Creating your first subnet

Google Cloud VMware Engine creates a network for each private cloud and uses VLANs for network management. For workload virtual machines (VMs), you create subnets as network segments on NSX-T Manager for your private cloud. VMware Engine includes NSX-T for workload networking and security features such as microsegmentation and firewall policies. This page explains how to create subnets for your workloads using NSX-T Manager.

Before you begin

This quickstart assumes that you have done the following:

  1. Created a Google Cloud VMware Engine private cloud. You can create one by completing the following quickstart: Creating your first private cloud.
  2. Allocated address ranges in your network for the following purposes:
    • A DHCP service
    • A subnet for the NSX-T workload network segment

Access NSX-T Manager from the VMware Engine portal

The process of creating a subnet happens in NSX-T, which you access through VMware Engine:

  1. Access the VMware Engine portal.
  2. From the main navigation, go to Resources.
  3. Click the Private cloud name corresponding to the private cloud where you want to create the subnet.
  4. On the details page of your private cloud, click the vSphere Management Network tab.
  5. Click the FQDN corresponding to NSX Manager.
  6. When prompted, enter your sign-in credentials. As a reminder, you can retrieve generated credentials from the private cloud details page.

If you've set up vIDM and connected it to an identity source, such as Active Directory, use your identity source credentials instead.

Set up DHCP service for the subnet

Before you can create a subnet, set up a DHCP service:

  1. In NSX-T, go to Networking > DHCP. The networking dashboard shows that the service creates one tier-0 and one tier-1 gateway.

  2. To begin provisioning a DHCP server, click Add DHCP Profile.

  3. In the DHCP name field, enter a name for the profile.

  4. For Profile type, select DHCP server.

  5. In the Server IP address column, provide a DHCP service IP address range.

  6. Click Save to create the DHCP service.

Next, attach this DHCP service to the relevant tier-1 gateway. A default tier-1 gateway has already been provisioned by the service:

  1. In NSX-T, go to Networking > Tier-1 Gateways.
  2. Click the vertical ellipses next to your tier-1 gateway and select Edit.
  3. In the DHCP field, click the Set DHCP Configuration link.
  4. Set Type to DHCP Server and select the DHCP Server Profile that you just created.
  5. Click Save.
  6. Click Close Editing.

You can now create a network segment in NSX-T. For more information about DHCP in NSX-T, see the VMware documentation for DHCP.

Create a network segment in NSX-T

For workload VMs, you create subnets as NSX-T network segments for your private cloud:

  1. In NSX-T, go to Networking > Segments.
  2. Click Add Segment.
  3. In the Segment Name field, enter a name for your segment.
  4. In the Connected Gateway list, select Tier1 to connect to the tier-1 gateway.
  5. In the Transport zone list, select TZ-OVERLAY | Overlay.
  6. In the Subnets column, enter the subnet range. Specify the subnet range with .1 as the last octet. For example, 10.12.2.1/24.
  7. Click Set DHCP Config, and provide values for the DHCP Ranges field.
  8. Click Apply to save your DHCP configuration.
  9. Click Save. You can now select this network segment in vCenter when creating a VM.

In a given region, you can advertise at most 100 unique routes from VMware Engine to your VPC network using private services access. For example, those unique routes include private cloud management IP address ranges, NSX-T workload network segments, and HCX network IP address ranges. This route limit includes all private clouds in the region and corresponds to the Cloud Router learned route limit.

For information about routing limits, see Cloud Router Quotas and limits.

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