vlans 802.1q set up ????

kirkster · 11 Jan 2009 at 14:33

Hi,
I want to use vlan off of my motherbaord gigabit ethernet port into my Cisco switch (I am very familar with vlans and networking generally). I have the drivers installed on my Gigaybyte FS4 motherboard - Q6600. I have enabled the 802.1p/q option on the network adapter. So where do I start configuring the vlans and 802.1q tags so I can assign then to virtual machines?

I expected to see some sort of config tool to facilitate this or a tab in windows networks in the control panel.

Nothing at all.

The chip is the 8111/8168 Realtek so why won't it work guys?

I am missing something simple I think but struggling to see what. :confused:

Steve

Chief Wiggum · 11 Jan 2009 at 15:58

if you've set the adaptor in the machine to use 802.1q, have you trunked the switchport on the switch?

switchport mode trunk encapsulation dot1q (I think, don't have access to my lab right now)

you maight want to set a native vlan too, so the machine will continue to work

switchport trunk native vlan x (normal vlan that you use the machine on)

then create the vlans on your switch as normal, the virtual machine software should pickup the list of vlans then...

Tui · 11 Jan 2009 at 17:30

The 802.1p/q option and supporting multiple VLANs are different things.

VLAN support will be a driver configuration option for whatever NIC you're using. If it's not there then you don't have it.
The 802.1p/q option allows the NIC, if directed, to add an 802.1q tag so traffic can be assigned a Class of Service (CoS) priority - something that can't be done with untagged frames.

kirkster · 11 Jan 2009 at 18:40

Guys, I am happy enough with the network side of the config - I'm a CCIE (#'11330) , its getting the tags on the frames from the PC that I am struggling with.

On servers at work (HP and IBM) there is a vendor config utility. However, on a Windows 2003 PC how can I get windows to set the frames from the server with a tag of say vlan 123? I could then put VMware on the physical machine and have all the different VM's tag their frames with a unique vlan tag. I have installed the realtek driver that enables me to enable tagging globally under the adapter options. However, there is no tab or utility where I can set the tag in the frames.

Thanks, Steve

Tui · 11 Jan 2009 at 21:20

OK. You need the similar vendor config utility from Realtek - Windows does not directly support VLANs. If the option you mention is still to enable/disable 802.1p/q, that's not it.

A quick Google search show that Realtek have a utility for setting up teaming/VLANs for Vista, couldn't find anything for Windows 2003.

Chief Wiggum · 11 Jan 2009 at 21:49

Hi Steve,

From the limited exposure of the VMware stuff we're running (ESX on Dell), the vmware software handles the vlan side as long as the nic on the server supports 802.1q - probably within the virtual nic settings of the vmware box. The only reason I mentioned setting the native vlan is the physical servers we have fail to work unless this is set.

Kev