Note: For information on creating a virtual switch for VMware vSphere ESXi virtual machines (guests), and associating the switch with the Mellanox InfiniBand ports, refer to the ClearPath Forward Installation and Getting Started Guide. For detailed configuration steps, refer to VMware documentation available at http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-55/topic/com.vmware.vcli.examples.doc/cli_manage_networks.11.5.html.
To associate a VMware vSphere ESXi virtual machine (guest) with a secure fabric, map a network segment on the VMware virtual switch (vSwitch) to the subnet tag (PKEY) of the desired secure fabric, and then configure the virtual machine to connect to the network segment.
Configuring Networking for VMware vSphere ESXi Host
Using the VMware vSphere Client, locate and select the desired host platform, and then click the Configuration tab.
In the left-hand Hardware pane, click Networking, and then click Add Networking in the right-hand pane.
The Add Network Wizard appears.
On the Connection Type screen, in the Connection Types section, select Virtual Machine, and then click Next.
On the Network Access screen, do one of the following, and then click Next.
Select to use an existing switch.
Be sure to select the switch that is associated with the Mellanox InfiniBand ports.
Select to create a new switch.
Be sure to select the appropriate available InfiniBand ports (vmnic_ibx) you want as the output ports for the new switch.
On the Connection Settings screen, in the Network Label field, enter a name for the network segment.
In the VLAN ID field, enter the subnet tag of the secure fabric you want mapped to the network segment.
Click Next.
Review the summary, and then click Finish to create the new network.
Attaching Virtual Machine Port Group to a Virtual Machine
Using the VMware vSphere Client, locate and select the desired virtual machine (guest) on the host platform, click the Resource Allocation tab, and then click Edit.
The Virtual Machine Properties dialog box appears.
On the Hardware tab, click Add.
The Add Hardware dialog box appears.
On the Device Type screen, select Ethernet Adapter, and then click Next.
On the Network Type screen, verify that the adapter type is VMXNET3.
In the Network Connection section, locate and select the network label you previously specified for the network segment on the virtual switch.
Click Next.
Review the summary, and then click Finish.
In the Virtual Machine Properties dialog box, click OK to add the network adapter as a resource for the virtual machine.
Configuring Network Settings in Virtual Machine Operating System
After booting the virtual machine (guest), configure network settings for the Ethernet adapters in the operating system on the virtual machine. Be sure to statically assign an available IP address from the secure fabric.
For example, if the secure fabric is the IP-LAN secure fabric, assign an IP address of 172.31.x.y (where x is in the range 64 through 127, and y is in the range 1 through 249).