How to add and configure a secondary network interface to an IBM i VM

Adding and configuring a secondary network interface to an IBM i VM involves steps in the Skytap UI, as well as steps within the guest OS.

Steps required within the Skytap UI:

The first step is to add a network adapter to the IBM i VM and then connect it to a network:

1. From the Skytap environment details page, navigate to the VM Settings > Network Adapters page for the VM you want to edit.
2. Click Add network adapter. The Add adapter dialog displays.
3. Select a network adapter from the dropdown menu or choose Default to automatically select a network adapter known to work with the VM guest OS. Note: All Power VMs use the default network adapter.
4. Click the Add adapter button. The adapter is added in a Disconnected state.
5. Click Connect.
6. In the Connect to network dialog, select the network you want to connect to, and then click Connect.

Steps required within the guest OS:

1. Sign On using the QSECOFR user.
2. Run the following command in order to display communication resources: DSPHDWRSC *CMN 
3. Scroll to the bottom of the resources listed on the "Display Communication Resources" screen.
4. Take note of the Resource name associated with the Ethernet Port (e.g. CMN05 in the screenshot below).
5. Using the Resource name obtained in the previous step, create a new line description: CRTLINETH LIND(ETHLINE2) RSRCNAME(CMN05)
   Note: "ETHLINE2" can be any name of your choosing.
6. Navigate to the "Work with TCP/IP Interfaces" screen: CFGTCP > Option 1
7. Use Option 1 on the "Work with TCP/IP Interfaces" screen to add a new interface. The required parameters are listed below:
   1. Internet address: an IP address which falls within the Skytap Subnet defined in the Skytap environment's network which your network adapter is connected to.
   2. Line description: the name of the line description you configured in step 5 mentioned above (e.g. ETHLINE2).
   3. Subnet mask: the subnet mask defined in the Skytap environment's network which your network adapter is connected to (e.g. 255.255.255.0).
8.  Press Enter twice.

To establish outbound connectivity through this secondary network interface, a default route must exist. Follow the steps below to create a default route:

1. On the command line, type CFGTCP (Configure TCP/IP command) and press Enter to access the
Configure TCP/IP menu.
2. Select Option 2 (Work with TCP/IP Routes) and press Enter.
3. Select 1 (Add) for the Opt prompt and press Enter to access the Add TCP/IP Route (ADDTCPRTE) menu.
4. Type *DFTROUTE for the Route destination prompt and *NONE for the Subnet mask prompt.
5. At the Next hop prompt, specify the IP address of the gateway defined in the Skytap environment's network which your network adapter is connected to, and then press Enter (e.g. 10.0.2.254).

Reference Links

• Adding a network adapter to a VM and connecting it to a network:
  https://help.skytap.com/attaching-vms-to-networks.html#AddinganetworkadaptertoaVMandconnectingittoanetwork
• Viewing the network topology for an environment:
  https://help.skytap.com/network-topology-view.html
• Create Line Desc (Ethernet) (CRTLINETH):
  https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.4?topic=ssw_ibm_i_74/cl/crtlineth.htm