VMware NSX Lab Part 1 High level Overview - rharmonson/richtech GitHub Wiki
January 13, 2016
Repost
Reverted! I deleted the series in December 2015 but at the request of tmitchell5280, I have reposted. YMMV!
(DRAFT)VMware NSX Lab Part 1: High level Overview
Purpose
The purpose of the VMware NSX Lab articles is to provide instructions on building a lab for exploring NSX and/or studying for VMware's VCP-NV exam. Understanding network layers two (L2) and three (L3) are prerequisites to the why and how of NSX. If L2/L3 are new concepts to you, I would advise hitting any number of free resources on the Internet that discuss the basics of both.
While authoring these articles, I stumbled upon a couple documents, given below, that provide information on network layers two and three. The first provides a great overview and the second is one hundred and forty-five pages. It provides far more detail than needed but if networking is new to you, read it! Reading is good for you. :smiling_imp:
System Specifications
- CPU: Intel 4th generation CPU i7 or Xeon supporting Intel vPro advance management
- RAM: 32 GB
- Disk: 500 GB SSD
- VMware Workstation 11
The above CPU could be the AMD equivalent. You may also use a standard hard drive, but not advisable due to poor performance; sub 100 IOPs. At this time, a 500+ GB SSD is less than the purchase of disks and/or a raid enclosure but if you have access to one, by all means save the money and use it.
High-level Topology
We can build as many as three clusters referred by VMware as Compute, Management, and Edge clusters. I will utilize two clusters collapsing the Management and Edge clusters into one cluster referred as the "Management Cluster" moving forward.
High-level Components
| Component | CPU | Memory | Storage | Quantity | VM Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAN Router | 1 | 512 MB | 2 GB | 1 | Workstation | Vyos |
| Server 2008R2/12R2 | 1 | 2 GB | 20 GB | 1 | Workstation | DS & DNS |
| Desktop W7/Linux | 1 | 2 GB | 20 GB | 1 | Workstation | |
| vCenter Appliance | 2 | 8 GB | 125 GB | 1 | Workstation | |
| Management ESXi Host | 8 | 8 GB | 100 GB | 1 | Nested | |
| Compute ESXi Hosts | 4 | 4 GB | 25 GB | 3 | Nested | |
| NSX Manager | 4 | 12 GB | 60 GB | 1 | Nested | |
| NSX Controller | 4 | 4 GB | 25 GB | 3 | Nested | |
| NSX Edge | ? | ? | ? | ? | Nested |
Physical Network Topology
Obviously, our network is not really physical for our lab, but in production these components would be represented by physical layer 2 and/or layer 3 hardware.
- VMware Workstation to provide layer 2 or switching services
- Vyos to provide Layer 3 or routing services
The network topology is comprised of the following VMware Workstation virtual networks:
| Description | IP Address | vmnet |
|---|---|---|
| Outside Network | DHCP | vmnet0 |
| Management Network | 172.19.201.0/24 | vmnet1 |
| Virtual Machine Network | 172.19.202.0/24 | vmnet2 |
| Transport Network | 172.19.203.0/24 | vmnet3 |
vSphere Clusters
As previously stated we will be using only two clusters; Management and Compute Clusters.
Management Cluster
Unless specified as a "nested" component, the component is built as a VMware Workstation virtual machine versus a virtual machine residing within the Management or Compute clusters.
- One (1) ESXi Host
- vCenter Appliance
- One (1) nested NSX Manager
- Three (3) nested NSX Controllers
- One (1) nested Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
Compute Cluster
- Three (3) ESXi Hosts
- Three (3) or more Windows 7 or Linux Guests