The section explains the steps required to deploy the SE OVA.

  1. In vCenter, click on File in the top menu and choose Deploy OVF Template.

  2. Follow the Deploy OVA Template wizard instructions

    • Choose Thick Provision Lazy Zeroed for disk format.

    • Choose the port groups for the Avi SE network connections. The Avi SE has ten vNICs. Connect the first vNIC to the management network. Connect the other vNICs to the respective data network.

    • For the management connection, choose a port group that will allow the Avi SEs to communicate with the Avi Controller. An Avi SE can be connected to up to nine data networks. Choose a port group in the destination networks for each source network, where you can host the virtual services and pools. The Avi Controller expects the Avi SE’s data vNICs to be connected to virtual service and pool networks.

    • Specify the Avi Controller IP address.

    • Enter the Avi Controller’s authentication token key:

      • Log into Avi Controller.

      • Navigate to Infrastructure > Cloud Click on the key icon to view the authentication token key.

      • Copy the authentication token.

      • Paste the authentication token key into the Authentication Token for Avi field.

    • Specify the management IP address and default gateway. In the case of DHCP, leave this field empty.

    • Starting with 22.1.3, Avi supports IPv6 for management plane and communication between controller to Service Engine over IPv6. The following fields are added for IPv6 addresses in Service Engine OVF properties:

      • avi.mgmt-ip-v6.SE: Management Interface IPv6 Address

      • avi.mgmt-mask-v6.SE: Management Interface IPv6 Subnet Mask

      • default-gw-v6.SE: The Default IPv6 Gateway for the Service Engine.

      Enter IPv6 addresses in the aforementioned fields when the Service Engine connects to a Controller with IPv6 management IP for secondary interface with SE_SECURE_CHANNEL label set. The Service Engine management interface can be IPv4 or IPv6 or dual stack

  3. In the VM properties menu, connect the Avi SE data vNICs that are required to reach a virtual service network and pool network to the port groups. Leave the unused vNICs disconnected.

  4. (For no access mode only) Note down the following information:

    1. MAC address of the vNICs

    2. IP subnet of the port group

    This information will be used to identify the Avi SE interfaces, as the Controller does not have access to vCenter and so cannot associate the Avi SE’s interface names with VMware’s interface names.

Figure 1.

Power on the VM.

Repeat the above steps for at least one more Service Engine. By default, two Avi SEs are required for deploying a virtual service.