vCloud Foundation Federation Limitations

[future2000]

The following documentation says:-

https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Cloud-Foundation/4.4/vcf-admin/GUID-E515E638-5212-49D2-979A-99A849...

You can federate the management domain NSX Data Center or a VI workload domain NSX Data Center. Since VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) supports a maximum of four federated NSX Managers, you can federate four management domains or four VI workload domains. More than four VI workload domains can be federated if they share an NSX Manager

We plan for 3 separate instances of vCF with both Management and Workload domains federated. Is this supported?

The following documentation says:-

https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Cloud-Foundation/4.3/vcf-management-domain-design/GUID-11177D00-C8...

Regions are geographically separate, with a maximum round-trip latency between them of 150 ms. If you plan to use NSX Federation between regions, VMware Cloud Foundation supports a maximum of two regions

We plan for 3 regions with NSX-T federation. NSX-T happily supports 3 sites / regions so why does vCF limit this option or is this even correct with regard to federating NSX-T instances in a vcf management or workload domain.

[viquarhcimca]

For the 1st Question :
As per the docs it says you can for 4 mgmt domains or 4 workload domain but we can't federate WLD with mgmt. domains. The main reason for this is to keep management components separate from WLD components.

2nd Question :  i think it design choice I would assume but within those 2 regions you could have 2 AZ's.  So, would be 4 management domains.

[future2000]

Hi,

Thanks for replying. I appreciate your reply. I'm reading this differently however.

Since VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) supports a maximum of four federated NSX Managers, you can federate four management domains or four VI workload domains.

I have highlighted the or in the above statement myself. Its important as it suggest this is an either or statement.

It suggest to me that any one instance of vCF supports a maximum of 4 federated NSX Managers. NSX-T Managers would not be federated across Management and Workload as this would not make any sense as these are discrete vSphere vCenters and NSX-T Managers.

Therefore for example where I wish to federate NSX- Management across two other sites I will have three federated NSX-T Managers in that instance of vCF. Then when I wish to federate NSX-T Managers for the workload domains across 2 additional sites I will have an additional three federated NSX-T Managers for a TOTAL of 6 federated NSX-T Managers. The question I have is whether this is possible. The statement suggests not. This is difficult to understand as no such limitation exists in NSX-T.

The next issue...

Regions are geographically separate, with a maximum round-trip latency between them of 150 ms. If you plan to use NSX Federation between regions, VMware Cloud Foundation supports a maximum of two regions

This is a terminology question I expect. I wish to use 3 vCF instances in three separate sites. Is this supported. when federating each site. Again NSX-T has no limitations but the documentation suggest vCF does!? Why.

[NFerrar]

Worth checking with VMware (TAM or support call) about the two regions, I only see that mentioned in v4.3 docs so maybe it no longer applies?

We haven't done federation yet (but are due to shortly) but only have two regions and a single Management + VI WLD in each so are within the limits. Even if we had multiple VI WLDs we would generally just have them sharing an NSX Manager - it sounds like you have multiple VI WLDs within a deployment and each has a dedicated NSX Manager?