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Planning Guide—Dell EMC VxRail with SmartFabric Services

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VxRail Physical Network Connectivity Planning
Introduction to physical network connectivity Consult the VxRail Support Matrix VxRail hardware selection Dell EMC networking switch selection Data center core network physical connectivity

VxRail hardware selection

  • An existing VxRail cluster cannot be migrated to a SmartFabric-enabled network. Plan on a new VxRail hardware to build the cluster. Existing VxRail hardware can be repurposed if they are unused in an inventory location.

    For any planning efforts for a new VxRail cluster, a sizing exercise using the VxRail sizer tool is the best practice. This sizing exercise will produce a report with the bill of materials listing the recommended nodes to be deployed to meet your business and operational requirements. There is some flexibility with regard to the Ethernet port selection for the individual VxRail nodes.

    • SmartFabric-enabled switches support either 10 GbE or 25 GbE for connectivity for the VxRail nodes.
    • SFP28, SFP+ or RJ45 can be selected for the Ethernet ports on the VxRail nodes. If you select 10 GbE connectivity, select either SFP+ or RJ45, as these combinations cannot be mixed in a VxRail cluster.
    • Two or four Ethernet ports can be connected from the NDC on each VxRail node to a leaf switch to support VxRail network traffic. If your requirements include network services beyond what is provided by VxRail (NSX-T, for instance), it is best practice to reserve additional Ethernet ports on each VxRail node for this purpose.

    You must plan rack space to accommodate both the VxRail nodes and the switches, depending on the selected network topology. The VxRail E-Series nodes require 1U of rack space, while the P-Series, V-Series, G-Series, and S-Series nodes each require 2U of rack space.