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Dell VxRail Network Planning Guide
Introduction Planning Your Data Center Network for VxRail
Introduction to planning
VxRail hardware and the physical network infrastructure
VxRail clusters and nodes
Network switch
Data center network
VxRail networking port options
VxRail Ethernet adapter options
VxRail Fibre Channel adapter options
VxRail RoCE adapter options
VxRail DPU options
VxRail node connectivity options
VxRail networking rules and restrictions
Topology and connections
VxRail Cluster Types VxRail Feature-Driven Decision Points VxRail Hardware and Switch Selection Decision Points Prepare Data Center for VxRail Implementation Planning the VxRail Cluster Implementation Planning vSAN Witness Networking Planning VxRail Satellite Nodes Networking Configure the Network for VxRail Preparing to Build the VxRail Cluster VxRail Network Considerations After Implementation Appendixes

VxRail Ethernet adapter options

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 select for support with VxRail must pass a set of tests to be qualified. The following table highlights the vendors’ networking products that pass qualification and are supported for VxRail.

    Port speed

    Vendor

    10 GbE

    Intel

    Broadcom

    QLogic

    25 GbE

    Broadcom

    Intel

    Mellanox

    QLogic

    100 GbE

    Mellanox

     The following guidelines should be understood to drive port adapter selection:

    • When a VxRail cluster is initially built, it is recommended, but not required, that all the network adapter cards that are used to form the cluster be of the same vendor. This rule does not apply to nodes added to an existing VxRail cluster, so long as the port speed and port type match the existing nodes.
    • VxRail recommends using the same adapter card vendor and model for all the nodes in a cluster that support VxRail cluster operations. There is no guarantee that using optics or cables from one vendor with an adapter card from another vendor will work as expected. VxRail recommends consulting the Dell cable and optics support matrix before attempting to mix vendor equipment in a VxRail cluster.
    • The feature sets supported from network adapter card suppliers do not always match. There is a dependency on the firmware and/or driver in the adapter card to support certain features. If a specific feature is needed to meet a business requirement, VxRail recommends consulting with a sales specialist to verify that the needed feature is supported for a specific vendor.