NSX Reference Design Guide: Help in VxLAN to VLAN Communications explanation

[VMwareCTO]

Hi folks, I hope expats join and help to understand that point/section in the NSX Reference Design guide I am sure everyone has the Free-online published guide by VMware, my problem with the section  5.2 VLAN Connectivity with NSX starts from slide 103.

I couldn't get the point what they want to say I can get it so please please please help me I hope you explain it in other words and many thanks in Advance.

[SureshKumarMuth]

can you post the link of the document which you refer.

[rajeevsrikant]

Are you referring to the page 103 in the below link.

https://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/products/nsx/vmw-nsx-network-virtu...

[VMwareCTO]

Yes, that exact document I meant

[VMwareCTO]

The one rajeevsrikant just mentioned my friend

[daphnissov]

Section 5.2 describes common practices with regard to how VLANs are designed with respect to NSX. The main point of this section is this:  Regardless how you decide to use VLANs for the core vSphere features (Management, vMotion, and Storage) across your clusters, the VLAN ID associated to the VXLAN transport must be identical across all zones where it will be consumed. So whether you only have 3 VLAN IDs for core vSphere features and re-use those in every rack/cluster for consistency, the transport zone's VLAN must be available to all hosts participating in the same transport zone.

[rajeevsrikant]

Page 103 "VLAN Connectivity with NSX" explains the limitations of the traditional VLAN based network & how VXLAN adds advantage to it.

In the traditional VLAN based network there is limitation to extend the L2 domain across the different POD.

The aggregation layer typically acts as the demarcation point which limit the extension of the L2 domain. This they have shown as representation in the Figure 97.

They have shown 2 PODs & each POD has its own VLAN.

In NSX with the VXLAN, this restriction is removed by providing the Overlay network in which the L2 network can be extended across the L3 boundary.

Let me know if any specific points in the document which you are not able to understand, so that we may able to help you in understanding it clearly.

[SureshKumarMuth]

In the traditional VLAN based network there is limitation to extend the L2 domain across the different POD.

     This is bit tricky, there is not limitation on VLAN spanning across the PODs apart from VLAN max count 4096.If the above statement is true then in a larger envt we have more number of PODs still we have management network of ESXi hosts are in same segment with same VLAN id.  As daphnissov says whether we have same VLAN for core vsphere features or not, the VxLAN should be spanning across the PODs with same id.

The page in the article talks more about the consistency of VxLAN id should be same across all transport zones.

Correct me if I am wrong...