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10 Configuring iSCSI Connectivity with VMware vSphere 6 and Dell PS Series Storage | TR1075
6 Part 1: Configure vSwitches
This paper discusses two ways to configure the virtual switches in ESXi: vSphere Standard Switches (vSS) or
vSphere Distributed Switches (vDS). Either method is viable for the environment and will depend on the
administrator’s familiarity with the method along with the VMware license structure in the environment.
Administrators should choose one method and apply it to their entire ESXi cluster for ease of configuration
and management. The steps are very similar but will be described in detail for each method.
Note: vDS requires the VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus license.
6.1 vSphere Standard Switch configuration
Note: If you are using vDS for iSCSI connectivity, skip these steps and go to the section, vSphere
Distributed Switch configuration.
In the following example, an MPIO compatible standard vSwitch with two physical network adapters is
created. If adding more than two physical adapters, repeat the relevant steps.
6.1.1 Step 1: Configure standard vSwitch
This step will create a new standard vSwitch designed for use with MPIO iSCSI traffic
1. From the vSphere Web Client GUI, select the ESXi host to be configured, click the Actions drop-
down menu, and select Add Networking. This brings up the Add Network Wizard.
2. Select VMkernel Network Adapter and click Next.