In the previous blog post, we discussed about how to get the logical segments configured on the NSX-T environment. If you have missed that please review it here. In this blog post, we will discuss about how to configure the EDGE node.
NSX-T EDGE :
NSX Edge nodes are appliances with pools of capacity, dedicated to running network services that cannot be distributed to the hypervisors. Edge nodes can be viewed as empty containers when they are first deployed. An NSX Edge node provides features like Physical infrastructure connectivity, Network Address Translation, DHCP, Firewall.
Deployment :
From NSX-T 2.4 onwards, EDGE node can be deployed directly from the NSX-T GUI page. To deploy an EDGE node, login to the NSX-T Manager GUI > System > Fabric > Nodes > Edge Transport Nodes and click on ADD EDGE VM
Provide a name and FQDN for the EDGE virtual machine. Also select the Form Factor of the EDGE vm. Once done, click on NEXT
Note: The system requirements vary depending on the configuration size. Make sure you have enough compute resources available on the vSphere before deploying the EDGE node.
In the Credentials window, provide the CLI and System Root passwords.
In the Configure Deployment page, select the compute manager and then select the cluster, resource pool and the vmfs datastore.
Select the type of IP assignment and the management virtual port group. Once done, click NEXT.
In the Configure NSX Page, select both the transport zone created in the previous part. Now, lets create a N-VDS switch for the overlay transport zone by selecting the following.
- Uplink Profile : nsx-edge-single-nic-uplink-profile
- IP Assignment : Use IP Pool
- IP Pool : Select the name of the IP Pool
- DPDK Fastpath Interfaces : Select the port group created for the Tunnel network
Click on ADD N-VDS and create a switch for VLAN transport zone. Provide the below details.
- Uplink Profile : nsx-edge-single-nic-uplink-profile
- DPDK Fastpath Interfaces : Select the port group created for the External network
Once done, click on FINISH
Now we can see the NSX-T EDGE node deployment is in progress.
If you connect to the vCenter, we will see the EDGE vm deployment in progress.
Unlike in the older versions of NSX-T manager, the deployment and configuration is automated. The edge node will automatically get registered with the NSX-T manager node.
Configuration state has now changed to Node Not Ready.
Finally the deployment had completed successfully and the Node status is Up now.
Enable SSH :
Go to the vCenter sever, select the newly deployed NSX-T EDGE and open the remote console. Login to the EDGE node using the admin account.
Run the below command to check the status of SSH service on the EDGE node.
get service ssh
Run the below command to start the SSH service.
start service ssh
Run the below command to set the SSH service to autostart when the VM is powered on.
set service ssh start-on-boot
Run the below command and verify that the SSH service is running and Start on boot is set to True.
get service ssh
Run the below command to disable the command-line timeout.
set cli-timeout 0
Configure EDGE Cluster :
Now we will add the EDGE node to the EDGE cluster. If you have multiple EDGE nodes, you can add both nodes to the cluster.
To create an EDGE cluster, go to System > Nodes > Edge Clusters and click on ADD
Give a name to the EDGE cluster and select the default nsx-default-edge-high-availability-profile. Select the EDGE nodes from the Available section and move it to the right side as in the below screenshot. Once done click on ADD
Once the nodes are added to the EDGE cluster, you will see the newly created cluster under the EDGE cluster tab.
We have now successfully completed the deployment of the NSX-T EDGE node. In the next blog post, we will see how to configure the Logical Routers.
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