How to configure an ESXi host to support VLAN tagging

As part the infrastructure of your multi-cloud platform, a DHCP server or gateway will need to access multiple networks, which will usually be on different virtual LANs (VLANs). A typical VLAN configuration will connect networks to a switch port in trunk mode, and the switch will use tags on the ethernet frames to correctly direct each frame to the right network.

In summary to run a DHCP Server or a Gateway on a VM on ESXi, we will need VLAN support.

In order to create VLAN interfaces on a VM and listen to them, we need to attach a VM’s virtual NIC to a Virtual Machine Port Group with VLAN 4095, which represents all VLANs.

Before you begin, remember that you may also need to configure the VM. An 802.1Q VLAN trunking driver is usually loaded by default on Windows and Linux. Then select an E1000 Ethernet driver for maximum compatibility with all virtualization technologies.

Follow these steps to create the Port Group with VLAN 4095 using vSphere Client v6.5:

  1. Log in to the vSphere Client and select the host from the Inventory panel.
  2. Go to Networks
  3. From the Actions menu, select Add Networking.
  4. Select “Virtual Machine Port Group for a Standard Switch” and click Next.
  5. Select “New standard switch” or select one of the existing vSwitches. The selected vSwitch should attach to the service network, which holds the VLANs for the VMs. Click Next.
  6. In the Connection settings section, enter a Network label to identify the port group you are creating.

 

Note: The network label can contain up to 63 characters

For the VLAN ID, select “All (4095)”. Click Next.

7. Check that the vSwitch is configured correctly and click Finish.

You can now configure your hypervisor in the multi-cloud platform. Select the Network service type for the vSwitch interface.

The platform will now use this port group when it receives DHCP tagged demands from your deployed VMs.

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