Optimizing-QoS-vSphere_final

Optimizing Quality of Service for VMware
vSphere* 4 Networking with Intel®
Ethernet 10 Gigabit Server Adapters
VMware vSphere* 4.1 provides new features, capabilities, and performance increases
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Overview
The features and performance upgrades
that the new version of vSphere offers
build on the following best practices
discussed in the prior paper:
•Best Practice 1: Use virtual distributed
switches to maximum effect. Since
many new features require the use of
virtual distributed switches, this best
practice is critical going forward.
•Best Practice 2: Streamline
 This
best practice is essentially unchanged
with vSphere 4.1, but the present paper
has additional details on the traffic
shaping feature found in both editions.
Theindustrytransitionto10GigabitEthernet(10GbE)hasenablednetworkunicationandconsolidation,as
wellasrobustsupportforvirtualizedusagemodels.Atthesametime,however,combiningtrafcthathasbeen
traditionally separated on multiple physical networks and server adapters creates new considerations in terms
of guaranteeing quality of service (QoS). This paper continues a series that began with the paper, “Simplify
VMware vSphere* 4 Networking with Intel® Ethernet 10 Gigabit Server Adapters,”
1
to examine best practices
for analyzing, monitoring, and controlling bandwidth in VMware vSphere 4.1 environments when using 10GbE.
TherstpaperintheseriesprovidesguidanceandbestpracticesformovingfromGigabitEthernet(GbE)to
10GbE networking in the virtualized data center. This paper builds on that discussion with a focus on QoS to
provide network architects and decision makers with an overview of the changes in networking capabilities
introducedinvSphere4.1,specicallywithregardtothesynergiesbetweenthosenewfeaturesandIntel
Ethernet 10 Gigabit Server Adapters.
•Best Practice 3: Use VLANs with VLAN
 This important best practice
remains essentially unchanged with
vSphere 4.1, relative to vSphere 4.0.
•

This best practice is expanded in this
paper to better support decision making
around server network connections.
•
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
VMware vMotion.* Significant changes
to vMotion in vSphere 4.1 require this
best practice to be updated.
In particular, the teams at Intel and VMware
have extensively tested and discussed
the best practices around dynamic logical
segmentation across two 10GbE ports in the
sixmonthssincetherstwhitepaperwas
published. Those discussions and continuing
product developments to both switches and
network controllers have led to a paradigm
shift in the data center, as described in the
technology brief, “Virtual Switches Demand
Rethinking Connectivity for Servers
2
.”
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Server Adapters
Networking for Virtualization