Deploying VMware VSAN 6.2 with vCenter Integrated - Part 3 - | Exit | the | Fast

Part 1 - Architecture, Prep & Cluster Deployment

Part 2 - vCenter Deployment and Configuration

Part 3 - Network Configuration (you are here)

Part 4 - Troubleshooting: things that can go wrong

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Network Configuration

My new three node VSAN cluster is humming along just fine on the default VSS but to take this to the next level, I'm going to migrate the environment to a Virtual Distributed Switch (vDS). The desired end state architecture should look like the image below once complete.

First step create and name the new DSwitch.

Select the number of uplinks required. For my purposes I'll be using two uplinks with all vmnics balanced between them to provide redundancy across both ports.

Build Distributed Port Groups (DPG) for each network or service grouping you require, including for the purpose of assigning specific IPs in different VLANs to VMKs.

Add hosts to the DSwitch and migrate the networking, this can be done one by one or as a group by using template mode. Be very careful automating any kind of VCSA migration at this stage!

Select which tasks you want to complete as part of this operation. Do NOT migrate the VCSA as part of this task, strongly recommend you do that via a separate step.

Assign physical NICs (vmnics) to the uplink port group DVUplinks. Make sure that your vmnics are balanced across the DVUplinks. Notice below that I'm migrating vmnic0 which is currently assigned to the local VSS.

Migrate the VMkernel adapters to the new DSwitch. Here I'll be moving VMK0 on the local VSS to the new DPG DPortGroupMgmt.

Evaluate the impact and execute the operation. Once complete we can see that VMK0 has successfully migrated along with the host's vmnics, to the new DSwitch topology.

Repeat this step on the remaining hosts that are not hosting the VCSA! For the host running the VCSA, migrate only one vmnic to the DSwitch, leaving the other vmnic active on the local VSS. This is very important, if you deprive the VCSA of network connectivity, bad things happen. Here I'll be assigning only the vmnic currently unused by the host, vmnic0 attached to vSwitch0 must remain intact right now.

As an additional precaution, don't migrate VMK0 of this host yet, we need to first configure the VCSA with a vNIC attached to the DSwitch. As long as the IP and VLAN will be the same you can make this change hot with no disruption.

Now it's safe to migrate vmk0 and the remaining vmnic attached to the VSS vSwitch0 to the new DSwitch.

Here is the updated topology view with all host vmnics, VMKs and the VCSA migrated to the new DSwitch.

Next create additional VMKs on DPortGroups to isolate services like vMotion and VSAN if desired which can be done at the host level or via the DSwitch host manage dialogs.

If you will be turning up new VMKs for VSAN, make sure to have the new VMKs on all hosts configured and communicating before disabling this service on the old VMKs!

Part 1 - Architecture, Prep & Cluster Deployment

Part 2 - vCenter Deployment and Configuration

Part 3 - Network Configuration (you are here)

Part 4 - Troubleshooting: things that can go wrong