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Dell VxRail Network Planning Guide
Introduction Planning Your Data Center Network for VxRail VxRail Cluster Types
Introduction
Cluster with vSAN storage
Dynamic cluster
vSAN stretched cluster
2-Node cluster
Satellite nodes
VxRail Feature-Driven Decision Points VxRail Hardware and Switch Selection Decision Points Prepare the Data Center for VxRail Implementation Planning the VxRail Cluster Implementation Planning for VxRail Satellite Nodes Configure the Network for VxRail Configure the Network for VxRail VxRail Network Considerations After Implementation VxRail Network Configuration Table VxRail Passwords VxRail Cluster Setup Checklist VxRail Open Ports Requirements Virtual Distributed Switch Port Group Default Settings Physical Network Switch Examples

Cluster with vSAN storage

Cluster with vSAN storage

  • One type of VxRail cluster is one where:

    • The VxRail nodes provide all the physical compute and storage resources to support application workload.
    • The primary storage resource is vSphere vSAN.

    For this cluster type, the slots in the nodes are filled with disk drives that meet the performance and capacity requirements for the application workload. Then they are formed into a local vSAN datastore during the cluster initialization process.

    DiagramDescription automatically generated

    Figure 13.    Local vSAN datastore deployed VxRail cluster as primary storage

    The cluster initialization process performs an inventory of the disk drives on the nodes and use that discovery process to form a vSAN datastore. The high-endurance SSD drives discovered on each node serve as a cache for virtual machine I-O operations. The high-capacity drives that are discovered are the primary permanent storage resource for the virtual machines.

    The vSAN formation process will partner the cache drives with one or more capacity drives to disk groups on the nodes. The resulting vSAN datastore consists of the collection of disk groups:

    • This cluster type is designed to handle most customer application workloads and covers the most common use cases:
    • With a local vSAN datastore, operational flexibility can be realized to address scalability and high availability requirements.
    • This cluster type is simple to deploy and operate. The initialization process performs all the work to pool all the node resources for ease of consumption
    • This cluster type is not dependent on external resources for storage, so all resources can be administered under a single point of management.
    • Extra compute and storage resources can be expanded easily to the cluster through automated node and disk drive addition.
    • External storage resources can be configured on the cluster as secondary storage capacity.

    However, this cluster type may not be a good fit for certain use cases:

    • This cluster type may be cost-prohibitive for smaller business requirements. Light workloads, such as those in a remote office, may be a better fit for a 2-Node cluster or a satellite node.
    • This cluster type is in a single site. It offers support for continuous operations from a failure of components within the cluster. It does not offer zero-downtime protection from a failure of a single data center or site. A stretched VxRail cluster is a better solution for very high availability requirements.
    • Expansion of a cluster through node addition can potentially lead to stranded assets, where excess compute and storage resources cannot be shared outside of the cluster. For workloads which require a more precise balance of compute and storage resources, a dynamic cluster may be a better fit.