Dell VxRail Network Planning Guide

VxRail server nodes are designed and engineered for VxRail. The PowerEdge server goes through VxRail product engineering specifications to produce a VxRail node ready for shipment. The components that are manufactured into VxRail nodes are based on the purchase order. The set of VxRail nodes is delivered ready for data center installation and connectivity into the data center network infrastructure.

After installation and network connectivity are complete and equipment is powered on, VxRail initializes the process that forms a VxRail cluster. A VxRail cluster starts with two nodes and can scale to a maximum of 64 nodes. Planned business use cases, and factors such as performance, capacity, and network connectivity are best achieved by using VxRail nodes to form a cluster.

Before you deploy VxRail, perform the following:

• Plan and prepare your data center.
• Select the proper hardware and physical network infrastructure to align with business and operational objectives.
• Set up the network switch infrastructure in your data center.
• Prepare for physical installation and VxRail initialization into the final product.

The VxRail nodes can connect to any compatible network infrastructure to enable operations. VxRail nodes connect to one or more network switches to form a VxRail cluster. VxRail communicates with the physical data center network through one or more VMware VDS in the VxRail cluster. VMware VDS integrates with the physical network infrastructure to provide connectivity for the virtual infrastructure. Virtual network traffic is enabled to pass through the physical switch infrastructure. The physical switch infrastructure serves as a backplane, supporting network traffic between VMs in the cluster, and enabling VM mobility and resiliency.

Physical network infrastructure enables I/O operations between the storage objects in the VMware vSAN data store. The infrastructure also provides connectivity to applications and end-users outside of the cluster.

VxRail clusters can select the following physical components:

• VxRail clusters and nodes
• Network switch
• Data center network
• Topology and connections
• Workstation or laptop
• Out of band management (optional)

Licenses

VxRail is deployed with temporary licenses for Broadcom products that expire after 60 days. Activate subscription licenses on the VxRail cluster before the 60-day grace period expires to ensure uninterrupted cluster operations.

Contact your Dell Technologies account team or Broadcom account team to determine what options are available for your organization.