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Configuring PVRDMA on VMware vSphere
8 PVRDMA Deployment and Configuration of QLogic CNA devices in VMware ESXi | Technical White
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2 Configuring PVRDMA on VMware vSphere
This section describes how PRDMA is configured as a virtual NIC when assigned to virtual machines and
steps to enable it on host and guest operating systems. This section also includes the test results when using
PVRDMA on virtual machines.
Note: Ensure that the host is configured and meets the prerequisites to enable PVRDMA.
2.1 VMware ESXi host configuration
Dell EMC PowerEdge servers with VMware ESXi host installed are used to validate and test the functionality
of RDMA. Note the IP addresses and vmnic names as they are used to set nodes and parameters.
2.1.1 Checking host configuration
To check host configuration, do the following:
1. Enable SSH access to the VMware ESXi server.
2. Log in to the VMware ESXi vSphere command-line interface with root permissions.
3. Verify that the host is equipped with an adapter card which supports RDMA or RoCE.
2.1.2 Deploying PVRDMA on VMware vSphere
A vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS) must be created before deploying PVRDMA. It provides for a centralized
management and monitoring of the networking configurations for all the hosts that are associated with the
switch. A distributed switch must be set up on a vCenter Server system, and the settings are propagated to all
the hosts associated with this switch.
To start the deployment process:
1. Create a vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS). For more information about how to create a vDS, see
Setting Up Networking with vSphere Distributed Switches.
2. Configure vmnic in each VMware ESXi host as an Uplink 1 for vDS.
Configure vmnic in each ESXI host as an Uplink for vDS.