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E2E Deployment and Operations Guide with Scalable Networking: Microsoft HCI Solutions from Dell Technologies
Deployment Introduction Solution Overview Solution Deployment
Solution Deployment
Solution deployment introduction
Deployment prerequisites
Predeployment configuration
Operating system deployment
Install roles and features
Verifying and updating firmware and software compliance with the Azure Stack HCI catalog
Change the hostname
Joining cluster nodes to an Active Directory domain
Configuring firewall settings
Scalable Architecture with Network ATC GPU Integration Day 1 operations Managing and monitoring clusters with Windows Admin Center Dell OpenManage Integration with Windows Admin Center Updates and maintenance References

Predeployment configuration

Predeployment configuration

  • Before deploying AX nodes, complete the required predeployment configuration tasks.

    Complete the following predeployment configuration before deploying the Azure Stack HCI solution.


    Configuring network switches

    Based on the selected network topology, configure the ToR network switches to enable storage and VM/management traffic.

    Note: Management network redundancy is a combination of either iDRAC or operating system DNS/IP resolution. Dell Technologies recommends that you deploy a network topology that supports a dual control plane while sharing a single data plane. Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) is Dell Technologies proprietary technology that provides network resiliency for data I/O.

    Note: If you are using an All-Flash or All-NVMe solution, it is highly recommended to use 25GbE or above switches for SMB traffic. Any solution should be sized before taking a decision on bandwidth of SMB switch to be used.

    Configuring switch VLT redundancy with Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) provides a virtual floating IP address that any node can reference as a gateway. If a switch fails, the virtual IP address is transferred to a peer switch.

    VRRP is an active/standby, first-hop redundancy protocol (FHRP). When used with VLT peers, VRRP becomes an active/active protocol. The VRRP virtual MAC address is the local destination address in the forwarding information base (FIB) table of both VLT peers. Using this method, the backup VRRP router forwards intercepted frames that have a destination MAC address that matches the VRRP virtual MAC address.

    A standard Storage Spaces Direct deployment requires four basic types of networks: OOB management, host management, compute, and storage. The number of network ports (two or four) that are used within the storage configuration determines whether you have two or four fault domains.

    For sample switch configurations, see Microsoft Azure Stack HCI Solutions from Dell Technologies: Switch Configurations – RoCE Only (Mellanox Cards) and Microsoft Azure Stack HCI Solutions from Dell Technologies: Switch Configurations - iWARP Only (Qlogic Cards).


    Configuring iDRAC and BIOS

    The AX nodes are factory-configured with optimized system BIOS and iDRAC settings. This preconfiguration eliminates the need for you to manually configure the settings to a recommended baseline.

    The iDRAC in AX nodes can be configured to obtain an IP address from DHCP or can be assigned a static IP address. When the OOB network in the environment does not provide DHCP IP addresses, you must manually set a static IPv4 address on each iDRAC network interface. You can access the physical server console to set the addresses by using KVM or other means.


    Configure BIOS settings including the IPv4 address for iDRAC

    Perform these steps to configure the IPv4 address for iDRAC. You can also perform these steps to configure any additional BIOS settings.

    1. During the system boot, press F2.
    2. At System Setup Main Menu, press iDRAC Settings.
    3. UnderiDRAC Settings, select Network.
    4. Under IPV4 SETTINGS, atEnable IPv4, select Enabled.
    5. Enter the static IPv4 address details.
    6. Click Back, and then click Finish.

    Configure QLogic NICs

    The QLogic FastLinQ 41262 network adapter supports both iWARP and RoCE.

    When used with the QLogic network adapters, the AX nodes are validated only with iWARP. Manually configure the adapter to enable iWARP based on the chosen network configuration.

    Perform the following steps to configure the QLogic network adapter for each port.
    1. During system startup, press F2 to enter system setup and select Device Settings.
    2. Select the QLogic network adapter from the list of adapters.
    3. Click Device Level Configuration and ensure that Virtualization Mode is set to None.
    4. Click Back, and then click NIC Configuration.
    5. On the NIC Configuration page, select the following options:
      • Link Speed: SmartAN
      • NIC + RDMA Mode: Enabled
      • RDMA Operational Mode: iWARP
      • Boot Protocol: None
      • Virtual LAN Mode: Disabled
    6. Click Back, and then click Data Center Bridging (DCB) Settings.
    7. On the Data Center Bridging (DCB) Settings page, set DCBX Protocol to Disabled.
    8. Click Back, click Finish, and then click Yes to save the settings.
    9. Click Yes to return to the Device Settings page.
    10. Select the second port of the QLogic adapter and repeat the preceding steps.
    11. Click Finish to return to the System Setup page.
    12. Click Finish to reboot the system.

    Configure Intel E810 NICs

    Use this procedure to configure the Intel E810 network adapter for each port. Intel E810 network adapter supports iWARP.

    Ensure that the network card or port is enabled for RDMA traffic.

    1. During system startup, press F2 to enter system setup and select System Setup.
    2. Select Intel E810 network adapter from the list of adapters.
    3. Click Device Level Configuration and ensure that Virtualization Mode is set to None.
    4. Click Back, then on the Main Configuration Page, scroll down and select Enabled for NIC + RDMA Mode.
    5. Click Back > Finish > Yes to save the settings.
    6. Click Yes to return to the Device Settings page.
    7. Select the second port of the Intel E810 adapter and repeat the preceding steps.
    8. Click Finish to return to the System Setup page.
    9. Click Finish to reboot the system.