Broad-Cloud.NL

Let’s talk about Multi-Cloud adoption, with the focus on workload migration and mobility scenarios across VMware Stacks.

Multi Cloud adoption is a very hot topic. With this blog, I would like to provide more insight about this migration tool that can help you to migrate workload from and to the Cloud.

VMware HCX offers several migration types which are really useful and supported by a Cloud Smart Strategy.

VMware HCX is a great tool for application migration, changing platforms, to upgrade from vSphere versions, workload rebalancing and business continuity and protection, common Use Cases for Workload Mobility are:

This image provides HCX migration types with justification.

Workload Migration and Mobility Challenges

VMware HCX Deployment

You can deploy HXC On-Premises (from vCenter 5.x>, KVM and Hyper-V), VMware Cloud Foundation, VMware Cloud on AVS, Azure VMware Solution and much more platforms.

For HCX System Requirements, see this documentation.

The HCX Connector and the HCX Manager needs connectivity with the peer manager for site paring and internet connectivity for activation and updates.

You also need to assign a hostname and internal ip address to the HCX Manager

HCX scenario’s for Business Strategy

Let’s talk about some common scenarios.

Use of VMware HCX is often driven by a business strategy that involves workload mobility like:

Migrate, tooling for Datacenter Consolidation or Data Center Evacuation (without downtime)

Seamless upgrade of outdated (out of support) vSphere platform.

Rebalance by moving workload by adoption the MultiCloud Strategy.

Disaster Avoidance by moving workload during maintenance or DC failure,

Use case 1: Migrate you legacy Data Center to VMware Cloud Foundation:

Use case 2: Migrate you legacy data center to VMware Cloud Foundation and connect to Cloud Providers to implement hybrid cloud strategy.

VMware HCX Services

VMware HCX offers several services, based on the type of license installed with the system (Advanced vs Enterprise) which are described below:

Interconnect Service (This service creates and secures connections between HCX installations, supporting management, migration, replication, and disaster recovery operations. This service is deployed as a virtual appliance).

HCX vMotion (This migration method uses the VMware vMotion protocol to move a single virtual machine between HCX sites with no service interruption).

Bulk Migration Service (This service uses VMware vSphere Replication protocol to move virtual machines in parallel between HCX sites).

Disaster Recovery Service (The HCX Disaster Recover service replicates and protects virtual machines to a remote data center).

Replication Assisted vMotion (This service uses both VMware Replication and vMotion technologies for large-scale, parallel migrations with no service interruption).

VMware HCX Components:

Let’s start with the HCX Connector which provides the framework for multisite operations.

First you deploy one HCX Connector as an OVA per vCenter server instance, which integrates with the vCenter plugin.

VMware HCX appliances

HCX-IV

VMware HCX comprises a virtual management component at both the source and destination sites, and up to five types of VMware HCX Interconnect service appliances depending on the HCX license. VMware HCX services are configured and activated at the source site, and then deployed as virtual appliances at the source site, with a peer appliance at the destination site.

This appliance provides virtual machine mobility by using vSphere Replication, vSphere vMotion and Network File Copy (NFC) protocols. HCX Service use this technology for Bulk Migration Service, Replication Assisted vMotion.

HCX-WO

HCX WAN Optimization provides in-line data reduction and WAN applying WAN optimization techniques like the data de-duplication and line conditioning.

VMware HCX-NE

The HCX-Network Extension appliance provides a layer 2 extension from environments that use a vSphere Distributed switch or NSX networking.

When the Network Extension service is enabled on a Service Mesh, a pair of virtual appliances will be deployed: one in the source and one in the destination site.

HCX Sentinel Gateway Appliance

A Sentinel Gateway appliance and Sentinel Data Receiver appliance can migrate (non-vSphere) workload from on-premises data centers to the cloud.

the HCX Sentinel software must be installed on each virtual machine to be migrated.

This is the end of this part” VMware HCX: migrate your workload to the Cloud (and back) part 1″.

Soon I will post a brand-new post “VMware HCX: migrate your workload to the Cloud (and back) part 2” with focusing on installation and part 3 explaining how to migrate all the workload(s).

End of this post.

Disclaimer: This blog is based on my personal title and assumptions. No rights can be derived from this blog.