Setup Guide

Figure 1. Cluster components
A cluster provides the following benefits:
● Reduced management complexity.
● Enhanced performance and resource efficiency. Compute and storage resources are pooled within a cluster and the
resources usage is balanced across all of the cluster's appliances. Resources are re-balanced as needed to maintain and
optimize the cluster's performance and resource usage. This is done based on the storage space usage trends and system
performance evaluations occurring in the backend.
● Scalability. Start with a small configuration and easily add capacity or performance to the system by adding more appliances
later to meet business demand.
Planning and installation overview
This section provides a high-level map of the steps you should plan on taking from planning through installation, and finally
logging on to the PowerStore Manager user interface. Ensure that you see the associated documentation resources for detailed
instructions and recommendations. You can access the documentation resources on the PowerStore Documentation page at
https://www.dell.com/powerstoredocs.
Before the appliance arrives:
1. Work with your infrastructure administrators to:
a. Configure your network and Top-of-Rack (TOR) switches based on the recommendations that are provided in the
PowerStore Networking Guide for PowerStore T Models or PowerStore Networking Guide for PowerStore X Models.
b. Obtain network-related information that you require for initial configuration of your cluster. Use the PowerStore
Networking Guide for PowerStore T Models or PowerStore Networking Guide for PowerStore X Models to plan and
collect this information.
c. Configure the network ports to allow the cluster to communicate with pertinent hosts and applications securely and
efficiently. See Port Usage on page 22 for more information.
2. PowerStore requires a data center or server room that is equipped with controlled electrical, environmental, cabling, and
safety systems. Plan the site where you will install the appliances and the location of the appliance components (base
enclosures and expansion enclosures) in a rack. See Site planning on page 9 for more information.
3. Set up a workstation that you will use to discover the appliances and configure the cluster. You may also need to download
a Discovery Utility from the support website and install it on this workstation. See Workstation requirements on page 16 for
more information.
4. Determine the drive failure tolerance level you want to set on each appliance. The drive failure tolerance level indicates the
amount of concurrent drive failures the appliance can sustain without causing a data unavailable or data loss event. The
single drive fault tolerance level meets availability requirements for all drive types and capacity points, but the double drive
failure tolerance can provide higher resiliency and protection. You cannot change the drive fault tolerance level after you
have set it. Ensure that the enclosure includes the following number of SSD drives:
● At least six drives for single drive failure tolerance
● Seven drives for double drive failure tolerance
Once the appliance arrives:
See the PowerStore Quick Start Guide in the box to:
1. Unbox and install your appliance (base enclosure and expansion enclosures).
2. Connect the enclosures to the network, and power up.
Introduction
7