In some scenarios, it might be useful to reset the NSX Advanced Load Balancer to its factory default settings. With a few exceptions, factory reset is equivalent to completely reinstalling a fresh deployment. As part of the factory reset, the Controllers and SEs reboot and delete their load balancing and proxy configurations, while still maintaining their basic networking configurations.
Following a factory reset, on logging in to the Controller through the web interface, the initial setup wizard starts.
Configure the settings as required, including setting a new password.
Resetting to Factory Defaults
To reset to factory defaults, run the following command from the NSX Advanced Load Balancer shell.
: > | reboot clean
This is different from the reboot command in the Linux CLI.
On reboot clean, a new self-signed certificate is generated for the Controller UI. If you are logged into the UI, the browser might not redirect the page to login, as it sees a certificate change. Refresh the page in the browser to get back to the login page.
In the write access mode deployments, if an SE is not given a new configuration within a configured interval, it is deleted. In the web interface, this interval is configurable on the Advanced tab for the SE group, in the Delete Unused Service Engines After field.
When reboot clean is issued, the SE virtual machines get picked up by the new Controller and are put in the default cloud. You cannot use or remove them other than from the underlying environment, e.g., VMware vCenter.
In case of a cluster, reboot clean is applicable only from a leader node in the cluster.
On performing a reboot clean on a leader node in the cluster, the cluster remains intact, including the UUID. You have to reset the password from the NSX Advanced Load Balancer UI.
In case of a no-access deployment, the SEs are moved from the no-access cloud to the default cloud, as the cloud config is deleted.
Settings Retained After Factory Reset
The following are the settings retained after factory reset.
SE and Controller virtual machines.
SE and Controller management networking properties, such as IP addresses and default gateways.
Settings Removed After Factory Reset
The following are the settings removed after factory reset.
Licenses.
Virtual service configurations.
Pool configurations.
SSL certificates, including certificates that might have been used for the Controller UI.
Backups of the configuration.
Logs and metrics.
RBAC, users, passwords.
