Configure a Citrix ADC VPX instance to use VMXNET3 network interface
After you have installed and configured the Citrix ADC VPX instance on the VMware ESX, you can use the VMware vSphere web client to configure the virtual appliance to use VMXNET3 network interfaces.
To configure Citrix ADC VPX instances to use VMXNET3 network interfaces by using the VMware vSphere Web Client:
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In the vSphere Web Client, select Hosts and Clusters.
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Upgrade the Compatibility setting of the Citrix ADC VPX instance to ESX, as follows:
a. Power off the Citrix ADC VPX instance.
b. Right-click the Citrix ADC VPX instance and select Compatibility > Upgrade VM Compatibility.
c. In the Configure VM Compatibility dialog box, select ESXi 5.5 and later from the Compatible with drop-down list and click OK.
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Right-click on the Citrix ADC VPX instance and click Edit Settings.
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In the <virtual_appliance> - Edit Settings dialog box, click the CPU section.
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In the CPU section, update the following:
- Number of CPUs
- Number of Sockets
- Reservations
- Limit
- Shares
Set the values as follows:
a. In the CPU drop-down list, select the number of CPUs to assign to the virtual appliance.
b. In the Cores per Socket drop-down list, select the number of sockets.
c. (Optional) In the CPU Hot Plug field, select or unselect the Enable CPU Hot Add check box.
Note:
Citrix recommends accepting the default (disabled).
d. In the Reservation drop-down list, select the number that is shown as the maximum value.
e. In the Limit drop-down list, select the number that is shown as the maximum value.
f. In the Shares drop-down lists, select Custom and the number that is shown as the maximum value.
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In the Memory section, update the following:
- Size of RAM
- Reservations
- Limit
- Shares
Set the values as follows:
a. In the RAM drop-down list, select the size of the RAM. It must be the number of vCPUs x 2 GB. For example, if the number of vCPUs is 4, the RAM must be 4 x 2 GB = 8 GB.
Note:
For an Advanced or Premium edition of the Citrix ADC VPX appliance, make sure that you allocate 4 GB of RAM to each vCPU. For example, if the number of vCPU is 4 then RAM = 4 x 4 GB = 16 GB.
b. In the Reservation drop-down list, enter the value for the memory reservation, and select the Reserve all guest memory (All locked) check box. The memory reservation must be the number of vCPUs x 2 GB. For example, if the number of vCPUs is 4, the memory reservation must be 4 x 2 GB = 8 GB.
Note:
For an Advanced or Premium edition of the Citrix ADC VPX appliance, make sure that you allocate 4 GB of RAM to each vCPU. For example, if the number of vCPU is 4 then RAM = 4 x 4 GB = 16 GB.
c. In the Limit drop-down list, select the number that is shown as the maximum value.
d. In the Shares drop-down lists, select Custom and the number that is shown as the maximum value.
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Add a VMXNET3 network interface. From the New device drop-down list, select Network and click Add.
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In the New Network section, from the drop-down list, select the network interface, and do the following:
a. In the Adapter Type drop-down list, select VMXNET3.
Important:
The default E1000 network interface and VMXNET3 cannot coexist, make sure that you remove the E1000 network interface and use VMXNET3 (0/1) as the management interface.
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Click OK.
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Power on the Citrix ADC VPX instance.
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Once the Citrix ADC VPX instance powers on, you can use the following command to verify the configuration:
show interface summary
The output must show all the interfaces that you configured:
> show interface summary
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Interface MTU MAC Suffix
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1 0/1 1500 00:0c:29:89:1d:0e NetScaler Vir...rface, VMXNET3
2 1/1 9000 00:0c:29:89:1d:18 NetScaler Vir...rface, VMXNET3
3 1/2 9000 00:0c:29:89:1d:22 NetScaler Vir...rface, VMXNET3
4 LO/1 9000 00:0c:29:89:1d:0e Netscaler Loopback interface
Note:
After you add a VMXNET3 interface and restart the Citrix ADC VPX appliance, the VMware ESX hypervisor might change the order in which the NIC is presented to the VPX appliance. So, network adapter 1 might not always remain 0/1, resulting in loss of management connectivity to the VPX appliance. To avoid this issue, change the virtual network of the network adapter accordingly.
This is a VMware ESX hypervisor limitation.