Version: 1.0.0

Task 03: Network & RDMA Validation

DOCUMENT CATEGORY: Runbook
SCOPE: Network and RDMA validation
PURPOSE: Validate network stack, RDMA, and DCB configuration
MASTER REFERENCE: Microsoft Learn - Validate-DCB

Status: Active

Overview

This step validates the complete network stack including RDMA configuration, DCB (Data Center Bridging) settings, VLAN connectivity, and core network services. A successful network validation is critical for storage performance and cluster communication.

Prerequisites

Infrastructure health validation completed (Step 1)
Administrative access to all cluster nodes
Physical network switches configured for RDMA
VLAN IDs documented and configured

Report Output

All validation results are saved to:

\\<ClusterName>\ClusterStorage$\Collect\validation-reports\03-network-rdma-validation-YYYYMMDD.txt

Variables from variables.yml

Variable Path	Type	Description
`networking.management.vlan_id`	Integer	Management VLAN ID for connectivity tests
`networking.management.subnet`	String	Management subnet CIDR for IP validation
`networking.management.gateway`	String	Default gateway for ping tests
`networking.management.dns_servers`	Array	DNS server IPs for resolution tests
`compute.nodes[].name`	String	Node hostnames for per-node RDMA/DCB validation

Part 1: Initialize Validation Environment

1.1 Create Report Directory

# Run from any cluster node
$ClusterName = (Get-Cluster).Name
$DateStamp = Get-Date -Format "yyyyMMdd"
$ReportPath = "C:\ClusterStorage\Collect\validation-reports"
$ReportFile = "$ReportPath\03-network-rdma-validation-$DateStamp.txt"

# Create directory if not exists
if (-not (Test-Path $ReportPath)) {
 New-Item -Path $ReportPath -ItemType Directory -Force
}

# Initialize report
$ReportHeader = @"
================================================================================
NETWORK & RDMA VALIDATION REPORT
================================================================================
Cluster: $ClusterName
Date: $(Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss")
Generated By: $(whoami)
================================================================================

"@
$ReportHeader | Out-File -FilePath $ReportFile -Encoding UTF8

1.2 Install Required Modules

# Install Validate-DCB module if not present
if (-not (Get-Module -ListAvailable -Name Validate-DCB)) {
 Install-Module -Name Validate-DCB -Force -Scope AllUsers
}
Import-Module Validate-DCB

# Verify Test-NetStack is available (built into Windows Server 2022)
Get-Command Test-NetStack -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Part 2: RDMA Adapter Validation

2.1 Verify RDMA Adapters

# Check RDMA adapter status on all nodes
$Nodes = (Get-ClusterNode).Name

$RdmaResults = foreach ($Node in $Nodes) {
 Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Node -ScriptBlock {
 Get-NetAdapterRdma | Select-Object @{N='Node';E={$env:COMPUTERNAME}},
 Name, InterfaceDescription, Enabled, 
 @{N='OperationalState';E={if($_.Enabled){"Operational"}else{"Disabled"}}}
 }
}

# Display and log results
$RdmaResults | Format-Table -AutoSize
$RdmaResults | Format-Table -AutoSize | Out-String | Add-Content $ReportFile

# Verify all RDMA adapters are enabled
$DisabledRdma = $RdmaResults | Where-Object { -not $_.Enabled }
if ($DisabledRdma) {
 "WARNING: RDMA disabled on adapters:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 $DisabledRdma | Format-Table | Out-String | Add-Content $ReportFile
}

2.2 Verify RDMA Mode (RoCE v2 vs iWARP)

# Check RDMA protocol type
$RdmaProtocol = foreach ($Node in $Nodes) {
 Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Node -ScriptBlock {
 Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name "Storage*" -RegistryKeyword "*NetworkDirect*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
 Select-Object @{N='Node';E={$env:COMPUTERNAME}}, Name, RegistryKeyword, RegistryValue
 }
}

"RDMA Protocol Configuration:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
$RdmaProtocol | Format-Table -AutoSize | Out-String | Add-Content $ReportFile

2.3 SMB Direct Status

# Verify SMB Direct is enabled
$SmbDirect = foreach ($Node in $Nodes) {
 Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Node -ScriptBlock {
 Get-SmbClientNetworkInterface | Where-Object RdmaCapable -eq $true |
 Select-Object @{N='Node';E={$env:COMPUTERNAME}}, InterfaceIndex, 
 FriendlyName, RdmaCapable
 }
}

"`nSMB Direct (RDMA) Capable Interfaces:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
$SmbDirect | Format-Table -AutoSize | Out-String | Add-Content $ReportFile

Part 3: DCB Validation

3.1 Run Validate-DCB

# Run comprehensive DCB validation
# This validates Priority Flow Control (PFC) and Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS)

$DcbResults = Validate-DCB -Verbose

# Log results
"`n" + "="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile
"DCB VALIDATION RESULTS" | Add-Content $ReportFile
"="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile
$DcbResults | Out-String | Add-Content $ReportFile

3.2 Verify PFC Configuration

# Check Priority Flow Control settings
$PfcSettings = foreach ($Node in $Nodes) {
 Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Node -ScriptBlock {
 Get-NetQosDcbxSetting | Select-Object @{N='Node';E={$env:COMPUTERNAME}},
 InterfaceAlias, Willing
 Get-NetQosFlowControl | Select-Object @{N='Node';E={$env:COMPUTERNAME}},
 Priority, Enabled
 }
}

"`nPriority Flow Control Settings:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
$PfcSettings | Format-Table -AutoSize | Out-String | Add-Content $ReportFile

3.3 Verify ETS Configuration

# Check Enhanced Transmission Selection
$EtsSettings = foreach ($Node in $Nodes) {
 Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Node -ScriptBlock {
 Get-NetQosTrafficClass | Select-Object @{N='Node';E={$env:COMPUTERNAME}},
 Name, Priority, BandwidthPercentage, Algorithm
 }
}

"`nETS Traffic Class Settings:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
$EtsSettings | Format-Table -AutoSize | Out-String | Add-Content $ReportFile

Part 4: Test-NetStack Validation

4.1 Run Network Stack Tests

# Test-NetStack validates the entire network stack
# Run between storage network adapters

# Get storage adapter IPs
$StorageAdapters = Get-NetAdapter -Name "Storage*" | Get-NetIPAddress -AddressFamily IPv4

"`n" + "="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile
"NETWORK STACK TEST RESULTS (Test-NetStack)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
"="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile

# Run Test-NetStack between first two nodes
$Node1 = $Nodes[0]
$Node2 = $Nodes[1]

# Get storage IPs for each node
$Node1StorageIP = (Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Node1 -ScriptBlock {
 (Get-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias "Storage*" -AddressFamily IPv4)[0].IPAddress
})
$Node2StorageIP = (Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Node2 -ScriptBlock {
 (Get-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias "Storage*" -AddressFamily IPv4)[0].IPAddress
})

# Run Test-NetStack (requires Windows Server 2022+)
Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Node1 -ScriptBlock {
 param($TargetIP)
 Test-NetStack -Target $TargetIP -EnableFirewallRules
} -ArgumentList $Node2StorageIP | Out-String | Add-Content $ReportFile

4.2 RDMA Traffic Test

# Test RDMA connectivity between nodes
"`nRDMA Traffic Test:" | Add-Content $ReportFile

Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Node1 -ScriptBlock {
 param($TargetIP)
 # Test RDMA using NTttcp with RDMA mode
 Test-NetStack -Target $TargetIP -EnableRDMA
} -ArgumentList $Node2StorageIP | Out-String | Add-Content $ReportFile

Part 5: VLAN Connectivity Validation

5.1 Verify VLAN Configuration

# Check VLAN assignments on virtual adapters
$VlanConfig = foreach ($Node in $Nodes) {
 Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Node -ScriptBlock {
 Get-VMNetworkAdapterVlan -ManagementOS | 
 Select-Object @{N='Node';E={$env:COMPUTERNAME}},
 ParentAdapter, AccessVlanId, NativeVlanId, OperationMode
 }
}

"`n" + "="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile
"VLAN CONFIGURATION" | Add-Content $ReportFile
"="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile
$VlanConfig | Format-Table -AutoSize | Out-String | Add-Content $ReportFile

5.2 Test VLAN Connectivity

# Ping test across VLANs
$VlanTests = @(
 @{Name="Management"; VLAN=711; TestIP="10.X.X.1"},
 @{Name="Storage1"; VLAN=712; TestIP="10.X.X.1"},
 @{Name="Storage2"; VLAN=713; TestIP="10.X.X.1"},
 @{Name="VM Traffic"; VLAN=714; TestIP="10.X.X.1"}
)

"`nVLAN Connectivity Tests:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
foreach ($Vlan in $VlanTests) {
 # Replace TestIP with actual gateway/target for each VLAN
 $Result = Test-Connection -ComputerName $Vlan.TestIP -Count 2 -Quiet -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
 $Status = if ($Result) { "PASS" } else { "FAIL" }
 "VLAN $($Vlan.VLAN) ($($Vlan.Name)): $Status" | Add-Content $ReportFile
}

Part 6: Core Network Services Validation

6.1 DNS Resolution

"`n" + "="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile
"CORE NETWORK SERVICES" | Add-Content $ReportFile
"="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile

# Test DNS resolution on all nodes
$DnsTests = @(
 "management.azure.com",
 "login.microsoftonline.com",
 "$ClusterName",
 "dc01.domain.local" # Replace with actual DC
)

"`nDNS Resolution Tests:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
foreach ($Target in $DnsTests) {
 $Result = Resolve-DnsName -Name $Target -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
 $Status = if ($Result) { "PASS - $($Result[0].IPAddress)" } else { "FAIL" }
 "$Target : $Status" | Add-Content $ReportFile
}

6.2 NTP Synchronization

# Verify time sync across all nodes
$TimeSync = foreach ($Node in $Nodes) {
 Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Node -ScriptBlock {
 $w32tm = w32tm /query /status 2>&1
 [PSCustomObject]@{
 Node = $env:COMPUTERNAME
 Source = ($w32tm | Select-String "Source:").ToString().Split(":")[1].Trim()
 Stratum = ($w32tm | Select-String "Stratum:").ToString().Split(":")[1].Trim()
 LastSync = ($w32tm | Select-String "Last Successful").ToString().Split(": ")[1]
 }
 }
}

"`nNTP Time Synchronization:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
$TimeSync | Format-Table -AutoSize | Out-String | Add-Content $ReportFile

# Check for time skew between nodes
$TimeDiff = foreach ($Node in $Nodes) {
 Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Node -ScriptBlock {
 [PSCustomObject]@{
 Node = $env:COMPUTERNAME
 CurrentTime = Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.fff"
 }
 }
}
"`nNode Time Comparison:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
$TimeDiff | Format-Table | Out-String | Add-Content $ReportFile

6.3 Azure Connectivity

# Test connectivity to Azure endpoints
$AzureEndpoints = @(
 "management.azure.com",
 "login.microsoftonline.com",
 "graph.microsoft.com",
 "azurestackr01.azurestack.hci.microsoft.com"
)

"`nAzure Endpoint Connectivity:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
foreach ($Endpoint in $AzureEndpoints) {
 $Result = Test-NetConnection -ComputerName $Endpoint -Port 443 -WarningAction SilentlyContinue
 $Status = if ($Result.TcpTestSucceeded) { "PASS" } else { "FAIL" }
 "$Endpoint : $Status (Latency: $($Result.PingReplyDetails.RoundtripTime)ms)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
}

Part 7: Generate Summary

7.1 Create Validation Summary

# Summary section
"`n" + "="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile
"NETWORK VALIDATION SUMMARY" | Add-Content $ReportFile
"="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile

$Summary = @"

Validation Category Status
------------------------------- --------
RDMA Adapters Enabled $(if($DisabledRdma){"FAIL"}else{"PASS"})
DCB Configuration $(if($DcbResults -match "FAIL"){"FAIL"}else{"PASS"})
SMB Direct Operational $(if($SmbDirect){"PASS"}else{"FAIL"})
VLAN Connectivity REVIEW ABOVE
DNS Resolution REVIEW ABOVE
NTP Synchronization $(if($TimeSync.Count -eq $Nodes.Count){"PASS"}else{"FAIL"})
Azure Connectivity REVIEW ABOVE

"@

$Summary | Add-Content $ReportFile

# Report location
"`nReport saved to: $ReportFile" | Add-Content $ReportFile
Write-Host "`nNetwork validation complete. Report: $ReportFile" -ForegroundColor Green

Validation Checklist

Category	Test	Expected Result	Status
RDMA	All adapters enabled	`Enabled = True`	☐
RDMA	SMB Direct operational	RDMA-capable interfaces listed	☐
DCB	Validate-DCB passes	No FAIL results	☐
DCB	PFC enabled on correct priority	Priority 3 enabled	☐
DCB	ETS bandwidth allocation	SMB Direct ≥ 50%	☐
VLAN	All VLANs accessible	Ping succeeds	☐
DNS	Name resolution works	All targets resolve	☐
NTP	Time synchronized	Stratum ≤ 4, all nodes sync	☐
Azure	Endpoint connectivity	All endpoints reachable on 443	☐

Common Issues

RDMA Not Operational

# Re-enable RDMA on adapter
Enable-NetAdapterRdma -Name "Storage1"

# Verify RDMA is operational
Get-NetAdapterRdma -Name "Storage1"

DCB Misconfiguration

# Reset DCB to defaults and reconfigure
# WARNING: May disrupt storage traffic

# Remove existing policies
Get-NetQosPolicy | Remove-NetQosPolicy -Confirm:$false

# Recreate SMB Direct policy
New-NetQosPolicy -Name "SMB Direct" -NetDirectPortMatchCondition 445 -PriorityValue8021Action 3
Enable-NetQosFlowControl -Priority 3
Disable-NetQosFlowControl -Priority 0,1,2,4,5,6,7

Time Skew Between Nodes

# Force time sync
w32tm /resync /force

# Verify sync source
w32tm /query /source

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Resolution
RDMA validation shows `Not Operational`	Network adapter driver missing RDMA support or disabled	Verify driver: `Get-NetAdapterRdma`; enable: `Enable-NetAdapterRdma -Name <adapter>`; update NIC firmware if needed
DCB/PFC misconfiguration detected	QoS policies conflicting or missing	Reset DCB: `Get-NetQosPolicy \| Remove-NetQosPolicy -Confirm:$false`; recreate SMB Direct policy with correct priority class
RDMA throughput below expected baseline	Incorrect MTU or flow control settings	Verify jumbo frames: `Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -Name <adapter> -RegistryKeyword *JumboPacket`; set MTU to 9014

Next Step

Proceed to Task 4: High Availability Testing once network validation is complete.

Manual
Orchestrated Script
Standalone Script

When to use: Use this option for manual step-by-step execution.

See procedure steps above for manual execution guidance.

Toolkit Reference

Scripts for this task are located in the azurelocal-toolkit repository under scripts/deploy/ in the appropriate task folder.

Alternatives

The procedures in this task use the scripted methods shown in the tabs above. Additional deployment methods including Azure CLI and Bash scripts are available in the azurelocal-toolkit repository under scripts/deploy/.

Method	Description
Azure CLI	PowerShell-based Azure CLI scripts for Azure resource operations
Bash	Linux/macOS compatible shell scripts for pipeline environments

Previous	Up	Next
← Task 2: VMFleet Storage Testing	Testing & Validation	Task 4: High Availability Testing →

Version Control

Version	Date	Author	Changes
1.0.0	2026-03-24	Azure Local Cloud	Initial release

Overview​

Prerequisites​

Report Output​

Variables from variables.yml​

Part 1: Initialize Validation Environment​

1.1 Create Report Directory​

1.2 Install Required Modules​

Part 2: RDMA Adapter Validation​

2.1 Verify RDMA Adapters​

2.2 Verify RDMA Mode (RoCE v2 vs iWARP)​

2.3 SMB Direct Status​

Part 3: DCB Validation​

3.1 Run Validate-DCB​

3.2 Verify PFC Configuration​

3.3 Verify ETS Configuration​

Part 4: Test-NetStack Validation​

4.1 Run Network Stack Tests​

4.2 RDMA Traffic Test​

Part 5: VLAN Connectivity Validation​

5.1 Verify VLAN Configuration​

5.2 Test VLAN Connectivity​

Part 6: Core Network Services Validation​

6.1 DNS Resolution​

6.2 NTP Synchronization​

6.3 Azure Connectivity​

Part 7: Generate Summary​

7.1 Create Validation Summary​

Validation Checklist​

Common Issues​

RDMA Not Operational​

DCB Misconfiguration​

Time Skew Between Nodes​

Troubleshooting​

Next Step​

Alternatives​

Navigation​

Version Control​