How to Request a Modified VMware Image for UCP RS

Question

How can one request modifications to VMware images provided with UCP RS solutions?

Environment

• Unified Compute Platform Rack-Scale (UCP RS).

Answer

The Hitachi Vantara UCP RS series leverages VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) to provide a highly-available, automated, and turnkey software-defined data center (SDDC). The VCF integrated software stack includes server (vSphere), storage (VMware vSAN), and network virtualization components, collected in a bundle commonly referred to as an "image".

UCP RS Engineering teams are responsible for rigorously testing the contents of each VCF image, to ensure compatibility between the included virtualization components and the UCP RS solution in question. Images are typically released to coincide with the general availability of major UCP RS Solution revisions, with semiannual releases being the target.

We do recognize that newly discovered software defects or security vulnerabilities may prompt component vendors to update their software accordingly. A possible implication for UCP RS image bundles is that multiple new items may need to be tested and qualified before an amended image for the affected UCP Solution is released. If this need arises in the period between officially scheduled releases, a not insignificant amount of Engineering resources needs to be re-tasked to perform this testing and qualification. Therefore, requests for inter-release image modifications are only considered in scenarios where a software defect or security flaw poses an imminent risk to customers' production environment if left unmitigated.

For such scenarios, a case should be opened with the Hitachi Vantara GSC so that Support, working in conjunction with UCP Engineering, could assess the criticality of the request, and recommend the best of course of action (which may or may not involve the production of an amended image).