If your servers have multiple NICs and your switching infrastructure supports VLANs, there may be some scenarios where you need to set up a hybrid network that utilizes a combination of VLANs and network bonds or ports. Consider a situation where some of the servers within a pool are connected to a switch that is configured for VLANs, while another group of servers with multiple NICs is connected to a switch that does not offer VLAN support. In this situation, a network can be created that uses the VLAN Interfaces defined for the first set of servers, but uses ports or bonds for the second set of servers.
Since these network types are using a combination of technologies, they are also the most complex to plan for. Therefore, performing adequate preparation work is essential and can help avoid confusion when you are configuring networks within Oracle VM Manager.
Maintain a list of all of the Oracle VM Servers for each server pool. Ensure that the list includes the information for each port on each server. If the server is configured to use network bonding, list the bonds and include the actual physical NICs that are part of the bond.
Group together servers that are going to use VLANs and servers that are only using ports or bonds. For the servers that are using ports or bonds, ensure that the IP address and subnet information is listed. For servers using VLANs, you should list the VLAN segment IDs on each port or bond. Make a note of the IP address and subnet information for each VLAN segment. If your network traffic is routed, also include the default gateway IP address here.
For each logical network that you intend to create, list the channels that the network can support. Ensure that the components that are used within each channel of the network are all physically connected to the same network and that the VLAN segments on each port or bond are configured correctly on your switches. Also ensure that for each server not using VLAN technology, the cabling is correct for each network port and that the components within each channel are all connected to the same network.
With all of this information, you are ready to begin configuration. It is important to bear the following points in mind:
All servers that you wish to include in a network must have already been discovered in Oracle VM Manager.
If you are using network bonds, you must create these on each of your servers before you begin adding networks or creating VLAN Interfaces.
You must create VLAN Interfaces before you start adding networks.
When creating a VLAN Interface, you provide the following information:
The port on the server where VLAN traffic for the VLAN ID or segment is routed.
The VLAN ID that the VLAN Interface should handle.
And, optionally, the IP address to assign to each port or VLAN interface.
Note that when actually creating VLAN Interfaces for a server, the Oracle VM Manager Web Interface provides the facility to generate multiple VLAN Interfaces for a range of VLAN IDs in a single step, reducing the amount of work involved in configuring each VLAN segment.
Ensure that servers that are not using VLAN Interfaces are added to the network and that the correct port or bond is added to the network.
Finally for the servers using VLAN Interfaces, add the appropriate VLAN interfaces to the network.