
completion of the installation of the client.
Section 4 – Installing and setting up HvESX01 Server
The steps listed below go over the process of setting up ESXi
Server in a virtualized environment.
 On the host operating system, open VMware workstation and
open the setting for HvESX01.
 Select CD/DVD from the column on the left.
 Select Use ISO Image and then specify the image file for ESXi that
you should have already downloaded.
 Press OK
 Power on HvESX01.
 Select Install ESX in Graphical Mode and press Enter.
 Press Next
 Accept the EULA and press Next.
 Select English and press Next.
 Press Next at the custom drivers screen.
 Press Yes
 Press Next
 Enter your serial number and press Next.
 Press Next at the interface screen.
 Select Static IP address and then test the configuration.
 Select Standard Setup and press Next.
 Press Next
 Press OK
 Select your time zone and press Next.
 Set the date and press Next.
 Set the root password to Radford24142
 Also add an additional user: cloud/Radford24142
 Press Next to start the installation process.
 Reboot
 You should now be able to access the web-based UI from either
HvDC or HvCenter using the IP address that you specified during
the installation process.
Section 5 – Creating a cluster and adding hosts
This section will cover how to setup a new cluster and how to add
virtual hosts to the cluster. This task needs to be completed using the
vCenter Client that was installed in section 3.
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Open the vCenter Client on HvCenter.
The hostname should be localhost:443
Login with username of admin and a password of Radford24142
Right click on New Datacenter located in the left column
Select Rename, set the name to myDatacenter
Right click on myDatacenter and select New Cluster
Set the name to myCluster
Press Next.
Press Next.
Press Next.
Press Finish.
Select the name of the cluster you just created from the column on
the left.
Select Add a Host – We are adding HvESX01.
Enter the IP address of HvESX01
Enter the root password – this should be root/Radford24142
Select yes to confirm the certificate.
Press Next.
Press Next and then Finish
You are now ready to create and import virtual machines into you
cluster.
Section 6 – Installing and Configuring Security using VMware
vShield.
This section will go over the process of setting up vShield as a
virtualized app running on the cloud. To complete this task, you need to
be logged into vCenter Server using the client that was installed in
section 3.
 Once you are logged in select Deploy OVF Template from the
File menu.
 Select the vShield Manager OVA file that you should have already
downloaded.
 Press Next.
 Review the information and press Next.
 Accept the EULA and press Next.
 Accept the default name and select myDatacenter and then press
Next.
 Press Next.
 Press Finish.
 The default username and password is admin and default
respectfully.
 Execute the command enable and enter the password: “default”
 The above command puts you into a more privileged mode. 
This is similar to the process on Cisco routers and switches.
 Execute the command setup to start the configuration process.
 Enter the IP address: i.e. 192.168.164.20
 Enter the Subnet mask: i.e. 255.255.255.0
 Enter the address of the gateway: i.e. 192.168.164.2
 Enter the DNS address: Address of HvDC: i.e. 192.168.164.12
 Skip the second DNS address <press return>
 Enter you domain name when prompted for Domain name search
list. i.e. cloud.local
 Save the settings.
 Login to enable mode and execute the command reboot to
restart vShield manager.
 You can now access vShield using the IP address of the machine.
i.e. 192.168.164.20.
Section 7.a - Installing CentOS
 If need be delete the current Redwood1 and click on VM-> Add
new Virtual Mechine.
 Click on installer disc
 Then Click Next
 Enter Name Username and password ( keep note of the password
for further use)
 Click Next
 Rename Virtual Mechine to Redwood1
 Click Next
 Click Next
 Click Finish
 Right Click on Redwood1 from the VMwork Station and power on
the Virtual Machine
 This will cause the Linux Machine to begin installing the CentOS
operating system. Keep watch on the progress, it will prompt you
to insert all 8 discs at different times to install properly.
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Section 7.b – Installing and configuring VMware Cloud Director on
CentOS.
This section will go over the process of installing VMware Cloud
Director on CentOS(Redwood01). The first part will go over the creation
of the security certificates and the second part will go over the
installation of VMware Cloud Director.
Section 7.1 – Creating the security certificates.
I will use the Java SDK for the creation of the certificates. I will be
doing this on a windows machine that has the latest version of the Java
SDK installed.
 Open a Command Window.
 Execute: keytool -keystore c:\certificates.ks -storetype JCEKS
–storepass Radford24142 -genkey -keyalg RSA -alias http
 Execute: keytool -keystore c:\certificates.ks -storetype JCEKS
–storepass Radford24142 -genkey -keyalg RSA -alias
consoleproxy
 You should now have a file on the root of the C drive called
certificates.ks.
Section 7.2 Installing VMware Cloud Director
Before we begin the installation, we need to get the VMware Cloud
Director BIN file and the certificates that we just created over to
Redwood01. We are going to accomplish this taks using the Shared
Folder feature in VMware Workstation.
To enable shared folders, follow the instructions below.
 If Redwood01 is running, then shut it down.
 Open the setting window for Redwood01 in VMware Workstation.
 Click on the Options tab.
 Select Shared Folders
 Select the Always Enabled option from the options on the right.
 We are now going to add the folder that contains our certificates
and bin files. I created a fold on the root of the C drive named
Data and then copied everything I need to C:\data
 Click Add to start the process of adding a shared folder.
 Press Next.
 The Host Path is the directory that you want to share. i.e. C:\Data
 Finally, Specify a name for the shared folder. i.e. Data
 Press Next.
 Press Finish
 Press OK
We now need to install VMware Tools on Redwood. To this right click on
Redwood01 in VMware Workstation and select Install VMware tools.
We are now ready to begin the installation process. The setup below
will guide you through the installation process of VMware Cloud
Director. Remember to power Redwood back on before starting the
installation process. The shared folder will be located at /mnt/hgfs in
CentOS. My data folder was located at /mnt/hgfs/Data. I then copied
over the certificates and the bin file to a directory located at /tmp/VCD.
VCD is the name of the directory that I created.
 Logon to Redwood01 and open a terminal window
 Change to the directory that your certerficates and bin files are
located. i.e. cd /tmp/VCD
 Login as root before continuing. SU root <return> then enter
password.
 Ignore the warning message and press Y to continue.
 NOTE: You my get an error message stating that the setup will not
continue because you are missing compat-libcom_err wasn’t
found. If this happens, then open Add/Remove Software from
the applications menu. Click the open to search and type in
compat-libcom_err. Select the 64Bit version and press Apply.
 Execute ./vmware-cloud-director-1.0.0-285979.bin to start the
setup.
 Select Yes, when prompted to run the script.
 Select the first network interface. i.e. 192.168.164.133
 Type in the path for the certificates. i.e.. /tmp/VCD/certificate.ks
 Enter the Key Store Password. i.e. Radford24142
 Press return to skip the logging options.
 Enter the ip address of the oracle server. i.e 192.168.164.11
 Accept the default port of 1521.
 Type in the name of the database. i.e. cloud
 Type in the username: cloud
 Password: Radford24142
 Note: you my have to disable the firewall on the machine that
oracle is running on in order to get it to connect.
Will be continued…
 References
http://www.hypervizor.com/2010/09/video-guide-taking-vmware-vcloud-director-for-a-spin-and-on-the-go/