Which NSX-T functionality enables service chaining?

Service Insertion is the functionality in NSX-T that enables service chaining. This capability allows for the integration of third-party services into the virtual networking environment, facilitating a streamlined workflow for traffic management. By using service insertion, administrators can configure the NSX-T environment to direct packets through a sequence of services or virtual appliances, such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, or application delivery controllers, based on specific policies.

This chaining of services can significantly enhance security and orchestration processes by allowing traffic to seamlessly flow through various services without needing to modify the underlying routing or switching infrastructure. The ability to dynamically insert these services into the data path provides flexibility and responsiveness in managing network demands.

Other functionalities, while integral to the NSX-T framework, serve different purposes. Load Balancing focuses on distributing traffic efficiently across multiple resources, the Distributed Firewall provides security policies at a granular level within the virtual network, and the Service Gateway operates as a conduit between different networks. However, none of these directly enable the service chaining functionality that Service Insertion does.