NETWORK DATA SHEET DELL EMC VSCALE FABRIC FIELD-PROVEN BENEFITS Increased utilization and ROI Create shared resource pools (compute, storage, and data protection) that connect to a common, automated network fabric with policy-based automation and orchestration. Open-ended scalability Freely expand capacity of shared resource pools and the number of participating systems with consistent performance using a spine-leaf LAN and edge-coreedge. Simplified operations Automate network infrastructure provisioning and enforce security and class-of-service policies using softwaredefined networking. Migration path to converged infrastructure Extend the life of legacy equipment by connecting it to shared pools of modern resources. When ready to retire legacy systems, move their functions to modern converged infrastructure on the fabric. Central management of all resources Use common orchestration, automation, and management tools to provision, configure, and monitor services across all infrastructure connected to the fabric. Compatibility Minimize the risk of upgrading and patching infrastructure with multitechnology firmware and software that is pre-tested and certified for compatibility. Single-call support Simplify troubleshooting and problem resolution with single-call support for compute, storage, and data protection resources and the fabric. Vscale Architecture extends the turnkey experience of Dell EMC converged infrastructure across the data center. is the networking component of the architecture, connecting Vscale compute, storage and data protection components as agile, easily consumed pools of shared resources. All Vscale Architecture components, including the, are engineered, manufactured, managed, supported, and sustained together as a single system simplifying and transforming IT infrastructure and operations. THE NETWORK FOR MODERNIZING DATA CENTERS Based on industry-leading Cisco technology, the provides a modern network for data center transformation, connecting shared pools of industryleading storage and data protection products from with compute products from Cisco. The provides: Spine-leaf LAN and edge-core-edge : Maximize IT agility and asset utilization by connecting logically configured resource pools and by sharing those resources with and third-party systems. Software-defined networking and application-awareness: Automate network provisioning and enforce configuration policy based on application performance and security requirements. Open-ended scalability: Scale from small to massive data center capacity in increments, with less effort than legacy networks and with faster, more predictable performance. Workload mobility: Move workloads and vast amounts of data within and between data centers to optimize application performance, assign new data services as applications evolve, and maximize asset utilization. Security: Increase trust and reduce risk using micro-segmentation and other network services. MODERN LAN FABRIC Traditional three-tier LANs do not scale efficiently or with the predictable performance that modern applications require. The Vscale LAN meets new data center requirements with a simpler, more adept two-tier (spine-leaf) network architecture (Figure 1). Cisco Nexus es act as data center spine switches, connecting to top-of-rack leaf switches. The leaf switches reside inside Vscale cabinets containing shared resources and converged and hyperconverged systems and provide connectivity with third-party equipment and external networks. 1 Dell EMC Vscale
VSCALE ARCHITECTURE COMPONENTS Cisco network with open-ended scalability that connects multiple systems and modular components to create shared resource pools. Contains a LAN fabric, fabric, or both. Connected systems can include Dell EMC converged and hyper-converged systems as well as third-party systems. s Broad suite of shared compute, storage, and data protection resources that connect directly to the Vscale. Vscale Border Connect Point of entry between the Vscale and enterprise security zones, with a broad choice of network services. Vscale Open Connect Point of connection between the Vscale and third-party systems, giving them access to the shared resources inside s. Vision Intelligent Operations Software for infrastructure health and lifecycle management, including Release Certification Matrix management and security management. Vscale Common Automation Workflows Standard Cisco UCS Director workflows for common Day 2 operations, integrated with ViPR and Cisco ACI. Also compatible with VMware NSX, ScaleIO and others. Figure 1 Spine-leaf switch topology Vscale LAN Table 1. Advantages of the Vscale Two-tier LAN Modern Data Center Requirements Resource sharing and high resource utilization Fast application performance for highvolume workloads Simple scalability Automation Vscale IP Spine and Network Spine Spine Spine IP Storage Data Protection How Vscale Spine- LAN Delivers Provides fast east-west performance Reduces latency compared to three-tier fabrics by eliminating one hop Enables you to quickly add compute, storage, and data protection resources as needed Supports software-defined, policy-based network configuration and management using Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), VMware NSX, or both. Modern To share storage resources, choose one of two Vscale topologies: edge-core-edge or collapsed core (Figures 2 & 3). Both options use Cisco MDS es. -core-edge topology Choose the edge-core-edge fabric in larger environments where there are multiple storage array types, vendors and operational scenarios that need to be accomodated. Connect Vscale storage pools, Vscale compute pools, and thirdparty storage to the core via top-of-rack edge switches (leaves). Each core switch provides storage services to one or more leaves, increasing the number of compute and storage pools that the can support. Advantages of the edge-core-edge topology include: Independent scaling of compute and storage resources: Add capacity with precision. Simple management: Storage pools and server pools connect to different switches. Easy expansion: Simply add ports to the spine or leaf tier. 2
Vscale -Core- Network Core Core Storage Data Protection and Availability Figure 2 -Core- Topology for Vscale Collapsed core topology Choose the collapsed core fabric for smaller, simpler environments with a limited mix of storage array types that can be operated similarly. This option requires fewer edge switches than the edge-core-edge option because core switches connect directly to shared storage fiber ports. Advantages of the collapsed core topology include: Simple management: Storage pools and server pools connect to different switches. Fast performance: Most traffic traverses from edge to the core with only one hop. Lower capital costs: Eliminate edge switches. Vscale Collapsed Core Network Core Core Storage Data Protection and Availability Figure 3 Collapsed Core Topology for Vscale 3
Network Provisioning Automate provisioning using software-defined networking: Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), VMware NSX, or both (Table 1). You can also manually configure the network using MP-BGP. Table 2. Network Provisioning Options Provisioning Options Cisco ACI (programmable fabric) VMware NSX (network overlay) Cisco ACI plus VMware NSX Advantages Create reusable network application profiles that define policies and application flows Abstract network infrastructure components into a pool of stateless resources ready for provisioning Apply micro-segmentation to the physical and virtual networks Automate configuration of network services such as firewall and load balancing Manage virtual compute and network environments from a single interface Virtualize network functions Apply micro-segmentation to the virtual environment Enable network team to manage physical network while virtualization team manages virtual network MP-BGP EVPN MP-BGP EVPN plus VMware NSX Manually configure VXLAN transport network, maximizing control Manually configure transport network for critical production workloads Automate network configuration for virtual non-production environments Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) Cisco ACI makes application deployment simpler, faster, and more efficient by decoupling network configuration from physical infrastructure and eliminating manual entry errors. Figure 4 illustrates how it works: Define policies based on application infrastructure requirements, connectivity, and network services such as load balancing, security, and connections to back-end applications. Create reusable application network profiles that define policies, using Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC). Deploy the application in minutes by applying the profile to speed service delivery. Operations teams use Cisco APIC to monitor the real-time health of physical and virtual networks. Application-level visibility simplifies troubleshooting. Automation and Orchestration (Cisco APIC and UCS Director) (Cisco ACI & Nexus) VxBlock UCS UCS UCS Nexus Vscale Border Connect ACI Application Policy Profile Load Balancer Security Web Security Analytics Hadoop File System Figure 4 Automate and orchestrate Vscale Architecture using Cisco APIC and Cisco UCS Director 4
VMware NSX Used instead of or in conjunction with Cisco ACI, VMware NSX is a network virtualization platform. It abstracts the functionality of network hardware switching, routing, and firewall into the hypervisor. You can create, save, delete, and restore the virtual network on demand, without reconfiguring the physical network. NSX takes advantage of the ves already present in hypervisors. Figure 5 illustrates how it works: Provision a virtual network and security services using a cloud management platform. The VMware NSX Controller distributes the necessary services to ves and logically attaches them to the corresponding workloads. To connected workloads, the virtual network looks and operates like a traditional physical network. VMware NSX enforces security services at the v virtual interface. This eliminates inefficient east-west traffic patterns for example, when two VMs on the same hypervisor but different subnets have to traverse the network to reach services. Layering of NSX on top of ACI (Cisco ACI & Nexus) Logical 1 Logical 2 Logical 3 Services VxBlock UCS UCS UCS Nexus Vscale Border Connect Load Balancer ACI Application Policy Profile Security Web Security Analytics Hadoop File System Figure 5 VMware NSX: optional network virtualization and security platform for Vscale Architecture. Learn more about Contact a Expert View more resources Join the conversation with #Vscale 5 All Rights Reserved. Dell, EMC and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners.reference Number: H1xxxx