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Deploy VeloCloud Edge Appliance on IBM Cloud VPC Infrastructure: A Step-by-Step Guide

As hybrid cloud environments grow more complex, connecting them through advanced sdwan solutions  like Arista VeloCloud (Formerly owned by VMWare) becomes essential. This blog post details how to deploy a VeloCloud Edge instance using IBM Cloud Console on IBM Cloud's VPC infrastructure. We'll cover single-instance deployment in single region. The same steps can be used to deploy a high availability solution as well. These steps assume you have an IBM Cloud account with VPC access and a VeloCloud Orchestrator (VCO) Access (this is required to create an instance in orchestrator with required bandwidth license and generate the Registration key).

Prerequisites

Before starting, gather these essentials:

• Obtain VeloCloud SDWAN Appliance Image like edge-VC_KVM_GUEST-x86_64-5.2.4.3-9710571-R5243-20250404-GA-ed1b3e9fc3-updatable-ext4.qcow2.gz (Normally ~370 MB in .gz format
• Obtain VeloCloud Registration Key and URL: Obtain a valid VeloCloud registration key and URL to activate from Orchestrator.
• Log into Orchestrator and then create new VCE instance. After that you can get Activation Key.
• Configuration Files: Prepare a basic USERDATA (cloud-init) information for initial setup including hostname, URL and registration key.

#cloud-config

hostname: USCOLQDALTX01VVCE01

password: U3o9(0~I577lE-`(i8o0Z;n[R

chpasswd: { expire: False }

ssh_pwauth: True

ssh_authorized_keys:

    - ssh-rsa ……………..1s92C94mHTcEtveX5FnUCSMw==

velocloud:

  vce:

    vco: <orchestrater URL>

    activation_code: BPWX-GDQL-5TJW-PA74

    vco_ignore_cert_errors: true

runcmd:

  - 'ip route add default via 10.101.3.1 dev eth2'

• IBM Cloud Resources: Ensure you have a VPC, 3 subnets in same zone with /27 CIDR, a floating IP, and an object storage bucket to create a custom image in the desired region.
• SSH Key: Generate or use an existing SSH key pair for secure access.
• Tools: Access to the IBM Cloud console and a way to upload files (e.g., via CLI or web interface).

Obtaining the VeloCloud Image

To get the VeloCloud image, connect with VeloCloud Orchestrator (VCO) administrator and get the boot image for IBM Cloud:

For Virtual Edge Images (like in a Lab): 

-          Contact Your Provider:  For virtualized VeloCloud SD-WAN Edge deployments (like those for testing or Labs), consult your provider or documentation for access to virtual machine images (like KVM or OVA files).

-          This image is optimized for KVM-based environments like IBM Cloud VPC.

Uploading and Importing the Custom Image

IBM Cloud requires custom images to be imported via object storage:

1. Create or select an object storage bucket in your target region (e.g., us-south).
2. Extract the .tar.gz file and upload the .qcow2 file to the bucket using the IBM Cloud console or CLI:
3. In the IBM Cloud console, go to VPC Infrastructure > Compute > Custom images.
4. Click Import custom image.
5. Provide:
• Name: e.g., velocloud-edge.
• Region: Match your VPC region.
• Image Source: Select the uploaded .qcow2 from your bucket.
• Operating System: Choose Ubuntu 24.04 (as recommended for compatibility).
6. Initiate the import; it may take 5-10 minutes to complete.

Once imported, the image appears in your custom images list, ready for instance creation.

Creating the VeloCloud Edge Instance

With the image ready, deploy the instance:

1. Navigate to VPC Infrastructure > Compute > Virtual server instances.
2. Click Create + to start a new instance.
3. Configure the basics:
• Name: e.g., vsi-vedge01
• VPC: Select your existing VPC.
• Location/Zone: Choose the zone matching your subnets.
• Image: Select the imported VeloCloud Edge custom image.
• Profile: Start with bx2-4x16 (4 vCPUs, 16 GB RAM) for testing; scale up for production (e.g., bx2-8x32 or higher).
• SSH Keys: Add your public SSH key for console access.
4. Add network interfaces:
• Primary Interface: Attach to the public subnet (for management and external access).
• Create total 3 Network interfaces coming from 3 subnets in same zone.
5. Under Advanced > Boot Configuration, provide user data for automated setup. This automates registration application and initial config during boot.
6. Review and create the instance. Monitor the provisioning status in the console.
• Once the machine is build, login to serial console with root and the password provided in USERDATA config.
• Run ifconfig and note the interface names
• Open /etc/config/network and check the interfaces with conrresponding GE interface   
1. Eth0 – GE1 – GRE Redundancy
2. Eth1 – GE2 – GRE Redundancy
3. Eth2 – GE3 – WAN Interface

Attaching a Floating IP and Initial Access

To enable external management:

1. Once the instance is running, go to Network > IP addresses > Floating IPs.
2. Reserve a new floating IP in the same region
3. Attach it to the instance's 3^rd network interface (eth2 – GE3).

Note: IBM Cloud supports one floating IP per instance

Access the VeloCloud Edge through IBM Cloud Serial Console:

• Serial Console: Open serial console with credentials: root and password as described in cloud-init config file; change immediately
• Verify setup with CLI commands

If issues arise, check cloudinit logs for metadata, license, and script errors.

• Scaling: Monitor VM resources (e.g., 2 vCPUs/8 GB min); upgrade profiles as traffic grows.
• Backup: Regularly export configs and use IBM snapshots for images.