Whats New in HCX 4.0

VMware HCX 4.0 is all set to be released today. HCX 4.0 is a major release that introduces new functionality and enhancements.

In this post, I will be explaining these feature additions. The new feature sets can be widely categorized as follows:

  • Migration Enhancements
  • Network Extension Enhancements
  • Interconnect Enhancements

Let’s discuss this one by one.

Migration Enhancements

1: Migration Event Details: When VM migration is in progress, the HCX migration platform captures high-level status for the major phases like transfer, continuous replication, and switchover, and the status reported in the UI is always shown as “Transfer in Progress,”  “Switchover in Progress,” etc.

The actual details about “what state the migration is in right now” and “how long it has been in that state” are hidden from the end user. Also, the platform does not report the exact reason if the migration fails or why the migration is taking a long time to move to the next state.Read More

Layer 2 Bridging With NSX-T

In this post, I will be talking about the Layer 2 Bridging functionality of NSX-T and discuss use cases and design considerations when planning to implement this feature. Let’s get started.

NSX-T supports L2 bridging between Overlay logical segments and VLAN-backed networks. When workloads connected to the NSX-T overlay segment require L2 connectivity to either VLAN-connected workloads or need to reach a physical device (such as a physical GW, LB, or Firewall), NSX-T Layer 2 bridge can be leveraged. 

Use Cases of Layer 2 Bridging

A few of the use cases that come to the top of my mind are: 

1: Migrating workloads connected to VLAN port groups to NSX-T overlay segments: Customers who are looking for migrating workloads from legacy vSphere infrastructure to SDDC can leverage Layer 2 Bridging to seamlessly move their workloads.

When planning for migrations, some of the challenges associated with migrations are Re-IP of workloads, migrating firewall rules, NAT rules, etc.Read More

What’s New in VMware Cloud Foundation 4.2

VMware Cloud Foundation 4.2 will be out soon and like every other release, 4.2 is coming up with exciting new features. In this post, I will be explaining a few of those. So let’s get started. 

1: Static IP Pool for NSX-T TEPs: This one is probably one of the most awaited features of VMware Cloud Foundation. VCF 4.2 allows you to leverage static IP pools for NSX-T Host Overlay (TEP) networks as an alternative to DHCP. Now you no longer need to maintain additional infrastructure items (DHCP Server).  Both management domain and VI workload domains can now make use of static IPs.

In the VCF configuration workbook, you will now see an additional section where you can specify the IP range for Host TEP.

2: Release Versions UI: A new tab (Available Versions) has been added in the SDDC Manager UI which shows the information on the Bill Of Materials, new features, and end of general support dates for each available VCF release.Read More