Which choice is correct when deploying a NSX Edge in a KVM only environment?

In a KVM-only environment, deploying NSX Edge on a bare-metal server is the most appropriate choice. This is because NSX Edge can be used as a virtual appliance that is deployed directly on a hypervisor infrastructure like KVM, but it can also be installed as a physical appliance to provide enhanced performance and capabilities. Physical deployments can be advantageous for environments that require high throughput, low latency, or specific network functions that benefit from direct hardware access.

Deploying on a bare-metal server allows you to leverage the full capabilities of NSX Edge without the overhead that might come with running it as a virtual machine in certain scenarios, thus maximizing performance. This choice is particularly relevant in environments where KVM is the hypervisor of choice and physical deployment can realize the full potential of network virtualizations, such as routing and firewalling services.

Other deployment options, like using an OVF template or a QCOW2 image, while common in virtualized environments, do not align with the specific characteristics of a pure KVM-only setup for deploying NSX Edge. Likewise, deploying on a physical switch does not apply as NSX Edge should be deployed either as a virtual appliance in a hypervisor environment or as a bare-metal server, rather than as a service