Data Path for Multiple VLANs

[willisiw]

I have multiple common VLANs for 9 ESXi 4.1 hosts. Advanced Edition licenses.

VLAN21 is my LAN and the management IP's are on this VLAN.  

VLAN33 is on every ESXi host.  There is a port group setup using 802.3ad that aggregates the link between hosts to be 2 GB.  This is over a separate physical path than the VLAN21. I can Ping ANY host from ANY host on VLAN21 or VLAN33, and the VLAN33 pings use the 2 GBs path.

When I migrate or clone a VM, the traffic crosses on VLAN21, which was my first management network.   DNS points to the VLAN21 ip addresses.  VCENTER uses the VLAN21 ip addresses.

vmk0 is VLAN21 and vmk1 is VLAN33.  I want to use vmk1 to move data, not vmk0.  I want to continue to use vmk0 to manage the hosts.

[Viperman]

When you say that you want to use VLAN33 to move data, what kind of data are you taling about?  It is very easy to configure vmk1 as the vMotion port and all of the vMotion traffic will go over it.  All you need to do it go to that vmkernel port and mark it with the checkbox for vMotion.

[willisiw]

Ahhhh, here in lies my problem.  This has been done and the hosts have all been rebooted, yet vMOTION still goes over vmk0 on VLAN21 and not vmk1...

To clarify, vMotion is OFF on VLAN21/vmk0, ON on VLAN33/vmk1, yet when I migrate a VM, or clone a VM, the data moves over VLAN21.  I see this because of the switch that the data is crossing is not the VLAN33 switch.

[VMT1]

Do you have the "Route based on IP hash" routing policy setup on the vSwitch hosting the portgroup with VLAN33, sounds like it.

You mention that VLAN33 is on a portgroup, then later you mention that a VMkernel port assigned vmk1 is on VLAN33, is it?  Is that vmk1 on the same vSwitch with the Portgroup on VLAN33?

How do you know you are pinging a host from a host through vmk1 on VLAN33 and not just vmk0 on VLAN21?

[willisiw]

VLAN33 does not exist on the same copper wire as 21 outside of the bladecenter.  When I ping on VLAN33, I do see the traffic, though small, on my port monitoring software.

I did not have the Route by IP HASH set, but I do now.  I did not before.  Still no dice.  Ping works but vMotion user vmk0.