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NSX-T Integration

VMware NSX-T Integration Overview

You can integrate NSX-T with Apstra software to help deploy fabric VLANs that are needed for deploying NSX-T in the data center or for providing connectivity between NSX-T overlay networks and fabric underlay networks. You can accelerate NSX-T deployments by making sure the fabric is ready in terms of LAG, MTU and VLAN configuration as per NSX-T transport node requirements. This feature also helps network operators with fabric visibility in terms of seeing all the NSX-T VMs, VM ports, and physical gateway ports. NSX-T integration helps identify issues on the fabric and on the virtual infrastructure. It eliminates manual config validation tasks between the NSX-T nodes side and the ToR switches.

When NSX-T VM is attached into VLAN Transport, VM query shows TOR switch/interface information together. When NSX-T VM is attached into Overlay Transport, VM query doesn't show TOR switch/interface information. Be sure to add ESXi host in generic systems, not external generic systems.

As of Apstra version 4.1.2, you can create Virtual Infra Managers for NSX-T Manager version 3.2.x using DVS mode. You can also add multiple Virtual Infra Managers per blueprint. This is useful when you have multiple NSX-T Managers or multiple vCenter Servers hosted in the same fabric blueprint. You'll need to provide the vCenter compute managers information (address and credentials) when you add the NSX-T Virtual Infra.

Supported Version in 4.2.0

VMware NSX-T Manager version 3.2.x

Supported Configurations

  • vCenter as virtual manager in one blueprint

  • Standalone NSX-T manager as virtual manager with vCenters added to it in one blueprint

  • NSX-T Edge VM migration is supported only within a rack. Attempting to migrate between racks results in BGP disruption. You can migrate the NSX-T Edge VM from the ESXi host connected to leaf pair (that is, ToR-Leaf and ToR-Right) to the other ESXi host which is connected to single leaf with the rack.
  • (Apstra versions 4.1.1 and 4.1.0 only) NSX-T integration does not support DVS port group with VLAN-type trunking.

Enable NSX-T Integration

We recommend that you create a user profile dedicated to managing NSX-T integration activities.

  1. From the left navigation menu, navigate to External Systems > Virtual Infra Managers > Create Virtual Infra Manager.
  2. Enter the NSX-T manager IP address (or DNS name), select VMware NSX-T Manager and enter a username and password.
  3. Click Create to create the virtual infra manager and return to the table view. When the connection is successful, the connection state changes from DISCONNECTED to CONNECTED.
  4. When NSX-T is connected, from the blueprint, navigate to Staged > Virtual > Virtual Infra > Add Virtual Infra.
  5. Select the NSX-T manager from the Virtual Infra Manager drop-down list, then click VLAN Remediation Policy to expose additional fields. The information entered here is used in Intent-based analytics (IBA) probes that can remediate anomalies.
  6. Select the VN type and routing zone.
    • If VLAN (rack-local) is selected, you must use the default routing zone.
    • If VXLAN (inter-rack - when VN extends to different ToRs in the fabric) is selected you can select a different routing zone.
  7. Click Create to stage the virtual infra manager and return to the table view. The new virtual infra manager appears in the table.
  8. Click Uncommitted (top menu) to review changes, then click Commit (top-right) to add the NSX-T manager to the active blueprint.
  9. Create a Routing Zone in the blueprint and specify the VLAN ID, VNI and Routing Policies. Routing Zone maps to a VRF on which BGP peering towards NSX-T Edge node is established.
  10. For the GENEVE Tunnels to come up between the Transport Nodes in NSX-T, connectivity must be established via Juniper Apstra Fabric. This will be ensured by creating VXLAN VN in Apstra and assigning correct port mapping in ToR leaf devices towards Transport Node. VLAN ID for Overlay VXLAN VN defined in Apstra must match the one mapped in Overlay Profile in NSX-T for Transport Nodes. Also, the same IP subnet as that of the TEP Pool in NSX will be used.
  11. Since we checked the box to Create Connectivity Template for in last step during VXLAN VN creation in Apstra a Connectivity Template of type Virtual Network is automatically created under Blueprints > Staged > Connectivity Templates as shown below:
  12. Assign the interfaces to the Connectivity Template created above towards Transport nodes in NSX-T side.
  13. Once the configuration is rendered towards devices we can observe GENEVE Tunnels between Transport and Edge nodes are UP in NSX-T Manager.
    Note:

    When you install the NSX Edge as a virtual appliance or host Transport Node, use the default uplink profile. If the Failover teaming policy is configured for an uplink profile, then you can only configure a single active uplink in the teaming policy. Standby uplinks are not supported and must not be configured in the failover teaming policy.

Virtual Infrastructure Visibility

When you've successfully integrated NSX-T, you have visibility of NSX-T VMs and transport nodes in the virtual infrastructure. You can query the status of the VMware fabric health.

To see a list of the VMs connected to the hypervisor, navigate to the dashboard and scroll to fabric health for VMware option.

You can also query VMs that are hosted on hypervisors connected to ToR leaf devices. From the blueprint, navigate to Active > Query > VMs.

VMs include the following details:

Parameter Description
VM Name The Virtual Machine name which is hosted on NSX managed hypervisor.
Hosted On The ESXi host on which Virtual Machine is hosted.
Hypervisor Hostname The hypervisor hostname on which Virtual Machine is hosted and is connected to the leaf TORs in a fabric.
Hypervisor Version The software version of OS running on the hypervisor.
VM IP The IP address as reported by NSX-T after the installation of VM tools. If the IP address is not available this field is empty. Apstra displays VM IP if the IP address is available on installation VM tools on the VM.
Leaf:Interface System ID for the interface on the leaf to which ESXi host is connected and on which VM resides.
Port Group Name:VLAN ID The VLAN ID which NSX-T port groups are using. Overlay VM to VM traffic in a NSX-T enabled Data Center tunnels between transport nodes over this Virtual network.
MAC Addresses MAC address of the VM connected to the Apstra Fabric.
Virtual Infra address IP address of the NSX-T infra added to a Blueprint

To search for nodes in the physical topology that have VMs, navigate to Active > Physical and select Has VMs? from the Nodes drop-down list.

If the VM is moved from one Transport node to another in NSX-T it can be visualized in Apstra under Active > Physical > Nodes > Generic System (Node_name). Select the VMs tab as shown below:

Validate Virtual Infra Integration

You can validate virtual infra with intent-based analytics. Apstra validates BGP session towards NSX-T Edge. If BGP neighborship in NSX-T Manager is deleted, then respective anomalies are displayed in the Apstra dashboard.

Two predefined analytics dashboards (as listed below) are available that instantiate predefined virtual infra probes.

Virtual Infra Fabric Health Check Dashboard

Virtual Infra Redundancy Check Dashboard

See Also

Disable Virtual Infra Integration

To disable virtual infra integrations, delete them from the blueprint and external systems.

  1. From the blueprint, navigate to Staged > Virtual > Virtual Infra and click the Delete button for the virtual infra to disable.
  2. Click Uncommitted (top menu) and commit the deletion.
  3. From the left navigation menu, navigate to External Systems > Virtual Infra Managers and click the Delete button for the virtual infra to disable.