This document describes a standard for establishing virtual ethernet adapters in the VIO Server environment. This standard is specific to the numbering scheme used to identify the VLAN ID's of the virtual ethernet adapters. The VLAN ID number is also referred to in the HMC as the PVID number.

This document assumes there are two VIO servers in the environment and the names of the VIO servers are represented by "*vio0" and "*vio5".

The VLAN ID numbers will be three digit numbers, each digit representing a different aspect of the underlying ethernet adapter.

3 Digit VLAN ID Number
First Digit Second Digit Third Digit
5: Boot/Service
6: Standby
7: Backup
8: Management
9: Intra-Frame
0: Gigabit
5: 10/100
9: Bus
0,2,4,6,8: VIO Server with even numbered hostnames
1,3,5,7,9: VIO Server with odd numberd hostnames

The first digit of the VLAN ID numbers associated with virtual ethernet adapters will be used to represent a variety of adapter purposes. Those purposes include boot, standby, backup, management, and intra-frame communications.


The third digit of the three digit VLAN ID number assigned to virtual ethernet adapters associated with the VIO Server named *vio0 will end with a number between 0 and 4.

Example: 500, 501, 502, 510, 520, 521, ...

The VLAN ID numbers assigned to virtual ethernet adapters associated with the VIO Server named *vio5 will end with an odd number beginning at 5.

Example: 505, 506, 507, 515, 525, 526, ...


The second digit of the three digit VLAN ID sequence will represent the adapter speed, gigabit cards will be represented by 0 thru 4, 10/100 adapters by 5 thru 8, and bus speed adapters by a 9. This digit may be reconfigured as necessary.

Examples:

Adapter Speed
VLAN ID Adapter Type Adapter Speed VIO Server
500 Boot 0 Gigabit *vio0
501 Boot 1 Gigabit *vio0
505 Boot 0 Gigabit *vio5
506 Boot 1 Gigabit *vio5
       
550 Boot 0 10/100 *vio0
551 Boot 1 10/100 *vio0
555 Boot 0 10/100 *vio5
556 Boot 1 10/100 *vio5
       
590 Boot 0 Bus *vio0
591 Boot 0 Bus *vio0
595 Boot 0 Bus *vio5
596 Boot 1 Bus *vio5


An LPAR may have multiple adapters of a variety of types, for example an LPAR that provides database services and is a member of an HACMP cluster may have boot, standby, management, backup, and intra-frame virtual adapters as follows:

VIO Server Configuration:
VLAN ID Adapter Type Adapter Speed VIO Server
500 Boot Gigabit *vio0
600 Standby Gigabit *vio0
750 Backup 10/100 *vio0
850 Management 10/100 *vio0
990 Intra-frame Bus *vio0
991 Intra-frame Bus *vio0
       
505 Boot Gigabit *vio5
605 Standby Gigabit *vio5
755 Backup 10/100 *vio5
855 Management 10/100 *vio5
995 Intra-frame Bus *vio5
996 Intra-frame Bus *vio5

LPAR VLAN ID configuration to utilize virtual adapters:
VLAN ID Adapter Type Adapter Speed VIO Server
500 Boot Gigabit *vio0
505 Boot Gigabit *vio5
600 Standby Gigabit *vio0
605 Standby Gigabit *vio5
750 Backup 10/100 *vio0
755 Backup 10/100 *vio5
850 Management 10/100 *vio0
855 Management 10/100 *vio5
990 Intra-frame Bus *vio0
991 Intra-frame Bus *vio0
995 Intra-frame Bus *vio5
996 Intra-frame Bus *vio5