When deployed with VMware ESXi virtualization, ACOS runs on the SCVM of the ESXi host and reuses the virtual networking features of VMware vSphere.
You need to create three network adapters on the SCVM and configure them into the port group corresponding to the vSphere virtual switch (vSwitch) for use in the management network, storage network, and Network File System (NFS) network, respectively.
Creating the following standard virtual switches in each ESXi host enables communication for the management network, storage network, and NFS network.
Management network virtual switch - vSwitch0
After ESXi is installed, a virtual switch for ESXi management and SCVM management will be automatically created with the default name "vSwitch0". The vmnic associated with vSwitch0 is the physical network port corresponding to the ESXi management network. By default, a VMkernel with the network label (the network name) "Management Network" and a virtual machine port group named "VM Network" will be created in vSwitch0, used for the ESXi management network and SCVM management network, respectively.
Storage network virtual switch - vSwitch1
By default, you need to create a dedicated virtual switch (vSwitch1) for the storage network. If the storage network shares the same physical NIC with the management network, the storage network can use the virtual switch vSwitch0 of the management network. The storage network virtual switch must be associated with at least one physical network port with a bandwidth of 10 Gbps or higher.
You need to create a virtual machine port group with the network label fixed as ZBS on the storage network virtual switch to enable storage networking for the SCVM.
NFS network virtual switch
The NFS network virtual switch is used to create the NFS network and NFS VMkernel. Because the NFS network is only used for communication between the ESXi host and the SCVM on this host, there is no need to associate the NFS network virtual switch with any physical NICs.
You need to create a virtual machine port group with the network label fixed as NFS on the NFS network virtual switch to enable NFS networking for the SCVM.
You need to create a series of VMkernel or virtual machine port groups as system networks for communication between nodes.
ESXi management network - Management Network (VMkernel)
The ESXi management network corresponds to the VMkernel named "Management Network" in vSwitch0, used for management traffic communication between ESXi hosts. The ESXi management network is automatically created during ESXi installation, and you can configure the IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and VLAN ID for this network.
SCVM management network - VM Network (virtual machine port group)
The SCVM management network corresponds to the virtual machine port group named "VM Network" in vSwitch0, which is used for SCVM and Arcfra Operation Center (AOC) virtual machines and handles management traffic between SCVMs.
In each SCVM, you need to create a network adapter and associate it with the SCVM management network. You can then configure the management network IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and VLAN ID of the SCVM in this network.
In the AOC virtual machine, you need to create a network adapter and associate it with the SCVM management network. You can then configure the AOC IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and VLAN ID in this network.
ESXi storage network - ZBS-vmk (VMkernel)
The ESXi storage network corresponds to the VMkernel named "ZBS-vmk" in vSwitch1, used for data exchange between ESXi hosts. You can configure the IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and VLAN ID for this network.
SCVM storage network - ZBS (virtual machine port group)
The SCVM storage network corresponds to the virtual machine port group named "ZBS" in the storage network virtual switch.
In each SCVM, you need to create a network adapter and associate it with the SCVM storage network. You can then configure the storage network IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and VLAN ID of the SCVM in this network.
NFS network (virtual machine port group)
The NFS network corresponds to the virtual machine port group named "NFS" in the NFS network virtual switch, used for communication between the ESXi host and the SCVM on this host.
In each SCVM, you need to create a network adapter and associate it with the NFS storage network. The IP address of the NFS network is fixed at 192.168.33.2 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, which cannot be changed.
NFS VMkernel (VMkernel connected to NFS network)
The NFS VMkernel corresponds to a VMKernel network adapter used for SCVM to connect to the NFS network. The IP address of the NFS Kernel is fixed at 192.168.33.1 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, which cannot be changed.
Note:
To enable RDMA, you need to enable SR-IOV for the physical network port of the storage NIC. The ESXi host uses the physical function (PF) of the network port and provides the virtual function (VF) for the SCVM to use.
In the SCVM, the SR-IOV VF network will serve as the SCVM storage network, responsible for data transmission between nodes. This network corresponds to the virtual machine port group named "RDMA" in the RDMA network virtual switch. The existing ZBS network will serve as the VMware access network, responsible for communication between SCVMs and local ESXi hosts.
