VMware Cloud Gateway Notice of Deprecation FAQ

Overview

Hybrid Linked Mode is a feature of VMware Cloud on AWS that allows customers to manage their cloud vCenter Server along with their on-premises vCenter Server in a single user interface provided by the vCenter Web Client. There are currently two ways of configuring this feature:

  1. Directly from the user interface of the VMware Cloud on AWS vCenter Server
  2. By deploying an appliance called the VMware Cloud Gateway on your on-premises vSphere platform.

The VMware Cloud Gateway provides a standalone user interface to manage Cloud and on-premises vCenter environments and control permissions of the on-premises SSO users when accessing vCenter Server of VMware Cloud on AWS SDDC. The VMware Cloud Gateway upgrades automatically every time there is a new version of the SDDC.

The version of the VMware Cloud Gateway that is currently compatible with SDDC version 1.24 is the last version of the VMware Cloud Gateway appliance. It will not be available for any SDDCs post version 1.24. Customers will still be able to use HLM when directly connected from the VMware Cloud on AWS vCenter Server (using option #1 outlined above).

FAQ

What is being announced as part of the deprecation of the VMware Cloud Gateway? 

The current version of the VMware Cloud Gateway will be the last release of the appliance. There will not be another release of the appliance and it will be deprecated and can no longer be used for Hybrid Linked Mode with a VMware Cloud on AWS SDDC post version 1.24. 

How Can I Configure Hybrid Linked Mode with VMware Cloud on AWS versions post 1.24?

In order to configure and use Hybrid Linked Mode, customers are advised to configure it directly from their vCenter within the VMware Cloud on AWS SDDC. More information on configuring it from the vCenter user interface is available here.
Additionally, with the upgrade of the SDDC to version 1.24, the VMware Cloud Gateway will not automatically upgrade. In order to use the VMware Cloud Gateway with version 1.24, customers will have to delete the current appliance and redeploy and reconfigure the VMware Cloud Gateway. 

Will the VMware Cloud Gateway work with SDDC version 1.24? 

Yes, the VMware Cloud Gateway is compatible with an SDDC running version 1.24. However, it will not automatically upgrade when the SDDC is upgraded to version 1.24. Customers will have to unlink a Cloud SDDC first, delete the current VMware Cloud Gateway appliance and redeploy the latest version of VMware Cloud Gateway in order for it to work with version 1.24. This will be the last version of the VMware Cloud Gateway. There will be no further upgrades for features or patches of the appliance. 

How long will the VMware Cloud Gateway be supported?

The VMware Cloud Gateway will be supported for version 1.24. It will not be supported for any SDDC version beyond 1.24.

How can I move from the VMware Cloud Gateway to the VMware Cloud on AWS vCenter Server provided Hybrid Linked Mode?

In order to maintain Hybrid Linked Mode, you will need to reconfigure the linking between your on-premises vCenter and VMware Cloud on the AWS SDDC vCenter Server. This is a multi-step process:

  • Unlink your VMware Cloud Gateway by following the documentation
  • Any configurations you would have made during the setup of the VMware Cloud Gateway will be lost and cannot be transferred. Please make sure you saved the existing configuration for your records.
  • Check prerequisites for linking from the cloud vCenter Server, including required firewall rules.
  • Run Network connectivity check from the SDDC Console to validate the network connectivity.
  • Configure the linking using the cloud vCenter server by following the documentation.
  • You will need to re-configure roles and permission after you re-establish Hybrid Linked Mode.

Is vCenter linking in an SDDC Group affected by the announcement?

When you create an SDDC Group, you optionally can enable linking between vCenter Servers to manage the infrastructure that is part of the SDDC Group. This feature continues to be available in SDDC 1.24 and onwards and is not affected by this announcement.

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