Creating VDCs with the VDC Setup Wizard

This chapter describes how to create virtual device contexts (VDCs) on Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM).

This chapter includes the following sections:

•Information About Creating VDCs

•Licensing Requirements for VDCs

•Platform Support

•Creating a VDC with the VDC Setup Wizard

•Suspending a VDC

•Resuming a VDC

•Additional References for Creating VDCs

•Feature History for Creating VDCs

Information About Creating VDCs

In Cisco NX-OS, only a user with the network-admin role can create VDCs. You can create up to three VDCs.

Beginning with the Cisco NX-OS Release 5.2(1), you can run FCoE on the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series devices. You must create a storage VDC to run FCoE. The storage VDC cannot be the default VDC and you can have one storage VDC on the device. See the Cisco NX-OS FCoE Configuration Guide for Cisco Nexus 7000 and Cisco MDS 9500 for information on configuring FCoE.

This section includes the following topics:

•VDC Resource Templates

•Storage VDCs

•High-Availability Policies

•Allocating Interfaces

•VDC Management Connections

•Initializing a New VDC

VDC Resource Templates

VDC resource templates describe the minimum and maximum resources that the VDC can use. If you do not specify a VDC resource template when you create a VDC, the Cisco NX-OS software uses the default template. Table 3-1 lists the resource limits for the default VDC template for nondefault VDCs.

Table 3-1 Default VDC Template Resource Limits for Nondefault VDCs

Resource
Minimum
Maximum

Port channels

0

768

SPAN sessions

0

2

IPv4 multicast route memory1

8

8

IPv6 multicast route memory1

2

2

IPv4 unicast route memory1

8

8

IPv6 unicast route memory1

4

4

VLANs

16

4096

VRFs2

16

8192

1 Route memory is in megabytes.

2 VRFs = virtual routing and forwarding instances


Table 3-2 lists the resource limits for the global VDC template used for the default VDC.

Note All resources not listed for the global VDC resource template default to the limits in the default VDC template listed in Table 3-1.

Table 3-2 Global VDC Template Resource Limits for the Default VDC

Resource
Minimum
Maximum

IPv4 multicast route memory1

48

48

IPv6 multicast route memory1

8

8

IPv4 unicast route memory1

16

16

IPv6 unicast route memory1

32

32

1 Route memory is in megabytes.


Note You can have a maximum of two SPAN monitoring sessions on your physical device.

For information about configuring VDC resource templates, see Chapter 2 "Configuring VDC Resource Templates."

You can change the individual resource limits after you create the VDC as follows:

•Change an individual resource limit for a single VDC.

•Change the resource limits in a nondefault VDC resource template and apply the template to the VDC.

For information on managing VDC resource limits after you create a VDC, see Chapter 4 "Managing VDCs."

Storage VDCs

Beginning with Cisco NX-OS Release 5.2(1), you can run FCoE on the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series devices. You must create a separate storage VDC when you run FCoE on the device. Only one of the VDCs can be a storage VDC, and the default VDC cannot be configured as a storage VDC.

See the Cisco NX-OS FCoE Configuration Guide for Cisco Nexus 7000 and Cisco MDS 9500 for information on configuring FCoE. You allocate specified FCoE VLANs to the storage VDC as well as specified interfaces.

You can configure shared interfaces that carry both Ethernet and Fibre Channel traffic. In this specific case, the same interface belongs to more than one VDC. The shared interface is allocated to both an Ethernet and a storage VDC.

High-Availability Policies

The high-availability (HA) policies for a VDC defines the action that the Cisco NX-OS software takes when an unrecoverable VDC fault occurs.

You can specify the HA policies for single supervisor module and dual supervisor module configurations when you create the VDC. The HA policy options are as follows:

•Single supervisor module configuration:

–Bringdown—Puts the VDC in the failed state. To recover from the failed state, you must reload the physical device.

–Reload— Reloads the supervisor module.

–Restart—Takes down the VDC processes and interfaces and restarts it using the startup configuration.

•Dual supervisor module configuration:

–Bringdown—Puts the VDC in the failed state. To recover from the failed state, you must reload the physical device.

–Restart—Takes down the VDC processes and interfaces and restarts it using the startup configuration.

–Switchover— Initiates a supervisor module switchover.

The default HA policies for a nondefault VDC that you create is restart for a single supervisor module configuration and switchover for a dual supervisor module configuration. The default HA policy for the default VDC is reload for a single supervisor module configuration and switchover for a dual supervisor module configuration.

For information on changing the HA policies after you create a VDC, see Chapter 4 "Managing VDCs."

Allocating Interfaces

The only physical resources that you can allocate to a VDC are the physical interfaces. You can assign an interface to only one VDC, except in the specific case of shared interfaces that carry both Fibre Channel and Ethernet traffic. You allocate a shared interface to both an Ethernet VDC and to the storage VDC. When you move an interface from one VDC to another VDC, the interface loses its configuration.

When you first create a VDC, you can specifically allocate interfaces to it. All interfaces initially reside in the default VDC (VDC 1). After you allocate the interfaces to a VDC, you can only view and configure them from that specific VDC. You can also remove interfaces from a VDC by moving them back to the default VDC.

Caution When you move an interface, all configuration on the interface is lost and the interfaces are in the down state.

Note Beginning with Cisco Release 5.2(1) for Nexus 7000 Series devices, all members of a port group are automatically allocated to the VDC when you allocate an interface.

You must be aware of the hardware architecture of your platform when allocating interfaces to a VDC. For example, the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 32-port, 10-Gbps Ethernet module (N7K-M132XP-12) requires that you assign all four interfaces in a port group to the same VDC.

The Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 32-port, 10-Gbps Ethernet module (N7K-F132XP-15) requires that you assign the specified two interfaces in a port group to the same VDC.You can allocate the interfaces on your physical device in any combination, except for the interfaces on the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 32-port, 10-Gbps Ethernet module (N7K-M132XP-12). This module has eight port groups that consist of four interfaces each. You must assign all four interfaces in a port group to the same VDC. Table 3-3 shows the port numbering for the port groups.

Table 3-3 Port Numbers for Port Groups on the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 32-Port, 10-Gbps Ethernet Module (N7K-M132XP-12)

Port Group
Port Numbers

Group 1

1, 3, 5, 7

Group 2

2, 4, 6, 8

Group 3

9, 11, 13, 15

Group 4

10, 12, 14, 16

Group 5

17, 19, 21, 23

Group 6

18, 20, 22, 24

Group 7

25, 27, 29, 31

Group 8

26, 28, 30, 32


You must allocate the interfaces on your physical device in the specified combination on the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 32-port 10-Gbps Ethernet module (N7K-F132XP-15). This module has 16 port groups that consist of 2 ports each. You must assign the specified port pairs in the same VDC. Table 3-4 shows the port numbering for the port groups.

Table 3-4 Port Numbers for Port Groups on the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 32-Port, 10-Gbps Ethernet Module (N7K-F132XP-15)  

Port Group
Port Number

Group 1

1 and 2

Group 2

3 and 4

Group 3

5 and 6

Group 4

7 and 8

Group 5

9 and 10

Group 6

11 and 12

Group 7

13 and 14

Group 8

15 and 16

Group 9

17 and 18

Group 10

19 and 20

Group 11

21 and 22

Group 12

23 and 24

Group 13

25 and 26

Group 14

27 and 28

Group 15

29 and 30

Group 16

31 and 32


For more information on port groups on the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 32-port, 10-Gbps Ethernet module, see the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Hardware Installation and Reference Guide.

For information about changing the interface allocation after you create a VDC, see Chapter 4 "Managing VDCs."

VDC Management Connections

The Cisco NX-OS software provides a virtual management (mgmt 0) interface for out-of-band management of each VDC. You can configure this interface with a separate IP address that is accessed through the physical mgmt 0 interface. You also use one of the Ethernet interfaces on the physical device for in-band management. For more information on management connections, see the "VDC Management Connections" section.

Initializing a New VDC

A new VDC is similar to a new physical device. You must set the VDC admin user account password and perform the basic configuration to establish connectivity to the VDC.

Licensing Requirements for VDCs

The following table shows the licensing requirements for this feature:

Product
License Requirement

Cisco DCNM

Creating nondefault VDCs requires an Advanced Services license. For an explanation of the Cisco DCNM licensing scheme, see the Cisco DCNM Installation and Licensing Guide, Release 5.x.

Cisco NX-OS

Creating nondefault VDCs requires an Advanced Services license. For an explanation of the Cisco NX-OS licensing scheme for your platform, see the licensing guide for your platform.

Note The Cisco DCNM and Cisco NX-OS software allow a grace period to create and use nondefault VDCs without an Advanced Services license. If the grace period expires before you obtain a license, all VDC configuration is removed from the physical device.


Platform Support

The following platform supports this feature. For platform-specific information, including guidelines and limitations, system defaults, and configuration limits, see the corresponding documentation.

Platform
Documentation

Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches

Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches Documentation


Creating a VDC with the VDC Setup Wizard

Users with the network administrator (network-admin) role can create virtual device contexts (VDCs). VDC resource templates limit the amount of physical device resources available to the VDC. The Cisco NX-OS software provides a default resource template, or you can create resource templates.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Ensure that you have discovered the physical device using a username that has the network-admin role.

Obtain an IPv4 or IPv6 address for the management interface (mgmt 0) if you want to use out-of-band management for the VDC.

DETAILED STEPS

Step 1 From the Feature Selector pane, choose Virtual Devices.

Step 2 From the Summary pane, click a physical device.

Step 3 From the menu bar, choose File > New > Create VDC... to bring up the VDC Setup Wizard and display the VDC General Parameters dialog box (see Figure 3-1).

Figure 3-1 VDC General Parameters Dialog Box

Step 4 In the Name field, enter the VDC name.

Step 5 (Optional) In the Single Supervisor HA-Policy field, click the down arrow and choose the HA policy for the VDC when the physical device has a single supervisor module.

Step 6 (Optional) In the Dual Supervisor HA-Policy field, click the down arrow and choose the HA policy for the VDC when the physical device has dual supervisor modules.

Step 7 (Optional) In the Resource Limit Module-Type field, click the down arrow and choose the module-type for the VDC. You can choose M1, F1, M1XL, or F2 as the module-type.

Note F2 module-type cannot be combined or selected with any other module-types.

Step 8 Click Next.

The Interface Membership dialog box appears (see Figure 3-2).

Figure 3-2 Interface Membership Dialog Box

Step 9 Choose the interfaces that you want to allocate to the VDC.

Note When you allocate an interface to a VDC, the interface configuration is lost. You cannot assign a port to a VDC if the port type is not supported for the module-type of a VDC. For example, if module-type for the VDC is F2, then only F2 card ports can be allocated.

Step 10 Click Next.

The Resource Limit dialog box appears.

Step 11 (Optional) To use an existing resource templates, from the Template Name field, click on the down arrow and choose a resource template from the drop-down list (see Figure 3-3).

Figure 3-3 Resource Limit Dialog Box Using an Existing Resource Template

Note If you do not select a resource template, Cisco DCNM uses the vdc-default template.

Step 12 (Optional) To create a new resource template, follow these steps:

a. Click the Create New Resource Template radio button (see Figure 3-4).

Figure 3-4 Resource Limit Dialog Box Creating a New Resource Template

b. From the Template Name field, enter the resource template name.

c. Click the icon to add a new resource row.

A new resource limit row appears.

d. From the cell under Name, click the down arrow and choose a resource from the drop-down list.

e. Click the cell under Minimum and enter the minimum limit.

f. Click the cell under Maximum and enter the maximum limit.

g. To set additional resource limits, repeat Step c through Step f.

h. (Optional) To delete a row, click the row to delete and click the icon.

The resource limit row disappears.

Note If you do not select a resource template, Cisco DCNM uses the vdc-default template.

Step 13 (Optional) To create a new resource template from an existing resource template, follow these steps:

a. Click the Create New Resource Template radio button.

b. From the Copy from Template field, click the down arrow and click a resource template (see Figure 3-5).

Figure 3-5 Resource Limit Dialog Box Copying a Resource Template

c. (Optional) Modify the resource fields as needed.

d. (Optional) To add a row, follow the procedure described in Step 12.

e. (Optional) To delete a row, click the row to delete and click the icon.

The resource limit row disappears.

Note If you do not set up resource limits, Cisco DCNM uses the vdc-default template resource limits.

Step 14 (Optional) To change the resource limits, follow these steps:

a. Click the icon to add a new resource row.

A new resource limit row appears.

b. From the cell under Name, click the down arrow and choose a resource from the drop-down list.

c. Click the cell under Minimum and enter the minimum limit.

d. Click the cell under Maximum and enter the maximum limit.

e. To change additional resource limits, repeat Step a through Step f.

f. (Optional) To delete a row, click the row to delete and click the icon.

The resource limit row disappears.

Note If you do not set up resource limits, Cisco DCNM uses the vdc-default template resource limits.

Step 15 Click Next.

The Authentication dialog box appears (see Figure 3-6).

Figure 3-6 Authentication Dialog Box

Step 16 In the Password field, enter the admin user password.

Step 17 In the Confirm Password field, reenter the admin user password.

Step 18 (Optional) In the Expiry Date field, click the down arrow and choose an expiry date for the admin user from the Expiry Date dialog box (see Figure 3-7).

Figure 3-7 Expiry Date Dialog Box

Step 19 (Optional) In the Password Type field, click the down arrow and choose from the drop-down list.

Step 20 (Optional) Check the Authenticate users using AAA Servers check box and enter the AAA server information as follows:

a. In the Group Name field, enter an AAA server group name.

b. In the Type field, click the down arrow and choose the type of server group.

c. In the Servers field, enter one or more host server IPv4 or IPv6 addresses or names, separated by commas.

Step 21 Click Next.

The Management of VDC dialog box appears (see Figure 3-8).

Figure 3-8 Management of VDC Dialog Box

Step 22 In the Management Interface area, enter the IPv4 or IPv6 address information.

Step 23 In the SSH area, click the down arrows and choose the SSH key type and SSS key length.

Step 24 In the Default Gateway area, enter the default IPv4 or IPv6 gateway address.

Step 25 In the Discover the VDC area, uncheck the Discover the VDC check box to prevent automatic discovery.

Step 26 Click Finish.

Note Creating a VDC can take a few minutes depending on the amount of resources that the device must reserve for the VDC.

Step 27 Manually discover the VDC as described in the "Discovering VDCs" section.

Step 28 From the menu bar, choose File > Deploy to apply your changes to the device.

Suspending a VDC

You can suspend an active nondefault VDC.

You must save the VDC running configuration to the startup configuration before suspending the VDC. Otherwise, you will lose the changes to the running configuration. For instructions, see the System Management Configuration Guide, Cisco DCNM for LAN, Release 5.x.

Note You cannot suspend the default VDC.

Caution Suspending a VDC disrupts all traffic on the VDC.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Log in to the default VDC with a username that has the network-admin user role.

DETAILED STEPS

Step 1 From the Feature Selector pane, choose Virtual Devices.

Step 2 From the Summary pane, double-click the device to display the list of VDCs.

Step 3 Right-click the VDC to suspend.

Step 4 Choose Suspend VDC.

Step 5 Click Yes when asked to confirm your decision. The VDC's status changes from Active to Suspended.

Resuming a VDC

You can resume a nondefault VDC from the suspended state. The VDC resumes with the configuration saved in the startup configuration.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Log in to the default VDC with a username that has the network-admin user role.

DETAILED STEPS

Step 1 From the Feature Selector pane, choose Virtual Devices.

Step 2 From the Summary pane, double-click the device to display the list of VDCs.

Step 3 Right-click the VDC to resume.

Step 4 Choose Resume VDC. The VDC's status changes from Suspended to Active.

RELATED TOPICS

•Configuring VDC Resource Templates

•Managing VDCs

Additional References for Creating VDCs

For additional information related to creating VDC, see the following sections:

•Related Documents for Creating VDCs

Related Documents for Creating VDCs

Related Topic
Document Title

Cisco DCNM Licensing

Cisco DCNM Installation and Licensing Guide, Release 5.x

Cisco NX-OS Licensing

Cisco NX-OS Licensing Guide

Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 32-port, 10-Gbps Ethernet module

Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Hardware Installation and Reference Guide

Command reference

Cisco Nexus 7000 Series NX-OS Virtual Device Context Command Reference, Release 5.x

FCoE

Cisco NX-OS FCoE Configuration Guide for Cisco Nexus 7000 and Cisco MDS 9500

FCoE command reference

Cisco NX-OS FCoE Command Reference for Cisco Nexus 7000 and Cisco MDS 9500


Feature History for Creating VDCs

Table 3-5 lists the release history for this feature.

Table 3-5 Feature History for Creating VDCs

Feature Name
Releases
Feature Information

Support for F2 module-type

5.2(2a)

Added F2 module-type support for creating a VDC wizard.

Suspending and Resuming VDCs

5.2(1)

Added support for suspending and resuming an active nondefault VDC.

Support for N7K-F132XP-15 module

5.1(1)

VDC supports the N7K-F132XP-15 module. This module has 16 port groups that consist of 2 ports each.

Creating VDCs

5.0(2)

No change from Release 4.2.

Creating VDCs

4.2(1)

No change from Release 4.1.