Administrator Guide

9
Virtual Server Networking
Virtual server networking (VSN) is supported on the S4810, S4820T, S5000, and MXL switch platforms.
As a part of the Open Automation package, VSN provides real-time communication between the Dell
Network fabric and the virtual servers to automate network management and configuration tasks
throughout the data center. VSN provides a closed-loop provisioning system; for example, the automatic
re-provisioning of virtual local area networks (VLANs) and port profiles across multiple switches
simultaneously, thereby increasing employee productivity and minimizing human error.
Because Open Automation supports hypervisors from multiple vendors, data center managers can use a
single mechanism to simultaneously support multiple hypervisors and their current management tools.
VSN is installed as a self-contained package and requires the Smart Scripting package.
NOTE: VSN is supported only on standalone switches; it is not supported in stacked configurations
and VMware virtual distributed switches (VDS).
Overview
Virtual server networking is an Open Automation tool that enables Dell Networking switches and routers
in a data center network retrieve configuration information from hypervisors. VMware vSphere and Citrix
Xen hypervisors are supported.
Both VMware and Citrix Xen provide software development kits (SDKs) and application programming
interfaces (APIs) for accessing their configuration objects. VSN requires Layer 3 connectivity to access a
hypervisor.
The following shows an example of the network architecture in which a Dell Networking OS switch is
connected to multiple servers, each of which may run a different type of hypervisor. The vCenter
hypervisor from VMware is a centralized server management system that manages multiple vSphere
operating systems on which multiple virtual machines (VMs) run. The VMware ESX server is a single unit,
that can be managed by the hypervisor or act as an independent unit. The Citrix Xen hypervisor uses a
distributed management methodology under which a number of XenServers is grouped in a management
domain, with a master server managing the other units in the domain.
Minimal packet drops may be seen when migrating VMS from one server to another. The drops may vary
from one second or higher, depending on the load on the server and network.
Dell Networking OS supports up to eight hypervisor sessions. A hypervisor session can consist of a single
hypervisor unit (ESX, ESXi, XenServer) or a centralized hypervisor (vCenter, Xenpool). To manage a single
VMware hypervisor, use a vSphere client. A vCenter server is a centralized management server for
managing multiple VMware hypervisors.
Virtual Server Networking
117