In the previous blog, we discussed about how to add compute manager to the NSX-T. If you have missed it, you can find it here. In this blog post, we will see how to add additional nodes to the NSX-T management cluster.
NSX-T Manager combines the functions of the management plane, control plane, and policy management in a single node Accessing the NSX-T Manager UI. Let’s see how we can add additional node to the NSX-T manager cluster.
Add nodes to NSX-T management cluster
In this step we will deploy multiple NSX-T manager node using Automatic deployment method from the NSX simplified UI (supported only on ESXi hosts managed by vCenter Server) to provide high availability and reliability. Once the additional nodes are deployed, they connect to the NSX-T manager node to form a cluster.
The recommended number of clustered NSX Manager nodes is three.
Note: This is not a mandatory step if you are building a lab setup. However it is recommended to have additional NSX-T manager nodes for redundancy if you running it in production environment.
Prerequisites :
- NSX Manager node installed
- Compute manager is configured
- Datastore is configured and accessible on the ESXi host
- Have the IP address, gateway, DNS, domain search list, and the NTP server IP address for the NSX Manager to use
- A target VM port group network
To add additional NSX manager node, click on System > Overview > ADD Nodes
Under the common attributes window, select the compute manager, provide cli and root passwords, add DNS and NTP servers. You can also enable SSH and Root access if needed. Once done, click on next.
In the Nodes section, provide the new NSX-T manager details like IP address, gateway, hostname, ESXi host details, datastore name and network name. Once the form is filled, click on finish.
Once done, you will now see the new NSX-T manager node deployment in progress.
Login to your vCenter server and you will see the new NSX-T manager ovf template deployment is in progress.
Note: By default there will be reservation set on the NSX-T manager node getting deployed and hence make sure you have enough resources available in your vSphere cluster to power on the new NSX node.
Add 3rd NSX-T node to the cluster
Once the second node deployment is completed, proceed with adding the 3rd node as recommended by following the same steps as above to complete the cluster creation.
Configure a Virtual IP Address for the cluster:
Assign a virtual IP address (VIP) to a member of the NSX-T cluster to provide fault tolerance and high availability to NSX-T manager nodes
Note: VIP is not designed to serve as a load-balancer
To Assign a virtual IP address (VIP) go to NSX Manager > System > Overview page next to Virtual IP: Not Set, click Edit
In the next part of the configuring NSX-T blog, I will discuss about how to prepare the NSX infrastructure. To know more, click on the below button.
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