This is the default network configuration for hosts when they get deployed. A server will be assigned a routable public IP (something like 145.40.80.154), a private IP (like 10.70.19.18) and a few additional IPs (two /29 IP blocks) reserved for use with that host. For ESXi, these additional public and private IPs can be used for vmkernel ports or virtual machines. For instance if you see this for a server:
|
|
The available IPs are given as below (the exact IPs of course change, but the numerical incrementing/allocation does not vary).
|
Use |
Public |
Private |
|---|---|---|
|
Network |
145.40.80.152 |
10.70.19.16 |
|
Gateway |
145.40.80.153 |
10.70.19.17 |
|
Assigned to vmkernel |
145.40.80.154 (vmk0 by default) |
10.70.19.18 (vmk1 by default) |
|
Available |
145.40.80.155 |
10.70.19.19 |
|
Available |
145.40.80.156 |
10.70.19.20 |
|
Available |
145.40.80.157 |
10.70.19.21 |
|
Broadcast |
145.40.80.158 |
10.70.19.22 |
By default this will configure two vmkernel ports in vSwitch0 (standard switch) with only the first physical NIC in the switch. Since this is a bonded deployment, both NICs are usable, but they cannot be both directly added to the vSwitch--instead, in order to use them both they need to be placed in an LACP configuration which in vSphere is only available via a virtual Distributed Switch (vDS). A vDS requires vCenter Server, so this is why it is not configured upon deployment.
To configure LACP, follow this KB once you have a vCenter deployed.
https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2034277
These networks (and respective port groups) do not need to be tagged with any VLAN.
While layer 3 is the simplest mode (no VLANs etc.) it is generally not the best choice for running a persistent VMware environment as public IPs are generally not desired for ESXi management. It is recommended to migrate to layer 2 and provisioning VLANs for the ESXi network. This will be discussed in the ESXi network management KB.
These IPs are not really meant to be mobile--they are assigned via a specific subnet to that server--so virtual machines that might vMotion should not use these IPs. There best use is for static hardware--like a vmkernel adapter that does not move amongst hosts. For virtual machine networks, it is best to use private VLANs that can be shared across hosts--for this you need to convert to Hybrid mode or direct layer 2.