vSphere 8.0, the latest version of VMware’s virtualization platform, includes several cloud-related features such as:
- Native Kubernetes support, allowing for the deployment and management of containerized workloads.
- Direct Connect, which allows for the creation of secure, low-latency connections to public cloud providers such as AWS and Azure.
- Improved multi-cloud management capabilities through the vSphere with Kubernetes and vCenter Server integration.
- Enhanced security features such as vSphere Trust Authority and vSphere Secure Boot.
- Support for vSphere with Kubernetes and Tanzu Kubernetes Grid (TKG) for deploying and managing Kubernetes clusters.
- vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) enables automated and consistent management of vSphere infrastructure updates and configurations.
- vSphere Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) now includes Predictive DRS, which uses machine learning to optimize resource allocation.
- vCenter Server now supports an embedded Platform Services Controller (PSC), which simplifies deployment and management.
This is not an exhaustive list of features available in vSphere 8.0, but it gives an idea of the cloud-related features that are included in this release.
What are the components the vSphere 8 Platform Services Controller contains?
The Platform Services Controller (PSC) is a component of VMware vSphere that provides a centralized management service for authentication, licensing, and other infrastructure services. In vSphere 8.0, the PSC has been embedded within the vCenter Server and it contains several key components, which include:
- Single Sign-On (SSO): This component provides authentication and identity management services for vSphere and other VMware products.
- Licensing: This component manages and tracks vSphere license usage.
- Certificate Authority (CA): This component issues and manages digital certificates used for secure communication within the vSphere environment.
- VMware vCenter Inventory Service: This component is responsible for storing metadata about vSphere objects, such as virtual machines and hosts.
- VMware vSphere Web Client: This component provides a web-based interface for managing vSphere environments.
- VMware vSphere Auto Deploy: This component allows for the automated deployment and configuration of ESXi hosts.
- VMware vSphere ESXi Dump Collector: This component collects and manages diagnostic information from ESXi hosts in the event of a crash.
- VMware vSphere Syslog Collector: This component collects and manages system logs from ESXi hosts and other vSphere components.
These are some of the key components that the embedded Platform Services Controller (PSC) in vSphere 8.0 contains. It provides services and features that are fundamental to vSphere infrastructure and simplify deployment, management and security.