Switch Domains

A switch domain is a physical Layer 2 network representation in zCompute. Every switch domain may have a set of VLAN IDs, cluster networks and nodes’ NICs attached to it.

Each switch domain has a Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU). The MTU defines the largest packet size allowed for networks in the domain.

Note

As of zCompute 25.06, it’s not possible to add or remove a switch domain from the system.

Administrators use switch domains to:

  • Separate access, storage, or data networks.

  • Apply different MTU sizes for different traffic types.

  • Control VLAN allocation and ownership.

  • Monitor node network links.

Open the switch domains page from Region Networking > Switch Domains.

The Switch Domains page lists all switch domains in the region.

A switch domain has these core properties:

  • Name

    A descriptive name for the switch domain.

  • MTU

    The Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) for the switch domain.

  • ID

    The unique identifier for the switch domain.

Switch Domains management

This section describes the supported tasks and their steps.

View the Switch Domains list

Use the switch domains list to find a switch domain and confirm its MTU.

  1. Go to Region Networking.

  2. Select Switch Domains.

Note

This view is read-only.

It does not include actions.

Fields

  • Name

    The switch domain name. Select it to open the domain.

  • MTU

    The MTU value for the switch domain.

  • ID

    The unique identifier for the switch domain. This column is hidden by default. Use the column picker to show it.

Note

  • Filtering

    You can filter the table by using the filter input.

  • Export Spreadsheet

    You can export the table by using Export Spreadsheet. The export creates a .csv file.

View a switch domain details page

Use the details page to manage VLANs and cluster networks.

  1. Go to Region Networking.

  2. Select Switch Domains.

  3. In Switch Domains, select a domain name.

    The selected switch domain’s details page opens.

    Each switch domain details page includes these tabs:

    • Node Links

      Read-only link information for nodes in the switch domain.

    • Cluster Networks

      Networks that use a VLAN and a subnet in this domain.

    • VLANs

      VLAN records for this domain, including allocation status.

    Use switch domain’s details page to answer common questions:

    • Which switch domains are configured for this region?

    • What MTU does each switch domain use?

    • Which nodes are linked to the switch domain?

    • Which VLANs are free, reserved, or allocated?

    • Which cluster networks exist in the switch domain?

View the Node Links tab to validate that nodes are connected to the domain.

  1. Go to Region Networking.

  2. Select Switch Domains.

  3. Select a switch domain to view.

    The switch domain detail page displays.

  4. Select the Node Links tab.

    Note

    This tab is read-only. It does not include actions.

    A list of node links is displayed in a table with the following columns:

    • Node Name

      The node name. Select it to open the node details page.

    • MAC Addresses

      MAC addresses used by this link.

    • Admin State

      The configured state of the link.

    • Operational State

      The current runtime state of the link.

    • Vendor

      The NIC vendor, if detected.

    • Model

      The NIC model, if detected.

    • Bond Type

      The bond mode for the link, if used.

Managing Cluster Networks

A switch domain’s cluster networks can be created, viewed and deleted.

Viewing Cluster Networks

View the Cluster Networks tab’s list to see the cluster networks in the switch domain.

  1. Go to Region Networking.

  2. Select Switch Domains.

  3. Select a switch domain to view.

    The switch domain detail page displays.

  4. Select the Cluster Networks tab.

    A list of cluster networks is displayed in a table with the following columns:

    • Name

      The cluster network name. Select it to open the network.

    • VLAN ID

      The VLAN tag used by the cluster network.

    • MTU

      The MTU configured for the cluster network.

    • Subnet CIDR

      The network range for the cluster network.

    • Connected Nodes

      The number of nodes connected to the cluster network.

    • Switch Domain

      The switch domain name for the cluster network.

    Note

    Use the column picker to show more fields, such as Nameservers.

Creating a Cluster Network

Create a cluster network to define subnet and VLAN settings for the switch domain’s traffic.

Note

  • A cluster network must belong to a specific Layer 2 switch domain.

  • A cluster network consumes a VLAN in that switch domain.

To create a cluster network in a switch domain:

  1. Go to Region Networking.

  2. Select Switch Domains.

  3. Select a switch domain.

    The switch doman’s detail page opens.

  4. Select the Cluster Networks tab.

  5. Select + Create from the tab’s toolbar.

    The Create Switch Domain dialog opens in the Info step.

    1. Enter the Info details:

      1. Enter a Name.

      2. Select or create a VLAN.

      3. Enter a Subnet CIDR.

      4. Confirm or set the MTU.

    2. Click Next to configure IPs.

      The IPs dialog step opens.

    3. Enter the IPs details:

      For each IP Range enter:

      • Start IP address of the range.

      • End IP address of the range.

      • Select Add IP Range to enter the Start and End IP

        addresses of an additional IP range.

    4. Select Next to configure routes.

      The Routes dialog step opens.

    5. Enter the Routes details:

      • Destination: The destination network in CIDR format (for example, 0.0.0.0/0).

      • Next Hop: The IPv4 address of the next-hop gateway.

      • Select Add Route to enter the Destination and Next Hop an additional route.

    6. Select Next to configure Nameservers.

      The Nameservers dialog step opens.

    7. Enter the Nameservers details:

      Define DNS servers for the cluster network:

      • Nameserver: Enter an IPv4 address or DNS name.

      • Select Add Nameserver to configure an additional nameserver for the cluster network.

  6. To save the cluster network configuration, select Finish.

After creation, verify:

  • The network appears in the list.

  • The VLAN is allocated.

  • The connected nodes count is correct.

Deleting a Cluster Network

Delete a cluster network to remove an unused network.

Caution

Deleting a cluster network can disrupt traffic.

  1. Go to Region Networking.

  2. Select Switch Domains.

  3. Select a switch domain.

    The switch doman’s detail page opens.

  4. Select the Cluster Networks tab.

  5. Select the cluster network row to delete.

  6. Select Delete.

    The Delete Cluster Network dialog opens, displaying the name of the cluster network to delete.

  7. To confirm the deletion, select Ok.

    The cluster network is deleted and no longer displayed in the cluster networks table of the switch domain.

Managing VLANs

A switch domain’s VLANs can be created, viewed and deleted.

Viewing VLANs

Use the VLAN list to understand VLAN availability in the domain.

  1. Go to Region Networking.

  2. Select Switch Domains.

  3. Select a switch domain to view.

    The switch domain detail page displays.

  4. Select the VLANs tab.

    A list of VLANs is displayed in a table with the following columns:

    • Status

      The VLAN status. Use it to find free VLANs.

    • VLAN ID

      The VLAN tag value (VID).

    • Owner Name

      The object that owns the VLAN. Select it to open details.

    • Owner Type

      The owner type.

  5. Optional: Use a quick filter:

    • Free

    • Reserved

    • Allocated

Creating a VLAN

Create VLANs so you have free VLANs available for new networks.

  1. Go to Region Networking.

  2. Select Switch Domains.

  3. Select a switch domain to view.

    The switch domain detail page displays.

  4. Select the VLANs tab.

    The list of VLANs is displayed.

  5. Select Create.

  6. In Create VLAN, enter the VLAN ID.

  7. Select + Create from the tab’s toolbar.

    The Create VLAN dialog opens.

  8. Enter the VLAN ID:

    The VLAN tag value (VID).

    Valid range is 0 to 4094.

  9. Select Create.

    The new VLAN appears in the VLAN table with the status free.

Deleting a VLAN

Delete a VLAN to remove an unused VLAN record.

Only unallocated VLANs (status is free) can be deleted.

Caution

Deleting a VLAN can affect automation that depends on it.

  1. Go to Region Networking.

  2. Select Switch Domains.

  3. Select a switch domain to view.

    The switch domain detail page displays.

  4. Select the VLANs tab.

    The list of VLANs is displayed.

  5. Select the VLAN to delete.

    Ensure that the VLAN is not allocated, and that its status is free.

  6. Select Delete from the VLANs tab’s toolbar.

    The Delete VLAN dialog opens, displaying the selected VLAN, its ID and status.

  7. Review the confirmation details.

  8. To confirm deleting the VLAN, select Ok.

    The VLAN no longer displays in the switch domain’s VLANs tab’s list.

For any desired change, consult first with Zadara support. These switch domains are predefined, and tightly-coupled with specific functionality.

Troubleshooting

Cluster Network Not Reachable

Check:

  • VLAN ID matches physical switch configuration.

  • Subnet CIDR is correct and not overlapping.

  • Node link operational state is up.

  • MTU matches across the path.

Symptoms:

  • Intermittent connectivity.

  • Large packet loss.

  • Storage latency.

Actions:

  • Confirm switch domain MTU.

  • Validate physical switch MTU.

  • Test with standard MTU 1500 if unsure.

VLAN Allocation Errors

If a VLAN cannot be allocated:

  • Confirm the VLAN ID is not already in use.

  • Check the VLAN list in the domain.

  • Verify you are creating the network in the correct switch domain.

If operational state is down:

  • Verify cabling.

  • Check LACP configuration on the physical switch.

  • Confirm the correct bond type.

  • Review node NIC status.

There are no switch domains

  • Symptom

    The list shows an empty state message.

  • Possible actions

    Confirm your account has access to Region Networking.

    If the issue persists, check the back-end service state.

No VLANs are available in the VLAN field

  • Symptom

    The VLAN field shows no available VLANs.

  • Why this happens

    The VLAN selector lists only VLANs with Status Free.

  • Possible actions

    • Create a VLAN in the VLANs tab.

    • Free an existing VLAN by removing its owner.

Cannot delete a VLAN

  • Symptom

    The Delete action is disabled.

  • Why this happens

    You can delete a VLAN only when its Status is Free.

  • Actions

    1. Identify the owner.

    2. Remove the owner first.

    3. Retry the delete.

General Validation Checklist

  • Switch domain exists and is correct.

  • Cluster network is assigned to the correct domain.

  • VLAN ID is correct.

  • Subnet does not overlap.

  • MTU is consistent end to end.

  • Node links are operational.

If issues persist, collect:

  • Switch domain ID.

  • VLAN ID.

  • Node name and MAC addresses.

  • MTU configuration.

Provide this data to support for further analysis.