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Network considerations – XClarity Management Hub

You can configure Lenovo XClarity Management Hub to use a single network interface (eth0) or two separate network interfaces (eth0 and eth1) for communication.

Lenovo XClarity Management Hub communicates over the following networks.

  • The management network is used for communications between Lenovo XClarity Management Hub and managed devices.
  • The data network is used for communications between the operating systems that are installed on the servers and the company intranet, the Internet, or both.

Single interface (eth0)​

When using a single network interface (eth0), management communications, data communications, and operating-system deployment occur over the same network.

When you set up Lenovo XClarity Management Hub, define the eth0 network interface using the following considerations.

  • The network interface must be configured to support device discovery and management (including firmware updates). Lenovo XClarity Management Hub must be able to communicate with all devices that it will manage from the management network.

    Lenovo XClarity Management Hub must be able to communicate with all devices that it will manage from the network.

  • To deploy OS images, the eth0 interface must have IP network connectivity to the server network interface that is used to access the host operating system.
  • Important: Implementing a shared data and management network can cause disruptions in traffic, such as packets being dropped or management-network connectivity issues, depending on your network configuration (for example, if traffic from servers have a high priority and traffic from the management controllers have a low priority). The management network uses UDP traffic in addition TCP. UDP traffic can have a lower priority when the network traffic is high.

Two separate interfaces (eth0 and eth1)​

When using two network interfaces (eth0 and eth1), you can setup the networks in as physically-separate or virtually-separate networks.

Review the following considerations when defining the eth0 and eth1 network interfaces.

  • The eth0 network interface must be connected to the management network and must be configured to support device discovery and management.

    Lenovo XClarity Management Hub must be able to communicate with all devices that it will manage from the management network.

  • The eth1 network interface can be configured to communicate with an internal data network, a public data network, or both.
  • To deploy operating-system images, the eth1 network interface must have IP network connectivity to the server network interface that is used to access the host operating system.
  • Functions can be performed on either network.
  • For virtually-separate networks, packets from the management network and packets from the data network are sent over the same physical connection. Use VLAN tagging on all management-network data packets to keep the traffic between the two networks separated.

IP address considerations​

Review the following IP address considerations before configuring the network.

  • Changing the virtual-appliance IP address after XClarity Management Hub is up and running will cause connectivity issues with XClarity Orchestrator and all managed devices. If you need to change the IP address, disconnect XClarity Management Hub from XClarity Orchestrator and unmanage all managed devices before changing the IP address, and then remanage the devices and reconnect XClarity Management Hub to XClarity Orchestrator after the IP address change is complete

  • Configure the devices and components in ways that minimize IP address changes. Consider using static IP addresses instead of Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). If DHCP is used, ensure that IP address changes are minimized, such as basing the DHCP address on a MAC address or configuring DHCP so that the lease does not expire.

    If the IP address of a managed device (other than a ThinkEdge Client device) changes, you must unmanage the device, and then manage it again.

  • Network address translation (NAT), which remaps one IP address space into another, is not supported.
  • The network interfaces must be configured with an IPv4 address to manage the following devices. IPv6 addresses are not supported.
    • ThinkServer servers
    • Lenovo Storage devices
  • Managing RackSwitch devices using IPv6 link local through a data port or management port is not supported.