Using IP Hash on vswitch0?

[hutchingsp]

Is it possible/recommended to use IP Hash based routing on vswitch0?

I have (currently) 2 x pNICs assigned to vswitch0 which has my management console and virtual machine networks on it.

I'd like to use trunking on my switch but I noticed that when I setup the trunk I lose connectivity to the vsphere host.

I guess I could set the vswitch to IP Hash and then configure the switch, but this seems a good way to lock myself out of my own server...

So, what's suggested here?  I have lots of pNICs so there's no issue there if I need to split things out.

Thanks.

[idle-jam]

check this KB out, especially the last part where it touches on HP switches.

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1004048

[hutchingsp]

Thank you, though I have already read that and it explains how to create the trunk, which seems simple enough, it's the "chicken and egg" nature that I can't help but think it's nicer/neater to have your management console capable of being plugged into a "dumb" switch, and if you use "IP Hash" on vswitch0/mgmt console you lose that ability?

[Troy_Clavell]

if you aren't using an etherchannel, then I would just use the default load balancing policy "route based on orginating virtual port id"

[depping]

Not sure I understand why you want to do this? IP-Hash is only really effecient when there is a lot of traffic and this traffic per vm has a lot of different destination addresses. On top of that setting it up is fairly complex and increases the chances of issues. I would recommend to stick with the default as that is more than fine in 99% of all environments I have seen.

Duncan (VCDX)

Available now on Amazon: vSphere 4.1 HA and DRS technical deepdive

[hutchingsp]

It's a file server so there a lot (a few hundred) of addresses that will be connecting to the file server.

I setup a new vswitch and a trunk on the Procurve and enabled ip hash so I'm up and running .