vSphere cluster model

In the Ultra Transcenders books

2V0-13.25

Each book explains vSphere cluster model in context, with comparison tables and the common traps.

Terms in this definition

• L2

  Layer 2 of the OSI model, the data link layer of frames, VLANs and MACs. An NSX segment is one broadcast domain at this layer.

• L3

  Layer 3 of the OSI model, handling IP routing. NSX gateways route traffic between segments here.

• Availability zones

  Separate physical datacentre locations inside one region. Placing VMs in at least two of them earns a 99.99% SLA.

• Virtual machines

  Infrastructure-as-a-service compute giving complete control of the operating system, making it a fit for lift-and-shift moves and for software relying on OS-level pieces like COM.

• VCF Instance

  Combination of a management domain with any number of workload domains, each instance having its own NSX, SDDC Manager and vCenters. A VCF fleet is made up of one or more of them.

• workload domain

  Domain in VCF for business applications. It gets a dedicated vCenter and NSX that may be dedicated or shared; the management components live separately in the management domain.

Related terms

• Layer 3 Multi-Rack Cluster Model

  Hosts in one availability zone spread across racks, each rack with its own subnet and VLAN and routing in between. Keeping broadcast domains inside a rack costs extra VLANs and subnets, and this vSphere cluster model cannot be stretched or used for the first cluster of the management domain.

• Network fabric model

  Matched to the vSphere cluster model, this VCF design model fixes the MTU, first-hop gateway availability and VLAN scope for each traffic type on the physical data centre fabric. Its options are Single-Rack; Multi-Rack, either Layer 2 or Layer 3 (not for the management domain's first cluster); and Multi Availability Zone for stretched clusters.