Configuring MESH Network Connection to External Physical Hardware

SCP requires two network connections:

• DCS ACN network

• MESH network

Prior to installation, both of the above networks need to be defined and associated with physical network devices to connect to external devices.

To configure virtual networking:

1. Open the Hyper-V hypervisor manager.

2. Click Start and then click Administrative Tools > Hyper-V Manager.

3. Select the server name you want to configure.

4. Click Virtual Network Manager on the Actions pane on the right side of the window in Hyper-V hypervisor.

   

5. On the Virtual Network Manager screen, click New virtual network.

6. In the Create Virtual Network pane, select External and then click Add.

   

   Note: Only the External Network type is supported.

7. In the Virtual Networks Properties pane, enter the following information:

   1. For the Name, type First MESH Connection.

   2. Under Connection Type, select External.

   3. Select I/A Mesh Connected NIC from the drop-down list

   4. Clear the Allow management operating system to share this network adapter check box.

      This is a recommended security "best practice" step for complete logical separation of this network from the host operating system. There should be no access to this network from the host operating system.

      

8. Select New Virtual Network again in the left pane, and then in the right pane select External.

9. Click Add and then click Apply to apply the network changes.

   

10. In the Virtual Networks Properties pane, enter the following information:

    5. In the Name field, enter DCS ACN Connection. ACN is an acronym for Auxiliary Communications Network

    6. In the Connection Type field, select External.

    7. Select the second I/A Mesh Connected NIC from the drop-down list.

    8. Clear the Allow management operating system to share this network adaptor check box.

    This is a recommended security best practice step for complete logical separation of this network from the host operating system. There should be no access to this network from the host operating system.

    Note: DCS ACN (Auxiliary Communication Network) facilitates the network communication between Hyper V server and Thin Client devices.

    

In the example above, there is a designation for Second MESH Connection, this is only necessary for machines running I/A Server Virtual Machines. SCP does not require a second MESH connection.

Communications can be between virtual machines or physical hardware or a combination of both. The network cards will allow communication with physical devices and the Hyper-V virtual switch will facilitate communications between virtual machines.

Note: In some extreme circumstances, you may be required to access a virtual machine through this network from the host operating system. In this scenario, it may be acceptable to select the Allow management operating system to share this network adaptor check box as long as the security implications for this step are understood.