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In this section:

Related articles:

Prerequisites


Note

 Ensure that SR-IOV is enabled on the BIOS settings of the host by logging in through iLO console.


Note

When using SR-IOV interfaces, do not add more than 64 VLANs as the driver does not support it.


Note

SR-IOV is a licensed feature on VMware. Procure the "VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus" license to enable SR-IOV support on ESXi.

  • Install SR-IOV supported two 10 Gigabit PCI cards.

  • Minimum 10 GB RAM.
  • VM must be created with four Interfaces:

    • One virtual interface for Management Port

    • One virtual interface for HA Port

    • Two virtual interfaces for SR-IOV Ports

Note

It is recommended to configure all four ports with different IP addresses in four different networks.

For example:

  • MGMT - Network 1
  • HA - Network 2
  • SR-IOV - Network 3
  • SR-IOV - Network 4

Configuring Virtual Machine Instances

Configuring SR-IOV

Perform the following steps:

  1. Log on to VMware ESXi GUI as the root user.

    VMWare ESXi 6.5


    Note

    The figures shown in this procedure are intended as examples of the user interface and might not match the presented images exactly.


  2. To check the status of the SR-IOV cards:

    1. Navigate to Host > Manage.

    2. Select the tab Hardware.
      Ensure both the SR-IOV cards are in disabled state, or the Passthrough is in disabled state.

      SR-IOV Cards

  3. If the SR-IOV cards are not disabled, disable them by performing the following:

    1. Enable SSH. To enable SSH,

      1. Navigate to Host and select the tab Actions.

      2. From the drop-down list, select the option Services. Click Enable Secure Shell (SSH) and Enable console shell.

        Enable SSH

    2. Check the name of the NIC cards. To check the name of the NIC cards,

      1. Log on to CLI as root.

      2. Execute the following command:

        Input
        lspci|grep X540

        The following is the sample display output:

        0000:0b:00.0 Network controller: Intel(R) Ethernet Controller X540-AT2 [vmnic8]
0000:0b:00.1 Network controller: Intel(R) Ethernet Controller X540-AT2 [vmnic9]

    3. Open the esx.conf file and find the PCI ID associated with the NIC card.

      1. Change the owner of the PCI ID from passthrough to vmkernel.

      2. Execute the following command:

        vi /etc/vmware/esx.conf

        The following is the sample display output:

        /system/uuid = "5a33649d-c9db-e792-c676-5cb9018acc24"
/system/uservars/psa/defaultLunMasksInstalled = "1"  
/system/uservars/corestorage/Filter/DefaultVMWRulesLoaded = "1"
/system/uservars/corestorage/VAAI/DefaultVMWRulesLoaded = "1"  
/system/uservars/host-acceptance-level = "partner"           
/resourceGroups/version = "6.5.0"                 
/adv/Misc/HostIPAddr = "10.54.12.81"
/adv/Misc/DiskDumpSlotSize = "2560" 
/adv/Misc/HostName = "hpg9-9"      
/adv/Net/ManagementIface = "vmk0"
/adv/Net/ManagementAddr = "10.54.12.81"
/adv/UserMem/UserMemASRandomSeed = "1418738923"
/adv/UserVars/HostClientCEIPOptIn = "1"        
/device/00000:005:00.0/vmkname = "vmhba1"
/device/00000:002:00.0/vmkname = "vmnic0"
/device/00000:002:00.2/vmkname = "vmnic2"
/device/00000:003:00.0/vmkname = "vmhba0"
/device/00000:002:00.1/vmkname = "vmnic1"
/device/00000:011:00.1/owner = "vmkernel"
/device/00000:011:00.1/device = "1528"   
/device/00000:011:00.1/vendor = "8086"
/device/00000:011:00.1/vmkname = "vmnic9"
/device/00000:004:00.2/vmkname = "vmnic6"
/device/00000:004:00.1/vmkname = "vmnic5"
/device/00000:002:00.3/vmkname = "vmnic3"
/device/00000:004:00.0/vmkname = "vmnic4"
/device/00000:005:00.1/vmkname = "vmhba2"
/device/00000:004:00.3/vmkname = "vmnic7"
/device/00000:011:00.0/vmkname = "vmnic8"
/device/00000:011:00.0/vendor = "8086"   
/device/00000:011:00.0/device = "1528"
/device/00000:011:00.0/owner = "vmkernel"
- /etc/vmware/esx.conf 33/499 6%

    4. Save the file.

    5. Reboot the host.

  4. In the VMware ESXi GUI, navigate to Host > Manage.

  5. Select the Hardware tab.

  6. From the PCI Devices, select the SR-IOV card.

    Selecting the SR-IOV Card

  7. Click Configure SR-IOV.

    The window to configure the SR-IOV card is displayed.

  8. For the option Enabled, select Yes and set the number of virtual functions.

    Configuring the SR-IOV Card

  9. Click Save.

  10. Configure the other SR-IOV card. Repeat the steps from 4 to 6.

  11. Reboot the host by clicking Reboot host.

    Reboot Host


    The following warning message is displayed.

    Warning Message

  12. Click Reboot.

    The VMware ESXi login window is displayed with the message "The host is rebooting...".

    The VMWare ESXI Login Window Displaying the Message

  13. Once the virtual function is created, the SR-IOV cards and the Passthrough for the virtual functions display the status as "Active".

    SR-IOV Cards and Virtual Function Status

Creating a vSwitch

Creating a Management vSwitch

Perform the following steps:

  1. Navigate to Networking. From the Port group tab, click the Add port group.
    The Add port group window is displayed.

    Adding the MGMT Port Group


    Note

    The figures shown in this procedure are intended as examples of the user interface and might not match the presented images exactly.


    The following table describes the Add port group fields.

    Add Port Group Fields

    FieldExample or Recommendation
    NameVMNetwork
    VLAN ID0
    Virtual switchvSwitch0
    SecuritySelect Inherit from vSwitch

  2. Click Add.

Creating an HA vSwitch

Perform the following steps:

  1. Navigate to Networking. From the Port group tab, click the Add port group.
    The Add port group window is displayed.

    Adding the HA Port Group


    Note

    The figures shown in this procedure are intended as examples of the user interface and might not match the presented images exactly.


    The following table describes the Add port group fields.

    Add Port Group Fields

    FieldExample or Recommendation
    NameHANetwork
    VLAN ID0
    Virtual switchvSwitch1
    SecuritySelect Inherit from vSwitch

  2. Click Add.

Creating the Virtual Machine

Perform the following steps:

  1. Navigate to Virtual Machines. Click Create / Register VM to create or register a virtual machine. The Select creation type option is displayed.

    Create or Register a Vrtual Machine


    Note

    The figures shown in this procedure are intended as examples of the user interface and might not match the presented images exactly.


  2. Select the option Create a new virtual machine.

  3. Click Next.

    The Select a name and guest OS option is displayed.

    Select a Name and Guest OS


    The following table describes the Select a name and guest OS fields.

    Select a Name and Guest OS Fields

    FieldExample or Recommendation
    NameName of the virtual machine. For example, VM.
    CompatibilityESXi 6.5 virtual machine
    Guest OS familyLinux
    Guest OS versionDebian GNULinux 8 (64-bit)

  4. Click Next.

    The Select storage option is displayed.

  5. Select datastore1.

    Note

    Ensure that the datastore has minimum 500 GB or more space. This datastore is required to store all log-related data files.


    Select Storage

  6. Click Next.
    The Customize settings option is displayed.

  7. Configure virtual hardware from Customize settings:

    1. Setting CPU

      When configuring virtual CPUs within the vSphere Web Client, you can configure:

      • The total number of vCPUs for the virtual machine
      • The total number of cores per socket

      The following table provides the examples of socket determination based on the CPU and Cores per Socket within the vSphere Web Client:

      Number of Sockets Determined by the vSphere Web Client

      Total Number of virtual CPUs (CPU)Cores per SocketNumber of Sockets Determined by the vSphere Web Client
      441
      422
      414
      881
      824
      842
      818

      Note

      A minimum of 4 vCPUs is required. Any number of vCPUs may be configured depending upon the call capacity requirements, but the number should be even (4, 6, 8, etc.) to avoid impacting performance.


      Setting CPU

      Note

      Set the CPU reservation so that it equals the physical processor CPU speed multiplied by the number of vCPUs assigned to the VM, divided by 2.

      CPU Reservation = (No. of vCPUs * CPU frequency)/2

      For example, a configuration of 32 CPUs with a processor of 2.30 GHz CPU frequency reserves "(32 * 2300)/2 = 36800 MHz".


      The following table describes the CPU fields.

      Customize Settings-CPU

      FieldsExample or Recommendation
      CPU10
      Number of Virtual sockets1
      Number of cores per virtual socket10
      CPU Reservation12925 MHz
      LimitUnlimited
      SharesNormal
      Hardware virtualizationNone
      Performance countersNone
      Scheduling AffinityNone

    2. Setting Memory

      Setting Memory


      The following table describes the Memory fields.

      Customize Settings-Memory

      FieldsExamples or Recommendation
      Memory20480 MB.
      Note: It is recommended to use more than 20 GB memory.
      ReservationSelect the option Reserve all guest memory (All locked)
      LimitUnlimited
      SharesNormal
      Memory Hot PlugNone

    3. Setting Hard disk 1

      Setting Hard disk 1


      The following table describes the Hard disk 1 fields.

      Customize Settings - Hard disk 1

      FieldsExamples or Recommendation
      Hard disk 1200 GB
      Maximum Size1.43 TB
      Locationdatastore1
      Disk ProvisioningSelect Thick provisioned, lazily zeroed
      SharesNormal
      Limit-IOPsUnlimited
      Virtual Device NodeSCSI controller 0 and SCSI (0:0)
      Disk modeDependent
      SharingNone

    4. Setting SCSI Controller

      Setting SCSI Controller


      The following table describes the SCSI Controller fields.

      Customize Settings - SCSI Controller

      FieldsExamples or Recommendation
      SCSI ControllerSelect LSI Logic Parallel from the drop-down list
      SCSI Bus SharingNone
      SATA Controller 0N/A
      USB controller 1USB 2.0

    5. Setting Network Adapter 1
      The Network Adapter 1 is used for provisioning MGMT ports.

      Setting Network Adapter 1


      The following table describes the Network Adapter 1 fields.

      Customize Settings - Network Adapter 1

      FieldsExamples or Recommendation
      Network Adapter 1Select the MGMT ports from the drop-down list. For example, VM Network.
      StatusSelect the option Connect at power on.
      Adapter TypeVMXNET3
      MAC AddressAutomatic

      Once the Network Adapter 1 is created for MGMT ports, create a new Network Adapter for HA ports.


    6. Select Add network adapter. The option to create New Network Adapter for HA port is displayed.

      Add Network Adapter


      The following table describes the New Network Adapter fields.

      Customize Settings - New Network Adapter

      FieldsExamples or Recommendation
      New Network AdapterSelect the HA port from the drop-down list. For example, HA Network.
      StatusSelect the option Connect at power on.
      Adapter TypeVMXNET3
      MAC AddressAutomatic
      To attach packet ports on VMware ESXi 6.7 and above versions, skip the steps 7.g to 7.j, and follow the steps in the section Attach SR-IOV Interface in VMware ESXi 6.7 and Above.

    7. Click Add other device to continue the configuration on PKT0 and PKT1.

      Add Other Device

    8. Select the option PCI device from the drop-down list.

      Select PCI Device


      The New PCI device option is created.


    9. Repeat steps g and h to create one more PCI Device.

      New PCI device

    10. Click Next. The Ready to complete option is displayed.

      Ready to Complete

    11. PKT Port NUMA Affinity: Perform the following steps:

      1. Find the PKT port NUMA affinity by executing the following command on the EXSi host:

        vsish -e get /net/pNics/<PKT port name - vmnicX>/properties | grep "NUMA"
      2. Update VM NUMA affinity to be same as NIC NUMA affinity:

        1. Edit Settings -> VM options -> Configuration Parameters -> Add Parameters.

          Edit Configuration Parameters

           

        2. Add the following parameters:

          numa.nodeAffinity' =  0 or 1 (based on PKT port NIC affinity)

numa.autosize.once = FALSE


          Add Parameters

    12. Once the review is performed, click Finish. The Virtual Machine is created.

RSS Configuration for VMs using SR-IOV Interfaces

Receive side scaling (RSS) is a mechanism that enables spreading incoming network traffic across multiple CPUs, thus eliminating a potential processing bottleneck. For SR-IOV configurations, update the RSS configuration in the ESXi host as shown in the procedure below:

  1. Execute the following command to unload the IXGBE driver:

    esxcfg-module -u ixgbe

  2. Execute the following command to verify the driver is unloaded:

    esxcfg-module -l | grep ixg

  3. Execute one of the following commands to reload the driver with the required virtual function (VF) and RSS configurations:

    vmkload_mod ixgbe max_vfs=2,2 RSS=4,4

    ~ or ~

    esxcfg-module -s 'max_vfs=2,2, RSS=4,4' ixgbe
  4. Reboot the host for the RSS to take effect. This modified configuration is retained after the reboot.

Installing the SBC Application on VMware

Once the VMware instance is created, install the SBC application.

Perform the following steps:

  1. Select the Virtual Machine where you want to install the SBC application.

  2. Click Edit. The Edit Settings window is displayed.

  3. Select CD/DVD Drive 1.

    Edit Settings


    Note

    The figures shown in this procedure are intended as examples of the user interface and might not match the presented images exactly.


  4. The Datastore browser window is displayed. Browse the ISO image file.

    Selecting the OS File

  5. Click Select. The following window is displayed.

    Saving the OS File

  6. Click Save.

  7. Click Power on to power on the VM.

    Powering On the VM

  8. The SBC Installer window is displayed. Press Enter to boot.

    SBC Installer Window

  9. Once the installation completes, you are prompted to enter the login credentials.

    Login Information

  10. Log on to CLI as linuxadmin. Provide the following IP addresses:

    1. Primary Management IPv4 Address

    2. Primary Management Network Mask

    3. Primary Management Gateway IP Address, you are prompted to use IPv6 address.

    4. Enter n if you do not want to set IPv6


    Ip Addresses