
Take VxRail automation to the next level by leveraging APIs
Mon, 30 Mar 2020 15:20:04 -0000
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VxRail REST APIs
The Challenge
VxRail Manager, available as a part of HCI System Software, drastically simplifies the lifecycle management and operations of a single VxRail cluster. With a “single click” user experience available directly in vCenter interface, you can perform a full upgrade off all software components of the cluster, including not only vSphere and vSAN, but also complete server hardware firmware and drivers, such as NICs, disk controller(s), drives, etc. That’s a simplified experience that you won’t find in any other VMware-based HCI solution.
But what if you need to manage not a single cluster, but a farm consisting of dozens or hundreds of VxRail clusters? Or maybe you’re using some orchestration tool to holistically automate the IT infrastructure and processes? Would you still need to login manually as an operator to each of these clusters separately and click a button to maybe shutdown a cluster, collect log information or health data or perform LCM operations?
This is where VxRail REST APIs come in handy.
The VxRail API Solution
REST APIs are very important for customers who would like to programmatically automate operations of their VxRail-based IT environment and integrate with external configuration management or cloud management tools.
In VxRail HCI System Software 4.7.300 we’ve introduced very significant improvements in this space:
- Swagger integration - which allows for simplified consumption of the APIs and their documentation;
- Comprehensiveness – we’ve almost doubled the number of public APIs available;
- PowerShell integration – that allows consumption of the APIs from the Microsoft PowerShell or VMware PowerCLI.
The easiest way to start using and access these APIs is through the web browser, thanks to the Swagger integration. Swagger is an Open Source toolkit that simplifies Open API development and can be launched from within the VxRail Manager virtual appliance. To access the documentation, simply open the following URL in the web browser: https://<VxM_IP>/rest/vxm/api-doc.html (where <VxM IP> stands for the IP address of the VxRail Manager) and you should see a page similar to the one shown below:
Figure 1. Sample view into VxRail REST APIs via Swagger
This interface is dedicated for customers, who are leveraging orchestration or configuration management tools – they can use it to accelerate integration of VxRail clusters into their automation workflows. VxRail API is complementary to the APIs offered by VMware.
Would you like to see this in action? Watch the first part of the recorded demo available in the additional resources section.
PowerShell integration for Windows environments
Customers, who prefer scripting in Windows environment, using Microsoft PowerShell or VMware PowerCLI, will benefit from VxRail.API PowerShell Modules Package. It simplifies the consumption of the VxRail REST APIs from PowerShell and focuses more on the physical infrastructure layer, while management of VMware vSphere and solutions layered on the top (such as Software-Defined Data Center, Horizon, etc.), can be scripted using similar interface available in VMware PowerCLI.
Figure 2. VxRail.API PowerShell Modules Package
To see that in action, check the second part of the recorded demo available in the additional resources section.
Bringing it all together
VxRail REST APIs further simplify IT Operations, fostering operational freedom and a reduction in OPEX for large enterprises, service providers and midsize enterprises. Integrations with Swagger and PowerShell make them much more convenient to use. This is an area of VxRail HCI System Software that rapidly gains new capabilities, so please make sure to check the latest advancements with every new VxRail release.
Additional resources:
Demo: VxRail API - Overview
Demo: VxRail API - PowerShell Package
Dell EMC VxRail Appliance – API User Guide
Author: Karol Boguniewicz, Sr Principal Engineer, VxRail Tech Marketing
Twitter: @cl0udguide
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Protecting VxRail From Unplanned Power Outages: More Choices Available
Tue, 31 May 2022 12:36:51 -0000
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In my previous blog, Protecting VxRail from Power Disturbances, I described the first API-integrated solution that helps customers preserve data integrity on VxRail if there are unplanned power events. Today, I'm excited to introduce another solution that resulted from our close partnership with Schneider Electric (APC).
Why is it important?
Over the last few years, VxRail has become a critical HCI system and data-center building block for over 15,000 customers who have deployed more than 220,000 nodes globally. When HCI was first introduced, it was often considered for specific workloads such as VDI or ROBO locations. However, with the evolution of hardware and software capabilities, VxRail became a catalyst in data-center modernization, deployed across various use cases from core to cloud to edge. Today, customers are deploying VxRail for mission-critical workloads because it is powerful enough to meet the most demanding requirements for performance, capacity, availability, and rich data services.
Dell Technologies is a leader in data-protection solutions and offers a portfolio of products that can fulfill even the most demanding RPO and RTO requirements from customers. In addition to using traditional data-protection solutions, it is best practice to use a UPS to protect the infrastructure and ensure data integrity if there are unplanned power events. In this blog, I want to highlight a new solution from Schneider Electric, the provider of APC Smart-UPS systems.
The APC UPS protection solution for VxRail
Schneider Electric is one of Dell Technologies’ strategic partners in the Extended Technologies Complete Program. It provides Dell Technologies with APC UPS and IT rack enclosures offering a comprehensive solution set of infrastructure hardware, monitoring, management software, and service options.
PowerChute Network Shutdown in version 4.5 seamlessly integrates with VxRail by communicating over the network with the APC UPS. If there is a power outage, PowerChute can gracefully shut down VxRail clusters using the VxRail API. As a result of this integration, PowerChute can run on the same protected VxRail cluster, saving space and reducing hardware costs.
Solution components:
- VxRail cluster with VxRail HCI System Software version 7.0.320, 4.7.540 or higher
- Dell Smart-UPS Online 5kVA DLRT5KRMXLT or Dell Smart-UPS Online 3kVA DLRT3000RMXLA
- UPS Network Management Card 3 (AP9640, AP9640, or AP9643) with NMC firmware version v2.2 or higher
- Either a 1-Year or 3-Year PowerChute license for each VxRail node in the cluster (PowerChute Network Shutdown software version 4.5 or higher)
Key benefits of this solution include:
- Unattended, graceful shutdown of virtual machines (VMs), followed by the VxRail cluster that avoids data corruption thanks to integration with the VxRail API.
- Minimal downtime after critical events have passed with a pre-configured automated start-up sequence, which is useful at remote or unattended sites.
- Full deployment within the VxRail cluster saves space and reduces hardware requirements since you don't have to deploy PowerChute on a separate machine outside the cluster.
- Edge-ready with support for Edge-ready vSAN architecture with vSAN 2-node clusters.
- Redundant VxRail API-based cluster shutdown. In a redundant UPS set-up, if one NMC3 is offline, PowerChute will connect to one or more available NMC3s to carry out the VxRail cluster shutdown.
How does it work?
This is easiest to describe using the following diagram, which covers the steps taken in a power event and when the event is cleared:
How PowerChute Network Shutdown works with VxRail
I highly recommend watching the demo of this solution in action, which is listed in the Additional resources section at the end of this blog.
Summary
Protection against unplanned power events should be a part of a business continuity strategy for all customers who run their critical workloads on VxRail. This practice ensures data integrity by enabling automated and graceful shutdown of VxRail clusters. Customers now have more choice in providing such protection, with the new version of PowerChute Network Shutdown software for APC UPS systems integrated with VxRail API and validated with VxRail.
Additional resources
Website: Schneider Electric APC and Dell Technologies Alliance Website
Solution brochure: PowerChute Network Shutdown v4.5 Brochure
Solution demo video: PowerChute Network Shutdown v4.5 VxRail Technical Demo
Video: APC PowerChute Network Shutdown 4.5 and Dell VxRail Integration
Previous blog: Protecting VxRail from Power Disturbances
Author:
Karol Boguniewicz, Senior Principal Engineering Technologist, Dell Technologies
LinkedIn: Karol Boguniewicz
Twitter: @cl0udguide

HCI Security Simplified: Protecting Dell VxRail with VMware NSX Security
Fri, 08 Apr 2022 17:22:10 -0000
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The challenge
Cybersecurity and protection against ransomware attacks are among the top priorities for most customers who have successfully implemented or are going through a digital transformation. According to the ESG’s 2022 Technology Spending Intentions Survey:
- 69 percent of respondents shared that their spending on cybersecurity will increase in 2022 (#1).
- 48 percent of respondents believe their IT organizations have a problematic shortage of existing skills in this area (#1).
- 38 percent of respondents believe that strengthening cybersecurity will drive the majority of technology spending in their organization in the next 12 months (#1).
The data clearly shows that this area is one of the top concerns for our customers today. They need solutions that significantly simplify increasing cybersecurity activities due to a perceived skills shortage.
It is worth reiterating the critical role that networking plays within Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI). In contrast to legacy three-tier architectures, which typically have a dedicated storage network and storage, HCI architecture is more integrated and simplified. Its design lets you share the same network infrastructure for workload-related traffic and intercluster communication with the software-defined storage. The accessibility of the running workloads (from the external network) depends on the reliability of this network infrastructure, and on setting it up properly. The proper setup also impacts the performance and availability of the storage and, as a result, the whole HCI system. To prevent human error, it is best to employ automated solutions to enforce configuration best practices.
VxRail as an HCI system supports VMware NSX, which provides tremendous value for increasing cybersecurity in the data center, with features like microsegmentation and AI-based behavioral analysis and prevention of threats. Although NSX is fully validated with VxRail as a part of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) on VxRail platform, setting it outside of VCF requires strong networking skills. The comprehensive capabilities of this network virtualization platform might be overwhelming for VMware vSphere administrators who are not networking experts. What if you only want to consume the security features? This scenario might present a common challenge, especially for customers who are deploying small VxRail environments with few nodes and do not require full VCF on the VxRail stack.
The great news is that VMware recognized these customer challenges and now offers a simplified method to deploy NSX for security use cases. This method fits the improved operational experience our customers are used to with VxRail. This experience is possible with a new VMware vCenter Plug-in for NSX, which we introduce in this blog.
NSX and security
NSX is a comprehensive virtualization platform that provides advanced networking and security capabilities that are entirely decoupled from the physical infrastructure. Implementing networking and security in software, distributed across the hosts responsible for running virtual workloads, provides significant benefits:
- Flexibility—Total flexibility for positioning workloads in the data center enables optimal use of compute resources (a key aspect of virtualization).
- Optimal consumption of CPU resources —Advanced NSX features only consume CPU from the hosts when they are used. This consumption leads to lower cost and simplified provisioning when compared to running the features on dedicated appliances.
- High performance—NSX features are performed in VMware ESXi kernel space, a unique capability on vSphere.
The networking benefits are evident for large deployments, with NSX running in almost all Fortune 100 companies and many medium scale businesses. In today’s world of widespread viruses, ransomware, and even cyber warfare, the security aspect of NSX built on top of the NSX distributed firewall (DFW) is relevant to vSphere customers, regardless of their size.
The NSX DFW is a software firewall instantiated on the vNICs of the virtual machines in the data center. Thanks to its inline position, it provides maximum filtering granularity because it can inspect the traffic coming in and going out of every virtual machine without requiring redirection of the traffic to a security appliance, as shown in the following figure. It also moves along with the virtual machine during vMotion and maintains its state.
Figure 1: Traditional firewall appliance compared to the NSX DFW
The NSX DFW state-of-the-art capabilities are configured centrally from the NSX Manager and allow implementing security policies independently of the network infrastructure. This method makes it easy to implement microsegmentation and compliance requirements without dedicating racks, servers, or subnets to a specific type of workload. With the NSX DFW, security teams can deploy advanced threat prevention capabilities such as distributed IDS/IPS, network sandboxing, and network traffic analysis/network detection and response (NTA/NDR) to protect against known and zero-day threats.
A dedicated solution for security
Many NSX customers who are satisfied with the networking capability of vSphere run their production environment on a VDS with VLAN-backed dvportgroups. They deploy NSX for its security features only, and do not need its advanced networking components. Until now, those customers had to migrate their virtual machines to NSX-backed dvportgroups to benefit from the NSX DFW. This migration is easy but managing networking from NSX modifies the workflow of all the teams, including those teams that are not concerned by security:
Figure 2: Traditional NSX deployment
Starting with NSX 3.2, you can run NSX security on a regular VDS, without introducing the networking components of NSX. The security team receives all the benefits of NSX DFW, and there is no impact to any other team:
Figure 3: NSX Security with vCenter Plugin
Even better, NSX can now integrate further with vCenter, thanks to a plug-in that allows you to configure NSX from the vCenter UI. This method means that NSX can be consumed as a simple security add-on for a traditional vSphere deployment.
How to deploy and configure NSX Security
Requirements
First, we need to ensure that our VxRail environment meets the following requirements:
- vCenter Server 7.0 U3c (included with VxRail 7.0.320)
- VDS 6.7 or later
- The OVA for NSX-T with the vCenter Plugin version 3.2 or later and an appropriate NSX license
Deploy the NSX Manager and the NSX DFW on ESXi hosts
Running NSX in a vSphere environment consists of deploying a single NSX Manager virtual machine protected by vSphere HA. A shortcut in vCenter enables this step:
Figure 4: Deploy the NSX Manager appliance virtual machine from the NSX tab in vCenter
When the NSX Manager is up and running, it sets up a one-to-one association with vCenter and uploads the plug-in that presents the NSX UI in vCenter, as if NSX security is part of vCenter. The vCenter administrator becomes an effective NSX security administrator.
The next step, performed directly from the vCenter UI, is to enter the NSX license and select the cluster on which to install the NSX DFW binaries:
Figure 5: Select the clusters that will receive the NSX DFW binaries
After the DFW binaries are installed on the ESXi hosts, the NSX security is deployed and operational. You can exit the security configuration wizard (and configure directly from the NSX view in the vCenter UI) or let the wizard run.
Run the security configuration wizard
After installing the NSX binaries on the ESXi hosts, the plug-in runs a wizard that guides you through the configuration of basic security rules according to VMware best practices. The wizard gives the vSphere administrator simple guidance for implementing a baseline configuration that the security team can build on later. There are three different steps in this guided workflow.
First step—Segment the data center in groups
Perform the following steps, as shown in the following figure:
- Create an infrastructure group, identifying the services that the workloads in the data center will access. These services typically include DNS, NTP, DHCP servers, and so on.
- Segment the data center coarsely in environments, such as groups like Development, Production, and DMZ.
- Segment the data center finely by identifying applications running across the different environments.
Figure 6: Example of group creation
Second step—Define communication between different groups
Perform the following steps, as shown in the following figure:
- Define which groups can access the infrastructure services
- Define how the different environments communicate with each other
- Define how applications communicate with each other
Figure 7: Define the communication between environments using a graphcial represenation
Third step—Review the configuration and publish it to the NSX DFW
After reviewing the configuration, publish the configuration to NSX:
Figure 8: Review DFW rules before exiting the wizard
The full NSX UI is now available in vCenter. Select the NSX tab to access the NSX UI directly.
Final thoughts
The new VMware vCenter Plug-in for NSX drastically simplifies the deployment and adoption of NSX with VxRail for security use cases. In the past, advanced knowledge of the network virtualization platform was required. A vSphere adminstrator can now deploy it easily, using an intuitive configuration wizard available directly from vCenter.
The VMware vCenter Plug-in for NSX provides the kind of simplified and optimized experience that VxRail customers are used to when managing their HCI environment. It also addresses the challenge that customers face today, improving security even with a perceived shortage of skills in this area. Also, it can be configured easily and quickly, making the robust NSX security features more available for smaller HCI deployments.
Additional resources:
VMworld 2021 Session: NET1483 - Deploy and Manage NSX-T via vCenter: A Single Console to Drive VMware SDDC
Planning Guide: Dell EMC VxRail Network Planning Guide – Physical and Logical Network Considerations and Planning
ESG Research Report: 2022 Technology Intentions Survey
Authors:
Francois Tallet, Technical Product Manager, VMware
Karol Boguniewicz, Senior Principal Engineering Technologist, Dell Technologies