HP FlexFabric Virtual Switch 5900v Configuration Examples

Introduction

This document provides HP FlexFabric Virtual Switch 5900v configuration examples.

The HP 5900v is a virtual switch designed for data center virtualization. It runs on top of the VMware

vSphere Enterprise Plus Edition, and works seamlessly with the vCenter Server and VMware ESXi hosts

(physical servers that run ESXi). You can use the 5900v virtual switch in place of the VMware virtual

switch to provide enhanced distributed virtual switching capabilities.

NOTE:

• Do not confuse "5900" with "5900v." The HP 5900 switch is a physical switch, but the HP 5900v is a

virtual switch.

• In this document, the term "VSI" refers to the virtual station interface in EVB. Do not confuse the term with

the virtual switching instance in features such as SPB.

Prerequisites

The configuration examples in this document were created and verified in a lab environment, and all the

devices were started with the factory default configuration. When you are working on a live network,

make sure you understand the potential impact of every command on your network.

This document assumes that you have basic knowledge of the following products and features:

• VMware virtualization

• HP IMC

• EVB

• HP 5900v virtual switch architecture (including the VCE, VFE, and VMware plug-in)

This document also assumes that you have completed the following tasks:

• Configuring the vSphere Client

• Installing the HP 5900v virtual switch (see HP FlexFabric Virtual Switch 5900v Installation Guide)

Configuration restrictions and guidelines

When you configure the HP 5900v virtual switch, follow these restrictions and guidelines:

• Make sure you have installed the VMware vCenter Server, VMware vSphere Client, and ESXi 5.0

or 5.1. The configurations for implementing VM migration in a VMware environment have been

completed.

• Make sure HP IMC 7.0 and the VCM component have been installed.

• Make sure EVB is available on the physical switches that provide network access for the servers. For

example, HP 5900 switches are EVB capable.

• Use the HP 5900v release notes to verify that the HP IMC and HP 5900 software versions you are

using are compatible with the HP 5900v virtual switch.