Virtual Distributed Switch; Prerequisites; Guidelines - Lenovo Flex System Fabric CN4093 Application Manual

Virtual Distributed Switch

Prerequisites

Guidelines

© Copyright Lenovo 2015
A virtual Distributed Switch (vDS) allows the hypervisor's NIC to be attached to
the vDS instead of its own virtual switch. The vDS connects to the vCenter and
spans across multiple hypervisors in a datacenter. The administrator can manage
virtual machine networking for the entire data center from a single interface. The
vDS enables centralized provisioning and administration of virtual machine
networking in the data center using the VMware vCenter server.
When a member is added to a distributed VM group, a distributed port group is
created on the vDS. The member is then added to the distributed port group.
Distributed port groups on a vDS are available to all hypervisors that are
connected to the vDS. Members of a single distributed port group can
communicate with each other.
Note: vDS works with ESX 4.0 or higher versions.
To add a vDS, use the command:
CN4093# virt vmware dvswitch add <datacenter name> <dvSwitch name>
[<dvSwitch‐version>]
Before adding a vDS on the CN4093, ensure the following:
VMware vCenter is fully installed and configured and includes a "bladevm"

administration account and a valid SSL certificate.
 A virtual distributed switch instance has been created on the vCenter. The vDS
version must be higher or the same as the hypervisor version on the hosts.
 At least two hypervisors are configured.
Before migrating VMs to a vDS, consider the following:
At any one time, a VM NIC can be associated with only one virtual switch: to the

hypervisor's virtual switch, or to the vDS.
Management connection to the server must be ensured during the migration.

The connection is via the Service Console or the Kernel/Management Interface.
 The vDS configuration and migration can be viewed in vCenter at the following
locations:
vDS: Home> Inventory > Networking

vDS Hosts: Home > Inventory > Networking > vDS > Hosts

Note: These changes will not be displayed in the running configuration on the
CN4093.
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Chapter 17: VMready