Windows Server VM Cluster Network

[daveclaussen]

Happy New Year!

We are starting to use VMs for a few MS SQL always on availability groups/clusters. The clusters/server/SQL are setup and working, but I want to create an "internal" network for the cluster traffic only. I know how to do this in the physical world, and I am sure things can be setup the same in the virtual world. My question is about creating a cluster only network in vCenter so that the cluster traffic, from these two virtual SQL servers, never leaves the vSwitch. I have 16 hosts in a cluster running ESXi v6.0U3, the vCenter is the same version and I am using a virtual distributed switch.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Dave Claussen

dclausse@scgov.net

[T180985 · Accepted solution]

You would just set it up like any other port group. Assuming the SQL servers sit on different ESXi hosts the traffic will still need to pass through 1 or more physical switches though.

If the SQL servers sit on the same ESXi host then traffic would never leave that host