Introduction
VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) is a software-defined data center (SDDC) platform that combines multiple VMware technologies, including vSphere, vSAN, NSX, and SDDC Manager, into a single, integrated solution. This article takes a look at what VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) means for a VMware NSX network engineer in an NSX edge deployment.
SDDC Manager
NSX components are deployed using SDDC Manager in a prescriptive manner, utilizing leading practices, based on a Reference Architecture, known as a VMware Cloud Foundation Design. SDDC Manager initiates workflows through the NSX API.
Deployment Overview
Let’s examine the workflow of adding an NSX Edge cluster to a VCF workload domain by using an SDDC edge deployment wizard.
1. Edge Cluster Design
Prior to deployment a design is created that identifies all the required NSX Edge cluster configuration parameters including, segments, gateways, VLANs, IPs, interfaces, BGP, and MTU. In this example we are planning for a two node edge cluster, with dual uplinks to two Top-of-Rack (ToR) routers.
Use the Planning and Preparation Workbook for VMware Cloud Foundation as a planning checklist. These will be the parameters consumed by the VCF edge deployment wizard.
2. Initiate the Edge Deployment Wizard
Initiate an edge cluster deployment for a workload domain from the SDDC Manager UI.
3. Complete Prerequisites
The VCF edge deployment wizard provides a list of required perquisites.
4. Add Edge Cluster
The VCF edge deployment wizard is used to enter the edge cluster configuration parameters collected in the Planning and Preparation Workbook.
5. Validate Edge Cluster
The VCF edge deployment wizard performs sanity checks on the edge cluster configuration parameters.
6. Deploy Edge Cluster
The NSX Edge cluster is automatically deployed and configured.
Review Deployment
Review the NSX Edge cluster deployment.
The Result is an Optimized Traffic Engineering Solution
The resulting NSX edge cluster utilizes leading practices, based on a Reference Architecture, known as a VMware Cloud Foundation Design.
Notice that the resulting configuration is in complete alignment with the VMware Cloud Foundation Design:
- Create one uplink profile for the edge nodes with three teaming policies.
- Default teaming policy of load balance source with both active uplinks uplink1 and uplink2.
- Named teaming policy of failover order with a single active uplink uplink1 without standby uplinks
- Named teaming policy of failover order with a single active uplink uplink2 without standby uplinks
As per the VMware Cloud Foundation Design, the result is an optimized traffic engineering solution:
- An NSX Edge node that uses a single NVDS can have only one uplink profile.
- For increased resiliency and performance, supports the concurrent use of both edge uplinks through both physical NICs on the ESXi hosts.
- The default teaming policy increases overlay performance and availability by using multiple TEPs, and balancing of overlay traffic.
- By using named teaming policies, you can connect an edge uplink to a specific host uplink and from there to a specific top of rack switch in the data center.
- Enables ECMP because the NSX Edge nodes can uplink to the physical network over two different VLANs.
Key Points
- NSX components are deployed using SDDC Manager in a prescriptive manner, utilizing leading practices, based on a reference architecture.
- Use the Planning and Preparation Workbook for VMware Cloud Foundation as a planning checklist. These will be the parameters consumed by the VCF edge deployment wizard.
- The VCF edge deployment wizard performs sanity checks on the edge cluster configuration parameters.
- The resulting configuration is in complete alignment with the VMware Cloud Foundation Design.
- The resulting edge cluster deployment is an optimized traffic engineered solution.