I still remember the days where vCenter/ESXi became popular with great features and now it’s the time for VMware NSX (Network stack) which is now widely deployed in most of the VMware based Customer Infrastructures. Dream of the cloud is now moved to deployments phase but also brings additional challenges to maintain the Application Mobility from one Data Center to Cloud and vice versa. VMware NSX Hybrid Connect delivers secure infrastructure hybridity between vSphere platforms and enables seamless bi-directional application mobility. NSX Hybrid Connect does not require NSX to be present in the source environment. However, if NSX is present, additional features such as distributed firewall rules are possible
NSX Hybrid Connect enables bi-directional application landscape mobility by creating a layer of hybridity between the source and destination environments. NSX Hybrid Connect can stretch Layer-2 networks via high throughput L2C appliances while encrypting and optimizing traffic that passes over the interconnect. NSX Hybrid Connect migration options include vMotion and bulk migration methods, when combined with stretched networks allows workloads to retain their IP regardless of the environment they are running on. The proxy architecture of NSX Hybrid Connect enables hybridity and migrations without retrofitting applications. As part of the migration process, NSX Hybrid Connect optionally migrates traditional/legacy networking to NSX-based logical networks and logical routing, automating the process of physical to logical network conversion.
NSX Hybrid Connect provides a hybrid cloud environment for workload mobility across enterprise sites:
Infrastructure Abstraction:
NSX Hybrid Connect abstracts infrastructure and allows you to interoperate across different versions of vSphere software-defined data centers (SDDC) and across different network types.
Infrastructure Hybridity:
NSX Hybrid Connect provides high performance, multi-site datacenter-to-datacenter interconnectivity capabilities. With NSX Hybrid Connect, customers can set up WAN optimized multi-site IPsec VPN mesh for secure site-to-site connectivity. On top of this secure, optimized fabric, customers can stretch Layer 2 networks and extend datacenters between sites. NSX Hybrid Connect provides high-performance large-scale L2 extension – up to 5Gbps per extended VLAN/VxLAN – at scale.
Workload Mobility:
NSX Hybrid Connect provides large-scale application mobility between sites without any impact to application performance, runtime, and access. NSX Hybrid Connect provides secure live migration and large-scale warm migration, enabling customers to transform their applications and datacenter more rapidly and securely. This migration approach combined with stretched networks allows bi-directional migrations without any network configuration changes, such as IP address, DNS, MAC address, etc. Additionally, delays due to large-scale application dependency mapping are avoided. Customers can move applications without worrying about application dependencies. NSX Hybrid Connect automates manual migration tasks, allowing your team to easily and safely leverage the cloud with reduced risks and cost. Simple, intuitive UI reduces data center and cloud complexity and eliminates the need for specialized skill and knowledge.
NSX Hybrid Connect Components:
NSX Hybrid Connect is initially deployed as a virtual appliance (Manager). The Manager virtual appliance is responsible for deploying the following components (appliances).These components are deployed both at the source site and at the destination site.
1.Cloud Gateway (CGW) Appliance: The CGW appliance is responsible for creating encrypted tunnels across enterprise sites for the vMotion and vSphere-based replication traffic.
2. Layer 2 Concentrator (L2C) Appliance: The Layer 2 Concentrator is a scale-out architecture that extends Layer 2 network into the destination site. Each L2C pair can handle upto 4096 stretched networks.
3. WAN optimization Appliance: The WAN optimization appliance provides compression and data de-duplication across the WAN. It also limits the WAN bandwidth consumed by the migration traffic.
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