Can I do this with ESXi?

[lalotijuas0]

Hi I have a Project, I hope to find the answer:

I have a dell server which supports Virtualization, 64 bits processor... everything supports ESXi.

I have two NICs, and I want to install 3 Virtual machines as guests using windows 2008 server.I will conect on the host, NIC number 1 to a management switch, and NIC number 2 to a mirror port to do some packet capture in promiscous mode using Wireshark, or a similar software. the first question is if I can capturepackets in promiscous mode from a guest?

The second question: I need that every one of those guests using windows 2008 server, be able to have also those two NICs installed and available, and I want to manage the guest also via the first NIC, and do some packet capture via the second NIC.

Is there any way to link or bridge those logical NICs on the Guest OS to the phisical NICs on the host? In that way i would be able to select the NIC number 2 on the guest using wire shark, and guet only the packets that my mirror port is showing to the NIC number 2.

Thanks.

[danm66 · Accepted solution]

you can create a virtual machine portgroup on each vswitch. vswitch0 will have the management network portgroup and a VM portgroup. vswitch1 will have the second VM network portgroup. Within the VM's settings, you will need to have 2 network adapters, one for each VM portgroup. Assuming each VM Network portgroup is on different IP subnets, it's just a matter of picking which IP you access the guests by. There are some other network caveats when bridging networks, especially if they are already bridged elsewhere, so just be wary of that as you configure the systems.

As far as sniffing the network... If you enable promiscuous mode on the vswitch, that only enables you to sniff the traffic on that vswitch. Any hardware-based switches upstream will have to be similarly configured if you want to sniff all the traffic on them, too.

Hopefully, that helps answer the questions...

[lalotijuas0]

Thanks Dan

How do I link a Network interface of a Virtual Machine, to a particular Virtual switch?, I understand that they are linked based on the ip address range that is being used on the NIC of the Virtual Machine? And then it checks what are the corresponding segment among the defined Ip addresses inside of each virtual switch?

Thanks

[danm66]

You configure the uplinks for each vswitch, so during creation of the vswitch or afterwards by clicking on properties, you can select which uplink(s) are assigned to the vswitch. That uplink will be the physical nic on the host and that will be connected by cable to your switch and, thus, your network subnet(s).

Once you have the vswitch created, you create the VM network portgroup within the apppropriate vswitch. thus you are tying the portgroup to the vswitch and it can access the network(s) that available to the uplink/vmnic.

Now, within the VM's configuration you assign each network adapter to a portgroup and complete the chain.

There is no IP/subnet checking done by ESXi, that is up to you to verify and configure as the administrator.

Hope that helps...