Enable or disable Enhanced DataPath (EDP) for clusters without Transport Node Profiles (TNP) in NSX 4.2.x

Products

• VMware NSX

Issue/Introduction

This article provides a standalone script and procedure to automate the enablement or disablement of Enhanced DataPath (EDP) for NSX clusters that do not utilize Transport Node Profiles (TNP). This tool is intended for environments where manual host configuration is not feasible due to scale.

For clusters utilizing TNP, refer to Enabling EDP Standard in Active Environments for the appropriate scripts.

Environment

VMware NSX 4.2.x

Cause

The standard NSX Manager UI and API workflows for EDP adoption typically rely on Transport Node Profiles. For clusters managed individually and without a global TNP, a standalone automation script is required to coordinate maintenance mode and host-switch configuration.

Resolution

Prerequisites

WARNING: This script and procedure only applies to 4.2.x. It is not for 9.x.

1. Ensure pNICs are ENS and INTR capable. Refer to How to enable Enhanced DataPath (EDP) Standard mode on an NSX-enabled cluster for verification steps.
2. Download the uens-enable-425-v2.tgz package attached to this article.

Procedure

1. Copy the uens-enable-425-v2.tgz archive to the /tmp directory of an NSX Manager.
2. Log in to the NSX Manager CLI as root via SSH.
3. Navigate to the application directory:
   bash

   # > cd /opt/vmware/migration-coordinator-tomcat/bin

4. Backup the existing adoption directory:
   bash

   # > mv uens-adoption uens-adoption-bak

5. Extract the new tool:
   bash

   # > tar -xvzf /tmp/uens-enable-425-v2.tgz

6. Update folder ownership:
    bash

   # > chown -R umc:umc uens-adoption

7. Navigate to the configuration directory:
   bash

   # > cd uens-adoption/config/

8. Create and edit the config.json file. Refer to the README file in the same directory for the required schema to construct the file.
9. Configure the desired state in config.json:
   • To Enable EDP: Set "switch_to_enhanced_datapath_mode": true.
   • To Disable EDP: Set "switch_to_enhanced_datapath_mode": false.
   • Non-TNP Clusters: Leave the tnp_id_to_apply field empty.
10. Execute the script and monitor the logs

# > python enable_uens.py -f "/var/log/enable_uens_config.json" 2>&1 | tee -a /var/log/enable_uens.log

Note: This script execution time varies based on the number of hosts in the cluster. Verify the switch mode in the NSX UI once execution completes.