VxRail HCI System Software is the foundation for the value differentiating the capabilities of VxRail. From an infrastructure stack perspective, the management software runs on top of the VMware software and the PowerEdge server to allow VxRail to act as a singular unified system.

Continuously Validated States: VxRail runs on pre-tested and validated software and firmware for the entire VxRail stack, including the VMware software and PowerEdge server components. VxRail lifecycle management capabilities ensure that VxRail clusters run in that known good state throughout its entire lifecycle as the cluster goes through continuous changes to take advantage of the latest VMware software innovation, security fixes, or bug fixes. Continuously Validated States is the term that encapsulates the configuration stability delivered by VxRail clusters.

Electronic Compatibility Matrix: With different software and hardware components in the stack, VxRail team is continuously testing and validating against the entire stack so any desired state the user determines from the VMware compatibility matrix has been validated as a Continuously Validated State. In addition, VxRail refers to this matrix to ensure the cluster configuration stays in compliance. These benefits drastically reduce the testing effort and resources a customer need to invest while also giving the customer the peace of mind to predictably and securely evolve their VxRail clusters without impacting application workloads.

Ecosystem connectors: To build an extensive Electronic Compatibility Matrix, VxRail has to communicate with ecosystem members in the stack, including vSphere, vSAN, vCenter, and the PowerEdge server and multiple hardware components within. The connectors allow VxRail to know the software and firmware versions running in each component and lifecycle manage those components. The automation and orchestration capabilities allow VxRail to be managed as a singular unified system.

VxRail Manager: The primary management user interface for VxRail is the vCenter plug in called VxRail Manager. It provides a fully integrated vCenter experience. VxRail users can perform any VxRail activity through this interface, including:

• Initial cluster configuration
• Monitoring hardware components
• Performing graceful cluster shutdown
• Expanding the cluster by adding nodes
• Updating VxRail HCI System Software