Specifications

VMware, Inc. 317
Chapter 11 Networking
virtual!machines’!resources!available!to!the!service!console!and!allowing!virtual!
machines!to!share!the!network!adapter!used!by!the!service!console.!
This!sharing!is!made!possible!by!the!vmxnet_console!driver,!which!is!installed!with!
the!service!console.!
Allowing the Service Console to Use the Virtual Machines’
Devices
All!network!adapters!used!by!virtual!machines!(that!is,!assigned!to!the!VMkernel)!and!
virtual!networks!can!be!made!accessible!to!the!service!console.!Virtual!
networks—identified!as!vmnet_<n>!on!the!Edit!Configuration!pane!of!the!VMware!
Management!Interface—provide!high‐speed!connections!among!virtual!machines!on!
the!same!physical!server.!
To!giv e
!the!service!console!access!to!VMkernel!network!adapters!and!virtual!networks,!
install!the!vmxnet_console!module.!When!you!install!it,!you!provide!a!list!of!
VMkernel!network!adapters!and!virtual!networks!that!the!vmxnet_console!module!
should!attach!to.!For!example,!if!the!VMkernel!had!an!adapter!named!vmnic1!and!a!
virtual!
network!named!vmnet_0!and!you!wanted!to!provide!access!to!them!from!the!
service!console,!use!the!following!command!to!install!the!vmxnet_console!module.!
insmod vmxnet_console devName=”vmnic1;vmnet_0”
The!devName!parameter!is!a!semicolon‐separated!list!of!names!of!VMkernel!network!
adapters!and!virtual!networks.!
When!you!install!the!module,!it!adds!the!appropriate!
number!of!eth<n>!devices!on!the!
service!console!in!the!order!that!you!list!the!VMkernel!network!adapter!and!virtual!
network!names!after!the!devName!parameter.!In!the!example!above,!if!the!service!
console!already!had!a!network!adapter!named!eth0,!when!you!load!vmxnet_console!
with!vmnic1!and!vmnet_0;!vmnic1
!is!seen!as!eth1!on!the!service!console!and!vmnet_0!
is!seen!as!eth2.!
After!the!eth<n>!devices!are!created!on!the!service!console,!bring!the!interfaces!up!in!
the!normal!manner.!For!example,!if!you!want!the!service!console!to!use!IP!address!
CAUTION VMware!recommends!that!only!advanced!users!make!these!configuration!
changes.!The!steps!below!are!easier!for!someone!who!is!familiar!with!
administering!a!Linux!system.!
NOTE If!you!bring!down!the!local!loopback!interface!while!you!are!reconfiguring!network!
devices,!the!VMware!Management!Interface!does!not!function!properly.!To!bring!it!back!
up,!use!the!command!ifconfig lo up.