MAAS does not create a port group for VMs when deploying VMware ESXi

[Lee Trager]

The VMware ESXi network stack does not connect directly to a physical interface. Instead each physical interface is associated with a virtual switch. Each virtual switch has numerous port groups. A vmk is created for ESXi to use networking which is put into a port group. VMs must be associated with a port group however a vmk may not be in a port group used by a VM.

When MAAS configures ESXi networking a vmk is created for each configured device. This leaves VMware ESXi networking configured but the user must manually create a port group for use with VMs.

If a user creates an unconfigured bond in MAAS a port group is created with no vmk assoicated with it. An unconfigured physical interface is completely ignored and no port group or switch is associated with it.

An unconfigured physical interface should result in an unused port group being created for VMs.

It may be beneficial to also allow the creation of unconfigured aliases in MAAS to allow a physical interface to be used for ESXi networking as well as VM networking.

Alternatively MAAS could create a VM port group for every configured device.

[Jerzy Husakowski (jhusakowski)]

This enhancement will be revisited if there is more interest in improving ESXi functionality.