Beginning with version 3.2, NSX Intelligence has transitioned from a VM-based appliance to a modern application that runs on VMware NSX® Application Platform, which is based on a micro-services architecture. You use the NSX Manager user interface (UI) to install and configure the NSX Intelligence appliance.

Prerequisites

  • Ensure that your environment meets the minimum license and system requirements for activating NSX Intelligence. One of the key requirements is a successfully deployed NSX Application Platform. See Preparing to Activate NSX Intelligence for details.

  • The deployed NSX Application Platform must be in a STABLE state.

  • You must have NSX-T Data Center Enterprise Administrator user privileges.

  • A valid NSX Data Center Enterprise Plus edition license must be in effect for your NSX Manager session.

  • The number of transport nodes must not exceed 250.

Procedure

  1. From your browser, log in with Enterprise Administrator privileges to an NSX Manager at https://<nsx-manager-ip-address>.
  2. In the NSX Manager UI, select System and in the Configuration section, select NSX Application Platform.
  3. Navigate to the Features section, locate the NSX Intelligence feature card, and click Activate or anywhere in the card.
  4. In the NSX Intelligence activation dialog box, click Run Prechecks.

    The system proceeds to check that the NSX Application Platform is deployed with the Advanced form factor, which is required to activate NSX Intelligence. It also verifies that you have at least a valid NSX Data Center Enterprise Plus edition license and that the number of transport nodes does not exceed the limit of 250.

  5. Click Activate.

    The activation progress is shown on the NSX Intelligence feature card under the System > NSX Application Platform tab. The activation can take around 15 minutes to finish.

    If there is any error reported, use the information provided in the error messages to resolve the reported problem. See Troubleshooting NSX Intelligence Feature Activation for possible hints in resolving problems you might have encountered.

    After the problem is resolved, you must delete the NSX Intelligence application first and try to reactivate it from the System > NSX Application Platform tab. See Delete NSX Intelligence for information.

  6. After NSX Intelligence is successfully activated, the feature card displays an UP status. Click Go to NSX Intelligence.

    The NSX Manager UI refreshes with the NSX Intelligence features enabled in the Plan & Troubleshoot > Discover & Plan section of the UI.

    If the activation is taking longer than 30 minutes or if you see any error messages, consult the Troubleshooting NSX Intelligence Feature Activation topics.

  7. (Optional) Configure NSX Intelligence settings to define for which standalone hosts or cluster of hosts NSX Intelligence needs to collect network traffic data

    By default, after NSX Intelligence is activated, it starts collecting network traffic data on all standalone hosts and cluster of hosts in your NSX-T Data Center environment. You can optionally set NSX Intelligence to deactivate traffic data collection for specific hosts or cluster of hosts. See Configure NSX Intelligence Settings.

What to do next

Begin using the NSX Intelligence features using the Plan & Troubleshoot > Discover & Plan section of the NSX Manager UI. For information on getting started with using NSX Intelligence, see the Using and Managing VMware NSX Intelligence documentation.