Using IP Network Multipathing on an Oracle Solaris System With Zones Installed

How to Use IP Network Multipathing in Exclusive-IP Non-Global Zones

IP Network Multipathing (IPMP) in an exclusive-IP zone is configured as it is in the global zone. To use IPMP, an exclusive-IP zone requires at least two zonecfg add net resources. IPMP is configured from within the zone on these data-links.

You can configure one or more physical interfaces into an IP multipathing group, or IPMP group. After configuring IPMP, the system automatically monitors the interfaces in the IPMP group for failure. If an interface in the group fails or is removed for maintenance, IPMP automatically migrates, or fails over, the failed interface's IP addresses. The recipient of these addresses is a functioning interface in the failed interface's IPMP group. The failover component of IPMP preserves connectivity and prevents disruption of any existing connections. Additionally, IPMP improves overall network performance by automatically spreading out network traffic across the set of interfaces in the IPMP group. This process is called load spreading.

1. Become root or assume an equivalent role.
2. Configure IPMP groups as described in Configuring IPMP Groups in Managing Oracle Solaris 11.1 Network Performance.

How to Extend IP Network Multipathing Functionality to Shared-IP Non-Global Zones

Use this procedure to configure IPMP in the global zone and extend the IPMP functionality to non-global zones.

Each address, or logical interface, should be associated with a non-global zone when you configure the zone. See Using the zonecfg Command and How to Configure the Zone for instructions.

This procedure accomplishes the following:

• The cards bge0 and hme0 are configured together in a group.

• Address 192.168.0.1 is associated with the non-global zone my-zone.

• The bge0 card is set as the physical interface. Thus, the IP address is hosted in the group that contains the bge0 and hme0 cards.

In a running zone, you can use the ipadm command to make the association. See Shared-IP Network Interfaces and the ipadm(1M) man page for more information.

You must be the global administrator or a user granted the appropriate authorizations in the global zone to perform this procedure.

1. Become root or assume an equivalent role.
2. In the global zone, configure IPMP groups as described in Configuring IPMP Groups in Managing Oracle Solaris 11.1 Network Performance.
3. Use the zonecfg command to configure the zone. When you configure the net resource, add address 192.168.0.1 and physical interface bge0 to the zone my-zone:

   zonecfg:my-zone> add net
   zonecfg:my-zone:net> set address=192.168.0.1
   zonecfg:my-zone:net> set physical=bge0
   zonecfg:my-zone:net> end

   Only bge0 would be visible in non-global zone my-zone.

If bge0 Subsequently Fails

If bge0 subsequently fails and the bge0 data addresses fail over to hme0 in the global zone, the my-zone addresses migrate as well.

If address 192.168.0.1 moves to hme0, then only hme0 would now be visible in non-global zone my-zone. This card would be associated with address 192.168.0.1, and bge0 would no longer be visible.