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In what was a slightly quiet announcement, VMware NSX Data Center for vSphere 6.4.4 was released just two days ago on Thursday 13th December 2018. Unsure as to why this was such a hushed release as there are a number of cool items to shout about.

Other than the usual resolved issues, 6.4.4 has had a much awaited functionality update. Specifically, we are now able to manage Logical Switches, perform Edge Appliance management, Edge Services (DHCP, NAT), Edge Certificates, and Edge Grouping Objects, all from the HTML 5 vSphere Client. Until 6.4.4, these features were only available via the legacy Flex vSphere Web Client, forcing NSX administrators to jump between the two difference consoles.

Upgrade Procedure

As we’ve come to know and love from NSX, the upgrade itself is simple. The One Click Upgrade procedure detailed in my previous post, VMware NSX for vSphere 6.4.1 – One Click Upgrade, is still valid and follows exactly the same upgrade procedure.

VMware NSX Data Center for vSphere 6.4.4 - Manager Upgrade
NSX Manager Upgrade
VMware NSX Data Center for vSphere 6-4-4 - Installation and Upgrade
The ease of a One-Click Update!

Logical Switch Management

We are now able to manage Logical Switches with 6.4.4 via the HTML 5 vSphere Client, something we’ve been begging for for sometime, and we have the addition of some basic (yet quite advantageous) troubleshooting tools.

VMware NSX Data Center for vSphere 6.4.4 - Logical Switches
VMware NSX Data Center for vSphere 6.4.4 – Logical Switches
VMware NSX Data Center for vSphere 6-4-4 - Logical Switch - Troubleshooting
Logical Switch – Troubleshooting Tools

NSX Edge Management

Again, we’ve been waiting for this feature for a while, and it’s finally here. A nice new dashboard view for each Edge is a great addition, as well as general Appliance Settings, and Interface details.

VMware NSX Data Center for vSphere 6-4-4 - NSX Edges - Status Dashboard
NSX Edges – Status Dashboard
VMware NSX Data Center for vSphere 6-4-4 - NSX Edges - Appliance Status
NSX Edges – Appliance Status
VMware NSX Data Center for vSphere 6-4-4 - NSX Edges - Interfaces
NSX Edges – Interfaces

Currently Unsupported Functionality

Despite the latest release, there is still a number of features not available in the HTML 5 vSphere Client. Still, little by little, we’re getting there, and this latest release has almost brought us to 100% NSX feature parity.

Functional Area Unsupported Functionality in the vSphere Client
Service Definitions All functionality, including:
Guest Introspection Services
Network Introspection Services
Hardware Devices
NSX Edges Edge – Routing
Edge – Bridging
Edge – Firewall
Edge – Load Balancer
Edge – VPN
Service Composer Service Composer Canvas
Tools: Endpoint Monitoring All functionality
Tools: Flow Monitoring Flow Monitoring Dashboard
Details by Service
Configuration
System: Users and Domains Users
System: Events SNMP Events
NSX Ticket Logger
Cross-VC NSX Universal Logical Router
NSX Home Getting Started
License Information
Customer Experience Improvement Program

As always, please check the VMware Product Interoperability Matrices before updating.

Further Reading

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