VMware NSX Plugin Installation#

This guide provides detailed instructions for installing the EDA Connect VMware NSX plugin.

Prerequisites#

Before installing or deploying the VMware NSX plugin components, ensure that:

• The Cloud Connect Core application is properly installed in the cluster (see Cloud Connect Installation)
• VMware vSphere Plugin is deployed for each vCenter managed by NSX (see VMware vSphere Plugin Installation)
• You have read-only access credentials to the VMware NSX environment

Installation Steps#

To deploy the VMware NSX plugin, complete the following tasks:

1. Deploy the plugin app
2. Deploy the plugin instance

Step 1: Connect VMware NSX Plugin App Deployment#

The VMware NSX plugin app is an application in the EDA app ecosystem. It can be easily installed using the EDA Store UI.

Installation Using EDA Store UI#

1. Navigate to the EDA Store in the EDA UI
2. Locate the VMware NSX Plugin App
3. Click Install
4. Complete the installation

Installation Using Kubernetes API#

If you prefer installing the plugin using the Kubernetes API, you can do so by creating the following Workflow resource:

apiVersion: appstore.eda.nokia.com/v1
kind: AppInstaller
metadata:
  name: nsx-plugin
  namespace: eda-system
spec:
  operation: install
  apps:
    - appId: nsx.eda.nokia.com
      catalog: eda-catalog-builtin-apps
      version:
        type: semver
        value: v5.0.0

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: appstore.eda.nokia.com/v1
kind: AppInstaller
metadata:
  name: nsx-plugin
  namespace: eda-system
spec:
  operation: install
  apps:
    - appId: nsx.eda.nokia.com
      catalog: eda-catalog-builtin-apps
      version:
        type: semver
        value: v5.0.0

EOF

Step 2: Connect VMware NSX Plugin Deployment#

Create a Secret for NSX Credentials#

A prerequisite for creating a NsxPluginInstance resource is a Secret resource with username and password fields that contain the account information for an account that can connect to the VMware NSX environment and has read-only access to the cluster so that it can monitor the necessary resources.

apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
type: Opaque
metadata:
  name: my-vmware-creds
  namespace: eda-system
  labels:
    "eda.nokia.com/backup": "true"
data: 
  username: YWRtaW4K # base64 encoded
  password: YWRtaW4K # base64 encoded

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
type: Opaque
metadata:
  name: my-vmware-creds
  namespace: eda-system
  labels:
    "eda.nokia.com/backup": "true"
data: 
  username: YWRtaW4K # base64 encoded
  password: YWRtaW4K # base64 encoded

EOF

echo -n myUsernameOrPassword | base64

Create the NSX Plugin Instance#

As the VMware NSX plugins are managed through the operator, you can use the EDA UI to create a new NsxPluginInstance resource under the System Administration > Connect > NSX Plugins menu item.

As an alternative, you can also create the same NsxPluginInstance using the following custom resource example. Make sure to replace the specified values with their relevant content.

apiVersion: vmware.eda.nokia.com/v1
kind: NsxPluginInstance
metadata:
  name: my-nsx-plugin-instance # A unique name for the plugin resource (can be the same as the spec.name, or different)
  namespace: eda-system # The system namespace.
spec:
  pluginNamespace: eda # The namespace in the EDA deployment holding the fabric associated with this plugin
  externalId: example-external-id # A unique Identifier for the plugin (can be same as the name)
  heartbeatInterval: 30
  name: example-NSX # A unique name for the plugin
  nsxManagementIP: exampleHost # The IP address of the NSX Server
  nsxPollInterval: 2 # The plugin will poll NSX for changes every x seconds
  nsxTlsVerify: false # To verify TLS of the NSX server
  nsxCertificate: "" # If the NSX certificate is self signed, add it here to be able to verify from the plugin
  authSecretRef: my-nsx-creds # Credentials are hosted in a separate Secret
  vCenters:
    - vCenterFQDN: x.y.z # FQDN or IP of the Vcenter as defined in NSX
      vmwarePluginID: example-VMWARE # Name of the Vcenter Plugin

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: vmware.eda.nokia.com/v1
kind: NsxPluginInstance
metadata:
  name: my-nsx-plugin-instance # A unique name for the plugin resource (can be the same as the spec.name, or different)
  namespace: eda-system # The system namespace.
spec:
  pluginNamespace: eda # The namespace in the EDA deployment holding the fabric associated with this plugin
  externalId: example-external-id # A unique Identifier for the plugin (can be same as the name)
  heartbeatInterval: 30
  name: example-NSX # A unique name for the plugin
  nsxManagementIP: exampleHost # The IP address of the NSX Server
  nsxPollInterval: 2 # The plugin will poll NSX for changes every x seconds
  nsxTlsVerify: false # To verify TLS of the NSX server
  nsxCertificate: "" # If the NSX certificate is self signed, add it here to be able to verify from the plugin
  authSecretRef: my-nsx-creds # Credentials are hosted in a separate Secret
  vCenters:
    - vCenterFQDN: x.y.z # FQDN or IP of the Vcenter as defined in NSX
      vmwarePluginID: example-VMWARE # Name of the Vcenter Plugin

EOF

Post-Installation Verification#

After deploying the plugin instance, verify that it is running:

kubectl get pods -n eda-system | grep nsx

Check that the plugin has registered with Connect:

kubectl get connectplugins -n <plugin-namespace>

You should see your NSX plugin listed with status information.

Configuration Parameters#

The NsxPluginInstance resource supports the following key parameters:

Next Steps#

After installation, proceed to:

• Configure VLAN or overlay segments in NSX
• Set up NSX tags for EDA-managed mode (if required)
• Review the VMware NSX Plugin documentation for usage and operational modes