You use the NSX Manager user interface (UI) to install and configure the NSX Intelligence appliance.

Before you can begin to use the NSX Intelligence features, you must install and configure the NSX Intelligence appliance to integrate the NSX Intelligence services and plugins with NSX Manager.

Prerequisites

  • Verify that the minimum NSX Intelligence system requirements are met for the appliance size that you want to install. See Preparing for NSX Intelligence Installation.
  • You must have an Enterprise Administrator role to install, configure, and use NSX Intelligence.
  • Locate the NSX Intelligence installer bundle file on the VMware download portal and download it locally. See Download and Unpack the NSX Intelligence Installer Bundle.
  • Ensure that the local web server that contains the NSX Intelligence installer bundle file is using the default port 80 for HTTP.
  • Determine the size of the NSX Intelligence appliance to configure. Small size is for lab or proof-of-concept deployment, or small-scale production environment. Large size is for a large-scale production environment.
  • Synchronize time between an NTP server, the compute cluster on which the NSX Intelligence appliance is to be deployed, and with the NSX Manager server.
  • Obtain the IP addresses for the management subnet, gateway, DNS server, and NTP server that are required to configure the NSX Intelligence appliance.

Procedure

  1. From your browser, log in with enterprise administrator privileges to an NSX Manager at https://<nsx-manager-ip-address>.
  2. In NSX Manager, select System > Appliances.
  3. Scroll down in the Appliances Overview pane, locate the NSX Intelligence Appliance card, and click Add NSX Intelligence Appliance.
  4. In the Add Appliance wizard, enter the NSX Intelligence appliance information.
    Detail Item Action to Take
    OVF File Enter the URL for the NSX Intelligence OVF file that you downloaded to your local web server. For example, http://localhost/nsx-intelligence-appliance-1.0.1.0.0.13912394.ovf.
    Name Enter a name for the NSX Intelligence appliance. This value can be a fully qualified domain name or a simple name, such as mytest-lab.
    Management Subnet Enter the IP address, including the range, to use for the NSX Intelligence appliance. For example, 10.11.22.33/24
    Gateway IP Enter one gateway IP address for the NSX Intelligence appliance to use.
    DNS Server Enter one or more DNS server IP addresses.
    NTP Server Enter one or more NTP server IP addresses.
    Node size Select the NSX Intelligence appliance size to configure.

    A small appliance size can be used for lab or proof-of-concept environment, or a small-scale production environment. A large appliance size is for a large-scale production environment.
  5. Click Next.
  6. Enter the configuration details about where the NSX Intelligence appliance is to be deployed.
    Detail Item Action to Take
    Compute Manager From the drop-down menu, select the computer manager on which to deploy the NSX Intelligence appliance.
    Cluster Use the drop-down menu to select the cluster to use.
    Resource Pool (Optional) Select the resource pool to use from the drop-down menu.
    Host (Optional) Select the host from the drop-down menu. If you are using a cluster with multiple transport nodes, decide which transport node to use.
    Note: Explicitly selecting a host overrides the vCPU count check. Ensure that the selected host has enough vCPU count to accommodate the size of the NSX Intelligence appliance you are installing. If the host does not, the resulting NSX Intelligence appliance might have an incorrect configuration. If you are unsure, leave the text box empty and the appropriate host is selected automatically.
    Datastore From the drop-down menu, select the datastore on which to store the NSX Intelligence configuration and data.
    Network Select the network to be used from the drop=down menu.
    Enable SSH and Enable Root Access Specify whether you want to enable an SSH access or a root access to the NSX Intelligence appliance command-line interface (CLI).

    By default, these options are disabled for security reasons. You use the CLI to configure a backup file server, back up the NSX Intelligence appliance configuration, and restore the backup.

  7. Click Next.
  8. Configure the Admin credentials and access to the NSX Intelligence appliance.
    1. If you enabled a root access, set the root password. Use the password requirements shown on the UI.
    2. Configure the CLI credentials and Audit CLI credentials. Select Same as root password if you want to use the root password for either the CLI password or Audit CLI password. Otherwise, enter the passwords for CLI password and Audit CLI password.
  9. Click Install Appliance.
    The installation progress is shown in the Plan & Troubleshoot tab. The installation can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes as the installer discovers all the services and plug-ins the NSX Intelligence appliance requires.
    Note: If there is any error reported, use the information provided in the error messages to resolve the reported issue. After the issue is resolved, you must uninstall the NSX Intelligence appliance first and try to reinstall it from the System > Appliances tab. See Uninstall the NSX Intelligence Appliance or also Troubleshooting NSX Intelligence Appliance Installation for possible hints in resolving issues you might have encountered.
  10. After the NSX Intelligence appliance is installed successfully, click Refresh to View.
    The NSX Manager UI refreshes with the NSX Intelligence features enabled in the Plan & Troubleshoot > Discover & Plan tab.

What to do next

Begin using the NSX Intelligence features. See "Getting Started with NSX Intelligence" in Using VMware NSX Intelligence.