Feature: Add VMware vSphere platform support for OpenShift provisioning

[kaovilai]

Feature request

Add support for provisioning and managing OpenShift Container Platform clusters on VMware vSphere via ocpctl.

Background

OpenShift supports installer-provisioned infrastructure (IPI) and user-provisioned infrastructure (UPI) deployment modes on VMware vSphere. Adding native vSphere support to ocpctl will grow the platform’s reach to one of the most common enterprise virtualization environments, especially for on-prem/hybrid cloud OpenShift installations.

Desired behavior

• Add VMware vSphere as a selectable platform in ocpctl API and web UI.
• Implement vSphere-specific cluster profile definitions and config templates.
• Build install-config.yaml rendering for vSphere parameters (vCenter, datacenter, cluster, resource pool, VM templates, storage, networking).
• Add create, destroy, hibernate, and resume lifecycle handlers for vSphere clusters.
• Credential (vCenter) management and environment variable support.
• Automated orphaned resource/janitor tooling for vSphere environments.
• Documentation covering prerequisites (privileges, VM templates, DNS, networking), supported versions, known issues, and best practices with IPI/UPI.
• Cost estimation and reporting for vSphere-based clusters.

References

• OpenShift documentation: https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/openshift_container_platform/4.21/html/installing_on_vmware_vsphere/index

Impact

• Enables ocpctl for on-prem/datacenter OpenShift customers and hybrid cloud scenarios.
• Brings parity with AWS, Azure, GCP, Nutanix, and other supported platforms.

Labels

• platform: vSphere
• enhancement