configure multiple ip address on esxi

[bickyz]

hi,

First of all im sorry if im in wrong section.

My current network is as follows:

And im looking to replace the WIN SERVER 2003 machines with 2 Network Card with New Dell Server, where i will be installing ESXi 4.1.

So far i have just installed ESXi 4.1 on this new machine. But this machine hasnt got two NIC so right now i have only connected it to 172.24.12.x network (LAN2). Here in this ESXi i will be installing Windows Server 2008 R2. How i can make this Windows Server connect to 172.25.12.x network.

I dont want to link the two Ethernet switch, as both LAN clients will be directly seeing each other.

One option i have been told by someone is to install second network card in the ESXi host box and configure with 172.25.12.2 and link it to the switch (LAN1) as it shows in the diagram.

[lostjames]

Hi,

You are going to need a second LAN card.

Unlike in Windows, where you can assign multiple IP's (is it five?) to a single NIC, you can only apply one IP address to a NIC in ESXi (as far as I am aware)

You probably want to upgrade your physical switching to support vLANs if you need to keep networks seperate.

Hope this helps

James

[bulletprooffool]

Hi - and welcome to the community.

You have 3 options

1) Add a second NIC, present it on the second network

2) Create a vSwitch and create 2 port groups on the vSwitch - make sure that the Physical NIC is attached to a 'router on a stick' that can manage the routing between the 2 subnets for you

3) Install something like a Vyatta appliance - this is aVM that does the job of a router. In this case, you could configure the appliance as your 'router on a stick' to manage traffic between different network segments.

[bickyz]

thanks to both of you...probably i will go for second nic. do u guys recommend any compatible nic that works on esxi 4.1

[lostjames]

Probably best to keep it Intel if this is a whitebox?

http://www.intel.com/products/server/adapters/index.htm

If not then get whatever your Server Manufactuer provides.

[bickyz]

its a dell server.

i have bought a 3com 3C905C-TX which i saw it in the compatible lists, i couldnt find intel card from my local shop.

I have installed it in the esxi box, the system has detected it. I have configured this second card to be 172.25.12.

Now in the Windows Server 2008 vm in the esxi do i add another network card or i can assign second ip (172.25.12.x) to the same single network card.

[Dave_Mishchenko]

With the 2nd NIC you'll can create a new virtual switch (vSwitch).  The new vSwitch does not require a vmkernel port thus ESXi will not have an IP address on that subnet.  Rather you'll create a new virtual machine port group on that vSwitch.  You'll then edit the VM, add a new virtual NIC and assign that NIC to the new VM port group.  You can then assign an appropriate IP address within the guest OS.