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This section provides an overview of the network architecture including compute and management server connectivity. It provides configuration details for the edge and virtual switches.
PowerEdge MX blade-server network traffic is supported by the MX7116n chassis switch's internal network ports that connect to the blade server’s network ports. The MX9116n chassis switch connects the MX7116n to the S5248F-ON edge LAN (leaf) switches. Any traffic that must flow beyond the edge switch goes into the optional Z9264F-ON LAN (spine) switch in various network topology configurations. In the following figure, LAN traffic from the two MX9116n FSEs connects to the S5248F-ON switches that act as leaf switches in the BCF:
Figure 9. LAN connectivity: MX9116n’s to edge switches
BCF acts as a single logical switch and provides:
The MX9116n blade switches provide the network connectivity to the management LAN for PowerEdge MX740C blade servers. The MX9116n supports multiple optical transceivers, including QSFP28-DD, QSFP28 in DAC, AOC, 2SR4, SR4, and LR4. Typically, select transceivers based on their proximity to the S5248F-ON edge (leaf) switches and the types of optical transceivers that are installed in the edge switches.
From the MX9116n 25 GbE ports, connect the optical transceivers of the same type and speed as those in the edge switches to the corresponding transceivers in those switches. For information about all available types of optical transceivers and port configurations, see OS10 Enterprise Edition User Guide–PowerEdge MX I/O Modules.
You can achieve bandwidth prioritization for different traffic classes such as host management, vMotion, and the VM network by using the VMware vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS). The VDS, which can be configured, managed, and monitored from a central interface, provides:
The following figure shows the VDS configuration for the management and compute servers:
Figure 10. vSphere Distributed Switch for dual port configuration
BCF programmatically integrates with the MX7000 chassis through RESTful APIs and automates the chassis uplink and network configuration.
BCF performs the following automation tasks:
BCF provides visibility into the networks, uplinks, and NIC templates that are configured on the MX7000. In the BCF UI, select Integration > Dell PowerEdge MX Chassis to view the details, as shown in the following two figures:
Figure 11. Selecting the MX chassis
Figure 12. BCF display of MX7000 details