Configuring External Switch VLAN Tagging (EST) mode on a vNetwork Distributed Switch

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article describes the concept and configuration of external switch tagging (EST) mode in vSphere ESX/ESXi 4.x.

Environment

VMware ESXi 4.0.x Installable
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Embedded
VMware ESX 4.0.x
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Embedded
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Installable
VMware ESX 4.1.x

Resolution

For additional information on dvPortGroup configuration, see vNetwork Distributed PortGroup (dvPortGroup) Configuration (1010593).

No VLAN configuration is required on the ESX/ESXi side. Set the ESXESXi portgroup to belong to VLAN 0. The value zero as VLAN means that the vSwitch is not VLAN tagging the ESX/ESXi packets.

To configure EST tagging:

1. In vCenter, Home > Inventory > Networking.
2. Right-click on dvPortGroup and click Edit Settings.
3. Under dvPortGroup > Settings > VLAN > Policies, set the VLAN type to None or 0.
4. Click OK.
5. On the physical switch port network interface connecting to the ESX configure the following settings:
   
6. • Set physical switch port to switch port.
   • Set switch port to access mode.
   • Assign a VLAN ID to the physical switch port.
   • Set Spanning tree to forward mode only.

Additional Information

To configure EST mode on ESX 3.5, see Sample Configuration - ESX/ESXi connecting to physical switch via VLAN access mode and External Switch VLAN Tagging EST Mode (1004127).