Dell EMC VxRail E series Installation and maintenance instructions

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DELL EMC VxRAIL™ NETWORK GUIDE
Physical and Logical Network Considerations and Planning
ABSTRACT
This is a planning and consideration guide for VxRail Appliances. It can be used to
understand better the networking required for VxRail implementation. This
whitepaper does not replace the requirement for implementation services with
VxRail Appliances and should not be used in an attempt to implement the
required networking for VxRail Appliances.
December 2018
WHITE PAPER

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Table of contents
Intended Use and Audience........................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Introduction to VxRail................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Planning Your Data Center Network for VxRail ................................................................................................................................ 5
VxRail Hardware and the Physical Network Infrastructure.....................................................................................................................5
VxRail Clusters, Appliances and Nodes ........................................................................................................................................................ 5
Network Switch....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Topology and Connections.................................................................................................................................................................................9
Out-of-Band Management (optional)......................................................................................................................................................... 10
VxRail Feature-Driven Decision Points ...............................................................................................................................................10
VMware Validated Design on VxRail .......................................................................................................................................................... 10
Dell-EMC SmartFabric Network Mode....................................................................................................................................................... 11
vSAN Stretched Cluster..................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
VxRail Hardware and Switch Selection Decision Points..............................................................................................................12
Planning the VxRail Implementation ...................................................................................................................................................13
Step 1: Decide on VxRail Single Point of Management............................................................................................................................. 14
Step 2: Plan the VxRail Logical Network ........................................................................................................................................................ 14
Step 3: Plan Network Settings for VxRail Management Components ............................................................................................... 17
Step 4: Identify unique hostnames for VxRail management components ...................................................................................... 19
Step 5: Identify external applications and settings for VxRail.............................................................................................................. 21
Step 6: Create DNS records for VxRail management components ..................................................................................................... 21
Step 7: Prepare Customer-Supplied vCenter Server................................................................................................................................. 22
Step 8. Reserve IP addresses for VxRail vMotion and vSAN networks............................................................................................. 23
Step 9. Decide on VxRail Logging Solution .................................................................................................................................................... 24
Step 10: Decide on Passwords for VxRail Management .......................................................................................................................... 24
Step 11: Prepare for Dell EMC SmartFabric services enablement...................................................................................................... 25
Setting up the upstream network for VxRail ....................................................................................................................................26
Setting up the network switch for VxRail connectivity................................................................................................................27
Step 1. Plan Switch Configuration ..................................................................................................................................................................... 27
Enable Multicast for VxRail Internal Management Network ........................................................................................................... 27
Enable Unicast or Multicast for VxRail vSAN Network....................................................................................................................... 27
Enable Uplinks to pass inbound and outbound VxRail network traffic ...................................................................................... 28
Enable Inter-switch Communication.......................................................................................................................................................... 28
Enable Inter-switch Links................................................................................................................................................................................ 28
Step 2. Plan Switch Port Configuration........................................................................................................................................................... 28
Determine switch port mode ......................................................................................................................................................................... 28
Do not enable Link Aggregation on VxRail Switch Ports................................................................................................................... 29

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Limit Spanning Tree Protocol on VxRail Switch Ports ....................................................................................................................... 30
Step 3. Configure Ports and VLANs on Your Switch(es).......................................................................................................................... 30
Confirm Your Data Center Network......................................................................................................................................................32
Configuring a Workstation/Laptop for VxRail Initialization.....................................................................................................33
Perform Initialization to create VxRail cluster ................................................................................................................................34
After VxRail Initialization Network Considerations......................................................................................................................35
Support for NSX......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 35
Using Unassigned VxRail Physical Ports ........................................................................................................................................................ 35
VxRail Network Configuration Table ...................................................................................................................................................36
VxRail Password Tables.............................................................................................................................................................................38
VxRail Setup Checklist ................................................................................................................................................................................39
Appendix A: NSX Support on VxRail.....................................................................................................................................................41
Appendix B: VxRail Open Ports Requirement ..................................................................................................................................44
Appendix C: Physical Network Switch Examples ...........................................................................................................................46

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Intended Use and Audience
This guide discusses the essential network details for VxRail deployment planning purposes only. It also introduces best practices,
recommendations, and requirements for both physical and virtual network environments. The guide has been prepared for anyone
involved in planning, installing, and maintaining VxRail, including Dell EMC field engineers and customer system and network
administrators. This guide should not be used to perform the actual installation and set-up of VxRail. Please work with your Dell
EMC service representative to perform the actual installation.
Introduction to VxRail
Dell EMC VxRail™Appliances are a hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) solution that consolidates compute, storage and network
into a single, highly available, unified system. With careful planning, VxRail Appliances can be rapidly deployed into an existing data
center environment, and the end product is immediately available to deploy applications and services.
VxRail is not a server. It is an appliance based on a collection of nodes and switches integrated as a cluster under a single point of
management. All physical compute, network and storage resources in the appliance are managed as a single shared pool, and
allocated to applications and services based on customer-defined business and operational requirements.
The compute nodes are based on Dell EMC PowerEdge servers. The G Series consists of up to four nodes in a single chassis,
whereas all other models based on a single node. A 10Gb Ethernet switch (or a 1Gb Ethernet switch for certain models of VxRail) is
required. A workstation/laptop for the VxRail user interface is also required.
VxRail has a simple, scale-out architecture, leveraging VMware vSphere®and VMware vSAN™to provide server virtualization and
software-defined storage, with simplified deployment, upgrades, and maintenance through VxRail Manager.. Fundamental to the
VxRail clustered architecture is network connectivity. It is through the logical and physical networks that individual nodes act as a
single system providing scalability, resiliency and workload balance.
The VxRail software bundle is preloaded onto the compute nodes, and consists of the following components (specific software
versions not shown):
•VxRail Manager
•VMware vCenter Server™
•VMware vRealize Log Insight™
•VMware vSAN
•VMware vSphere
•Dell-EMC Secure Remote Support (SRS)/VE
Licenses are included for all components except VMware vSphere. The vSphere licenses can be purchased through Dell EMC,
VMware or your preferred VMware reseller partner.
The VxRail Appliances also includes licenses for software that can be downloaded, installed and configured:
•Dell EMC RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines (RP4VM) - 5 Full VM Licenses per single node VxRail appliance (15 for the G
Series appliance)

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Planning Your Data Center Network for VxRail
The network considerations for VxRail are no different from those of any enterprise IT infrastructure: availability, performance,
and extensibility. VxRail Appliances are delivered to your data center ready for deployment. The nodes in the appliance can attach
to any compatible network infrastructure at 10 or 25GbE speeds with either RJ45 or SFP+ ports. Some models with single
processors can attach to compatible 1GbE network infrastructure. Most production VxRail network topologies use dual top-of-the-
rack (ToR) switches to eliminate the switch as a single point of failure. This document will guide you through the key phases and
decision points for a successful VxRail implementation. The key phases are:
Step 1. Select the VxRail hardware and physical network infrastructure that best aligns with your business and
operational objectives
Step 2. Plan and prepare for VxRail implementation in your data center before product delivery
Step 3. Set up the network switch infrastructure in your data center for VxRail before product delivery
Step 4. Prepare for physical installation and VxRail initialization into the final product
NOTE: Follow all of the guidance and decision point described in this document; otherwise, VxRail will not implement
properly, and it will not function correctly in the future. If you have separate teams for network and servers in your
data center, you will need to work together to design the network and configure the switch(es).
VxRail Hardware and the Physical Network Infrastructure
VxRail nodes connect to one or more network switches, with the final product forming a VxRail cluster. VxRail communicates with
the physical data center network through a virtual distributed switch deployed in the VxRail cluster. The virtual distributed switch
and physical network infrastructure integration provide connectivity for the virtual infrastructure, and to enable virtual network
traffic to pass through the physical switch infrastructure. In this relationship, the physical switch infrastructure serves as a
backplane, supporting network traffic between virtual machines in the cluster, and enabling virtual machine mobility and
resiliency. In addition, the physical network infrastructure enable I-O operations between the storage objects in the VxRail vSAN
datastore, and provides connectivity to applications and end users outside of the VxRail cluster
This section describes the physical components and selection criteria for a VxRail cluster:
•VxRail clusters, appliances and nodes
•Network switch
•Topology and connections
•Workstation/laptop
•Out-of-band management (optional)
VxRail Clusters, Appliances and Nodes
A VxRail appliance consists of a set of server nodes that are designed and engineered for VxRail. A VxRail physical node starts as a
standard Dell PowerEdge server. The Dell PowerEdge server next goes through a manufacturing process following VxRail product
engineering specifications to produce a VxRail node ready for customer shipment. A set of prepared VxRail nodes are prepared and
delivered to the customer site based on a purchase order. The set of VxRail nodes are delivered ready for data center installation
and connectivity into the data center network infrastructure. Once the data center installation and network connectivity is
complete, and the equipment is powered on, the VxRail management interface is used to perform the initialization process, which
forms the final product: a VxRail cluster.
A VxRail cluster starts with a minimum of 3 nodes and can scale to a maximum of 64 nodes. The selection of the VxRail nodes to
form a cluster is primarily driven by planned business use cases, and factors such as performance and capacity. Five series of
VxRail models are offered, each targeting specific objectives:

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VxRail Series
Target Objective
E-Series
Entry Level
V-Series
Virtual Desktop Enablement
P-Series
High Performance
S-Series
Storage Dense
G-Series
Compute Dense and Space Optimized
(2U4N chassis)
Each VxRail model series offers choices for network connectivity. The following illustrations show some of the physical network
port options for the VxRail models.
Figure 1. Back view of VxRail E Series on Dell 14th Generation PowerEdge Servers
Figure 2. Back view of VxRail V, P and S Series on Dell 14th Generation PowerEdge Servers
Figure 3. Back view of VxRail G-Series node on Dell 14th Generation PowerEdge Servers
In addition to network connectivity, review the physical power, space and cooling requirements for your planned
infrastructure to ensure data center compatibility.

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Network Switch
VxRail is broadly compatible with most customer networks and Ethernet switches, including Dell network switch products.
Switch requirements
•The switch(es) must support both IPv4 and IPv6 network protocols
•The switch(es) connected directly to VxRail nodes must support multicast on switch ports for all models of VxRail
oVxRail Releases prior to Release 4.5.0: both IPv4 and IPv6 multicast pass-through must be supported. Layer 3
multicast is not required.
oVxRail Releases starting with Release 4.5.0: IPv6 multicast pass-through and IPv4 unicast must be supported.
NOTE: IPv6 multicast only needs to be enabled on the switch ports connected to VxRail Appliances. The multicast traffic
required by VxRail is limited to those switch ports that service VxRail.
•Layer 3 support is not required on the switch(es) connected directly to VxRail nodes
VxRail Node Connectivity Options
The figures below show the appliance connectivity options supported on the Network Daughter Cards (NDCs) for each VxRail node
model, including the Dell 14th generation servers and Dell 13th generation servers, and the connectivity requirements for the
management port. In addition, the figures also the available options supported for each VxRail node model for network
connectivity not reserved for VxRail usage.
Figure 4. VxRail 14th Generation Node Connectivity Summary
•E, P, S and V Series (14th Generation Dell EMC PowerEdge Servers) Appliance Connectivity Options
o2x10GbE in either SFP+ or RJ-45 NIC ports
o4x10GbE in either SFP+ or RJ-45 NIC ports

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o2x25GbE SFP28 ports
•E, P, and S Series (14th Generation Dell EMC PowerEdge Servers)
o1GbE connectivity is supported on single processor models only
•G Series (14th Generation Dell EMC PowerEdge Servers) Appliance Connectivity Options
o2x10GbE SFP+ ports
Figure 5. VxRail Pre-14th Generation Node Connectivity Summary
•E, P, S and V Series (13th Generation Dell EMC PowerEdge Servers)
o2x10GbE + 2x1GbE in either SFP+ or RJ-45 NIC ports
•E, P, and S Series (13th Generation Dell EMC PowerEdge Servers)
o1GbE connectivity is supported on single processor models only
oThe 2x10GbE ports will auto-negotiate to 1GbE when used with 1GbE networking.
VxRail Networking Rules and Restrictions
•The VxRail NICs on the Network Daughter Cards (NDCs) assigned to VxRail and selected for configuration during VxRail
initialization process are reserved exclusively for VxRail usage, and cannot be used for other purpose.
•VxRail initialization process will not touch any optional connectivity (PCIe NICs). Customers can use the ports for their own
purposes such as VM networks, iSCSI, or NFS, etc.

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•VxRail nodes supporting 10GbE can be configured with either 2 ports supporting VxRail cluster network traffic, or all 4 ports
can be configured for the VxRail cluster network traffic.
•4 ports are required for each VxRail node when utilizing 1GbE networking on the supported single processor models.
•All-flash VxRail models must use either 10GbE or 25GbE NICs. 1GbE is not supported for all-flash.
•The network hardware configuration in a VxRail appliance must have same NDC across all VxRail nodes.
oVxRail nodes with RJ45 ports and SFP+ ports cannot be mixed in the same VxRail appliance
oThe port speed for each VxRail node (25GbE, 10GbE, 1GbE) must be the same in the VxRail appliance
oThese restrictions are not applicable to optional connectivity ( PCI-e NICs)
•One (1) additional port on the switch or one logical path on the VxRail external management VLAN is required for a
workstation/laptop to access the VxRail user interface for the cluster.
Topology and Connections
Various network topologies for switch(es) and VLANs are possible with VxRail Appliances. Complex production environments will
have multiple core switches and VLANs. A site diagram showing the proposed network components and connectivity is highly
recommended before cabling and powering on VxRail Appliances.
Be sure to follow your switch vendor’s best practices for performance and availability. For example, packet buffer banks may
provide a way to optimize your network with your wiring layout.
Decide if you plan to use one or two switches for VxRail. One switch is acceptable and is often seen in test/development. To support
high availability and failover in production environments, two or more switches are required. The VxRail appliance is an entire
software-defined data center dependent on the physical top-of-rack switch for network communications. A lack of network
redundancy places you at risk of losing availability to all of the virtual machines operating on the appliance.
The figure shows the recommended physical network setup using a management switch (for iDRAC) and two ToR switches. Other
network setups can be found in Appendix C

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Figure 6. Network topology of a 4-node VxRail cluster connected to two 10GbE switches using
2x10Gb connections per node, and a separate switch for out-of-band management
For 13th generation PowerEdge servers in the E, P, S and V series VxRail Appliances utilizing 1GbE with two switches, the
switches must be interconnected.
Out-of-Band Management (optional)
If the VxRail Appliances are located at a data center that you cannot access easily, we recommend setting up an out-of-band
management switch to facilitate direct communication with each node.
To use out-of-band management, connect the internal Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) port to a separate switch to provide
physical network separation. Default values, capabilities, and recommendations for out-of-band management are provided with
server hardware information. The default credentials are:
Username: root Password: calvin
You will need to reserve an IP address for each iDRAC in your VxRail cluster (one per node).
VxRail Feature-Driven Decision Points
Certain applications, software stacks and product features supported on VxRail can have an impact the architecture, deployment
and operations of the cluster. If your plans for VxRail include any of the feature sets or software stacks listed in this section, make
note of the requirements each of these may have on your plans for VxRail
VMware Validated Design on VxRail
VMware Validated Design (VVD) on VxRail enables VMware’s vRealize and NSX capabilities to be deployed on VxRail. The
integrated solution involves a complete end-to-end validation of the hardware and software stack for interoperability and
scalability. VMware Validated Design on VxRail includes the following software stack:
•vRealize Automation
•vRealize Orchestrator
•vRealize Operations Manager
•vRealize Log Insight
•vRealize Business
•vRealize Network Insight
•NSX
•vSphere Enterprise Plus
•vSAN
If your plans include the deployment of VVD on VxRail, make note of the following requirements:
•A minimum of 8 VxRail nodes are required.
oA minimum of 4 VxRail nodes are for the Management pod,
oA minimum of 4 nodes are required for the Edge and Compute pod
•The nodes in the Management pod require a minimum of 192GB of RAM
•The nodes in the Management pod require a minimum of 2 sockets with a total of at least 8 CPU cores
•The VxRail nodes in both the Management pod and Edge and Compute pod must be configured with 2x10Gb Ethernet ports

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More detailed information on VMware Validated Design on VxRail is located here: https://community.emc.com/docs/DOC-66332
Dell-EMC SmartFabric Network Mode
Dell network switches support SmartFabric services, which enables the configuration and operations of the switches to be
controlled outside of the standard management console through a REST-API interface. Certain Dell switch models support
initializing the switches with a VxRail personality profile at power-on, which then forms a unified network fabric, and enables
VxRail becomes the source for the
automated configuration and
administration of the Dell switches.
In this profile setting, VxRail will use
the SmartFabric feature to discover
VxRail nodes and Dell switches on the
network, perform zero-touch
configuration of the switch fabric to
support VxRail deployment, and then
create a unified hyper-converged
infrastructure of the VxRail cluster
and Dell switch network fabric.
For ongoing VxRail cluster network
management after initial deployment,
the Dell-EMC OMNI (Open Manage
Network Interface) vCenter plug-in is
provided free of charge. The Dell-EMC OMNI plug-in will monitor state changes to the virtual network settings and properties on
the vCenter instance, and synchronize those changes to the Dell SmartFabric services using the REST-API interface. In this scenario,
there is no need to manually reconfigure the switches connected to the VxRail nodes when an update such as a new VLAN, new
portgroup, or new virtual switch, is made in the vClient.
Deploying VxRail with the Dell-EMC SmartFabric feature will impact infrastructure planning:
•The Dell-EMS SmartFabric feature is supported on new VxRail deployments starting with version 4.7 of the VxRail software
•The VxRail nodes with version 4.7 software must be connected to a Dell S4100 series switch
•The Dell S4100 series switch must be running OS10 software
•The Dell S4100 series switches require an OS10 Enterprise license to enable SmartFabric services feature
Utilizing the Dell-EMC SmartFabric feature with VxRail requires an understanding of several key points:

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•At the time of VxRail deployment, you must choose the method of network switch configuration. Enabling the VxRail
personality profile on the switches resets the switches to the default state, and passes switch configuration responsibility to
VxRail. If you choose this method, all of the switch configuration functionality except basic management functions are disabled
at the console, and VxRail and the Dell-EMC OMNI plug-in are the tools going forward for network switch configuration
management.
•The Dell network switches enabled in VxRail personality profile mode can support no other connected devices except VxRail
nodes.
•You must deploy a separate Ethernet switch to support out-of-band management for the iDRAC feature on the VxRail nodes.
•Configuring Dell switches using SmartFabric mode does not use standard OS10 commands on the console to configure the
switches. The representation of the switch configuration from the console is not in sync with the SmartFabric configuration.
•Disabling the VxRail personality profile on the Dell network switches will delete the network configuration set up by
SmartFabric services. If a VxRail cluster is operational on the Dell switch fabric, the cluster must be deployed.
vSAN Stretched Cluster
vSAN stretched cluster is a VMware solution to support synchronous I/O on a vSAN datastore over distance, and is supported on
VxRail. A vSAN stretched cluster enables site-level failure protection with no loss
of service or loss of data.
If your plans include the deployment of vSAN stretched cluster on VxRail, make
note of the following requirements:
•Three data center sites required: two data center sites (Primary and
Secondary) host the VxRail infrastructure, and the third site is required to
support a witness to monitor the stretched cluster
•A minimum of 3 VxRail nodes is required in the Primary site, and a minimum
of 3 VxRail nodes is required in the Secondary site
•A minimum of 1 top-of-rack switch for the VxRail nodes is required in the
Primary and Secondary sites
•An ESXi instance is required at the Witness site
The vSAN stretched cluster feature has strict networking guidelines, specifically
for the WAN, that must be adhered to for the solution to work.
More detailed information on vSAN stretched cluster and the networking requirements is located here:
https://www.dellemc.com/resources/en-us/asset/white-papers/products/converged-infrastructure/h15275-vxrail-planning-
guide-virtual-san-stretched-cluster.pdf
VxRail Hardware and Switch Selection Decision Points
Step 1. Assess your requirements and perform a sizing exercise to decide on the quantity and characteristics of the
VxRail nodes you need to meet planned workload and targeted use cases
Step 2. Determine the optimal VxRail port speed to meet planned workload requirements, and to calculate the number of
physical switch ports for connectivity
oVxRail supports 1GbE, 10GbE and 25GbE connectivity options
oVxRail supports either 2 or 4 connections per node to the physical switch
Step 3. Decide whether you want to attach the VxRail nodes to the switches with RJ45 connections or SFP+ connections
oVxRail nodes with RJ-45 ports require CAT5 or CAT6 cables. CAT6 cables are included with every VxRail

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oVxRail nodes with SFP+ ports require optics modules (transceivers) and optical cables, or Twinax Direct-Attach-
Copper (DAC) cables. These cables and optics are not included; you must supply your own. The NIC and switch
connectors and cables must be on the same wavelength.
Step 4. Determine the number of additional ports and port speed on the switch(es) for the uplinks to your core network
infrastructure to meet VxRail workload requirements. Select a switch or switches that provide sufficient port
capacity and characteristics.
Step 5. Reserve one additional port on the switch for a workstation/laptop to access the VxRail management interface for
the cluster
oThe additional port for access to the management interface is removed if connectivity is available elsewhere on
the logical path on the VxRail management VLAN
Step 6. Select a switch or switches that support the features and functionality required for VxRail
oIPV6 multicast is a requirement for VxRail device discovery
oIf you want VxRail to be the source for the automated configuration of the top-of-rack switches, be sure to select
a supported Dell switch model and license
Step 7. Determine whether a single switch will meet business ojectives, as it is a potential single point of failure. Dual
top-of-rack (ToR) switches provide protection from a switch failure.
oIf you are deploying dual top-of-rack switches, it is best practice to reserve ports on each switch for inter-switch
links
Step 8. Decide whether to deploy a separate switch to support connectivity to the VxRail management port on each node
oDell iDRAC supports 1GbE connectivity. You can choose to deploy a dedicated 1GbE switch for this purpose.
You can also use open ports on the top-of-rack switches unless you elect to have VxRail to be the source for the
automated configuration for the top-of-rack switches.
Planning the VxRail Implementation
VxRail is an entire software-defined data center in an appliance form factor. All administrative activities, including initial
implementation and initialization, configuration, capacity expansion, online upgrades, and maintenance and support are handled
within the VxRail management system. When the VxRail appliance is installed in your data center, connected to your network, and
the physical components powered on, the VxRail management system will automate the full implementation of the final software-
defined data center based on your settings and input.
Before getting to this phase, several planning and preparation steps need to be undertaken to ensure a seamless integration of the
final product into your data center environment. These planning and preparation steps include:
1. Decide on VxRail Single Point of Management
2. Plan the VxRail logical network
3. Identify IP address range for VxRail logical networks
4. Identify unique hostnames for VxRail management components
5. Identify external applications and settings for VxRail
6. Create DNS records for VxRail management components
7. Prepare Customer-Supplied vCenter Server
8. Reserve IP addresses for VxRail vMotion and vSAN networks
9. Decide on VxRail Logging Solution
10. Decide on passwords for VxRail management

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Use the VxRail Setup Checklist and the VxRail Network Configuration Table to help create your network plan. References to
rows in this document are to rows in the VxRail Network Configuration Table.
Once you set up VxRail Appliances, and complete the initial initialization phase to produce the final product, the
configuration cannot be changed easily. Consequently, we strongly recommend that you take care during this
planning and preparation phase to decide on the configurations that will work most effectively for your organization.
Step 1: Decide on VxRail Single Point of Management
The unified resources of a VxRail appliance create a virtual infrastructure that is defined and managed as a vSphere cluster under a
single instance of vCenter. A decision must be made to use the VxRail vCenter Server, which is deployed in the cluster, or a Customer
Supplied vCenter Server, which is external to the cluster. During the VxRail initialization process which creates the final product,
you must select whether to deploy VxRail vCenter Server on the cluster, or deploy the cluster on an external Customer Supplied
vCenter Server. Once the initialization process is complete, migrating to a new vCenter single point of management requires
professional services assistance, and is difficult to change.
Multiple VxRail clusters can be configured on a single Customer Supplied vCenter Server, while a deployment with VxRail vCenter
Server is limited to a single VxRail cluster. The Customer Supplied vCenter Server option is more scalable, provides more
configuration options, and is the recommended choice. Refer to the Dell EMC VxRail vCenter Server Planning Guide for details.
Dell EMC strongly recommends that you take care during this planning and preparation phase, and decide on the
single point of management option that will work most effectively for your organization Once VxRail initialization has
configured the final product, the configuration cannot be changed easily.
Step 2: Plan the VxRail Logical Network
The physical connections between the ports on your network switches and the NICs on the VxRail nodes enable communications
for the virtual infrastructure within the VxRail cluster. The virtual infrastructure within the VxRail cluster uses the virtual
distributed switch to enable communication within the cluster, and out to IT management and the application user community.
VxRail has pre-defined logical networks to manage and control traffic within the cluster and outside of the cluster. Certain VxRail
logical networks must be made accessible to the outside community. For instance, connectivity to the VxRail management system is
required by IT management. End users and application owners will need to access their virtual machines running in the VxRail
cluster. Other types of VxRail-generated network traffic, such as device discovery, the network traffic supporting I-O to the vSAN
datastore, or the network used to dynamically migrate virtual machines between VxRail nodes to balance workload, can stay within
the VxRail cluster.
Virtual LANs (VLANs) are the method used to define the VxRail logical networks within the cluster, and the method used to control
the paths a logical network is allowed to pass through. A VLAN, represented as a numeric ID, is assigned to a VxRail logical network.
The same VLAN ID is also configured on the individual ports on your top-of-rack switches, and also on the virtual ports in the
virtual distributed switch during the automated implementation process. When an application or service in the VxRail cluster
sends a network packet on the virtual distributed switch, the VLAN ID for the logical network is attached to the packet. The packet
will only be able to pass through the ports on the top-of-rack switch and the virtual distributed switch where there is a match in
VLAN IDs. Isolating the VxRail logical network traffic using separate VLANs is highly recommended (but not required).
As a first step, the network team and virtualization team should to meet in advance to plan VxRail’s network architecture.
•The virtualization team needs to meet with the application owners to determine which specific applications and services
planned for VxRail are to be made accessible to specific end users. This will determine the number of logical networks that are
needed to support traffic from non-management virtual machines.
•The network team needs to define the pool of VLAN IDs needed to support the VxRail logical networks, and determine which
VLANs will restrict traffic to the cluster, and which VLANs will be allowed to pass through the switch up to the core network
•The network team needs to plan to configure the VLANs on the upstream network, and on the switch(es) attached to the
VxRail nodes

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•The virtualization team needs to assign the VLAN IDs to the individual VxRail logical networks.
VxRail groups the logical networks in the following categories: External Management, Internal Management, vSAN, vSphere
vMotion, and Virtual Machine. VxRail will assign the settings you specify for each of these logical networks during the
initialization process.
Before VxRail version 4.7, both external and internal
management traffic shared the external management
network. Starting with version 4.7 of VxRail, the external
and internal management networks are broken out into
separate networks.
External Management traffic includes all VxRail Manager,
vCenter Server, and ESXi communications. The external
management VLAN also carries traffic for vRealize Log
Insight. All VxRail external management traffic is untagged
by default, and should be able to go over a Native VLAN on
your top-of-rack switches. If this path is not accessible, you
will not be able to build VxRail and configure the ESXi hosts
without performing customizations first.
There are two methods that allow you to tag external
management traffic:
1. Configure each VxRail port on your switch to tag the
management traffic and route it to the desired VLAN.
2. Alternately, you can configure a custom management VLAN
to allow tagged management traffic after you power on each
node, but before you run VxRail initialization. Your Dell EMC
service representative will take care of this during installation.
The Internal Management network is used solely for
device discovery by VxRail Manager during initial
implementation and node expansion. This network traffic is
non-routable, and is isolated to the network switches
connected to the VxRail nodes. Powered-on VxRail nodes
advertise themselves on the Internal Management network
using IPV6 multicast, which is required on this network, and discovered by VxRail Manager. The default VLAN of 3939 is configured
on each VxRail node shipped from the factory. If a different VLAN value is used for this network, then the new VLAN must be
applied to each VxRail node on-site, or device discovery will fail.
In VxRail Appliances, vSphere vMotion and vSAN traffic cannot be routed, and is isolated with the VxRail cluster. This traffic will
be tagged for the VLANs you specify in VxRail initialization.
The Virtual Machine network(s) are for the virtual machines running your applications and services. Dedicated VLANs are
preferred to divide Virtual Machine traffic, based on business and operational objectives. VxRail will create one or more VM
Networks for you, based on the name and VLAN ID pairs that you specify. Then, when you create VMs in vSphere Web Client to run
your applications and services, you can easily assign the virtual machine to the VM Network(s) of your choice. For example, you
could have one VLAN for Development, one for Production, and one for Staging.
Network Configuration
Table
✓Row 1
Enter the external management VLAN ID for VxRail management network
(VxRail Manager, ESXi, vCenter Server/PSC, Log Insight). If you do not plan to
have a dedicated management VLAN and will accept this traffic as untagged,
enter “0” or “Native VLAN.”
Network Configuration
Table
✓Row 2
Enter the internal management VLAN ID for VxRail device discovery. The default
is 3939. If you do not accept the default, the new VLAN must be applied to each
VxRail node before cluster implementation.

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Network Configuration
Table
✓Row 34
Enter a VLAN ID for vSphere vMotion.
(Enter a 0 in the VLAN ID field for untagged traffic)
Network Configuration
Table
✓Row 38
Enter a VLAN ID for vSAN.
(Enter a 0 in the VLAN ID field for untagged traffic)
Network Configuration
Table
✓Rows 39-40
Enter a Name and VLAN ID pair for each VM guest network you want to create.
You must create at least one VM Network.
(Enter a 0 in the VLAN ID field for untagged traffic)
NOTE: If you plan to have multiple independent VxRail clusters, we recommend using different VLAN IDs for vSAN traffic
and management traffic across multiple VxRail clusters to reduce network traffic congestion.
For stretched cluster, the VxRail nodes can optionally connect to the witness over a separate Witness Traffic Separation network.
For this network, , a VLAN is required for this Witness Traffic Separation network. The Witness Network Separation traffic must
be able be able to pass through upstream to the witness site. This is not a requirement for the other VxRail logical networks.
Network Configuration
Table
✓Row 50
Enter the Witness Traffic Separation VLAN ID.

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Step 3: Plan Network Settings for VxRail Management Components
During the VxRail automated implementation process, IP addresses entered are assigned to the components within the VxRail
cluster that are part of the Management network. The IP addresses assigned to the components within the Management network
must follow certain rules:
•The IP address scheme be a public IP address range
•The IP address must be free, and cannot be in use
•The IP addresses assigned to the VxRail nodes must be contiguous (sequential order)
•The IP address range must all be in the same subnet (non-routable)
The decisions you make on the final VxRail configuration planned for your data center impacts the number of IP addresses you will
need to reserve.
Figure 7. VxRail Management Components and Required Networks
•Decide if you want to reserve additional IP addresses in the VxRail management system to assign to VxRail nodes in the future
for expansion purposes. When a new node is added to an existing VxRail cluster, it will assign an IP address from the unused
reserve pool, or prompt you to enter an IP address manually.
•Decide whether you will use the vCenter instance that is deployed in the VxRail cluster, or if you will use an external vCenter
already operational in your data center. If you choose to use the vCenter instance deployed on the VxRail cluster, you will need
to reserve an IP address for vCenter and an IP address for the Platform Service Controller
•Decide if you will use vSphere Log Insight that can be deployed in the VxRail cluster
oIf you choose to the vCenter instance that is deployed in the VxRail cluster, then you have the option to deploy
vSphere Log Insight, use an existing syslog server in your data center, or no logging at all. Reserve one IP
address if you choose to deploy vSphere Log Insight in the VxRail cluster
oIf you choose to use an external vCenter already operational in your data center for VxRail, then vSphere Log
Insight will not be deployed
•VxRail supports the Dell-EMC ‘call home’ feature, where alerts from the appliance are routed to customer service. The Secure
Remote Gateway is required to enable alerts from VxRail to be sent to Dell-EMC customer service
oDecide whether to use an existing Secure Remote Services gateway in your data center for ‘call-home’, deploy a
virtual instance of the Secure Remote Services gateway in the VxRail cluster for this purpose, or none at all

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oReserve 1 IP address if you choose to deploy SRS-VE (Secure Remote Services Virtual Edition) in the VxRail
cluster
•If you are planning to deploy a VxRail cluster that requires a witness at a remote third site, such as VxRail stretched cluster,
then two IP addresses are required to deploy the witness virtual appliance.
oOne IP address is assigned to the witness management network
oOne IP address is assigned to the witness vSAN network.
oBoth networks must be able to route to the VxRail cluster requiring the remote site witness
Use the table below to determine the number of public IP addresses required for the Management logical network:
Component
Condition
Contiguous?
IP Address
Count
VxRail Node
One per VxRail Node
Yes
VxRail Manager
One
No
1
vCenter
If you are supplying vCenter Server for VxRail: 0
If you are using vCenter on VxRail: 2
No
Log Insight
If you are supplying vCenter Server for VxRail: 0
If you are supplying a syslog server for VxRail: 0
If you will not enable logging for VxRail:0
If you are using Log Insight on VxRail: 1
No
SRS-VE
If you are planning to deploy SRS Gateway on VxRail: 1
If you will not deploy SRS Gateway on VxRail: 0
No
TOTAL
Request your networking team to provide you with a pool of unused IP addresses required for the VxRail Management logical
network. Record the IP address range for the ESXi hosts. These IP addresses are required.
Network Configuration
Table
✓Rows 12 and 13
Enter the starting and ending IP addresses for the ESXi hosts - a continuous IP
range is required, with a minimum of 4 IPs.
Network Configuration
Table
✓Row 27
Enter the subnet mask for the VxRail External Management network
Network Configuration
Table
✓Rows 28
Enter the gateway for the VxRail External Management network
Record the permanent IP address for VxRail Manager. This is required.
Network Configuration
Table
✓Row 25
Enter the permanent IP address for VxRail Manager
If you are going to deploy vCenter on the VxRail cluster, record the permanent IP address for vCenter and Platform Service
Controller. Leave these entries blank if you will provide an external vCenter for VxRail

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Network Configuration
Table
✓Row 15
Enter the IP address for VxRail vCenter
Network Configuration
Table
✓Row 17
Enter the IP address for VxRail Platform Service Controller
Record the IP address for Log Insight. Leave this entry blank if you will not deploy Log Insight on VxRail
Network Configuration
Table
✓Row 42
Enter the IP address for vSphere Log Insight
Record the 2 IP addresses for the witness virtual appliance. Leave blank if a witness is not required for your VxRail deployment
Network Configuration
Table
✓Row 48
Enter IP address for Witness Management Network
Network Configuration
Table
✓Rows 49
Enter IP address for Witness vSAN Network
Step 4: Identify unique hostnames for VxRail management components
Each of the VxRail management components you will deploy in the VxRail cluster will require you to assign an IP address, and also
assign a fully-qualified hostname. During initialization, each of these VxRail management components will be assigned a hostname
and IP address.
You need to make a decision on the naming format for the hostnames to be applied to the required VxRail management
components: each ESXi host, and VxRail Manager. If you decide to deploy the vCenter Server in the VxRail cluster, then that also
requires a hostname. In addition, if you decide to deploy Log Insight in the VxRail cluster, that needs a hostname as well.
You cannot easily change the hostnames and IP addresses of the VxRail management components after initial
implementation
Domain
Begin the process by selecting the domain you want to use for VxRail, and want to assign to the fully-qualified hostnames. Be aware
that DNS is a requirement for VxRail, so select a domain where the naming services can support that domain.
ESXi Hostnames
All ESXi hostnames in a VxRail cluster are defined by a naming scheme that comprises: an ESXi hostname prefix (an alphanumeric
string), a separator (“None” or a dash ”-“), an iterator (Alpha, Num X, or Num 0X), an offset
1
(empty or numeric), a suffix
2
(empty or
alphanumeric string with no .) and a domain. The Preview field shown during VxRail initialization is an example of the hostname of
1
Offset is available starting in VxRail Release 4.0.200. It is only applicable when the iterator is numeric.
2
Suffix is available starting in VxRail Release 4.0.200.

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the first ESXi host. For example, if the prefix is “host,” the separator is “None,” the iterator is “Num 0X”, the offset is empty, and the
suffix is “lab”, and the domain is “local,” the first ESXi hostname would be “host01lab.local”. The domain is also automatically
applied to the VxRail management components. (Example: my-vcenter.local).
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Prefix
host
myname
esxi-host
Separator
None
-
-
Iterator
Num 0X
Num X
Alpha
Offset
4
Suffix
lab
Domain
local
college.edu
company.com
Resulting hostname
host01.local
myname-4lab.college.edu
esxi-host-a.company.com
Network Configuration
Table
✓Rows 6-11
Enter an example of your desired ESXi host-naming scheme. Be sure to show
your desired prefix, separator, iterator, offset, suffix and domain.
VxRail Manager Hostname
A hostname must be assigned to VxRail Manager. The domain is also automatically applied to the chosen hostname. Dell-EMC
recommends following the naming format selected for the ESXi hosts to simplify cluster management.
Network Configuration
Table
✓Row 25
Enter the hostname for VxRail Manager.
VxRail vCenter Server Hostname
NOTE: You can skip this section if you plan to use an external vCenter Server in your data center for VxRail. These action
items are only applicable if you plan to use the VxRail vCenter Server.
If you want deploy a new vCenter Server on the VxRail cluster, you will need to specify a hostname for the VxRail vCenter Server
and Platform Services Controller (PSC) virtual machines. Again, the domain is also automatically applied to the chosen hostname,
and Dell-EMC recommends following the naming format selected for the ESXi hosts to simplify cluster management.
Network Configuration
Table
✓Row 14
Enter an alphanumeric string for the new vCenter Server hostname. The domain
specified will be appended.
Network Configuration
Table
✓Row 16
Enter an alphanumeric string for the new Platform Services Controller hostname.
The domain specified will be appended.
Log Insight Hostname
NOTE: You can skip this section if you plan to use an external syslog server instead of Log Insight, if you plan to use an
external vCenter Server in your data center for VxRail, or will not enable logging.
If you decide to deploy Log Insight to the VxRail cluster, then the management component must be assigned a hostname. You can
choose whether to use your own third-party syslog server, use the vRealize Log Insight solution included with VxRail, or no logging.
You can only select the vRealize Log Insight option if you also choose to use the VxRail vCenter Server.
The domain is also automatically applied to the chosen hostname. Dell-EMC recommends following the naming format selected for
the ESXi hosts to simplify cluster management.