Manage VMkernel Network Adapters in the VMware Host Client

In the VMware Host Client, you can add and remove VMkernel network adapters (NICs), as well as view and modify the VMkernel NIC settings.

View VMkernel Network Adapter Information in the VMware Host Client

In the VMware Host Client, you can view information about VMkernel network adapters (NICs), such as TCP/IP configuration, network details, virtual switch topology, and so on.

Procedure

1. Click Networking in the VMware Host Client inventory and click VMkernel NICs.
2. Click a NIC in the list to display configuration and topology details.

Add a VMkernel Network Adapter in the VMware Host Client

You can add a VMkernel network adapter (NIC) on a VMware vSphere^® Standard Edition™ switch to provide network connectivity for hosts. The VMkernel NIC also handles the system traffic for VMware vSphere^® vMotion^®, IP storage, Fault Tolerance, logging, vSAN, and so on.

Procedure

1. Right-click Networking in the VMware Host Client inventory and click Add VMkernel NIC.
2. In the Add VMkernel NIC dialog box, configure the settings for the VMkernel adapter.

   Option	Description
   New port group Label	Adding a VMkernel NIC also adds a port group. Specify a name for that port group.
   VLAN ID	Enter a VLAN ID to determine the VLAN for the network traffic of the VMkernel adapter to use.
   IP Version	Select IPv4, IPv6, or both. Note: The IPv6 option does not appear on hosts that do not have IPv6 enabled.

3. Select a virtual switch from the drop-down menu.
4. (Optional) Expand the IPv4 settings section to select an option for obtaining IP addresses.

   Option	Description
   Use DHCP to obtain IP settings	IP settings are obtained automatically. A DHCP server must be present on the network.
   Use static IP settings	Enter the IPv4 address and subnet mask for the VMkernel adapter. The VMkernel Default Gateway and DNS server addresses for IPv4 are obtained from the selected TCP/IP stack.

5. (Optional) Expand the IPv6 settings section to select an option for obtaining IPv6 addresses.

   Option	Description
   DHCPv6	Use DHCP to obtain IPv6 addresses. A DHCPv6 server must be present on the network.
   Auto Configuration	Use router advertisement to obtain IPv6 addresses.
   Static IPv6 Addresses	Click Add address to add a new IPv6 address. Enter the IPv6 address and subnet prefix length.

6. Select a TCP/IP stack from the drop-down menu.
   After you set a TCP/IP stack for the VMkernel adapter, you cannot change it. If you select the vMotion or the Provisioning TCP/IP stack, you can use only this stack to handle vMotion or for Provisioning traffic on the host. All VMkernel adapters for vMotion on the default TCP/IP stack are deactivated for future vMotion sessions. If you use the Provisioning TCP/IP stack, VMkernel adapters on the default TCP/IP stack are deactivated, and you cannot perform some operations. Such operations include traffic Provisioning, such as virtual machine cold migration, cloning, and snapshot migration.
7. (Optional) Select the services to enable for the default TCP/IP stack on the host.
   vMotion enables the VMkernel adapter to advertise itself to another host as the network connection where vMotion traffic is sent. You cannot use vMotion to perform migrations to selected hosts if the vMotion service is not enabled for any VMkernel adapter on the default TCP/IP stack, or if no adapters use the vMotion TCP/IP stack.
8. Review your setting selections and click Create.

Edit VMkernel Network Adapter Settings in the VMware Host Client

You might have to change the supported traffic type for a VMkernel network adapter, or the way IPv4 or IPv6 addresses are obtained.

Procedure

1. Click Networking in the VMware Host Client inventory and click VMkernel NICs.
2. Select the VMkernel adapter that resides on the target standard switch, click Actions, and select Edit settings from the drop-down menu.
3. (Optional) Edit the VLAN ID.
   The VLAN ID determines the VLAN that the network traffic of the VMkernel adapter uses.
4. (Optional) To edit the IP version, select IPv4, IPv6, or both from the drop-down menu.
   Note: The IPv6 option does not appear on hosts that do not have IPv6 enabled.
5. (Optional) Expand the IPv4 settings section to select an option for obtaining IP addresses.

   Option	Description
   Use DHCP to obtain IP settings	IP settings are obtained automatically. A DHCP server must be present on the network.
   Use static IP settings	Enter the IPv4 address and subnet mask for the VMkernel adapter. The VMkernel Default Gateway and DNS server addresses for IPv4 are obtained from the selected TCP/IP stack.

6. (Optional) Expand the IPv6 settings section to select an option for obtaining IPv6 addresses.

   Option	Description
   DHCPv6	Use DHCP to obtain IPv6 addresses. A DHCPv6 server must be present on the network.
   Auto Configuration	Use a router advertisement to obtain IPv6 addresses.
   Static IPv6 Addresses	Click Add address to add an IPv6 address. Enter the IPv6 address and subnet prefix length.

7. (Optional) Select the service to activate or deactivate for the default TCP/IP stack on the host.
   vMotion enables the VMkernel adapter to advertise itself to another host as the network connection where the vMotion traffic is sent. It is not possible to use vMotion to perform migrations to selected hosts if the vMotion service is not enabled for any VMkernel adapter on the default TCP/IP stack, or if no adapters use the vMotion TCP/IP stack.
8. Review your setting modifications and click Save to apply your changes.

Remove a VMkernel Network Adapter in the VMware Host Client

In the VMware Host Client, you can remove a VMkernel network adapter if you no longer need it.

Procedure

1. Click Networking in the VMware Host Client inventory and click VMkernel NICs.
2. Right-click the VMkernel adapter that you want to remove and click Remove.
3. Click Confirm to remove the network adapter.