how to determine the vxrail dell deployed model

Quick answer: Based on the screenshot, the VxRail appears to be using a Standard VxRail deployment with an External vCenter. This can be determined since no vCenter VM is listed in the cluster and this is not a VCF on VxRail deployment since it has no VCF on VxRail related VMs. Question by question responses:

1. Question: How to determine the VxRail Model of a node?

Answer: In the vSphere Client, in the Hosts and Clusters view select an ESXi host. Select the Monitor tab in the middle pane, scroll down, and then select VxRail > Physical View. The VxRail Model is displayed.

2. Question: How to determine the underlying Dell PowerEdge from a VxRail Model number?

Answer:

1. Browser to https:// /rest/vxm/api-doc-html .
2. From the Select a definition drop-down menu select Chassis.
3. Select the Authorize button and enter your administrator@vsphere.local password.
4. Select GET /v1/chassis request button
5. Select Try it out > Execute.
6. In the output, observe the output for the render_category field. The equivalent PowerEdge Server model number will be listed:

3. Question: How to determine VxRail Deployment mode?

Answer:

1. Browser to https:// /rest/vxm/api-doc-html .
2. From the Select a definition drop-down menu select vc.
3. Select the Authorize button and enter your administrator@vsphere.local password.
4. Select GET /v1/vc/mode request button
5. Select Try it out > Execute.
6. In the output, observe the output for the vc_mode field. The example below is using an EXTERNAL vCenter:

4. Question: Is the VxRail deployment using an Internal or external DNS?

Answer: In the vSphere Client, select the VxRail Manager VM, and select LAUNCH WEB CONSOLE. Log in as root and the associated password. Perform an nslookup for the VxRail Manager FQDN. If the address of the DNS Server is the same as the VxRail Manager then it is using Internal DNS (dnsmasq service on the VxRail Manager VM), otherwise it is using an External DNS. The example below shows an External DNS server since it is not the same IP address as the VxRail Manager:

And how can one determine if internal vCenter deployed is with internal DNS? I can't found anything in documents and in HTML5 client is nothing to find regarding vCenter DNS.

Thanks!

Browse to the vCenter Server Appliance Management Interface (VAMI) at https:// :5480 and login as root. Check the DNS settings: Select Networking > DNS Servers. If the address of the DNS Server is the same as the VxRail Manager, then vCenter is using VxRail Manager for DNS (Internal DNS), otherwise it is an external DNS. The example below is using an External DNS server since the IP address is different than that of my VxRail Manager (192.168.10.16):

Thanks for replying , so according to your answer if its external vcenter then automatically will be using the external DNS

Greetings, in VxRail, an external vCenter must use an external DNS.

#NeedlessVxRailVerbosity

Referring to the pictures are my answers correct?

for first picture Its internal vcenter and external DNS since when we select internal vcenter it will be automatic change to external DNS

for the second picture its customer supplied VDS since there is multiple clusters managed by same vcenter.

Greetings, the most definitive way to determine if a vCenter is External or Embedded in the context of VxRail is by browsing to the OpenAPI of each vCenter and executing the /v1/vc/mode request previously detailed in this discussion. The picture displayed is suggestive, but not definitive. A vCenter hosted inside a VxRail cluster maybe either Embedded or External. Example, in the case of VCF on VxRail, vCenters start as Embedded and are converted to External, which changes the lifecycle management responsibility from VxRail Manager to SDDC Manager (A VCF on VxRail component). Being an External vCenter indicates lifecyle management is not handled by VxRail Manager, it does not indicate the location of the vCenter. In VCF on VxRail, vCenter(s) are hosted inside a VxRail cluster, but are External in the context of lifecycle management. These nuances are why I suggest using the OpenAPI approach for a definitive answer.

#NeedlessVxRailVerbosity

hello,

i got this question in the simulator and you can only browse the vxrail manager monitor and configuration tab and the vsphere menu.

any idea how to verify if internal DNS or external by only browsing through those?

Thank you.

Greetings, in the vSphere Client, in the "Hosts and Clusters" view, select an ESXi host in the left pane. In the right pane select the "Configure" tab. Under the "Networking" section select "TCP/IP configuration". Notice the column entitled "Preferred DNS server". If the IP address of the "Preferred DNS server" matches the VxRail Manager's IP, then it must be an Internal DNS, i.e. the VxRail Manager system hosts DNS.

The VxRail Manager's IP address is visible in the "Hosts and Clusters" view when highlighting the VxRail Manager VM. In the "Summary" tab in the right pane look for the "IP Addresses" field. This data comes from VMware Tools installed on the Guest OS (VxRail Manager). In my example, the "Preferred DNS server" value is 192.168.10.1, while my VxRail Manager's IP address is 192.168.10.16, therefore, the environment in my example must be using an "External" DNS server. 

#NeedlessVxRailVerbosity

@Dell-RobertH 

Thank you for your detailed answer.

And in case we cannot browse the host configure tab, any alternative way to determine DNS IP?

and for Vcenter server do we always assume internal Vcenter when there is an embedded VM? or other verifications should be done too?

Thank you, Rob. 

@Mr.HJ @Joe Chaaya @Al3x73 Please click on Accept as solution if you got the response you are looking for from our subject matter expertise. 

Appreciate it! 

another way is by checking if vcenter "Convert" option is still available. if it is, vc is internal/embedded otherwise its external

Thats unfortunately not true.

I had the same issue in the Exam Simulation to check if vCenter is internal or external.

The VxRail Cluster Tag in Cluster Summary show only the Deployment Type (3Node, 2Node, Dynamic,..)

The Update Tab in Cluster -> Configure show vCenter Version for internal and external Mode...

Dell is not providing my entered simulation answer or will check the results with me together.

The Information Page dont have "vCenter mode" anymore.

And the "Actions" Button which can say "convert to external mode" is not allowed to use.

In Simulation you cannot use API...

It seems that new dell-framework is for creating exam-money.

Hello @Parziwolle,

Thank you for your post, and submit your question to our service team regarding your "Dell VxRail Deploy 2023" exam result. 

Based on your answers, we reviewed them carefully with our exam team. But we will check your post and get back to you.   

Greetings, 

Please note, this question is different than the original question this thread addressed.

The essence of the question:
Use the simulator, discern the following:

• The version of VxRail.
• The version of vCenter.

This question can be answered in several ways, I'll focus on one method available in the simulator:

In the "Hosts and Clusters" view, select the VxRail cluster followed by the "Monitor" tab in the middle pane. Scroll down and select the "Last configuration data sent" item under the "VxRail" heading. This is the data collected by VxRail and optionally sent to Dell. The output includes details about VxRail and vCenter versions among other items.

Use the simulator, discern the following:

• Whether this deployment uses a "VxRail deployed" or an "existing vCenter".

This question can be answered in several ways, I'll focus on what is most readily seen in the simulator:

In the "Hosts and Clusters" view, there is no vCenter VM hosted by the VxRail cluster, this must be an existing/customer supplied vCenter.

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