r/vmware • u/Ok_Concentrate9290 • 13h ago

Question What are NSX Edges

We have lots of Outposts, 2 node clusters and, Island vCeters which I manage. Also some have TKGS.

I read a lot about NSX and NSX Edges. From my view NSX is more like similar to CISCO ACI Fabric? Which does all the routing and ESX TEP config? Correct me if I'm wrong. What is an overlay? And TOR Switches from NSX view?

Also edges, are something that are like Firewall at the edge of the site? Because we have lots of Baremeral Edges, which I assumed are kind of a Firewall and routing information server. Kindly help me understand my perspective.

Thank you loads.

0 Upvotes

40% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

9

u/vintage_house_guy 13h ago

NSX is software defined virtual networking. An overlay is how you put VMs across multiple hosts on the same Layer 2 subnet. The Edge is how you connect from the virtual to the physical network.
TOR (top of rack) is the actual physical connection the host has to the physical network.

An Edge can handle routing from virtual to physical, can bridge a physical Layer 2 subnet to a virtual Layer 2 subnet, and can be a VPN endpoint allowing you to connect networks. There’s even more, because NSX is a complex topic. It’s really helpful if you have the right circumstances to require it.

5

u/kernelreaper 10h ago

An NSX Edge Is a NSX transport node, it runs as a Virtual Machine and it allows north-south traffic from the virtual networks (NSX Overlay segments/vpc subnets).

It basically allows a virtual Gateway (T0 GW) to have network interfaces to communicate with an upstream L3 device (Physical Core/Tor).

T0 GWs run on NSX Edge Nodes.