# Creating HVM Standard Network

## About this task

An **HVM Standard Network** uses an OVS port group on an existing OVS Bridge Domain virtual switch as its backing. The system determines its VLAN behavior through the **VLAN Trunks** and **Trunk Only** fields, which define whether the network operates in Access, Hybrid, or Trunk-only mode.

NOTE

A single physical VM NIC (VMNIC) can carry traffic for multiple VLANs in Hybrid and Trunk-only modes, eliminating the need to assign a separate NIC for each VLAN.

## Procedure

1. Navigate to Infrastructure > Network > Networks
2. Select + Add > HVM Standard Network
3. Enter the following details in the Create Network:

   - Group: Select the group to which the data network belongs from the drop down menu.
   - Network Service: Select the network service to which the data network belongs from the drop down menu.
   - Name: Enter the name of the network.
   - Display Name: Enter a user-friendly name. The system displays this name in the UI.
   - Labels: Enter comma-separated labels. Use labels to organize and filter networks.
   - Description: Enter a description to document the purpose or usage of the network.
   - Enable IPv4: Enable this option to configure IPv4 for the network.
   - CIDR: Enter the IPv4 address range in CIDR notation. For example, `192.168.1.0/24`. The system allocates IP addresses from this range.
   - Gateway: Enter the default gateway IP address for the network subnet.
   - DNS Primary: Enter the primary Domain Name System (DNS) server IP address to resolve network names.
   - DNS Secondary: Enter a secondary DNS server IP address to serve as a backup resolver.
   - Resource Pool: Select the HVM cluster where you want to create the network.
   - Router: Select the OVS bridge router from the drop-down menu. The bridge domain configuration relies on your selected resource pool.
   - VLAN ID: Specify the native VLAN ID (range: 0–4094). In Hybrid mode, the system treats this as the untagged VLAN. Use VLAN ID `0` to enable transparent (pass-through) mode.
   - VLAN Trunks: Specify an optional comma-separated list of VLAN IDs or ranges (for example, `100,200-210`). The system uses these values to define tagged trunk VLANs and enable Hybrid or Trunk-only mode.
   - Trunk Only: Enable or disable trunk-only mode. When enabled, the system tags all VLANs, including the native VLAN. When disabled, the system leaves the native VLAN untagged (Hybrid mode).
   - Active: Select this checkbox to activate the network immediately upon creation.
   - DHCP Server: Select this checkbox to enable the internal Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server for automatic IP assignment.
   - Allow IP Override: Select this checkbox to let workloads override their assigned IP addresses.
   - Network Pool: Select an IP address pool from the drop-down menu to allocate blocks for this network.
   - Domain: Select the network search domain from the drop-down menu to resolve hostnames.
   - IPv6 Options: Expand this section to configure Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) network settings.

     - Enable IPv6: Select this checkbox to activate IPv6 routing and addressing on the network.
     - CIDR : Enter the IPv6 network address and routing prefix block in CIDR notation.
     - Gateway : Enter the default gateway IPv6 address for the network subnet.
     - DNS PRIMARY: Enter the primary IPv6 address for your name resolution server.
     - DNS secondary : Enter the secondary IPv6 address to provide backup name resolution.
     - DHCP Server: Select this checkbox to enable automatic IPv6 addressing via the internal DHCPv6 server
     - Network Pool: Select an IPv6 address pool from the drop-down menu to allocate blocks for this network.
   - Advanced Options: Expand this section to configure advanced routing and network proxy parameters.

     - Search Domains: Enter a space-separated or comma-separated list of DNS search domains to resolve short hostnames.
     - Proxy: Select a designated proxy server profile from the drop-down menu to route external network traffic.
     - Bypass Proxy For Appliance URL: Select this checkbox to route internal management appliance traffic directly instead of using the proxy server.
     - No Proxy: Enter a comma-separated list of IP addresses, subnets, or domains to bypass proxy server routing.
   - Guest Console Options: Expand this section to configure remote access properties for guest workloads.

     - VDI Gateway: Select the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) gateway from the drop-down menu to handle remote console traffic.
     - SSH Jump Host: Enter the endpoint address of the Secure Shell (SSH) bastion or jump host to secure external administrative access.
     - SSH Jump Port: Enter the port number for the SSH jump host.
     - SSH User: Enter the credential username for the SSH jump host.
     - SSH Password: Enter the credential password for the SSH jump host.
     - SSH Keypair: Select an SSH key pair from the drop-down menu.
   - Group Access: Expand this section to manage access for specific groups.

     - Access Select this checkbox to grant network access to the group.
     - Default Select this checkbox to make this network the group default.
4. Click Save Changes

## Results

The system creates the Standard Network on all healthy hosts in the cluster. It adds an OVS port group to the selected bridge on each host and creates a corresponding libvirt network definition. It encodes the VLAN mode (Access, Hybrid, or Trunk-only), including any trunk VLANs, directly within the port group XML, without creating separate port groups for individual VLAN IDs. It also propagates the trunk VLAN configuration to connected Aruba CX switches through the ArubaCX Generic Integration.

**Subtopics**  

- **[VLAN Modes and Traffic Behavior in HVM Standard Networks](https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/api/document/sd00008058en_us/render?page=GUID-1382CDA7-49B8-414C-A646-B363B27E3E0A.html)**
