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CHAPTER 1 AN INTRODUCTION TO DESIGNING VMWARE ENVIRONMENTS
In particular, be sure the design documentation includes at least the following documents:
u A description of the functional requirements that were provided to you or defi ned by you
u A comprehensive description of the technical facet decisions (the “what” decisions) made
in the design
u A complete review of the organizational facet decisions (the “who” decisions) made in the
design
u A thorough review of the operational facet decisions (the “how” decisions) found in the
design
u Build documents — sometimes referred to as blueprints — that describe the specifi cs
involved in building or constructing the design specifi ed in your documentation
u Test plans describing how you can verify that the design satisfi es the functional
requirements
u A high-level architectural design document that ties all these facets together and tells the
story of the design
Performing the Implementation
After the design is complete and has been accepted by the organization, you might also have the
opportunity to perform the implementation. Doing so will afford you the opportunity to use
your own documentation to build the environment.
If you aren’t performing the implementation, then someone else will have to build your
design. This is why it’s important to be thorough and complete with the design documenta-
tion — when someone else comes along to build your design, that person won’t have access to
the thought processes inside your head. Be sure to provide as much information as possible in
the design documentation so the build process is simple and straightforward.
Summary
Throughout this book, we’ll draw on our experience and knowledge to help you understand the
complexities of VMware vSphere design. In this chapter, we’ve discussed the three key facets
of design — the technical facet, the organizational facet, and the operational facet — and the
importance of each. We’ve also discussed the process of design and some of the tasks involved
in creating a design. In coming chapters, we’ll take a more detailed look at the different areas
of VMware vSphere design, starting in Chapter 2 with an examination of VMware ESX versus
VMware ESXi.
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