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vStart 50 VMware® vSphere™ Solution
Design Guide
Release 1.5 for 12th Generation Servers
Dell Virtualization Solutions Engineering
Revision: A00
October 2012
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
Dell Inc 2
THIS WHITE PAPER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND MAY CONTAIN TYPOGRAPHICAL
ERRORS AND TECHNICAL INACCURACIES. THE CONTENT IS PROVIDED AS IS, WITHOUT EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND.
© 2012 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material in any manner whatsoever without
the express written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden. For more information, contact Dell.
Dell, the DELL logo, PowerConnect, PowerEdge, EqualLogic, and OpenManage are trademarks of Dell
Inc. Microsoft and Windows Server are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Intel and Xeon are registered trademarks of
Intel Corporation. VMware, ESXi, vSphere, and vCenter are registered trademarks or trademarks (the
"Marks") of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. Other trademarks and trade
names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or
their products. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than
its own.
October 2012
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
Dell Inc 3
Table of Contents 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 4
2 Audience............................................................................................................... 4
3 Overview .............................................................................................................. 4
3.1 Component Roles .............................................................................................. 5
3.2 Prerequisites and Datacenter Planning .................................................................... 7
4 Architecture .......................................................................................................... 8
4.1 Network Architecture Overview ............................................................................ 8
4.2 LAN Architecture ............................................................................................ 11
4.3 SAN Architecture ............................................................................................ 19
4.4 Management Architecture ................................................................................. 27
5 Power and Cooling Configuration ............................................................................... 31
6 Scalability ........................................................................................................... 33
7 References .......................................................................................................... 34
8 Appendix A – IP & VLAN Planning Worksheet.................................................................. 35
9 Appendix B – IP & VLAN Sample Worksheet ................................................................... 38
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
Dell Inc 4
1 Introduction The vStart solution is a virtualization infrastructure solution that has been designed and validated by
Dell Engineering. It is delivered racked, cabled, and ready to be integrated into your datacenter. The
vStart 50 VMware vSphere™ configuration includes DellTM PowerEdgeTM R620 servers running VMware®
ESXi™, Dell EqualLogicTM PS6100X iSCSI storage, Dell PowerConnectTM switches, and a Dell PowerEdge
R420 server that manages the solution by hosting VMware vCenter™ Server and Dell management tools.
The configurations also include Dell Management and Dell EqualLogic Host Integration Tools for VMware
Edition (HIT/VE) Plug-ins for VMware vCenter Server. VMware ESXi versions 4.1 Update 2 and 5.0 are
both supported. The solution can either be configured with PowerConnect 7024 or PowerConnect 6224
switches.
The following documents are provided to describe the various aspects of the solution.
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Overview – Provides a solution overview, including various
components, and how it is delivered.
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Specification – Provides a detailed specification of various
components included in the solution.
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide – (this document) Provides a detailed
architectural solution design.
For Dell Sales and Services teams, the latest versions of these documents are available at the internal
vStart Web Portal. Customers can contact their Dell Sales teams to get the latest version.
2 Audience IT administrators and managers who have purchased or plan to purchase a vStart can use this document
to understand the solution architecture. For those that have purchased the solution, detailed cabling
diagrams and networking details can be utilized during troubleshooting and maintenance. It is assumed
that the reader has a basic understanding of VMware vSphere, EqualLogic, and network architecture.
3 Overview The solution discussed in this whitepaper is powered by Dell PowerEdge servers, Dell EqualLogic iSCSI
storage, Dell PowerConnect networking, and VMware vSphere. The solution implements Dell and
VMware best practices and utilizes the latest Dell developed vSphere integration offerings that provide
management enhancements. Dell Management Plug-in and EqualLogic HIT/VE Plug-in for vCenter are
included in the solution which provides integration of Dell hardware management and storage
configuration from within vCenter.
EqualLogic SAN HeadQuarters (SAN HQ) and Group Manager are included in the solution for storage
array monitoring and management. The solution also includes the rack, power distribution units (PDU),
optional KMM (Keyboard, Mouse, and Monitor), management server, and an optional uninterruptible
power supply (UPS).
vStart 50 includes two PowerEdge R620 servers, one EqualLogic PS6100 array and four PowerConnect
switches. Storage expansion modules are offered in this release, for which more details are provided in
the section below. Figure 1 below provides a high-level overview of the components utilized in the
configuration.
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
Dell Inc 5
vStart 50 Component Overview Figure 1.
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3.1 Component Roles
ESXi Cluster – PowerEdge R620: Each PowerEdge R620 is configured with two 8-Core Intel® Xeon® 2.2
GHz processors and 64GB of memory. The PowerEdge R620 has quad port 1Gb rack Network Daughter
Card (rNDC) and an additional quad port 1Gb card has been added to each, providing a total of eight
1Gb ports. Four of these ports are utilized for LAN traffic and the remaining four are for SAN traffic.
In addition, each PowerEdge R620 is configured with an internal redundant SD card which contains
ESXi. The servers are also configured with the EqualLogic Multipathing Extension Module (MEM) which
enables enhancements to existing VMware multipathing functionality by providing automatic iSCSI
connection management and load balancing across multiple active paths.
Management Server – PowerEdge R420: The PowerEdge R420 is configured with one 4-Core Intel Xeon
2.2GHz processor and 8GB of memory. The PowerEdge R420 has two onboard 1Gb ports and an add-in
dual port 1Gb NIC which provide two ports for LAN traffic and two ports for SAN traffic. The
PowerEdge R420 runs Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Standard Edition to host the management
applications for the devices in the solution. The primary applications include VMware vCenter Server,
and EqualLogic SAN HQ. In addition, management and configuration of the EqualLogic array and
PowerConnect switches can be performed through a web based interface or serial connection from the
R420. The PowerEdge R620 and PowerEdge R420 servers are all configured with an iDRAC out-of-band
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
Dell Inc 6
management device that supports direct management of the systems through a web-based interface.
SAN HQ provides consolidated performance and event monitoring for the iSCSI environment along with
historical trend analysis for capacity planning and troubleshooting.
In the vStart 50 the Management Server is optional. This choice provides customers with the flexibility
to manage the vStart 50 from a VM running on the vStart 50 cluster, from an existing physical server
that runs vCenter Server and meets the vStart Solution requirements, or from a VM that meets the
requirements and runs in a separate virtualized environment that can communicate with the vStart 50
Solution.
Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter: This management plug-in for vCenter is delivered as a
virtual appliance. This virtual appliance is hosted on the ESXi cluster and provides advanced
integration with the Dell servers which allows for virtual and physical management directly within the
vCenter console. This eliminates the need to utilize multiple consoles for day-to-day management of
the environment by providing inventory, monitoring, alerting, BIOS and firmware updates, and access
to online warranty information.
EqualLogic Host Integration Tools for VMware Edition (HIT/VE): HIT/VE is a plug-in to VMware
vSphere and provides a suite of storage tools delivered as a virtual appliance. These tools provide
additional functions and tasks that can be applied to VMware objects, and provide EqualLogic’s storage
efficiency, performance, and data protection. The EqualLogic HIT/VE provides the following:
VMware Object Management in the vSphere GUI
Auto-Snapshot Manager/VMware Edition (ASM/VE)
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Management using Virtual Desktop Deployment Utility
(Requires additional software)
Datastore Manager
iSCSI Storage Array - EqualLogic PS6100X: The EqualLogic PS6100X in the solution has 24 300GB 10K
SAS drives. It is configured with two storage controllers for redundancy. Each storage controller has
four 1Gb network interfaces, and a 100Mb interface dedicated to management. In addition, offloading
of storage operations from the ESXi hosts to the EqualLogic array(s) are enabled through VMware
vStorage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI). This hypervisor and storage integration enables offloading a
subset of operations to the array(s) that in turn reduce storage traffic and enhance performance.
Local Area Network (LAN) and Storage Area Network (SAN) Switches – PowerConnect 7024 or 6224:
Four PowerConnect 7024 or 6224 switches are utilized in the vStart 50 Solution. Each switch supports
24 x 1Gb connections and has two expansion bays that support either 10Gb Ethernet modules or
stacking modules. Stacking modules provide the ability to aggregate multiple switches into a single
logical switch, which is then managed as a single entity. The vStart 50 Solution dedicates two switches
for LAN traffic and two for SAN traffic.
LAN and SAN traffic are segregated to ensure minimal latency for iSCSI traffic. In addition, this design
decision was made to allow for integration into environments that may have already implemented
separate fabrics for LAN and SAN traffic. If the existing environment has a unified fabric (LAN and SAN
on a single fabric), then the LAN and SAN switches provided can be uplinked into this unified
environment.
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
Dell Inc 7
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS): The UPS provides backup power in the event of a power failure.
The Dell UPS model will vary based on the local power requirements of the datacenter, and are
optional for the vStart 50 solution.
Power Distribution Unit (PDU): As the name suggests, PDUs distribute power from the main power
source to the individual components within the 24U rack. Dell PDUs utilize a combination of worldwide
standard IEC power outlet connections with regionalized input options allowing flexibility across a
variety of global power infrastructures. The appropriate PDU model will vary based on the local power
requirements of the datacenter.
Rack – PowerEdge 2420: A single 24U rack is required to support the configuration. Blanking panels
are included to ensure optimal airflow.
Keyboard, Monitor, Mouse (KMM): An optional 1U KMM console (touchpad, keyboard, and 18.5 inch
LED) is cabled to the management server providing the ability to walk up to the rack and manage the
entire solution. The KMM is optional for the vStart 50 solution.
3.2 Prerequisites and Datacenter Planning
To support the configuration, the following components are required to be present in the customer
environment:
Database to support VMware vCenter Server
o For a list of supported databases, refer to the VMware Product Interoperability Matrix.
o Beginning with vSphere 5.0, vCenter Server is available as a virtual machine appliance
via the VMware vCenter Server Appliance. With the VMware vCenter Server Appliance,
the contents are contained in a pre-configured virtual machine. Refer to the VMware
Product Interoperability Matrix for a list of supported databases. Refer to the KB article
for minimum requirements.
o If vCenter Server is installed on the Management Server, then a route must exist
between the Management Server (PowerEdge R420) and the Database Server.
o If vCenter Server is installed in a virtual machine or as a VMware vCenter Server
Appliance, then a route must exist between the virtual machine/appliance and the
Database Server.
o The database is assumed to have maintenance and backup configured as per the
business needs of the customer.
o For small deployments, vCenter Microsoft SQL Server® Express database can be used.
This option is not available for the VMware vCenter Server Appliance.
Domain Name Server (DNS) – DNS must be available on the management network.
Network Time Protocol (NTP) Server - NTP must be available on the management network.
Sufficient power to support a vStart 50 must be present. Detailed power, weight, and cooling
requirements for the datacenter are defined in the vStart 50 Solution Specifications document.
Switch Connectivity – The network architecture supports uplinks into the existing switches in
the datacenter. The uplink recommendations are discussed in Section 4, Network Architecture.
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
Dell Inc 8
Support for the following VMware vCenter Plug-ins:
o Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter
Routing – A route must exist between the out-of-band management and
management networks. Refer to Section 4.2 for more networking details and
requirements.
o EqualLogic HIT/VE
The appliance must have access to the management network to be able to
communicate with the storage arrays, the ESXi hosts, and the vCenter Server.
The addition of servers, switches, and iSCSI storage arrays to an existing or new datacenter requires
planning for IP addresses and VLANs. Appendices A and B provide examples to help support this
planning effort. Before planning can begin, it is important to understand the vStart solution
architecture, power and cooling attributes, and scalability characteristics. The remainder of this
document covers those subjects. Please contact your Dell Sales and Services representatives for more
information about planning and prerequisites.
4 Architecture Network, SAN, and Management architecture is discussed in this section.
4.1 Network Architecture Overview
vSphere network traffic in this solution is comprised of four distinct types: Virtual Machine (VM),
Management, vMotion, and iSCSI. In addition, support for out-of-band management is included. Two
separate networks are created to support different traffic types:
LAN - This network supports management, VM, vMotion, and out-of-band management. In
addition, uplinks to core infrastructure provide connectivity to the solution support services
(DNS, NTP, and Database for vCenter Server).
SAN – This network supports iSCSI data and iSCSI management traffic. Uplinks are supported to
connect into an existing iSCSI network; however, these uplinks are not required for full solution
functionality.
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
Dell Inc 9
Figure below depicts the logical LAN and SAN network architecture. Detailed diagrams are available
throughout the remainder of the document.
Network Topology (Logical View) Figure 2.
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The table below summarizes the use of each traffic type.
Traffic Type Summary Table 1.
Traffic Type Use
Management Supports virtualization management traffic and communication between the ESXi servers in the cluster, and configuration and monitoring of the storage arrays and LAN switches.
vMotion Supports migration of VMs between ESXi servers in the cluster.
VM Supports communication between the VMs hosted on the ESXi cluster and external systems.
Out-of-Band Management (OOB)
Supports configuration and monitoring of the servers through the iDRAC management interface.
iSCSI Data Supports iSCSI traffic between the servers and storage array(s). In addition, the SAN switches can be managed on this network.
Throughout the remainder of the networking sections, it is important to understand the correlation
between the component location in the rack and the label for each. Figure 3 below displays the labels
for the vStart 50. For clarity, the full device description and option details are not noted in figure.
Please refer to Figure 1 for more information about device descriptions and options.
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
Dell Inc 11
Component Labels Figure 3.
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4.2 LAN Architecture
The LAN includes two PowerConnect 7024 or 6224 switches which support the VM, Management,
vMotion, and OOB traffic. These traffic types are logically separated through the use of VLANs. The
two switches are stacked together, which forms a single logical switch and provides a 48Gb stack
bandwidth between the two PC6224 switches, or 64Gb stack bandwidth between the two PC7024
switches. The solution provides four 1Gb uplinks from each switch to link into an existing core network
infrastructure. If the core network infrastructure supports 10Gb Ethernet, then 10Gb uplink modules
may be added to each switch; however, this option is beyond the scope of this document.
4.2.1 Traffic Isolation using VLANs
The traffic on the LAN is separated into four VLANs: one VLAN each for Management, vMotion, VM, and
Out-of-Band Management (OOB) traffic. VLAN tagging for the OOB traffic is performed by the
PowerConnect switches. Table 2 below provides VLAN and Subnet examples. For the other traffic
types, the tagging is performed in the virtual switch by the ESXi hypervisor. Routing between VLANs is
dependent on the specific customer requirements and is not included in this document. Consult with
your Dell Sales and Services representatives if you have questions about routing or require assistance
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
Dell Inc 12
implementing in your environment. If desired, the PowerConnect switches can be configured to provide
the routing function.
VLAN / Subnet Examples Table 2.
Traffic Type Sample VLAN
Sample Subnet
OOB 10 192.168.10.X
Management 20 192.168.20.X
vMotion 30 192.168.30.X
VM 100 192.168.100.X
Additional VLANs can be implemented for VM traffic, if required.
4.2.2 PowerConnect LAN Switch Configuration
Table 3 provides a port configuration overview for the two PowerConnect LAN switches. Trunk mode is
used to allow multiple VLANs on a port, and access mode is used when the switch performs the VLAN
tagging function. Figure 4 below shows the function that each switch port provides. Individual ports or
blocks of contiguous ports are color coded and labeled per their respective functions. Ports are
available to support future expansion as well.
Sample VLAN Switch Assignment Table 3.
Ports Configuration Notes
ESXi Hosts Configured in Trunk mode: Allow VLANs 20, 30, and 100
Management Server Configured in Trunk mode. Allow VLANs 10 and 20
OOB Configured in Access mode for VLAN 10
Storage Array Management
Configured in Access mode for VLAN 20
Uplink Configured in Trunk mode. All uplink ports configured in a single Link Aggregation Group (LAG)
- Allow VLAN 100 for VM traffic
- Also allow VLANs 10 and 20, for core routing between VLANs 10 and 20
- Also allow VLANs 20 and 30 if the cluster will be expanded outside rack
Future Expansion These ports are disabled. This will prevent any unauthorized access or misconfiguration.
Each PowerConnect switch is configured with a single stacking module that supports two stacking links.
The two PowerConnect LAN switches are connected using both of the stacking links to provide
redundancy. The stacked switches form a single logical switch where one of the switch modules acts as
the master and both switches are managed as a single entity by connecting to the master switch.
Stacking also provides for a high-speed data path between the switch modules. In addition, stacking
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
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the switches helps prevent any potential loops when the switches are uplinked to the customer’s
existing network infrastructure.
LAN Switch Port Usage Figure 4.
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4.2.3 PowerEdge R620 LAN Connectivity
Each PowerEdge R620 has eight 1Gb ports, of which four are dedicated for LAN traffic. In addition, the
iDRAC7 OOB interface is connected to the LAN switches. Figure 5 shows the connectivity of Server 1 to
the LAN switches.
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
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Server 1 LAN Connectivity Figure 5.
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The other PowerEdge R620 server follows the same connectivity pattern to the LAN switches with the
exception that each server uses a unique set of physical ports on the switches. Table 4 details the
PowerEdge R620 server connectivity to the LAN switches.
PowerEdge R620 LAN Connectivity Table 4.
rNDC – Port 1 rNDC – Port 3 NIC – Port 1 NIC – Port 3 iDRAC7
Server 1 Switch 1 – Port 9
Switch 2 – Port 9
Switch 1 – Port 10
Switch 2 – Port 10
Switch 1 – Port 5
Server 2 Switch 1 – Port 11
Switch 2 – Port 11
Switch 1 – Port 12
Switch 2 – Port 12
Switch 2 – Port 6
4.2.4 PowerEdge R620 Adapter Enumeration
ESXi enumerates the network adapters based upon PCI bus information. Each network adapter is
assigned a label in ESXi of “vmnic” followed by a number. As an example, the first adapter is labeled
vmnic0. In the case of the R620 servers included in this solution, there are eight 1Gb network adapters
which ESXi labels as vmnic0 through vmnic7. Figure 6 provides a mapping of the physical network ports
to the vmnic labels. This information is necessary when configuring the virtual switches or for
troubleshooting purposes.
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
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PowerEdge R620 Adapter Enumeration Figure 6.
1
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iDRACvmnic0 vmnic1 vmnic2 vmnic3
vmnic6 vmnic7
4.2.5 PowerEdge R620 LAN Virtual Switch Configuration
For each PowerEdge R620, a single ESXi virtual switch is created to support all LAN traffic. Unique port
groups are then created for management and VM traffic. In addition, VMkernel interfaces are defined
for management and vMotion traffic. Each port group and VMkernel interface is configured to tag with
the appropriate VLAN. The Management port group is utilized by the Dell Management Plug-in and the
EqualLogic HIT/VE Plug-in for VMware vCenter.
Figure 7 is a screenshot taken in vCenter Server of the LAN virtual switch on Server 1. Note the vmnics
and how they correlate to the physical adapters as shown in Figure 6. “Mgmt Network” is a Virtual
Machine Port Group, which allows VMs to communicate on the management network, and “Mgmt” is a
VMKernel port, which allows the ESXi kernel to communicate with the management network.
LAN vSwitch Configuration Figure 7.
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
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4.2.6 Load Balancing and Failover
Load balancing enables sharing network traffic between the physical network ports in a team, thereby
generating higher throughput. The VMware virtual switch has three options to configure load balancing:
Route based on the originating virtual switch port ID
Route based on source MAC hash
Route based on IP hash
The default load balancing configuration of route based on the originating virtual switch port ID is
recommended. This setting enables multiple VMs to use different physical adapter ports to transmit
and receive traffic without requiring additional physical switch configuration.
The Management and vMotion networks each have only one port ID or MAC address. Hence, these
networks will each use only one physical adapter port for communicating unless there is a failover to
another physical adapter port.
Table 5 notes any required configuration changes that should be explicitly made to the port group
configuration.
Port Group Table 5.
VMKernel Ports Configuration Notes
Mgmt vmnic0: active
vmnic2,vmnic4, vmnic6: standby
management traffic: enabled
failback: no
vMotion vmnic4: active
vmnic0,vmnic2,vmnic6: standby
vMotion: enabled
failback: no
While the configurations explored in the section above along with Table 5 depict a robust and fault
tolerant ESXi network design, customers can implement an additional level of resiliency by
implementing VMware HA. More information on setting up VMware HA can be found in VMware High
Availability (HA): Deployment Best Practices for vSphere 4.1and vSphere High Availability Deployment
Best Practices for vSphere 5.0.
4.2.7 PowerEdge R420 LAN Connectivity
The PowerEdge R420 has four 1Gb ports of which two are dedicated for LAN traffic. In addition, the
iDRAC7 OOB interface is connected to the LAN switches. Figure 8 shows the management server
connectivity to the LAN switches.
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
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Management Server LAN Connectivity Figure 8.
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Table 6 details management server connectivity to the LAN switches.
PowerEdge R420 LAN Connectivity Table 6.
LOM – Port 1 NIC – Port 2 iDRAC7
Switch 1 – Port 1 Switch 2 – Port 1 Switch 1 – Port 7
4.2.8 PowerEdge R420 Network Adapter Teaming Configuration
The two adapters dedicated to the LAN are configured into a Smart Load Balancing (SLB) and Failover
team using BACS. This provides redundancy in the event that one of the paths or network adapters
fails. There are several teaming types supported by Broadcom that provide this capability. The SLB
and Failover teaming type was chosen based on the ease of configuration. There is no switch
configuration required to support this teaming type.
Two virtual VLAN adapters are created using BACS that correspond to the Management and OOB
networks. The Broadcom team performs the VLAN tagging on each of these virtual adapters. If the
management server is running as a VM, then it will not need the BACS VLAN adapters, but rather virtual
NICs that are associated with the appropriate vSwitches and VLANs.
Figure 9 displays the teamed configuration and the two virtual VLAN adapters. Note the two adapters
classified as “Unassigned Adapters” which are used for iSCSI traffic.
Also note that the LAN adapters are teamed for fault tolerance. However, the SAN adapters are not
teamed because they use MPIO provided by the EqualLogic HIT for Windows. The SAN adapters connect
into the separate SAN switches.
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PowerEdge R420 Server Broadcom Team Configuration Figure 9.
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4.2.9 EqualLogic PS6100 LAN Connectivity
The EqualLogic PS6100 has a management port on each controller. Each storage array is connected to
the management network and a shared management IP address is assigned to the storage group. When
managing the array, the Group Manager web interface will be assigned to this shared management IP.
Additionally, San HQ will utilize this interface for monitoring the storage group. Figure 11 shows the
PS6100 connectivity to the LAN switches.
PS6100X Array 1 LAN Connectivity Figure 10.
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Table 7 details EqualLogic Array connectivity to the LAN switches while Figure 7 shows the array
controller connectivity to the SAN switches. Table 7 and Figure 10 show the network connections that
are used for array monitoring and management. Group Manager and SAN HQ utilize these interfaces.
EqualLogic PS6100 LAN Connectivity Table 7.
Array # Controller # Mgmt Port
Array 1 Slot 0 Switch 1 – Port 3
Array 1 Slot 1 Switch 2 – Port 3
Array 2 Slot 0 Switch 1 – Port 4
Array 2 Slot 1 Switch 2 – Port 4
4.3 SAN Architecture
The SAN includes two PowerConnect 7024 or 6224 switches which support iSCSI data and iSCSI
management traffic. The two switches are connected together with stacking modules on each switch.
In addition, the solution supports up to eight 1Gb uplinks from each switch to link into an existing core
iSCSI network infrastructure. These uplinks are optional. If required, 10Gb uplink modules may be
added to each switch; however these options are beyond the scope of this document.
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4.3.1 PowerConnect switch configuration for SAN
Figure 11 shows how the ports are distributed for the ESXi hosts, management server, storage arrays,
and uplinks. Additional ports are available for future expansion as well.
SAN Switch Port Configuration Figure 11.
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The two switches are connected using two 10Gb Inter switch links (ISLs). The two 10Gb Link
Aggregation Groups (LAGs) provide a path for communication across the switches. In addition, the LAGS
support traffic between EqualLogic arrays if more than one array is present in the configuration.
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) PortFast is enabled on all the server and storage ports. This helps to
reduce the link downtime in the event of a path or switch failure. Ports left for future expansion are
disabled to prevent any unauthorized access or misconfiguration. The uplink ports on each switch are
configured in a LAG. Switch level configuration details are defined in Table 8. A single VLAN, not
VLAN 1, is used for all iSCSI traffic.
Port 16 on each switch is configured with VLAN 10 and without PortFast, for OOB management of the
switch.
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PowerConnect SAN Switch Settings Table 8.
Item Setting
iSCSI Enabled
Rapid STP Enabled
Jumbo Frames Enabled
Flow Control On
Unicast Storm Control Disabled
It is important to understand the spanning tree configuration on the SAN if both uplinks will be utilized.
Spanning tree costs should be set appropriately to avoid STP blocking the LAG between these two
switches which would result in a longer Ethernet switch path for SAN traffic and potentially increased
SAN latency.
4.3.2 PowerEdge R620 SAN Connectivity
Each PowerEdge R620 has eight 1Gb ports of which four are dedicated for SAN traffic. Figure 12 shows
Server 1 connectivity to the LAN switches.
SAN Switch Port Configuration Figure 12.
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The other PowerEdge R620 server follows the same connectivity pattern to the SAN switches with the
exception that each server uses a unique set of physical ports on the switches. Table 9 details
PowerEdge R620 server connectivity to the SAN switches for a vStart 50 configuration.
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PowerEdge R620 SAN Connectivity Table 9.
rNDC – Port 2 rNDC – Port 4 NIC – Port 2 NIC – Port 4
Server 1 Switch 1 – Port 11 Switch 2 – Port 11 Switch 1 – Port 12 Switch 2 – Port 12
Server 2 Switch 1 – Port 13 Switch 2 – Port 13 Switch 1 – Port 14 Switch 2 – Port 14
4.3.3 PowerEdge R620 SAN Virtual Switch Configuration
For each PowerEdge R620, a single virtual switch is created to support all SAN traffic. The four 1Gb
physical networks that are dedicated for iSCSI traffic are connected to this virtual switch (as shown in
Figure 13). Four VMkernel (vmk) interfaces are created and each vmk interface is associated with only
one physical network port.
SAN vSwitch Configuration Figure 13.
An additional VMkernel port is created on the iSCSI subnet serving as the default vmkernel port for
storage heartbeat traffic with the EqualLogic storage. This heartbeat sits outside of the iSCSI software
initiator and does not consume any additional iSCSI storage connections. It is simply used as the lowest
vmkernel port for vmkping and other iSCSI network functions. This heartbeat has to be the lowest
VMkernel port on the vSwitch and is not bound to the software initiator.
The creation and configuration of the vSwitches, iSCSI VMkernel interfaces and storage heartbeat
interface are accomplished through the EqualLogic MEM installation process, as discussed below. For
detailed instructions on configuring EqualLogic storage with vSphere, refer to the Technical Reports
Configuring VMware vSphere 4.x Software iSCSI with Dell EqualLogic PS Series Storage and Configuring
iSCSI Connectivity with VMware vSphere 5 and Dell EqualLogic PS Series Storage.
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4.3.4 EqualLogic Multipathing Extension Module
VMware introduced Pluggable Storage Architecture (PSA) in vSphere 4, which enabled storage vendors
to develop MEM that plugs into vSphere. MEM provides advanced multipathing capabilities with path
redundancy and improved performance by intelligently routing data. The EqualLogic MEM consists of
two components: a Path Selection Plug-in (PSP) driver that is used by the VMware Native Multipathing
Plug-in (NMP) to select the best path for each I/O to the EqualLogic storage devices and an EqualLogic
Host Connection Manager (EHCM) that manages iSCSI sessions to the EqualLogic storage devices.
By utilizing the PSP in the EqualLogic MEM, storage I/O is improved with increased bandwidth and
reduced network latency. This is because the PSP can use its knowledge about the exact distribution of
volumes in the storage arrays. The EHCM provides automatic connection management by distributing
iSCSI sessions across all configured adapters and PS Series group Ethernet ports. It also automates load
balancing across multiple active paths to the storage array.
EqualLogic MEM consists of a setup.pl script for configuring the module and an offline bundle to be
installed on the ESXi server. The bundle can be installed through the vCenter Update Manager from a
vSphere Management Assistant server or the vSphere vCLI using the setup script. As described above,
vSphere Multipathing requires configuring four VMkernels, each associated with only one active
network port. During MEM configuration, the option to utilize the iSCSI software adapters should be
enabled by including the enableswiscsi flag when executing the setup.pl script.
4.3.5 PowerEdge R420 SAN Connectivity
The PowerEdge R420 has four 1Gb ports of which two are dedicated for SAN traffic. These ports allow
the PowerEdge R420 to manage the SAN switches and mount iSCSI based volumes for access to VMDKs
or ISOs on the SAN. Figure 14 shows the management server connectivity to the SAN switches.
Management Server SAN Connectivity Figure 14.
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Table 10 details the management server connectivity to the SAN switches.
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PowerEdge R420 SAN Connectivity Table 10.
LOM – Port 2 NIC – Port 2
Switch 1 – Port 1 Switch 2 – Port 1
As noted above, a benefit of connecting the management server to the SAN switches is that iSCSI
volumes may be presented to the management server to provide additional storage capacity for storing
items such as ISO images and scripts. Windows Server 2008 R2 supports Network File System (NFS)
shares which may be mounted by the ESXi cluster to access these files. To account for this potential
use case, the EqualLogic HIT is installed. HIT provides the multipath I/O (MPIO) plug-in for the
Microsoft iSCSI framework; however, HIT is not required to use Group Manager. Group Manager is the
user interface for managing the PS6100X storage.
4.3.6 EqualLogic PS6100X SAN Connectivity
The EqualLogic PS6100X contains redundant storage controllers. Each storage controller has four 1Gb
connections supporting iSCSI data and a 100Mb dedicated management traffic port. The four iSCSI data
connections on each controller are split between the two SAN switches for redundancy.
Figures 15 show how the two controllers on Array 1 are connected.
PS6100X Array 1 SAN Connectivity Figure 15.
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The other optional EqualLogic array follows the same connectivity pattern to the SAN switches with the
exception that it uses a unique set of physical ports on the switches. Table 11 details the connectivity
for each of the EqualLogic iSCSI arrays to the SAN switches.
PS6100X SAN Connectivity Table 11.
Array # Controller # Array Port
Ethernet 0
Array Port
Ethernet 1
Array Port
Ethernet 2
Array Port
Ethernet 3
Array 1 Slot 0 Switch 1 – Port 3 Switch 2 – Port 3 Switch 1 – Port 5 Switch 2 – Port 5
Array 1 Slot 1 Switch 2 – Port 4 Switch 1 – Port 4 Switch 2 – Port 6 Switch 1 – Port 6
Array 2 Slot 0 Switch 1 – Port 7 Switch 2 – Port 7 Switch 1 – Port 9 Switch 2 – Port 9
Array 2 Slot 1 Switch 2 – Port 8 Switch 1 – Port 8 Switch 2 – Port 10 Switch 1 – Port 10
4.3.7 EqualLogic Group and Pool Configuration
Each EqualLogic array (or member) is assigned to a particular group. Groups help in simplifying
management by enabling management of all members in a group from a single interface. Each group
contains one or more storage pools. Each pool must contain one or more members and each member is
associated with only one storage pool. Figure 16 shows an example of a group with three members
distributed across two pools.
EqualLogic Organizational Concepts Figure 16.
Group
Pool Pool
Member Member Member
The iSCSI volumes are created at the pool level. In the case where multiple members are placed in a
single pool, the data is distributed amongst the members of the pool. With data being distributed over
a larger number of disks, the potential performance of iSCSI volumes within the pool is increased with
each member added.
For vStart 50 with two arrays, one pool can be created with two members or two pools can be created
with one member each. Depending upon the storage options selected, the vStart 50 EqualLogic
organization options can be expanded.
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
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Storage Configuration Options Table 12.
vStart Model vStart 50: Base vStart Storage Array
Configuration
vStart 50+: With Storage Expansion Configuration
vStart 50 1 x PS6100X 2 x PS6100 Series Array
Using the information from Table 12 above as inputs, for a vStart 50 with Storage Expansion, one pool
with two members, or two pools with one member each can be created. Other EqualLogic array types
can be added to the existing storage pool or group. Understanding the expected storage workload
profile will help to determine the appropriate array selection and pool configuration. For more
information, please consult with your Dell Sales and Services representatives for planning out and
designing an EqualLogic storage solution. Also, refer to the following white paper, Using Tiered
Storage in a PS Series SAN, available at
http://www.equallogic.com/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=5239.
4.3.8 Storage Array RAID Configuration
The storage array RAID configuration is highly dependent on the workload in your virtual environment.
The EqualLogic PS series storage arrays support four RAID types: RAID 6, RAID 10, and RAID 50. The
RAID configuration will depend on workloads and customer requirements. In general, RAID 10 provides
the best performance at the expense of storage capacity.
RAID 10 generally provides better performance in random I/O situations, and requires additional
overhead in the case of a drive failure scenario. RAID 50 generally provides more usable storage, but
has less performance than RAID 10. RAID 6 provides better data protection than RAID 50.
For more information on configuring RAID in EqualLogic, refer to the white paper, How to Select the
Correct RAID for an EqualLogic SAN, available at
http://www.EqualLogic.com/resourcecenter/assetview.aspx?id=8071.
4.3.9 Volume Size Considerations
Volumes are created in the storage pools. Volume sizes depend on the customer environment and the
type of workloads. Volumes must be sized to accommodate not only the VM virtual hard drive, but also
the size of the virtual memory of the VM and additional capacity for any snapshots of the VM.
Depending on the environment, one may decide to create multiple ~500 GB volumes with multiple VMs.
It is important to include space for the guest operating system memory cache, snapshots, and VM
configuration files when sizing these volumes. Additionally, one can configure thin-provisioned volumes
to grow on demand only when additional storage is needed for those volumes. Thin provisioning can
increase the efficiency of storage utilization.
With each volume created and presented to the servers, additional iSCSI sessions are initiated. When
planning the solution, it is important to understand that group and pool limits exist for the number of
simultaneous iSCSI sessions. For more information, refer to the current EqualLogic Firmware (FW)
Release Notes available at the EqualLogic Support site.
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4.3.10 Storage Access Control
Access to the created volumes can be restricted to a subset of the servers that have physical
connectivity to the EqualLogic arrays. For each volume, access can be restricted based on IP address,
iSCSI qualified name (IQN), and/or Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP). When
creating a volume for the servers in the ESXi cluster, access must be granted to all servers in the
cluster.
4.4 Management Architecture
This section assumes initial configuration of the devices has been performed and pertains to ongoing
management of the vStart configurations. For additional information on managing the vStart
configuration, refer to the vStart 50 Solution Overview document.
4.4.1 Management on the LAN
The management of the devices on the LAN includes the following items:
Out–of-band server management
Server management through Dell OpenManage Server Administrator
Server management through Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter
ESXi cluster management through VMware vCenter
LAN switch management through CLI or web browser
EqualLogic array management and monitoring
Server Out-of-Band Management: The PowerEdge R620 servers and the PowerEdge R420 can be
managed directly by connecting to the iDRAC Web interface. In addition, the iDRAC supports remote
KVM through a virtual console.
Dell OpenManageTM Server Administrator (OMSA): OMSA should be installed on the PowerEdge R620
server and the PowerEdge R420. For the PowerEdge R620 servers, OMSA is available to download as an
OpenManage Offline Bundle and VIB for ESXi from support.dell.com. It can be installed on each ESXi
server either using vSphere Command Line Interface (vSphere CLI) or VMware vSphere Management
Assistant (vMA). For more information refer to the white paper, Dell Systems Management for VMware
ESX and ESXi, available at
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/software/eslvmwre/sysman/sysman.htm
For the PowerEdge R420, the Dell OpenManage Installation DVD is available for download from
support.dell.com. The OpenManage Web Service option allows the PowerEdge R420 to serve out the
OpenManage Web pages for the ESXi servers. The OMSA option provides hardware management for the
local system.
Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter: The plug-in provides server details for all PowerEdge
R620 servers in the solution at the datacenter, cluster, and host level within vCenter Server.
Inventory, monitoring, alerting, BIOS and firmware updates, and access to online warranty information
are available within vCenter Server. In addition, the plug-in provides the ability to directly launch the
iDRAC7 or OMSA Web interfaces for each server.
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ESXi Cluster Management: Management of the ESXi cluster will typically be performed directly with
vCenter Server, but can also be performed by connecting to each server through the VMware Virtual
Infrastructure Client (VI Client). In addition, for troubleshooting purposes, KVM or virtual console
through iDRAC connectivity to an ESXi server may be required to utilize the Direct Console User
Interface (DCUI).
LAN Switch Management: Management of the LAN switches can be performed through a Web browser,
serial cable, or telnet.
EqualLogic Array Management: The EqualLogic arrays are managed through the EqualLogic Group
Manager Web interface which can be accessed from the management server. Administrator primary
tasks within Group Manager include configuration and troubleshooting of the arrays. The HIT/VE Plug-in
for VMware vCenter can also be used to manage the storage arrays from within vCenter Server.
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EqualLogic Array Monitoring: SAN HQ is installed on the management server to provide current
performance monitoring and historical statistics. Group Manager can also be used for array monitoring.
A logical overview of the LAN management architecture is shown in Figure 17. Notice that the PS6100
arrays are managed via the dedicated management ports that are connected to the LAN switches.
Management Overview (LAN) Figure 17.
Legend
LA
N (
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1Gb LANOut-Of-Band Mgmt
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4.4.2 SAN Management
SAN management includes SAN switch management. Management of the SAN switches can be
performed through a Web browser, serial cable, or telnet from the management server, but only if the
management server is physical.
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A logical overview of the SAN management architecture is shown in Figure 18.
Management Overview (SAN) Figure 18.
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Note that while Figure 18 shows the high level physical connectivity between the PowerEdge R420
Management Server and the SAN switches, another path for storage management exists through the
Storage Management Port Group as discussed below in Section 4.4.4 and shown above in Figure 19.
4.4.3 Dell Management Plug-In for VMware vCenter
Dell Management Plug-In for VMware vCenter Server is provided as a virtual appliance and is hosted on
the ESXi cluster. The virtual networking for the appliance must be connected to the management port
group discussed in Section 4.2. After configuration, hardware monitoring and management of the ESXi
hosts can be done from within vCenter Server. OMSA must be installed on each ESXi host for the Dell
Management Plug-In for VMware vCenter to function properly.
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4.4.4 Dell EqualLogic HIT/VE Plug-In for VMware vCenter
Like the Management Plug-In, the HIT/VE is provided as a virtual appliance and is hosted on the ESXi
cluster. Similarly, virtual networking for the appliance must be connected to the management port
group discussed in Section 4.2. Once configured, storage volume and Auto Snapshot can be configured
and monitored from within the vCenter Server user interface.
5 Power and Cooling Configuration The vStart 50 configuration supports datacenters that have two separate sources of power. For the
servers and iSCSI storage arrays, redundant power supplies are provided, and each power supply is
connected to a unique PDU to avoid a single point of failure. The four PowerConnect switches are
configured with an external redundant power unit; the primary power on the switches is connected to
a separate PDU rather than the Redundant Power Unit for the switches.
The UPS and PDU model may vary based on the deployment needs of the datacenter. As such, detailed
power cabling information will be provided by Dell Services as part of the deployment process. Figure
19 below depicts the power configuration for the vStart 50+ configuration.
vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Design Guide
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vStart 50+ Power Cabling Figure 19.
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
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24
01
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06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
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15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
REPO OUTREPO IN
OFF
BATT.EXT
192V 30A
Not For
Current
Interrupting.
20A
250Vac
CIRCUIT
BREAKER
LS2
INPUT 208V~
AC OUTPUT 30A~
LS1
RPS
DC IN==,12V 7A 100-240V9600,8,1
BAY 2: 10G UPLINK MODULEBAY 1: STACKING OR 10G UPLINK MODULE
XG1 XG2 XG3 XG4
RPS
DC IN==,12V 7A 100-240V9600,8,1
BAY 2: 10G UPLINK MODULEBAY 1: STACKING OR 10G UPLINK MODULE
XG1 XG2 XG3 XG4
RPS
DC IN==,12V 7A 100-240V9600,8,1
BAY 2: 10G UPLINK MODULEBAY 1: STACKING OR 10G UPLINK MODULE
XG1 XG2 XG3 XG4
RPS
DC IN==,12V 7A 100-240V9600,8,1
BAY 2: 10G UPLINK MODULEBAY 1: STACKING OR 10G UPLINK MODULE
XG1 XG2 XG3 XG4
PDU connectivity will vary based on UPS presence and datacenter power infrastructure
PowerConnect 7024 or 6248 (SAN 2)PowerConnect 7024 or 6248 (SAN 1)
PowerConnect 7024 or 6248 (LAN 2)
PowerConnect 7024 or 6248 (LAN 1)
Keyboard, Monitor, Mouse
PowerEdge R620
PowerEdge R620
PowerEdge R420
EqualLogic PS6100X
UPS
PDU B
PDU A
/x8
/x8
vStart 50
PDU1 Power Cables PDU2 Power Cables
RPS PC RPS-720 or 600
1
1 2 3 4
iDRAC
1 2750W 750W
1
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iDRAC
1 2750W 750W
iDRAC
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ACT
ERR
PWR
ETHERNET 1ETHERNET 0
CONTROL MODULE 11
ETHERNET 2 ETHERNET 3
ETHERNET 1ETHERNET 0
CONTROL MODULE 11
ETHERNET 2 ETHERNET 3
To Datacenter
Power Source A
To Datacenter
Power Source B
PDU A should be cabled to one power source. PDU B should be cabled to a separate power source.
With one optional UPS in the solution, the recommended solution is to cable PDU A into the UPS and
PDU B into another power source in the datacenter. If this option is implemented, then the UPS should
be cabled to one power source and PDU B should be cabled to a separate power source, if two power
sources are available.
Detailed information on the power, cooling, and related datacenter rack requirements of the vStart 50
are available in the vStart 50 Solution Specifications document.
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6 Scalability When adding additional servers or storage to the rack, power, weight, and cooling requirements must
be taken into account. The power limits of PDUs and UPS must be understood prior to installing a new
system.
In addition, the impact to the total iSCSI session count for the EqualLogic group and pools must be
understood when adding either new servers or EqualLogic arrays. For additional information refer to
the whitepapers, Configuring VMware vSphere Software iSCSI with Dell EqualLogic PS Series Storage and
Configuring iSCSI Connectivity with VMware vSphere 5 and Dell EqualLogic PS Series Storage.
Switch ports on both the LAN and SAN switches are available for expansion. Those ports must be
enabled and configured to support the new servers and/or storage arrays.
Adding new servers to the ESXi Cluster: If additional VMs will be deployed that will exceed current
resource capabilities, or the ESXi cluster has reached its acceptable maximum (CPU and memory)
resource utilization, then additional servers can be added to the cluster.
Previously created iSCSI volumes on the EqualLogic array may require modifications to the access
controls to grant access to the newly added servers.
When adding servers to an ESXi cluster, it is recommended that the configuration be identical to the
other systems in the cluster. If this is not achievable, then there may be restrictions on certain actions
such as vMotion between the differing systems. To understand vMotion compatibility requirements,
refer to the Dell whitepaper, VMware vMotion and 64-Bit Virtual Machine Support for Dell PowerEdge
Systems Compatibility Matrix, available at
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/software/eslvmwre/VS/index.htm.
For quick addition of a new server and for the ESXi cluster to be uniform, host profiles can be used. A
host profile is created from an existing server on the same ESXi cluster. It will capture the networking,
storage and security settings from the validated configuration. A new server with the basic vSphere
installation can be added to the cluster and the host profile can then be applied to setup the
networking, storage, and security configuration. Note that host profiles require vSphere Enterprise Plus
license edition.
Adding new storage to the EqualLogic group: New EqualLogic arrays can be added to the existing
EqualLogic group. As each new array is added to the storage group, the storage capacity and
performance, in terms of both bandwidth and IOPS, are increased. This increased capacity can be
utilized without downtime. When a new array is added to an existing pool, the existing data will
automatically be distributed to the newly added array.
If EqualLogic thin provisioning was utilized and virtual capacity allocated is nearing the limit of physical
capacity, then adding an additional storage array to the constrained pool will address this issue.
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7 References VMware references:
VMware vSphere Edition Comparisons
https://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/buy/editions_comparison.html
VMware vSphere Compatibility Matrixes
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsphere4/r40/vsp_compatibility_matrix.pdf
VMware High Availability (HA): Deployment Best Practices
http://www.vmware.com/resources/techresources/10166
EqualLogic references:
Dell EqualLogic PS Series Architecture Whitepaper
http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/pvaul/en/dell_EqualLogic_architecture.pdf
Configuring and Installing the EqualLogic Multipathing Extension Module for VMware vSphere
4.1 and PS Series SANs
http://www.EqualLogic.com/resourcecenter/assetview.aspx?id=9823
Host Integration Tools for VMware
http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/pvaul/en/EqualLogic-host-software.pdf
http://www.delltechcenter.com/page/EqualLogic+HIT-VE+new+features#fbid=xzSL8xnCju5
How to Select the Correct RAID for an EqualLogic SAN
http://www.EqualLogic.com/resourcecenter/assetview.aspx?id=8071
Using Tiered Storage in a PS Series SAN
http://www.EqualLogic.com/resourcecenter/assetview.aspx?id=5239
Monitoring your PS Series SAN with SAN HQ
http://www.EqualLogic.com/resourcecenter/assetview.aspx?id=8749
Dell Management:
Dell Management Plug-In for VMware vCenter references – Solution Brief
http://content.dell.com/us/en/enterprise/d/business~solutions~virtualization~en/Documents~
dell-management-plug-in-vmware-vcenter-solution-brief.pdf.aspx
Dell Systems Management for VMware ESX and ESXi
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/software/eslvmwre/sysman/sysman.htm
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8 Appendix A – IP & VLAN Planning Worksheet
VLAN Configuration
Traffic Type VLAN Subnet Subnet Mask Gateway
Management
vMotion
Out-of-Band Management
VM
iSCSI / iSCSI Management
Existing Infrastructure
DNS NTP NTP for SAN Database for vCenter Server
Management Appliances
Appliance - Network IP Address
Dell Management Plugin for vCenter – MGMT Network
EqualLogic Host Integration tools for VMware Edition (HIT/VE) – MGMT Network
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PowerConnect 7024 Switches
The IP address for the PowerConnect LAN switches should be on the out-of-band management network
and the SAN switches should be on the iSCSI network. Only one IP address is required for the LAN
switches due to the stacked configuration.
Switch IP Address
LAN 1 & 2
SAN 1
SAN 2
PowerEdge R420 Server or Mgmt VM: ___IP Address, hostname, FQDN________
iDRAC Management Out-of-Band Mgmt iSCSI 1 iSCSI 2
PowerEdge R620 Servers
Server 1:____IP Address, hostname, FQDN________
iDRAC Management vMotion
iSCSI 1 iSCSI 2 iSCSI 3 iSCSI 4 Storage Heartbeat
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Server 2: ____IP Address, hostname, FQDN________
iDRAC Management vMotion
iSCSI 1 iSCSI 2 iSCSI 3 iSCSI 4 Storage Heartbeat
EqualLogic PS6100X Array(s)
EqualLogic Group Name:____________
EqualLogic Group IP:____________
EqualLogic Management IP:_______________
iSCSI 1 iSCSI 2 iSCSI 3 iSCSI 4 Management
Array 1
Array 2
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9 Appendix B – IP & VLAN Sample Worksheet
VLAN Configuration (VLANs, and TCP/IP Subnets, and Gateways should be changed to match
existing infrastructure) and the information in the other tables in Appendix B is provided as an
example.
Traffic Type VLAN Subnet Subnet Mask Gateway
Management 20 192.168.20.X 255.255.255.0 192.168.20.1
vMotion 30 192.168.30.X 255.255.255.0 192.168.30.1
Out-of-Band Management
10 192.168.10.X 255.255.255.0 192.168.10.1
VM 100 192.168.100.X 255.255.255.0 192.168.100.1
iSCSI / iSCSI Management
50 192.168.50.X 255.255.255.0 192.168.50.1
Existing Infrastructure (IP addresses should be changed to match existing infrastructure)
DNS NTP NTP for SAN Database for vCenter Server
192.168.20.2 192.168.20.2 192.168.50.2 192.168.20.3
Management Appliances
Appliance - Network IP Address
Dell Management Plugin for vCenter – MGMT Network 192.168.20.19
EqualLogic Host Integration tools for VMware Edition (HIT/VE) – MGMT Network
192.168.20.18
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PowerConnect 7024 Switches
The IP address for the PowerConnect LAN switches should be on the out-of-band management network
and the SAN switches should be on the iSCSI network. Only one IP address is required for the LAN
switches due to the stacked configuration.
Switch IP Address
LAN 1 & 2 192.168.10.201
SAN 1 192.168.50.201
SAN 2 192.168.50.202
PowerEdge R420 Server or Mgmt VM: management
iDRAC Management Out-of-Band Mgmt iSCSI 1 iSCSI 2
192.168.10.10 192.168.20.10 192.168.10.60 192.168.50.10 192.168.50.60
PowerEdge R620 Servers
Server 1: esxi-node1
iDRAC Management vMotion
192.168.10.11 192.168.20.11 192.168.30.11
iSCSI 1 iSCSI 2 iSCSI 3 iSCSI 4 Storage Heartbeat
192.168.50.11 192.168.50.21 192.168.50.31 192.168.50.41 192.168.50.81
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Server 2: esxi-node2
iDRAC Management vMotion
192.168.10.12 192.168.20.12 192.168.30.12
iSCSI 1 iSCSI 2 iSCSI 3 iSCSI 4 Storage Heartbeat
192.168.50.12 192.168.50.22 192.168.50.32 192.168.50.42 192.168.50.82
EqualLogic PS6100X Array(s)
EqualLogic Group Name:____________
EqualLogic Group IP: 192.168.50.100
EqualLogic Management IP: 192.168.20.100
iSCSI 1 iSCSI 2 iSCSI 3 iSCSI 4 Management
Array 1 192.168.50.101 192.168.50.102 192.168.50.103 192.168.50.104 192.168.20.102
Array 2 192.168.50.105 192.168.50.106 192.168.50.106 192.168.50.107 192.168.20.103