Lab: UCI Deployment

Deploy a UCI 3-cluster topology with separate compute and storage clusters using the Terraform playground.

Objective

Deploy VergeOS in an Ultra Converged Infrastructure (UCI) configuration using the Terraform playground. You will provision a multi-cluster topology with dedicated compute and storage clusters, then validate cross-cluster resource allocation and networking.

Prerequisites

• Completed all prior modules (1–9)
• Completed the HCI Deployment Lab
• Access to the vergeos-terraform-playground repository
• Terraform CLI installed and configured
• A VergeOS environment or lab that supports nested deployments

Difficulty

Advanced -- Requires understanding of UCI architecture, multi-cluster networking, and resource allocation

Estimated Time

2 hours

Steps

Part 1: UCI Topology Review

Understand the UCI architecture before deploying.

1. Review docs/architecture.md in the terraform playground -- focus on UCI sections
2. Review docs/deployment-scenarios.md -- trace the UCI topology diagram
3. Identify the UCI .tfvars file in the examples directory
4. Examine the configuration and identify:

   • How many clusters are defined and their roles (compute vs storage)
   • Node assignments per cluster
   • Cross-cluster networking configuration
   • Storage tier allocation across clusters
5. Compare the UCI .tfvars with the HCI .tfvars files -- document key structural differences

Part 2: UCI 3-Cluster Deployment

Deploy the UCI topology.

1. Run terraform init (if needed) and terraform plan -var-file=<uci-3-cluster>.tfvars
2. Review the planned resources -- note the additional cluster and networking resources compared to HCI
3. Run terraform apply -var-file=<uci-3-cluster>.tfvars to deploy
4. In the VergeOS UI, verify:

   • All clusters appear and are correctly labeled (compute, storage)
   • Nodes are assigned to their correct clusters
   • Cross-cluster core fabric networking is established
   • Storage pools are available to compute clusters
   • Controller nodes (nodes 1–2 for N+1, or 1–3 for N+2) are correctly designated and healthy

Part 3: Resource Allocation & Scaling

Practice working with the UCI topology.

1. Create a VM on a compute cluster and verify it uses storage from the storage cluster
2. Monitor cross-cluster I/O in the dashboard
3. Explore how you would add a node to an existing cluster
4. Document the advantages of this UCI topology:

   • Independent scaling of compute and storage
   • Failure domain isolation between clusters
   • Workload placement flexibility
5. Compare the operational model to the HCI deployments from the previous lab

Part 4: Design Decision Exercise

Apply what you've learned to a customer scenario.

1. Scenario: A customer has 200 VMs, 50TB of storage, needs to independently scale compute and storage, and has strict compliance requirements for data isolation. They currently run VMware vSAN with separate management and workload clusters.
2. Recommend a VergeOS topology (HCI or UCI) and justify your choice
3. Sketch the cluster layout (number of clusters, nodes per cluster, roles)
4. Identify which terraform playground example most closely matches your design
5. Document any modifications needed to the example .tfvars to match the customer requirements

Verification

Your UCI deployment lab is complete when you can answer yes to all of the following:

• Successfully deployed a UCI 3-cluster topology via Terraform
• Verified all clusters, nodes, and cross-cluster networking in the VergeOS UI
• Created a VM on a compute cluster using storage from the storage cluster
• Documented the key differences between UCI and HCI operational models
• Completed the design decision exercise with a justified topology recommendation
• Cleaned up all lab resources with terraform destroy