Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 8.16
Example of vSphere host networking with vSphere standard switches.
With the cost of 10Gb Ethernet dropping rapidly, the availability of 40Gb Ethernet, and
the increasing popularity of convergence, it is much more common to see two or four
NICs total per host. The reduced number of ports reduces complexity and cost.
However, this means that separation of traffic through VLANs and quality of service
control become much more important and hence the increasing popularity of using
vSphere distributed switches.
Our recommendation is to use 10Gb Ethernet NICs wherever possible. Two 10Gb
Ethernet for SQL Server, vMotion, and/or storage, with two 1Gb Ethernet for
management, can be a good solution. With mega-monster SQL VMs (512GB RAM and
above) or where additional availability is required, we recommend the use of two dual-
port 10Gb Ethernet NICs per host, especially in the case of Ethernet-based storage
(iSCSI, NFS, or FCoE).
Note
Depending on the server and network adapter type being used, the physical
