Which function is performed by the data plane?

The NSX Advanced Load Balancer (Avi) architecture separates the control plane (Controller) from the data plane (Service Engines). The data plane's primary function is to handle all data path traffic. This includes intercepting client requests, performing load balancing decisions, applying policies (e.g., WAF, SSL termination), and forwarding the processed traffic to the appropriate backend servers. All packet processing and forwarding tasks are exclusively handled by the Service Engines, which constitute the data plane.

A (Providing a REST API for automation): This is a control plane function, performed by the Avi Controller to allow programmatic management of the system. B (Communicating with the vCenter Server): This is a control plane function. The Avi Controller integrates with orchestrators like vCenter for SE deployment and network discovery. D (Managing the configuration of virtual services): This is a control plane function. The Avi Controller holds the central configuration and pushes it down to the Service Engines.

1. VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer Documentation, "Architecture and Components", Section: Data Plane. This section explicitly states, "The Avi Service Engines (SEs) are the data plane. They handle all data path operations..."

2. VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer Documentation, "Introduction to VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer", Section: Separation of Control Plane and Data Plane. This section clarifies that Service Engines are the distributed load balancers that forward traffic.