Configuring Shared Ethernet Adapters (SEA) on IBM Power Systems (VIOS)

This document explains the process and best practices forconfiguring Shared Ethernet Adapters (SEA) on IBM Power Systems using VirtualI/O Servers (VIOS). The configuration ensures high availability (HA) andnetwork redundancy by leveraging EtherChannel and control channel adapters.

1. Overview of the Setup

We are working with multiple physical and virtual adapters.The goal is to create EtherChannel interfaces and then configure SEAs usingvirtual adapters and control channel adapters for high availability.

2. Adapter Summary (Example 1)

- Physical Adapters: ent0, ent1, ent2, ent3

- Virtual Adapters: ent4, ent5 (used for SEA)

- Control Channel Adapters: ent6, ent7

EtherChannel Configuration:

ent8 = ent0 + ent1

ent9 = ent2 + ent3

SEA Creation Commands:

mkvdev -sea ent8 -vadapter ent4 -default ent4 -defaultid 1-attr ha_mode=auto ctl_chan=ent6

mkvdev -sea ent9 -vadapter ent5 -default ent5 -defaultid 1-attr ha_mode=auto ctl_chan=ent7

Additional SEA Creation (Possibly Redundant):

mkvdev -sea ent10 -vadapter ent4 -default ent4 -defaultid 1-attr ha_mode=auto ctl_chan=ent8

mkvdev -sea ent11 -vadapter ent5 -default ent5 -defaultid 1-attr ha_mode=auto ctl_chan=ent9

3. Adapter Summary (Example 2)

- Physical Adapters: ent0, ent1, ent2, ent3

- Virtual Adapters: ent4, ent5

- VLAN-mapped Virtual Ethernet: ent6 (vlan9), ent7 (vlan6),ent8, ent9

EtherChannel Configuration:

ent10 = ent0 + ent2

ent11 = ent1 + ent3

SEA Creation Commands:

mkvdev -sea ent10 -vadapter ent4 -default ent4 -defaultid 1-attr ha_mode=auto ctl_chan=ent8

mkvdev -sea ent11 -vadapter ent5 -default ent5 -defaultid 1-attr ha_mode=auto ctl_chan=ent9

4. Best Practices and Recommendations

- Use unique default IDs for each SEA.
- Ensure control channel adapters are properly mapped between VIOSes.
- Avoid creating redundant SEAs unless required for testing.
- Validate SEA functionality using 'lsmap -all -net'.
- Maintain consistent VLAN tagging and naming conventions.

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