Reaching the Summit, The Next Chapter of VxBlock History
Wed, 06 Mar 2024 15:34:48 -0000
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You stand atop a great mountain looking over all you have done to reach the summit. The air is thin and only a few have ever attempted to join you at these hallowed heights of success. This is the reality of VxBlock and indeed the converged infrastructure market.
As it has ascended to these heights over the last 13 years, the enterprise IT space has changed and morphed continually reinventing itself. We have seen the rise of hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI), cloud computing, containers, and software defined anything and everything. All these technologies have sprung to life during the decades long journey of VxBlock.
And like many of you, I have been there for this journey to the mountain top, this extraordinary adventure to do something new and unheard of in the marketplace. Today, the journey changes, today we start the next chapter of VxBlock history.
We are turning the page on VxBlock, we are creating a 3-Tier reference architecture to allow anyone to build a 3-Tier architecture. You can scale the mountain and embrace 3-Tier in your data center, but you don’t have to do it alone.
A traditional reference architecture is merely a map to follow. We all know to scale the high peaks of enterprise IT you need more than a map, more than a single document as your guide. We realize this and provide four essential documents to guide you on you 3-Tier journey. There is a design guide that helps you plan your journey. There is also an implementation guide to help assemble the right parts for your converged architecture journey. And there are the Release Certification Matrix (RCM) and Logical Configuration Survey (LCS) materials to help you avoid both common and uncommon pitfalls that you may come across. This is shown in the overview below.
These last two pieces of knowledge, the RCM and LCS, allow you to take advantage of some of the same revolutionary items that are used with VxBlock systems. VxBlock users tend to be familiar with both, but for those new to the 3-Tier space, let us explain them in a little more detail.
The LCS or logical configuration survey, is a document that has been refined over a decade to capture all the points of integration for a new 3-Tier deployment. There is no need to guess what information you might need to have a successful build, as those details are captured in the LCS before you even begin to deploy a 3-Tier architecture. This includes the obvious things such as domain credentials as well as the not so obvious things like rack power requirements. This survey makes it much easier to attain a successful deployment.
The RCM or release certification matrix has been a staple of 3-Tier architectures for a long time and has made its way into many other architectures. What the RCM provides is a list of interoperable systems. This may not sound like much, after all, most RAs tell you the components that were tested in the design. The RCM is different, in that it’s not just about a single set of components. For example, a single server model. The RCM is comprised of several different components that can be incorporated into a 3-Tier architecture. Plus, it is even more detailed than that. It looks at code level interoperability. Can the firmware of a switch, a server, and an OS function together? The RCM can help answer that question. If you will, would you rather climb a mountain in a one-size-fits-all climbing shoe, or a pair of tailor made shoes that fit to you?
This has been a core feature of VxBlock since its inception and can now be utilized as a for interoperability as part of the 3-Tier reference architecture. The RCM provides a reference point as organizations continue the normal life of their VxBlocks. Then as VxBlock systems reach the end of their operational life, the RCM also provides a pathway to migrate to a 3-Tier reference architecture. If you will, a path for any organization to reach the summit of their IT aspirations.
You are probably wondering, how these documents result in a complete 3-teir architecture in your data center. Let’s look at how all the parts come together with all the documents that make up the 3-Teir Reference Architecture. You can see how they logically come together in the following graphic.
Start by preparing a plan for your environment. The 3-Tier Design Guide can help you with this along with a trusted advisor, such as Dell or another partner or VAR. Once you have a plan in place, you will need to order the infrastructure for your design. That includes the standard items you see in the diagram above like storage, switching, and compute. It also includes things you may not have thought of like racks and cables. No one climbs a mountain without first having a plan.
Something worth noting at this point is, you’ll need to purchase maintenance on each piece of equipment purchased. Similar to how one wouldn’t expect climbing gear and tents to be covered by the same warranty.
Now comes the exciting decision, who’s going to assemble your powerful 3-Tier reference architecture? There are three pathways to choose from. You can have all the gear land on your dock, and you can assemble it yourself by following the Implementation Guide. Of course, that is spending a lot of time just keeping the data center humming. There are other options that might yield a better return on investment for your organization.
You could have someone who is skilled at assembly assemble it for you, following the Implementation Guide, RCM, and LCS. There are many partners who can help you design and build a tailored 3-Tier architecture using the four documents discussed above. Additionally, Dell offers Enterprise Integration Services where a Dell team will work with you to integrate components into a 3-Tier architecture using a build methodology based on the documents above.
Whichever way you choose to assemble the design, the result is a 3-Tier platform for your datacenter. The process could look something like the diagram below. Where the individual components are purchased, then assembled according to the documentation, and finally consumed as a single operational system.
Having a structured architecture like this makes the journey to an operational state much easier. Much like climbing a mountain, a well-tested path is a quicker way to the summit.
Dell has made this journey an open process for anyone looking to deploy a 3-Tier architecture in their environment. The team has created more than a typical reference architecture, they have provided access to design guidance, implementation guidance, a release certification matrix (RCM), and a logical configuration survey (LCS).
Having all of these resources, is not only like having a map to the summit, but a trained guide with a full understanding of the mountain and a support system every step of the way until you reach the summit. If you’re interested in finding out more about using 3-Tier architectures in your environment, reach out to your Dell representative.
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Introducing new Converged Management Software with CloudIQ for VxBlock Systems
Thu, 16 Dec 2021 19:53:16 -0000
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We are delighted to announce that today, our new Converged Management Software (CMS) for VxBlock System 1000, VxBlock System 740, VxBlock System 540, and VxBlock System 350 is available. CMS is an exciting new product that provides a unified CloudIQ integrated management for Converged Infrastructure (CI) operations for VxBlock. It dramatically simplifies daily administration by providing enhanced system-level awareness, automation, and analytics. CMS replaces VxBlock Central, and VxBlock Central software is no longer available with new VxBlock Systems.
What is CMS?
CMS is a lightweight on-prem software that provides VxBlock system configuration and data discovery. CMS collects the required management data from different components within your VxBlock system and sends it to CloudIQ, a single pane of glass management dashboard for VxBlock operations for processing and analytics. With CMS, you can consolidate management and monitoring of VxBlock systems with other Dell Technologies infrastructure solutions through CloudIQ.
8 Fun-Facts about CMS:
- CloudIQ conveniently unifies the management dashboard for VxBlock systems and other Dell infrastructure products
- Deployment and system configuration time is drastically reduced with simplified on-prem CMS software
- Asset management for compute, storage, and virtualization in the context of converged infrastructure inventory allows for simplicity
- Greater visibility into lifecycle milestones for components in the converged systems for better TCO management
- Efficient monitoring of the status of service contracts for exceptional Dell support
- Automation workflows to expand compute and storage resources more quickly and systematically
- Deep KPI metrics including capacity reporting and performance analytics with historical perspective for storage devices when onboarded within CloudIQ
- Comprehensive telemetry for efficient and streamlined support experience
Next Steps
Dell EMC’s latest Converged Management System (CMS) is now available and replaces VxBlock Central. CMS automates complex orchestration tasks and simplifies lifecycle management while enabling exceptional infrastructure visibility. Please use the following resources to learn more about the VxBlock systems and CloudIQ.
- Dell EMC and Partner FAQs: Converged Management Software 1.0 AND VxBlock Central End of Life
- VxBlock Product Page
- VxBlock Technical Collateral
- VxBlock Product Overview
- CloudIQ Product Page
- CIoudIQ Simulator
- Dell Technologies Document Center
Authors: Udit Sharma and Sameer Mohile
Dell EMC VxBlock 1000 and VDI – A Real Better Together Story
Wed, 19 Aug 2020 23:24:12 -0000
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Originally published on August 21, 2019
Enterprises driving towards digital transformation need IT infrastructure designed to support those initiatives. Along with modernizing applications and the underlying infrastructure, it is equally important to focus on transforming the workspaces of end-users. End-user experience is an essential aspect of digital transformation initiatives that depend on the performance and responsiveness of digital workspaces.
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is the heart of digital workspace implementations. Enterprises planning for workspace transformation rely on VDI to provide a seamless desktop experience to their employee workspaces. VDI provides the agility, security, and centralized management that are critical to successful workspace transformation initiatives.
In this blog, we will discuss how the latest Dell EMC VxBlock System 1000 converged infrastructure and VDI together form a better strategy for your digital transformation initiatives.
VxBlock 1000 converged infrastructure is a combination of best-in-breed technologies from Dell EMC, Cisco, and VMware. You get a turnkey product that is engineered, manufactured, managed, supported, and most importantly sustained as one system.
Figure 1: VxBlock System 1000
VxBlock 1000 from Dell EMC offers you a design that ensures your IT infrastructure can support next-generation technologies and meet performance, agility, scalability, and simplicity requirements for digital transformation. With the flexibility to choose from Dell EMC’s powerful portfolio of storage and data protection products, and from Cisco’s compute and networking products, you can consolidate and run a variety of workloads, including mission-critical ones such as SAP, Microsoft SQL, Oracle, Epic, and VDI on a single platform. From a life-cycle management (LCM) perspective, the integration of VxBlock Central software with VMware’s vRealize Orchestrator and vRealize Operations software delivers cloud operations faster and more efficiently. VxBlock 1000 simplifies LCM by performing upgrades and patches 6 times faster than traditional 3-tier system management. For more information regarding the benefits of VxBlock 1000, see the Dell EMC VxBlock website.
The migration of applications to the public cloud is sometimes regarded as a step forward towards reaching the goal of digital transformation. However, most enterprises quickly find that the public cloud is not a one-size-fits-all solution for hosting their applications. Some applications are better suited to hosting on-premises for a variety of reasons, including security, operational control, and data governance. So, the ‘hybrid cloud’ is emerging as the model that best fits the needs of many enterprises embracing digital transformation. VxBlock System 1000 can be the foundation for your hybrid cloud infrastructure to speed up your efforts towards digital transformation. You can read more about VxBlock 1000 and digital transformation in this Dell EMC blog. And, for the majority of the applications running on-premises, enterprises can use VDI infrastructure running on VxBlock 1000 to present these applications on end-users’ digital workspaces, while reaping all the benefits of a VDI solution.
Enterprises with VxBlock 1000 can run VDI workloads in combination with high-value workloads like SAP, Oracle, Microsoft SQL, and Epic on a common platform. In an enterprise-scale VDI environment, VxBlock 1000 can both scale up and scale out seamlessly to support additional users. The VxBlock 1000 architecture supports the granular scalability of each component independently, whether it is the compute, networking, or storage, thus providing flexibility and agility for your VDI environment. If you are a large enterprise running a VDI workload, you are likely to get a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) when using VxBlock 1000, compared to a DIY design approach or public cloud offering.
Dell EMC now offers an integrated, validated, and tested solution for a VMware Horizon 7 VDI running on VxBlock Systems 1000. In our testing, we have found that such an environment provides excellent performance and an exceptional user experience, both of which are paramount for your workspace transformation initiatives. For design options, a validated architecture, and best practices, see the Design and Validation Guides available under "Designs for VMware Horizon on VxBlock System 1000" on our VDI Info Hub for Ready Solutions website.
Come find out more about the benefits of a Dell EMC VDI solution based on VxBlock 1000 at VMworld US 2019, where we will be discussing the solution in the Dell EMC Infrastructure Solutions Group booth and in our executive suite (click to register for the event). We look forward to seeing you there.
In the next blog, we will discuss in detail why the Dell EMC VxBlock 1000 is an ideal choice for running Enterprise-Scale and Multi-Workload VDI Environments. Stay tuned, and we’d love to get your feedback in the comments section!