Attach SR-IOV Interface in VMware ESXi 6.7 and Above

Use this section to attach the SR-IOV virtual function interface in VMware ESXi 6.7 and above versions.

Driver and Firmware Versions

Driver Versions

Firmware Version

Use the latest firmware for the specific NIC corresponding to the hardware platform.

Attaching the SR-IOV

Use the following steps to attach the SR-IOV:

1. The 10G card (X540 or X710) contains two ports named as vmnic in VMware. Go to Networking > Physical NICs to view the list of VM NICs.

   List of Physical NICs

   

2. Select the VM NICs to enable the SRIOV and use as PKT0 or PKT1. 

   Select VM NICs

   

3. Click the selected VM NICs to obtain their PCI addresses. 

   PCI Address of NICs

   

   
   

   

4. Go to Host > Manage > Hardware > PCI Devices. Select the PCI devices obtained in the above step, one after the other. Enable the SRIOV with the number of virtual functions required.

   1. Select the PCI device and click Configure SR-IOV. 

      Select PCI Device > Configure SRIOV

      

   2. Enter the number of virtual functions required depending on the number of VMs to create using the VM NIC. 

      Number of Virtual Functions

      

   3. Save and repeat steps Attach SR-IOV Interface in VMware ESXi 6.7 and Above#4.a and Attach SR-IOV Interface in VMware ESXi 6.7 and Above#4.b for the VM NICs that require SRIOV enabling.

   4. Click Reboot Host to enable SRIOV on the VM NICs.

      Reboot Host

      
      After the Host reboots the virtual functions are created for the PCI devices.

      Virtual Functions Active

      

5. Go to Networking > Virtual switches and click Add standard virtual switch. 

   Add Virtual Standard Switch

   

6. Give a name to the switch and select the VM NIC in Uplink 1 for which SRIOV is enabled. Click Add. 

7. Repeat if there are other VM NICs. 

   Add Standard Virtual Machine

   

8. Go to Networking > Port Groups. Click Add port group. 

   Add Port Group

   

9. To add the Port Group, enter the following details and click Add.

   • Name: Any port group name

   • VLAN ID: 4095

   • Virtual Switch: The vSwitch created before. 

     Add Port Group

     

10. When creating or loading the SBC, enter the Network Adapter Details as shown below:

    1. Click Add network adapter. Do this twice; once for PKT0 and once for PKT1.

    2. In the New Network Adapter drop down menu, for the PKT0 select the Port group created in the previous step.

    3. In the Adapter Type drop down menu, select SR-IOV passthrough.

    4. In the Physical function drop down menu, select the PCI device the Port group belongs to (the PCI device obtained before).

    5. Retain the default values for the other options.

       Network Adapter Details - PKT0

       

       Network Adapter Details - PKT1

       

11. Enter the other required values to start up the SBC in the VMware.
12. Click Save or Finish.

Readjust SR-IOV Network Adapter Addition Sequence

Sometimes, with the ESXi 6.7U3, the order of the SR-IOV network adapters are not in same sequence as they were added after saving the SR-IOV network adapters. This behavior is not consistent and the order varies on different setups. 

If the sequence shown after saving does not match the sequence in which the SR-IOV network adapters were added, detach the SR-IOV network adapters from the VM and readjust the sequence in which the SR-IOV network adapters were added, so that after saving, the VM has access to the correct sequence as expected by the SBC.

Example SR-IOV Network Adapters Order

When the PKT0 and PKT1 SR-IOV adapters are added in sequence, after saving the networks, the order of SR-IOV network adapters is shown below (example only).

Order of SR-IOV Adapter Network

For the example shown, delete the SR-IOV networks and attach the SR-IOV network adapters such that the order is PKT1 and then PKT0.

Power on the VM to create or start up the SBC.