topic Re: Management-Server: Addition NIC or VSX-Cluster? in General Topics

Management-Server: Addition NIC or VSX-Cluster?

Robert135242 — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 08:19:27 GMT

Hi,

we have a setup of
- 1 Management-Server
- 2 Node HA-Cluster
- Management-Network /29 size (don't ask...)
1.1.1.1: Cluster IP
1.1.1.2: Node 1
1.1.1.3: Node 2
1.1.1.4: Management-Server

Obviously this leaves two IP addresses unused within the subnet. I have added a drawing to show the setup.

Now the situation is:
We need to add a 2-Node VSX-Cluster, which will be managed by the existing Management-Server. Since there is only two IP addresses left in the /29, we have patched an additional NIC and gave the Management-Server an additional IP address (2.2.2.6/28), in order to manage the VSX-Cluster via this additional network.

My question:
IMHO there are two options to go proceed:

Go with the setup described above. This is also shown in the drawing (blue color is "new"). Has anybody done this setup and are there any caviats? As far as I remember, Check Point recommends having a single Management-network that contains all CP appliances.
Resize the existing /29 to a /28, which could be done with little effort, since the second half of the future /28 only containts idrac-Cards, which could be migrated easily into a new IP space.

Thank you very much in advance, appreciate your help!

Re: Management-Server: Addition NIC or VSX-Cluster?

_Val_ — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 08:42:18 GMT

The main issue that I see with the proposed setup is that you might cut off the VSX cluster from MGMT if the wrong policy is installed on the HA cluster, routing from Net 1 to Net 2.

I would indeed recommend extending the MGMT subnet to accommodate the new VSX cluster management IPs as an alternative.

Re: Management-Server: Addition NIC or VSX-Cluster?

Robert135242 — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 08:50:33 GMT

But the VSX Cluster is directly connected to the network (2.2.2.0/28) where also the management-server is directly connected. So in theory, this should not be a routing/policy issue?

Re: Management-Server: Addition NIC or VSX-Cluster?

Vincent_Bacher — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 08:53:46 GMT

You could perhaps cobble something together, but like Val, I would prefer to expand the management network and configure a clean setup instead of living with some makeshift crutches.