This section provides an overview of the network architecture including compute and management server connectivity. It provides configuration details for the ToR and virtual switches.

Network traffic

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 is used to connect the MX7116n to the S5232-ON ToR LAN (leaf) switches. If traffic has to flow beyond the ToR switch, that traffic goes into the Z9264F-ON LAN (spine) switch in various network topology configurations.

The network architecture employs Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) technology for a connection between the two ToR switches. The inherent redundancy of a non-VLT environment requires standby equipment, which drives up infrastructure costs and increases risks. In a VLT environment, all paths are active, adding immediate value and throughput while still protecting against hardware failures. VLT technology enables a server or bridge to uplink a physical trunk into more than one Dell EMC Networking switch by treating the uplink as one logical trunk. A VLT connected pair of switches acts as a single switch to a connecting bridge or server. Both links from the bridge network can actively forward and receive traffic. VLT provides a replacement for Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)-based networks by providing both redundancy and full bandwidth utilization using multiple active paths. Major benefits of VLT technology are:

• Dual control plane for highly available resilient network services
• Full utilization of the active link aggregation group (LAG) interfaces
• Active/active design for seamless operations during maintenance events

Network configuration for PowerEdge blade servers

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 S5232 ToR (leaf) switches and the types of optical transceivers that are installed in the ToR switches.

From the MX9116n 25 GbE ports, connect the optical transceivers of the same type and speed as those in the ToR 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.

vSphere Distributed Switch configuration for LAN traffic

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:

• Simplified VM network configuration
• Enhanced network monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities
• Support for network bandwidth partitioning

The following figure shows the VDS configuration for the management and compute servers.

Figure 8.         vSphere Distributed Switch for dual port configuration