Recommended Switch Configuration

You can use a single VLAN-programmable switch to provide the management, provisioning, and data network infrastructure. However, for ease of management, you should install one VLAN-programmable switch for the management network, and a second VLAN-programmable switch for the provisioning and data network. Each management, provisioning, and data network should be assigned to separate subnets and VLANs.

In order to support firmware updates for the Sun Fire V20z and V40z servers, the management network switch should be configured to auto-negotiate link speed.

Ethernet connectivity recommendations

• The management network should be a 10/100 connection.

• The provisioning and data networks should be a 10/100/1000 (1 Gbyte) connection.

Considerations:

• The management network should be on a private subnet to ensure security.

• The provisioning network should be on a private subnet to ensure security.

• The data network should be on a public subnet accessible by the management server, manageable servers, and the corporate network.

  Due to the use of the DHCP protocol and the bandwidth requirements for OS provisioning, you might need to isolate the data network from the provisioning network.

• OS provisioning of Linux might fail if a delay occurs in the transmission of data between the management server and the manageable server. A long delay can result if the spanning tree option is enabled for the switch port connected to the manageable server port used for provisioning. To address this issue, you can disable the spanning tree option for the switch or for the switch ports connected to the manageable servers. Refer to your switch documentation for instructions about how to disable the spanning tree feature on your switch.