Installing vThunder on VMware ESXi
August, 2021
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction to Installing vThunder on VMware ESXi
5
Minimum System Requirements
7
Recommended System Requirements
8
Global License Manager and Types of vThunder Licenses
9
Interfaces
11
Feature Support
13
Limitations
14
Chapter 2: Installing vThunder on VMware ESXi
16
Step 1. Downloading the vThunder Image
17
Step 2. Installing the vThunder Instance
17
Installing vThunder by Using vSphere Client
19
Installing vThunder by Using vCenter Server
22
Adding a New ESXi Hypervisor Host to vCenter
22
Deploying the OVF Template
22
Verifying Configuration of vThunder with Open VM Tools
30
VMware Properties Supported
31
Installing vThunder by Using Web Client
33
Installing vThunder by Using an ISO Image and vSphere Client
36
Step 3. Modifying the vSwitch Settings
42
Step 4. Accessing the vThunder Instance
43
Login Using the CLI
44
Login by Using the GUI
45
Chapter 3: Initial vThunder Configuration
48
Changing the Admin Password
49
Saving the Configuration Changes—Write Memory
49
Chapter 4: Configuring the Management Interface
50
Support for Non-dedicated Management Port Mode
52
Behavior from 2.7.2 Release Onwards
52
Behavior from 4.1.4-GR1-P5 Release Onwards
53
Configuring Non-dedicated Management Port Mode
54
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Installing vThunder on VMware ESXi
Guidelines for Non-dedicated Management Port Mode
54
Adding Extra Ethernet Data Interfaces
55
Adding Extra Port Groups
56
Chapter 4: Advanced vThunder Configuration
About Jumbo Frames
58
59
Enabling Jumbo Frames on the Host Side for ESXi
59
Enabling Jumbo Frames for vThunder
59
About Shared Polling Mode
60
Enabling Shared Polling Mode
62
Disabling Shared Polling Mode
63
Memory Support
64
vThunder Configuration on SLB or CGN
64
About SR-IOV and DirectPath I/O
67
Prerequisites for Running SR-IOV or DirectPath I/O
68
Limitations for Running SR-IOV or DirectPath I/O
68
Configuring SR-IOV
70
Configuring DirectPath I/O
71
Configuring vThunder for High Throughput
72
Additional Resources—Where to go from here?
73
4
Chapter 1: Introduction to Installing vThunder on VMware ESXi
vThunder for VMware ESXi is a fully operational, software-only version of the ACOS Series
Server Load Balancer (SLB), Application Delivery Controller (ADC), SSL Insight (SSLi), IPv6
migration device, CFW or a Carrier-Grade Networking (CGN) device.
The maximum throughput of vThunder for VMware ESXi depends on the type of vThunder
software license that was purchased and the VM configuration. vThunder is distributed in an
ISO format and a non-ISO format (i.e., OVA) from A10 Support. You can install vThunder on a
hardware platform running VMware ESXi 4.1 Update 2, VMware ESXi 5.0, VMware ESXi 5.5,
VMware ESXi 6.0, VMware ESXi 6.5, VMware ESXi 6.7, or VMware ESXi 7.0 platforms.
The product name for the ACOS virtual appliance changed from “SoftAX” to “vThunder” beginning with ACOS 2.7.1-P3 (SLB release) and ACOS 2.8.1 (IPv6 Migration release). This document
uses the “vThunder” name, but some file names, directory paths, and screenshots may still
refer to “SoftAX”.
FIGURE 1-1 shows vThunder running on top of commodity servers (which are running the
VMware ESXi hypervisor).
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FIGURE 1-1: vThunder for VMware ESXi
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Minimum System Requirements
The minimum system requirement for configuring ACOS Series Server Load Balancer (SLB),
Application Delivery Controller (ADC), SSL Insight (SSLi), IPv6 migration device, CFW or a Carrier-Grade Networking (CGN) device are as follows.
The host on which vThunder is installed must meet the following minimal requirements:
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1 CPU (Intel VT-d enabled)
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16 GB disk space
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2 Ethernet ports (1 management interface and 1 data interface)
NOTE:
vThunder also supports configuring only one network adapter for
all interfaces (both data and management).
The vThunder instance must meet the following minimum requirements:
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1 vCPU
NOTE:
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For versions prior to 4.1.4, A10 Networks recommends manually configuring no system-poll-mode enable when changing the number of vCPUs on the VMware host to smaller
than the original OVA image.
Virtual memory ACOS versions are as follows:
NOTE:
o
2.7.x, 2.8.x: 2GB
o
3.x: 8GB
o
4.1.x, (Pre-4.1.4): 4GB
o
4.1.4: 8GB
o
5.x: 4GB
vThunder requires at least 4 GB of virtual memory from version
4.1.4-GR1-P1 onwards. The exact memory requirement depends
on features running on the system and data traffic. If memory
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usage goes above 80 percent, then increase of existing memory is
recommended.
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Virtual disk image size requirements:
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10 GB for ACOS 2.7.x and earlier
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12 GB for ACOS 2.7.1-GR1-Px, 2.7.2-Px, and earlier
o
16 GB for ACOS 3.x, 4.x, and later
NOTE:
If a user wants to upgrade vThunder to 4.1.x that is running
on 2.7.1, then user must follow two- step process:
1. Upgrade vThunder to 2.7.2. It is recommended to
upgrade to 2.7.2-P10 or higher version.
2. Upgrade to the desired 4.1.x release. If version prior to
2.7.2-P10 is being used, then upgrade using CLI.
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ACOS software versions:
NOTE:
o
For ADC features – ACOS Release 2.7.1 or later
o
For CGN features – ACOS Release 2.8.1 or later
o
For TPS features – ACOS Release 3.1.0 or later
“1 Mgmt + 1 data interface” configuration is supported for TPS
TAP mode only.
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VMware ESXi 4.1 Update 2 client (required unless you plan to install using ovftool)
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Separate port groups for each vThunder interface (see Adding Extra Port Groups), configured before you begin installing vThunder
Recommended System Requirements
The recommended system requirement for configuring ACOS Series Server Load Balancer
(SLB), Application Delivery Controller (ADC), SSL Insight (SSLi), IPv6 migration device, CFW or
a Carrier-Grade Networking (CGN) device are as follows:
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For better performance SSD is recommended over HDD for disk storage.
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3 Ethernet ports (1 management interface and 2 data interfaces).
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Disable Hyper-Threading technology in the system BIOS.
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Enable VT-d Virtualization technology in the system BIOS.
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4 or more vCPUs.
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CPU pinning is required for optimal performance. That makes VM get a CPU time from
only a specific CPU or a set of CPUs.
l
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Virtual disk image size:
o
10 GB for ACOS 2.7.x and earlier
o
12 GB for ACOS 2.7.1-GR1-Px, 2.7.2-Px, and earlier
o
20 GB for ACOS 3.x, 4.x, and later
ACOS software versions:
o
For ADC features – ACOS Release 4.1.4-P2 or later
o
For CGN features – ACOS Release 4.1.4-P2 or later
o
For TPS features – ACOS Release 3.2.2-P5 or later
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VMware ESXi 4.1 Update 2 client (required unless you plan to install using ovftool).
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Separate port groups for each vThunder interface (see Adding Extra Port Groups), configured before you begin installing vThunder.
Global License Manager and Types of vThunder
Licenses
The GLM is the master licensing system for A10 Networks. The GLM is managed by A10 Networks and is the primary portal for license management for A10 products. The GLM provides a
GUI where you can view and manage advanced licensing functions. Creating a GLM account
is optional. You can use the ACOS CLI or GUI to license the ACOS devices. A GLM account
enables you to perform advanced licensing functions and, where applicable, view and monitor device usage. The GLM portal is available at https://glm.a10networks.com. If you do not
yet have a GLM account, contact sales@a10networks.com.
vThunder requires a license. Without a license, the product cannot run production traffic,
and the amount of bandwidth is only sufficient for testing network connectivity. After you
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have downloaded and installed the vThunder software, you need a license before you can run
live traffic.
A10 Networks offers different types of licenses for your vThunder instance. vThunder supports the following licensing models:
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Trial license — Create a trial license in the ACOS GUI.
For more information, refer to Global License Manager User Guide.
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Perpetual license — This licensing model is based on bandwidth. It is obtained by activation key license for your A10 virtual appliance, URL Classification License installation,
and GLM account management. All licenses are generated and installed manually. For
more information, refer to chapter Obtaining your Activation Key License in Global
License Manager User Guide.
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Pay As You Go (PAYG) license — This licensing model is subscription-based. There are
two types of licensing models under PAYG licenses. Both these licensing models require
that the vThunder instance has an Internet access to request the licenses from an A10
license server. The license models are as follows:
o
The Rental Billing Model (RBM) is designed for cloud service providers (CSPs) who
offer Advanced Delivery Controller (ADC) services. This model enables such providers to bill their customers for a fixed amount of bandwidth, as well as adding
surcharges for extra bandwidth consumed.
o
The Utility Billing Model (UBM) is based on actual data usage, in bytes, in which
unlimited vThunder instances can be deployed and in which no bandwidth settings
are required. For more information, refer to vThunder Pay-as-you-Go License.
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Capacity Pool (FlexPool) license — This licensing model enables you to subscribe to a
specific bandwidth pool in the Global License Manager (GLM) for a specific period of
time, with an additional option of automatically renewing your license before the
license expiry date. Unlike previous license models supported by A10 Networks, capacity pool (FlexPool) license is not node locked. You can configure multiple ACOS devices
to share bandwidth from the common license pool. For more information, refer to Capacity Pool License User Guide.
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NOTE:
When a vThunder license has expired, vThunder functionality will
continue, but at a reduced bandwidth.
To view any of the above license type, it's features, and how to activate follow the following
steps:
1. Sign In to Global License Manager via https://documentation.a10networks.com/signin.html page.
2. Enter your valid A10 Email, Password and then click Sign In tab.
The A10 product documentation page is displayed.
3. On A10 Products page, go to Installation Guides for Form Factors section.
Choose the product.
4. Click View tab. The Software Installation Guides page is displayed. (i.e. https://documentation.a10networks.com/Install/Software/A10_ACOS_Install/index.html).
5. Click View Licensing Guides option. The portal displays Licensing User Guide section.
6. Click Download PDF tab to open the appropriate Global License Manager guide.
Interfaces
When installing vThunder from an OVA file, three ports are automatically created (one management and two data ports). If required, you can add or remove data ports after the vThunder instance is deployed. The default ports are:
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Management – Dedicated management interface
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Ethernet 1 – Data interface
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Ethernet 2 – Data interface
To connect the vThunder to other devices, you must connect each vThunder interface to a
separate port group on the virtual switch (vSwitch) on the VMware host. In a typical deployment, one of the data interfaces is connected to the server farm, and the other data interface
is connected to the clients. However, one-arm deployment is also supported which requires
one data port and one management port. You also can add additional data interfaces as
needed.
For more information refer to Adding Extra Ethernet Data Interfaces and Adding Extra Port
Groups.
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FIGURE 1-2 shows an example of vThunder interface connections. Each vThunder interface is
connected to a separate port group on the VMware host’s vSwitch. Each of the port groups is
connected to a separate physical interface (NIC).
FIGURE 1-2: vThunder for VMware ESXi Interfaces
vThunder also supports management connection to the command line interface (CLI) through
the console in vSphere Client. The console is required for initial configuration. You can access
the ACOS device on the Mgmt (Management), Ethernet 1 (Eth1), and Ethernet 2 (Eth2) interfaces after you configure IP addresses on them and connect them to a port group on a
vSwitch.
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Feature Support
vThunder for VMware ESXi supports many of the same features as the Thunder Series hardware-based models, but the exact set of supported features varies based on whether vThunder is running an ADC (SLB) release, SSLi, or a CGN (IPv6 Migration) release. It supports
minimum of 64GB memory that obtains 256K NAT IPs.
The virtual Hard disk size in a vThunder can be expanded, even after the creation of the VM.
The supported platforms are ESXI, KVM, Hyper-V, and AWS.
To expand the virtual hard disk size follow the following steps:
1. Power off the VM.
CAUTION:
Before shutting down the VM, the user is required to
take a back-up of the vThunder VM.
2. Navigate to the “Edit Settings” of the VM. The Virtual Hardware - Edit Setting window
is displayed.
FIGURE 1-3: Virtual Hardware - Edit Setting Window
3. Enter the size of the Virtual Hard disk. For example 20 GB.
4. Click Save tab to save the changes.
5. Power on the VM.
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CAUTION:
The size of the virtual disk can only be expanded but cannot
be decreased.
Refer to the vThunder Software for Virtual and Cloud Infrastructure Data Sheet for a complete summary of supported features.
Limitations
vThunder for VMware ESXi has the following limitations.
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vThunder runs in non-promiscuous mode by default in order to achieve slight performance optimizations. However, the following limitations will apply in non-promiscuous mode:
o
VE interfaces can be bound to only 1 tagged or untagged physical interface.
o
VE MAC address assignment scheme changes are not supported.
o
The Virtualized Network Interface Card (VNIC) in the vSwitch to which the vThunder interface is attached may also need to be set to non-promiscuous mode for
proper functioning.
If these limitations are problematic, you may remove them by re-enabling promiscuous mode. A vThunder system that is running in non-promiscuous mode can be
transitioned back to promiscuous mode with the following command: system
promiscuous-mode
NOTE:
l
When making the transition from promiscuous mode to
non-promiscuous mode (or vice-versa), the vThunder
instance must be reloaded.
HA is supported in releases prior to ACOS 4.0. In-line HA for vThunder is supported in
promiscuous mode.
In ACOS 4.0 and later, HA is no longer supported. Redundancy can only be configured
using VRRP-A.
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LACP and Static trunk groups are not supported.
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Port Mirror is not supported.
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l
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The maximum binding limitations are as follows:
o
For vTPS 3.2.x and 5.0.x, maximum vCPU is 48.
o
For ACOS 5.2.1-Px, maximum vCPU is 96.
When the total CPU number is two for vThunder, the command show cpu displays the
number as one control CPU and two data CPUs.
vThunder-1#show cpu
Time: Dec-22-2017, 14:08
1Sec 5Sec 10Sec 30Sec 60Sec
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Control1 11% 13% 20% 21% 36%
Data1 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Data2 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
A similar issue is seen when the total CPU number is one for vThunder. An output similar to the following is displayed:
vThunder#show version | inc CPU
Number of control CPUs is set to 1
Hardware: 1 CPUs(Stepping 1), Single 20G drive, Free storage is 12G
vThunder#show cpu
Time: Feb-27-2018, 07:58
1Sec 5Sec 10Sec 30Sec 60Sec
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Control1 5% 20% 12% 6% 5%
Data1 3% 20% 11% 6% 5%
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ESXi
You can either install vThunder using the vSphere Client, vCenter server, or the Web client.
You can either select an ISO image or an OVF image (OVA file) to install vThunder. Starting
from ESXi 6.5, VMware does not support the vSphere Client.
NOTE:
You can also install vThunder using the ESXi CLI; see the VMware
CLI documentation for the procedure.
The work-flow is as follows:
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Step 1. Downloading the vThunder Image
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Step 2. Installing the vThunder Instance
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Step 3. Modifying the vSwitch Settings
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Step 4. Accessing the vThunder Instance
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Step 1. Downloading the vThunder Image
You can download vThunder either as a trial software or a licensed software.
To download the vThunder software (trial), log into your Global License Manager (GLM)
account and see the following URL: https://glm.a10networks.com/downloads.
To download the vThunder software (licensed), see the following URL:
https://www.a10networks.com/support/axseries/software-downloads#vthunder.
The A10 sales team should have set up a GLM account for you when you first purchase the
product. If you do not yet have a GLM account, contact sales@a10networks.com.
Step 2. Installing the vThunder Instance
If you are installing ACOS version 4.1.4-P2 or later, you have the option of using VMware
Tools. For VMware Tools, you must deploy the OVA image by using VMware vCenter and on
ESXi version 6.5 or later. If you do not intend to use VMware Tools, you can install the vThunder image for ACOS 4.1.4-P2 or later by using the Web client.
Starting with ACOS 5.2.1-P2 open-vm-tool is supported to install ACOS 5.2.1-P2 on ESXi 6.5
or later.
NOTE:
The vSphere client is not supported from ESXi 6.5 onwards.
Installation of ACOS using VMware tools is not supported for versions earlier than 4.1.4-P2.
You can use either an OVA image or an ISO image to install vThunder for ESXi. Also, for such
ACOS images, earlier versions of ESXi is also supported.
NOTE:
All new OVA images have VM Tools (properties config while
launching the VM) supported from ACOS 4.1.4-P2 or later version.
The current OVA, support is as below:
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TABLE 2-1 : OVA Support
ESXI Version
vSphere Web
Client
vCenter6.0 or Higher
7.0
Supported
Supported
6.7
Supported
Supported
6.5
Supported
Supported
6
Not Supported
Supported
5.5
Not Supported
Not Supported
5.1
Not Supported
Not Supported
To download a specific vThunder image, login to the support portal at https://www.a10networks.com/support and select a vThunder image from the SOFTWARE & DOCUMENTATION
tab.
After creating the VM, it might take some time for the VM to come up. This is expected behavior.
NOTE:
If you are installing vThunder on VMware ESXi 6.5 or later on Hewlett Packard- branded hardware and by using an ISO image,
change the virtual disk type from VMware Para-virtual to LSI
Logical Parallel. Else, the installation may fail with a hard disk
error.
Based on the ACOS version, you can choose any of the following installation methods to
install vThunder on ESXi:
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Installing vThunder by Using vSphere Client
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Installing vThunder by Using vCenter Server
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Installing vThunder by Using Web Client
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Installing vThunder by Using an ISO Image and vSphere Client
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Installing vThunder by Using vSphere Client
This section describes the process of installing a vThunder image on a vSphere client by
using an OVA file.
NOTE:
vSphere Client is not supported from ESXi 6.5 onwards
1. Download or copy the vThunder OVA archive file into the virtual machine store folder.
2. Select File > Deploy OVF Template.
3. Click Browse and navigate to the vThunder OVA file, and then click Open.
4. Click Next.
The OVF Template Details screen is displayed.
FIGURE 2-2: OVF Template Details Screen
5. Click Next to view the End User License Agreement screen.
6. Review the license agreement, and if the terms are acceptable, click Accept.
7. Click Next to view the Name and Location screen.
8. If required, edit the default name of the vThunder template
9. Click Next.
The Resource Pool screen is displayed.
10. Select the resource pool where you would like to deploy the template.
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FIGURE 2-3: Name and Location Screen
NOTE:
If a vThunder template is already installed using the default
template name, you need to edit a new name for the new
template to avoid a conflict.
11. Click Next.
The Disk Format screen is displayed.
12. Select Thick provisioned format. This option provides better performance than Thin
provisioned format.
13. The Network Mapping screen is displayed.
14. Map each vThunder network interface (Management, Ethernet 1, and Ethernet 2) to a
separate port group in the Destination Networks column.
15. To map a network interface, select a vThunder interface in the Source Networks
column, and then select the port group from the drop-down list in the Destination Networks column. For example, select source network “Management” and destination network “Mgmt”.
16. The actual names of the port groups may differ. Assign the names when you create
them as a prerequisite for vThunder installation.
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FIGURE 2-4: Deploy OVF Template - Network Mapping
17. Click Next to proceed. The Ready To Complete screen is displayed.
FIGURE 2-5: Ready to Complete Screen
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18. Verify that all settings are correct, and click Finish. The vSphere Client deploys the
new vThunder virtual machine.
19. Open vSphere Client, if not already open.
20. In the virtual machines inventory, select the vThunder virtual machine.
21. From the menu bar, select Inventory > Virtual Machine > Power > Power On.
Installing vThunder by Using vCenter Server
This section applies to installing ACOS 4.1.4-P2 or later on ESXi 6.5 or later with VMware
Tools. If you are using an older version of the ESXi hypervisor, use a version of ACOS earlier
than ACOS 4.1.4-P2. Note that earlier ACOS versions do not support VMware Tools. VMware
Tools provide the option to configure important network properties during the VM boot-up
process.
NOTE:
The VMware Tools properties are available with the OVA file. To
utilize VMware Tools, download the vThunder image only as an
OVA file. To configure VMware Tools properties, use the vCenter
server to launch vThunder.
Adding a New ESXi Hypervisor Host to vCenter
1. Create a new data center using any of the following options:
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File > New > Data Center.
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Right-click on the Server in the Navigator pane. Select Create a new Data
Center.
2. Right-click on the Data Center DC1 in the Navigator pane.
3. Select Add a Host to add a new host to the Data Center.
4. Enter the IP address for the host and click OK.
A new host is created.
Deploying the OVF Template
1. Download or copy the vThunder OVA file into the vCenter server.
2. Deploy OVF Template on the new host. Launch the vThunder VM from vCenter using
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the following option:
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Right-click on Host and select Deploy OVF Template.
FIGURE 2-6: Deploy OVF Template from VM tab in Actions Pane
3. Click Browse and navigate to the vThunder OVA file, and then click Open in the Select
an OVF template screen.
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FIGURE 2-7: Select ova image to deploy
4. Click Next to open the Select a name and folder screen.
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FIGURE 2-8: Select a name and folder
5. Enter the Virtual machine name and select a location for the virtual machine.
6. Click Next to open the Select a compute resource screen.
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FIGURE 2-9: Select a compute resource
7. Select the Host to deploy the VM.
8. Click Next to open the Review details screen.
9. Review the advanced configuration options.
10. Click Next to accept the advanced configuration options and to open the License
agreements screen.
11. Review the license agreement, and if the terms are acceptable, click Accept.
12. Click Next to open the Select storage screen.
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FIGURE 2-10: Select storage
13. Select Thick provisioned format. This option provides better performance than the
Thin provisioned format.
14. The Network Mapping screen is displayed.
15. Map each vThunder network interface (Management, Ethernet 1, and Ethernet 2) to a
separate port group in the Destination Networks column.
16. To map a network interface, select a vThunder interface in the Source Networks
column, and then select the port group from the drop-down list in the Destination Networks column. For example, select source network “Management” and destination network “Mgmt”.
17. The actual names of the port groups may differ. Assign the names when you create
them as a prerequisite for vThunder installation.
18. Click Next to open the Customize Template options. For information on the supported
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parameters see VMware Properties Supported
19. Customize the IP allocation settings and update the network properties.
FIGURE 2-11: Customize OVF Template - Network properties
20. Click Next to proceed.
The Ready To Complete screen is displayed with details of all the configured network
addresses and properties.
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FIGURE 2-12: Ready to complete
21. Verify that all settings are correct, and click Finish.
The vCenter Server deploys the new vThunder virtual machine.
22. In the inventory of the virtual machines, select the vThunder virtual machine.
FIGURE 2-13: Deployment Completed Screen
23. From the menu bar, select Inventory > Virtual Machine > Power > Power On.
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Verifying Configuration of vThunder with Open VM Tools
To verify the vThunder configuration:
1. Log in to vCenter.
2. Open the vThunder CLI console by clicking the CLI icon on the Summary tab of
vCenter.
FIGURE 2-14: Open vThunder CLI Console
3. Open the command prompt for CLI. Check if the version and interfaces are configured
according to the user-specified values in vThunder, using the following commands,
the IP address of the management interface is configured on vThunder.
vThunder(NOLICENSE)# show interfaces brief
Port Link Dupl Speed Trunk Vlan Encap MAC IP Address IPs Flags Name
-------------------------------------------------------------------mgmt Up Full 1000 N/A N/A N/A 000c.2997.b9df 10.10.10.10/24 1
1 Up Full 10000 none 1 N/A 000c.2997.b9e9 2.2.2.21/24 1
2 Up Full 10000 none 1 N/A 000c.2997.b9f3 3.3.3.31/24 1
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Global Throughput: 0 bits/sec (0 bytes/sec)
Throughput: 0 bits/sec (0 bytes/sec)
vThunder(NOLICENSE)# sh run
!Current configuration: 99 bytes
!Configuration last updated at 07:52:40 IST Wed Apr 21 2021
!Configuration last saved at 07:52:55 IST Wed Apr 21 2021
!64-bit Advanced Core OS (ACOS) version 5.2.1-p2, build 8 (Mar-102021,11:58)
!
interface management
ip address 10.10.10.10 255.255.255.0
ip default-gateway 20.20.20.20
interface ethernet 1
enable
ip address 2.2.2.21 255.255.255.0
!
interface ethernet 2
enable
ip address 3.3.3.31 255.255.255.0
!
!
!
VMware Properties Supported
The following VMware Tools configuration parameters are supported for vThunder:
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TABLE 2-15 : VMware Tools Configuration Properties
Configuration Properties
Required/Optional Dependencies and Limitations
Management Interface IP
address
Required
Related properties to be configured:
Management network mask
Management IP allocation type
properties
Management subnet gateway IP
address
Required
Management subnet gateway
IP address is supported.
Management IP allocation type
(static/DHCP)
Required
Only static configuration is supported.
Management network CIDR
(Classless
Inter-Domain Routing)
Optional
N/A
Management subnet/network
mask for the interface configuration
Required
N/A
Data interface(s) IP address
Required
Related properties to be configured:
Data subnet IP allocation type.
Data network mask for the interface
configuration.
Data subnet IP allocation type
(static/DHCP)
Required
Only static allocation is supported.
Data network CIDR
Optional
N/A
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Configuration Properties
Required/Optional Dependencies and Limitations
Data network mask for the inter- Required
face
configuration
N/A
Network type (management/data)
Optional
N/A
Labels for the interfaces
Optional
N/A
Installing vThunder by Using Web Client
You can install vThunder by using the web client. This method is suitable for all ESXi versions
and all ACOS versions. However, VMware Tools is not supported for ACOS 4.1.4-P2 if you
install by using the web client.
Prior to running the installation, ensure that the appropriate vSwitches, port groups, and
interfaces are created. In this example, three interfaces are created, out of which one is a
management interface while the rest of the two interfaces are data interfaces.
For the management interface, the Adapter type must be set to E1000. All data plane interfaces must be set to Adapter type VMXNET3. For the Network option beside each vNIC,
select the network to which the vNIC is attached. Ensure Connect at Power On is checked
for all the interfaces.
NOTE:
Setting up a vSwitch and port groups are beyond the scope of
this document. Refer to the VMware documentation for more
details.
Perform the following steps:
1. Navigate to the host URL and launch the Web client.
2. Click Virtual Machines and then click Create/Register VM.
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FIGURE 2-16: Create/Register VM
3. In the New Virtual machine window, click Deploy a virtual machine from an OVF or
OVA file. Click Next.
4. In the Select OVF and VMDK files window, enter the name of the virtual machine.
5. Click the designated area to select the file and then browse to the OVA image. Click
Open.
6. After the file is displayed in the box, click Next.
FIGURE 2-17: Select OVF and VMDK Files
7. In the Select Storage window, select an appropriate datastore and click Next.
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8. In the license agreements window, scroll to the bottom of the license to click I Agree
and then click Next.
9. In the Deployment options screen, complete the network mappings. Ensure Power on
automatically is selected. Click Next.
FIGURE 2-18: Deployment options
10. Skip the additional settings window by clicking Next.
11. In the Ready to complete window, review the VM properties and click Finish. Click
Back to make any last-minute changes.
The VM deployment takes some time.
NOTE:
We support UEFI booting on vThunder VMware ESXi from
5.0.0-P1 release onward.
12. After the VM is created, click the VM and then open the console.
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FIGURE 2-19: Open the Console
13. Log into vThunder with the default username admin and the default password a10.
login as: admin
Welcome to ACOS
Using keyboard-interactive authentication.
Password:***
type ? for help]
Installing vThunder by Using an ISO Image and vSphere Client
To install vThunder by using an ISO image and vSphere Client, perform the following steps:
1. Click on the ESX host (IP shown), then select the Configuration tab.
2. Navigate to Hardware > Storage and from the available datastores, right-click the
required datastore to select Browse Datastore. The Datastore Browser window is displayed.
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FIGURE 2-20: Browse Datastore
3. In the Datastore Browser window, click the Upload icon and then click Upload File.
FIGURE 2-21: Upload File to Datastore
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4. Browse to the location where you have saved the vThunder ISO image and select the
image.
The vThunder ISO image is uploaded.
5. Close the Datastore Browser window.
Proceed to install ACOS using vSphere Client.
6. In vSphere Client, to create a new vThunder virtual machine, perform any of the following steps:
l
Select Create a new virtual machine from the Getting Started page of the host.
l
Select File > New > Virtual Machine.
l
Press CTRL+N.
FIGURE 2-22: Create a New VM
7. In the installation wizard, update the screens as follows:
a. Configuration — Select Typical.
b. Name and Location — Enter a name for the VM.
If you have VMware vCenter installed, you are prompted to select a folder where
the vThunder instance is deployed.
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c. Storage — Select the datastore on which you are going to install the vThunder
instance.
d. Guest Operating System —Select Other and the version as other 2.6x Linux
(64-bit).
e. Network — Under Create Network Connections, select the number of virtual network adapters to create.
In FIGURE 2-23, three interfaces are created, out of which one is a management
interface while the rest of the two interfaces are data interfaces.
For the management interface, the Adapter type must be set to E1000. All data
place interfaces must be set to Adapter type VMXNET3. For the Network option
beside each vNIC, select the network to which the vNIC is attached.
Ensure Connect at Power On is checked for all the interfaces.
NOTE:
Setting up a vSwitch and port groups are beyond the
scope of this document. Refer to the VMware documentation for more details.
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FIGURE 2-23: Create Network Connections
f. Create a Disk— Enter the virtual disk size and select Thick Provisioned Lazy Zeroed.
g. Ready to Complete— To edit the settings further before creating the vThunder
VM, check the Edit the virtual machine settings before completion checkbox
and click Continue.
8. Under the Virtual Machine properties window, make the following edits:
a. Under Hardware, select Memory and specify the size.
Select CPUs and specify the number.
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FIGURE 2-24: Configure the vCPUs
b. Select New CD/DVD (adding) and ensure Connect at power on is checked. Under
Device Type, for Datastore ISO File, click Browse and select your vThunder ISO
image.
c. (Optional) Select New Floppy (adding) and click Remove.
9. Click Finish.
10. Power on the virtual machine and the system boots to the ISO image in the CD/DVD
drive.
NOTE:
You must first change the BIOS boot setting to boot from
CD/DVD drive and then change the boot setting to boot
from the hard drive after the installation.
11. After the installation is complete, log in by using the following credentials:
localhost login: install and Password: password
12. Type YesS at the prompt to verify the installation.
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FIGURE 2-25: Enter YesS
13. Log into vThunder with the default username admin and the default password a10.
login as: admin
Welcome to ACOS
Using keyboard-interactive authentication.
Password:***
[type ? for help]
Step 3. Modifying the vSwitch Settings
By default, VMware only allows packets that are addressed to a virtual machine (such as the
vThunder) to be forwarded to the virtual switch (vSwitch) ports connected to that virtual
machine. However, for proper operation, the vThunder must also be able to receive packets
that are not addressed to it, such as packets addressed to load-balanced servers.
NOTE:
The procedure below only applies to VMware's vSwitch. If you are
using a third-party virtual switch, such as the Cisco Nexus or
Catalyst Series, this procedure may not be necessary.
If the vThunder network interfaces are in a tagged VLAN, tagged VLAN mode also must be
enabled on the vSwitch. By default, tagged VLAN support is disabled.
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1. Open vSphere Client, if not already open.
2. In the virtual machines inventory, select the host machine on which the vThunder is
installed.
3. Click the Configuration tab.
4. In the Hardware section, click Networking.
5. Click Properties next to the virtual machine to which the vThunder is connected.
6. Click the Port tab.
7. Select the interface.
8. Click Edit.
9. If the vThunder network interfaces are in a tagged VLAN, enter 4095 in the VLAN ID
field to enable tagging. Otherwise, leave the VLAN ID set to None.
NOTE:
If you set enter 4095 in the VLAN ID field, both tagged and
untagged packets with any VLAN ID is received by vThunder. If the field is set to None( 0 ) in the VLAN ID field, only
untagged packets are received by vThunder.
10. Click OK.
11. Click Close to close the Properties tab.
Step 4. Accessing the vThunder Instance
Initial configuration of vThunder requires the console. Using the console, you can configure
the IP addresses on the management and data interfaces.
When you access vThunder by using the ESXi console, vThunder initially boots up with an IP
address of 172.31.31.31/24. You can access the vThunder instance remotely by using the management interface, which is also the first interface assigned in VMware. You can access
vThunder remotely by using either the CLI or the GUI.
To access the vThunder instance by using the console, perform the following steps:
1. In the virtual machines inventory, select the vThunder virtual machine.
2. Click the Console tab or right-click and select Open Console.
The Console window is displayed.
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3. Click on the console window to activate keyboard support for the console window.
NOTE:
While keyboard support is active for a console window, you
cannot interact with other windows. To escape the console,
press Ctrl+Alt.
4. You are ready to make the initial configuration changes.
See Initial vThunder Configuration.
Use the following information to log into the vThunder virtual appliance with for the first
time when using the CLI or GUI, as discussed in the next two sections.
l
Default management IP address — 172.31.31.31 /24
l
Default admin username and password — admin, a10
l
Default enable password required for configuration access — blank (Press Enter)
Login Using the CLI
1. On a PC connected to a network that can access the vThunder management interface,
open an SSH client.
2. SSH to the vThunder management IP address.
3. Log into vThunder with the default username admin and the default password a10.
login as: admin
Welcome to ACOS
Using keyboard-interactive authentication.
Password:***
[type ? for help]
4. Generally, if this the first time the SSH client has accessed the vThunder instance, the
SSH client displays a security warning. Read the warning carefully, then acknowledge
the warning to complete the connection.
5. Press Enter.
The command prompt for the User EXEC level of the CLI is displayed:
ACOS(NOLICENSE) >
The User EXEC level allows you to enter a few basic commands, including some show
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commands as well as ping and traceroute
NOTE:
The vThunder prompt indicates that the vThunder instance
is not licensed.
6. To access the Privileged EXEC level of the CLI and allow access to all configuration
levels, enter the enable command.
7. At the Password: prompt, press Enter.
The command prompt for the Privileged EXEC level of the CLI is displayed as follows:
ACOS(NOLICENSE)#
8. To access the global configuration level, enter the configure command. The following
command prompt is displayed:
ACOS(config)(NOLICENSE)#
9. It is strongly suggested that a Privileged EXEC enable password be set up as follows:
ACOS(config)#enable-password newpassword
Login by Using the GUI
Web access to the vThunder instance is supported on the Web browsers listed in TABLE 2-26.
TABLE 2-26 : GUI Browser Support
Browser
Windows
Linux
MAC
IE 10.0 and higher
Supported
N/A
N/A
Firefox 40.0.3 and
higher
Supported
Supported
N/A
Safari 3.0 and higher
Not Supported
N/A
Supported
Chrome 45.0.2454.93
and higher
Supported
Supported
Supported
A screen resolution of at least 1024x768 is recommended.
To access the vThunder instance by using the GUI, perform the following steps:
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1. Open a supported web browser.
2. In the URL field, enter the IP address of the management interface of the vThunder
instance.
3. If the browser displays a certificate warning, select the option to continue to the server
(the ACOS device).
NOTE:
To prevent the certificate warning from appearing in the
future, you can install a certificate signed by a Certificate
Authority.
A login page is displayed as shown in FIGURE 2-27. The name and appearance of the dialog depends on the browser you are using and the specific device which you are trying
to access.
FIGURE 2-27: Example GUI Login Dialog
4. Enter your default username admin and default password A10 and click Login.
The Dashboard is displayed as shown in FIGURE 2-28, showing at-a-glance information
for your vThunder instance. You can access this page again at any time while using the
GUI by selecting Dashboard. Refer to the GUI online help for detailed information
about this and all other GUI screens.
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FIGURE 2-28: Dashboard
NOTE:
GUI management sessions are not automatically terminated when
you close the browser window. The session remains in effect until
it times out. To immediately terminate a GUI session, click the
Sign Out icon in the menu bar.
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Chapter 3: Initial vThunder Configuration
This chapter provides information about the initial vThunder configuration.
The procedure for applying a license to a vThunder instance depends on the type of license
that you have and is documented separately in the licensing guides. For more information,
see Global License Manager and Types of vThunder Licenses.
The following topics are covered:
Changing the Admin Password
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Saving the Configuration Changes—Write Memory
49
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Changing the Admin Password
A10 Networks recommends that you change the admin password immediately for security.
ACOS(config)#admin admin password newpassword
ACOS(config-admin:admin)#
The vThunder is now network accessible for configuration under the new IP address and
admin password.
NOTE:
By default, Telnet access is disabled on all interfaces, including
the management interface. SSH, HTTP, HTTPS, and SNMP access
are enabled by default on the management interface only, and
disabled by default on all data interfaces.
Saving the Configuration Changes—Write Memory
Configuration changes must be saved to system memory to take effect the next time the
vThunder is powered on. Otherwise, the changes are lost if the vThunder virtual machine or
its host machine are powered down.
To write the current configuration to system memory, run the following command:
ACOS(config)# write memory
Building configuration...
[OK]
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Chapter 4: Configuring the Management Interface
The following procedure discusses the assignment of an IP address to the management interface of the vThunder:
1. Configure the management interface IP address and default gateway. Starting with
ACOS release 4.1.0, ACOS obtains an IP address for the management interface in the following order:
a. If there is a management port IP configuration (either a static IP address or DHCP)
in the active startup-config file, then ACOS either assigns the static IP to the
vThunder management interface or attempts to get the IP address from the DHCP
server.
b. If there is no management port IP configuration (neither a static IP address nor
DHCP), then vThunder attempts to get an IP address from an accessible DHCP
server.
c. If vThunder cannot obtain an IP address from a DHCP server, then the default
static IP address of 172.31.31.31/24 is used.
NOTE:
The management interface is an out-of-band interface
and should not be on the same subnet as any of the
data interfaces. If the management interface and the
data interfaces are not kept in separate IP subnets,
some operations such as pinging may not perform as
expected.
In the following example, the IP address for the management interface is
192.168.2.228. None of the data interfaces should have an IP address of
192.168.2.x.
ACOS(config)#interface management
ACOS(config-if:management)#ip address 192.168.2.228 /24
ACOS(config-if:management)#ip default-gateway 192.168.2.1
2. Verify the interface IP address change:
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ACOS(config-if:management)#show interface management
GigabitEthernet 0 is up, line protocol is up.
Hardware is GigabitEthernet, Address is xxxx.yyyy.zzzz
Internet address is 192.168.2.228, Subnet mask is 255.255.255.0
...
3. Optionally, configure the ACOS device to use the management interface as the source
interface for automated management traffic generated by the ACOS device:
ACOS(config-if:management)#ip control-apps-use-mgmt-port
ACOS(config-if:management)#exit
ACOS(config)#
(For more information, see the “Management Interface as Source for Automated Management
Traffic” chapter in the System Configuration and Administration Guide.)
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Support for Non-dedicated Management Port Mode
ACOS offers the ability of running vThunder for VMware in “non-dedicated management port
mode”. In this mode, only one network adapter (VMXNET3 device driver) is used for all the
interfaces (both data and management). This ability is in contrast with previous releases, in
which the e1000 device driver was typically used as the driver for a dedicated management
interface and a different driver was used for the data ports.
In releases prior to 2.7.2-P4, it was typical for a regular vThunder for VMware instance to
have drivers assigned to ports as shown in TABLE 4-1 below. The interfaces could have different drivers assigned to different interfaces.
TABLE 4-1 : Drivers Assigned to Ports
Management and data ports use
different drivers
All ports use VMXNET3 driver
Eth1 – E1000
Eth1 – VMXNET3
Eth2 – VMXNET3
Eth2 – VMXNET3
Eth3 – VMXNET3
Eth3 – VMXNET3
When all interfaces use the VMXNET3 driver, there is non-dedicated management interface,
and any random port can be used to provide management access. Non-dedicated management port mode can be helpful if you are running vThunder for VMware in an environment where it may not be possible to have a dedicated management port.
NOTE:
The non-dedicated management port mode is not supported in
4.1.4- GR1 release. It's support is added back in 4.1.4- GR1- P5
release with few updates. For more information see Behavior
from 4.1.4-GR1-P5 Release Onwards section.
Behavior from 2.7.2 Release Onwards
Non-dedicated management port mode cannot be enabled or disabled through the CLI or GUI.
Instead, the feature is enabled automatically by a new algorithm in the code.
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This new algorithm runs a check whenever a new vThunder for VMware instance is booting.
The algorithm checks for the presence of a dedicated management interface (“eth0”), and if
it does not exist, then ACOS automatically enables the “non-dedicated management port
mode”.
As ACOS is performing this check during boot-up, the algorithm also checks the startup config file. If the startup config file is empty, then ACOS populates the config file with the configuration shown below. This config file defines the interface and allows it to receive an IP
address from a DHCP server.
Behavior from 4.1.4-GR1-P5 Release Onwards
In non-dedicated management port mode, there is no interface dedicated for management
traffic:
l
If vThunder is deployed with one vmxnet3 interface, vThunder operates in non-dedicated management mode by default.
l
If vThunder is deployed with more than one vmxnet3 interface, vThunder operates in
dedicated management mode by default. The first interface is the management interface and the rest of the interfaces operate as data interfaces. The user can display and
switch the mode using CLI commands as follows:
1. Enter the below mentioned CLI command to display the current management interface
mode:
#show system management-interface-mode
Description
Displays the current interface mode
Syntax
#show system management-interface-mode
Mode
EXEC
Usage
Usage Entering privileged EXEC mode displays the current mode
on the interface. Types of mode:
- Dedicated - Set the management interface in dedicated mode.
- Non-Dedicated - Sets the management interface in non-dedicated mode.
By default, the VM operates in a non-dedicated mode.
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Example
In the following example, the user enters privileged EXEC mode
using the command.
vThunder(NOLICENSE)#show system management-interfacemode
Management interface is in dedicated mode
2. Enter the following CLI commands to switch the mode.
l
# system management-interface-mode dedicated – To switch to dedicated mode.
l
# system management-interface-mode non-dedicated – To switch to non-dedicated
mode.
Configuring Non-dedicated Management Port Mode
The following is an example of a config file if the admin creates a vThunder instance with 3
interfaces. The number of interfaces in the config file can vary as needed.
interface ethernet 1
enable
ip address dhcp
!
interface ethernet 2
enable
ip address dhcp
!interface ethernet 3
enable
ip address dhcp
!
enable-management service
enable-management service
enable-management service
enable-management service
ssh ethernet 1 to 3
http ethernet 1 to 3
https ethernet 1 to 3
snmp ethernet 1 to 3
Guidelines for Non-dedicated Management Port Mode
l
If a vThunder instance is running in “non-dedicated management port mode,” then a
DHCP server should be set up for at least one of the interfaces to ensure that management access is possible.
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l
The auto-populated contents of the config file that is automatically created when the
“non-dedicated management port mode” is enabled (i.e., the sample shown above)
should not be deleted or modified, or this may cause the feature to stop working.
l
This feature applies to vThunder for VMware and does not apply to any other hypervisor
flavors upon which vThunder can run.
l
This feature is supported in the following releases: ACOS 2.7.2-P4 through 2.7.2-P9,
and ACOS 4.1.1 and later.
Adding Extra Ethernet Data Interfaces
The vThunder has two data interfaces by default. You can add more data interfaces as
needed. Before adding an interface, see Adding Extra Port Groups.
NOTE:
vThunder does not support hot-swapping Ethernet ports. To add
a new data port, you must stop the running instance, add the
new port or delete an existing port, and then restart the vThunder instance.
To add a data interface:
1. In the virtual machines inventory, select the vThunder virtual machine.
2. Click the Getting Started tab, if the page is not already displayed.
3. On the Getting Started page, select Edit virtual machines settings.
The Virtual Machine Properties dialog is displayed.
4. Click Add.
The Add Hardware dialog is displayed.
5. Select Ethernet Adapter and click Next.
6. In the Adapter Type section, select vmxnet3 from the Type drop-down list.
If not available, manually add it first.
NOTE:
The type for data interfaces is “vmxnet3”, and the type for
the management interface is “e1000”.
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NOTE:
To enable “non-dedicated management port mode”, make
sure the management interface type is set to “vmxnet3”
and not “e1000”. All interfaces should be set to the same
driver/adapter
(“vmxnet3”). See Support for Non-dedicated Management
Port Mode for more information.
7. In the Network Connection section, select the vSwitch for the new vThunder interface, and click Next.
8. Review the configuration information to ensure it is correct, and then click Finish.
The vThunder interface is added to the port group on the vSwitch.
9. Reboot the vThunder virtual machine by performing the following steps:
a. In the virtual machines inventory, select the vThunder virtual machine.
b. From the menu bar, select Inventory > Virtual Machine > Power > Reset.
CAUTION:
You must reboot the vThunder instance after adding/deleting an Ethernet port, or performance issues may
occur.
10. To verify the new interfaces, log onto the vThunder instance using the CLI and enter
the following command:
show interface brief
Compare the MAC addresses of the ACOS interfaces with the MAC addresses on the network interfaces configured in VMware for the vThunder. They should match.
Adding Extra Port Groups
vThunder requires a separate port group for each vThunder interface (Management, Ethernet
1, and Ethernet 2), configured before you begin vThunder installation. If the port groups are
not already created in your ESXi, create them using the steps below.
To add a port group to a vSwitch:
1. Start vSphere Client and log onto the VMware host system.
2. In the Inventory, select the host.
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3. Click the Configuration tab and select Networking.
4. In the right column, select Properties next to the virtual switch (vSwitch) name.
5. Click Add.
6. Select Virtual Machine as the connection type, and click Next.
7. Edit the name in the Network Label field.
This is the name you will select in Step 2. Installing the vThunder Instance.
8. If your ESXi physical interface is not tagged, leave the VLAN ID set to 0. If your ESXi
physical interface is tagged, set the VLAN ID to the VLAN tag number.
9. Click Next, then click Finish.
10. Repeat for each port group.
The vThunder interfaces must be in separate port groups.
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Chapter 4: Advanced vThunder Configuration
This chapter provides details on how to configure specific advanced features for vThunder.
The following topics are covered:
About Jumbo Frames
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About Shared Polling Mode
60
Memory Support
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About SR-IOV and DirectPath I/O
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Configuring vThunder for High Throughput
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Additional Resources—Where to go from here?
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About Jumbo Frames
A jumbo frame is an Ethernet frame with a payload greater than the standard maximum
transmission unit (MTU) of 1,500 bytes. This modification improves vThunder throughput and
performance. Additional advantages of enabling jumbo frames include reduced interrupts
and lower RAM utilization. For vThunder, jumbo frames are supported on ACOS 2.7.x, 2.8.x
and 4.x, 5.x versions, and non-FTA platforms.
The following is a list of limitations and requirements for running jumbo frames for the vThunder-Intel and ENA devices:
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The vThunder instance must be running on top of an Intel 10Gb Ethernet Controller.
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Jumbo frames are not supported on 1Gb NICs.
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Supported jumbo frame packet types include: ICMP, UDP and TCP
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vThunder can support jumbo frame packets up to a maximum size of 9216 bytes.
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Memory assigned to the VM must be greater than 8 GB if using Jumbo Frames.
Enabling Jumbo Frames on the Host Side for ESXi
Before you enable Jumbo Frames on vThunder, see the documentation about Enabling
Jumbo Frames at https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/1007654.
Enabling Jumbo Frames for vThunder
By default, Jumbo Frame support is disabled. Use the following appropriate CLI command to
enable Jumbo Frame support on a vThunder data interface:
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For ACOS version 2.7.x: enable-jumbo
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For ACOS version 4.1.x: system-jumbo-global enable-jumbo
Set the MTU size on the vThunder data interface to a value ranging from 1500 to 9216 bytes.
The configured value must be larger than any jumbo packet expected to arrive on that data
interface. The command is mtu bytes.
You can enable jumbo support on a global basis. In this case, the MTU is not automatically
changed on any interfaces, but you can increase the MTU on individual interfaces.
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About Shared Polling Mode
ACOS release 4.1.4-GR1-P1 and later only supports shared polling mode1 for deployments having a total number of CPUs less than four. From ACOS release 5.2.0 onwards, this support is
also provided for deployments having a total number of CPUs greater than four.
When shared polling mode is enabled, both I/O and data processing both are performed by all
the vCPUs except the control CPU. If there is no I/O and data processing task in the queue,
then the system automatically switches the CPU to idle mode to conserve CPU cycles.
NOTE:
This mode is only preferred when performance or latency is not
the key criterion for the success and the user wants to maximize
host CPU utilization due to multiple VMs running on it.
1This support is available on BareMetal and vThunder on KVM, ESXi, Hyper V, AWS, Azure, and
OpenStack.
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TABLE 4-2 : ACOS Modes and Selection Criteria
Mode
Behavior
Criteria
Additional
Requirements
Performance
Polling Mode
In polling mode,
both I/O and
Data threads
continuously
poll for the
packet and process it.
High performance + low
latency
required, combined with SRIOV.
Configure CPU
pinning with
NUMA.
High Performance
Maximum utilization of CPU
resources with
some compromise on
latency and performance.
The host needs
to share physical CPUs with
multiple VMs.
Lower CPU cycles
consumed by the
host. High Performance in specific
cases.
This mode
always consumes 100% of
the allotted CPU
cycles.
Note: System
poll mode is
default for more
than 4 vCPUs.
Shared
Polling Mode
NOTE:
When the shared
poll mode is
enabled, I/O and
data processing
are both performed on all
cores except the
control CPU.
The shared polling mode feature is supported for ACOS 5.2.0 and
later versions.
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Enabling Shared Polling Mode
By default, shared polling mode is disabled. The following procedure has to be followed to
enable Shared Polling mode:
1. Use the following CLI command from global config mode:
vThunder(config)#system shared-poll-mode enable
2. Exit global config mode and reload the vThunder instance using the following command:
vThunder(config)#exit
vThunder#reload
After vThunder finishes reloading, Shared Polling Mode will be enabled.
3. To verify Shared Polling Mode is enabled on the vThunder instance, check the output
from the “show system shared-poll-mode” command.
vThunder(config)# show system shared-poll-mode
For example,
A2# show system shared-poll-mode
Shared poll mode is enabled
A2#
4. CPU distribution can be viewed, with the “show cpu” command as shown below. From
the output, it can be observed that no CPU does IO processing exclusively.
For example,
vThunder#show cpu
Time: Mar-2-2019, 01:39
1Sec 5Sec 10Sec 30Sec 60Sec
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Control1 15% 15% 14% 18% 18%
Data1 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
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Data2 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Data3 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Disabling Shared Polling Mode
The following procedure is followed to disable Shared Polling mode:
1. Use the following command from global config mode to disable shared polling mode:
For example:
vThunder(config)#system shared-poll-mode disable
2. Exit global config mode and reload the vThunder instance using the following command:
vThunder(config)#exit
vThunder#reload
After vThunder finishes reloading, Shared Polling Mode will be disabled.
3. CPU distribution can be viewed, when shared poll mode is disabled with the “show cpu”
command as shown below. From the output, it can be observed that some CPUs are designated for IO processing.
For example
vThunder(config)#show cpu
Time: Mar-2-2019, 01:37
1Sec 5Sec 10Sec 30Sec 60Sec
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Control1 20% 21% 21% 21% 21%
Data1 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Data2 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
I/O1 0% 0% 0% 0%
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NOTE:
For one vCPU, the control and data usage are shown separately,
but both share the same vCPU. The actual usage of the CPU is
cumulative of control and data usage.
Memory Support
vThunder devices support 128 GB memory and provision the resources to satisfy the high
number of users and their throughput in a virtualized environment.
Both NUMAs inside the compute host are used for provisioning the resources. Memory allocation is 64 GB from NUMA0 and 64 GB from NUMA1. This feature supports all platforms with 2
NUMA, 128 GB memory, and 35 virtual CPUs.
NOTE:
The memory allocation limits change according to available
memory.
vThunder Configuration on SLB or CGN
To configure vThunder and validate 128 GB memory support, perform the following:
1. Configure the vThunder on SLB or CGN.
For example
Configure vThunder with SLB as:
slb server s1 <Server-IP>
port 80 tcp
slb server s2 <Server-IP>
port 80 tcp
slb service-group sg1 tcp
member s1 80
member s2 80
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slb virtual-server Platform-vip <VIP>
port 80 tcp
source-nat auto
service-group sg1
Configure vThunder with CGN as:
interface ethernet {cli}
enable
ip address <Data1-IP> <net mask>
ip nat inside
interface ethernet {srv}
enable
ip address <Data2-IP> 2xx.xxx.xxx.0
ip nat outside
class-list cgn_test
<cli_subnet> lsn-lid 1
cgnv6 lsn inside source class-list cgn_test
cgnv6 nat pool lsn-pool {pool} netmask /<net-mask>
cgnv6 lsn-lid 1
source-nat-pool lsn-pool
2. Verify 128 GB memory support for each vThunder instance in terms of vCPUs and
increased application resources such as fixed-NAT public IP addresses, private users
count, etc, perform the following:
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a. Launch the vThunder system with 128GB memory and 35 vCPUs ACOS image.
b. Verify the limits using show system resource-usage and show cgvn6 resourceusage command.
vThunder(NOLICENSE)#sh system resource-usage
Resource Current Default Minimum Maximum
---------------------------------------------------------------------------l4-session-count 12582912 12582912 3145728 201326592
nat-pool-addr-count 10 10 10 15000
class-list-ipv6-addr-count 524288 524288 524288 1048576
class-list-ac-entry-count 65536 65536 65536 9216000
auth-portal-html-file-size 20 20 4 120
auth-portal-image-file-size 6 6 1 80
max-aflex-file-size 32 32 16 256
aflex-table-entry-count 102400 102400 102400 15728640
max-aflex-authz-collection-number 512 512 256 4096
radius-table-size 12000000 12000000 2000000 12000000
monitored-entity-count 32960 32960 32816 800288
authz-policy-number 128 128 32 2000
ram-cache-memory-limit 27648 27648 6912 27648
ipsec-sa-number 30000 30000 120 30000
cgn resource-usage
vThunder#show cgn resource-usage
Resource Current Default Minimum Maximum
------------------------------------------------------------------------lsn-nat-addr-count 2048 2048 2048 20000
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fixed-nat-ip-addr-count 20480 20480 20480 512000
fixed-nat-inside-user-count 256000 256000 256000 8000000
radius-table-size 8000000 8000000 2000000 8000000
vThunder#
c. Configure the maximum fixed-NAT IPs and inside users per the default limits and
verify that they can be achieved. The default value is 30720k.
d. Change the system resource for L4 sessions and reach the count.
NOTE:
The accumulative L4 session count should be lesser
than the current value. Every value don't exceed the
current configured value.
e. Verify that the configured limits take effect only after reboot.
NOTE:
For some of the parameter update, reboot is not
required. For example
-auth-portal-html-file-size
- auth-portal-image-file-size
- max-aflex-file-size
f. On reboot configure the Minimum - maximum number of fixed-NAT IPs and inside
“User/RADIUS/IP-List” value between pre-defined range (Min-Max).
g. Reboot or reload the system to view the updated value.
About SR-IOV and DirectPath I/O
Starting from the 4.1.2 P1 release, you can configure vThunder instances running on ESXi for
Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) or DirectPath I/O. SR-IOV enables a single supported
NIC to be assigned as separate logical NICs for multiple vThunder instances. DirectPath I/O
enables a supported NIC to be assigned exclusively to a single vThunder instance.
Both SR-IOV and DirectPath I/O are recommended for running applications with very high
packets and low latency requirements. Both of these features do not support some key virtualization functions. For more information on the limitations, refer to vmware.com/support/pubs.
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For more information, refer to the following:
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To understand the prerequisites for vThunder, refer to Prerequisites for Running SRIOV or DirectPath I/O.
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To configure SR-IOV for a vThunder instance, refer to Configuring SR-IOV.
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To configure DirectPath I/O for a vThunder instance, refer to Configuring DirectPath
I/O.
l
For more information on SR-IOV and DirectPath I/O and how to configure these for
ESXi, refer to https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2038739.
Prerequisites for Running SR-IOV or DirectPath I/O
Ensure the following list of prerequisites are met for enabling SR-IOV or DirectPath I/O on
vThunder:
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The hardware platform supports Intel VT-d or IOMMU.
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The NIC selected for either SR-IOV or DirectPath I/O belongs of one of the following
types:
o
Intel 82599 10 GbE Controller
o
Intel Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710 and XL710 (starting from ACOS
414)
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The vThunder instance is configured with four or more CPUs.
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The NIC and BIOS settings are enabled for either SR-IOV or DirectPath I/O. Refer to your
platform and NIC documentation for more information.
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For SR-IOV, the supported ESXi version is 5.1 or higher.
For DirectPath I/O, the supported ESXi version is 4.0 or higher.
Limitations for Running SR-IOV or DirectPath I/O
The following are the list of limitations for running SR-IOV or DirecPath I/O:
l
For 82599 and X710, SR-IOV and DirectPath I/O for VMware ESXi is not supported in
Interrupt mode. Configure Poll mode to support SR-IOV. XL710 supports both Poll mode
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and Interrupt mode.
l
Tagged VLANs may not work if you configure SR-IOV for X710 and XL710. To resolve the
issue, upgrade the ESXi host to 6.5 or newer and reboot the vThunder instance.
Upgrade the ESXi host side i40e driver to version 2.0.6 or newer and reboot. Refer to
https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/details?downloadGroup=DT-ESXI60-INTELI40E-206&productId=491 and https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2137853. Finally,
remove the existing i40en driver and reboot the system by using the command esxcli
software vib remove -n i40en.
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For X710 and 82599, interfaces must be deleted in the reverse order of their addition.
For example, in an example vThunder system, the following interfaces are available:
eth1— 0000:06:00.0
eth2— 0000:06:01.0
eth3— 0000:06:02.0
eth4— 0000:06:03.0
If eth3 is added at first, followed by eth2 and eth1, the following order is expected:
eth3— 0000:06:03.0
eth2— 0000:06:01.0
eth1— 0000:06:00.0
However, the interface order is auto-changed as follows:
eth1— 0000:06:00.0
eth2— 0000:06:01.0
eth3— 0000:06:03.0
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Before importing a vThunder instance as an OVF template, remove the SR-IOV or Direct
Passthrough interfaces from the vThunder instance.
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For vThunder in ESXi host, a mixture of SR-IOV or Direct Passthrough and VMXNET3
data interfaces are not supported. As a workaround, delete the last interface and then
add it again.
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Promiscuous mode is not allowed in a VF.
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l
For X710 and 82599, the multicasts packets received by the ESXi Host NIC are dropped
when SR-IOV is enabled for the two VFs created from one physical NIC. However, vThunder can send out the multicasts packets.
l
Jumbo Frames are not supported for the vThunder instance installed with the 82599
card and with DPDK and SR-IOV enabled.
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VCS, VRRP, and IPv6 functions are not supported for the vThunder instance installed
with the X710 card and SR-IOV enabled. RIP, OSPF, ISIS, and BGP routing protocols are
not supported. However, unicast modes, such as VRRP-A unicast is supported.
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Tagged VLAN traffic does not work for the vThunder instance configured with the
82599 SR-IOV interface.
Configuring SR-IOV
Configuring SR-IOV is a two-step process. First, you must define the virtual functions of the
NIC by using the ESXi CLI. Next, you must add the virtual function to the vThunder instance.
A virtual function can be mapped to only one vThunder instance.
Before configuring SR-IOV, check that your system meets the prerequisites outlined in Prerequisites for Running SR-IOV or DirectPath I/O. Perform the following steps to configure
SR-IOV:
1. Log into the ESXi shell and run the following command to get the current configuration
of your vmnic:
esxcli system module parameters list -m NIC_Driver_Module
For example, for the i40e vmnic, the command is:
esxcli system module parameters list -m i40e
2. Run the following command to define the maximum number of virtual functions for the
vmnic:
esxcli system module parameters set -m NIC_Driver_Module -p "max_vfs=n"
For example, for the i40e vmnic, to enable two virtual functions each for the seventh
and eighth vmnics, the
command is as follows:
esxcli system module parameters set -m i40e -p "max_vfs=0,0,0,0,0,0,2,2"
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3. Run the esxcli system module parameters list -m i40e command to check if the settings are correct.
4. Restart the ESXi host for the changes to take effect.
5. Select the vThunder instance in the vSphere client.
Do not power on the VM.
6. Right-click the VM and select Edit Settings.
The Virtual Machines Properties window is displayed.
7. In the Virtual Machines Properties window, select Add.
The Add Hardware window is displayed.
8. In the Add Hardware window, select PCI Device and click Next.
The Choose PCI device window is displayed.
NOTE:
Do not select Ethernet Adapter for adding a SR-IOV NIC.
9. In the Specify the physical PCI/PCIe Device to connect to drop-down menu, select
the virtual function and click Next and then Finish.
There are four virtual functions listed in the drop-down menu according to the configuration you specified in step 2.
In the Virtual Machines Properties window, you see an addition under New PCI
Device.
10. Click OK.
11. Power on the VM for the changes to take affect.
Configuring DirectPath I/O
Configuring DirectPath I/O is a two-step process. First you must activate the DirectPath I/O
NIC in the ESXi host and then add the device to the vThunder instance.
NOTE:
Direct Passthrough is not supported with interrupt mode.
Before configuring DirectPath I/O, check that your system meets the prerequisites outlined
in Prerequisites for Running SR-IOV or DirectPath I/O.
Perform the following steps to configure DirectPath I/O:
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1. Select the ESXi host from the vSphere client.
2. In the Configuration tab, click Hardware Advanced Settings.
The Configuration page lists all available DirectPath I/O devices.
A DirectPath I/O device with a green icon is enabled and active. A DirectPath I/O device
with an orange icon is disabled. Reboot the host to enable the device.
3. Click Edit.
4. Select the NIC for DirectPath I/O and click OK.
5. Restart the ESXi host for the NIC to become active as a DirectPath I/O device.
6. Select the vThunder instance in the vSphere Client. Do not power on the VM.
7. Right-click the VM and select Edit Settings.
The Virtual Machines Properties window is displayed.
8. In the Virtual Machines Properties window, select Add.
The Add Hardware window is displayed.
9. In the Add Hardware window, select PCI Device and click Next.
The Choose PCI device window is displayed.
NOTE:
Do not select Ethernet Adapter for adding a DirectPath I/O
device.
10. In the Specify the physical PCI/PCIe Device to connect to drop-down menu, select
the virtual function and click Next and then Finish.
11. In the Virtual Machines Properties window, you see an addition under New PCI
Device.
12. Click OK. Power on the VM for the changes to take affect.
Configuring vThunder for High Throughput
vThunder supports 40G XL710 NIC cards that can be used to provide a throughput of about
100 Gbps. The following configuration must be supported for installing a minimum of four
40G XL710 NIC cards:
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l
A minimum of 16 vCPUS.
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A minimum of 16 GB memory and 20 GB hard drive space
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Set the interface type to PCI Passthrough.
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Disable hyper-threading.
Refer to your system manual for specific information to disable hyper-threading.
l
Enable CPU pinning and static allocation.
The procedure is dependent on your operating system, refer to your operating system
manual.
l
Configure ACOS in poll mode.
l
If the host is a dual-socket machine, it is recommended to pin the cores from both
NUMA nodes equally.
Additional Resources—Where to go from here?
After you have logged into the vThunder GUI or CLI, you may be in need of assistance to configure the device. More information can be found in the latest ACOS Release Notes. This document has a list of new features, known issues, and other information to help get you
started.
It is also highly recommended to use the basic deployment instructions that appear in the
System Configuration and Administration Guide.
Feature information is available for ACOS products in the ACOS documents, which are available on the A10 Networks support site.
Some relevant links included are:
l
vThunder data sheet: https://www.a10networks.com/sites/default/files/A10-DS-vThunder.pdf
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A10 Networks documentation: https://documentation.a10networks.com/.
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