VMC on AWS

🧠 What Is VMware Cloud on AWS?¶

VMware Cloud on AWS (VMC on AWS) is a fully managed service that runs VMware's vSphere, vSAN, and NSX on dedicated bare-metal infrastructure in AWS.
It enables you to run on-premises VMware workloads natively on AWS without converting them to EC2.

✅ It provides the same tools, policies, and processes as your on-prem VMware environment but with the scalability and services of AWS.

🚀 Why Use VMware Cloud on AWS?¶

Feature	Benefit
✅ Seamless Migration	No need to re-platform VMs (rehost as-is)
✅ Hybrid Cloud	vMotion workloads between on-prem and AWS
✅ Consistent Operations	Same VMware tools (vCenter, ESXi, etc.)
✅ Native AWS Integration	Connect to services like S3, RDS, Lambda, etc.
✅ DR/Backup Ready	Use AWS for disaster recovery with low RTO/RPO
✅ Global Infrastructure	Available in many AWS regions

🧱 Core Components¶

Component	Description
vSphere	Compute virtualization (same as on-prem ESXi)
vSAN	Software-defined storage (clustered across hosts)
NSX-T	Software-defined networking and firewall
vCenter Server	Management interface for VMs (web-based)
SDDC	Software-Defined Data Center (VMware stack in AWS)
Hybrid Link Mode	Single pane of glass across on-prem and cloud vCenters

🏗️ Architecture¶

                ┌─────────────┐
                │ On-prem DC  │
                │ vSphere     │
                └────┬────────┘
                     │
             ┌───────▼────────┐      ┌──────────────┐
             │ VMware HCX     │─────▶│ VMware Cloud │
             │ vMotion/DR     │      │  on AWS SDDC │
             └────────────────┘      └──────────────┘
                                       │  ESXi / vSAN
                                       ▼
                              AWS Bare-Metal Infrastructure

🌐 Integration with AWS Services¶

Attach S3 buckets for backups or VM image storage
Access Amazon RDS, DynamoDB, or Lambda from within VMware VMs
Use AWS Direct Connect for low-latency hybrid networking
Integrate with CloudWatch, SNS, and AWS Config for monitoring

🔒 Security & Compliance¶

Feature	Support
IAM	Manage VMC access with IAM
NSX-T	Microsegmentation, security groups, firewall
KMS	Encrypt vSAN with AWS KMS
Compliance	HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, SOC 1/2, ISO, etc.
PrivateLink	Secure connection to native AWS services

🧪 Common Use Cases¶

Use Case	Description
Data Center Evacuation	Move legacy apps to AWS without refactoring
Disaster Recovery (DR)	Use VMC as a failover target for on-prem
Dev/Test Environments	Spin up VMs instantly using existing templates/tools
Cloud Bursting	Temporarily run extra workloads in the cloud
Application Modernization	Gradually integrate with AWS-native services

⚙️ How to Set Up¶

Create SDDC from AWS Console or VMware Cloud Portal
Choose host size & count (min 2-3 hosts)
Connect to your on-prem via VPN or Direct Connect
Deploy VMs using vCenter (same as on-prem)
Access AWS services through ENI/PrivateLink
(Optional) Enable Hybrid Linked Mode for unified vSphere

💰 Pricing Overview (2024)¶

Item	Approx. Cost
SDDC per host	~$8–10/hr or ~$120K/year (varies by region/size)
Minimum hosts	2–3 (based on use case)
On-demand or reserved	Reserved instances offer savings
Add-ons	AWS services billed separately (e.g., S3, RDS)

🧪 Try 1-host SDDC for non-production (cheaper & great for PoC/testing)

📦 Terraform Support¶

Yes! With the vmc provider from VMware:

Example Snippet¶

provider "vmc" {
  refresh_token = var.vmc_api_token
  org_id        = var.org_id
}

resource "vmc_sddc" "aws_sddc" {
  name              = "my-vmc-on-aws"
  provider          = "AWS"
  region            = "US_WEST_2"
  num_hosts         = 2
  vpc_cidr_block    = "10.10.0.0/16"
}

✅ TL;DR Summary¶

Feature	VMware Cloud on AWS
Use Case	Migrate/run VMs in AWS without refactoring
Technology Stack	vSphere, vSAN, NSX-T on bare metal
Native AWS integration	✅ Yes (S3, RDS, Lambda, etc.)
vMotion supported	✅ Yes (with HCX)
On-demand + reserved	✅ Yes
Terraform/API support	✅ Yes
DR/PoC options	✅ 1-host SDDC available