DELL EMC VxRAIL NETWORK GUIDE

Transcription

1 Whitepaper DELL EMC VxRAIL NETWORK GUIDE Physical and Lgical Netwrk Cnsideratins and Planning Abstract This is a planning and cnsideratin guide fr VxRail Appliances. It can be used t understand better the netwrking required fr VxRail implementatin. This whitepaper des nt replace the requirement fr implementatin services with VxRail Appliances and shuld nt be used t implement the required netwrking fr VxRail Appliances. January 2019

2 Table f cntents Intended Use and Audience... 4 Intrductin t VxRail... 5 Planning Yur Datacenter Netwrk fr VxRail... 6 VXRAIL HARDWARE AND THE PHYSICAL NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE... 6 VxRail Clusters, Appliances, and Ndes... 6 Netwrk Switch... 8 TOPOLOGY AND CONNECTIONS VxRail Feature-Driven Decisin Pints VMWARE VALIDATED DESIGN ON VXRAIL DELL EMC SMARTFABRIC NETWORK MODE NODE CLUSTER VxRail Hardware and Switch Selectin Decisin Pints Planning the VxRail Implementatin STEP 1: DECIDE ON VXRAIL SINGLE POINT OF MANAGEMENT STEP 2: PLAN THE VXRAIL LOGICAL NETWORK STEP 3: PLAN NETWORK SETTINGS FOR VXRAIL MANAGEMENT COMPONENTS STEP 4: IDENTIFY UNIQUE HOSTNAMES FOR VXRAIL MANAGEMENT COMPONENTS STEP 5: IDENTIFY EXTERNAL APPLICATIONS AND SETTINGS FOR VXRAIL STEP 6: CREATE DNS RECORDS FOR VXRAIL MANAGEMENT COMPONENTS STEP 7: PREPARE CUSTOMER-SUPPLIED VCENTER SERVER STEP 8: RESERVE IP ADDRESSES FOR VXRAIL VMOTION AND VSAN NETWORKS STEP 9: DECIDE ON VXRAIL LOGGING SOLUTION STEP 10: DECIDE ON PASSWORDS FOR VXRAIL MANAGEMENT STEP 11: PREPARE FOR DELL EMC SMARTFABRIC SERVICES ENABLEMENT Setting up the Upstream Netwrk fr VxRail Setting up the Netwrk Switch fr VxRail Cnnectivity STEP 1: PLAN SWITCH CONFIGURATION Enable Multicast fr VxRail Internal Management Netwrk Enable Unicast r Multicast fr VxRail vsan Netwrk Enable Uplinks t pass inbund and utbund VxRail netwrk traffic Enable Inter-Switch Cmmunicatin Enable Inter-Switch Links STEP 2: PLAN SWITCH PORT CONFIGURATION Determine switch prt mde Limited Spanning Tree Prtcl n VxRail Switch Prts STEP 3: CONFIGURE PORTS AND VLANS ON YOUR SWITCH(ES) Cnfirm Yur Datacenter Netwrk Cnfiguring a Wrkstatin/Laptp fr VxRail Initializatin Perfrm Initializatin t Create VxRail Cluster VxRail Netwrk Guide 2

3 After VxRail Initializatin Netwrk Cnsideratins SUPPORT FOR NSX USING UNASSIGNED VXRAIL PHYSICAL PORTS VxRail Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table VxRail Passwrd Tables VxRail Setup Checklist Appendix A: NSX Supprt n VxRail Appendix B: VxRail Open Prts Requirement Appendix C: Physical Netwrk Switch Examples VxRail Netwrk Guide 3

4 Intended Use and Audience This guide discusses the essential netwrk details fr VxRail deplyment planning purpses nly. It als intrduces best practices, recmmendatins, and requirements fr bth physical and virtual netwrk envirnments. The guide has been prepared fr anyne invlved in planning, installing, and maintaining VxRail, including Dell EMC field engineers and custmer system and netwrk administratrs. This guide shuld nt be used t perfrm the actual installatin and setup f VxRail. Please wrk with yur Dell EMC service representative t perfrm the actual installatin. VxRail Netwrk Guide 4

5 Intrductin t VxRail Dell EMC VxRail Appliances are a hyper-cnverged infrastructure (HCI) slutin that cnslidates cmpute, strage and netwrk int a single, highly available, unified system. With careful planning, VxRail Appliances can be rapidly deplyed int an existing datacenter envirnment, and the end prduct is immediately available t deply applicatins and services. VxRail is nt a server. It is an appliance based n a cllectin f ndes and switches integrated as a cluster under a single pint f management. All physical cmpute, netwrk and strage resurces in the appliance are managed as a single shared pl and allcated t applicatins and services based n custmer-defined business and peratinal requirements. The cmpute ndes are based n Dell EMC PwerEdge servers. The G Series cnsists f up t fur ndes in a single chassis, whereas all ther mdels based n a single nde. A 10Gb Ethernet switch (r a 1Gb Ethernet switch fr certain mdels f VxRail) is required. A wrkstatin/laptp fr the VxRail user interface is als required. VxRail has a simple, scale-ut architecture, leveraging VMware vsphere and VMware vsan t prvide server virtualizatin and sftware-defined strage, with simplified deplyment, upgrades, and maintenance thrugh VxRail Manager.. Fundamental t the VxRail clustered architecture is netwrk cnnectivity. It is thrugh the lgical and physical netwrks that individual ndes act as a single system prviding scalability, resiliency and wrklad balance. The VxRail sftware bundle is preladed nt the cmpute ndes, and cnsists f the fllwing cmpnents (specific sftware versins nt shwn): VxRail Manager VMware vcenter Server VMware vrealize Lg Insight VMware vsan VMware vsphere Dell EMC Secure Remte Supprt (SRS)/VE Licenses are required fr VMware vsphere and VMware vsan. The vsphere licenses can be purchased thrugh Dell EMC, VMware r yur preferred VMware reseller partner. The VxRail Appliances als includes licenses fr sftware that can be dwnladed, installed and cnfigured: Dell EMC RecverPint fr Virtual Machines (RP4VM) - 5 Full VM Licenses per single nde VxRail appliance (15 fr the G Series appliance) VxRail Netwrk Guide 5

6 Planning Yur Datacenter Netwrk fr VxRail The netwrk cnsideratins fr VxRail are n different frm thse f any enterprise IT infrastructure: availability, perfrmance, and extensibility. VxRail Appliances are delivered t yur datacenter ready fr deplyment. The ndes in the appliance can attach t any cmpatible netwrk infrastructure at 10 r 25GbE speeds with either RJ45 r SFP+ prts. Sme mdels with single prcessrs can attach t cmpatible 1GbE netwrk infrastructure. Mst prductin VxRail netwrk tplgies use dual tp-fthe-rack (TR) switches t eliminate the switch as a single pint f failure. This dcument will guide yu thrugh the key phases and decisin pints fr a successful VxRail implementatin. The key phases are: Step 1. Select the VxRail hardware and physical netwrk infrastructure that best aligns with yur business and peratinal bjectives Step 2. Plan and prepare fr VxRail implementatin in yur datacenter befre prduct delivery Step 3. Set up the netwrk switch infrastructure in yur datacenter fr VxRail befre prduct delivery Step 4. Prepare fr physical installatin and VxRail initializatin int the final prduct NOTE: Fllw all the guidance and decisin pint described in this dcument; therwise, VxRail will nt implement prperly, and it will nt functin crrectly in the future. If yu have separate teams fr netwrk and servers in yur datacenter, yu will need t wrk tgether t design the netwrk and cnfigure the switch(es). VXRAIL HARDWARE AND THE PHYSICAL NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE VxRail ndes cnnect t ne r mre netwrk switches, with the final prduct frming a VxRail cluster. VxRail cmmunicates with the physical datacenter netwrk thrugh a virtual distributed switch deplyed in the VxRail cluster. The virtual distributed switch and physical netwrk infrastructure integratin prvide cnnectivity fr the virtual infrastructure, and t enable virtual netwrk traffic t pass thrugh the physical switch infrastructure. In this relatinship, the physical switch infrastructure serves as a backplane, supprting netwrk traffic between virtual machines in the cluster, and enabling virtual machine mbility and resiliency. In additin, the physical netwrk infrastructure enable I/O peratins between the strage bjects in the VxRail vsan datastre, and prvides cnnectivity t applicatins and end users utside f the VxRail cluster This sectin describes the physical cmpnents and selectin criteria fr a VxRail cluster: VxRail clusters, appliances and ndes Netwrk switch Tplgy and cnnectins Wrkstatin/laptp Out-f-band management (ptinal) VxRail Clusters, Appliances, and Ndes A VxRail appliance cnsists f a set f server ndes that are designed and engineered fr VxRail. A VxRail physical nde starts as a standard Dell PwerEdge server. The Dell PwerEdge server next ges thrugh a manufacturing prcess fllwing VxRail prduct engineering specificatins t prduce a VxRail nde ready fr custmer shipment. A set f prepared VxRail ndes are prepared and delivered t the custmer site based n a purchase rder. The set f VxRail ndes are delivered ready fr datacenter installatin and cnnectivity int the datacenter netwrk infrastructure. Once the datacenter installatin and netwrk cnnectivity are cmplete, and the equipment is pwered n, the VxRail VxRail Netwrk Guide 6

7 management interface is used t perfrm the initializatin prcess, which frms the final prduct: a VxRail cluster. A VxRail cluster starts with a minimum f 3 ndes and can scale t a maximum f 64 ndes. The selectin f the VxRail ndes t frm a cluster is primarily driven by planned business use cases, and factrs such as perfrmance and capacity. Five series f VxRail mdels are ffered, each targeting specific bjectives: VxRail Series Target Objective E-Series V-Series P-Series S-Series G-Series Entry Level Virtual Desktp Enablement High Perfrmance Strage Dense Cmpute Dense and Space Optimized (2U4N chassis) Each VxRail mdel series ffers chices fr netwrk cnnectivity. The fllwing illustratins shw sme f the physical netwrk prt ptins fr the VxRail mdels. Figure 1: Back view f VxRail E-Series n Dell 14th Generatin PwerEdge Server Figure 2: Back view f VxRail V-, P-, S-Series n Dell 14th Generatin PwerEdge Server Figure 3: Back view f VxRail G-Series n Dell 14th Generatin PwerEdge Server VxRail Netwrk Guide 7

8 In additin t netwrk cnnectivity, review the physical pwer, space and cling requirements fr yur planned infrastructure t ensure datacenter cmpatibility. Netwrk Switch VxRail is bradly cmpatible with mst custmer netwrks and Ethernet switches, including Dell netwrk switch prducts. Switch Requirements The switch(es) must supprt bth IPv4 and IPv6 netwrk prtcls The switch(es) cnnected directly t VxRail ndes must supprt multicast n switch prts fr all mdels f VxRail VxRail Releases prir t Release 4.5.0: bth IPv4 and IPv6 multicast pass-thrugh must be supprted. Layer 3 multicast is nt required. VxRail Releases starting with Release 4.5.0: IPv6 multicast pass-thrugh and IPv4 unicast must be supprted. NOTE: IPv6 multicast nly needs t be enabled n the switch prts cnnected t VxRail Appliances. The multicast traffic required by VxRail is limited t thse switch prts that service VxRail. Layer 3 supprt is nt required n the switch(es) cnnected directly t VxRail ndes VxRail Nde Cnnectivity Optins The figures belw shw the appliance cnnectivity ptins supprted n the Netwrk Daughter Cards (NDCs) fr each VxRail nde mdel, including the Dell 14th generatin servers and Dell 13th generatin servers, and the cnnectivity requirements fr the management prt. In additin, the figures als the available ptins supprted fr each VxRail nde mdel fr netwrk cnnectivity nt reserved fr VxRail usage. Figure 4: VxRail Nde Cnnectivity Cmparisn VxRail Netwrk Guide 8

9 E, P, S and V Series (14th Generatin Dell EMC PwerEdge Servers) Appliance Cnnectivity Optins 2x10GbE in either SFP+ r RJ-45 NIC prts 4x10GbE in either SFP+ r RJ-45 NIC prts 2x25GbE SFP28 prts E, P, and S Series (14th Generatin Dell EMC PwerEdge Servers) 1GbE cnnectivity is supprted n single prcessr mdels nly G Series (14 th Generatin Dell EMC PwerEdge Servers) Appliance Cnnectivity Optins 2x10GbE SFP+ prts Figure 5: VxRail Pre-14th Generatin Nde Cnnectivity Summary E, P, S and V Series (13th Generatin Dell EMC PwerEdge Servers) 2x10GbE + 2x1GbE in either SFP+ r RJ-45 NIC prts E, P, and S Series (13th Generatin Dell EMC PwerEdge Servers) 1GbE cnnectivity is supprted n single prcessr mdels nly The 2x10GbE prts will aut-negtiate t 1GbE when used with 1GbE netwrking. VxRail Netwrk Guide 9

10 VxRail Netwrking Rules and Restrictins The VxRail NICs n the Netwrk Daughter Cards (NDCs) assigned t VxRail and selected fr cnfiguratin during VxRail initializatin prcess are reserved exclusively fr VxRail usage and cannt be used fr ther purpse. VxRail initializatin prcess will nt tuch any ptinal cnnectivity (PCIe NICs). Custmers can use the prts fr their wn purpses such as VM netwrks, iscsi, r NFS, etc. VxRail ndes supprting 10GbE can be cnfigured with either 2 prts supprting VxRail cluster netwrk traffic, r all 4 prts can be cnfigured fr the VxRail cluster netwrk traffic. 4 prts are required fr each VxRail nde when utilizing 1GbE netwrking n the supprted single prcessr mdels. All-flash VxRail mdels must use either 10GbE r 25GbE NICs. 1GbE is nt supprted fr allflash. The netwrk hardware cnfiguratin in a VxRail appliance must have same NDC acrss all VxRail ndes. VxRail ndes with RJ45 prts and SFP+ prts cannt be mixed in the same VxRail appliance The prt speed fr each VxRail nde (25GbE, 10GbE, 1GbE) must be the same in the VxRail appliance These restrictins are nt applicable t ptinal cnnectivity (PCI-e NICs) One (1) additinal prt n the switch r ne lgical path n the VxRail external management VLAN is required fr a wrkstatin/laptp t access the VxRail user interface fr the cluster. TOPOLOGY AND CONNECTIONS Varius netwrk tplgies fr switch(es) and VLANs are pssible with VxRail Appliances. Cmplex prductin envirnments will have multiple cre switches and VLANs. A site diagram shwing the prpsed netwrk cmpnents and cnnectivity is highly recmmended befre cabling and pwering n VxRail Appliances. Be sure t fllw yur switch vendr s best practices fr perfrmance and availability. Fr example, packet buffer banks may prvide a way t ptimize yur netwrk with yur wiring layut. Decide if yu plan t use ne r tw switches fr VxRail. One switch is acceptable and is ften seen in test/develpment. T supprt high availability and failver in prductin envirnments, tw r mre switches are required. The VxRail appliance is an entire sftware-defined datacenter dependent n the physical tp-f-rack switch fr netwrk cmmunicatins. A lack f netwrk redundancy places yu at risk f lsing availability t all f the virtual machines perating n the appliance. VxRail Netwrk Guide 10

11 The figure shws the recmmended physical netwrk setup using a management switch (fr idrac) and tw TR switches. Other netwrk setups can be fund in Appendix C. Figure 6: Netwrk tplgy f a 4-nde VxRail cluster cnnected t tw 10GbE switches using 2x10Gb cnnectins per nde, and a separate switch fr ut-f-band management Fr 13th generatin PwerEdge servers in the E, P, S and V series VxRail Appliances utilizing 1GbE with tw switches, the switches must be intercnnected. VxRail Netwrk Guide 11

12 VxRail Feature-Driven Decisin Pints Certain applicatins, sftware stacks and prduct features supprted n VxRail can have an impact the architecture, deplyment and peratins f the cluster. If yur plans fr VxRail include any f the feature sets r sftware stacks listed in this sectin, make nte f the requirements each f these may have n yur plans fr VxRail. VMWARE VALIDATED DESIGN ON VXRAIL VMware Validated Design (VVD) n VxRail enables VMware s vrealize and NSX capabilities t be deplyed n VxRail. The integrated slutin invlves a cmplete end-t-end validatin f the hardware and sftware stack fr interperability and scalability. VMware Validated Design n VxRail includes the fllwing sftware stack: vrealize Autmatin vrealize Orchestratr vrealize Operatins Manager vrealize Lg Insight vrealize Business vrealize Netwrk Insight NSX vsphere Enterprise Plus vsan If yur plans include the deplyment f VVD n VxRail, make nte f the fllwing requirements: A minimum f 8 VxRail ndes are required. A minimum f 4 VxRail ndes are fr the Management pd, A minimum f 4 ndes are required fr the Edge and Cmpute pd The ndes in the Management pd require a minimum f 192GB f RAM The ndes in the Management pd require a minimum f 2 sckets with a ttal f at least 8 CPU cres The VxRail ndes in bth the Management pd and Edge and Cmpute pd must be cnfigured with 2x10Gb Ethernet prts Figure 7: VMware Validated Design f the Sftware-Defined Data Center VxRail Netwrk Guide 12

13 Mre detailed infrmatin n VMware Validated Design n VxRail is lcated here: DELL EMC SMARTFABRIC NETWORK MODE Dell netwrk switches supprt SmartFabric services, which enables the cnfiguratin and peratins f the switches t be cntrlled utside f the standard management cnsle thrugh a REST API interface. Certain Dell switch mdels supprt initializing the switches with a VxRail persnality prfile at pwer-n, which then frms a unified netwrk fabric, and enables VxRail becmes the surce fr the autmated cnfiguratin and administratin f the Dell switches. In this prfile setting, VxRail will use the SmartFabric feature t discver VxRail ndes and Dell switches n the netwrk, perfrm zertuch cnfiguratin f the switch fabric t supprt VxRail deplyment, and then create a unified hypercnverged infrastructure f the VxRail cluster and Dell switch netwrk fabric. Figure 8: Dell EMC SmartFabric Fr nging VxRail cluster netwrk management after initial deplyment, the Dell EMC OMNI (Open Manage Netwrk Interface) vcenter plug-in is prvided free f charge. The Dell EMC OMNI plug-in will mnitr state changes t the virtual netwrk settings and prperties n the vcenter instance and synchrnize thse changes t the Dell SmartFabric services using the REST API interface. In this scenari, there is n need t manually recnfigure the switches cnnected t the VxRail ndes when an update such as a new VLAN, new prt grup, r new virtual switch, is made in the vclient. Deplying VxRail with the Dell EMC SmartFabric feature will impact infrastructure planning: The Dell-EMS SmartFabric feature is supprted n new VxRail deplyments starting with versin 4.7 f the VxRail sftware The VxRail ndes with versin 4.7 sftware must be cnnected t a Dell S4100 series switch The Dell S4100 series switch must be running OS10 sftware The Dell S4100 series switches require an OS10 Enterprise license t enable SmartFabric services feature Utilizing the Dell EMC SmartFabric feature with VxRail requires an understanding f several key pints: At the time f VxRail deplyment, yu must chse the methd f netwrk switch cnfiguratin. Enabling the VxRail persnality prfile n the switches resets the switches t the default state and passes switch cnfiguratin respnsibility t VxRail. If yu chse this methd, all the switch cnfiguratin functinality except basic management functins are disabled at the cnsle, and VxRail and the Dell EMC OMNI plug-in are the tls ging frward fr netwrk switch cnfiguratin management. The Dell netwrk switches enabled in VxRail persnality prfile mde can supprt n ther cnnected devices except VxRail ndes. VxRail Netwrk Guide 13

14 Yu must deply a separate Ethernet switch t supprt ut-f-band management fr the idrac feature n the VxRail ndes. Cnfiguring Dell switches using SmartFabric mde des nt use standard OS10 cmmands n the cnsle t cnfigure the switches. The representatin f the switch cnfiguratin frm the cnsle is nt in sync with the SmartFabric cnfiguratin. Disabling the VxRail persnality prfile n the Dell netwrk switches will delete the netwrk cnfiguratin set up by SmartFabric services. If a VxRail cluster is peratinal n the Dell switch fabric, the cluster must be deplyed. 2-NODE CLUSTER VxRail supprts a slutin specifically fr small-scale deplyments with reduced wrklad and availability requirements, such as thse in a remte ffice setting. The slutin is fixed t tw VxRail ndes nly, and like the stretched cluster slutin, requires a third site t act as a witness fr mnitring purpses. If yur plans include the deplyment f 2-nde VxRail clusters, make nte f the fllwing: The minimum VxRail sftware versin fr the 2-Nde Cluster is The deplyment is limited t a pair f VxRail E-Series ndes nly. Verify yur wrklad requirements d nt exceed the resurce capacity f this small-scale slutin. Only ne tp-f-rack switch is required. The switch can supprt either 1GbE r 10GbE cnnectivity. Inter-cluster VxRail traffic between the ndes des nt pass thrugh the tp-f-rack switch. Instead, the traffic utilizes a pair f netwrk cables linked between the physical ndes. A custmer-supplied external vcenter is required. The custmer-supplied external vcenter cannt reside n the 2-Nde Cluster. A Witness is required fr the 2-Nde Cluster. The Witness is a small virtual appliance that mnitrs the health f the 2-Nde Cluster. An ESXi instance is required at the Witness site. There is a 1:1 rati f Witness per 2-Nde Cluster. Witness may be deplyed at the same site as the data ndes but nt n the 2-Nde Cluster. If instances where there are mre than ne 2-Nde Clusters deplyed at the site, the Witness can reside n a 2-Nde Cluster it is nt mnitring. This cnfiguratin requires a VMware RPQ. The tp-f-rack switch must be able t cnnect ver the netwrk with the Witness site. Figure 9: 2-Nde Cluster Like the vsan stretched cluster feature, the small-scale slutin has strict netwrking guidelines, specifically fr the WAN, that must be adhered t fr the slutin t wrk. VxRail Netwrk Guide 14

15 VxRail Hardware and Switch Selectin Decisin Pints Step 1. Assess yur requirements and perfrm a sizing exercise t decide n the quantity and characteristics f the VxRail ndes yu need t meet planned wrklad and targeted use cases. Step 2. Determine the ptimal VxRail prt speed t meet planned wrklad requirements, and t calculate the number f physical switch prts fr cnnectivity. VxRail supprts 1GbE, 10GbE and 25GbE cnnectivity ptins VxRail supprts either 2 r 4 cnnectins per nde t the physical switch Step 3. Decide whether yu want t attach the VxRail ndes t the switches with RJ45 cnnectins r SFP+ cnnectins. VxRail ndes with RJ-45 prts require CAT5 r CAT6 cables. CAT6 cables are included with every VxRail. VxRail ndes with SFP+ prts require ptics mdules (transceivers) and ptical cables, r Twinax Direct-Attach-Cpper (DAC) cables. These cables and ptics are nt included; yu must supply yur wn. The NIC and switch cnnectrs and cables must be n the same wavelength. Step 4. Determine the number f additinal prts and prt speed n the switch(es) fr the uplinks t yur cre netwrk infrastructure t meet VxRail wrklad requirements. Select a switch r switches that prvide sufficient prt capacity and characteristics. Step 5. Reserve ne additinal prt n the switch fr a wrkstatin/laptp t access the VxRail management interface fr the cluster. The additinal prt fr access t the management interface is remved if cnnectivity is available elsewhere n the lgical path n the VxRail management VLAN. Step 6. Select a switch r switches that supprt the features and functinality required fr VxRail. IPV6 multicast is a requirement fr VxRail device discvery. If yu want VxRail t be the surce fr the autmated cnfiguratin f the tp-f-rack switches, be sure t select a supprted Dell switch mdel and license. Step 7. Determine whether a single switch will meet business jectives, as it is a ptential single pint f failure. Dual tp-f-rack (TR) switches prvide prtectin frm a switch failure. If yu are deplying dual tp-f-rack switches, it is best practice t reserve prts n each switch fr inter-switch links. Step 8. Decide whether t deply a separate switch t supprt cnnectivity t the VxRail management prt n each nde. Dell idrac supprts 1GbE cnnectivity. Yu can chse t deply a dedicated 1GbE switch fr this purpse. Yu can als use pen prts n the tp-f-rack switches unless yu elect t have VxRail t be the surce fr the autmated cnfiguratin fr the tp-frack switches. VxRail Netwrk Guide 15

16 Planning the VxRail Implementatin VxRail is an entire sftware-defined datacenter in an appliance frm factr. All administrative activities, including initial implementatin and initializatin, cnfiguratin, capacity expansin, nline upgrades, and maintenance and supprt are handled within the VxRail management system. When the VxRail appliance is installed in yur datacenter, cnnected t yur netwrk, and the physical cmpnents pwered n, the VxRail management system will autmate the full implementatin f the final sftwaredefined datacenter based n yur settings and input. Befre getting t this phase, several planning and preparatin steps need t be undertaken t ensure a seamless integratin f the final prduct int yur datacenter envirnment. These planning and preparatin steps include: 1. Decide n VxRail Single Pint f Management 2. Plan the VxRail lgical netwrk 3. Identify IP address range fr VxRail lgical netwrks 4. Identify unique hstnames fr VxRail management cmpnents 5. Identify external applicatins and settings fr VxRail 6. Create DNS recrds fr VxRail management cmpnents 7. Prepare Custmer-Supplied vcenter Server 8. Reserve IP addresses fr VxRail vmtin and vsan netwrks 9. Decide n VxRail Lgging Slutin 10. Decide n passwrds fr VxRail management Use the VxRail Setup Checklist and the VxRail Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table t help create yur netwrk plan. References t rws in this dcument are t rws in the VxRail Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table. Once yu set up VxRail Appliances and cmplete the initial initializatin phase t prduce the final prduct, the cnfiguratin cannt be changed easily. Cnsequently, we strngly recmmend that yu take care during this planning and preparatin phase t decide n the cnfiguratins that will wrk mst effectively fr yur rganizatin. STEP 1: DECIDE ON VXRAIL SINGLE POINT OF MANAGEMENT The unified resurces f a VxRail appliance create a virtual infrastructure that is defined and managed as a vsphere cluster under a single instance f vcenter. A decisin must be made t use the VxRail vcenter Server, which is deplyed in the cluster, r a Custmer Supplied vcenter Server, which is external t the cluster. During the VxRail initializatin prcess which creates the final prduct, yu must select whether t deply VxRail vcenter Server n the cluster r deply the cluster n an external Custmer Supplied vcenter Server. Once the initializatin prcess is cmplete, migrating t a new vcenter single pint f management requires prfessinal services assistance, and is difficult t change. Multiple VxRail clusters can be cnfigured n a single Custmer Supplied vcenter Server, while a deplyment with VxRail vcenter Server is limited t a single VxRail cluster. The Custmer Supplied vcenter Server ptin is mre scalable, prvides mre cnfiguratin ptins, and is the recmmended chice. Refer t the Dell EMC VxRail vcenter Server Planning Guide fr details. Dell EMC strngly recmmends that yu take care during this planning and preparatin phase and decide n the single pint f management ptin that will wrk mst effectively fr yur rganizatin Once VxRail initializatin has cnfigured the final prduct, the cnfiguratin cannt be changed easily. VxRail Netwrk Guide 16

17 STEP 2: PLAN THE VXRAIL LOGICAL NETWORK The physical cnnectins between the prts n yur netwrk switches and the NICs n the VxRail ndes enable cmmunicatins fr the virtual infrastructure within the VxRail cluster. The virtual infrastructure within the VxRail cluster uses the virtual distributed switch t enable cmmunicatin within the cluster, and ut t IT management and the applicatin user cmmunity. VxRail has pre-defined lgical netwrks t manage and cntrl traffic within the cluster and utside f the cluster. Certain VxRail lgical netwrks must be made accessible t the utside cmmunity. Fr instance, cnnectivity t the VxRail management system is required by IT management. End users and applicatin wners will need t access their virtual machines running in the VxRail cluster. Other types f VxRail-generated netwrk traffic, such as device discvery, the netwrk traffic supprting I/O t the vsan datastre, r the netwrk used t dynamically migrate virtual machines between VxRail ndes t balance wrklad, can stay within the VxRail cluster. Virtual LANs (VLANs) are the methd used t define the VxRail lgical netwrks within the cluster, and the methd used t cntrl the paths a lgical netwrk can pass thrugh. A VLAN, represented as a numeric ID, is assigned t a VxRail lgical netwrk. The same VLAN ID is als cnfigured n the individual prts n yur tp-f-rack switches, and n the virtual prts in the virtual distributed switch during the autmated implementatin prcess. When an applicatin r service in the VxRail cluster sends a netwrk packet n the virtual distributed switch, the VLAN ID fr the lgical netwrk is attached t the packet. The packet will nly be able t pass thrugh the prts n Figure 10: VxRail Lgical Netwrk Tplgy the tp-f-rack switch and the virtual distributed switch where there is a match in VLAN IDs. Islating the VxRail lgical netwrk traffic using separate VLANs is highly recmmended (but nt required). As a first step, the netwrk team and virtualizatin team shuld t meet in advance t plan VxRail s netwrk architecture. The virtualizatin team needs t meet with the applicatin wners t determine which specific applicatins and services planned fr VxRail are t be made accessible t specific end users. This will determine the number f lgical netwrks that are needed t supprt traffic frm nnmanagement virtual machines. The netwrk team needs t define the pl f VLAN IDs needed t supprt the VxRail lgical netwrks, and determine which VLANs will restrict traffic t the cluster, and which VLANs will be allwed t pass thrugh the switch up t the cre netwrk The netwrk team needs t plan t cnfigure the VLANs n the upstream netwrk, and n the switch(es) attached t the VxRail ndes VxRail Netwrk Guide 17

18 The virtualizatin team needs t assign the VLAN IDs t the individual VxRail lgical netwrks. VxRail grups the lgical netwrks in the fllwing categries: External Management, Internal Management, vsan, vsphere vmtin, and Virtual Machine. VxRail will assign the settings yu specify fr each f these lgical netwrks during the initializatin prcess. Befre VxRail versin 4.7, bth external and internal management traffic shared the external management netwrk. Starting with versin 4.7 f VxRail, the external and internal management netwrks are brken ut int separate netwrks. External Management traffic includes all VxRail Manager, vcenter Server, and ESXi cmmunicatins. The external management VLAN als carries traffic fr vrealize Lg Insight. All VxRail external management traffic is untagged by default and shuld be able t g ver a Native VLAN n yur tp-frack switches. If this path is nt accessible, yu will nt be able t build VxRail and cnfigure the ESXi hsts withut perfrming custmizatins first. There are tw methds that allw yu t tag external management traffic: 1. Cnfigure each VxRail prt n yur switch t tag the management traffic and rute it t the desired VLAN. 2. Alternately, yu can cnfigure a custm management VLAN t allw tagged management traffic after yu pwer n each nde, but befre yu run VxRail initializatin. Yur Dell EMC service representative will take care f this during installatin. The Internal Management netwrk is used slely fr device discvery by VxRail Manager during initial implementatin and nde expansin. This netwrk traffic is nn-rutable and is islated t the netwrk switches cnnected t the VxRail ndes. Pwered-n VxRail ndes advertise themselves n the Internal Management netwrk using IPV6 multicast, which is required n this netwrk, and discvered by VxRail Manager. The default VLAN f 3939 is cnfigured n each VxRail nde shipped frm the factry. If a different VLAN value is used fr this netwrk, then the new VLAN must be applied t each VxRail nde n-site, r device discvery will fail. In VxRail Appliances, vsphere vmtin and vsan traffic cannt be ruted, and is islated with the VxRail cluster. This traffic will be tagged fr the VLANs yu specify in VxRail initializatin. The Virtual Machine netwrk(s) are fr the virtual machines running yur applicatins and services. Dedicated VLANs are preferred t divide Virtual Machine traffic, based n business and peratinal bjectives. VxRail will create ne r mre VM Netwrks fr yu, based n the name and VLAN ID pairs that yu specify. Then, when yu create VMs in vsphere Web Client t run yur applicatins and services, yu can easily assign the virtual machine t the VM Netwrk(s) f yur chice. Fr example, yu culd have ne VLAN fr Develpment, ne fr Prductin, and ne fr Staging. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 1 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 2 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 34 Enter the external management VLAN ID fr VxRail management netwrk (VxRail Manager, ESXi, vcenter Server/PSC, Lg Insight). If yu d nt plan t have a dedicated management VLAN and will accept this traffic as untagged, enter 0 r Native VLAN. Enter the internal management VLAN ID fr VxRail device discvery. The default is If yu d nt accept the default, the new VLAN must be applied t each VxRail nde befre cluster implementatin. Enter a VLAN ID fr vsphere vmtin. (Enter a 0 in the VLAN ID field fr untagged traffic) VxRail Netwrk Guide 18

19 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 38 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rws Enter a VLAN ID fr vsan. (Enter a 0 in the VLAN ID field fr untagged traffic) Enter a Name and VLAN ID pair fr each VM guest netwrk yu want t create. Yu must create at least ne VM Netwrk. (Enter a 0 in the VLAN ID field fr untagged traffic) NOTE: If yu plan t have multiple independent VxRail clusters, we recmmend using different VLAN IDs fr vsan traffic and management traffic acrss multiple VxRail clusters t reduce netwrk traffic cngestin. Fr a 2-Nde Cluster, the VxRail ndes must cnnect t the Witness ver a separate Witness Traffic Separatin netwrk. The Witness Traffic Separatin netwrk is nt required fr stretched cluster but is cnsidered a best practice. Fr this netwrk, a VLAN is required t enable Witness netwrk traffic separatin. The Witness Netwrk Separatin traffic n this VLAN must be able be able t pass thrugh upstream t the Witness site. Figure 11: Lgical netwrk with Witness and Witness Traffic Separatin Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 50 Enter the Witness Traffic Separatin VLAN ID. VxRail Netwrk Guide 19

20 STEP 3: PLAN NETWORK SETTINGS FOR VXRAIL MANAGEMENT COMPONENTS During the VxRail autmated implementatin prcess, IP addresses entered are assigned t the cmpnents within the VxRail cluster that are part f the Management netwrk. The IP addresses assigned t the cmpnents within the Management netwrk must fllw certain rules: The IP address scheme be a public IP address range The IP address must be free, and cannt be in use The IP addresses assigned t the VxRail ndes must be cntiguus (sequential rder) The IP address range must all be in the same subnet (nn-rutable) The decisins yu make n the final VxRail cnfiguratin planned fr yur datacenter impacts the number f IP addresses yu will need t reserve. Figure 12: VxRail Management Cmpnents and Required Netwrks Decide if yu want t reserve additinal IP addresses in the VxRail management system t assign t VxRail ndes in the future fr expansin purpses. When a new nde is added t an existing VxRail cluster, it will assign an IP address frm the unused reserve pl, r prmpt yu t enter an IP address manually. Decide whether yu will use the vcenter instance that is deplyed in the VxRail cluster, r if yu will use an external vcenter already peratinal in yur datacenter. If yu chse t use the vcenter instance deplyed n the VxRail cluster, yu will need t reserve an IP address fr vcenter and an IP address fr the Platfrm Service Cntrller Decide if yu will use vsphere Lg Insight that can be deplyed in the VxRail cluster If yu chse t the vcenter instance that is deplyed in the VxRail cluster, then yu have the ptin t deply vsphere Lg Insight, use an existing syslg server in yur datacenter, r n lgging at all. Reserve ne IP address if yu chse t deply vsphere Lg Insight in the VxRail cluster If yu chse t use an external vcenter already peratinal in yur datacenter fr VxRail, then vsphere Lg Insight will nt be deplyed VxRail supprts the Dell EMC call hme feature, where alerts frm the appliance are ruted t custmer service. The Secure Remte Gateway is required t enable alerts frm VxRail t be sent t Dell EMC custmer service VxRail Netwrk Guide 20

21 Decide whether t use an existing Secure Remte Services gateway in yur datacenter fr call-hme, deply a virtual instance f the Secure Remte Services gateway in the VxRail cluster fr this purpse, r nne Reserve 1 IP address if yu chse t deply SRS-VE (Secure Remte Services Virtual Editin) in the VxRail cluster If yu are planning t deply a VxRail cluster that requires a Witness at a remte third site, such as VxRail stretched cluster r 2-Nde Cluster, then tw IP addresses are required t deply the witness virtual appliance. One IP address is assigned t the witness management netwrk One IP address is assigned t the witness vsan netwrk. Bth netwrks must be able t rute t the VxRail cluster requiring the remte site witness Fr a 2-Nde Cluster, the VxRail ndes must cnnect t the Witness ver a separate Witness Traffic Separatin netwrk. Fr this netwrk, an additinal IP address is required fr each f the tw VxRail ndes. The VxRail ndes must be able t rute t the remte site Witness. The traffic must be able t pass thrugh the Witness Traffic Separatin VLAN. Use the table belw t determine the number f public IP addresses required fr the Management lgical netwrk: Cmpnent Cnditin Cntiguus? IP Address Cunt VxRail Nde One per VxRail Nde Yes VxRail One N 1 Manager vcenter If yu are supplying vcenter Server fr VxRail: 0 N If yu are using vcenter n VxRail: 2 Lg Insight If yu are supplying vcenter Server fr VxRail: 0 N If yu are supplying a syslg server fr VxRail: 0 If yu will nt enable lgging fr VxRail: 0 If yu are using Lg Insight n VxRail: 1 SRS-VE If yu are planning t deply SRS Gateway n N VxRail: 1 If yu will nt deply SRS Gateway n VxRail: 0 TOTAL Request yur netwrking team t prvide yu with a pl f unused IP addresses required fr the VxRail Management lgical netwrk. Recrd the IP address range fr the ESXi hsts. These IP addresses are required. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rws 12 and 13 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 27 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rws 28 Enter the starting and ending IP addresses fr the ESXi hsts - a cntinuus IP range is required, with a minimum f 4 IPs. Enter the subnet mask fr the VxRail External Management netwrk Enter the gateway fr the VxRail External Management netwrk VxRail Netwrk Guide 21

22 Recrd the permanent IP address fr VxRail Manager. This is required. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 25 Enter the permanent IP address fr VxRail Manager If yu are ging t deply vcenter n the VxRail cluster, recrd the permanent IP address fr vcenter and Platfrm Service Cntrller. Leave these entries blank if yu will prvide an external vcenter fr VxRail. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 15 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 17 Enter the IP address fr VxRail vcenter Enter the IP address fr VxRail Platfrm Service Cntrller Recrd the IP address fr Lg Insight. Leave this entry blank if yu will nt deply Lg Insight n VxRail. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 42 Enter the IP address fr vsphere Lg Insight Recrd the 2 IP addresses fr the witness virtual appliance. Leave blank if a witness is nt required fr yur VxRail deplyment. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 48 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rws 49 Enter IP address fr Witness Management Netwrk Enter IP address fr Witness vsan Netwrk Recrd the IP addresses fr each nde required fr Witness traffic fr a 2-Nde Cluster deplyment. Leave blank if yu are nt deplying a 2-Nde Cluster. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 51 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 52 Enter the IP address fr the first f the 2 ndes in the 2-Nde Cluster Enter the IP address fr the secnd f the 2 ndes in the 2-Nde Cluster STEP 4: IDENTIFY UNIQUE HOSTNAMES FOR VXRAIL MANAGEMENT COMPONENTS Each f the VxRail management cmpnents yu will deply in the VxRail cluster will require yu t assign an IP address, and assign a fully-qualified hstname. During initializatin, each f these VxRail management cmpnents will be assigned a hstname and IP address. VxRail Netwrk Guide 22

23 Yu need t make a decisin n the naming frmat fr the hstnames t be applied t the required VxRail management cmpnents: each ESXi hst, and VxRail Manager. If yu decide t deply the vcenter Server in the VxRail cluster, then that als requires a hstname. In additin, if yu decide t deply Lg Insight in the VxRail cluster, that needs a hstname as well. Yu cannt easily change the hstnames and IP addresses f the VxRail management cmpnents after initial implementatin. Dmain Begin the prcess by selecting the dmain yu want t use fr VxRail and want t assign t the fullyqualified hstnames. Be aware that DNS is a requirement fr VxRail, s select a dmain where the naming services can supprt that dmain. ESXi Hstnames All ESXi hstnames in a VxRail cluster are defined by a naming scheme that cmprises: an ESXi hstname prefix (an alphanumeric string), a separatr ( Nne r a dash - ), an iteratr (Alpha, Num X, r Num 0X), an ffset 1 (empty r numeric), a suffix 2 (empty r alphanumeric string with n.) and a dmain. The Preview field shwn during VxRail initializatin is an example f the hstname f the first ESXi hst. Fr example, if the prefix is hst, the separatr is Nne, the iteratr is Num 0X, the ffset is empty, and the suffix is lab, and the dmain is lcal, the first ESXi hstname wuld be hst01lab.lcal. The dmain is als autmatically applied t the VxRail management cmpnents. (Example: my-vcenter.lcal). Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Prefix hst myname esxi-hst Separatr Nne - - Iteratr Num 0X Num X Alpha Offset 4 Suffix lab Dmain lcal cllege.edu cmpany.cm Resulting hstname hst01.lcal myname-4lab.cllege.edu esxi-hsta.cmpany.cm Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rws 6-11 Enter an example f yur desired ESXi hst-naming scheme. Be sure t shw yur desired prefix, separatr, iteratr, ffset, suffix and dmain. VxRail Manager Hstname A hstname must be assigned t VxRail Manager. The dmain is als autmatically applied t the chsen hstname. Dell EMC recmmends fllwing the naming frmat selected fr the ESXi hsts t simplify cluster management. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 25 Enter the hstname fr VxRail Manager. 1 Offset is available starting in VxRail Release It is nly applicable when the iteratr is numeric. 2 Suffix is available starting in VxRail Release VxRail Netwrk Guide 23

24 VxRail vcenter Server Hstname NOTE: Yu can skip this sectin if yu plan t use an external vcenter Server in yur datacenter fr VxRail. These actin items are nly applicable if yu plan t use the VxRail vcenter Server. If yu want t deply a new vcenter Server n the VxRail cluster, yu will need t specify a hstname fr the VxRail vcenter Server and Platfrm Services Cntrller (PSC) virtual machines. Again, the dmain is als autmatically applied t the chsen hstname, and Dell EMC recmmends fllwing the naming frmat selected fr the ESXi hsts t simplify cluster management. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 14 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 16 Enter an alphanumeric string fr the new vcenter Server hstname. The dmain specified will be appended. Enter an alphanumeric string fr the new Platfrm Services Cntrller hstname. The dmain specified will be appended. Lg Insight Hstname NOTE: Yu can skip this sectin if yu plan t use an external syslg server instead f Lg Insight, if yu plan t use an external vcenter Server in yur datacenter fr VxRail r will nt enable lgging. If yu decide t deply Lg Insight t the VxRail cluster, then the management cmpnent must be assigned a hstname. Yu can chse whether t use yur wn third-party syslg server, use the vrealize Lg Insight slutin included with VxRail, r n lgging. Yu can nly select the vrealize Lg Insight ptin if yu als chse t use the VxRail vcenter Server. The dmain is als autmatically applied t the chsen hstname. Dell EMC recmmends fllwing the naming frmat selected fr the ESXi hsts t simplify cluster management. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 41 Enter the hstname fr Lg Insight. STEP 5: IDENTIFY EXTERNAL APPLICATIONS AND SETTINGS FOR VXRAIL VxRail is dependent n specific applicatins in yur datacenter t be available t VxRail ver yur datacenter netwrk. These datacenter applicatins must be accessible t the VxRail management netwrk. Time Zne, NTP Server A time zne is required. It is cnfigured n vcenter Server and each ESXi hst during VxRail initial cnfiguratin. An NTP server is nt required, but it is recmmended. If yu prvide an NTP server, vcenter Server will be cnfigured t use it. If yu d nt prvide at least ne NTP server, VxRail uses the time that is set n ESXi hst #1 (regardless f whether the time is crrect r nt). Make sure the NTP IP address is accessible frm the netwrk t which VxRail will be cnnected t and is functining prperly. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 3 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 4 Enter yur time zne. Enter the hstname(s) r IP address(es) f yur NTP server(s). VxRail Netwrk Guide 24

25 DNS Server One r mre external, custmer-supplied DNS servers are required fr VxRail. The DNS server yu select fr VxRail must be able t supprt naming services fr all the VxRail management cmpnents (VxRail Manager, vcenter, etc.). Make sure that the DNS IP address is accessible frm the netwrk t which VxRail is cnnected and functining prperly. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 5 Enter the IP address(es) fr yur DNS server(s). STEP 6: CREATE DNS RECORDS FOR VXRAIL MANAGEMENT COMPONENTS Lkup recrds must be created in yur selected DNS fr every VxRail management cmpnent yu are deplying in the cluster and are assigning a hstname and IP address. These cmpnents can include VxRail Manager, VxRail vcenter Server, VxRail Platfrm Service Cntrller, Lg Insight, and each ESXi hst in the VxRail cluster. The DNS entries must supprt bth frward and reverse lkups. Figure 13: Sample DNS Frward Lkup Entries Figure 14: Sample DNS Reverse Entries Use the VxRail Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table t determine which VxRail management cmpnents yu will be including in yur planned VxRail cluster, and have assigned a hstname and IP address. vmtin and vsan IP addresses are nt cnfigured fr ruting by VxRail, s there are n entries required in the DNS server. VxRail Netwrk Guide 25

26 STEP 7: PREPARE CUSTOMER-SUPPLIED VCENTER SERVER NOTE: Yu can skip this sectin if yu plan t use the VxRail vcenter Server. These actin items are nly applicable if yu plan t use a Custmer-Supplied vcenter Server in yur datacenter fr VxRail Certain pre-requisites must be cmpleted, and settings prvided befre VxRail initializatin if yu decide t use a Custmer-Supplied vcenter as the VxRail cluster management platfrm. During the VxRail initializatin prcess, it will cnnect t yur Custmer-Supplied vcenter t perfrm the necessary validatin and cnfiguratin steps t deply the VxRail cluster n yur vcenter instance. Determine if yur Custmer-Supplied vcenter Server is cmpatible with yur VxRail versin. Refer t the Knwledge Base article VxRail: VxRail and external vcenter interperability matrix n the Dell EMC prduct supprt site fr the mst current supprt matrix. Enter the FQDN f yur selected, cmpatible Custmer Supplied vcenter Server in the VxRail Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 19 Enter the FQDN f the Custmer Supplied vcenter Server Determine whether yur Custmer Supplied vcenter Server has an embedded r external Platfrm Services Cntrller. If the Platfrm Services Cntrller is external t yur Custmer- Supplied vcenter, enter the Platfrm Services Cntrller FQDN in the VxRail Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 18 Enter the FQDN f the Custmer Supplied Platfrm Services Cntrller (PSC) Leave this rw blank if the PSC is embedded in the Custmer Supplied vcenter Server. Decide n the Single Sign-n (SSO) dmain cnfigured n yur Custmer-Supplied vcenter yu want t use t enable cnnectivity fr VxRail, and enter the dmain in the VxRail Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 20 Enter the Single Sign-n (SSO) dmain fr the Custmer Supplied vcenter Server. (Fr example, vsphere.lcal) The VxRail initializatin prcess will require lgin credentials t yur Custmer-Supplied vcenter. The credentials must have the privileges t perfrm the necessary cnfiguratin wrk fr VxRail. Yu have tw chices: Prvide vcenter lgin credentials with administratr privileges Create a new set f credentials in yur vcenter fr this purpse. Tw new rles will be created and assigned t this user by yur Dell EMC Representative. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 21 Enter the administrative username/passwrd fr the Custmer Supplied vcenter Server, r the VxRail nn-admin username/passwrd yu will create n the Custmer Supplied vcenter Server VxRail Netwrk Guide 26

27 A set f credentials need t be created in the Custmer-Supplied vcenter fr VxRail management with n permissins and n assigned rles. These credentials are assigned a rle with limited privileges during the VxRail initializatin prcess, and then assigned t VxRail t enable cnnectivity t the Custmer-Supplied vcenter after initializatin cmpletes. If this is the first VxRail cluster n the Custmer-Supplied vcenter, enter the credentials yu will create in the Custmer-Supplied vcenter If yu have already an accunt fr a previus VxRail cluster in the Custmer-Supplied vcenter, enter thse credentials Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 22 Enter the full VxRail management username/passwrd. (Fr example, cluster1-manager@vsphere.lcal) The VxRail initializatin prcess will deply the VxRail cluster under an existing Datacenter in the Custmer-Supplied vcenter. Create a new Datacenter r select an existing Datacenter n the Custmer Supplied vcenter. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 23 Enter the name f a datacenter n the Custmer Supplied vcenter Server. Specify the name f the Cluster that will be created by the VxRail initializatin prcess in the selected Datacenter. This name must be unique, and nt used anywhere in the Datacenter n the Custmer-Supplied vcenter. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 24 Enter the name f the cluster that will be used fr VxRail. STEP 8: RESERVE IP ADDRESSES FOR VXRAIL VMOTION AND VSAN NETWORKS An IP address is required fr the vmtin and vsan netwrks fr each ESXi hst in the VxRail cluster. The vmtin and vsan netwrks are nt rutable by default, s a private address range is acceptable. The IP addresses must be cntiguus, with the specified range in a sequential rder. The IP address range must be large enugh t cver the number f ESXi hsts planned fr the VxRail cluster, but a larger IP address range can be specified t cver fr planned expansin. Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rws 31 and 32 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 33 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rws 35 and 36 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 37 Enter the starting and ending IP addresses fr vsphere vmtin. Ruting is nt cnfigured fr vmtin. Enter the subnet mask fr vmtin. Enter the starting and ending IP addresses fr vsan. Ruting is nt cnfigured fr vsan. Enter the subnet mask fr vsan. VxRail Netwrk Guide 27

28 STEP 9: DECIDE ON VXRAIL LOGGING SOLUTION Decide whether t use yur wn third-party syslg server, use the vrealize Lg Insight slutin included with VxRail, r n lgging. Yu can nly select the vrealize Lg Insight ptin if yu als chse t use the VxRail vcenter Server. If yu chse instead t use a Custmer-Supplied vcenter Server, then the chices are t use yur wn third-part syslg server, r n lgging. If yu chse the vrealize Lg Insight ptin, the IP address assigned t Lg Insight must be n the same subnet as the VxRail management netwrk Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 42 r Rw 43 Enter the IP address fr vrealize Lg Insight r the hstname(s) f yur existing third-party syslg server(s). Leave blank fr n lgging. STEP 10: DECIDE ON PASSWORDS FOR VXRAIL MANAGEMENT Yu will need t assign a passwrd t the accunts that are members f the VxRail management ecsystem. Refer t the tables in VxRail Passwrd Table t use as wrksheets fr yur passwrds. NOTE: The Dell EMC service representative will need passwrds fr the VxRail accunts in this table. Fr security purpses, yu can chse t enter the passwrds during the VxRail initializatin prcess, as ppsed t prviding them visibly in a dcument. Fr ESXi hsts, passwrds must be assigned t the rt accunt. Yu can chse t use ne passwrd fr each ESXi hst r apply the same passwrd t each hst. Fr VxRail Manager, a passwrd must be assigned t the rt accunt [Rw 1]. This credential is fr access t the cnsle. Access t the VxRail Manager web interface will use the administratr@<sso Dmain> credentials If yu chse t deply the VxRail vcenter Server, then VxRail Manager and vcenter share the same default administratr lgin, administratr@vsphere.lcal. Enter the passwrd yu want t use [Rw 2] If yu chse t use a Custmer-Supplied vcenter Server, then VxRail Manager will use the same administratr@<sso Dmain> lgin credentials yu use fr access t the Custmer-Supplied vcenter Server If yu chse t deply the VxRail vcenter Server: Enter the rt passwrd fr the VxRail vcenter Server [Rw 3] Enter a passwrd fr management fr the VxRail vcenter Server [Rw 4] A Platfrm Services Cntrller will be deplyed als. Enter the rt passwrd fr the Platfrm Services Cntrller [Rw 5] If yu chse t deply vrealize Lg Insight: Enter a passwrd fr rt [Rw 6] Enter a passwrd fr admin [Rw 7] Passwrds must align with VMware vsphere cmplexity rules. Passwrds must cntain between 8 and 20 characters with at least ne lwercase letter, ne uppercase letter, ne numeric character, and ne VxRail Netwrk Guide 28

29 special character. Fr mre infrmatin abut passwrd requirements, see the vsphere passwrd dcumentatin and vcenter Server passwrd dcumentatin. STEP 11: PREPARE FOR DELL EMC SMARTFABRIC SERVICES ENABLEMENT NOTE: Skip this sectin if yu d nt plan t enable Dell EMC SmartFabric services t pass cntrl f switch cnfiguratin t VxRail. If yu have decided t enable the Dell EMC SmartFabric feature, and pass cntrl f switch cnfiguratin management t VxRail and the Dell EMC OMNI vcenter plug-in, then a VLAN fr the VxRail Cluster Build Netwrk must be defined. Figure 15: Lgical Netwrk with VxRail Cluster Build VLAN When the VxRail persnality prfile is enabled n a pair f Dell switches running in SmartFabric mde, a VLAN must be entered as part f the cnfiguratin prcess. This VLAN is assigned t every switch data prt as untagged. This establishes an access netwrk acrss the entire switch fabric fr enabling cnnectivity t VxRail Manager fr initial cnfiguratin. At the time f VxRail persnality prfile enablement n the Dell switch fabric, the VxRail Cluster Build Netwrk and the Internal Management Netwrk are bth established n every data prt n the switch pair. The switches and VxRail ndes advertise themselves at pwern n the Internal Management Netwrk and are discvered by VxRail Manager n the same netwrk. VxRail Manager then cnnects itself t the VxRail Cluster Build netwrk t enable access n the untagged netwrk fr cluster implementatin. During the cluster implementatin prcess, VxRail Manager will cnnect itself t the External Management Netwrk and transitin ff the VxRail Cluster Build Netwrk. At the cmpletin f the cluster implementatin prcess, includes all VxRail Manager, vcenter Server, and ESXi management cmmunicatins ccurs ver the External Management Netwrk, freeing the VxRail Cluster Build Netwrk fr additinal clusters t be added t the switch fabric. Be aware that the VLAN assigned t the VxRail Cluster Build Netwrk is permanent and can nly be changed by resetting the Dell EMC switch fabric back t the factry default state. The Dell EMC OMNI (Open Management Netwrk Interface) plug-in needs t be deplyed n the vcenter instance t supprt autmated switch management after the VxRail cluster is built. The Dell EMC OMNI vcenter plug-in is required fr each Dell EMC switch fabric pair, and requires netwrk prperties during the deplyment prcess Recrd the VxRail Cluster Build Netwrk VLAN and the netwrk settings fr Dell EMC OMNI vcenter plug-in. VxRail Netwrk Guide 29

30 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 44 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 45 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 46 Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table Rw 47 If yu plan t enable Dell EMC SmartFabric services n yur switches and enable the VxRail persnality prfile, enter a VLAN ID fr the VxRail Cluster Build Netwrk. Enter the IP address fr Dell EMC OMNI vcenter plug-in Enter the subnet mask fr Dell EMC OMNI vcenter plug-in Enter the gateway fr Dell EMC OMNI vcenter plug-in VxRail Netwrk Guide 30

31 Setting up the Upstream Netwrk fr VxRail The upstream netwrk frm the VxRail cluster must be cnfigured t allw passage fr VxRail netwrks that require external access. The switches supprting direct cnnectivity t the VxRail cluster (TOR switch) shuld pass the external-facing VxRail netwrk traffic thrugh a pair f switch prts upstream t a pair f switch prts n the next netwrk layer (spine switch). The switch at the next layer needs t direct this netwrk traffic t the apprpriate end user cmmunity. The VxRail External Management Netwrk shuld nly be accessible t yur lcatin s IT infrastructure and persnnel. IT administratrs require access t this netwrk fr day-t-day management f the VxRail cluster, and the VxRail cluster is dependent n utside applicatins such as DNS and NTP t perate crrectly. VxRail Virtual Machine Netwrks supprt access t applicatins and sftware deplyed n the virtual machines n the VxRail cluster. While yu must create at least ne VxRail Virtual Machine Netwrk at VxRail initial implementatin, additinal VxRail Virtual Machine Netwrks can be added t supprt the end user cmmunity. The spine switch must be cnfigured t direct the traffic frm these VxRail Virtual Machine Netwrks t the apprpriate end users. The VxRail Cluster Build Netwrk is required nly if yu plan t enable Dell EMC SmartFabric services and extend VxRail Figure 16: Lgical Netwrk including Upstream Elements autmatin t the switch layer. The VxRail Cluster Build Netwrk enables access t VxRail Manager during initial implementatin using a jump hst. The VxRail Witness Traffic Separatin Netwrk is ptinal if yu plan t deply a stretched cluster. The VxRail Witness Traffic Separatin Netwrk enables cnnectivity between the VxRail ndes with the witness at an ffsite lcatin. The remte site witness mnitrs the health f the vsan datastre n the VxRail cluster ver this netwrk. Using the VxRail Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table, perfrm the fllwing steps: Step 1. Cnfigure the External Management Netwrk VLAN (Rw 1) n the spine switch. Step 2. Cnfigure all f the VxRail Virtual Machine Netwrk VLANs (Rws 39,40) n the spine switch. Step 3. If applicable, cnfigure the VxRail Cluster Build Netwrk VLAN (Rw 44) n the spine switch. Step 4. If applicable, cnfigure the VxRail Witness Traffic Separatin Netwrk VLAN (Rw 50) n the spine switch. Step 5. Create a lgical pair (prt channel) n the spine switch prts that will cnnect dwnstream t the uplinks n the TOR switch. Make sure the prt channel settings (active/passive) n the spine switch will match the setting n the TOR switch. Cnfigure all the external VLANs n this prt channel. VxRail Netwrk Guide 31

32 Step 6. Create lgical pairs (prt channels) as necessary t direct VxRail netwrk traffic t the apprpriate end destinatin. Setting up the Netwrk Switch fr VxRail Cnnectivity Yu may skip this sectin if yu plan t enable Dell EMC SmartFabric services and extend VxRail autmatin t the TOR switch layer. Fr the VxRail initializatin prcess t pass validatin and build the cluster, yu must cnfigure the prts that VxRail will cnnect t n yur switch befre yu plug in VxRail ndes and pwering them n. Set up yur switch by fllwing these steps: 1. Plan switch cnfiguratin. 2. Plan switch prt cnfiguratin. 3. Cnfigure prts and VLANs n yur switch(es). NOTE: This sectin prvides guidance fr preparing and setting up yur switch fr VxRail. Be sure t fllw yur vendr s dcumentatin fr specific switch cnfiguratin activities and fr best practices fr perfrmance and availability. STEP 1: PLAN SWITCH CONFIGURATION Enable Multicast fr VxRail Internal Management Netwrk VxRail Appliances have n backplane, s cmmunicatin between its ndes is facilitated via the netwrk switch. This cmmunicatin between the ndes uses VMware s Ludmuth aut-discvery capabilities, based n the RFC-recgnized "Zer Netwrk Cnfiguratin" prtcl. New VxRail ndes advertise themselves n the netwrk using the VMware Ludmuth service, and are discvered by VxRail Manager with the Ludmuth service. VMware s Ludmuth service depends n IPv6 multicast, and IPv6 multicast is required fr the VxRail internal management netwrk. The netwrk switch prts that cnnect t VxRail ndes must allw fr pass-thrugh f multicast traffic n the VxRail Internal Management VLAN. Multicast is nt required n yur entire netwrk, just n the prts cnnected t VxRail ndes. VxRail creates very little traffic via IPv6 multicast fr aut-discvery and device management. It is recmmended t limit traffic further n yur switch by enabling MLD Snping and MLD Querier. If MLD Snping is enabled, then MLD Querier must be enabled. If MLD Snping is disabled, then MLD Querier must be disabled. Fr VxRail clusters running at versin 4.7 r later, VxRail management traffic is segmented int tw separate lgical netwrks: ne which is external t service administratrs and end users, and a secnd internal netwrk used slely fr aut-discvery and device management and is islated frm the upstream netwrk. Multicast needs t be enabled nly n this secnd internal management netwrk. Enable Unicast r Multicast fr VxRail vsan Netwrk Starting in VxRail Release 4.5.0, all vsan traffic replaces multicast with unicast. This change helps t reduce netwrk cnfiguratin cmplexity and simplifies switch cnfiguratin. Prir t VxRail 4.5.0, IPv4 multicast is required fr the vsan VLAN. The netwrk switch(es) that cnnect t VxRail must allw fr pass-thrugh f multicast traffic n the vsan VLAN. Multicast is nt required n yur entire netwrk, just n the prts cnnected t VxRail. VxRail Netwrk Guide 32

33 There are tw ptins t handle vsan IPv4 multicast traffic. Either limit multicast traffic by enabling bth IGMP Snping and IGMP Querier r disable bth f these features. We recmmend enabling bth IGMP Snping and IGMP Querier if yur switch supprts them. IGMP Snping sftware examines IGMP prtcl messages within a VLAN t discver which interfaces are cnnected t hsts r ther devices interested in receiving this traffic. Using the interface infrmatin, IGMP Snping can reduce bandwidth cnsumptin in a multi-access LAN envirnment t avid flding an entire VLAN. IGMP Snping tracks prts that are attached t multicast-capable ruters t help manage IGMP membership reprt frwarding. It als respnds t tplgy change ntificatins. Disabling IGMP Snping may lead t additinal multicast traffic n yur netwrk. IGMP Querier sends ut IGMP grup membership queries n a timed interval, retrieves IGMP membership reprts frm active members, and allws updates t grup membership tables. By default, mst switches enable IGMP Snping but disable IGMP Querier. Yu will need t change the settings if this is the case. If IGMP Snping is enabled, then IGMP Querier must be enabled. If IGMP Snping is disabled, then IGMP Querier must be disabled. If yur switch des nt supprt IGMP Snping r MLD Snping, VxRail multicast traffic will be bradcast in ne bradcast dmain per VLAN. There is minimal impact n netwrk verhead as management traffic is nminal. Fr questins n yur switch handles multicast traffic, cntact yur switch vendr. Enable Uplinks t pass inbund and utbund VxRail netwrk traffic The uplinks n the switches must be cnfigured t allw passage fr external netwrk traffic t administratrs and end users. This includes the VxRail external management netwrk (r cmbined VxRail management netwrk prir t versin 4.7) and Virtual Machine netwrk traffic. Cnversely, the uplinks need t be cnfigured t blck traffic frm the VxRail vmtin netwrk and the vsan netwrk frm passage upstream. Fr VxRail clusters running at versin 4.7 r later, the VxRail internal management netwrk must be blcked frm utbund passage. Enable Inter-Switch Cmmunicatin In a multi-switch envirnment, cnfigure the prts used fr inter-switch cmmunicatin t allw passage fr all f the VxRail virtual netwrks. Bth switches must be cnfigured t allw passage f IPv6 multicast traffic used fr device discvery, and IPv4 traffic (unicast starting in VxRail Release and multicast in prir releases). Enable Inter-Switch Links If yu are using multiple switches, cnnect them via trunked interfaces n each switch and ensure that all VLANs used fr VxRail are carried acrss the trunk fllwing the requirements in this user guide. STEP 2: PLAN SWITCH PORT CONFIGURATION Determine switch prt mde The decisin n which prt mde t cnfigure n yur switch is based n the plan fr the VxRail lgical netwrks, and whether VLANs will be used t segment VxRail netwrk traffic. Prts n a switch perate in ne f the fllwing mdes: VxRail Netwrk Guide 33

34 Access mde The prt accepts nly untagged packets and distributes the untagged packets t all VLANs n that prt. This is typically the default mde fr all prts. Trunk mde When this prt receives a tagged packet, it passes the packet t the VLAN specified in the tag. T cnfigure the acceptance f untagged packets n a trunk prt, yu must first cnfigure a single VLAN as a Native VLAN. A Native VLAN is when yu cnfigure ne VLAN t use as the VLAN fr all untagged traffic. Tagged-access mde The prt accepts nly tagged packets. D nt enable Link Aggregatin n VxRail Switch Prts D nt use link aggregatin, including prtcls such as LACP and EtherChannel, n any prts directly cnnected t VxRail ndes. VxRail Appliances use the vsphere active/standby cnfiguratin (NIC teaming) fr netwrk redundancy. Hwever, LACP culd be enabled n nn-system prts, such as additinal NIC prts r 1G prts, fr user traffic. VxRail uses vsphere Netwrk I/O Cntrl (NIOC) t allcate and cntrl netwrk resurces fr the fur predefined netwrk traffic types required fr peratin: Management, vsphere vmtin, vsan and Virtual Machine. The respective NIOC settings fr the predefined netwrk traffic types are listed in the tables belw fr the varius VxRail Mdels. 3 4x10GbE Traffic Cnfiguratin Traffic Type Multicast Requirements UPLINK1 (10Gb) VMNIC0 UPLINK2 (10Gb) VMNIC1 UPLINK3 (10Gb) VMNIC2 UPLINK4 (10Gb) VMNIC3 Management IPv6 multicast Active Standby Unused Unused 40 vsphere Nne Unused Unused Standby Active 50 vmtin vsan Nne Unused Unused Active Standby 100 Virtual Machines Nne Standby Active Unused Unused 60 NIOC Shares 2x10GbE r 2x25GbE Traffic Cnfiguratin Traffic Type Multicast Requirements UPLINK1 (10Gb r 25Gb) VMNIC0 UPLINK2 (10Gb r 25Gb) VMNIC1 UPLINK3 N VMNIC UPLINK4 N VMNIC Management IPv6 multicast Active Standby Unused Unused 20 vsphere Nne Active Standby Unused Unused 50 vmtin vsan Nne Standby Active Unused Unused 100 NIOC Shares Virtual Machines Nne Active Standby Unused Unused 30 3 Fr a general verview n NIOC shares refer t VxRail Netwrk Guide 34

35 1GbE Traffic Cnfiguratin Traffic Type Multicast Requirements UPLINK1 (1Gb) VMNIC0 UPLIINK2 (1Gb) VMNIC1 UPLINK3 (1Gb) VMNIC2 UPLINK4 (1Gb) VMNIC3 Management IPv6 multicast Active Standby Unused Unused 40 vsphere Nne Unused Unused Standby Active 50 vmtin vsan Nne Unused Unused Active Standby 100 Virtual Machines Nne Standby Active Unused Unused 60 NIOC Shares Limited Spanning Tree Prtcl n VxRail Switch Prts Netwrk traffic must be allwed uninterrupted passage between the physical switch prts and the VxRail ndes. Certain Spanning Tree states can place restrictins n netwrk traffic and can frce the prt int an unexpected timeut mde. These cnditins caused by Spanning Tree can disrupt VxRail nrmal peratins and impact perfrmance. If Spanning Tree is enabled in yur netwrk, ensure that the physical switch prts cnnected t VxRail ndes are cnfigured with a setting such as Prtfast, r set as an edge prt. These settings set the prt t frwarding state, s n disruptin ccurs. Because vsphere virtual switches d nt supprt STP, physical switch prts cnnected t an ESXi hst must have a setting such as Prtfast cnfigured if spanning tree is enabled t avid lps within the physical switch netwrk. STEP 3: CONFIGURE PORTS AND VLANS ON YOUR SWITCH(ES) Nw that yu understand the switch requirements, it is time t cnfigure yur switch(es). The VxRail netwrk can be cnfigured with r withut VLANs. Fr perfrmance and scalability, it is highly recmmended t cnfigure VxRail with VLANs. As listed in the VxRail Setup Checklist, yu will be cnfiguring the fllwing VLANs: Fr VxRail clusters at versin 4.7 r higher: VxRail External Management VLAN (recmmended is untagged/native) VxRail Internal Management VLAN: make sure that IPv6 multicast is cnfigured/enabled n this VLAN. Fr VxRail clusters prir t versin 4.7: VxRail Management VLAN (recmmended is untagged/native): make sure that IPv6 multicast is cnfigured/enabled n this VLAN. Fr VxRail clusters at versin 4.5 r higher: vsan VLAN: Make sure that IPv4 unicast mde is cnfigured/enabled Fr VxRail clusters prir t versin 4.5: vsan VLAN: Make sure that IPv4 multicast is cnfigured/enabled. Enabling IGMP snping and querier is highly recmmended. vsphere vmtin VLAN VxRail Netwrk Guide 35

36 VM Netwrks VLANs Figure 17: VxRail Lgical Netwrks: Prir t versin 4.7 and 4.7 and later Figure 18: VxRail Lgical Netwrks: 2-Nde Cluster with Witness VxRail Netwrk Guide 36

37 The additinal VxRail Witness Traffic Separatin VLAN t manage traffic between the VxRail cluster and the witness. This is nly needed if deplying VxRail stretched cluster r 2-Nde Cluster Using the VxRail Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table, perfrm the fllwing steps: Step 1. Cnfigure a VLAN n the switch(es) fr each VxRail lgical netwrk Step 2. Cnfigure each switch prt that will be cnnected t a VxRail nde Set the switch prt mde t the apprpriate setting Set the prt t the apprpriate speed r t aut-negtiate speed Step 3. Cnfigure the External Management VLAN (Rw 1) n the switch prts. If yu entered Native VLAN, then set the prts n the switch t accept untagged traffic and tag it t the custm management VLAN ID. Untagged management traffic is the recmmended management VLAN setting n VxRail. Step 4. Fr VxRail versin 4.7 and higher, cnfigure the Internal Management VLAN (Rw 2) n the switch prts. Step 5. Yu must set the management VLAN (prir t versin 4.7) r internal management VLAN (versin 4.7 r higher) t allw IPv6 multicast traffic t pass thrugh the VxRail switch prts. Depending n the type f switch yu have, yu may need t turn n IPv6 and multicast directly n the prt r n the VLAN. If necessary, cnsult the switch manufacturer fr further instructins n hw t cnfigure these settings. Step 6. Cnfigure a vsphere vmtin VLAN (Rw 34) n the switch prts. Step 7. Cnfigure a vsan VLAN (Rw 38) n the switch prts. Fr release prir t VxRail versin 4.5.0, set t allw IPv4 multicast traffic t pass thrugh. Fr VxRail versin and higher, set t allw IPv4 unicast traffic t pass thrugh. Step 8. Cnfigure the VLANs fr yur VM Netwrks (Rws 39-41) n the switch prts. Step 9. Cnfigure the ptinal VxRail Witness Traffic Separatin VLAN (Rw 50) n the switch prts if required. Step 10. Cnfigure the switch uplinks t allw the External Management VLAN (Rw 1) and VM Netwrk VLANs (Rws 39-40) t pass thrugh. Include the ptinal VxRail Witness Traffic Separatin VLAN (Rw 50) n the uplinks if required. Step 11. Cnfigure the inter-switch links t allw the all VLANs t pass thrugh if deplying dual switches VxRail Netwrk Guide 37

38 Cnfirm Yur Datacenter Netwrk Upn cmpletin f the switch cnfiguratin, there shuld be unbstructed netwrk paths between the switch prts and the prts n the VxRail ndes, and the VxRail management netwrk and VM netwrk shuld have unbstructed passage t yur datacenter netwrk. Befre frming the VxRail cluster, the VxRail initializatin prcess will perfrm a number f verificatin steps, including: Verify switch and datacenter envirnment supprtability Verify passage f VxRail lgical netwrks Verify accessibility f required datacenter applicatins Verify cmpatibility with the planned VxRail implementatin Certain datacenter envirnment and netwrk cnfiguratin errrs will cause validatin t fail, and the VxRail cluster will nt be frmed. When validatin fails, the datacenter settings and switch cnfiguratins must underg trubleshting t reslve the prblems reprted. Cnfirm the settings n the switch, using the switch vendr instructins fr guidance: 1. Cnfirm that IPv4 multicast (VxRail release prir t 4.5.0) r unicast (VxRail Release and beynd) and IPv6 multicast are enabled fr the VLANs described in this dcument. 2. If yu have tw r mre switches, cnfirm that IPv4 multicast/unicast and IPv6 multicast traffic is transprted between them. 3. Remember that external management traffic will be untagged n the native VLAN n yur switch. If this has changed, then the switches and/r ESXi hsts must be custmized with the new VLAN. 4. Remember that internal device discvery netwrk traffic will use the default VLAN f If this has changed, then all ESXi hsts must be custmized with the new VLAN, r device discvery will nt wrk. 5. Cnfirm the switch prts that will attach t VxRail ndes allw passage f all VxRail netwrk VLANs. 6. Cnfirm the switch uplinks allw passage f VxRail netwrks fr external users. If yu have psitined a firewall between the switch(es) planned fr VxRail and the rest f yur datacenter netwrk, be sure the required firewall prts are pen fr VxRail netwrk traffic Cnfirm yur firewall settings: 1. Verify VxRail will be able t cmmunicate with yur DNS server. 2. Verify VxRail will be able t cmmunicate with yur NTP server. 3. Verify yur IT administratrs will be able t cmmunicate with the VxRail management system. 4. If yu plan t use a Custmer-Supplied vcenter, verify pen cmmunicatin between the vcenter instance and the VxRail managed hsts. 5. If yu plan t use a third-party syslg server instead f Lg Insight, verify pen cmmunicatin between the syslg server and the VxRail management cmpnents. 6. If yu plan t deply a separate netwrk fr ESXi hst management (idrac), verify yur IT administratrs will be able t cmmunicate with the idrac netwrk. 7. If yu plan t use an external Secure Remte Services (SRS) gateway in yur datacenter instead f SRS-VE deplyed in the VxRail cluster, verify pen cmmunicatins between VxRail management and the SRS gateway. Refer t Appendix B fr infrmatin f VxRail prt requirements Cnfirm yur datacenter envirnment: 1. Cnfirm that yu cannt ping any IP address reserved fr VxRail management cmpnents. 2. Cnfirm that yur DNS server(s) are reachable frm the VxRail external management netwrk. VxRail Netwrk Guide 38

39 3. Cnfirm the frward and reverse DNS entries fr the VxRail management cmpnents. 4. Cnfirm that yur management gateway IP address is accessible. 5. If yu have cnfigured NTP servers, r a third-party syslg server, cnfirm that yu can reach them frm yur cnfigured VxRail external management netwrk. 6. If yu plan t use a Custmer-Supplied vcenter, cnfirm it is accessible frm the VxRail external management netwrk. 7. If yu plan t deply a witness at a remte site t mnitr vsan, and plan t enable Witness Traffic Separatin, cnfirm there is a rutable path between the witness and this netwrk. VxRail Netwrk Guide 39

40 Cnfiguring a Wrkstatin/Laptp fr VxRail Initializatin A wrkstatin/laptp with a web brwser fr the VxRail user interface is required t perfrm the initializatin prcess. It must be either plugged int the tp-f-rack switch, r able t lgically reach the VxRail external management VLAN frm elsewhere n yur netwrk; fr example, a jump server ( If yu are planning t enable Dell EMC SmartFabric services, and extend VxRail autmatin t the switch layer, then the jump hst must be able t als reach the VxRail Cluster Build Netwrk VLAN as well as the VxRail external management VLAN. Once the VxRail initializatin prcess is cmplete, the switch prt r jump hst is n lnger required t manage VxRail. Dn t try t plug yur wrkstatin/laptp directly int a VxRail server nde t cnnect t the VxRail management interface fr initializatin. It must be plugged int yur netwrk r switch, and the wrkstatin/laptp must be lgically cnfigured t reach the necessary netwrks. A supprted web brwser is required t access VxRail management interface. The latest versins f Firefx, Chrme, and Internet Explrer 10+ are all supprted. If yu are using Internet Explrer 10+ and an administratr has set yur brwser t cmpatibility mde fr all internal websites (lcal web addresses), yu will get a warning message frm VxRail. Cntact yur administratr t whitelist URLs mapping t the VxRail user interface. T access the VxRail management interface t perfrm initializatin, yu must use the temprary, precnfigured VxRail initial IP address: /24. This IP address will autmatically change during VxRail initializatin t yur desired permanent address, and assigned t VxRail Manager during cluster frmatin. VxRail Wrkstatin/laptp Example Cnfiguratin Initial (temprary) Pstcnfiguratin (permanent) IP address/netmask IP address Subnet mask Gateway / / Yur wrkstatin/laptp will need t be able t reach bth the temprary VxRail initial IP address and the permanent VxRail ManagerIP address (Rw 26 frm VxRail Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table). VxRail initializatin will remind yu that yu may need t recnfigure yur wrkstatin/laptp netwrk settings t access the new IP address. It is best practice t give yur wrkstatin/laptp r yur jump server tw IP addresses n the same netwrk prt, which allws fr a smther experience. Depending n yur wrkstatin/laptp, this can be implemented in several ways (such as dual-hming r multi-hming). Otherwise, change the IP address n yur wrkstatin/laptp when instructed t and then return t VxRail Manager t cntinue with the initializatin prcess. If yu cannt reach the VxRail initial IP address, Dell EMC supprt team can cnfigure a custm IP address, subnet mask, and gateway n VxRail Manager befre initializatin. If a custm VLAN ID will be used fr the VxRail management netwrk ther than the default Native VLAN, make sure the wrkstatin/laptp can als access this VLAN. VxRail Netwrk Guide 40

41 Perfrm Initializatin t Create VxRail Cluster If yu have successfully fllwed all f the steps listed in this dcument, yu are ready t mve t the final phase: cnnect the laptp/wrkstatin t a switch prt, and perfrm VxRail initializatin. These steps are dne by Dell EMC service representatives and are included here t help yu understand the cmplete prcess. Step 1. Befre cming n-site, the Dell EMC service representative will have cntacted yu befrehand t capture and recrd the infrmatin described in the VxRail Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table and walk thrugh the VxRail Setup Checklist. Step 2. If yur planned VxRail deplyment requires a witness at a remte datacenter lcatin, the witness virtual appliance is deplyed. Step 3. Install the VxRail ndes int a rack in the datacenter. Fr ease f manageability, install the netwrk switches supprting the VxRail cluster int the same rack. Step 4. Attach Ethernet cables between the prts n the VxRail ndes and switch prts cnfigured t supprt VxRail netwrk traffic. Step 5. Pwer n all three r fur initial ndes t frm the initial VxRail cluster. D nt turn n any ther VxRail ndes until yu have cmpleted the frmatin f the VxRail cluster with the first three r fur ndes. Step 6. Cnnect a wrkstatin/laptp cnfigured fr VxRail initializatin t access the VxRail external management netwrk n yur selected VLAN. It must be either plugged int the switch r able t lgically reach the VxRail external management VLAN frm elsewhere n yur netwrk. Step 7. Open a brwser t the VxRail initial IP address t begin the VxRail initializatin prcess. Step 8. The Dell EMC service representative will ppulate the input screens n the menu with the data cllected and recrded in the VxRail Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table. Step 9. If yu have enable Dell EMC SmartFabric services, then VxRail will autmatically cnfigure the switches cnnected t VxRail ndes. Step 9. VxRail perfrms the verificatin prcess, using the infrmatin input int the menus. Step 10. After validatin is successful, the initializatin prcess will begin t build a new VxRail cluster Step 11. The new permanent IP address fr VxRail Manager will be displayed. If yu cnfigured the wrkstatin/laptp t enable cnnectivity t bth the temprary VxRail IP address and the new permanent IP address, then the brwser sessin will make the switch autmatically If nt, yu need t manually change the IP settings n yur wrkstatin/laptp t be n the same subnet as the new VxRail IP address If yur wrkstatin/laptp cannt cnnect t the new IP address that yu cnfigured, yu will get a message t fix yur netwrk and try again. If yu are unable t cnnect t the new IP address after 20 minutes, VxRail will revert t its un-cnfigured state and yu will need t re-enter yur cnfiguratin at the temprary VxRail IP address After the build prcess starts, if yu clse yur brwser, yu will need t brwse t the new, permanent VxRail IP address Step 12. Prgress is shwn as the VxRail cluster is built. Step 13. When yu see the Hray! page, VxRail initializatin is cmplete and a new VxRail cluster is built. Click the Manage VxRail buttn t cntinue t VxRail management. Yu shuld als bkmark this IP address in yur brwser fr future use. Step 14. Cnnect t VxRail Manager using either the VxRail Manager IP address (Rw 26) r the fullyqualified dmain name (FQDN) (Rw 25) that yu cnfigured n yur DNS server. VxRail Netwrk Guide 41

42 Step 15. If the Dell EMC SmartFabric services was enabled t pass cntrl f switch cnfiguratin t VxRail, the Dell EMC OMNI plug-in is deplyed n the vcenter instance. VxRail Netwrk Guide 42

43 After VxRail Initializatin Netwrk Cnsideratins SUPPORT FOR NSX VxRail is fully cmpatible with ther sftware in the VMware ecsystem, including VMware NSX. A primer n deplying NSX n VxRail can be fund in Appendix A. Refer t the VMware Prduct Interperability Matrixes fr specific versins f NSX supprted n vsphere specific versins. USING UNASSIGNED VXRAIL PHYSICAL PORTS Fr VxRail ndes rder with extra physical netwrk prts, VxRail Manager will nt manage the ptinal PCI-e NICs. Custmers can cnfigure the additinal prts in vcenter fr nn-vxrail system traffic, such as VM netwrks, iscsi, NFS, etc. The supprted peratins include: Create a new vsphere Standard Switch(VSS), and cnnect unused prts t the VSS. Cnnect unused prts t new prt grups n the default vsphere Distributed Switch. Create a new vsphere Distributed Switch(VDS), add VxRail ndes t the new VDS, and cnnect their unused netwrk prts t the VDS. Create new VMKernel adapters and enable services f IP Strage and vsphere Replicatin. Create new VM Netwrks and assign then t new prt grups. NOTE: Custmers need t fllw the fficial instructins/prcedures frm VMware and Dell EMC fr any f these peratins. Unsupprted Operatins: Migrating r mving VxRail system traffic t these ptinal prts. VxRail system traffic includes the management, vsan, vcenter Server and vmtin Netwrks. Migrating VxRail system traffic t ther prt grups. Migrating VxRail system traffic t anther VDS. NOTE: Perfrming any f these unsupprted peratins will impact the stability and peratins f the VxRail cluster, and likely cause a failure in the VxRail cluster. VxRail Netwrk Guide 43

44 VxRail Netwrk Cnfiguratin Table The Dell EMC service representative will use a VxRail Pre-Site Installatin tl with the fllwing infrmatin: Rw Categry Descriptin 1 VxRail External Management VLAN ID 2 Internal Management VLAN ID 3 System Glbal settings The recmmended is untagged traffic n the Native VLAN. If yu want the hst t send nly tagged frames, manually cnfigure the VLAN n each ESXi hst using DCUI and set tagging fr yur management VLAN n yur switch befre yu deply VxRail. This netwrk traffic shuld stay islated n the tp-frack switches. The default VLAN ID is Time zne 4 NTP server(s) 5 DNS server(s) 6 Management ESXi ESXi hstname prefix 7 hstnames Separatr 8 and IP Iteratr 9 addresses Offset 10 Suffix 11 Dmain 12 ESXi starting address fr IP pl 13 ESXi ending address fr IP pl 14 vcenter vcenter Server hstname 15 Server vcenter Server IP address 16 Leave blank Platfrm Services Cntrller hstname 17 if Custmer Platfrm Services Cntrller IP address Supplied VC 18 Custmer Supplied vcenter Server Custmer Supplied Platfrm Services Cntrller (PSC) Hstname (FQDN) Leave blank if PSC is embedded in Custmer Supplied vcenter Server 19 Leave blank Custmer Supplied vcenter Server hstname (FQDN) 20 if VxRail VC Custmer Supplied vcenter Server SSO dmain 21 admin username/passwrd r the newly created VxRail nn-admin username and passwrd 22 New VxRail management username and passwrd 23 Custmer Supplied datacenter name 24 New cluster name 25 VxRail VxRail hstname 26 Manager VxRail IP address 27 Netwrking Subnet mask 28 Gateway 31 vmtin Starting address fr IP pl 32 Ending address fr IP pl 33 Subnet mask 34 VLAN ID 35 vsan Starting address fr IP pl 36 Ending address fr IP pl 37 Subnet mask VxRail Netwrk Guide 44

45 38 VLAN ID 39 VM (unlimited VM Netwrk name and VLAN ID 40 Netwrks number) VM Netwrk name and VLAN ID 41 Slutins Lgging vrealize Lg Insight hstname 42 vrealize Lg Insight IP address 43 Syslg Server (instead f Lg Insight) Optinal Feature-Driven Settings 44 SmartFabric VxRail If the VxRail persnality prfile is t be enabled n a pair Cluster Build Netwrk VLAN ID f Dell switches running SmartFabric services, then this VLAN is entered at the time f prfile enablement. The VLAN is permanent and can nly be changed by a switch fabric reset. 45 Dell EMC IP address 46 OMNI plugin Subnet Mask 47 Gateway 48 Witness Site Management Witness management netwrk IP address IP Address 49 vsan IP Witness vsan netwrk IP address 50 Witness Traffic Separatin Address Witness Traffic Separatin VLAN ID 51 2-Nde Cluster Nde 1 WTS IP address 52 Nde 2 WTS IP address Optinal t enable Witness traffic separatin n stretched cluster r 2-Nde Cluster Must be rutable t Witness Must be rutable t Witness VxRail Netwrk Guide 45

46 VxRail Passwrd Tables Rw Item Accunt Passwrd 1 VxRail Manager rt 2 VxRail vcenter Server administratr@<sso Dmain> 3 rt 4 management 5 VxRail Platfrm Service rt Cntrller 6 vrealize Lg Insight rt 7 admin Item Accunt Passwrd ESXi Hst #1 rt ESXi Hst #2 rt ESXi Hst #3 rt ESXi Hst #4 rt VxRail Netwrk Guide 46

47 VxRail Setup Checklist Physical Netwrk VxRail cluster: Decide if yu want t plan fr additinal ndes beynd the initial three (r fur)-nde cluster. Yu can have up t 64 ndes in a VxRail cluster VxRail prts: Decide hw many prts t cnfigure per VxRail nde, what prt type, and what netwrk speed Netwrk switch: Ensure yur switch supprts VxRail requirements and prvides the cnnectivity ptin yu chse fr yur VxRail ndes. Verify cable requirements. Datacenter: Verify the required external applicatins fr VxRail are accessible ver the netwrk and crrectly cnfigured Tplgy: Decide if yu will have a single r multiple switch setup fr redundancy. Wrkstatin/laptp: Any perating system with a brwser t access the VxRail user interface. The latest versins f Firefx, Chrme, and Internet Explrer 10+ are all supprted. Out-f-band Management (ptinal): One available prt that supprts 1Gb fr each VxRail nde. Lgical Netwrk Reserve VLANs System One external management VLAN with IPv6 multicast fr traffic frm VxRail, vcenter Server, ESXi (recmmended is untagged/native). One internal management VLAN fr aut-discvery and device management. The default is One VLAN with IPv4 unicast (starting with VxRail 4.5.0) r IPv4 multicast (prir t Release 4.5.0) fr vsan traffic. One VLAN fr vsphere vmtin. One r mre VLANs fr yur VM Netwrk(s). If yu are planning t enable Dell EMC SmartFabric services, ne VLAN fr the VxRail cluster build netwrk. If yu are enabling witness traffic separatin, ne VLAN fr the VxRail witness traffic separatin netwrk. Time zne. Hstname r IP address f the NTP server(s) n yur netwrk (recmmended). IP address f the DNS server(s) n yur netwrk (required). Frward and reverse DNS recrds fr VxRail management cmpnents VxRail Netwrk Guide 47

48 Management vmtin and vsan Slutins Witness Site Wrkstatin Set up Switch Decide n yur VxRail hst naming scheme. The naming scheme will be applied t all VxRail management cmpnents. Reserve three r mre cntiguus IP addresses fr ESXi hsts. Decide if yu will use a vcenter Server that is Custmer Supplied r new t yur VxRail cluster. VxRail vcenter Server: Reserve tw IP addresses fr vcenter Server and PSC. Custmer Supplied vcenter Server: Determine hstname and IP address fr vcenter and PSC, administratin user, and name f vsphere datacenter. Create a VxRail management user in vcenter. Decide n a unique VxRail cluster name. (Optinal) Create a VxRail nn-admin user. Reserve ne IP address fr VxRail Manager. Determine default gateway and subnet mask. Select passwrds fr VxRail management cmpnents. Reserve three r mre cntiguus IP addresses and a subnet mask fr vsphere vmtin. Reserve three r mre cntiguus IP addresses and a subnet mask fr vsan. T use vrealize Lg Insight: Reserve ne IP address. T use an existing syslg server: Get the hstname r IP address f yur third-party syslg server. If witness is required, reserve ne IP address fr the management netwrk and ne IP address fr the vsan netwrk Cnfigure yur wrkstatin/laptp t reach the VxRail initial IP address. Make sure yu als knw hw t cnfigure the laptp t reach the VxRail Manger IP address after cnfiguratin. Cnfigure yur selected external management VLAN (recmmended is untagged/native). If applicable, cnfigure yur internal management VLAN Cnfirm that IPv6 multicast is cnfigured/enabled n either the external management VLAN (prir t versin 4.7) r internal management VLAN (versin 4.7 and later). Cnfigure yur selected VLANs fr vsan, vsphere vmtin, and VM Netwrks. If applicable, cnfigure yur witness traffic separatin VLAN. In multi-switch envirnments, cnfigure the management and vsan VLANs t carry the multicast and unicast traffic respectively between switches. Cnfigure uplinks t carry upstream netwrk VLANs. Cnfigure ne prt as an access prt fr laptp/wrkstatin t cnnect t VxRail Manager fr initial cnfiguratin. Cnfirm cnfiguratin and netwrk access. VxRail Netwrk Guide 48

49 Wrkstatin/Laptp Cnfigure yur wrkstatin/laptp t reach the VxRail Manager initial IP address. Cnfigure the laptp t reach the VxRail Manager IP address after permanent IP address assignment. VxRail Netwrk Guide 49

50 Appendix A: NSX Supprt n VxRail VxRail supprts VMware NSX sftware-defined netwrking (SDN) thrugh vcenter Server. vcenter Server ffers a fully integrated ptin fr SDN and netwrk-layer abstractin with NSX. The NSX netwrk-virtualizatin platfrm delivers fr netwrking what VMware delivers fr cmpute and strage. In much the same way that server virtualizatin allws peratrs t prgrammatically create, snapsht, delete, and restre sftware-based virtual machines (VMs) n demand, NSX enables virtual netwrks t be created, saved, deleted, and restred n demand withut requiring recnfiguratin f the physical netwrk. The result fundamentally transfrms the datacenter netwrk-peratinal mdel, reduces netwrk-prvisining time frm days r weeks t minutes, and dramatically simplifies netwrk peratins. NSX is a nn-disruptive slutin that is deplyed n any IP netwrk, including existing datacenter netwrk designs r next-generatin fabric architectures frm any netwrking vendr. With netwrk virtualizatin, the functinal equivalent f a netwrk hypervisr reprduces the cmplete set f Layer 2 t Layer 7 netwrking services (e.g., switching, ruting, access cntrl, firewalling, QS, and lad balancing) in sftware. Just as VMs are independent f the underlying x86 hardware platfrm and allw IT t treat physical hsts as a pl f cmpute capacity, virtual netwrks are independent f the underlying IP netwrk hardware and allw IT t treat the physical netwrk as a pl f transprt capacity that can be cnsumed and repurpsed n demand. NSX crdinates ESXi s vswitches and the netwrk services pushed t them fr cnnected VMs t effectively deliver a platfrm r netwrk hypervisr fr the creatin f virtual netwrks. Similar t the way that a virtual machine is a sftware cntainer that presents lgical cmpute services t an applicatin, a virtual netwrk is a sftware cntainer that presents lgical netwrk services lgical switches, lgical ruters, lgical firewalls, lgical lad balancers, lgical VPNs and mre t cnnected wrklads. These netwrk and security services are delivered in sftware and require nly IP packet frwarding frm the underlying physical netwrk. T cnnected wrklads, a virtual netwrk lks and perates like a traditinal physical netwrk. Wrklads see the same Layer 2, Layer 3, and Layers 4-7 netwrk services that they wuld in a traditinal physical cnfiguratin. It s just that these netwrk services are nw lgical instances f distributed sftware mdules running in the hypervisr n the lcal hst and applied at the vswitch virtual interface. The fllwing NSX cmpnents are illustrated in Figure 11: NSX vswitch perates in ESXi server hypervisrs t frm a sftware abstractin layer between servers and the physical netwrk. NSX Cntrller is an advanced, distributed state management system that cntrls virtual netwrks and verlays transprt tunnels. It is the central cntrl pint fr all lgical switches within a netwrk and maintains infrmatin f all virtual machines, hsts, lgical switches, and VXLANs. NSX Edge prvides netwrk-edge security and gateway services t islate a virtualized netwrk. Yu can install NSX Edge either as a lgical (distributed) ruter r as a services gateway. NSX Manager is the centralized netwrk management cmpnent f NSX, installed as a virtual appliance n an ESXi hst. VxRail Netwrk Guide 50

51 Figure 19: NSX cmpnent infrmatin flw: NSX Manager, NSX Cntrller, NSX Edge, NSX vswitch One NSX Manager maps t a single vcenter Server and multiple NSX Edge, vshield Endpint, and NSX Data Security instances. Befre yu install NSX in yur vcenter Server envirnment, cnsider yur netwrk cnfiguratin and resurces using the chart belw. VxRail Netwrk Guide 51

52 NSX Resurce Requirements: Memry Disk Space vcpu NSX Manager 12GB 60GB 4 NSX Edge: Cmpact 512MB 512MB 1 Large 1GB 512MB 2 Extra Large 8GB 4.5GB (with 4GB swap) 6 Quad Large 1GB 512MB 4 vshield Endpint 1GB 4GB 2 NSX Data Security 512MB 6GB per ESXi hst 1 In a VxRail cluster, the key benefits f NSX are cnsistent, simplified netwrk management and peratins, plus the ability t leverage cnnected wrklad mbility and placement. With NSX, cnnected wrklads can freely mve acrss subnets and availability znes. Their placement is nt dependent n the physical tplgy and availability f physical netwrk services in a given lcatin. Everything a VM needs frm a netwrking perspective is prvided by NSX, wherever it resides physically. It is n lnger necessary t ver-prvisin server capacity within each applicatin/netwrk pd. Instead, rganizatins can take advantage f available resurces wherever they re lcated, thereby allwing greater ptimizatin and cnslidatin f resurces. VxRail easily inserts int existing NSX envirnments and prvide NSX awareness s netwrk administratrs can leverage simplified netwrk administratin. See the VMware NSX Design Guide fr NSX best practices and design cnsideratins. Fr additinal infrmatin related t NSX, refer t the fllwing materials: VMware NSX Netwrk Virtualizatin Platfrm Technical White Paper at WP.pdf Reference Design Guide: VMware NSX fr vsphere at VxRail Netwrk Guide 52

53 Appendix B: VxRail Open Prts Requirement Use the tables in this appendix fr guidance n firewall settings specific fr the VxRail cluster The VxRail cluster needs t be able t cnnect t specific applicatins in yur datacenter. DNS is required and NTP is ptinal. Open the necessary prts t enable cnnectivity t the external syslg server, and fr LDAP and SMTP. Datacenter Applicatin Access Descriptin Surce Device(s) Destinatin Device(s) Prtcl Prt(s) DNS VxRail Manager, Dell idrac DNS Server(s) UDP 53 NTP Client SYSLOG Hst ESXi Management Interface, Dell idrac, VMware vcenter Servers, VxRail Manager Hst ESXi Management Interface, vrealize Lg Insight NTP Server(s) UDP 123 Syslg Server TCP 514 LDAP VMware vcenter Servers, PSC LDAP Server TCP 389, 636 SMTP ESRS Gateway VMs, vrealize Lg Insight SMTP Server (s) TCP 25 Open the necessary firewall prts t enable IT administratrs t manage the VxRail cluster Administratin Access Descriptin Surce Device(s) Destinatin Device(s) Prtcl Prt(s) ESXi Management Administratrs Hst ESXi Management Interface VxRail Management GUI/Web Interfaces Dell server management Administratrs VMware vcenter Server, VxRail Manager, Hst ESXi Management, Dell idrac prt, vrealize Lg Insight, PSC TCP. UDP 902 TCP 80, 443 Administratrs Dell idrac TCP 623, 5900, 5901 SSH & SCP Administratrs Hst ESXi Management, vcenter Server Appliance, Dell idrac prt, VxRail Manager Cnsle TCP 22 If yu plan t use a custmer-supplied vcenter Server instead f deplying a vcenter Server in the VxRail cluster, pen the necessary prts s that the vcenter instance can manage the ESXi hsts. VxRail Netwrk Guide 53

54 vcenter and vsphere Descriptin Surce Device(s) Destinatin Device(s) Prtcl Prt(s) vsphere Clients t vcenter Server Managed Hsts t vcenter Managed Hsts t vcenter Heartbeat vsphere Clients vcenter Server TCP 5480, 8443, 9443, 10080, Hst ESXi Management Hst ESXi Management vcenter Server TCP 443, 902, 5988,5989, 6500, 8000, 8001 vcenter Server UDP 902 If yu plan t enable Dell EMC call-hme with an external SRS gateway already deplyed in yur datacenter, pen the necessary prts t enable cmmunicatins between the SRS gateway and VxRail Manager. VxRail Manager and External SRS Gateway Descriptin Surce Device(s) Destinatin Device(s) Prtcl Prt(s) SRS Cnnect Hme VxRail Manager SRS Gateway TCP 21, SRS Remte Supprt SRS Gateway VxRail Manager TCP 22 SRS Prcess Cnnect Hme Files SRS Device Ntificatin VxRail Manager SRS Gateway TCP 25 VxRail Manager SRS Gateway TCP 443 SRS Management VxRail Manager SRS Gateway TCP 9443 Additinal firewall prt settings may be necessary depending n yur datacenter envirnment. The list f dcuments in this table is prvided fr reference purpses. Descriptin List f Incming and Outging Firewall Prts fr ESXi 6.5 Hsts List f Incming and Outging Firewall Prts fr ESXi 6.0 Hsts Required prt t access VMware vcenter Server and VMware ESXi hsts Secure Remte Services Prt Requirements Reference List f Incming and Outging Firewall Prts fr ESXi 6.5 Hsts List f Incming and Outging Firewall Prts fr ESXi 6.0 Hsts TCP and UDP Prts required t access VMware vcenter Server and VMware ESXi hsts Dell EMC Secure Remte Services Dcumentatin VxRail Netwrk Guide 54

55 Appendix C: Physical Netwrk Switch Examples These diagrams shw different physical netwrk switch wiring examples. They are prvided as illustrative examples. Figure 20: VxRail ndes with 2 prts cnnected t 2x TOR switches, 1x Optinal Management Switch with idrac VxRail Netwrk Guide 55

56 Figure 21: VxRail ndes with 4 prts cnnected t 2x TOR switches, 1x Optinal Management Switch with idrac VxRail Netwrk Guide 56

57 Figure 22: VxRail ndes with 4 prts cnnected t 4x TOR switches, 1x Optinal Management Switch with idrac. TOR 3 and 4's Upstream switches are ptinal because thse TORs nly carry vsan and vmtin which might nt need access t the rest f the netwrk. VxRail Netwrk Guide 57

58 Figure 23: VxRail 2-Nde Cluster with prts 1 and 2 cnnected t 2x TOR switches fr external netwrk traffic, and a direct cnnectin between prts 3 and 4 n each nde fr internal netwrk traffic 1/10/25GbE TOR switches are supprted. Witness runs n hst separate frm 2-Nde Cluster and rutable frm 2xTOR switches. Learn mre abut Dell EMC VxRail Appliances Cntact a Dell EMC Expert View mre resurces Jin the with #VxRail VxRail Netwrk Guide 58