3V0-42.23 VMware NSX 4.x Advanced Design Free Practice Exam Questions (2025 Updated)

RFC1918 Address Space (A)

VMwarerecommends using private IPv4 address rangesfromRFC1918. This ensures internal network segmentation without public exposure.

Allocatingone octet for region and another for functionhelps with structured IP management.

Subnet Sizing (D)

Using /24 subnetsis preferred inNSX-T designbecause:

Itsimplifies managementby offering256 usable IP addresses per subnet.

It preventsoverlapping IP issuesand ensuresbetter compatibility with firewalls and routers.

Floating Interface for VRRP/HSRP (E)

NSX-T supportsredundant gatewaysusingVRRP (Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol)orHSRP (Hot Standby Routing Protocol).

Thefloating IPacts as aredundant gateway, ensuringseamless failoverinmulti-gateway environments.

Incorrect Options:

(B - IPv6 RFC2460)→ NSX primarily usesIPv4for most enterprise deployments. IPv6 support is limited and requires additional configuration.

(C - /16 Subnets)→ Using/16 subnetsis impractical for micro-segmentation as it createslarger broadcast domainsand increasesnetwork overhead.

VMware NSX 4.x Reference:

VMware NSX-T Data Center Design Guide

NSX-T Best Practices for VLAN and Subnet Design

1. Understanding NSX-T Data Plane Functionality

The data plane is responsible for forwarding packets between workloads within the NSX environment.

It operates at the host level (ESXi/KVM transport nodes), using the N-VDS or vSphere VDS for network traffic forwarding.

2. Why "Manages Data Traffic" is the Correct Answer (B)

The data plane moves packets based on the forwarding decisions made by the control plane.

NSX uses the Geneve encapsulation protocol for overlay traffic.

Distributed Firewall (DFW) operates in the data plane to enforce security policies.

3. Why Other Options are Incorrect

(A - Controls Behavior):

This is the role of the Control Plane, not the Data Plane.

(C - Provides APIs):

APIs are part of the Management Plane.

(D - Handles Configuration):

Configuration is managed at the Control and Management Planes.

4. NSX-T Data Plane Design Considerations

Ensure that Transport Zones and TEPs (Tunnel Endpoints) are correctly configured.

Use DPDK-based acceleration for high-performance workloads.

Monitor data plane performance metrics using NSX Manager.

VMware NSX 4.x Reference:

NSX-T Data Plane Architecture and Design Guide

NSX-T Performance Optimization for Data Plane Traffic

Distributed Firewall for Multi-Tenant Security (Correct Answer - D):

NSX Distributed Firewall (DFW)enablestenant isolationat thevirtual machinelevel.

It enforcessecurity policies directly on vNICs, ensuringEast-West traffic controlwithout needing hardware firewalls.

This ensuresmulti-tenancy compliance, preventingcross-tenant communicationunless explicitly allowed.

Incorrect Options:

(A - Load Balancing):

NSX Load Balancerimprovesapplication availabilitybutdoes not provide traffic isolation.

(B - VLAN):

VLANs providebasic segmentationbutdo not offer granular controllikeDFW.

(C - NAT):

NAT providesIP address translationbutdoes not ensure tenant security.

VMware NSX 4.x Reference:

NSX-T Data Center Multi-Tenancy Design Guide

NSX-T Distributed Firewall Best Practices

NIC Type Selection for Uplink & Transport Node Profile (Correct Answer - A):

Theperformance and capacity of the physical NICsimpact theoverlay and VLAN transport traffic.

High-performance NICs (25G, 40G, 100G)enhancethroughput and reduce latency.

DPU-based NICs (Data Processing Units)improve performance byoffloading packet processing.

Incorrect Options:

(B - CPU & Memory Considerations):

While CPU/memory impactoverall NSX performance,they do not determine uplink/transport profile design.

(C - Number of VMs Per Host):

VM density affects overlay traffic, butuplink profile design depends on NIC configuration.

(D - Physical Location of ESXi Hosts):

Location is important for high availability, but it does notdirectly define uplink profiles.

VMware NSX 4.x Reference:

NSX-T Uplink Profile & Transport Zone Design Guide

NIC Performance Optimization for NSX-T

1. Understanding NSX Edge VM Deployment

NSX Edge VMs provide services like NAT, firewalling, VPN, and load balancing.

Manually deployed NSX Edge nodes must be configured to join the management plane before they can function properly.

2. Why "Joining the Management Plane" is Correct (B)

NSX Edge must register with NSX Manager, which operates in the management plane.

This allows Edge VMs to receive configurations, participate in Edge Clusters, and provide network services.

Without registration, the Edge VM will not receive the required control plane updates.

3. Why Other Options are Incorrect

(A - Installed on Host 1):

NSX Edge can be installed on any ESXi/KVM host.There isno restriction to a specific host.

(C - Registered to vCenter):

NSX Edge does not require vCenter Server registrationto function in an NSX-T environment.

(D - Connected to a VLAN Segment):

Edges can use either VLAN-backed or overlay-backed transport zones, butVLAN connectivity is not a strict requirement.

4. NSX Edge Deployment Best Practices

Ensure Edge nodes are properly connected to the management plane before configuring services.

Use Edge Clusters for high availability (HA) and load balancing of services.

Verify the correct Uplink Profile is used for external connectivity.

VMware NSX 4.x Reference:

NSX-T Edge Node Deployment Guide

NSX-T Management Plane and Control Plane Integration

Scalable Multi-Tier NSX Design (Correct Answer - A):

MultipleTier-1 Gatewaysdistribute traffic efficiently across workloads.

Single Tier-0 Gatewayprovidesconsistent external routing, simplifyingBGP/OSPF configuration.

Supportsmulti-tenancy and micro-segmentationwhile maintainingperformance scalability.

VMware NSX 4.x Reference:

NSX-T Multi-Tier Gateway Design Guide

NSX-T Scalability Best Practices

1. Importance of NSX Edge for North-South Traffic

NSX Edge nodes provide routing, NAT, firewall, and load balancing services for North-South traffic(external connectivity).

Active-Active Tier-0 Gateway provides maximum performance and resiliencyfor high traffic volume.

2. Why Active-Active Tier-0 with Multiple Edge Nodes is the Best Choice (D)

Supports Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) routing, distributing North-South traffic across multiple paths.

Provides better scalability and performance than Active-Standby mode.

Ideal for high-volume applications like e-commerce sitesthat require low-latency, high-throughput connections.

3. Why Other Options are Incorrect

(A - Single NSX Edge Node):

Single Edge Nodes introduce a single point of failure.

(B - Using a Physical Router for East-West Routing):

NSX handles East-West traffic internally using Distributed Routing.

(C - Active-Standby Tier-0 Gateway):

Active-Standby mode does not provide load balancing across multiple nodes.

4. NSX Edge and Tier-0 Gateway Design Considerations

Ensure sufficient bandwidth allocation for North-South traffic.

Use BGP or OSPF for dynamic route advertisement.

Configure ECMP for efficient multi-path forwarding.

VMware NSX 4.x Reference:

NSX-T Edge Node Scaling and Performance Best Practices

Tier-0 Gateway Active-Active vs. Active-Standby Deployment Guide

1. Understanding Link Aggregation in NSX

IP Hash and LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol) are methods for link aggregation used in NSX-T networking.

Both techniques allow multiple physical links to be combined into a logical interface for higher bandwidth and redundancy.

2. Why "IP Hash Uses a Hash Function, LACP Uses a Control Protocol" is Correct (C)

IP Hash:

Uses a hashing functionto distribute traffic based onsource and destination IP addresses.

It does not negotiate link aggregation dynamically.

LACP:

Uses a control protocolto dynamically negotiate and maintain aggregated links.

Automatically detects and manages failures in aggregated links.

3. Why Other Options are Incorrect

(A - IP Hash Uses Control Protocol):

IP Hash does not use a control protocol; it only applies a hash function.

(B - LACP Uses Hashing Instead of Control Protocol):

LACP does not use a hash function for traffic distribution; it uses a negotiation protocol.

(D - LACP Hashes MAC Instead of IP):

LACP does not perform hashing; it manages link aggregation dynamically.

4. NSX Best Practices for Link Aggregation

LACP is recommended for environments where dynamic link negotiation is required.

IP Hash is used in environments where static load balancing is preferred.

Ensure the correct uplink profile is assigned to NSX Transport Nodes for link aggregation.

VMware NSX 4.x Reference:

NSX-T Link Aggregation and NIC Teaming Best Practices

NSX-T Uplink Profile Design Guide

1. Why NSX Federation is the Right Solution (Correct Answer - C)

NSX Federation allows centralized management of multiple NSX environments across locations.

Enables seamless workload mobility and security policy enforcement across data centers.

Supports disaster recovery by ensuring consistent network and security policies are applied globally.

Key Benefits Include:

Global Security and Networking Policy Management.

Centralized Administration for all NSX deployments.

Automated failover and disaster recovery across sites.

2. Why Other Options are Incorrect

(A - VPNs Only):

VPNs alone do not provide unified management; they onlysecure site-to-site communication.

(B - Independent NSX Instances):

Managing separate NSX instances per site is complex and does not support global policy synchronization.

3. Key Considerations for NSX Federation Deployment

Each NSX site must be running the same NSX version and build.

A Global Manager (GM) is required for centralized management.

Inter-site connectivity must support high-performance and low-latency communication for real-time policy enforcement.

VMware NSX 4.x Reference:

NSX Federation Architecture and Deployment Guide

VMware NSX Federation for Multi-Data Center Management Best Practices

1. Understanding Constraints in NSX Design

A constraint is a limiting factor in a design that cannot be changed and must be worked around.

In this case, theorganization’s hosts are restricted to only two physical NICs, which can impact:

Overlay network design (Geneve traffic, TEPs allocation).

Traffic segmentation between management, storage, and data plane traffic.

High availability and redundancy configurations for NSX Edge and ESXi hosts.

2. Why "Hosts can only be configured with two physical NICs" is the Correct Answer (C)

NIC limitations can impact NSX-T Transport Node Profiles, asbest practices recommend at least 4 NICs(2 for management and vSAN, 2 for overlay transport).

With only two NICs, careful consideration must be given to:

Uplink Profile design (Active/Active vs. Active/Standby).

Physical redundancy using NIC teaming and VLAN segmentation.

Possible impact on performance if multiple types of traffic share the same NIC.

3. Why Other Options are Incorrect

(A - Dynamic Routing as a Constraint):

Dynamic routing (e.g., BGP, OSPF) is a design choice, not a hard constraint.

(B - CPU & Memory Availability in Management Cluster):

Having resources available is an enabler, not a constraint.

(D - IPv6 Applications):

IPv6 support is an NSX capability, not a constraint.

4. NSX Design Considerations for NIC-Constrained Hosts

Leverage VLAN-backed segments for underlay traffic.

Configure NIC teaming to optimize failover strategies.

Utilize Multi-TEP configurations to balance overlay traffic effectively.

Ensure NSX Edge nodes use DPDK-enabled NICs for high performance.

VMware NSX 4.x Reference:

NSX-T Transport Node Profile Design Guide

VMware Best Practices for NIC Teaming and Traffic Segmentation

NSX-T BGP and OSPF Routing Design Considerations

Key Design Considerations (Correct Answers - B, C, E):

Budget:Determineshardware, licensing, and NSX deployment costs.

Cost:AffectsNSX scalability, high availability, and feature selection.

Performance:Definesbandwidth requirements, throughput, and overlay network efficiency.

Incorrect Options:

(A - Backup):

Backup is anoperational consideration, not adesign alternative.

(D - Knowledge):

Whileengineers need NSX knowledge, this is not atechnical design factor.

(F - Security):

Security isimportantbut should be integrated intobudget and performance discussions.

VMware NSX 4.x Reference:

NSX-T Design and Architecture Best Practices

VMware Validated Design (VVD) for NSX

NSX Gateway Firewall for Multi-Tenancy (Correct Answer - C):

The NSX Gateway Firewall acts as an inter-tenant firewallbyisolating different tenants' networksto preventcross-tenant communication.

Ensuresmulti-tenancy security,per-tenant policy enforcement, andNorth-South traffic control.

Incorrect Options:

(A - Secures On-Prem to Cloud Communication):

This is handled byIPSec VPN, BGP, or NAT, not theGateway Firewall.

(B - Filters Intra-Tenant Traffic):

Intra-tenant filteringis the responsibility of theNSX Distributed Firewall (DFW), not theGateway Firewall.

(D - User-Based Access Control):

Identity-Based Firewall (IDFW)controls access based on user authentication, notnetwork segmentation.

VMware NSX 4.x Reference:

NSX-T Multi-Tenancy and Security Isolation Best Practices

NSX Gateway Firewall Deployment Guide

Multi-Tier Architecture & Stateful Services (Correct Answer - A):

InNSX-T, amulti-tier architectureconsists ofTier-0 (T0) and Tier-1 (T1) Gateways, allowing bettercontrol and placement of stateful servicessuch as:

Load Balancers (LBs)

NAT (Network Address Translation)

Firewall Rules (DFW, Gateway FW)

VPN Services

Tier-1 Gatewayscan be configured to handlestateful services, whileTier-0 Gatewaysfocus on routingNorth-South trafficefficiently.

Incorrect Options:

(B - Cost-Effective for Simple Networks):

Multi-tier architectureis not necessarily cost-effective for simple networks. Instead, asingle-tier deploymentmight be more suitable.

(C - Simplifies Network Topology by Consolidation):

Multi-tiersegregates servicesrather than consolidating them. Itseparates East-West and North-South traffic flowsfor better performance.

(D - Eliminates the Need for EVPN):

Ethernet VPN (EVPN)is a control plane solution forVXLAN overlay networks, mainly used inmulti-site or multi-data center deployments. It isindependentof the multi-tier architecture.

VMware NSX 4.x Reference:

VMware NSX-T Multi-Tier Design Guide

NSX-T Data Center Routing and Gateway Configuration Best Practices

Advantages of a Centralized NSX Gateway Architecture (Correct Answer - D):

Scalability:

A centralizedTier-0 Gatewayallows forconsistent external connectivityacross multiple NSX instances.

Redundancy:

Active-Active and Active-Standbyconfigurations providehigh availability (HA).

Faster Failover:

BGP/OSPF dynamic routingensuresrapid recovery in case of gateway failure.

Incorrect Options:

(A - Load Balancing & Troubleshooting):

Load balancing is handled by NSX Advanced Load Balancer, not centralized gateways.

(B - Simplified Network Design & Security):

While securityimproves, this answermisses key benefits like failover and redundancy.

(C - Network Visibility & Application Performance):

Visibility and performancedepend on monitoring tools, not justgateway centralization.

VMware NSX 4.x Reference:

NSX-T Gateway and Routing Best Practices

NSX-T High Availability and Failover Design Guide