A Google Cloud VMware Engine private cloud is an isolated VMware stack that consists of the following:
- ESXi hosts
- vCenter Server
- vSAN
- NSX
- HCX
Private clouds help you address a variety of common needs for network infrastructure:
- Growth. If you've reached a hardware refresh point for your existing infrastructure, a private cloud lets you add nodes with no new hardware investment.
- Fast expansion. If any temporary or unplanned capacity needs arise, a private cloud lets you create the additional capacity immediately.
- Increased protection. With a private cloud of three or more nodes, you get automatic redundancy and availability protection.
- Long-term infrastructure needs. If your data centers are at capacity or you want to restructure to lower your costs, a private cloud lets you retire data centers and migrate to a cloud-based solution while remaining compatible with your enterprise operations.
Private cloud environment
Private clouds are managed through the VMware Engine portal. They have their own vCenter Server in its own management domain. The stack runs on dedicated, isolated bare metal hardware nodes in Google Cloud locations. You consume the stack through native VMware tools, including vCenter Server and NSX Manager.
You can connect the private cloud to your on-premises environment using the following connections:
Private clouds are also designed to eliminate single points of failure:
- ESXi clusters are configured with vSphere High Availability (HA) and are sized to have at least one spare node for resilience.
- vSAN provides redundant primary storage. vSan requires at least three nodes to provide protection against a single failure. You can configure vSAN to provide higher resilience for larger clusters.
- vSphere HA protects against node and network failures.
Limits
The following table lists the node limits on resources of a VMware Engine private cloud.
| Resource | Limit |
|---|---|
| Minimum number of nodes to create a private cloud | 3 |
| Maximum number of nodes in a cluster on a private cloud | 16 |
| Maximum number of nodes in a private cloud | 64 |
| Minimum number of nodes on a new cluster | 3 |
What's next
- Learn how to create a private cloud.