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

The Foundation of Virtualization
WHITEPAPER
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VIRTUAL MACHINE DEVICE QUEUES VMDQ
VMDq ooads data-packet sorting from the virtual switch in the
virtual machine monitor (VMM) vmkernel onto the network adapter,
which reduces processor overhead and improves overall eciency.
Data packets are sorted based on their MAC addresses, queued up
based on destination virtual machine (VM), and then routed to the
appropriate VMs by the VMM vmkernel virtual switch. A line rate
throughput of 9.3 Gbps was seen on a virtualized server as compared
to 4.2 Gbps without VMDq.
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For more information, see Intel’s VMDq
Web page.
6
SINGLE ROOT I/O VIRTUALIZATION SRIOV
The latest Intel
®
Ethernet server controllers support SR-IOV, a standard
created by the PCI* Special Interest Group (PCI-SIG*). Intel played a
key role in defining this specification. Using SR-IOV functionality, Intel
Ethernet Server Adapters can partition a physical port into multiple
virtual I/O ports called Virtual Functions (VFs). Using this mechanism,
each virtual I/O port or VF can behave as a single dedicated port
directly assigned to a VM. For more information, see Intel’s PCI-SIG
SR-IOV Primer.
7
DATA CENTER BRIDGING DCB
DCB enables better trac prioritization over a single interface, as well
as an advanced means for shaping trac on the network to decrease
congestion. 10GbE with DCB can also help some low-latency work-
loads, avoiding the need to upgrade to a special-purpose network to
meet latency requirements, thereby reducing total cost of ownership.
For more information, see Intel’s DCB Web page.
8
INTEL
®
VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY
FOR DIRECTED I/O INTEL
®
VTD
Intel VT-d enables the VMM to control how direct memory remapping
(DMA) is processed by I/O devices, so that it can assign an I/O resource
to a specific VM, giving unmodified guest OSs direct, exclusive access
to that resource without the need for the VMM to emulate device driv-
ers. For more information, see the Intel
®
Virtualization Technology for
Directed I/O Architecture Specification.
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inTel TeChnoloGies ThaT enaBle near-naTive performanCe
In a virtualized environment, realizing the performance benefits of 10GbE requires the means to mitigate software overhead.
To that end, features of Intel
®
Virtualization Technology
◊
improve networking performance.
10GbE with DCB can also help some low-latency workloads, avoiding
the need to upgrade to a special-purpose network to meet latency
requirements, thereby reducing total cost of ownership.