Extending VLANs for SQL Cluster on VMware ESXi

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

New or existing VLANs are not accessible or configured for use by virtual machines or VMkernel adapters on ESXi hosts within a Cisco HyperFlex environment, preventing proper network segmentation or connectivity for an HXSQL cluster.
This manifests as the inability to assign specific VLANs to VM network adapters or VMkernel ports and network connectivity failures for VMs or services intended to use these VLANs.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 7.x
VMware ESXi 7.x
VMware vCenter Server 8.x
VMware ESXi 8.x

Cause

For VLANs to be usable by virtual machines or VMkernel adapters on ESXi hosts in a Cisco UCS environment, they must be configured end-to-end across the entire network path. This includes:

Physical Network Switches: The VLANs must be allowed on trunk ports connecting to the Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects.
Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects: The VLANs must be defined and associated with the appropriate UCS vNICs through VLAN groups or directly on vNIC templates.
VMware Virtual Switches (vDS/vSS): Port groups must be created on the ESXi hosts (via a Distributed Switch or Standard Switch) with the correct VLAN IDs.

Failure to configure any of these layers will prevent the VLANs from reaching the virtual environment.

Resolution

Administrative Access: Confirm you have administrative access to your physical network switches, Cisco UCS Manager, and vCenter Server.
IP Addressing: Define the IP address ranges, subnet masks, and default gateways for each new VLAN.
Uplink Identification: Identify the physical network adapters (NICs) on your ESXi hosts (which correspond to UCS vNICs) that are connected to the physical switches and are part of the VMware vSwitch supporting the HXSQL cluster.

VMware Standard Switch (vSS)

Access vCenter Server: Log in to vCenter Server.
Navigate to Host: For each ESXi host, go to Configure > Networking > Virtual switches.
Create Port Groups:
- Select the vSS where the HXSQL VMs reside (e.g., vSwitch0).
- Click Add networking > Virtual Machine Port Group for a Standard Switch > Next.
- For each VLAN IDs, create a dedicated Port Group:
  - Network label: Choose descriptive names (e.g., PG-HXSQL-VLAN#-MGMT, PG-HXSQL-VLAN##-VMOTION, PG-HXSQL-VLAN##-SQL-Data, PG-HXSQL-VLAN###-Replication).
  - VLAN ID: Enter the respective VLAN IDs.
  - Physical Adapters: Ensure the vSS has at least one physical uplink (vmnic) that corresponds to a UCS vNIC, connected to a physical switch port configured
- Repeat this for all required VLANs on all relevant ESXi hosts.

VMkernel Adapters (if applicable for HX Data, vMotion, Management):

Navigate to Host > Configure > VMkernel adapters in vCenter.
Click Add Networking (or edit an existing one).
Select Adapter Type: Choose VMkernel Network Adapter.
Select Target Device: Choose the appropriate Distributed Port Group (vDS) or Port Group (vSS) .
Port Properties: Enable desired services (e.g., vMotion, Management, Fault Tolerance).
IPv4 Settings: Configure the static IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway for the respective VLAN.
Repeat for all required VMkernel adapters on all ESXi hosts in the cluster.

Additional Information

Reference KB : Configuring VLAN on a vSwitch standard portgroup
https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/311057/configuring-vlan-on-a-vswitch-standard-p.html

External Source : Configuring VLANs on UCS and VMware
https://community.cisco.com/t5/data-center-and-cloud-knowledge-base/configuring-vlans-on-ucs-and-vmware/ta-p/3143374