Dell VxRail Network Planning Guide

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2-node cluster

A 2-node cluster supports small-scale deployments with reduced workload and availability requirements.

The solution is limited to two VxRail nodes requires a witness.

To deploy 2-node VxRail clusters, the following apply:

  • The deployment is limited to a pair of VxRail nodes.
  • Verify that your workload requirements do not exceed the resource capacity of this small-scale solution.
  • A single ToR switch is supported.
  • Four Ethernet ports per node are required to deploy a 2-node cluster. VxRail 8.0.320 supports a 2-port minimum for 2-node clusters running VMware vSAN. Supported networking options include:
    • Four 10 GbE NICs.
    • Four 25 GbE NICs.
    • Two 10 GbE NICs and two 25 GbE NICs.
    • Two 1 GbE NICs and two 10 GbE NICs.
    • Two 1 GbE NICs and two 25 GbE NICs.
    • In a mixed network configuration, the vSAN network must be placed on the pair of Ethernet ports running at the higher speed.
  • A 2-node cluster can be deployed with either:
    • Two Ethernet ports connect to create two links between the physical VxRail nodes, and the other two Ethernet ports connect to the ToR switch.
      Figure 1. Direct connect option for a 2-node cluster. Direct connect option for a 2-node cluster
      Direct connect option for a 2-node cluster
    • All four Ethernet ports connect to the ToR switch or switches.
      Figure 2. Switch-only option for a 2-node cluster. Switch-only option for a 2-node cluster
      Switch-only option for a 2-node cluster

Follow these guidelines for the required witness:

  • Network connectivity is required between the 2-node cluster and the witness.
  • Witness can be deployed at the same physical site as the VxRail nodes but cannot be deployed on the 2-node cluster.
  • If there is more than one 2-node cluster deployed at the site, the witness can reside on a 2-node cluster it is not monitoring.
  • For a 2-node cluster based on the VxRail XR-Series hardware, which is targeted for edge use cases:
    • The witness sled integrated into the XR-Series chassis can support only one VxRail 2-node cluster.
    • The witness sled and witness VM must have IP addresses in the same subnet as the VxRail hosts.
    • The Ethernet ports on the witness sled supporting the 2-node cluster only support 1 GbE.
      Figure 3. 2-node cluster on VD-Series compute sleds and a witness sled. 2-node cluster on VD-Series compute sleds and a witness sled
      2-Node cluster on VD-Series compute sleds and a witness sled
  • The VMware vCenter Server instance supporting the 2-node cluster can be either:
    • A VxRail-managed VMware vCenter Server that is deployed on the cluster.
    • A customer-managed VMware vCenter Server external to the 2-node cluster.
    Figure 4. Two VMware vCenter Server placement options for a 2-node cluster. Two VMware vCenter Server placement options for a 2-node cluster
    Two vCenter placement options for a 2-node cluster

Like the VMware vSAN stretched cluster feature, this small-scale solution has strict networking guidelines.

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