# VMware solution on Google Cloud overview

VMware solution on Google Cloud provides dedicated bare-metal ESXi nodes in your
Google Cloud project. You deploy, configure, and manage VMware Cloud Foundation
(VCF) on bare-metal instances that connect directly to your Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)
network.

VMware solution uses a Bring Your Own License (BYOL) model. You provide VCF
licenses and maintain control over software versions, configurations, and
lifecycle updates.

## Shared management responsibilities

In VMware solution, responsibilities are shared between you and
Google Cloud:

- **Customer responsibilities**: Procuring VCF licenses, deploying the VMware SDDC stack (vSphere, vSAN, and NSX), applying software updates and patches, and managing workloads.
- **Google Cloud responsibilities**: Managing physical facilities, bare-metal server hardware, and cloud networking infrastructure up to the hypervisor.

For a detailed breakdown of operational boundaries across compute, storage,
networking, and support, see the
[Shared responsibility model](https://docs.cloud.google.com/vmware-engine/docs/vmware-solution/shared-responsibility.md.txt).

## Core components and architecture

To plan and manage your VMware solution environment, review the following
foundational guides:

- [Architecture overview](https://docs.cloud.google.com/vmware-engine/docs/vmware-solution/architecture.md.txt): Explore the compute, storage, and network architecture for VCF on Google Cloud bare-metal infrastructure.
- [Bare-metal nodes and machine types](https://docs.cloud.google.com/vmware-engine/docs/vmware-solution/concepts-nodes.md.txt): Understand the dedicated bare-metal Compute Engine instances and hardware specifications that host your ESXi hypervisors.
- [Placement policies and availability domains](https://docs.cloud.google.com/vmware-engine/docs/vmware-solution/concepts-placement-policies.md.txt): Learn how to distribute nodes across availability domains to ensure high availability and map them to vSAN fault domains.
- [About vSphere clusters](https://docs.cloud.google.com/vmware-engine/docs/vmware-solution/concepts-clusters.md.txt): Plan vSphere and VCF cluster architectures, sizing, and node minimums.
- [VMware Cloud Foundation components and networking](https://docs.cloud.google.com/vmware-engine/docs/vmware-solution/concepts-vcf.md.txt): Understand VCF domains, management appliances, dynamic network interfaces (NICs), network endpoint groups (NEGs), and the automation toolkit.

## What's next

- Set up your software repository in [Configure a VCF software depot](https://docs.cloud.google.com/vmware-engine/docs/vmware-solution/configure-offline-depot.md.txt).
- Compare provisioning workflows in the [Deployment options overview](https://docs.cloud.google.com/vmware-engine/docs/vmware-solution/deployment-options.md.txt).
- Deploy your nodes and configure appliance networking by using [Deploy nodes and configure appliance networking by using the console](https://docs.cloud.google.com/vmware-engine/docs/vmware-solution/deploy.md.txt).
- Deploy your nodes and infrastructure by using [Deploy nodes and VCF by using Terraform and toolkit](https://docs.cloud.google.com/vmware-engine/docs/vmware-solution/deploy-terraform.md.txt).
- Prepare nodes and deploy VCF by using [Prepare nodes and deploy VCF by using the toolkit](https://docs.cloud.google.com/vmware-engine/docs/vmware-solution/toolkit.md.txt).
- Learn how to add or remove nodes in [Manage node capacity](https://docs.cloud.google.com/vmware-engine/docs/vmware-solution/capacity-management.md.txt).