Deployment model of the NSX Advanced Load Balancer validated solution for VMware Cloud Foundation will follow these rules:

  1. A unique NSX Advanced Load Balancer deployment needs to be created for every unique NSX-T Data Center deployment in the VMware Cloud Foundation. This NSX Advanced Load Balancer deployment will be associated with the corresponding NSX-T Data Center deployment.

  2. Multiple NSX Advanced Load Balancer deployments could be created if multiple NSX-T Data Center deployments exist within the VMware Cloud Foundation. Refer to the following image which shows that one NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller cluster is managing one workload domain. Each deployment of NSX Advanced Load Balancer is mapped to each deplyment of a NSX, here each NSX manages a single workload domain.

  3. A single NSX Advanced Load Balancer deployment will provide load balancing services to all the VI workload domains that are serviced by the associated NSX-T Data Center deployment. Refer to the following image which shows one NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller cluster managing multiple workload Domains. Each deployment of NSX Advanced Load Balancer is mapped to each deplyment of a NSX, here each NSX manages a multiple workload domains.

  4. NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controllers will be deployed in the management domain

  5. The Service Engines are deployed in the VI workload domain in which the NSX Advanced Load Balancer is providing load balancing services.

  6. All SEs deployed in a VI workload domain are managed by the Controller that is part of the NSX Advanced Load Balancer deployment that is associated with the corresponding NSX-T Data Center managing the VI workload domain.

Advanced Load Balancing for VMware Cloud Foundation will utilize the NSX-T Cloud Connector integration. NSX-T Cloud Connector integration is an abstraction for an NSX transport zone. Each NSX-T Cloud Connector created on the NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller provides load balancing services for all VI workload domains, i.e. vCenter Server(s) that share an NSX transport zone. You can create a new NSX-T Cloud Connector for each new NSX transport zone.

Note:

  • Multiple NSX-T Cloud Connectors can be configured on the same NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller, i.e the same NSX Advanced Load Balancer deployment

  • Multiple NSX-T Cloud Connectors configured on the same NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller can point to the same NSX Manager cluster, provided there is a unique transport zone.

  • Each NSX-T Cloud Connector can manage multiple vCenters Servers, i.e. can span multiple VI workload domains.

Table 1. Design Decisions for Deploying the Controller for the VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer

Decision ID

Design Decision

Design Justification

Design Implication

AVI-CTLR-001

Initial setup should be done only on one NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller VM out of the three deployed to create an NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller cluster.

NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller cluster is created from an initialized NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller which becomes the cluster leader.

Follower NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller nodes need to be uninitialized to join the cluster.

NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller cluster creation will fail if more than one NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller is initialized.

AVI-CTLR-002

Apply vSphere DRS anti-affinity rules for the NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller cluster nodes.

Note:

For a default management vSphere cluster that consists of four ESXi hosts, you can put in maintenance mode only a single ESXi host at a time.

Ensure that NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller VMs are distributed across ESXi hosts

.

You must perform additional configuration to set up an anti-affinity rule.

AVI-CTLR-003

Protect NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller cluster nodes using vSphere High Availability.

Supports the availability objectives for the NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller cluster without requiring manual intervention during an ESXi host failure event.

None
Table 2. Design Decisions for deploying Service Engines for the VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer

Decision ID

Decision Design

Design Justification

Design Implication

AVI-CTLR-004

Create an NSX-T Cloud Connector on NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller for each NSX transport zone requiring load balancing.

A NSX-T Cloud Connector configured on the NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller will provide load balancing for workloads belonging to a Transport Zone on NSX-T.

Note:

1. A NSX Transport Zone can be unique to a vCenter cluster, a VI Workload Domain or can be shared across VI workload domains.

2. Multiple NSX-T Cloud connectors can be configured on the NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller if load balancing is required across multiple Transport Zones configured on NSX-T.

None