The Oracle Virtual Networking host drivers are available in different OSes based on specific kernel versions on which the OS is built. Oracle Virtual Networking host drivers can be either unbundled or embedded:
Unbundled host drivers are not part of the host OS and must be downloaded as a separate package and installed after the OS is installed.
Embedded host drivers are part of the host OS. No separate package is required, but if you want to use Oracle Virtual Networking, you must activate the host drivers.
You can choose to use unbundled host drivers or embedded host drivers. Depending on the type of host driver you choose, you need to perform the following:
For unbundled host drivers – Install the host drivers with the base kernel. If you want to leave the host drivers unbundled, refer to the Oracle Virtual Networking product notes for the host OS for information about installing and activating the host drivers.
For embedded host drivers – Install the host drivers with the base kernel version, then upgrade to the latest version of Oracle Virtual Networking host driver, which contains the latest kernel and embedded host drivers. After upgrading to an OS that is equal to or greater than the final kernel version, the host drivers are embedded into the OS. You can use the procedures in this document to activate the Oracle Virtual Networking host drivers.
The host drivers for Oracle Enterprise Linux or Oracle VM contain the following component modules:
The vNIC module provides virtual network interface controller services.
The vHBA module provides virtual host bus adapter services.