The most recent HCX service update (first for June) includes excellent new features.

Because I’ve not previously shared features like this, let’s quickly recap of what was added to the HCX service in May:

1. HCX Interoperability for private NSX-T installations.
   This enables customers to vacate legacy infrastructure and adopt NSX-T with minimal downtime, while reducing compatibility based inhibitors with HCX powered mobility. The following capabilities are added to the service:
   – Extending source DVS, NSXv, Nexus1000v Networks as NSX-T Logical Networks at the private destination environment. Previously it was required to extend networks to NSXv Logical Switches.
   – Extending source NSX-T Logical Networks to the NSXv|t based destination environment.
   – HCX Bulk|vMotion|Cold Migrations for virtual machines on to NSX-T networks.
   – HCX Bulk|vMotion|Cold Migrations to NSX-T networks.
   – HCX Disaster Recovery to with NSX-T based destination environments.
   
   
2. HCX Interoperability with vCloud Director 9.7.
   HCX can be used to deliver its services with vCloud Director based target environments, up to version 9.7.
   
3. SDDC to SDDC Mobility in VMC
   This went into preview in early May, allowing the early adopters of VMware Cloud on AWS to transition to NSX-T SDDCs.
   

For more detail about those May updates, check out the HCX118 – HCX119 sections of the VMware HCX Release Notes.

Let us digress!

To kick June off, three features are added to the HCX Service:

1. HCX Standalone Operator Interface

The HCX Standalone UI is launched by browsing https://hcx-ent-mgr-ip-or-fqdn. It allows the migration admin to manage HCX Service Mesh configs, and to operate HCX services (Schedule migrations | Create Network Extensions | Configure Disaster Recovery) without launching the vSphere Client. The HCX plugin and inventory context menus can still be used.

This addition enhances compatibility with vSphere 5.1 – 5.5GA source environments. Before this update, HCX operations were launched exclusively using the HCX plugin in the vSphere Web/H5 Client, preventing UI-driven operations in pre-vSphere 5.5 environments, where the plugin cannot be installed.

The standalone UI provides an excellent plan B for those untimely moments when the vSphere Client is not a viable way in.

2. HCX Multi-Site Service Mesh Diagnostics

Note in the previous screenshots, showing the Service Mesh configuration cia-sddc4-on-prem-vc, there is a new option RUN DIAGNOSTICS.

The initial functionality for diagnostics is to perform network port level probing. This feature will help HCX users quickly identify issues related to required component to component connectivity. Additional Diagnostics functionality will be added in future updates.

3. Multi-Site Service Mesh Support for vSphere Datacenter Objects in Compute Profiles

vSphere Datacenter inventory objects can be selected when creating a Compute Profile.  Selecting a Datacenter will include all clusters within the object as a Service Profile in the Compute Profile.

This feature will improve Service Mesh/Compute Profile creation for large multi-cluster environments that contain multiple Datacenter objects within a single vCenter Server.

And that’s all I have. Thanks for tuning in! 🤙🏼

—
Gabe