What’s happening with SmartFabric Services and VxRail 8.0
Fri, 15 Sep 2023 20:06:45 -0000
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This article describes the SmartFabric Services (SFS) Automated VxRail Switch Configuration feature in VxRail and explains why it was removed in VxRail 8.0.
VxRail 4.7 and 7.0 releases included Automated VxRail Switch Configuration. This feature was designed for SFS and was always enabled. It automatically configured VxRail networks on SmartFabric switches during VxRail deployment. However, this integration prevented the ability to support SFS with VxRail in some network environments, such as with a vSAN stretched cluster or VMware Cloud Foundation.
Starting in VxRail 7.0.400, the option to manually disable Automated VxRail Switch Configuration was added to the VxRail deployment wizard, as shown below.
Figure 1 VxRail 7.0.400 deployment wizard resources page
This option is described in New Deployment Option for SmartFabric Services with VxRail, and is present in VxRail 7.0.400 and later VxRail 7.x releases. If Automated VxRail Switch Configuration is set to Disabled during VxRail deployment as recommended, SFS can be supported in other network environments.
Starting in VxRail 8.0, the Top-of-Rack (TOR) Switch section in the VxRail deployment wizard has been removed as shown below.
Figure 2 VxRail 8.0 deployment wizard resources page
Automated VxRail Switch Configuration is automatically disabled in VxRail 8.0. Disabling this feature ensures that new SFS with VxRail installations are supported in other network environments.
Disabling automated switch configuration only affects SmartFabric switch automation during VxRail deployment or when adding VxRail nodes to an existing cluster after deployment. With the feature disabled, you will use the SFS UI to place VxRail node-connected ports in the correct networks instead of the automation.
You can still configure SmartFabric switches automatically after VxRail deployment by registering the VxRail vCenter Server with OpenManage Network Integration (OMNI). When registration is complete, networks created in vCenter continue to be automatically configured on the SmartFabric switches using OMNI.
The Dell Networking SmartFabric Services Deployment with VxRail 7.0.400 deployment guide still applies to VxRail 8.0 deployments. The only difference is the Resources page of the VxRail deployment wizard will look like Figure 2 instead of Figure 1.
Resources
Dell Networking SmartFabric Services Deployment with VxRail 7.0.400
New Deployment Option for SmartFabric Services with VxRail