Configuring Distributed Virtual Switches in Cisco UCS

This chapter includes the following sections:

Distributed Virtual Switches

The Cisco UCS distributed virtual switch (DVS) is a software-based virtual switch that runs along side the vSwitch in the ESX hypervisor and can be distributed across multiple ESX hosts. Unlike the vSwitch, which uses its own local port configuration, a DVS that is associated with multiple ESX hosts uses the same port configuration across all ESX hosts.

After associating an ESX host to a DVS, you can migrate existing VMs from the vSwitch to the DVS, and you can create VMs to use the DVS instead of the vSwitch. With the VM-FEX for VMware implementation, when a VM uses the DVS, all VM traffic passes through the DVS and ASIC-based switching is performed by the fabric interconnect.

Overview of Creating a DVS in Cisco UCS Manager

To create a distributed virtual switch (DVS) in Cisco UCS Manager, you must first create a vCenter, a datacenter under the vCenter, and a datacenter folder under the datacenter. You can then create a DVS in the datacenter folder. The vCenter name you specify in Cisco UCS Manager does not need to match the vCenter name specified in VMware vCenter; however, the datacenter name you specify in Cisco UCS Manager must match the datacenter name specified in VMware vCenter. The datacenter folder and DVS you create in Cisco UCS Manager are pushed to VMware vCenter.

Configuring a Distributed Virtual Switch

Before You Begin

You must first create a datacenter in VMware vCenter. Do not create the folder inside the datacenter or the DVS in VMware vCenter.

Procedure
     Command or ActionPurpose
    Step 1UCS-A# scope system  

    Enters system mode.

     
    Step 2UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt  

    Enters system VM management mode.

     
    Step 3UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware  

    Enters system VM management VMware mode.

     
    Step 4UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware # create vcenter vcenter-name  

    Creates the specified vCenter and enters system VM management VMware vCenter mode.

     
    Step 5UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter # set hostname {hostname | ip-addr}  

    Specifies the hostname or IP address of the remote vCenter Server instance associated to the vCenter object in Cisco UCS Manager.

    Note   

    If you use a hostname rather than an IPv4 or IPv6 address, you must configure a DNS server. If the Cisco UCS domain is not registered with Cisco UCS Central or DNS management is set to local, configure a DNS server in Cisco UCS Manager. If the Cisco UCS domain is registered with Cisco UCS Central and DNS management is set to global, configure a DNS server in Cisco UCS Central.

     
    Step 6UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter # set port port-num  

    The vCenter Server Port field specifies the HTTP port number of vCenter. The default port number is 80 and it is displayed in this field as default. Although the communication is HTTPS, vCenter receives the packets on its HTTP port. The valid range is 1-65355.

     
    Step 7UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter # set description description  

    Provides a description for the vCenter.

    Note   

    If your description includes spaces, special characters, or punctuation, you must begin and end your description with quotation marks. The quotation marks do not appear in the description field of any show command output.

     
    Step 8UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter # create folder folder-name   (Optional)

    Creates the specified vCenter folder.

    Note   

    A vCenter can contain multiple datacenters, none of which must be contained in a vCenter folder, so vCenter folders are optionally used only for organizational purposes.

     
    Step 9UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter/ # create data-center data-center-name  

    Creates the specified datacenter and enters system VM management VMware vCenter datacenter mode.

    The datacenter name that you specify in Cisco UCS Manager must match the name of the datacenter previously created in VMware vCenter.

     
    Step 10UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter/data-center # create folder folder-name  

    Creates the specified datacenter folder and enters system VM management VMware vCenter datacenter folder mode.

    Note   

    At least one datacenter folder is required. You cannot create a distributed virtual switch (DVS) directly under a datacenter; you must create the DVS in a datacenter folder.

     
    Step 11UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter/data-center/folder # create distributed-virtual-switch dvs-name  

    Creates the specified DVS and enters system VM management VMware vCenter datacenter folder distributed virtual switch mode.

     
    Step 12UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter/data-center /folder/distributed-virtual-switch # {disable | enable}  

    Disables or enables the DVS.

    If you disable the DVS, Cisco UCS Manager does not push any configuration changes related to the DVS to VMware vCenter.

     
    Step 13UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter/data-center/folder /distributed-virtual-switch # commit-buffer  

    Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

     

    The following example shows how to create a vCenter, a datacenter with the exact same name as the datacenter in VMware vCenter, a DVS in the datacenter folder named Engineering, and commit the transaction: 

    UCS-A# scope system
UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware			 
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware # create vcenter MyVcenter
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter* # set hostname 192.168.10.10
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter* # set port 1230
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter* # set description "vCenter running on my laptop"
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter* # create data-center MyDatacenter
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/data-center* # create folder Engineering
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/data-center/folder* # create distributed-virtual-switch LabSwitch
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/data-center/folder/distributed-virtual-switch* # enable
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/data-center/folder/distributed-virtual-switch* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/data-center/folder/distributed-virtual-switch #

    Managing Distributed Virtual Switches

    Adding a Folder to a vCenter

    Procedure
       Command or ActionPurpose
      Step 1UCS-A# scope system  

      Enters system mode.

       
      Step 2UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt  

      Enters system VM management mode.

       
      Step 3UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware  

      Enters system VM management VMware mode.

       
      Step 4UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware # scope vcenter vcenter-name  

      Enters system VM management VMware vCenter mode for the specified vCenter.

       
      Step 5UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter # create folder folder-name   (Optional)

      Creates the specified vCenter folder and enters system VM management VMware vCenter folder mode.

      Note   

      A vCenter can contain multiple datacenters, none of which must be contained in a vCenter folder, so vCenter folders are optionally used only for organizational purposes.

       
      Step 6UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter/folder # commit-buffer  

      Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

       

      The following example shows how to add a vCenter folder named Lab 5 to the vCenter named MyVcenter and commit the transaction: 

      UCS-A# scope system
UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware			 
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware # scope vcenter MyVcenter
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter* # create folder Lab5
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/folder* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/folder #

      Adding a Datacenter to a vCenter

      Before You Begin

      You must first create a datacenter in VMware vCenter. Do not create the folder inside the datacenter or the DVS in VMware vCenter.

      Procedure
         Command or ActionPurpose
        Step 1UCS-A# scope system  

        Enters system mode.

         
        Step 2UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt  

        Enters system VM management mode.

         
        Step 3UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware  

        Enters system VM management VMware mode.

         
        Step 4UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware # scope vcenter vcenter-name  

        Enters system VM management VMware vCenter mode for the specified vCenter.

         
        Step 5UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter # scope folder folder-name   (Optional)

        Enters system VM management VMware vCenter folder mode for the specified folder.

         
        Step 6UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/ # create data-center data-center-name  

        Creates the specified datacenter and enters system VM management VMware vCenter datacenter mode.

        The datacenter name that you specify in Cisco UCS Manager must match the name of the datacenter previously created in VMware vCenter.

         
        Step 7UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/data-center # commit-buffer  

        Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

         

        The following example shows how to add a datacenter named SQA-Datacenter to the vCenter named MyVcenter and commit the transaction:

        UCS-A# scope system
UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware			 
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware # scope vcenter MyVcenter
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter* # create data-center SQA-Datacenter
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/data-center* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/data-center #

        Adding a Folder to a Datacenter

        Procedure
           Command or ActionPurpose
          Step 1UCS-A# scope system  

          Enters system mode.

           
          Step 2UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt  

          Enters system VM management mode.

           
          Step 3UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware  

          Enters system VM management VMware mode.

           
          Step 4UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware # scope vcenter vcenter-name  

          Enters system VM management VMware vCenter mode for the specified vCenter.

           
          Step 5UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter # scope folder folder-name   (Optional)

          Enters system VM management VMware vCenter folder mode for the specified folder.

           
          Step 6UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter/ # scope data-center data-center-name  

          Enters system VM management VMware vCenter datacenter mode for the specified datacenter.

           
          Step 7UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter/data-center # create folder folder-name  

          Creates the specified datacenter folder and enters system VM management VMware vCenter datacenter folder mode.

           
          Step 8UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter/data-center/folder # commit-buffer  

          Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

           

          The following example shows how to add a datacenter folder named SoftwareQA to the datacenter named MyDatacenter and commit the transaction:

          UCS-A# scope system
UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware			 
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware # scope vcenter MyVcenter
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter* # scope data-center MyDatacenter
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/data-center* # create folder SoftwareQA
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/data-center/folder* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/data-center/folder #

          Deleting a Folder from a vCenter

          Procedure
             Command or ActionPurpose
            Step 1UCS-A# scope system  

            Enters system mode.

             
            Step 2UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt  

            Enters system VM management mode.

             
            Step 3UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware  

            Enters system VM management VMware mode.

             
            Step 4UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware # scope vcenter vcenter-name  

            Enters system VM management VMware vCenter mode for the specified vCenter.

             
            Step 5UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter # delete folder folder-name   (Optional)

            Deletes the specified vCenter folder.

             
            Step 6UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter # commit-buffer  

            Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

             

            The following example shows how to delete the vCenter folder named Lab5 from the vCenter named MyVcenter and commit the transaction: 

            UCS-A# scope system
UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware			 
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware # scope vcenter MyVcenter
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter # delete folder Lab5
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter #

            Deleting a Datacenter from vCenter

            Procedure
               Command or ActionPurpose
              Step 1UCS-A# scope system  

              Enters system mode.

               
              Step 2UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt  

              Enters system VM management mode.

               
              Step 3UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware  

              Enters system VM management VMware mode.

               
              Step 4UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware # scope vcenter vcenter-name  

              Enters system VM management VMware vCenter mode for the specified vCenter.

               
              Step 5UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter # scope folder folder-name   (Optional)

              Enters system VM management VMware vCenter folder mode for the specified folder.

               
              Step 6UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/ # delete data-center data-center-name  

              Deletes the specified datacenter. The datacenter name that you specify in Cisco UCS Manager must match the name of a datacenter previously created in vCenter Server.

               
              Step 7UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter # commit-buffer  

              Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

               

              The following example shows how to delete the datacenter named SQA-Datacenter from the vCenter named MyVcenter and commit the transaction:

              UCS-A# scope system
UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware			 
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware # scope vcenter MyVcenter
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter* # delete data-center SQA-Datacenter
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter #

              Deleting a Folder from a Datacenter

              Procedure
                 Command or ActionPurpose
                Step 1UCS-A# scope system  

                Enters system mode.

                 
                Step 2UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt  

                Enters system VM management mode.

                 
                Step 3UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware  

                Enters system VM management VMware mode.

                 
                Step 4UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware # scope vcenter vcenter-name  

                Enters system VM management VMware vCenter mode for the specified vCenter.

                 
                Step 5UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter # scope folder folder-name   (Optional)

                Enters system VM management VMware vCenter folder mode for the specified folder.

                 
                Step 6UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter/ # scope data-center data-center-name  

                Enters system VM management VMware vCenter datacenter mode for the specified datacenter.

                 
                Step 7UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter/data-center # delete folder folder-name  

                Deletes the specified datacenter folder.

                 
                Step 8UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/vcenter/data-center # commit-buffer  

                Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

                 

                The following example shows how to delete the datacenter folder named SoftwareQA from the datacenter named MyDatacenter and commit the transaction:

                UCS-A# scope system
UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware			 
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware # scope vcenter MyVcenter
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter # scope data-center MyDatacenter
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/data-center # delete folder SoftwareQA
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/data-center* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/vcenter/data-center #