Preparing for NetMRI VRF Access

For effective use of NetMRI to connect to and manage virtual networks, complete all steps listed in this section before configuring NetMRI. The information in this section applies specifically to the non-Infoblox network devices (e.g., Cisco and Juniper) that route virtual networks:

1. Identify the VRFs/virtual networks you want NetMRI to access and manage.
2. Identify the single VRF-aware Switch/Router on the managed network, that is aware of all of the desired VRFs. NetMRI will need to access the VRFs through this device.
   • A VRF-aware device may not exist on the network that is aware of all of the VRFs. If it is not possible to consolidate all VRFs into a single-trunked port, you can physically connect NetMRI to multiple places on the network. NetMRI has up to 3 physical scan interfaces available, labeled MGMT, LAN1, and LAN2, that may differ slightly per platform. For more information, see Configuring Scan Interfaces.
   • You also must identify a minimal set of VRF-Aware devices that collectively are aware of all the VRFs you wish NetMRI to manage.
3. Reserve a valid routable IP address on each VRF. These IPs will be configured on NetMRI virtual scan interfaces that will connect to each virtual network. Prepare an IP, subnet mask, and gateway for each VRF.
4. You must configure at least one network device to provide access to the virtual networks for NetMRI. NetMRI can connect to multiple VRFs on the same physical interface, using virtual scan interfaces, each associated with an encapsulated 802.1q tag. To access each VRF, complete the following:
   • The interface NetMRI connects to, should be configured to transport via an 802.1q encapsulated traffic (trunked port).
   • Each tag carried by the trunked port should be associated with a single VRF on the device.
   • If the device NetMRI is connected to is not VRF aware, and then the 802.1q configurations will be in the form of VLANs, with one VLAN for each VRF. In this case, the device must trunk the VLANs to another device that is VRF aware and can be configured to associate each 802.1q tag to a VRF.
     In general, connecting NetMRI directly to a VRF-aware device requires less network device configuration.
5. When connecting NetMRI to a trunk port, for each 802.1q tag in the trunk, create a Virtual Scan Interface by right-clicking the physical scan interface in the Settings icon > Scan Interfaces. Specify the tag, IP, gateway, network mask, and other needed settings. You can also associate it with an existing Network View, or you may create a new Network View for the virtual scan interface. For more information, see Configuring Network Views.