In HCX, the object that links a source compute profile to a destination one (together with their network profiles) and deploys paired service appliances, such as Interconnect and Network Extension, at both sites. Moving where appliances sit requires a resync, and adding further meshes scales out migration capacity.
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In the Ultra Transcenders books
Each book explains Service mesh in context, with comparison tables and the common traps.
Terms in this definition
- Compute profile
Defining one deploys nothing by itself: a VCF Operations HCX service mesh has to use it. It lists the network profiles, the cluster and datastore where appliances are placed, the service clusters (source VMs to be moved, or eligible targets at the destination) and which HCX services are switched on.
- Network Extension
Migrated VMs keep their IP and MAC addresses because this VCF Operations HCX service bridges their networks (VLAN-tagged distributed port groups, NSX segments or NSX VPC subnets) to the remote site through a pair of appliances. Unless Mobility Optimized Networking is used, the default gateway stays at the source.
- WHERE
Limits a SELECT, UPDATE or DELETE to just the rows meeting a condition. Omit it, and the statement hits every row.
- resync
vSAN's repair activity, in which components of objects are rebuilt or relocated so they meet policy again. Causes include device, host or network failure (after the repair delay), maintenance mode, policy edits and rebalancing; watch it under Monitor > vSAN > Resyncing Objects.
- Capacity
A reserved block of compute for a tenant whose size is fixed by its SKU; Fabric F SKUs express it in capacity units (CUs). Workspaces assigned to it unlock features like Copilot, and from F64 upwards people with free licences can view Power BI content.
Related terms
- Central CLI
ccli is a troubleshooting utility within VCF Operations HCX Manager. Through it you reach the Service Mesh appliances and services to see how they are behaving and to pull diagnostic data.
- Deployment Cluster
Part of a VCF Operations HCX compute profile, naming where the Service Mesh appliances run: a cluster or resource pool and a datastore. Hosts there need a path to the vMotion and management or replication VMkernel networks of the Service Clusters, and the extended broadcast domains must be present on the distributed switch.
- Destination site
Receives VMs and networks extended from its VCF Operations HCX partner. Because pairing works in one direction, any operation (service mesh, network extension, migration, or even moving VMs back) is initiated at the source end.
- Flux
Provides GitOps on AKS and Arc-enabled Kubernetes as an add-on; it doesn't act as a service mesh.
- HCX-IX
Besides adding the Mobility Agent host to vCenter, this VCF Operations HCX appliance, which the service mesh deploys in pairs, encrypts and traffic-engineers the replication and vMotion migration flows it sends to the peer site.
- HCX Manager
The appliance that manages VCF Operations HCX. One is deployed at each end of a migration from a single OVA image (sized by default at 4 vCPUs, 12 GB of RAM and a 60 GB disk), the pair is linked through site pairing, and a service mesh then rolls out the interconnect, network extension and related service appliances.
- Istio
A service mesh offered as an AKS add-on, providing mTLS, routing and traffic splitting.
- service inheritance
A licensing rule in VCF Operations HCX where the Service Mesh between two sites takes whichever entitlement is broader. An Evaluation Mode site linked to a VCF-licensed one therefore receives the complete service set.