Dell VxRail Network Planning Guide

VxRail network considerations

When setting up a VxRail cluster, it is essential to consider network requirements for optimal performance. The cluster version, configuration settings, and supported features on the data center network determine the available options for modifying VxRail networking.

If the VxRail cluster was configured with integrated NDC/OCP ports, you can configure the ports on the optional PCIe adapter cards to support VxRail network traffic. Reconfigure the VxRail networks to enable network redundancy across NDC/OCP and PCIe Ethernet ports. You can then migrate selected VxRail network traffic from the original NDC/OCP-based ports over to PCIe-based ports.

The following table describes the supported network reconfiguration:

The following rules apply for migrating VxRail networks from NDC/OCP-only ports to mixed NDC/OCP-PCIe ports:

• Reserve vmnic0 or vmnic1 for VxRail management and node discovery. Do not migrate VxRail management or node discovery off this first reserved port.
• The switch ports enabling connectivity to the PCIe-based ports are properly configured to support VxRail network traffic.
• All the network ports supporting VxRail network traffic must run at the same speed.
• The network reconfiguration requires a one-to-one swap. For example, a VxRail network that is running on two NDC/OCP ports can be reconfigured to run on one NDC/OCP port and one PCIe port.

Follow the official instructions or procedures from Broadcom and Dell.

The supported operations include:

• Create a VMware Standard Switch and connect to unused ports.
• Connect unused ports to new port groups on the default VMware VDS.
• Create a VMware VDS and add VxRail nodes. Connect their unused network ports to the VMware VDS.
• Create VMkernel adapters, and enable services of IP storage and VMware vSphere replication.
• Create VM Networks and assign them to new port groups.