Plan the VxRail network | Dell VxRail Network Planning Guide | Dell Technologies Info Hub

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Plan the VxRail network

Plan the VxRail network

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Take the time to plan out your data center network for VxRail. The network considerations for VxRail are the same as that of any enterprise IT infrastructure: availability, performance, and extensibility.

VxRail is manufactured in the factory per your purchase order, and delivered to your data center ready for deployment. The VxRail nodes can connect to any compatible network infrastructure to enable operations. Follow all the guidance and decision points that are described in this document. If there are separate teams for network and servers in your data center, work together to design the network and configure the switches.
The following planning recommendations ensure a proper deployment and functioning of your VxRail:

Select the VxRail hardware and physical network infrastructure that best aligns with your business and operational objectives.

Plan and prepare for VxRail implementation in your data center before product delivery.

Set up the network switch infrastructure in your data center for VxRail before product delivery.

Prepare for physical installation and VxRail initialization into the final product.
The VxRail nodes connect to one or more network switches to form a VxRail cluster. VxRail communicates with the physical data center network through one or more VMware VDS that is deployed in the VxRail cluster. The VMware VDS integrates with the physical network infrastructure to provide connectivity for the virtual infrastructure, and enable virtual network traffic to pass through the physical switch infrastructure. In this relationship, the physical switch infrastructure serves as a backplane, supporting network traffic between virtual machines in the cluster, and enabling virtual machine mobility and resiliency.

In addition, the physical network infrastructure enables I/O operations between the storage objects in the VxRail VMware vSAN data store. It also provides connectivity to applications and end-users outside of the VxRail cluster.
The following are the physical components and selection criteria for VxRail clusters:

VxRail clusters and nodes

Network switch

Data Center Network

Topology and connections

Workstation or laptop

Out of band management (optional)
- VxRail clusters and nodes
  VxRail consists of server nodes that are designed and engineered for VxRail. The VxRail physical node is a PowerEdge server that goes through VxRail product engineering specifications to produce a VxRail node ready for shipment. The set of components that are manufactured into VxRail nodes is based on the purchase order. The set of VxRail nodes is delivered ready for data center installation and connectivity into the data center network infrastructure.
- Network switch
  A VxRail cluster depends on adjacent ToR Ethernet switches to support cluster operations.
- Data center network
  VxRail is dependent of specific data center services to implement the cluster and for day-to-day operations.
- VxRail networking port options
  The supported Ethernet and FC adapter card models, the number of slots available for expansion, and the maximum number of networking ports that are supported per node is driven by factors such as the VxRail series selected for the cluster, and the number of CPUs installed per node.
- VxRail Ethernet adapter options
  There are restrictions on the models of Ethernet adapters cards and ports that can be configured for VxRail nodes. Each vendor adapter card and firmware that is selected for support with VxRail must pass tests to qualify.
- VxRail FC adapter options
  FC adapter cards can be included with your purchase order and installed on the nodes during the manufacturing process. You can also obtain the adapter cards later if your storage requirements change.
- VxRail RoCE adapter options
  The RoCE adapter supports RDMA connectivity over converged networks. RDMA is a technology to send data over a network without involving the CPU in the transfer.
- VxRail DPU options
  DPUs support the offloading of network and security services from the main CPUs on the VxRail nodes.
- VxRail node connectivity options
  For VxRail clusters that can tolerate a single point of failure and do not have demanding workload requirements, the VxRail cluster can be configured using only the Ethernet ports on the NDC or OCP. Starting with version 7.0.130, for workloads that require a higher level of failure protection, VxRail supports spreading the networks across NDC or OCP Ethernet ports and Ethernet ports on PCIe adapter cards.
- VxRail networking rules and restrictions
  The following network rules and restrictions apply.
- Topology and connections
  Various network topologies are possible with VxRail clusters. Complex production environments have multi-tier network topologies with clusters in multiple racks that span across data centers. Simpler workloads can be satisfied with the nodes and adjacent switches that are confined to a single rack, with routing services configured further upstream.