Dell VxRail Architecture Overview

Dynamic Apps On (PowerStore integration and LCM)

With VxRail 7.0.450 and later, you can initiate updates on PowerStore arrays using the VSI from VMware vCenter Server. VxRail does not support LCM of the PowerStore array with NFS-based storage.

Integration between VxRail and the VSI plug-in tool enables you to perform LCM operations and review information about the PowerStore array from the VxRail Manager.

When performing LCM updates, consider the following:

• Verify that VxRail dynamic cluster nodes have multiple connections to the external storage array. Multiple connections enable the storage array to update without the VxRail nodes losing connectivity to the storage array.
• Verify that the hosts are configured correctly with multiple paths using either PowerPath or VE or VMware multipath options on the VMware ESXi hosts.
• If multiple clusters are connected to a PowerStore array, if you update PowerStore, you may impact storage availability to other clusters.

VMware vSAN Cross-Cluster Capacity Sharing deployment automation

When using a standard cluster as the remote VMware vSAN data store for a dynamic node cluster, the following available connectivity options are available:

• VxRail 8.0.000 allows VMware vSAN OSA and VMware vSAN ESA IPv4 deployments.
• VxRail 8.0.210 added support for VMware vSAN OSA deployments with IPv6 and dual-stack.
• VxRail 8.0.320 added support for VMware vSAN ESA deployments with IPv6 and dual-stack.

For VxRail 8.0.330 and later, the automation of the deployment of a dynamic node cluster using cross-cluster capacity for primary storage is available.

From the VxRail Deployment Wizard, when you deploy a dynamic node cluster, you can select vSAN HCI Mesh to connect the remote vSAN data store as part of first run. You must have a VMware vCenter Server that is not managed by this dynamic node cluster.

There are additional required parameters under the Storage Settings tab to select the remote cluster and data store name. There is also an option to define the default storage policy.

VxRail 8.0.330 and later also includes the following optional parameters to enable flexible connectivity options between vSAN fault domains or remote clusters:

• vSAN Gateway IPv4 Address
• vSAN Gateway IPv6 Address

Restrictions

VxRail nodes cannot boot from the external storage array.