2 entries thus far in our second round of the vSphere blogging contest. This round we are focused on the new vNetwork Distributed Switch functionality in vSphere 4. Get those entries in by this Friday!
Barry Combs
Excerpt from Post – Barry provides some advice on the preferences he uses when running vNetwork Distributed Switch
My preference when using vDS is to run in a hybrid mode, keeping the service consoles and vmKernel as a standard switch and moving all the Virtual Machine Port groups to a vDS. This means I handle the service console and vmKernel at installation the same as usual then add my host to the vDS, when I then find the need to add a new portgroup to my hosts I have only got to configure it in one place. In large environments this saves considerable amounts of time and the potential for error.
Excerpt from Post – Eric's post gives a solid workaround for one specific issue he encountered with vNetwork Distributed Switch
Here is an explanation: Removing an ESX/ESXi host configured with a vDS from a vCenter Server system results in inconsistent networking state on the host. If you remove an ESX/ESXi host configured with a vDS from a vCenter Server system, the host cannot reconnect to the vDS. When you add the host back to the vCenter Server system, a warning similar to the following appears:
The distributed Virtual Switch corresponding to the proxy switches d5 6e 22 50 dd f2 94 7b-a6 1f b2 c2 e6 aa 0f bf on the host does not exist in vCenter or does not contain the host.
The virtual machines continue to function on their respective ports, but new virtual machines are not allowed to power on. You cannot modify the vDS settings for this host by using a vSphere Client connected to the vCenter Server system.
Workaround: Perform the following steps:
Use a vSphere Client to connect directly to the ESX/ESXi host. This workaround requires a direct connection.
Migrate the virtual machines off of the invalid vDS ports one by one by editing the settings of each virtual machine. This will result in prolonged network interruption to the virtual machines.
In a vSphere Client connected to the vCenter Server system, refresh the network settings of the host. The errors are cleared.
Add the host back to the vDS, either manually or by using a host profile.
Migrate the virtual machines back to their respective ports or portgroups on the vDS. To do so, right-click the vDS and choose Migrate Virtual Machine Networking. This process also results in network interruption to the virtual machines.
