What is ops TCP/IP stack. This was pre-built with v8

[JazWong]

As far as I understand available TCP/IP stacks in vSphere v8.x
⦁ Default TCP/IP stack : manage host-related traffic services. This stack shares single default gateway between all configured network services. starting v6
⦁ vMotion TCP/IP stack: Isolate vMotion traffic onto its own stack. This stack completely removes vMotion traffic from the default TCP/IP stack. starting v7
⦁ Provisioning TCP/IP stack: Isolate some VM-related operations such as migrations, cloning , snapshots or NFC traffic . starting v7
⦁ mirror TCP/IP : starting v8: specifically for all replication operations

⦁ ops TCP/IP: starting v8 : But what is the use of this stack?

[maksym007 · Accepted solution]

Check that one:

https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/8.0/vsphere-networking/GUID-55FCEC92-74B9-4E5F-ACC0-4EA1C3...

[markey165 · Accepted solution]

@JazWong @maksym007

The link above doesn't appear to reference the new "ops" TCP/IP stack, but the link below does:

https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/8.0/vsphere-networking/GUID-55FCEC92-74B9-4E5F-ACC0-4EA1C3...

Note the section:

"To configure IPFIX on a vSphere Distributed Switch backed by ESXi on DPU, you must create vmknic on ops TCP/IP stack. Else, the flow information is not exported to collector."

HTH

[JazWong]

excellent, thank you!

[JazWong]

Hi sir, thank you!

[jicooper]

Looks like the "mirror" stack is used in ERSPAN port mirroring, not replication. From what I can tell it's been a round since vSphere 7, but only added to the docs in vSphere 8.  Is there anyone still using vSphere 7 that can double-check that mirroring is an option?

Create a Port Mirroring Session (vmware.com)

Thanks,

Joe

[Kinnison]

Hello jicooper,

No, I don't think it's so, the "OPS" TCP/IP stack was absent till the first build of ESXi 8.0, I can tell you that ESXi 7.0U3n it does not feature any "OPS" TCP/IP stack, the same way as previous versions of which I still have memory.

Regards,
Ferdinando

[jicooper]

Relative to OPS, that makes sense.  After all, DPU support wasn't introduced until vSphere 8.  What about the mirror stack?  Do you see that in vSphere 7?

Thanks,

Joe

[Kinnison]

Hello,

Sorry, in ESXi 7.x there are three types of TCP/IP stack, the "default" one, the "vMotion" one and the "Provisioning" one, nothing else.

Regards,
Ferdinando