topic Re: Adding Uplinks and VLANs on a new dHCI Install in Array Setup and Networking

Adding Uplinks and VLANs on a new dHCI Install

PS-NP — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 13:40:03 GMT

We just set up a new dHCI install. 3 DL360 hosts and one Alletra 6050 storage. Long story short, we can successfully migrate a VM from an old vCenter (6.7) to the new (7.0.3). But after the VM arrives, it cannot communicated back to the production network. The same VLANs on the old vCenter are allowed on the ports on the 2 new Mellanox switches.

Where do I need to look at networking to allow the VM (static IP) to communicate back to existing production VLANs?

Do I need to do something with the TCP/IP stack, routing and gateways?

Should I create a port group in trunk mode, allow all VLANs and let the vmk IPs handle it; or create a port group for each VLAN (we have about 6 VLANs)?

There are 2 additional NIC ports on each host we want to use for VM traffic and keep them off the management VLAN. I can't seem the VM to communicate on a new vswitch using the aditional ports either. Is it safe to add additional NICs to the default dHCI vswitch?

Re: Adding Uplinks and VLANs on a new dHCI Install

PS-NP — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 13:40:51 GMT

Without writing a novel about our network configuration here's what the fix was/is.

I got our network guy on the line to step through a bunch of stuff. We verified the Mellanox switch and core switch settings (no changes made). Ping a few things and watched them die. He and I are prety sure it's a VMware network issue.

So, I have him watch me set up a distributed virtual switch, add the physical NICs, set up a port group with the specific VLAN, and add the VMKs with the correct IPV4 settings. Then I put the test VM on the new port group and it worked.

I don't know what I was doing incorrect previously, but now it's working. Trunking didn't work, I had to create specific VLANs.

Additionally, cross vCenter Motion was broken initially. We had to allow the old vCenter management VLAN (different from the new one) specifically on the Mellanox dHCI management ports. We also allowed other VLANs related to various, current VM traffic on both the Mellanox management ports and the ports the new vswitch uplinks use for VM traffic.

For us, this seems to be resolved.

Re: Adding Uplinks and VLANs on a new dHCI Install

Sunitha_Mod — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 06:09:16 GMT

Hello @PS-NP,

Perfect!

We are glad to know you were able to resolve the issue and we appreciate you for keeping us updated.