Dell Engineered Solutions for VMware EVO:RAIL Version 1.2.
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Contents 1 Dell Engineered Solution for EVO:RAIL setup checklist................................ 5 2 VMware EVO:RAIL Network Configuration table........................................... 7 3 EVO:RAIL Networking........................................................................................10 EVO:RAIL Appliance............................................................................................................................ 10 Top-of-Rack switch..............................................
Upload configuration file ................................................................................................................... 37 JSON file format and valid values.......................................................................................................38 Modification instructions for the sample JSON file ..........................................................................38 11 Appendix B: Physical requirements...............................................................
Dell Engineered Solution for EVO:RAIL setup checklist 1 Read through the Dell Engineered Solution for EVO RAIL Initial Configuration and Network User’s Guide, and type the required information in the EVO:RAIL Network Configuration table. Table 1.
Dell Engineered Solution for EVO RAIL setup checklist • Optional: The hostname of your third-party syslog server instead of vRealize Log Insight • The IP address for Dell PowerTools Cluster Services Manager Ensure you have all of the following ready EVO:RAIL Appliance(s) • • 2U rack space is required in a 19x30-inch cabinet for each Appliance • A custom management VLAN can optionally be created, as described in this user guide, before you deploy your EVO:RAIL Appliance; it cannot be added after the
2 VMware EVO:RAIL Network Configuration table Table 2. VMware EVO:RAIL Network Configuration table Row Category Description Sample Default 1 Client workstation or laptop for EVO:RAIL Configuration and Management Preconfiguration IP address, netmask, gateway Example: 192.168.10.210 Customer Values 255.255.255.0 192.168.10.
Row 6 7 8 Category Virtual SAN Description Sample Default Netmask 255.255.255.0 VLAN ID for Virtual SAN 30 Starting IP address 192.168.30.1 Ending IP address 192.168.30.4 Netmask 255.255.255.
Row Category Description Sample Default Existing syslog server(s) — optional No default 13 Dell PowerTools Cluster Services Manager Primary VM IP address No default 14 Out-of-Band Management (optional — configurable only in server BIOS) BMC username and password root root iDRAC username and password root calvin Hostname for each node -01 Customer Values -02 etc.
EVO:RAIL Networking 3 To ensure the correct functioning of EVO:RAIL™ and an optimal end-to-end user experience, understanding the recommendations and requirements are document in this User’s Guide. EVO:RAIL Appliance EVO:RAIL consists of four nodes. Figure 1 shows an example of the physical appliance and simple network setup. EVO:RAIL ships with either eight RJ-45 or SFP+ NIC ports. Eight corresponding ports are required for each EVO:RAIL appliance on the TOR switch(es).
Figure 2. Rear view of one deployment of EVO:RAIL connected to two TOR switches, which can be used for redundancy. EVO:RAIL is more prescriptive than Virtual SAN in order for customers to have a true "appliance" experience, although VMware Virtual SAN™ drives many of the hardware components in EVO:RAIL. VMware Loudmouth autodiscovery capability drives the EVO:RAIL network requirements on the basis of the RFC-recognized "Zero Network Configuration" protocol.
Figure 3. EVO:RAIL configuration For more information, see Dell PowerEdge C6320 Systems Hardware Owner’s Manual at Dell.com/ poweredgemanuals. To understand the physical power and cooling facilities provided for the expected resiliency level of the appliance, see Appendix B Physical requirements.
Top-of-Rack switch For information about Dell Networking, click http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/networking/m/ networking_files/20441278/download. A 10 GbE TOR switch that is correctly configured to carry IPv4 multicast and IPv6 multicast traffic is required. IPv4 multicast and IPv6 multicast traffic must be carried to all ports connected to EVO:RAIL on the TOR switch. Multicast is not required on your entire network, just on the ports connected to EVO:RAIL.
Understanding switch configuration In order for EVO:RAIL to function properly, you must configure your TOR switch as instructed by your switch manufacturer. Sample output configurations for common switch modes are provided in the VMware Knowledge Base as examples. Go to http://kb.vmware.com for the EVO:RAIL product. Ports on a switch operate in one of the following modes: • Access mode — The port accepts only untagged packets and distributes the untagged packets to all VLANs on that port.
connect to the EVO:RAIL graphical user interface (GUI) by using either an IP address or a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) configured on the local DNS server (for example, http://evorail.yourcompany.com: 7443). Port 7443 reaches the EVO:RAIL graphical user interface (GUI) and port 9443 reaches the vSphere Web Client on vCenter Server. Table 5.
• configure ESXi hosts. Management traffic includes all EVO:RAIL, vCenter Server, ESXi, and vRealize Log Insight (optional) communication. Custom Management VLAN: To customize the management VLAN on-site (but before EVO:RAIL is initially configured), changes are required for two different portgroups on all ESXi hosts in an EVO:RAIL cluster. The first portgroup is the ESXi "Management Network", and the second portgroup is the vCenter Server management network ("VM Network").
address fields, but you can change them to coordinate with your network. When selecting your IP addresses, ensure that none of them conflict with existing IP addresses in your network. This section describes the EVO:RAIL supports the IP addresses for EVO:RAIL or vCenter Server, ESXi, vSphere vMotion, Virtual SAN, and the network services. EVO:RAIL or vCenter Server IP address EVO:RAIL and vCenter Server share an IP address.
ESXi, vSphere vMotion, Virtual SAN IP addresses For ESXi, vSphere vMotion, and Virtual SAN, you are allocating 12 IP addresses per appliance. If you allocate more IP addresses for future scale-out, you are able to add EVO:RAIL appliances with no additional configuration; otherwise, you can enter additional IP addresses when you expand EVO:RAIL. Table 8. IP address requirements Network IP Requirements ESXi hosts Continuous IP range is required, with a minimum of 4 IPs.
Table 9. Network configuration table Network Configuration Table4 Row 7 Type an example of your desired ESXi host-naming scheme. Be sure to show your desired prefix, separator, iterator, and top-level domain. Network Configuration Table4 Row 4 Type the vCenter Server hostname; the top-level domain is automatically copied from the ESXi host-naming scheme. Passwords Passwords are required for ESXi host root access and vCenter Server admin access.
CAUTION: Make sure that the DNS IP address is accessible from the network to which EVO:RAIL is connected and functioning properly. If the DNS server requires access through a gateway, the gateway must be EVO:RAIL, do not type a DNS IP address. To add a DNS server after you have configured EVO:RAIL, see the VMware Knowledge Base 2107249 . Table 13. Network configuration table • Network Configuration Table4 Row 29 Type the IP address(es) for your DNS server(s).
physical network separation. Although you could use four additional ports on your TOR 10 GbE switch (if the TOR supports your iDRAC or BMC ports), it is more economical to use a lower bandwidth switch. When EVO:RAIL is shipped, the iDRAC or BMC ports are preconfigured by DHCP. The can be found on a pull-out tag located in front of the physical appliance.
4 Networking best practices • Various network topologies for TOR switch(es) and VLANs are possible with EVO:RAIL. Complex production environments have multiple core switches, TOR switches, and VLANs. • For high-availability, use two TOR switches and connect one port from each node to each TOR switch. Connect multiple TOR switches through a VLAN trunked interfaces, and ensure that all VLANs used for EVO:RAIL are carried across the trunk following the requirements in this document .
Avoiding common mistakes 5 To avoid common network mistakes: 1. The network prerequisites described in this document must be met; otherwise, this results in a failed EVO:RAIL installation and/or does not function. You must fill the EVO:RAIL Network Configuration Table. 2. If you have separate teams for network and servers in your data center, you need to work together to design the network and configure the switch(es). 3. Read through your vendor instructions for your TOR switch. a.
EVO:RAIL Appliance 6 Dell Engineered Solutions for VMware EVO:RAIL combines Compute, Networking, Storage, and Management resources together with VMware's industry leading infrastructure virtualization and management products to form a radically simple hyperconverged infrastructure appliance.
Software EVO:RAIL delivers the first hyperconverged infrastructure appliance 100 percent powered by VMware’s proven suite of core products.
EVO:RAIL Deployment 7 To deploying the EVO:RAIL: 1. Rack and cable: connect the 10 GbE adapters on EVO:RAIL to your TOR switch(es). 2. Turn on each node on your EVO:RAIL appliance. 3. Connect a workstation or laptop (any operating system) to the TOR switch and configure the network address to talk to EVO:RAIL or vCenter Server. For example: IP address: 192.168.10.210; netmask: 255.255.255.0; gateway: 192.168.10.254 4. Browse to the EVO:RAIL IP address (for example, https://192.168.10.200:7443).
EVO:RAIL Setup Validation 8 1. Log in to the EVO:RAIL management web client and check the health status: https://:7743. 2. Log in to vSphere Web Client at https:// /vsphere-client/, go to Home → Hosts and Clusters and ensure all ESXi nodes, vSphere vCenter Server Appliance, and VMware vRealize Log Insight are accessible. If you see any red critical alerts, it implies that there is an issue in the setup. 3.
Figure 6. Validating VM Can Reach gateway Configured on Dell Networking ToR Switches 5. Console, telnet, or SSH into the second ToR switch in the pair; This switch is receiving the SAN traffic since VMNIC1 (connecting to Dell networking TOR switch) is active and VMNIC0 (connecting to Dell networking TOR switch) is standby for the VSAN port group as discussed earlier. Verify that IGMP snooping is working with the show ip igmp snooping groups command.
Figure 8. Validating multicast and IGMP Snooping 7. Go to Home → Hosts and Clusters and select the first ESXi server node. Click Networking, and then click the Virtual switches item in the inner menu. Within the MARVIN Management port group, click the i symbol connecting to the green port as shown in the Verifying ESXi Host IPv6 Address figure. NOTE: The IPv6 link-local address for the ESXi host. Repeat this process for other ESXi hosts within the cluster and note their IPv6 link-local addresses.
NOTE: If SSH is not working, ensure that SSH is enabled on the ESXi hosts by logging directly in to the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI) by either directly connecting a monitor and keyboard to the respective server node or by connecting by using vSphere Web Client to the respective ESXi host.
EVO:RAIL Initial Configuration 9 Overview After you have filled the required information in the EVO:RAIL Network Configuration Table, you are ready to begin EVO:RAIL Initial Configuration. There are four methods to configure EVO:RAIL. Default values are based on a JSON-formatted file. For more information, see Appendix A section in this document. • Customize When you customize EVO:RAIL, fields are prepopulated with default values, except for the ESXi and vCenter Server passwords.
Type the VLAN IDs, IP addresses, netmask, and gateway for ESXi, Virtual SAN, vSphere vMotion, vCenter Server, and VM Networks from Rows 8–24. • Passwords Type ESXi hosts and vCenter Server passwords from Row 25. Type the Active Directory (optional) domain, username and password from Row 26. • Globals Type your time zone and your existing NTP and DNS server(s) from Rows 27–29.
according to the default JSON configuration file and go to Step 11. To upload your own JSON file, click Customize, and then click Upload Configuration. NOTE: There is no save option in EVO:RAIL. All configuration changes are automatically validated and saved when changing between fields or screens. Figure 11. Configure hostnames 4. 5. To customize EVO:RAIL, click Hostnames to define a naming scheme for your ESXi hosts.
Figure 12. Configure Networking 6. Click vCenter Server to type the IP address for EVO:RAIL Management and vCenter Server. The Netmask and Default gateway IP addresses are automatically copied from ESXi hosts. • If you type a new vCenter Server IP address, EVO:RAIL automatically reconfigure and informs you its new IP address, as described in Step 11. • The IP address of vRealize Log Insight (in Step 9, Globals)must be same as subnet and vCenter Server. • Port numbers remain the same.
11. Click Validate. EVO:RAIL verifies the configuration data, checking for conflicts. After validation is successful, click Build Appliance. 12. This step is only necessary if you change the IP address of vCenter Server from the default value. If you set a new IP address for vCenter Server or EVO:RAIL in step 6, you see the following screen: Figure 13.
Figure 14.
Appendix A: JSON configuration file 10 EVO:RAIL relies on a JSON-formatted file to initially populate fields in the user interface. The end user is presented with this data during initial appliance configuration (both for Customize and Just Go workflows). The initial configuration file is found on the EVO:RAIL service datastore at: /usr/lib/ vmware-marvin/marvind/webapps/ROOT/WEB-INF/classes/default-config-static.
Deploy EVO:RAIL as usual by configuring your ToR switch, racking and cabling your new EVO:RAIL appliance, and turning on each EVO:RAIL node. Connect the EVO:RAIL Configuration and Management workstation or laptop to the network, and continue with the following steps: 6. Go to the initial IP address in Row 5. Click the Yes, Let’s Go! button. Accept the VMware End-User License Agreement. 7. Click the Customize button. 8. On the lower-right corner of the page, click Upload Configuration File.
– The general formula for the FQDN (fully qualified domain name) of an ESXi host is: . – When using "-" as the separator, the FQDN of an ESXi host is: . (i.e. host-01.vsphere.local) – When using "" as the separator, the FQDN of an ESXi host is: . (i.e. host01.vsphere.local) • iterator: – ALPHA means that the first host starts with A, the second host with B, and so on.
Figure 15. Sample JSON file based on EVO:RAIL Release 1.2.
Figure 16. Sample JSON file based on EVO:RAIL Release 1.2.
Appendix B: Physical requirements 11 For more information, see Dell PowerEdge C6220 II and C6320 Systems Hardware Owner’s Manual at Dell.com/poweredgemanuals. • Default BMC username: root and password: root • Default iDRAC username: root and password: calvin Technical specifications Table 18. Technical specifications Power AC power supply (per PSU) Wattage 1400 W Voltage 200–240 VAC, 50-60 Hz , maximum input current: 9.0 A Heat dissipation 6024.
Power Battery (per system board) System battery CR 2032 3.0-V lithium ion coin cell Physical Height 8.68 cm (3.42 in) Width 44.8 cm (17.6 in) Depth 79.0 cm (31.1 in) Weight (maximum configuration) 41 kg (90.38 lb) (with 12x3.5-inch HDD) 39 kg (86.00 lb) (with 24*2.5-inch HDD) Weight (empty) 15.7 kg (34.61 lb) (with 2.5-inch HDD bay) 15.1 kg (33.29 lb) (with 3.5-inch HDD bay) Environmental NOTE: For more information about environmental measurements for specific system configurations, go to www.
Power Operating One shock pulse in the positive z axis (one pulse on each side of the syst em) of 31 G for 2.
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To... See the... Configure and log in to iDRAC, set up managed and management system, know the iDRAC features, and troubleshoot by using iDRAC Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller User's Guide at Dell.com/idracmanuals Know about the RACADM subcommands and supported RACADM interfaces RACADM Command Line Reference Guide for iDRAC at Dell.
