1 Introduction
The purpose of this document is to give guidance for creating custom network configurations using netcfg on DXi models that support CLI access. Netcfg was added into the CLI in 2.x so 7500’s and machines running versions prior to 2.x will not have this functionality and will require other methods to customerize network configs if the standard GUI offerings are not sufficient.
The cli commands in the pages to follow are customer executable when using the admincli user. There are several examples that should cover the majority of scenarios that have been seen to date. The latest CLI manual is also a good place for reference material on custom networking solutions although the documentation leaves something to be desired in accuracy and details.
Setting up segmented/unsegmented networks and enabling/disabling jumbo frames can both be done via the CLI and there are details in the CLI manual for performing these functions but this document is specifically for customizing networks using netcfg since the majority of the functionality with “—setnetwork segmented” and “—setnetwork unsegmented” can be performed with netcfg.
2 The CYA clause:
Custom networking requires both knowledge of the customer’s ecosystem and details about networking methodologies. Please seek help from your RTS/ASPS before attempting any of these if you are not thoroughly comfortable with both facets. Keep in mind that changes made via the CLI can render the box useless for the customer so please make certain you know what you are doing prior to starting this process. It is also very important to know what interface corresponds to what eth#. That information can most easily be gleaned from the GUI.
3 The Interface:
There are a few things of interest regarding interfaces on the Dxi. The most important thing to be aware of is only “like” interfaces can be used in a bonded fashion. In simple terms, a 10gb interface can never be in the same bond as a 1gb interface. As mentioned in the prior paragraph, the GUI is the best place to determine the location of each interface and the Ethernet instance number (eth0, eth1 eth2 etc) assigned to each (Configuration>System>Network). Here is a screen capture of the networking available on a 6520:
Insert screenshot 1 here (LC)
Notice the bright yellow banner at the top of the page stating that custom networking is in affect? That display will automatically show up once networking changes from the CLI are made. A 6520 has 6 host facing Ethernet interfaces. The two on the motherboard are eth0 and eth1 and the 4 port nic is in slot1 and houses interfaces eth2-eth5 with eth2 starting at the top with the others following sequentially.
This same networking scheme is used for 6520-6540. The 6550 has two 10gb ports so the Ethernet instances are a bit different. There are two 1gb interfaces on the motherboard that are eth0-eth1 and the two 10gb interfaces are eth4 and eth5 with eth5 being the top port on the dual port card in the DXi. Here is a screen capture of a 6550:
Insert screenshot 2 here (LC)
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