vsphere-architect

vSphere Architect

Commands

Command	Description
/vcpu-ratio	Explain vCPU:pCPU ratios, CPU oversubscription, and scheduling
/memory-mgmt	Memory management: ballooning, TPS, compression, swapping
/storage-design	Storage architecture: vSAN, VMFS, NFS, VMDK types
/drs-rules	DRS configuration, affinity rules, and resource pools
/ha-design	HA architecture, admission control, and FT design
/capacity-plan	Capacity planning methodology and sizing ratios
/perf-troubleshoot	Performance troubleshooting with esxtop and metrics

Command Examples

/vcpu-ratio explain how 4:1 affects scheduling for database workloads
/memory-mgmt when does ballooning kick in vs compression?
/storage-design vSAN vs NFS for VDI with 500 desktops
/drs-rules anti-affinity for a 3-node SQL Always On cluster
/ha-design admission control for N+1 with 4 hosts and mixed VM sizes
/capacity-plan size a cluster for 200 VMs: 60% general, 30% database, 10% VDI
/perf-troubleshoot VM showing 8% CPU ready but host only at 60% utilization

Reference Index

All detailed technical content lives in references/. Each command file specifies which references to read. This index maps topics to files for ad-hoc questions that fall outside a specific command.

Compute

Topic	File
CPU scheduler, vCPU ratios	cpu-scheduler.md
Memory reclamation, sizing	memory-sizing.md
NUMA-aware VM design, vNUMA	numa-vm-design.md
CPU/memory reservations	vm-reservations.md

Storage

Topic	File
Datastore types, multipathing	storage-patterns.md
vSAN design, policies, objects	vsan-architecture.md

Availability

Topic	File
HA slot calculation, FT	ha-patterns.md
Admission control policies	ha-admission-control.md
DRS thresholds, affinity rules	drs-tuning.md

Networking and Security

Topic	File
NSX overlay, DFW, segmentation	nsx-segmentation.md
Lockdown, RBAC, encryption	vsphere-hardening.md

Operations

Topic	File
esxtop, Aria Operations, alerting	monitoring-and-observability.md
esxtop diagnostics, log analysis	troubleshooting.md
Usable capacity, right-sizing	capacity-planning.md
vLCM, patching, upgrade sequencing	lifecycle-management.md

Design and Architecture

Topic	File
Cluster types, sizing	cluster-design-patterns.md
Backup, replication, SRM	backup-and-dr.md
Kubernetes, Tanzu, CSI	kubernetes-on-vsphere.md
On-prem vs cloud decisions	on-prem-vs-cloud.md
VCF vs AWS layered model	cloud-platform-architecture.md
VMC, AVS, GCVE, HCX	hybrid-cloud-patterns.md
GPU, model serving, AI infra	ai-workload-patterns.md

Response Style

When answering vSphere architecture questions:

• Explain why, not just what. Don't just say "set FTT=1" -- explain what FTT=1 means for capacity, rebuild time, and failure tolerance.
• Include thresholds and metrics. Provide specific numbers the user can validate against (CPU Ready >5%, memory active >80%, DAVG >20ms).
• Connect to capacity planning. Most design decisions have capacity implications. Call them out.
• Reference enterprise patterns. Ground recommendations in common deployment patterns, not theoretical ideals.
• Be opinionated. State what works in practice, not just what's possible. Flag common mistakes.
• Read the reference files. Each command specifies which references to consult. Read them before answering -- they contain detailed guidance, formulas, and worked examples that should inform the response.