MAC Pools

MAC Pools

A MAC pool is a collection of network identities, or MAC addresses, that are unique in their Layer 2 environment and are available to be assigned to vNICs on a server. If you use MAC pools in service profiles, you do not have to manually configure the MAC addresses to be used by the server associated with the service profile.

In a system that implements multitenancy, you can use the organizational hierarchy to ensure that MAC pools can be used only by specific applications or business services. Cisco UCS uses the name resolution policy to assign MAC addresses from the pool.

To assign a MAC address to a server, you must include the MAC pool in a vNIC policy. The vNIC policy is then included in the service profile assigned to that server.

You can specify your own MAC addresses or use a group of MAC addresses provided by Cisco.

Creating a MAC Pool

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click LAN.

Step 2

Expand LAN > Pools.

Step 3

Expand the node for the organization where you want to create the pool.

If the system does not include multi tenancy, expand the root node.

Step 4

Right-click MAC Pools and select Create MAC Pool.

Step 5

In the Define Name and Description page of the Create MAC Pool wizard, complete the following fields:

Name Description

Name field

The name of the MAC pool.

This name can be between 1 and 32 alphanumeric characters. You cannot use spaces or any special characters other than - (hyphen), _ (underscore), : (colon), and . (period), and you cannot change this name after the object is saved.

Description field

A description of the MAC pool.

Enter up to 256 characters. You can use any characters or spaces except ` (accent mark), \ (backslash), ^ (carat), " (double quote), = (equal sign), > (greater than), < (less than), or ' (single quote).

Assignment Order field

This can be one of the following:

  • Default—Cisco UCS Manager selects a random identity from the pool.

  • Sequential—Cisco UCS Manager selects the lowest available identity from the pool.

Step 6

Click Next.

Step 7

In the Add MAC Addresses page of the Create MAC Pool wizard, click Add.

Step 8

In the Create a Block of MAC Addresses dialog box, complete the following fields:

Name Description

First MAC Address field

The first MAC address in the block.

Size field

The number of MAC addresses in the block.

Step 9

Click OK.

Step 10

Click Finish.

What to do next

Include the MAC pool in a vNIC template.

Deleting a MAC Pool

If you delete a pool, Cisco UCS Manager does not reallocate any addresses from that pool that were assigned to vNICs or vHBAs. All assigned addresses from a deleted pool remain with the vNIC or vHBA to which they are assigned until one of the following occurs:

  • The associated service profiles are deleted.

  • The vNIC or vHBA to which the address is assigned is deleted.

  • The vNIC or vHBA is assigned to a different pool.

Procedure

Step 1

In the Navigation pane, click LAN.

Step 2

Expand LAN > LAN > Pools > Organization_Name .

Step 3

Expand the MAC Pools node.

Step 4

Right-click the MAC pool you want to delete and select Delete.

Step 5

If a confirmation dialog box displays, click Yes.