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Cisco ACI Virtualization Guide, Release 2.3(1)

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Book Title

Cisco ACI Virtualization Guide, Release 2.3(1)

Chapter Title

Cisco ACI with VMware VDS Integration

Results

Updated:
August 7, 2017

Chapter: Cisco ACI with VMware VDS Integration

Cisco ACI with VMware VDS Integration

This chapter contains the following sections:

Configuring Virtual Machine Networking Policies

The APIC integrates with third-party VM manager (VMM) (for example, VMware vCenter) to extend the benefits of ACI to the virtualized infrastructure. The APIC enables the ACI policies inside the VMM system to be used by its administrator.

The following modes of Cisco ACI and VMware VMM integration are supported:

  • Vmware VDS—When integrated with Cisco ACI, the VMware vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS) enables you to configure VM networking in the ACI fabric.

  • Cisco Application Virtual Switch (AVS)—For information about how to install and configure the Cisco AVS with the Cisco ACI, see details in Cisco ACI with Cisco AVS.

APIC Supported VMware VDS Versions

VMware VDS

Release 5.1

Release 5.5

Release 6.0

Release 6.5

VMware vCenter

Supported

Supported

Supported

Supported

Note

When adding additional VMware ESXi hosts to the VMM domain with VMware vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS), ensure that the version of ESXi host is compatible with the Distributed Virtual Switch (DVS) version already deployed in the vCenter. For more information about VMware VDS compatibility requirements for ESXi hosts, see the VMware documentation.

If the ESXi host version is not compatible with the existing DVS version, vCenter will not be able to add the ESXi host to the DVS, and an incompatibility error will occur. Modification of the existing DVS Version setting from the Cisco APIC is not possible. To lower the DVS Version in the vCenter, you need to remove and reapply the VMM domain configuration with a lower setting.

Important:

If you have ESXi 6.5 hosts running UCS B-Series or C-Series server with VIC cards, some of the vmnics may go down on a port state event, such as a link flap or a TOR reload. To prevent this problem, do not use the default eNIC driver but install it from Cisco.com: https:/​/​cspg-releng.cisco.com/​vic/​blade/​3.1.3/​Drivers/​VMware/​Network/​Cisco/​VIC/​ESXi_6.5/​

Guidelines for Upgrading VMware DVS from 5.x to 6.x and VMM Integration

This section describes the guidelines for upgrading VMware Distributed Virtual Switch (DVS) from 5.x to 6.x and VMM integration.

  • DVS versioning is only applicable to the VMware DVS and not the Cisco Application Virtual Switch (AVS). DVS upgrades are initiated from VMware vCenter, or the relevant orchestration tool and not ACI. The Upgrade Version option appears grayed out for AVS switches within vCenter.

  • If you are upgrading the DVS from 5.x to 6.x, you must upgrade the vCenter Server to version 6.0 and all hosts connected to the distributed switch to ESXi 6.0. For full details on upgrading your vCenter and Hypervisor hosts, see VMware's upgrade documentation. To upgrade the DVS go to the Web Client: Home > Networking > DatacenterX > DVS-X > Actions Menu > Upgrade Distributed Switch.

  • There is no functional impact on the DVS features, capability, performance and scale if the DVS version shown in vCenter does not match the VMM domain DVS version configured on the APIC. The APIC and VMM Domain DVS Version is only used for initial deployment.

Mapping ACI and VMware Constructs

Table 1 Mapping of ACI and VMware Constructs

Cisco APIC Terms

VMware Terms

VM controller

vCenter (Datacenter)

Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) Domain

vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS)

Endpoint group (EPG)

Port group

VMware VDS Parameters Managed By APIC

VDS Parameters Managed by APIC

VMware VDS

Default Value

Configurable using APIC Policy

Name

VMM domain name

Yes (Derived from Domain)

Description

"APIC Virtual Switch"

No

Folder Name

VMM domain name

Yes (Derived from Domain)

Version

Highest supported by vCenter

Yes

Discovery Protocol

LLDP

Yes

Uplink Ports and Uplink Names

8

No

Uplink Name Prefix

uplink

No

Maximum MTU

9000

Yes

LACP policy

disabled

Yes

Port mirroring

0 sessions

Yes

Alarms

2 alarms added at the folder level

No

VDS Port Group Parameters Managed by APIC

VMware VDS Port Group

Default Value

Configurable using APIC Policy

Name

Tenant Name | Application Profile Name | EPG Name

Yes (Derived from EPG)

Port binding

Static binding

No

VLAN

Picked from VLAN pool

Yes

Load balancing algorithm

Derived based on port-channel policy on APIC

Yes

Promiscuous mode

Disabled

Yes

Forged transmit

Disabled

Yes

Mac change

Disabled

Yes

Block all ports

False

No

Creating a VMM Domain Profile

In this section, examples of a VMM domain are vCenter domain.

GUI Tasks

This section shows how to perform tasks using GUI.

Prerequisites for Creating a VMM Domain Profile

To configure a VMM domain profile, you must meet the following prerequisites:

  • All fabric nodes are discovered and configured.

  • Inband (inb) or out-of-band (oob) management has been configured on the APIC.

  • A Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) is installed, configured, and reachable through the inb/oob management network (for example, a vCenter).

  • You have the administrator/root credentials to the VMM (for example vCenter).


    Note
    If you prefer not to use the vCenter admin/root credentials, you can create a custom user account with minimum required permissions. See Custom User Account with Minimum VMware vCenter Privileges for a list of the required user privileges.

  • A DNS policy for the APIC must be configured if you plan to reference the VMM by hostname rather than an IP address.

vCenter Domain Operational Workflow

Figure 1. A Sequential Illustration of the vCenter Domain Operational Workflow



The APIC administrator configures the vCenter domain policies in the APIC. The APIC administrator provides the following vCenter connectivity information:

  • vCenter IP address, vCenter credentials, VMM domain policies, and VMM domain SPAN

  • Policies (VLAN pools, domain type such as VMware VDS, Cisco Nexus 1000V switch)

  • Connectivity to physical leaf inerfaces (using attach entity profiles)

  1. The APIC automatically connects to the vCenter.

  2. The APIC creates a VDS under a specified data center on the vCenter.


    Note

    The VDS name is the VMM domain name.

  3. The vCenter administrator or the compute management tool adds the ESX host or hypervisor to the APIC VDS and assigns the ESX host hypervisor ports as uplinks on the APIC VDS. These uplinks must connect to the ACI leaf switches.

  4. The APIC learns the location of the hypervisor host to the leaf connectivity using LLDP or CDP information of the hypervisors.

  5. The APIC administrator creates and associates application EPG policies.

  6. The APIC administrator associates EPG policies to VMM domains.

  7. The APIC automatically creates port groups in the VMware vCenter under the VDS. This process provisions the network policy in the VMware vCenter.


    Note

    • The port group name is a concatenation of the tenant name, the application profile name, and the EPG name.

    • The port group is created under the VDS, and it was created earlier by the APIC.

  8. The vCenter administrator or the compute management tool instantiates and assigns VMs to the port groups.

  9. The APIC learns about the VM placements based on the vCenter events. The APIC automatically pushes the application EPG and its associated policy (for example, contracts and filters) to the ACI fabric.

Creating a vCenter Domain Profile Using the Advanced GUI

An overview of the tasks performed in the creation of a vCenter Domain are as follows (details are in the steps that follow):

  • Create/select a switch profile

  • Create/select an interface profile

  • Create/select an interface policy group

  • Create/select VLAN pool

  • Create vCenter domain

  • Create vCenter credentials

Procedure
    Step 1   On the menu bar, click FABRIC > Access Policies.
    Step 2   In the Navigation pane, right-click Switch Policies, and then click Configured Interfaces, PC, and VPC.
    Step 3   In the Configured Interfaces, PC, and VPC dialog box, perform the following actions:
    1. Expand Configured Switch Interfaces.
    2. Click the + icon.
    3. Make sure that the Quick radio button is chosen.
    4. From the Switches drop-down list, choose the appropriate leaf ID.

      In the Switch Profile Name field, the switch profile name automatically populates.

    5. Click the + icon to configure the switch interfaces.
    6. In the Interface Type area, check the appropriate radio button.
    7. In the Interfaces field, enter the desired interface range.
    8. In the Interface Selector Name field, the selector name automatically populates.
    9. In the Interface Policy Group area, choose the Create One radio button.
    10. From the Link Level Policy drop-down list, choose the desired link level policy.
    11. From the CDP Policy drop-down list, choose the desired CDP policy.
      Note    Similarly choose the desired interface policies from the available policy areas.
    12. In the Attached Device Type area, choose ESX Hosts.
    13. In the Domain area, make sure that the Create One radio button is chosen.
    14. In the Domain Name field, enter the domain name.
    15. In the VLAN area, make sure that the Create One radio button is chosen.
    16. In the VLAN Range field, enter the VLAN range as appropriate.
      Note    We recommend a range of at least 200 VLAN numbers. Do not define a range that includes the reserved VLAN ID for infrastructure network, because that VLAN is for internal use.
    17. In the vCenter Login Name field, enter the login name.
    18. Optional: From the Security Domains drop-down list, choose the appropriate security domain.
    19. In the Password field, enter a password.
    20. In the Confirm Password field, reenter the password.
    21. Expand vCenter.
    Step 4   In the Create vCenter Controller dialog box, enter the appropriate information, and click OK.
    Step 5   In the Configure Interface, PC, And VPC dialog box, complete the following actions:

    If you do not specify policies in the Port Channel Mode and the vSwitch Policy areas, the same policies that you configured earlier in this procedure will take effect for the vSwitch.

    1. From the Port Channel Mode drop-down list, choose a mode.
    2. In the vSwitch Policy area, click the desired radio button to enable CDP or LLDP.
    3. From the NetFlow Exporter Policy drop-down list, choose a policy or create one.

      A NetFlow exporter policy configures the external collector reachability.

    4. Choose values from the Active Flow Time0ut, Idle Flow Timeout, and Sampling Rate drop-down lists.
    5. Click SAVE twice and then click SUBMIT.
    Step 6   Verify the new domain and profiles, by performing the following actions:
    1. On the menu bar, choose VM Networking > Inventory.
    2. In the Navigation pane, expand VMware > Domain_name > vCenter_name.
    In the Work pane, under Properties, view the VMM domain name to verify that the controller is online. In the Work pane, the vCenter properties are displayed including the operational status. The displayed information confirms that connection from the APIC controller to the vCenter server is established, and the inventory is available.

    Creating a vCenter Domain Profile Using the Basic GUI

    Before You Begin

    Before you create a VMM domain profile, you must establish connectivity to external network using in-band management network on the APIC.

    Procedure
      Step 1   Login to the Basic Mode in the APIC GUI.
      Step 2   On the menu bar, choose VM NETWORKING > Inventory.
      Step 3   In the Navigation pane, right-click VMware and click Create vCenter Domain.
      Step 4   In the Create vCenter Domain dialog box, in the Virtual Switch Name field, enter a Name.
      Step 5   In the Virtual Switch field, verify that VMware vSphere Distributed Switch is selected.
      Step 6   In the VLAN Pool drop-down list, choose Create VLAN Pool. In the Create VLAN Pool dialog box, perform the following actions:
      Note    This step provides the VLAN range for all port groups and EPGs that will be created under this server.
      1. Enter a Name.
      2. In the Allocation Mode field, verify that Dynamic Allocation is selected.
      3. Expand Encap Blocks to add a VLAN block. In the Create Ranges dialog box, enter a VLAN range.
        Note    We recommend that you use a range of at least 200 VLAN numbers.
      4. Click OK, and click Submit.
      Step 7   In the Create vCenter Domain dialog box, expand vCenter and perform the following tasks:
      1. In the Add vCenter dialog box, in the Type field, click the vCenter radio button.
      2. In the vCenter Controller Host Name (or IP Address) field, enter the name or IP address of your vCenter.
      3. In the Datacenter field, enter the data center as appropriate.
      4. In the vCenter Credential Name field, enter a name.
      5. In the Username field, enter a username. The username must be a credential to log in as an administrator of the vCenter.
      6. In the Password field, enter the password and repeat the password in the Confirm Password field. Click OK, and click Submit. The password must be a credential to log in as an administrator of the vCenter.
      Step 8   On the menu bar, choose FABRIC > Inventory.
      Step 9   In the Navigation pane, expand Pod, click on the Configure tab and perform the following actions:
      1. In the Configure pane, click on Add Switches and select the switch/switches to configure. Click Add Selected.
        Note    Use the Command button to select more than one switch.
      2. Click on the port numbers to associate them to the VMware and click on Configure Interface.
      3. In the Configure Interface pane, click on the VLAN tab.
      4. In the VLAN pane, expand ESX And SCVMM.
      5. In the Name field, choose the VMware that you have just created from the drop-down list. Click Update and Apply Changes to complete VMware configuration.
      Step 10   Verify the new domain and profiles by performing the following actions:
      Note    To ensure that the controllers are operational after the policy has been submitted, the administrator of the vCenter must add the hosts to the distributed switch.
      1. On the menu bar, choose VM Networking > Inventory.
      2. In the Navigation pane, expand VMware, and expand the vCenter domain name.
      3. In the Navigation pane, click the controller names to verify that the controllers are online.

        In the Work pane, the properties are displayed including the operational status. The displayed information confirms that connection from the APIC controller to the server is established, and the inventory is available.

      Creating a vCenter Domain Profile Using the NX-OS Style CLI

      Before You Begin

      This section describes how to create a vCenter domain profile using the NX-OS style CLI:

      Procedure
        Step 1   In the CLI, enter configuration mode:

        Example: 
        apic1# configure
apic1(config)#
        Step 2   Configure a VLAN domain:

        Example: 
        apic1(config)# vlan-domain dom1 dynamic
apic1(config-vlan)# vlan 150-200 dynamic
apic1(config-vlan)# exit
apic1(config)#
        Step 3   Add interfaces to this VLAN domain. These are the interfaces to be connected to VMware hypervisor uplink ports:

        Example: 
        apic1(config)# leaf 101-102
apic1(config-leaf)# interface ethernet 1/2-3
apic1(config-leaf-if)# vlan-domain member dom1 
apic1(config-leaf-if)# exit
apic1(config-leaf)# exit
        Step 4   Create a VMware domain and add VLAN domain membership:

        Example: 
        apic1(config)# vmware-domain vmmdom1
apic1(config-vmware)# vlan-domain member dom1
apic1(config-vmware)#

        Create the domain with a specific delimiter:



        Example: 
        apic1(config)# vmware-domain vmmdom1 delimiter @
        Step 5   Configure the domain type to DVS:

        Example: 
        apic1(config-vmware)# configure-dvs
apic1(config-vmware-dvs)# exit
apic1(config-vmware)#
        Step 6   Configure a controller in the domain:

        Example: 
        apic1(config-vmware)# vcenter 192.168.66.2 datacenter prodDC
apic1(config-vmware-vc)# username administrator
Password:
Retype password:
apic1(config-vmware-vc)# exit
apic1(config-vmware)# exit
apic1(config)# exit
        Note   

        When configuring the password, you must precede special characters such as '$' or '!' with a backslash ('\$') to avoid misinterpretation by the Bash shell. The escape backslash is necessary only when configuring the password; the backslash does not appear in the actual password.

        Step 7   Verify configuration:

        Example: 
        apic1# show running-config vmware-domain vmmdom1 
# Command: show running-config vmware-domain vmmdom1
# Time: Wed Sep  2 22:14:33 2015
  vmware-domain vmmdom1
    vlan-domain member dom1
    vcenter 192.168.66.2 datacenter prodDC
      username administrator password *****
    configure-dvs
      exit
    exit

        Creating VDS Uplink Port Groups

        Each VMM domain appears in the vCenter as a vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS). The virtualization administrator associates hosts to the VDS created by the APIC and selects which vmnics to use for the specific VDS. The configuration of the VDS uplinks are performed from the APIC controller by changing the vSwitch configuration from the Attach Entity Profile (AEP) that is associated with the VMM domain. You can find the AEP in the APIC GUI in the Fabric Access Policies configuration area.


        Note

        When working with ACI and vSphere VMM integration, Link Aggregation Groups (LAGs) are not a supported method of creating interface teams on distributed switches created by the APIC. The APIC pushes the necessary interface teaming configuration based on the settings in the Interface Policy Group and/or AEP vSwitch policy. It is not supported or required to manually create interface teams in vCenter.

        Creating a Trunk Port Group

        Creating a Trunk Port Group Using the GUI

        This section describes how to create a trunk port group using the Advanced or Basic GUI.

        Before You Begin

        • Trunk port group must be tenant independent.

        Procedure
          Step 1   Log in to the Advanced mode in the APIC GUI.
          Step 2   On the menu bar, choose VM NETWORKING.
          Step 3   In the Navigation pane, choose VMware > Domain_name > Trunk Port Groups and right-click Create Trunk Port Group.
          Step 4   In the Create Trunk Port Group dialog box, perform the following actions:
          1. In the Name field, enter the EPG name.
          2. For the Promiscuous Mode buttons, click either Disabled or Enabled. The default is Disabled.
          3. For the Trunk Portgroup Immediacy buttons, click either Immediate or On Demand. The default is On Demand.
          4. For the MAC changes buttons, click either Disabled or Enabled. The default is Enabled.
          5. For the Forged transmits buttons, click either Disabled or Enabled. The default is Enabled.
          6. In the VLAN Ranges field, choose the + icon and enter the VLAN range (vlan-100 vlan-200).
            Note   

            If you do not specify a VLAN Range, the VLAN list will be taken from the domain’s VLAN namespace.

          7. Click Update.
          Step 5   Click Submit.

          Creating a Trunk Port Group Using the NX-OS Style CLI

          This section describes how to create a trunk port group using the NX-OS Style CLI.

          Before You Begin

          • Trunk port groups must be tenant independent.

          Procedure
            Step 1   Go to the vmware-domain context, enter the following command:

            Example: 
            apic1(config-vmware)# vmware-domain ifav2-vcenter1
            Step 2   Create a trunk port group, enter the following command:

            Example: 
            apic1(config-vmware)# trunk-portgroup trunkpg1
            Step 3   Enter the VLAN range:

            Example: 
            apic1(config-vmware-trunk)# vlan-range 2800-2820, 2830-2850
            Note   

            If you do not specify a VLAN range, the VLAN list will be taken from the domain’s VLAN namespace.

            Step 4   The mac changes is accept by default. If you choose to not to accept the mac changes, enter the following command:

            Example: 
            apic1(config-vmware-trunk)# no mac-changes accept
            Step 5   The forged transmit is accept by default. If you choose to not to accept the forged transmit, enter the following command:

            Example: 
            apic1(config-vmware-trunk)# no forged-transmit accept
            Step 6   The promiscuous mode is disable by default. If you choose to enable promiscuous mode on the trunk port group:

            Example: 
            apic1(config-vmware-trunk)# allow-promiscuous enable
            Step 7   The trunk port group immediacy is set to on-demand by default. If you want to enable immediate immediacy, enter the following command:

            Example: 
            apic1(config-vmware-trunk)# immediacy-immediate enable
            Step 8   Show the VMware domain:

            Example: 
            apic1(config-vmware)# show vmware domain name mininet 
Domain Name                        : mininet
Virtual Switch Mode                : VMware Distributed Switch
Switching Encap Mode               : vlan
Vlan Domain                        : mininet (2800-2850, 2860-2900)
Physical Interfaces                : 
Number of EPGs                     : 2
Faults by Severity                 : 0, 2, 4, 0
LLDP override                      : no
CDP override                       : no
Channel Mode override              : no

vCenters:
Faults: Grouped by severity (Critical, Major, Minor, Warning)
 vCenter               Type      Datacenter            Status    ESXs   VMs    Faults          
 --------------------  --------  --------------------  --------  -----  -----  --------------- 
 172.22.136.195        vCenter   mininet               online    2      57     0,0,4,0         

Trunk Portgroups:
 Name                                           VLANs                                          
 ---------------------------------------------  ---------------------------------------------- 
 epgtr1                                         280-285                                        
 epgtr2                                         280-285                                        
 epgtr3                                         2800-2850                    


apic1(config-vmware)# show vmware domain name mininet trunk-portgroup 

 Name                            Aggregated EPG                                 
 ------------------------------  ---------------------------------------------- 
 epgtr1                          test|wwwtestcom3|test830                       
 epgtr2                                                                         
 epgtr3                          test|wwwtestcom3|test830                       
                                 test|wwwtestcom3|test833                       


apic1(config-vmware)# )# show vmware domain name ifav2-vcenter1 trunk-portgroup name trunkpg1
Name                             Aggregated EPG                  Encap        
 ------------------------------  ------------------------------  ------------ 
 trunkpg1                        LoadBalance|ap1|epg1            vlan-318     
                                 LoadBalance|ap1|epg2            vlan-317     
                                 LoadBalance|ap1|failover-epg    vlan-362     
                                 SH:l3I:common:ASAv-HA:test-     vlan-711     
                                 rhi|rhiExt|rhiExtInstP                       
                                 SH:l3I:common:ASAv-HA:test-     vlan-712     
                                 rhi|rhiInt|rhiIntInstP                       
                                 test-dyn-ep|ASA_FWctxctx1bd-    vlan-366     
                                 inside|int                                   
                                 test-dyn-ep|ASA_FWctxctx1bd-    vlan-888     
                                 inside1|int                                  
                                 test-dyn-ep|ASA_FWctxctx1bd-    vlan-365     
                                 outside|ext                                  
                                 test-dyn-ep|ASA_FWctxctx1bd-    vlan-887     
                                 outside1|ext                                 
                                 test-inb|FW-Inbctxtrans-        vlan-886     
                                 vrfinside-bd|int                             
                                 test-inb|FW-Inbctxtrans-        vlan-882     
                                 vrfoutside-bd|ext                            
                                 test-inb|inb-ap|inb-epg         vlan-883     
                                 test-pbr|pbr-ap|pbr-cons-epg    vlan-451     
                                 test-pbr|pbr-ap|pbr-prov-epg    vlan-452     
                                 test1|ap1|epg1                  vlan-453     
                                 test1|ap1|epg2                  vlan-485     
                                 test1|ap1|epg3                  vlan-454     
                                 test2-scale|ASA-                vlan-496     
                                 Trunkctxctx1bd-inside1|int                   
                                 test2-scale|ASA-                vlan-811     
                                 Trunkctxctx1bd-inside10|int                  


apic1(config-vmware)# show running-config vmware-domain mininet 
# Command: show running-config vmware-domain mininet
# Time: Wed May 25 21:09:13 2016
  vmware-domain mininet
    vlan-domain member mininet type vmware
    vcenter 172.22.136.195 datacenter mininet
      exit
    configure-dvs
      exit
    trunk-portgroup epgtr1 vlan 280-285
    trunk-portgroup epgtr2 vlan 280-285
    trunk-portgroup epgtr3 vlan 2800-2850
    exit

            Creating a Trunk Port Group Using the REST API

            This section describes how to create a trunk port group using the REST API.

            Before You Begin

            • Trunk port groups must be tenant independent.

            Procedure
            Create a trunk port group:

            Example: 
            <vmmProvP vendor="VMware">    
	<vmmDomP name=”DVS1">      
		<vmmUsrAggr name="EPGAggr_1">        
			<fvnsEncapBlk name="blk0" from="vlan-100” to="vlan-200"/>      
		</vmmUsrAggr>   
	</vmmDomP>
</vmmProvP>

            Working with Blade Servers

            Guidelines for Cisco UCS B-Series Servers

            When integrating blade server systems into Cisco ACI for purposes of VMM integration (for example, integrating Cisco UCS blade servers or other non-Cisco blade servers) you must consider the following guidelines:


            Note
            This example shows how to configure a port channel access policy for integrating Cisco UCS blade servers. You can use similar steps to set up a virtual port channel or individual link access policies depending upon how your Cisco UCS blade server uplinks are connected to the fabric. If no port channel is explicitly configured on the APIC for the UCS blade server uplinks, the default behavior will be mac-pinning.

            • The VM endpoint learning relies on either the CDP or LLDP protocol. If supported, CDP must be enabled all the way from the leaf switch port through any blade switches and to the blade adapters.

            • Ensure the management address type, length, and value (TLV) is enabled on the blade switch (CDP or LLDP protocol) and advertised towards servers and fabric switches. Configuration of management TLV address must be consistent across CDP and LLDP protocols on the blade switch.

            • The APIC does not manage fabric interconnects and the blade server, so any UCS specific policies such as CDP or port channel policies must be configured from the UCS Manager.

            • VLANs defined in the VLAN pool used by the attachable access entity profile on the APIC, must also be manually created on the UCS and allowed on the appropriate uplinks connecting to the fabric. This must include the infrastructure VLAN if applicable. For details, see the Cisco UCS Manager GUI Configuration Guide.

            • When you are working with the Cisco UCS B-series server and using an APIC policy, Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) is not supported.

            • Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) is disabled by default in Cisco UCS Manager. In Cisco UCS Manager, you must enable CDP by creating a Network Control Policy.

            • Do not enable fabric failover on the adapters in the UCS server service profiles. Cisco recommends that you allow the hypervisor to handle failover at the virtual switch layer so that load balancing of traffic is appropriately performed.


            Note

            Symptom: The change of management IP of the unmanaged node such as blade switch or fabric interconnect gets updated in the VMware vCenter, but the VMware vCenter does not send any events to APIC.

            Condition: This causes the APIC to be out of sync with VMware vCenter.

            Workaround: You need to trigger an inventory pull for the VMware vCenter controller that manages ESX servers behind the unmanaged node.

            Setting up an Access Policy for a Blade Server Using the GUI

            Before You Begin

            To operate with the Cisco APIC, the Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect must be at least a version 2.2(1c). All components, such as the BIOS, CIMC, and the adapter must be a version 2.2(1c) or later. For further details, see the Cisco UCS Manager CLI Configuration Guide.

            Procedure
              Step 1   On the menu bar, choose FABRIC > Access Policies.
              Step 2   In the Work pane, click Configure Interface, PC, and vPC.
              Step 3   In the Configure Interface, PC, and vPC dialog box, click the + icon to select switches.
              Step 4   In the Switches field, from the drop-down list, choose the desired switch IDs.
              Step 5   Click the + icon to configure the switch interfaces.
              Step 6   In the Interface Type field, click the VPC radio button.
              Step 7   In the Interfaces field, enter the appropriate interface or interface range that is connected to the blade server.
              Step 8   In the Interface Selector Name field, enter a name.
              Step 9   From the CDP Policy drop-down list, choose default

              The default CDP policy is set to disabled. (Between the leaf switch and the blade server, CDP must be disabled.)

              Step 10   From the LLDP Policy drop-down list, choose default.

              The default LLDP policy is set to enabled for the receive and transmit states. (Between the leaf switch and the blade server, LLDP must be enabled.)

              Step 11   From the LACP Policy drop-down list, choose Create LACP Policy.

              Between the leaf switch and the blade server, the LACP policy must be set to active.

              Step 12   In the Create LACP Policy dialog box, perform the following actions:
              1. In the Name field, enter a name for the policy.
              2. In the Mode field, the Active radio button is checked.
              3. Keep the remaining default values and click Submit.
              Step 13   From the Attached Device Type field drop-down list, choose ESX Hosts.
              Step 14   In the Domain Name field, enter a name as appropriate.
              Step 15   In the VLAN Range field, enter the range.
              Step 16   In the vCenter Login Name field, enter the login name.
              Step 17   In the Password field, and the Confirm Password field, enter the password.
              Step 18   Expand the vCenter field, and in the Create vCenter Controller dialog box, enter the desired content and click OK.
              Step 19   In the vSwitch Policy field, perform the following actions:

              Between the blade server and the ESX hypervisor, CDP must be enabled, LLDP must be disabled, and LACP must be disabled so Mac Pinning must be set.

              1. Check the MAC Pinning check box.
              2. Check the CDP check box.
              3. Leave the LLDP check box unchecked because LLDP must remain disabled.
              Step 20   Click Save, and click Save again. Click Submit. The access policy is set.

              Troubleshooting the Cisco ACI and VMware VMM System Integration

              For troubleshooting information, see the following links:

              Additional Reference Sections

              Custom User Account with Minimum VMware vCenter Privileges

              This allows the APIC to send VMware API commands to vCenter to allow the creation of the DVS/AVS, creation of the VMK interface (AVS), publish port groups and relay all necessary alerts.

              To configure the vCenter from Cisco APIC, your credentials must allow the following minimum set of privileges within the vCenter:

              • Alarms

                APIC creates two alarms on the folder. One for DVS and another for port-group. The alarm is raised when the EPG or Domain policy is deleted on APIC, but for port-group or DVS it cannot be deleted due to the VMs are attached.

              • Distributed Switch

              • dvPort Group

              • Folder

              • Network

                APIC manages the network settings such as add or delete port-groups, setting host/DVS MTU, LLDP/CDP, LACP etc.

              • Host

                If you use AVS in addition to above, you need the Host privilege on the data center where APIC will create DVS.

                • Host.Configuration.Advanced settings

                • Host.Local operations.Reconfigure virtual machine

                • Host.Configuration.Network configuration

                  This is needed for AVS and the auto-placement feature for virtual Layer 4 to Layer 7 Service VMs. For AVS, APIC creates VMK interface and places it in ‘vtep’ port-group which is used for OpFlex.

              • Virtual machine

                If you use Service Graph in addition to above, you need the Virtual machine privilege for the virtual appliances which will be used for Service Graph.

                • Virtual machine.Configuration.Modify device settings

                • Virtual machine.Configuration.Settings

              Quarantine Port Groups

              The quarantine port group feature provides a method to clear port group assignments under certain circumstances. In the VMware vCenter, when a VMware vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS) is created, a quarantine port group is created in the VDS by default. The quarantine port group default policy is to block all ports.

              As part of integration with Layer 4 to Layer 7 virtual service appliances, such as a load balancer or firewall, the Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) creates service port groups in vCenter for service stitching and orchestrates placement of virtual appliances, such as service virtual machines (VMs), in these service port groups as part of the service graph rendering mechanism. When the service graph is deleted, the service VMs are automatically moved to the quarantine port group. This auto-move to a quarantine port group on delete is only done for service VMs, which are orchestrated by the APIC.

              You can take further action with the port in quarantine port group as desired. For example, you can migrate all of the ports from the quarantine port group to another port group, such as a VM network.

              The quarantine port group mechanism is not applicable to regular tenant endpoint groups (EPGs) and their associated port groups and tenant VMs. Therefore, if the tenant EPG is deleted, any tenant VMs present in the associated port group remains intact and they will not be moved to the quarantine port group. The placement of tenant VMs into the tenant port group is outside the realm of the APIC.

              On-Demand VMM Inventory Refresh

              Triggered Inventory provides a manual trigger option to pull and resynchronize inventory between a virtual machine manager (VMM) controller and the APIC. Triggered inventory provides instant recovery from out-of-sync scenarios. Triggered inventory is applicable to vCenter VMM controllers only. It is not required in normal scenarios and should be used with discretion since inventory sync is a burdensome operation for the VMM controllers.

              The APIC initiates vCenter inventory pull. Hosts, VMs, DVS, uplink port groups, NICs, and so on are retrieved as part of the initial VMM Controller creation. Further changes in vCenter are learned through the event subscription mechanism. This enables the APIC VMM manager to send endpoint attach/detach updates to the APIC policy manager which downloads updated policies to leaf switches accordingly.

              When there is a process restart, leadership change, or background periodic 24 hour inventory audit, the APIC does inventory pull to keep VMM inventory synchronized between VMM controllers and the APIC. When heavily loaded, the vCenter fails to provide the APIC an appropriate inventory event notification. In this case, triggered inventory helps to keep the APIC in synchronization with the vCenter.

              Guidelines for Migrating a vCenter Hypervisor VMK0 to an ACI Inband VLAN

              Follow the guidelines below to migrate the default vCenter hypervisor VMK0 out of bound connectivity to ACI inband ports. An ACI fabric infrastructure administrator configures the APIC with the necessary policies, then the vCenter administrator migrates the VMK0 to the appropriate ACI port group.

              Create the Necessary Management EPG Policies in APIC

              As an ACI fabric infrastructure administrator, use the following guidelines when creating the management tenant and VMM domain policies:

              • Choose a VLAN to use for ESX management.

              • Add the VLAN chosen for ESX management to a range (or Encap Block) in the VLAN pool associated with the target VMM domain. The range where this VLAN is added must have allocation mode set to static allocation.

              • Create a management EPG in the ACI management tenant (mgmt).

              • Verify that the bridge domain associated with the management EPG is also associated with the private network (inb).

              • Associate the management EPG with the target VMM domain as follows:

                • Use resolution immediacy as pre-provision.

                • Specify the management VLAN in the Port Encap field of the VM domain profile association.

                As a result, APIC creates the port group under vCenter with VLAN specified by the user. APIC also automatically pushes the policies on the leaf switches associated with the VMM domain and Attach Entity Profile (AEP).

              Migrate the VMK0 to the Inband ACI VLAN

              By default vCenter configures the default VMK0 on the hypervisor management interface. The ACI polices created above enable the vCenter administrator to migrate the default VMK0 to the port group that is created by APIC. Doing so frees up the hypervisor management port.

              REST API Tasks

              This section shows how to perform tasks using REST API.

              Creating a vCenter Domain Profile Using the REST API

              Procedure
                Step 1   Configure a VMM domain name, a controller, and user credentials.

                Example: 
                 POST URL: https://<api-ip>/api/node/mo/.xml

<polUni>
<vmmProvP vendor="VMware">
<!-- VMM Domain -->
<vmmDomP name="productionDC">
<!-- Association to VLAN Namespace -->
<infraRsVlanNs tDn="uni/infra/vlanns-VlanRange-dynamic"/>
<!-- Credentials for vCenter -->
<vmmUsrAccP name="admin" usr="administrator" pwd="admin" />
<!-- vCenter IP address -->
<vmmCtrlrP name="vcenter1" hostOrIp="<vcenter ip address>" rootContName="<Datacenter Name in vCenter>">
<vmmRsAcc tDn="uni/vmmp-VMware/dom-productionDC/usracc-admin"/>
</vmmCtrlrP>
</vmmDomP>
</vmmProvP>


                Example: 
                <polUni>
<vmmProvP vendor="VMware">
    <vmmDomP name=“mininet" delimiter=“@" >
   </vmmDomP>
</vmmProvP>
</polUni>
                Step 2   Create an attachable entity profile for VLAN namespace deployment.

                Example: 
                POST URL: https://<apic-ip>/api/policymgr/mo/uni.xml
<infraInfra>
<infraAttEntityP name="profile1">
<infraRsDomP tDn="uni/vmmp-VMware/dom-productionDC"/>
</infraAttEntityP>
</infraInfra>
                Step 3   Create an interface policy group and selector.

                Example: 
                POST URL: https://<apic-ip>/api/policymgr/mo/uni.xml

<infraInfra>
    <infraAccPortP name="swprofile1ifselector">
        <infraHPortS name="selector1" type="range">
            <infraPortBlk name="blk"
	            fromCard="1" toCard="1" fromPort="1" toPort="3">
            </infraPortBlk>
	    <infraRsAccBaseGrp tDn="uni/infra/funcprof/accportgrp-group1" />
        </infraHPortS>
    </infraAccPortP>

    <infraFuncP>
        <infraAccPortGrp name="group1">
            <infraRsAttEntP tDn="uni/infra/attentp-profile1" />
        </infraAccPortGrp>
    </infraFuncP>
</infraInfra>
                Step 4   Create a switch profile.

                Example: 
                POST URL: https://<apic-ip>/api/policymgr/mo/uni.xml

<infraInfra>
    <infraNodeP name="swprofile1">
        <infraLeafS name="selectorswprofile11718" type="range">
            <infraNodeBlk name="single0" from_="101" to_="101"/>
            <infraNodeBlk name="single1" from_="102" to_="102"/>
        </infraLeafS>
        <infraRsAccPortP tDn="uni/infra/accportprof-swprofile1ifselector"/>
    </infraNodeP>
</infraInfra>
                Step 5   Configure the VLAN pool.

                Example: 
                 POST URL: https://<apic-ip>/api/node/mo/.xml
 
<polUni>
<infraInfra>
<fvnsVlanInstP name="VlanRange" allocMode="dynamic">
   <fvnsEncapBlk name="encap" from="vlan-100" to="vlan-400"/>
</fvnsVlanInstP>
</infraInfra>
</polUni>
                Step 6   Locate all the configured controllers and their operational state.

                Example: 
                GET:
https://<apic-ip>/api/node/class/compCtrlr.xml?
<imdata>
<compCtrlr apiVer="5.1" ctrlrPKey="uni/vmmp-VMware/dom-productionDC/ctrlr-vcenter1"
deployIssues="" descr="" dn="comp/prov-VMware/ctrlr-productionDC-vcenter1" domName=" productionDC"
hostOrIp="esx1" mode="default" model="VMware vCenter Server 5.1.0 build-756313"
name="vcenter1" operSt="online" port="0" pwd="" remoteOperIssues="" scope="vm"
usr="administrator" vendor="VMware, Inc." ... />
</imdata>
                Step 7   Locate the hypervisor and VMs for a vCenter with the name 'vcenter1' under a VMM domain called 'ProductionDC'.

                Example: 
                GET:
https://<apic-ip>/api/node/mo/comp/prov-VMware/ctrlr-productionDC-vcenter1.xml?query-target=children

<imdata>
<compHv descr="" dn="comp/prov-VMware/ctrlr-productionDC-vcenter1/hv-host-4832" name="esx1"
state="poweredOn" type="hv" ... />
<compVm descr="" dn="comp/prov-VMware/ctrlr-productionDC-vcenter1/vm-vm-5531" name="AppVM1"
state="poweredOff" type="virt" .../>
<hvsLNode dn="comp/prov-VMware/ctrlr-productionDC-vcenter1/sw-dvs-5646" lacpEnable="yes"
lacpMode="passive" ldpConfigOperation="both" ldpConfigProtocol="lldp" maxMtu="1500"
mode="default" name="apicVswitch" .../>
</imdata>

                Setting Up an Access Policy for a Blade Server Using the REST API

                Procedure

                Set up an access policy for a blade server.

                Example: 
                POST: https://<ip or hostname APIC>/api/node/mo/uni.xml

<polUni>
                <infraInfra>
                <!-- Define LLDP CDP and LACP policies -->
                <lldpIfPol name="enable_lldp" adminRxSt="enabled" adminTxSt="enabled"/>
                <lldpIfPol name="disable_lldp" adminRxSt="disabled" adminTxSt="disabled"/>
                <cdpIfPol name="enable_cdp" adminSt="enabled"/>
                <cdpIfPol name="disable_cdp" adminSt="disabled"/>
<lacpLagPol name='enable_lacp' ctrl='15' descr='LACP' maxLinks='16' minLinks='1' mode='active'/>
                <lacpLagPol name='disable_lacp' mode='mac-pin'/>


        <!-- List of nodes. Contains leaf selectors. Each leaf selector contains list of node blocks -->
        <infraNodeP name="leaf1">
                <infraLeafS name="leaf1" type="range">
                <infraNodeBlk name="leaf1" from_="1017" to_="1017"/>
            </infraLeafS>
            <infraRsAccPortP tDn="uni/infra/accportprof-portselector"/>
        </infraNodeP>


        <!-- PortP contains port selectors. Each port selector contains list of ports. It also has association to port group policies -->
        <infraAccPortP name="portselector">
                <infraHPortS name="pselc" type="range">
                <infraPortBlk name="blk" fromCard="1" toCard="1" fromPort="39" toPort="40">
                </infraPortBlk>
                <infraRsAccBaseGrp tDn="uni/infra/funcprof/accbundle-leaf1_PC"/>
            </infraHPortS>
        </infraAccPortP>

        <!-- FuncP contains access bundle group policies -->
        <infraFuncP>
                <!-- Access bundle group has relation to PC, LDP policies and to attach entity profile -->
            <infraAccBndlGrp name="leaf1_PC" lagT='link'>
                <infraRsLldpIfPol tnLldpIfPolName="enable_lldp"/>
                <infraRsLacpPol tnLacpLagPolName='enable_lacp'/>
                <infraRsAttEntP tDn="uni/infra/attentp-vmm-FI2"/>
            </infraAccBndlGrp> 
        </infraFuncP>

        <!-- AttEntityP has relation to VMM domain -->
        <infraAttEntityP name="vmm-FI2">
                <infraRsDomP tDn="uni/vmmp-VMware/dom-productionDC"/>
            <!-- Functions -->
            <infraProvAcc name="provfunc"/>
            <!-- Policy overrides for VMM -->
            <infraAttPolicyGroup name="attpolicy">
                <!-- RELATION TO POLICIES GO HERE -->
                <infraRsOverrideCdpIfPol tnCdpIfPolName="enable_cdp"/>
                <infraRsOverrideLldpIfPol tnLldpIfPolName="disable_lldp"/>
                <infraRsOverrideLacpPol tnLacpLagPolName="disable_lacp"/>
            </infraAttPolicyGroup/>
        </infraAttEntityP>

        </infraInfra>
</polUni>

OUTPUT:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<imdata></imdata>

                NX-OS Style CLI Tasks

                This section shows how to perform tasks using NX-OS Style CLI.

                Creating a vCenter Domain Profile Using the NX-OS Style CLI

                Before You Begin

                This section describes how to create a vCenter domain profile using the NX-OS style CLI:

                Procedure
                  Step 1   In the CLI, enter configuration mode:

                  Example: 
                  apic1# configure
apic1(config)#
                  Step 2   Configure a VLAN domain:

                  Example: 
                  apic1(config)# vlan-domain dom1 dynamic
apic1(config-vlan)# vlan 150-200 dynamic
apic1(config-vlan)# exit
apic1(config)#
                  Step 3   Add interfaces to this VLAN domain. These are the interfaces to be connected to VMware hypervisor uplink ports:

                  Example: 
                  apic1(config)# leaf 101-102
apic1(config-leaf)# interface ethernet 1/2-3
apic1(config-leaf-if)# vlan-domain member dom1 
apic1(config-leaf-if)# exit
apic1(config-leaf)# exit
                  Step 4   Create a VMware domain and add VLAN domain membership:

                  Example: 
                  apic1(config)# vmware-domain vmmdom1
apic1(config-vmware)# vlan-domain member dom1
apic1(config-vmware)#

                  Create the domain with a specific delimiter:



                  Example: 
                  apic1(config)# vmware-domain vmmdom1 delimiter @
                  Step 5   Configure the domain type to DVS:

                  Example: 
                  apic1(config-vmware)# configure-dvs
apic1(config-vmware-dvs)# exit
apic1(config-vmware)#
                  Step 6   Configure a controller in the domain:

                  Example: 
                  apic1(config-vmware)# vcenter 192.168.66.2 datacenter prodDC
apic1(config-vmware-vc)# username administrator
Password:
Retype password:
apic1(config-vmware-vc)# exit
apic1(config-vmware)# exit
apic1(config)# exit
                  Note   

                  When configuring the password, you must precede special characters such as '$' or '!' with a backslash ('\$') to avoid misinterpretation by the Bash shell. The escape backslash is necessary only when configuring the password; the backslash does not appear in the actual password.

                  Step 7   Verify configuration:

                  Example: 
                  apic1# show running-config vmware-domain vmmdom1 
# Command: show running-config vmware-domain vmmdom1
# Time: Wed Sep  2 22:14:33 2015
  vmware-domain vmmdom1
    vlan-domain member dom1
    vcenter 192.168.66.2 datacenter prodDC
      username administrator password *****
    configure-dvs
      exit
    exit

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