Network Configuration Feature Changes

The following features are new or have changed in Oracle Solaris 11.1:

• One SMF network configuration repository for both datalink and IP configuration – Oracle Solaris 11 uses one SMF network configuration repository for both datalink and IP configuration. As a result, the commands that are used to manage network configuration have also changed.

• Networking command changes – You can now use the dladm and ipadm commands to manage a reactive network configuration profile (NCP). To use fixed networking commands on a reactive NCP, it must be currently active. Otherwise, use the netcfg command to modify the NCP. See Network Configuration Commands.

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  Note - When the DefaultFixed NCP is active, you must use fixed networking commands to manage network configuration.

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• DefaultFixed Location – In addition to the Automatic and NoNet system-defined Locations, the DefaultFixed Location profile has been added. This Location tracks changes that are made to naming services, etc., while the profile is active. Whenever the DefaultFixed NCP is active, the DefaultFixed Location is also active.

• Link aggregations that span multiple switches – Link aggregation support now includes a solution that enables the spanning of aggregations across multiple switches, independent of the switch vendor. See Chapter 2, Using Link Aggregations, in Managing Oracle Solaris 11.1 Network Performance.

• Multihoming policy changes – The multihoming model controls the system policy for accepting and transmitting IP packets when multiple IP interfaces are simultaneously enabled. For example, if a system is configured with more than one IP interface, there might be multiple equivalent routes to a given destination. Similarly, a packet destined for an IP address that is hosted on another IP interface might arrive on a different IP interface. The system's behavior in these situations is determined by the selected multihoming policy. Oracle Solaris 11 supports three multihoming properties. The following properties are equivalent to the ndd multihoming policies used in Oracle Solaris 10:

  strong

  Equivalent to the ip_strict_dst_multihoming = 1 setting through ndd, with an additional requirement that packets originated from the host are only sent out on interfaces where the IP source address of the outgoing packet is an address that is configured on the outgoing interface.

  weak

  Equivalent to the ip_strict_dst_multihoming = 0 setting through ndd.

  src-priority

  Equivalent to the weak end-system model in receive behavior, for example, the packet is accepted on any interface, as long as the IP destination of the packet is configured on one of the host's interfaces.

  See ipadm(1M) for more details.

• Advanced networking features

  • Edge virtual bridging (EVB) – EVB is a technology that enables a host to exchange virtual link information with an external switch. EVB features enable you to advertise more information about virtual link configurations on the network than just the bandwidth share or priority definitions for physical links that data center bridging (DCB) features provide. See Chapter 9, Edge Virtual Bridging in Oracle Solaris, in Managing Oracle Solaris 11.1 Network Performance.

  • Exclusive IP zones by default – Exclusive IP zones enable you to assign a separate IP stack, per zone. Each zone has the flexibility to configure IP within that stack, completely separate of other zones. See Part II, Oracle Solaris Zones, in Oracle Solaris 11.1 Administration: Oracle Solaris Zones, Oracle Solaris 10 Zones, and Resource Management.

  • VNIC migration – Associations between Physical NICs (PNICs) and VNICs can now be migrated without disrupting network connectivity. Use the dladm modify-vnic command to migrate one or more VNICs from one underlying datalink to another underlying datalink, without having to delete and reconfigure the VNICs. The underlying link can be a physical link, a link aggregation, or an etherstub. For example:

    # dladm modify-vnic -l net1 -L ether0

    -l

    Refers to the destination datalink to which the VNICs are migrated.

    -L

    Refers to the original datalink over which the VNICs are configured. The -L option is restricted to global modification only.

    See Migrating VNICs in Using Virtual Networks in Oracle Solaris 11.1.