The primary NSX Manager runs the controller cluster. Additional NSX Managers are secondary. The controller cluster that is deployed by the primary NSX Manager is a shared object and is referred to as the universal controller cluster. Secondary NSX Managers automatically import the universal controller cluster. There can be one primary NSX Manager and up to seven secondary NSX Managers in a cross-vCenter NSX environment.

NSX Managers can have one of four roles:

  • Primary
  • Secondary
  • Standalone
  • Transit

To view the role of an NSX Manager, log in to the vCenter linked to the NSX Manager, and navigate to Home > Networking & Security > Installation and Upgrade and select the Management tab. The role is displayed in the Role column in the NSX Managers section. If there is no Role column shown, the NSX Manager has the standalone role.

Prerequisites

  • The version of the NSX Managers (the primary NSX Manager and NSX Managers that will be assigned the secondary role) must match.
  • The node IDs of the primary NSX Manager and the NSX Managers that will be assigned the secondary role must be present and different. NSX Manager instances deployed from OVA files have unique node IDs. An NSX Manager deployed from a template (as in when you convert a virtual machine to a template) will have the same node ID as the original NSX Manager used to create the template, and these two NSX Managers cannot be used in the same cross-vCenter NSX installation.
    Note:
    You can view the NSX Manager node ID with the following REST API call: 
    GET https://NSX-Manager-IP-Address/api/2.0/services/vsmconfig
  • Each NSX Manager must be registered with a separate and unique vCenter Server system.
  • The UDP ports used for VXLAN must be the same for all NSX Managers.
    Note: You can view and change the VXLAN port using the vSphere Web Client at Networking & Security > Installation and Upgrade > Logical Network Preparation. See Change VXLAN Port in the NSX Administration Guide.
  • When assigning the secondary role to a NSX Manager, the vCenter Server system linked to it must not have any deployed NSX Controllers.
  • The segment ID pool of the NSX Manager being assigned the secondary role must not overlap with the segment ID pools of the primary NSX Manager or the segment ID pool of any other secondary NSX Manager .
  • The NSX Manager being assigned the secondary role must have the standalone or transit role.

Procedure

  1. Log into the vCenter linked to the primary NSX Manager using the vSphere Web Client.
  2. Navigate to Home > Networking & Security > Installation and Upgrade and select the Management tab.
  3. Select the NSX Manager you want to assign as the primary and click Actions and then Assign Primary Role.
    The selected NSX Manager is assigned the primary role. The other NSX Managers in the cross-vCenter NSX environment now display the Standalone role.