Standard network adapter for IU Intelligent Infrastructure virtual systems

Based on consultations with virtualization experts at VMware, Inc., the VMware VMXNET Generation 3 (VMXNET3) is the standard network adapter for all new virtual systems, including any replacement or added virtual network interfaces, added to the IU Intelligent Infrastructure (IUII) virtual server hosting environment.

Existing network interfaces are not required to switch to the VMXNET3 driver, but Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2 VMs not using the II VMXNET3 adapters have experienced intermittent network disconnect issues in the past; in each case, switching to the VMXNET3 driver resolved the issue. To switch an existing II network interface to the VMXNET3 driver, submit a request to the UITS Storage and Virtualization team at sav-request@iu.edu.

Note:
You must have VMware Tools installed and running to use the VMXNET 3 driver. (VMware Tools is required software on all II virtual systems, as documented in the Customer obligations section of the II Service Level Expectation.) Additionally, switching network adapter drivers will create a new NIC and MAC address, which will need to be reconfigured within the operating system.

For more about the VMXNET3, see VMware's Performance Evaluation of VMXNET3 Virtual Network Device (PDF).

This is document bfgl in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2023-11-21 09:53:39.