Deploying and Upgrading HCX in Air-Gapped Environments

Products

• VMware HCX

Issue/Introduction

This article provides guidance on deploying and operating HCX in environments without internet access, and available upgrade option.

 

Environment

VMware HCX

Resolution

HCX requires internet access for initial product activation and periodic entitlement checks. However, air-gap mode is specifically designed for dark-site environments that operate without internet connectivity. When air-gap mode is selected during deployment, no internet connections are established during the activation process. For further details, please refer to the link provided below.

https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-cis/hcx/vmware-hcx/4-11/vmware-hcx-user-guide-4-11/preparing-for-hcx-installations/hcx-activation-and-licensing/understanding-air-gapped-site-licensing-mode.html

The domain connect.hcx.vmware.com is a public endpoint requiring internet access. The KB article below describes checking internet connectivity for service disconnection does not apply to air-gap deployments because the HCX Manager is licensed locally.

https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/323664/hcx-service-disconnected.html

Due to dark-site environments do not have internet access, upgrading HCX requires manually downloading the offline upgrade bundle from the support website. The upgrade bundle filename has a .tar.gz extension. Please refer to the instructions below for the upgrade process.

https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-cis/hcx/vmware-hcx/4-10/vmware-hcx-user-guide-4-10/updating-vmware-hcx/hcx-service-update-procedures/upgrade-hcx-manager-for-local-sites.html