Dell EMC SmartFabric Services for VMware ESXi on PowerEdge Servers
Download PDFMon, 16 Jan 2023 13:44:25 -0000
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Summary
The design, validation and deployment process of fabric across VMware ESXi hosts is time-consuming and unpredictable when done manually. This DfD will highlight what SmartFabric technology is and how it granted users the agility required to manage and scale ESXi clusters effectively through automation.
Non-SmartFabric Challenge
Manually configuring fabric for VMware ESXi clusters on PowerEdge servers requires a great deal of administrative work for both onboarding (day 1) and post-onboarding (day 2+) actions. This lack of autonomy will translate to needing a network administrator to make tedious adjustments for desired changes. There is a clear need for a more effective, autonomous approach to deploying scalable fabrics capable of supporting virtualized computing environments.
Two prominent resources are under-optimized when the manual approach is used:
1. Time
a. Company man-hours are spent on IT trouble ticket creation, idle waiting, and ticket management
b. Additional man-hours are required to service IT tickets
c. Coding errors made must be troubleshooted and corrected
d. There is a lengthy qualification process of networking OS and server hardware with network switches
e. Any switch or ESXi end node failure results in manual intervention by network team
2. Cost
a. Hiring a team of network administrators, which will scale as the size of the data center scales (see Figure 1)
b. Inefficiency in the network can lead to decreased efficiency in virtual workloads, causing financial under-optimization
Figure 1 – Manually scaling this ESXi network would require hundreds of lines of code by a team of network administrators
The Solution – SmartFabric Services for ESXi
SmartFabric Services (SFS) optimizes resources by creating a fully integrated solution between the fabric and ESXi on PowerEdge infrastructures. Users need only perform a single manual step per profile; configure the server interface profile to the master switch through a software-based plug-in called OpenManage Network Interface (OMNI) in vCenter. This is simply done by using the ESXi physical NIC MAC address as a server interface ID, and then the creation and application of networks is automated.
Figure 2 – Manually configuring ESXi clusters (left) is very time-intensive, whereas using SmartFabric Services (right) automates the process and drastically reduces the deployment time for new or modified ESXi clusters
Upon onboarding the ESXi server interfaces, OMNI establishes a zero-touch automation for all day 2+ operations. OMNI, intergrated with VMware’s vCenter, allows the network administrator to easily deploy and manage a large virtual network of VMs and physical underlay. Therefore, the daily operations for Dell networking and virtualization management will all take place within the vCenter Server interface. This is extremely valuable because it replaces any manual work needed, such as connecting leaf switches and writing coding, with a single-pane UI that performs these actions in a more simple and effective manner.
Six Benefits of Using SmartFabric
1. Reduced Complexity – Single and multi-rack deployments are managed in one single-pane solution
2. Agile Modifications – All network port groups are configured on the fabric and the appropriate interfaces associated with that network; eliminating time spent coding and manually configuring
3. One Network Administrator – The automated OMNI infrastructure requires only one network administrator, instead of a dedicated IT team, to manage the solution
4. Affordable Scale-Out – Incrementally scale out the network as needed, with up to 8 racks
5. No User Error – Automated server interfaces remove any chance of human error for day 2+ operations
6. Software Driven Automation – SFS delivers software-drive automation and lifecycle management
A New Way to Network
SmartFabric Services for ESXi on PowerEdge offers network configuration automation for virtualized data centers. By providing 100% zero-touch day 2+ operations, customers can optimize both time and cost when managing the growth of their ESXi solution.
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Reimagine the Employee Experience in Hybrid Work Environments
Wed, 29 Nov 2023 04:46:00 -0000
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Prowess Consulting identified how an integrated workforce solution like VMware® Anywhere Workspace with Dell™ PowerEdge™ servers can help organizations succeed with hybrid work environments.
Executive Summary
Hybrid work is here to stay. 64% of executives are convinced that flexible work options motivate employees, and more than 70% of employees are working from home at least 2–3 days per week.[1] But hybrid work environments create a unique set of challenges for organizations. As employees use more devices, access more applications, and work from more locations, IT teams are scrambling to support them. Some organizations try to get by on legacy technologies and point solutions. However, traditional IT environments and management solutions are not designed to support a distributed workforce. Using traditional tools can lead to operational complexity, fragmented security, and poor user experiences.
Prowess Consulting evaluated VMware® Anywhere Workspace running on Dell™ PowerEdge™ servers as a potential solution for managing hybrid work environments. Anywhere Workspace integrates modern tools into a single platform to deliver IT services like onboarding employees, managing remote devices and virtual desktops, and monitoring for security threats. After reviewing components including VMware Workspace ONE®, VMware® Secure Access Server Edge (SASE), and VMware® Carbon Black, we determined that organizations that deploy the Anywhere Workspace platform can enhance user experiences and achieve consistent, secure performance across locations and devices for hybrid workers. For employers embracing hybrid work environments for their employees, this solution could be a significant win.
Hybrid Work Environments
Organizations are supporting hybrid work environments as executives conclude that flexible work options keep employees motivated.1 In a hybrid work environment, some employees might work remotely, others might work on-premises, and others might split their time between the office and other locations, such as home or coffee shops. But designing and managing hybrid work environments is not easy.
Challenges of Hybrid Work Environments
Today’s executives face a wide variety of challenges as the concept of the workplace evolves from being a physical space to a digital space. Organizations must maximize employee engagement and productivity when employees work from almost anywhere. To support digital workspaces, IT teams must support an increasing number of device types of applications across multiple clouds and different networks. Processes are often manual, and organizations might be constrained by legacy on-premises computing systems. Multiple IT management tools are often needed to run different platforms and operating systems, and each needs specific skill sets and resources. Additionally, an increased number of endpoints expands the attack surface and increases security risks. To address these challenges, organizations need an integrated workforce solution that unifies IT management into a single platform.
The Platform Advantage
Prowess Consulting observed that Anywhere Workspace can be used to replace multiple IT tools, reducing the number of IT skill sets and resources needed. In our analysis, we noted that Anywhere Workspace consists of three components, as shown in Figure 1: VMware Workspace ONE, VMware SASE, and VMware Carbon Black.
VMware Workspace ONE®
We started our evaluation by reviewing VMware Workspace ONE. Gartner has cited Workspace ONE as a leader in the unified endpoint management (UEM) category for the last five years.[2] In our analysis, we identified three key benefits of Workspace ONE UEM:
1. Automated onboarding. New employee devices can register over the air during the initial power-up. Admins can easily set up and customize an imageless configuration of work profiles such as emails, VPNs, and Wi-Fi.
Employees are 2.6x as likely to be satisfied with their employer if onboarding is exceptional.[3] | 61% of organizations report that they wrestle with onboarding.[4] |
2. Management across endpoints. Workspace ONE UEM manages and secures devices and apps by taking advantage of the native mobile device management (MDM) capabilities of iOS® and Android™ devices and mobile-cloud management efficiencies of Windows®, Apple® macOS®, and Google Chrome™ devices.
3. Integrated single-sign-on (SSO). Integrated SSO eliminates multiple logins for better security, speed, and ease of use.
Virtual Apps and Desktops
VMware Workspace ONE integrates UEM technology with virtual application delivery through VMware Horizon®. We identified the following key benefits:
- Automatic software installation. IT teams can create an automated workflow for installing software, applications, files, scripts, and commands, which can save time and reduce expenses.
- Broad support. Workspace ONE makes use of VMware Horizon, a virtualization software product, to deliver desktops and apps on Windows, macOS, Linux®, iOS, Chrome, and Android endpoints.
- Secure virtual apps. IT teams can secure sensitive and confidential information.
Measuring VM Density with VMware Horizon®
To better evaluate Workspace ONE, we measured the virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) density created using Workspace ONE with VMware Horizon. VMware Horizon enables IT departments to run remote desktops and applications in the data center and deliver these desktops and applications to employees. VDI density refers to the number of virtual desktops that can be efficiently and effectively hosted on a single cluster of servers in a VDI environment. The concept of VDI density is important for several reasons:
- Resource utilization: Efficient VDI density maximizes the use of hardware resources and can lead to improved performance.
- Cost efficiency: Increased VDI density reduces the number of physical servers required, which can lead to cost savings.
- Simplified management: With higher VDI density, the administrative overhead associated with server management, updates, and maintenance can be reduced.
[1] EY. “Workplace of the Future Index 2.0.” November 2022.
[2] VMware. “VMware Named a Leader in the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Unified Endpoint Management for Fifth Year in a Row.” August 2022.
[3] Gallup. “The Relationship Between Engagement at Work and Organizational Outcomes.” October 2020.
[4] Tolly. “VMware Work From Home Test Report by Tolly.” Commissioned by VMware. January 2021.
Streamline VMware Server Deployment and Configuration: Dell OpenManage Enterprise Integration for VMware VC
Wed, 21 Jun 2023 16:11:43 -0000
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In our hands-on tests, the OpenManage Enterprise with OMEVV solution took less time and fewer steps than VMware vSphere Auto Deploy for Stateful Installation of ESXi to a bare-metal server host
Expanding your organization’s data center with new servers typically means that admins must devote time to configuring and deploying them. Being able to harness tools that streamline and automate these processes reduces the burden on IT staff and gets the new gear into action sooner.
We compared the process of deploying and configuring ESXi on Dell™ servers in a VMware®-based PowerEdge™ environment using two tools: Dell OpenManage™ Enterprise Integration for VMware vCenter® (OMEVV) 1.1.0.1250 and VMware vSphere® Auto Deploy for Stateful Installation (VMware vSphere Auto Deploy).
We found that the administrative time for one-time setup and configuration was up to 93 percent less for OMEVV and that deploying bare-metal server hosts after the one-time setup and configuration was up to 74 percent less. OMEVV greatly streamlined these activities, reducing the number of required steps by as much as 83 percent for setup and configuration and by up to 34 percent for bare-metal host deployment.
By decreasing the amount of time and number of steps necessary to put new hosts into service, using OpenManage Enterprise Integration for VMware vCenter can free your admins to perform other activities.
How we approached testing
We set up three Dell PowerEdge servers to capture the amount of time and number of steps required to provision Dell servers with ESXi software in a vCenter environment using two different automatic deployment solutions:
- OpenManage Enterprise with OMEVV leveraging agent-free iDRAC
- vSphere Auto Deploy for Stateful Installation using PXE boot
We also explored the features the two solutions offer and noted several advantages that OpenManage Enterprise with OMEVV offers over vSphere Auto Deploy for Stateful Installation.
About the OpenManage Enterprise Integration for VMware vCenter
The latest release of OpenManage Enterprise Integration for VMware vCenter (OMEVV) utilizes OpenManage Enterprise data in the vCenter administration portal. The integration can improve vCenter monitoring and management in a VMware software-based PowerEdge environment by offering the following:1
- Hardware information and alerts pulled into vCenter with controls for notifications
- iDRAC address and service tag details
- Dell warranty information
- Deep-level detail on certified Dell hardware components, including memory and local drives
- Support for both vLCM and VMware Active HA
What we found: The numbers
In this section, we focus on the quantitative advantages of Dell OMEVV over VMware vSphere Auto Deploy for configuration and deployment: less time and fewer steps required to complete tasks.
One-time setup and configuration
In the first phase of testing, we investigated the time requirements and complexity of performing one-time setup and configuration with the two solutions. Before we dive into our detailed findings, let’s look at a high-level overview of what the two processes involve. As Figure 1 illustrates, the Dell OMEVV process consisted of only two phases. In contrast, the VMware vSphere Auto Deploy process consisted of six phases (see Figure 2).
Having more phases does not necessarily equate to requiring more time and steps, but in our testing, it did. As Figure 3 shows, using Dell OMEVV to perform one-time setup and configuration was indeed more streamlined than the process with VMware vSphere Auto Deploy, with the process taking fewer than one-sixth the number of steps. It required less admin time, requiring just over 2 minutes versus nearly half an hour.
Table 1 breaks down the time and steps for each of the two phases of the Dell OMEVV process. As it shows, both were quick for our technician to execute.
Dell OMEVV | Time (min:sec) | Steps |
---|---|---|
Installing OMEVV | 1:19 | 11 |
Creating ISO profile | 0:42 | 5 |
Total one-time setup | 02:01 | 16 |
Table 2 breaks down the time and steps for each of the six phases of the VMware vSphere Auto Deploy process. While most of these took our technician a minute or less to execute, setting up and configuring the TFTP server and deploying the reference server took significantly longer.
VMware vSphere Auto Deploy | Time (min:sec) | Steps |
---|---|---|
Enabling vCenter Auto Deploy | 0:40 | 3 |
Creating Software Depot | 00:42 | 2 |
Setting up and configuring TFTP server | 13:13 | 37 |
Configuring DHCP options | 01:23 | 9 |
Deploying reference server | 12:38 | 25 |
Creating host profile from reference server | 00:55 | 21 |
Total one-time setup | 29:31 | 97 |
Deploying hosts
In the second phase of our testing, we investigated the time requirements and complexity of deploying one, two, and three hosts using the two solutions. As we did earlier, let’s start with a high-level overview of what the two processes involve. As Figure 4 illustrates, the Dell OMEVV process of deploying a host consisted of three phases: discovering the servers in OME, discovering those hosts as bare-metal servers in OMEVV within vCenter, and creating a deployment job. In contrast, the VMware vSphere Auto Deploy process consisted of five phases (see Figure 5).
Time and steps to deploy a single host
As Figure 6 shows, using Dell OMEVV to deploy one host was more streamlined than performing the same task using VMware vSphere Auto Deploy, with the process taking fewer steps. Deployment with OMEVV took 2.5 minutes of admin time compared to more than 8 minutes of admin time for vSphere Auto Deploy.
Table 3 provides of breakdown of the time and steps each phase of the Dell OMEVV process required.
Dell OMEVV | Time (min:sec) | Steps |
---|---|---|
Discovering servers in OME | 00:17 | 8 |
Discovering bare-metal servers | 00:29 | 8 |
Creating deployment job | 01:44 | 9 |
Total | 02:30 | 25 |
In contrast to the Dell OMEVV process, the VMware vSphere Auto Deploy process was more complex, with five distinct phases. Four of these took our technician 45 seconds or less to execute, but booting the server through deployment took more than 6 minutes (see Table 4).
VMware vSphere Auto Deploy | Time (min:sec) | Steps |
---|---|---|
Creating new rule | 00:45 | 8 |
Activating rule | 00:12 | 6 |
Booting server through deployment | 06:27 | 4 |
Customizing host | 00:34 | 6 |
Performing host remediation against profile | 00:08 | 6 |
Total | 08:06 | 30 |
Time and steps to deploy two hosts
As Figure 7 shows, using Dell OMEVV to deploy two hosts took the same number of steps as deploying one with only 4 additional seconds. In contrast, the process with VMware vSphere Auto Deploy needed four additional steps and 53 additional seconds.
Table 5 provides of breakdown of the time and steps each phase of the Dell OMEVV process required.
Dell OMEVV | Time (min:sec) | Steps |
---|---|---|
Discovering servers in OME | 00:17 | 8 |
Discovering bare-metal servers | 00:29 | 8 |
Creating deployment job | 01:48 | 9 |
Total | 02:34 | 25 |
Table 6 breaks down the time and steps for each of the five phases of the VMware vSphere Auto Deploy process for deploying two hosts. Four of these took our technician 53 seconds or less to execute, but booting the server through deployment took almost 7 minutes.
VMware vSphere Auto Deploy | Time (min:sec) | Steps |
---|---|---|
Creating new rule | 00:53 | 8 |
Activating rule | 00:12 | 6 |
Booting server through deployment | 06:59 | 8 |
Customizing host | 00:47 | 6 |
Performing host remediation against profile | 00:08 | 6 |
Total | 08:59 | 34 |
Time and steps to deploy three hosts
As Figure 8 shows, using Dell OMEVV to deploy three hosts took the same number of steps as deploying a single host and only 6 additional seconds. In contrast, the process with VMware vSphere Auto Deploy required eight additional steps and an extra 2 minutes and 11 seconds.
Table 7 provides of breakdown of the time and steps each phase of the Dell OMEVV process required.
Dell OMEVV | Time (min:sec) | Steps |
---|---|---|
Discovering servers in OME | 00:17 | 8 |
Discovering bare-metal servers | 00:29 | 8 |
Creating deployment job | 01:50 | 9 |
Total | 02:36 | 25 |
With three hosts, four of the five phases of the VMware vSphere Auto Deploy process took our technician 1 minute and 19 seconds or less to execute. However, booting the server through deployment took 7 minutes and 40 seconds (see Table 8).
VMware vSphere Auto Deploy | Time (min:sec) | Steps |
---|---|---|
Creating new rule | 00:58 | 8 |
Activating rule | 00:12 | 6 |
Booting server through deployment | 07:40 | 12 |
Customizing host | 01:19 | 6 |
Performing host remediation against profile | 00:08 | 6 |
Total | 10:17 | 38 |
As our findings in this section show, the amount of time that administrators save by selecting the Dell solution increased as the number of deployed servers increased. Because the time savings as we added servers was not linear, we can’t reliably extrapolate the savings organizations would see with larger deployments. However, when deploying a large VMware vSphere ESXi cluster of 32 or more servers, the time savings would be even more substantial than what we have shown here.
What we found: The experience
In this section, we present some of the qualitative advantages of Dell OMEVV over VMware vSphere Auto Deploy for configuration and deployment.
Some advantages of Dell OMEVV
- Our team found OMEVV substantially easier to use than vSphere Auto Deploy and found that its documentation covers all of the use cases we tested.
- By reducing complexity, job deployment in OMEVV reduces the likelihood of error. Using vSphere Auto Deploy, it is possible to miss steps when navigating among Profiles, Auto Deploy, Rules, Inventory, and back to Profiles to remediate after the first deployment pass completes.
- OMEVV operates within a single GUI. The user stays within the OMEVV plugin area to complete tasks such as selecting target servers, creating an ISO profile, and creating a deployment job. To create a deployment job, the user stays in a single-pane Deployment Wizard, which functions as a guided tutorial (see Figure 9). In contrast, vSphere Auto Deploy requires the user to move among a variety of different screens and locations.
- Even if an existing OS is present on the server boot volume, OMEVV can perform an installation without intervention by leveraging the Lifecycle Controller; in contrast, using VMware guidance for setting PXE as the secondary boot method, reinstalling using vSphere Auto Deploy requires manual intervention to invoke the boot menu and users must manually select the PXE option for boot.
- OMEVV assigns static IPs before installation; vSphere Auto Deploy does this after installation. In a real-world setting, the vSphere Auto Deploy approach wastes time. Admins must wait, turning the install time into active administration time where the admin is unable to work on other tasks or jobs because another step is waiting for them at the end.
- OMEVV offers additional features beyond deployment that vSphere Auto Deploy does not (see the section "About the OpenManage Enterprise Integration for VMware vCenter"). Once you have added servers using OMEVV, they benefit from OME. For example, OME offers development of firmware setting and support for call-home service, detailed reports, and other plugins.
Some disadvantages of vSphere Auto Deploy
- vSphere Auto Deploy requires PXE boot, which has networking considerations that users must accommodate.
- vSphere Auto Deploy requires a TFTP server, which is a potential disadvantage because their lack of authentication and encryption makes these servers less secure and more prone to attacks.
- In vSphere Auto Deploy, users can only import or extract host profiles and cannot build them from scratch. This limitation means users must have a template server, which adds steps.
- In vSphere Auto Deploy, Server Initial Config is more specific, whereas in OMEVV Server Initial Config only ensures that defaults are enabled. It is possible to work with Dell so that servers come pre-configured and ready to go for OME/OMEVV on the day they arrive; the admin needs only to power them on, discover them in OME, and run a deployment job.
- To use rules that target specific servers in vSphere Auto Deploy, the user must know certain information about the servers ahead of time, such as IP addresses, serial numbers, or drive and driver types for targeted installation. OMEVV does not require this.
Conclusion
Deploying servers can be a time-consuming task but it doesn’t have to be. In a VMware-based Dell PowerEdge environment, we found that using Dell OpenManage Enterprise Integration for VMware vCenter to configure and deploy bare-metal server hosts greatly reduced the administrative burden in terms of time and complexity compared to using VMware vSphere Auto Deploy. In addition, by letting our technician perform these tasks in up to 74 percent less administrative time and with 34 percent fewer steps, Dell OMEVV is the clear winner in efficiency and complexity, all from a single console with the added benefit of introducing customers to the host of other OME features.
To streamline your deployment of new ESXi servers and optimize your administrator’s time, choose Dell OpenManage Enterprise Integration for VMware vCenter.
- Dell, “OpenManage Enterprise Integration for VMware vCenter,” accessed April 14, 2023, https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000176981/openmanage-integration-for-vmware-vcenter.
- Principled Technologies, “Implement cluster-aware firmware updates to save time and effort,” accessed April 18, 2023, https://www.principledtechnologies.com/clients/reports/Dell/OpenManage-Integration-for-VMware-vCenter-1122.pdf.
This project was commissioned by Dell Technologies.