NetScaler VPX support matrix
This document lists the different hypervisors and features supported on a NetScaler VPX instance. The document also describes their usage guidelines and known limitations.
VPX instance on VMware ESX hypervisor
| ESXi version | ESXi release date (YYYY/MM/DD) | ESXi build number | NetScaler VPX version | Performance range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESXi 8.0 update 3b | 2024/09/17 | 24280767 | 14.1-21.x and higher builds | 10 Mbps to 100 Gbps
|
| ESXi 8.0 update 3 | 2024/06/25 | 24022510 | 14.1-21.x and higher builds | |
| ESXi 8.0 update 2c | 2024/05/21 | 23825572 | 14.1-21.x and higher builds | |
| ESXi 8.0 update 2b | 2024/02/29 | 23305546 | 14.1-17.x and higher builds | |
| ESXi 8.0 update 2 | 2023/09/21 | 22380479 | 14.1-17.x and higher builds | |
| ESXi 8.0 update 1 | 2023/04/18 | 21495797 | 14.1-4.x and higher builds | |
| ESXi 8.0c | 2023/03/30 | 21493926 | 14.1-4.x and higher builds | |
| ESXi 8.0 | 2022/10/11 | 20513097 | 14.1-4.x and higher builds | |
| ESXi 7.0 update 3q | 2024/05/21 | 23794027 | 14.1-21.x and higher builds | |
| ESXi 7.0 update 3p | 2024/04/11 | 23307199 | 14.1-17.x and higher builds | |
| ESXi 7.0 update 3o | 2023/09/28 | 22348816 | 14.1-12.x and higher builds | |
| ESXi 7.0 update 3n | 2023/07/06 | 21930508 | 14.1-8.x and higher builds | |
| ESXi 7.0 update 3m | 2023/05/03 | 21686933 | 14.1-4.x and higher builds |
Note:
Each ESXi patch support is validated on the NetScaler VPX version specified in the preceding table and is applicable for all the higher builds of NetScaler VPX 14.1 version.
For more information on usage guidelines, see Usage guidelines for VMware ESXi hypervisor.
VPX instance on XenServer or Citrix Hypervisor
| XenServer or Citrix Hypervisor version | SysID | Performance range |
|---|---|---|
| 8.4, supported from NetScaler VPX version 14.1 build 17.x onwards | 450000
|
10 Mbps to 40 Gbps
|
| 8.2, supported from NetScaler VPX version 13.0 build 64.x onwards | ||
| 8.0, 7.6, 7.1 |
VPX instance on Microsoft Hyper-V
| Hyper-V version | SysID | Performance range |
|---|---|---|
| 2016, 2019 | 450020 | 10 Mbps to 3 Gbps |
VPX instance on Nutanix AHV
NetScaler VPX is supported on Nutanix AHV through the Citrix Ready partnership. Citrix Ready is a technology partner program that helps software and hardware vendors develop and integrate their products with NetScaler technology for digital workspace, networking, and analytics.
For more information on a step-by-step method to deploy a NetScaler VPX instance on Nutanix AHV, see Deploying a NetScaler VPX on Nutanix AHV.
Third-party support:
If you experience any issues with a particular third-party (Nutanix AHV) integration on a NetScaler environment, open a support incident directly with the third-party partner (Nutanix).
If the partner determines that the issue appears to be with NetScaler, the partner can approach NetScaler support for further assistance. A dedicated technical resource from partners works with the NetScaler support team until the issue is resolved.
VPX instance on generic KVM
| Generic KVM version | SysID | Performance range |
|---|---|---|
| RHEL 7.6, RHEL 8.0, RHEL 9.3 | 450070
|
10 Mbps to 100 Gbps
|
| Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 22.04 |
Points to note:
Consider the following points while using KVM hypervisors.
-
The VPX instance is qualified for hypervisor release versions mentioned in table 1–4, and not for patch releases within a version. However, the VPX instance is expected to work seamlessly with patch releases of a supported version. If it does not, log a support case for troubleshooting and debugging.
- Before using RHEL 7.6, complete the following steps on the KVM host:
-
Edit /etc/default/grub and append
"kvm_intel.preemption_timer=0"toGRUB_CMDLINE_LINUXvariable. -
Regenerate grub.cfg with the command
"# grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg". -
Restart the host machine.
-
-
Before using Ubuntu 18.04, complete the following steps on the KVM host:
- Edit /etc/default/grub and append
"kvm_intel.preemption_timer=0"toGRUB_CMDLINE_LINUXvariable. - Regenerate grub.cfg with the command
"# grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg “. - Restart the host machine.
- Edit /etc/default/grub and append
VPX instance on public clouds
| Public cloud | SysID | Performance range |
|---|---|---|
| AWS | 450040 | 10 Mbps to 30 Gbps |
| Azure | 450020 | 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps |
| GCP | 450070 | 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps |
VPX features supported on hypervisors
| Hypervisors → | VPX on XenServer | VPX on VMware ESX | ||||
| ^^Features ↓ | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interfaces → | PV | SR-IOV | PV | SR-IOV | Emulated | PCI Passthrough | PV | PV | SR-IOV | PCI Passthrough |
| Multi-PE Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Clustering Support | Yes | Yes¹ | Yes | Yes¹ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes¹ | Yes |
| VLAN Tagging | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes(only on 2012R2) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Detecting Link Events/HAMon | No² | Yes³ | No² | Yes³ | No² | Yes³ | No² | No² | Yes³ | Yes³ |
| Interface Parameter Configuration | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Static LA | Yes² | Yes³ | Yes² | No | Yes² | Yes³ | Yes² | Yes² | Yes³ | Yes³ |
| LACP | No | Yes³ | Yes² | No | Yes² | Yes³ | No | Yes² | Yes³ | Yes³ |
| Static CLAG | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| LACP CLAG | No | No | Yes² | No | Yes² | Yes³ | No | Yes² | Yes³ | Yes³ |
| Hot-plug | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
VPX features supported on public clouds
| Public clouds → | VPX on AWS | VPX on Azure | VPX on GCP |
| ^^Features ↓ | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-PE Support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Clustering Support | No | No | No |
| VLAN Tagging | No | No | No |
| Detecting Link Events/HAMon | No² | No² | No² |
| Interface Parameter Configuration | No | No | No |
| Static LA | No | No | No |
| LACP | No | No | No |
| Static CLAG | No | No | No |
| LACP CLAG | No | No | No |
| Hot-plug | Yes | No | No |
The superscript numbers (1, 2, 3) used in the two preceding tables refers to the following points with respective numbering:
- Clustering support is available on SRIOV for client-facing and server-facing interfaces, and not for the backplane.
- Interface DOWN events are not recorded in NetScaler VPX instances.
- For Static LA, traffic might still be sent on the interface whose physical status is DOWN.
The following points apply to the respective features captured in the two preceding tables:
-
For LACP, the peer device knows the interface DOWN event based on the LACP timeout mechanism.
- Short timeout: 3 seconds
- Long timeout: 90 seconds
- For LACP, do not share interfaces across VMs.
- For Dynamic routing, convergence time depends on the Routing Protocol since link events aren’t detected.
- Monitored static Route functionality fails if you do not bind monitors to static routes because the Route state depends on the VLAN status. The VLAN status depends on the link status.
- Partial failure detection does not happen in high availability if there’s link failure. High availability-split brain condition might happen if there’s link failure.
- When any link event (disable/enable, reset) is generated from a VPX instance, the physical status of the link does not change. For static LA, any traffic initiated by the peer gets dropped on the instance.
- For the VLAN tagging feature to work, on the VMware ESX, set the port group’s VLAN ID to 1–4095 on the vSwitch of the VMware ESX server.
- Hot-plug is not supported on VPX instances with ENA interfaces, and the behavior of the instances can be unpredictable if hot-plugging is attempted. Hot adding is supported only for PV and SRIOV interfaces with NetScaler on AWS.
- Hot removing either through the AWS Web console or AWS CLI interface is not supported with the PV, SRIOV, and ENA interfaces for NetScaler. The behavior of the instances can be unpredictable if hot-removal is attempted.
Supported browsers
| Operating system | Browser and versions |
|---|---|
| Windows 7 | Internet Explorer- 8, 9, 10, and 11; Mozilla Firefox 3.6.25 and above; Google Chrome- 15 and above |
| Windows 64 bit | Internet Explorer - 8, 9; Google Chrome - 15 and above |
| MAC | Mozilla Firefox - 12 and above; Safari - 5.1.3; Google Chrome - 15 and above |
AMD processor support for VPX instances
From NetScaler release 13.1, the VPX instance supports both the Intel and AMD processors. VPX virtual appliances can be deployed on any instance type that has two or more virtualized cores and more than 2 GB memory. For more information on system requirements, see NetScaler VPX data sheet.
VPX platform vs. NIC matrix table
The following table lists the NICs supported on a VPX platform or cloud.
| NICs → | Mellanox CX-3 | Mellanox CX-4 | Mellanox CX-5 | Intel 82599 SRIOV VF | Intel X710/X722/XL710 SRIOV VF | Intel X710/XL710/XXV710 PCI-Passthrough Mode |
| ^^Platforms ↓ | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ | ^^ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VPX (ESXi) | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| VPX (Citrix Hypervisor) | NA | NA | NA | Yes | Yes | No |
| VPX (KVM) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| VPX (Hyper-V) | NA | NA | NA | No | No | No |
| VPX (AWS) | NA | NA | NA | Yes | NA | NA |
| VPX (Azure) | Yes | Yes | Yes | NA | NA | NA |
| VPX (GCP) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
Other References
-
For Citrix Ready products, visit Citrix Ready Marketplace.
-
For Citrix Ready product support, see the FAQ page.
-
For VMware ESX hardware versions, see Upgrading VMware Tools.
In this article
- VPX instance on VMware ESX hypervisor
- VPX instance on XenServer or Citrix Hypervisor
- VPX instance on Microsoft Hyper-V
- VPX instance on Nutanix AHV
- VPX instance on generic KVM
- VPX instance on public clouds
- VPX features supported on hypervisors
- VPX features supported on public clouds
- Supported browsers
- AMD processor support for VPX instances
- VPX platform vs. NIC matrix table
- Other References