Simplify VMware vSphere* 4 Networking with Intel Ethernet 10 Gigabit Server Adapters

The Benefits of Virtualization
Come with Limitations
The original value proposition embraced
bymanyorganizationswhentheyrst
considered virtualizing their data centers
still holds. By consolidating servers, they
sought to take optimal advantage of the
growing headroom from increasingly
powerful servers while also reducing
infrastructure requirements. The key
benetstheseorganizationssoughtto
derive included the following:
•Efficiency and simplicity. Having fewer
physical hosts in the data center creates
a simpler topology that can be more
effectively managed.
•Lower capital costs. Buying smaller
numbers of servers and cutting the
requirements for the supporting
infrastructure, such as switches,
racks, and cables, potentially delivers
very large capital savings.
•Reduced operating expenses.
Lower power consumption and cooling
requirements combined with greater
agility from simplified provisioning and
novel usage models such as automated
load balancing can cut day-to-day costs.
Unfortunately, the success achieved by
many organizations in attaining these
benetsislimitedbythecomplexitythat
has arisen from networking virtualized
servers with GbE.
Today’s Reality: Undue Complexity
from Gigabit Ethernet Solutions
The common practice when deploying
virtualized hosts has been to segregate
network functions onto dedicated GbE
ports, adding additional ports as demand
for bandwidth increases. These ports
are often installed in pairs to provide
network failover, doubling the number of
ports required per host. As a result, the
number of network ports has a tendency
to become bloated, leading to excessive
complexity.
This practice came about in large part
because many administrators did not
fully understand or have experience with
server virtualization. The following factors
also played a role:
•Physical server network connection
paradigms were extended to virtual
infrastructures, leading to the use
of separate physical connections to
segment traffic and provide required
bandwidth.
•Previous VMware versions required
a dedicated connection for virtual
machines (VMs) and for each of multiple
traffic types, such as VM traffic, service
console connections, IP storage, VMware
VMotion*, and so on.
•Security procedures have often led
network administrators to physically
segregate traffic onto separate ports
since 802.1Q trunking to the host was
not allowed and was reserved for switch-
to-switch traffic.
Table of Contents
Overview ........................ 1
The Benets of Virtualization
Come with Limitations ............ 2
Today’s Reality: Undue
Complexity from Gigabit Ethernet
Solutions ........................ 2
The Solution: Refresh
Infrastructure with 10 Gigabit
Ethernet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Best Practices to Achieve
Near-Native Performance ......... 4
Best Practice 1: Use Virtual
Distributed Switches to
Maximum Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Best Practice 2: Streamline
 CongurationUsingPortGroups . . .5
Best Practice 3: Use VLANs with
VLAN Trunking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Best Practice 4: Use Dynamic
Logical Segmentation Across
Two 10GbE Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Best Practice 5: Proactively
VMotion VMs Away from
Network Hardware Failures . . . . . . . .5
Customer Concerns: Security, Trafc
Segmentation, and Bandwidth . . . . 6
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2
Simplify VMware vSphere* 4 Networking with Intel® Ethernet 10 Gigabit Server Adapters