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VMware NSX — Group Export

Group Export also works against VMware NSX: it pushes a Connect Group's members to an NSX Group under NSX's Policy API, kept in sync automatically. The mechanics mirror Panorama Group Export, but the target is an NSX Group instead of a Dynamic Address Group.

Each Connect Group targeting an NSX account becomes one NSX Group, tagged so it's clearly identifiable as FireMon-managed. Every sync fully replaces that NSX Group's membership with the Connect Group's current members — so the NSX Group always reflects exactly what Connect has, with no manual reconciliation needed.

Set up a VMware NSX account

  1. In Connect, go to Settings > Accounts and add a new account.
  2. Cloud Provider: VMware NSX. Give it an account ID and name.
  3. Save — you land on the Provision page. Fill in:
    • Connector — the Connector you paired earlier. (Required for NSX.)
    • NSX Manager Host — your NSX Manager's hostname or IP address.
    • Username / Password — an NSX user with permission to create/update Groups.
    • Manager TypeLocal Manager (the default, and the common case for a single NSX site) or Global Manager (Federation) if you're connecting to an NSX Federation Global Manager. Objects created on a Global Manager propagate to every federated site, so make sure this is what you intend.
    • Allow Self-Signed Certificate — turn this on only if your NSX Manager uses a self-signed certificate (NSX Managers ship with one by default). Leave it off if you've installed a certificate from a publicly trusted CA.
  4. Save.

The Connector picks up the account on its next poll (within ~30 seconds).

Export a Group

Same as Panorama: create or edit a Group under Groups in Connect, set Update to Automatic, and add your NSX account under Export To. A Group can target Panorama and NSX accounts at the same time.

Verify it landed

In the NSX Manager UI, go to Inventory > Groups and look for a group named after your Connect Group. Its View Members panel shows the CIDRs/IPs pushed from Connect.

NSX applies the change asynchronously after accepting it, so allow a short delay for the group to fully realize before it's usable in policy.

What happens when you change things

ActionResult
Edit the Group's filtersMembership recalculates on save and the NSX Group's members are replaced on the next sync.
A resource gains/loses a matching tagAutomatic groups pick up the change on the next refresh and re-sync to NSX.
Rename the GroupThe NSX Group's display name updates; its identity (and any policy referencing it) is preserved.
Add/remove a target under Export ToMembers sync to the new target and are removed from any dropped target.
Delete the GroupThe NSX Group is left in place — FireMon never deletes objects in NSX, to avoid disrupting live enforcement. Delete it manually in NSX Manager if it's no longer needed.

For common issues, see Troubleshooting.