In this part you add Data Services Manager, the component that turns VCF into a database platform. It is optional and useful when you want teams to request databases on demand rather than build them by hand. You deploy the DSM appliance into vSphere, let it register with vCenter, then connect it to VCF Automation so databases become a self service item. In 9.1 DSM adds Microsoft SQL Server as a data service alongside PostgreSQL and MySQL, so all three engines are available to tenants.

Download the OVA, deploy it with the correct vCenter thumbprint, build an infrastructure policy, create the admin user in the vSphere plugin, then wire it into VCF Automation. Size the IP pool for the database VMs up front, because each database DSM provisions consumes one address.

Prerequisites

Step 1 download the DSM OVA

Get the appliance and the vCenter details ready.

1. Sign in to the Broadcom Support Portal and download the latest DSM 9.1 OVA.
2. Collect your vCenter SHA256 thumbprint, which the OVA properties require.
3. Have the vCenter hostname and an administrator account ready, which the OVA properties also request.
4. Create forward and reverse DNS records for the DSM appliance FQDN.

Step 2 deploy the OVA

Deploy DSM through the vSphere OVF wizard.

1. In the vSphere Client, right click the target cluster and choose Deploy OVF Template.
2. Select the DSM OVA, then set the name, folder, compute, storage and destination network.
3. On Customize template, set the root password, enter the vCenter hostname and paste the vCenter SHA256 thumbprint.
4. Enter the vCenter administrator credentials and the appliance network settings.
5. Review the summary and click Finish.

Step 3 let DSM register with vCenter

Power on and wait for the plugin to appear.

1. Power on the DSM appliance.
2. Wait about five minutes while DSM registers itself as a vCenter extension.
3. Confirm the vSphere plugin banner notification appears, then refresh the vSphere Client.

Step 4 create an infrastructure policy and IP pool

Give DSM the compute, storage and addresses it uses for database VMs.

1. Select the vCenter inventory object, open Configure, then Data Services Manager.
2. Under Infrastructure Policies, click Create DSM Managed Policy.
3. Name the policy, then select the compute resources, storage policy and network port groups the databases will use.
4. Click Create IP Pool, define the range for the database VMs, then select it for the policy.
5. Pick a VM folder and one or more VM classes, then create the policy.

Step 5 create the DSM admin user

Set up the account used for setup and for VCF Automation.

1. Stay on the vCenter object, under Configure, then Data Services Manager.
2. Open Permissions, then Data Services Manager Console, and click Create Local User.
3. Set a DSM admin user and password. There is no password confirmation field, so type it carefully.
4. Record the credentials for the VCF Automation connection.

Step 6 enable database versions

Turn on the engines DSM is allowed to provision.

1. Open a browser to the DSM appliance FQDN and sign in with the DSM admin user.
2. Go to Versions and Upgrades and enable the PostgreSQL, MySQL or SQL Server versions you plan to offer.
3. Optionally create Namespaces and a Data Service Policy if you want to provision from the DSM portal directly.

Step 7 connect VCF Automation to DSM

Wire DSM into self service from the provider organization.

1. Log in to VCF Automation in the provider organization.
2. Go to VCF Services, then Data Services, and click Configure Service.
3. Enter the DSM FQDN endpoint and the DSM admin user and password.
4. Click Test Remote Connection, confirm the trust, then click Configure.

Step 8 set up policies and tenancy

Prepare who can request databases and where they land.

1. In VCF Services, then Data Services, create a Data Service Policy for the engines and versions tenants may use.
2. Map the policy to the projects and namespaces that host data services.
3. Grant the tenant organizations access so the database service appears in their portal.

Step 9 provision a test database

Confirm the end to end path works.

1. In a tenant organization, go to Build and Deploy, then Services, then Database, and click Create.
2. Request a PostgreSQL, MySQL or SQL Server database and confirm DSM provisions a VM that takes an address from the pool.
3. Confirm the database reaches a running state and connection details appear.

flowchart TD
A[Download DSM OVA and thumbprint] --> B[Deploy the OVA]
B --> C[Register with vCenter]
C --> D[Create infrastructure policy and IP pool]
D --> E[Create the DSM admin user]
E --> F[Enable database versions]
F --> G[Connect VCF Automation]
G --> H[Set up policies and tenancy]
H --> I[Provision a test database]

Verify the deployment

Confirm the vSphere plugin loads under Configure, Data Services Manager, then request a small database from a tenant organization under Build and Deploy, Services, Database. A successful provision that reaches a running state, with a database VM taking an address from your pool, confirms the whole path works.

Size the database VM pool

The DSM appliance takes one address, but the databases it provisions each take one more, and that pool is the part people under size. You set the pool inside the infrastructure policy, so plan it before tenants start requesting. Estimate how many databases teams will request, then define a range with headroom, because a request that cannot get an address fails. Keep the pool on a network both DSM and the workloads can reach, and out of the ranges used by other network pools. For production databases, plan capacity on the target cluster too, since each database is a VM with its own compute and storage.

How DSM fits with VCF Automation

DSM does the database work, and VCF Automation is how tenants ask for it. The connection you built earlier lets Automation present databases as a self service item, so a developer requests a PostgreSQL, MySQL or SQL Server instance the same way they request a virtual machine. The provider admin controls which organizations, projects and namespaces can consume data services through data service policies, which keeps tenants separate. Without the Automation connection DSM still works, but every database is a manual request through the plugin or the DSM portal rather than self service.

For tenants that consume databases through a vSphere Supervisor, DSM ships a consumption operator supervisor service, the Data Services Manager Consumption Operator, that you register from the vCenter Supervisor services page. You point its values file at the DSM provider endpoint, the base64 encoded PEM certificate, and the DSM admin account, then enable it on the Supervisor. With the operator in place, developers can define databases as Kubernetes objects and deploy them with the VCF CLI and kubectl, or build them into VCF Automation blueprints so a saved manifest drives each request. That gives you two consumption paths from one DSM install, the self service item in the organization portal and a declarative manifest for teams that prefer infrastructure as code.

What is new in DSM 9.1

Data Services Manager 9.1 adds Microsoft SQL Server as a data service, alongside the existing PostgreSQL and MySQL engines, and it runs SQL Server in Linux containers so there is no Windows license to manage. All three engines are now selectable in the VCF Automation organization portal for tenants who hold the right permission. SQL Server brings AlwaysOn availability groups, automated backups with point in time restore, and Active Directory integration. PostgreSQL gains cross instance restores from S3 for disaster recovery, and MySQL gains fast cloning from snapshots on vSAN ESA. Provider data service policies are more granular in 9.1, so you control which organizations reach which engines and versions. DSM 9.1 also adds supported workflows to onboard existing unmanaged databases into the fleet.

Notes and best practices

Size the IP pool with real headroom, because a request that cannot get an address fails in front of the user who made it, which is the fastest way to lose trust in a new service. Keep that pool off the ranges used by other network pools to avoid conflicts, and on a network that both DSM and the consuming workloads can reach. Create the infrastructure policy and the DSM admin user before you wire VCF Automation, since the integration cannot connect without the admin account, and store the credential where your provider team can find it. Separate tenants with organizations, projects and namespaces from the start rather than retrofitting isolation later. Plan compute and storage on the target cluster for the database VMs themselves, because each database is a real VM, and a self service item makes it easy to provision more than the cluster can hold.

Common errors and fixes

The plugin never appears.
A wrong or missing vCenter SHA256 thumbprint stops registration. Redeploy with the correct thumbprint and confirm the appliance can reach vCenter.

VCF Automation cannot connect to DSM.
The DSM admin user is wrong or the endpoint trust failed. Recreate the local admin under Configure, Data Services Manager, Permissions, then re-enter the FQDN and credentials in VCF Services, Data Services and test the remote connection again.

Database provisioning fails on the address.
The infrastructure policy IP pool is empty or overlaps another range. Size a dedicated pool in the policy and confirm it does not overlap a network pool.

No database service for tenants.
The data service policy or tenant access is missing. Create the policy in VCF Services, Data Services and grant the tenant organizations access so the service appears in their portal.

Common questions

Which databases does DSM support
PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQL Server, provisioned and managed through the self service portal. SQL Server is new in 9.1.

Does DSM need VCF Automation
For self service, yes. DSM connects to VCF Automation so tenants can request databases from their organization portal.

How many addresses does it need
One for the DSM appliance, plus one for each database VM it provisions, so size the infrastructure policy IP pool for demand.

How does DSM register with vCenter
It registers itself as a vCenter extension on first boot and adds a vSphere plugin under Configure.

Where do I connect VCF Automation to DSM
In the provider organization, under VCF Services then Data Services, click Configure Service and enter the DSM endpoint and admin credentials.

Does SQL Server need a Windows license
No. DSM runs SQL Server in Linux containers, so there is no Windows operating system or license to manage.

References

• Broadcom TechDocs: VMware Data Services Manager 9.1 Release Notes
• Broadcom TechDocs: VMware Data Services Manager 9.1 documentation
• Cormac Hogan: SQL Server with VCF Automation and DSM 9.1
• Cormac Hogan: Data Services Manager with VCF and VCF Automation

About The Author

Dr. Pranay Jha

Dr. Pranay Jha is a Cloud and AI Consultant with 18+ years of experience in hybrid cloud, virtualization, and enterprise infrastructure transformation. He specializes in VMware technologies, multi-cloud strategy, and Generative AI solutions. He holds a PhD in Computer Applications with research focused on Cloud and AI, has published multiple research papers, and has been a VMware vExpert since 2016 and a VMUG Community Leader.

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