5.5

Table Of Contents
Overview of vCloud Director
Installation, Configuration, and
Upgrade 1
A VMware vCloud
®
combines a vCloud Director server group with the vSphere platform. You create a
vCloud Director server group by installing vCloud Director software on one or more servers, connecting the
servers to a shared database, and integrating the vCloud Director server group with vSphere.
The initial configuration of vCloud Director, including database and network connection details, is
established during installation. When you upgrade an existing installation to a new version of
vCloud Director, you update the vCloud Director software and database schema, leaving the existing
relationships between servers, the database, and vSphere in place.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
“vCloud Director Architecture,” on page 7
n
“Configuration Planning,” on page 8
n
“vCloud Director Hardware and Software Requirements,” on page 8
vCloud Director Architecture
A vCloud Director server group consists of one or more vCloud Director servers. These servers share a
common database, and are linked to an arbitrary number of vCenter servers and ESXi hosts. vShield
Manager servers provide network services to vCenter and vCloud Director.
A typical installation creates a vCloud Director server group comprising several servers. Each server in the
group runs a collection of services called a vCloud Director cell. All members of the group share a single
database. Each cell in the group connects to multiple vCenter servers, the hosts that they manage, and the
vShield Manager servers that are configured to support the vCenter servers.
VMware, Inc.
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