# Overview

The HPE Aruba CX DSS plugin brings advanced networking features to HPE Morpheus VM Essentials Software by leveraging Aruba CX 10000 series switches. It supports both micro-segmentation and macro-segmentation, integrating seamlessly with HPE and Aruba technologies to improve user experience and operational efficiency.

Implemented as a VM Essentials `NetworkProvider` in Groovy, the plugin is purpose-built for the HPE Aruba Networking Distributed Services Switch network type (HPE ANW DSS Port Group) and optimized for VM Essentials environments. It automates the creation and management of networks for HPE ANW DSS Port Groups, connecting servers to Aruba CX 10000 switches within a HVM cluster.

On each host, the plugin creates Linux bridge interfaces and associates them with VLANs for streamlined network management and configuration. VM Essentials integrates directly with Aruba Fabric Composer (AFC) to automatically create or delete networks for HPE ANW DSS Port Groups as they are added to or removed from a configured cluster. Adding or removing HVM hosts in the HVM cluster triggers the corresponding network changes in AFC, ensuring the network configurations are always up to date.

The plugin also enables the creation of networks with specific VLAN IDs, supporting flexible segmentation and isolation. When a network is created, the plugin provisions the required VLANs on the Aruba CX 10000 switches, ensuring networks are ready for use by Instances within the HVM cluster.

Additionally, the plugin creates a Libvirt network of type Private. When an Instance is created on the host and associated with this network, a macvtap interface is generated and mapped to the corresponding Linux Interface VLAN ID, ensuring seamless connectivity and isolation.
