Planning for multiple networks
Each virtual machine that you deploy must have one or more networks. Using multiple networks provides the ability for you to separate traffic. If you have multiple projects, you can create shared networks from the Networks page.
PowerVM® Enterprise
Edition generally uses three types of
networks when you are deploying virtual machines:
- Data network
- This network provides the route over which workload traffic is sent. At least one data network is required for each virtual machine, and more than one data network is allowed.
- Management network
- This type of network is optional but highly recommended to provide a higher level of function
with the virtual machine. A management network provides the Remote Monitoring and Control (RMC)
connection between the management console and the client LPAR. Several PowerVC features, such as live migration and
dynamic LPAR, add or remove NIC, etc require an active RMC connection between the management console
(HMC or the NovaLink partition) and the virtual
machine. In a NovaLink environment, the system
will try to use an internal virtual switch (named MGMTSWITCH) to provide the RMC connections. This
internal management network requires that images be created with rsct 3.2.1.0-15216 or later. See
Updating Reliable Scalable Cluster Technology (RSCT) packages for PowerVM NovaLink for details. Virtual machines are not
required to have a dedicated management network, but having one provides those beneficial advanced
features. For instructions to set up an RMC connection, see
Configuring the VLANs on the network switch.
PowerVC provides the ability for you to connect to a management network, but you must first set up the networking on the switches and the shared Ethernet adapter to support it.
- Live Partition Migration (LPM) network
- This optional network provides the route over which migration data is sent from one host to another. Creating a separate network for migration data helps you to control and prioritize your network traffic. For example, you can specify a higher or lower priority for the migration data as compared with standard data or management traffic. If you do not want to use a separate network for LPM, you can reuse an existing data network connection or a management network connection for it.