VXRAIL 8.0.

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Table of Contents

VxRail and Its Benefits 4

Introduction to VxRail and Use Cases 4
Benefits of VxRail 4

Hardware Components of the VxRail System 5

VxRail Node and Components 5
VxRail Models 6
Explore VxRail Node Components 9
VxRail Physical Network Infrastructure 9

Software Components of the VxRail System 12

VxRail HCI System Software 12
VMware Software Components 13

Storage Options for VxRail 16

VxRail Primary Storage 16
VxRail Secondary Storage 17

Licensing Options of VxRail 19

VxRail Licensing 19
VMware vSphere and vSAN Editions - VxRail Feature Comparison 20

VxRail System Management 22

VxRail Manager Functionality 22
VxRail Dashboard View 24
vCenter Server with VxRail 26
VxRail vCenter Server Configuration Options 28
iDRAC Management Functions and VxRail Event Integration 29
iDRAC Dashboard 30
VxRail API 32
CloudIQ with VxRail Overview 34
VxRail System Details in CloudIQ 36
 Data Protection Options for VxRail 39
Data Protection Overview for VxRail 39
VxRail Business Continuity 40

VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail 42

Overview of VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail and the Benefits 42
Business Challenges and the Solution 42
Overview of SDDC Manager and VxRail Manager 43
You Have Completed This Content 44

Appendix 45
 VxRail and Its Benefits

VxRail and Its Benefits

Introduction to VxRail and Use Cases

The Online Course Contains an Interaction Here.

[Detailed description of the Interaction for Guides]

Benefits of VxRail

VxRail Hyper Converged System Infrastructure (HCI) System Software

integrates VMware software with Dell PowerEdge servers so the system
can be managed as a unified system. VxRail provides the following
benefits:

To learn more about the benefits of VxRail, go to VxRail HCI

System Infographic.

• Allows organizations to start small and scale up or scale out while

maintaining performance levels.
• Lays the foundation for multicloud deployment; simplifying operations
with software-driven automation and life cycle management.
• Provides processing and analytics that are required for a wide variety
of workloads.

VxRail delivers the fastest and simplest path to IT solutions in a VMware

environment. To learn more, watch the video.

Movie:

The web version of this content contains a movie.

 Hardware Components of the VxRail System

Hardware Components of the VxRail System

VxRail Node and Components

VxRail nodes are based on Dell PowerEdge servers and offer

configuration flexibility.

Each VxRail node includes the following:

• Processors
• DIMMs
• Disk drive controller
• Boot device
• Hybrid, all flash, or all NVMe storage devices1
• Onboard networking
• iDRAC port

Front and rear views of a VxRail node

1 VxRail dynamic nodes do not have any local storage.

 Hardware Components of the VxRail System

VxRail nodes can include:

• Graphical Processing Units (GPU2)
• Smart Data Processing Units (SmartDPU3)4
• Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapters (HBA)
• Optional network interfaces

VxRail Models

VxRail is offered in multiple models with configuration options including

choice of Intel Xeon Scalable processors, AMD EPYC processors, NVMe
drives, NVIDIA graphics cards and more. All VxRail models support vSAN
Original Storage Architecture (OSA). The table provides a description of
each VxRail model.

2 GPUs are used to offload graphics, gaming, and AI/ML application

workloads from the server CPU to the GPU.
3 SmartDPUs with the VMware vSphere Distributed Services Engine are

used to offload network and security services from the server CPU to the
DPU.
4 SmartDPUs and GPUs cannot be configured simultaneously.
 Hardware Components of the VxRail System

Models Description
 Hardware Components of the VxRail System

The VxRail E Series is a 1U low-profile,

cost-effective platform for core and edge
VxRail E Series
deployments.
Specific E Series nodes can also be
configured as vSAN Express Storage
Architecture (ESA) clusters, dynamic
node clusters, or satellite nodes.

The VxRail VD Series is a 2U

ruggedized, short-depth platform for
harsh and space-constrained
VxRail VD Series - VD-4000z environments. An embedded vSAN
Chassis witness node is optional.
The VD-4000z chassis has flexible
mount options and can hold one 2U node
or two 1U nodes.
VxRail VD Series - VD-4000r The VD-4000r chassis is rack-mounted
Chassis
and can hold up to four 1U nodes, two
2U nodes, or a combination.

The VxRail P Series is a 2U

performance-intensive platform ideal for
in-memory database applications.
VxRail P Series
Specific P Series nodes can also be
configured as vSAN ESA clusters or
dynamic node clusters.

The VxRail V Series is a 2U graphics-

ready platform for specialized use cases
such as high-end 2D/3D visualization
VxRail V Series
and VDI environments.
Specific V Series nodes can also be
configured as dynamic node clusters or
satellite nodes.
 Hardware Components of the VxRail System

The VxRail S Series is a high capacity,

2U hybrid storage platform ideal for
VxRail S Series applications such as Microsoft
SharePoint, Microsoft Exchange, big
data, and analytics.
VxRail models with descriptions

See the Dell VxRail specification sheet for details.

Explore VxRail Node Components

3D Simulation:
Optional activity - Explore an interactive 3D simulation for the
following VxRail systems:
• VxRail E Series
• VxRail P Series
• VxRail VD Series

VxRail Physical Network Infrastructure

VxRail systems connect to the existing data center network through Top of
Rack (ToR) switches. Customers can use the existing switches or buy
new ones with the VxRail system.

Two ToR network switches are recommended. Each VxRail node is

connected to a pair of ToR Ethernet switches to provide increased
networking availability.

The following VxRail networks are configured on the ToR switches:

• Management
 Hardware Components of the VxRail System

• vSAN
• vMotion
• Virtual Machine

To learn about VxRail ToR Ethernet switches, select each tab.

General Requirements

ToR switch requirements for all VxRail Models are as follows:

• The switch must support layer two (but can support layer three as
well).
• Switch ports for VxRail nodes must be 10 GbE, 25 GbE, or 100 GbE.5
• One ToR is required and two is recommended for redundancy.

Reusing the existing Switches

Customers can use the existing switches.

• Integrating existing switches help keep costs low.

• The customer is responsible for all configurations of the non-Dell
switches.

Benefits of Using Dell Switches

Dell switches support cost-effective fabric solutions that help automate a

software-defined data center. Here are some of the benefits when you
purchase switches from Dell:

• Dell provides validated networking guides for Do-It-Yourself (DIY)

deployment.
• Dell provides configuration services.

5 4 x 1GbE connections are also supported for Hybrid vSAN clusters.

 Hardware Components of the VxRail System

For more detailed VxRail networking information, see the VxRail Network
Planning Guide and VxRail Networking Solutions.
 Software Components of the VxRail System

Software Components of the VxRail System

VxRail HCI System Software

VxRail is based on a modular system architecture, which is composed of

individual nodes and system software. This system software delivers a
virtualized infrastructure that is integrated into a VxRail cluster.

To learn about each of the VxRail HCI software components, select the
six-gray hotspots.

VxRail HCI Software Components

1: Ecosystem connectors integrate with infrastructure components

including vSAN, physical appliance components, and networking.

2: RESTful APIs help customers deliver a broad level of cloud and IT

automation extensibility with a wide-ranging set of publicly available APIs.

3: VxRail HCI System Software includes automation and orchestration

services for VxRail clusters and system wide, end-to-end life cycle
management.

4: The secure connect gateway serves as a secure conduit for devices to

send event files to the backend. The event files include errors, alerts,
 Software Components of the VxRail System

warning conditions, health reports, configuration data, and script execution

statuses.

5: Software as a Service (SaaS) multicluster Management provides AI

driven operations insight to enable detailed health checks and predictive
analytics. It also helps simplify the upgrade process by staging all the
required components for individual cluster upgrades and enhancing ease
of management: especially for large-scale systems.

6: VxRail Manager is a system virtual machine that is used to deploy the

initial configuration of the cluster, perform regular maintenance, add
nodes, and complete upgrades. The full postdeployment functionality of
the VxRail Manager is provided to the administrator through a vCenter
plug-in.

VMware Software Components

A hyperconverged platform has four tightly integrated software

components:
• Storage virtualization
• Compute virtualization
• Networking virtualization
• Advanced management, including automation

To learn about each of the VMware software components, select the six-
gray hotspots.

VMware Software Components

 Software Components of the VxRail System

1: VMware Tanzu is an optional modular cloud native application platform

that accelerates development, delivery, and operations across multiple
clouds.

2: VMware Aria Suite; formerly named vRealize Suite; is an optional

platform for managing a heterogeneous, hybrid cloud hosted on VxRail. It
provides cloud management functionality, including self-service,
automation, and intelligence operations.

6: VMware Cloud Foundation is an optional multicloud platform that

provides a full-stack hyperconverged infrastructure. VCF is made for
modernizing data centers and deploying modern container-based
applications.

4: vCenter Server provides a single point of management for the VxRail

vSphere infrastructure and virtual machines (VMs). VxRail includes a
vCenter server instance. An external vCenter instance may be used. An
existing vCenter license or a new license that is purchased through Dell
Technologies can be used.

5: VMware vSAN is storage virtualization software that creates and

manages virtual data storage devices that are derived from the physical
storage devices within each VxRail node. Virtual datastores are accessible
to all VxRail nodes in a cluster.
 Software Components of the VxRail System

6: VMware vSphere is the foundation of compute and network resource

virtualization and management. vSphere includes ESXi and vCenter
Server. VxRail supports a range of VMware vSphere licensing options.
 Storage Options for VxRail

Storage Options for VxRail

VxRail Primary Storage

There are two types of clusters:

• VxRail vSAN clusters - vSphere clusters that use vSAN as the primary
storage.
• VxRail dynamic node clusters - vSphere clusters that use external
storage as the primary storage.

To learn more about primary storage, select each tab.

VxRail vSAN Clusters

VxRail vSAN primary storage architectures:

• OSA - vSAN OSA is a two-tier, diskgroup-based storage system with

dedicated cache and capacity disks.
• ESA - vSAN ESA is a single-tier storage for optimizing the
performance of all-NVMe devices.

To learn more about vSAN architecture, see the vSAN Architecture

Overview.

VxRail Dynamic Node Clusters

VxRail dynamic node clusters are compute-only nodes that are attached
to external storage. Having separate compute and storage resources
allows independent scaling of each.

Dynamic node storage options:

• Dell PowerFlex
• Dell PowerMax
• Dell Unity XT
 Storage Options for VxRail

• Dell PowerStore T
• VMware vSAN HCI Mesh

To learn more about dynamic nodes, watch the video.

Movie:
The web version of this content contains a movie.

VxRail Secondary Storage

In addition to the primary storage, VxRail can be configured to use

external storage. External storage is typically not part of a VxRail
environment. However, there may be a requirement to move virtual
machines and data into a VxRail environment or move data between
environments.

To learn more about the external storage connectivity options, select each
tab.

Fibre Channel

VxRail can connect to an external storage array through a Fibre Channel

HBA.

Fibre Channel storage as secondary external storage with VxRail

iSCSI

VxRail can connect to an external storage array using iSCSI.

 Storage Options for VxRail

iSCSI storage as secondary external storage with VxRail

NFS

VxRail can connect to an external storage array using NFS.

NFS storage as secondary external storage with VxRail

 Licensing Options of VxRail

Licensing Options of VxRail

VxRail Licensing

The purchase of the VxRail hardware includes the following software

licenses:
• VMware vCenter Server - for clusters with the VxRail-managed
vCenter Server6
• VMware vSphere and VMware vSAN - 60-day evaluation licenses
• RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines - five licenses per node
• CloudIQ SaaS multicluster management Tier 17

The following VMware licenses are required:

• VMware vCenter Server - for clusters with customer-supplied vCenter
Server
• VMware vSphere - Standard, Enterprise Plus, or Remote Office
Branch Office (ROBO)
• VMware vSAN8 - Standard, Advanced, Enterprise, or Enterprise Plus

VxRail supports VMware perpetual or subscription-based licenses.

Perpetual licenses can be purchased from Dell, VMware channel partners,
or directly from VMware. Subscription-based licenses must be purchased
directly from VMware.

6 This vCenter Server license is not transferable to a customer-supplied vCenter Server.

7 The Tier 1 license provides monitoring and reporting using the CloudIQ web portal. A
fee-based license is required for active cluster management.
8 vSAN license is not required for VxRail dynamic node clusters or for VxRail satellite

nodes.
 Licensing Options of VxRail

VMware vSphere and vSAN Editions - VxRail Feature

Comparison

To learn about VxRail feature comparisons with vSphere and vSAN

perpetual license editions, select each tab.

vSphere Editions - VxRail Feature Comparison

VxRail Feature vSphere Standard vSphere Enterprise

Plus

Automated workload
rebalancing (Distributed
Resource Scheduler -
DRS) and affinity rules

Automated maintenance
mode (DRS)

Automated, one-click
software updates

Dynamic nodes

vGPU

SmartDPU

vSphere Editions - Feature comparison

For more information about vSphere licensing, see the VMware vSphere
and VMware vSphere+ Compute Virtualization - Licensing, pricing and
packaging guide.
 Licensing Options of VxRail

vSAN Editions - VxRail Feature Comparison

Feature vSAN vSAN vSAN vSAN

Standard Advanced Enterprise Enterprise
Plus

Deduplication
and
Compression

RAID 5/6
Erasure
Coding

Data-at-rest
and Data-in-
transit
Encryption

Stretched
Cluster

File Services

VMware HCI
Mesh

vSAN
Express
Storage
Architecture
vSAN Editions - Feature comparison

For more information about vSAN licensing, see the VMware vSAN and
VMware vSAN+ - Licensing, pricing, and packaging guide.
 VxRail System Management

VxRail System Management

VxRail Manager Functionality

The VxRail Manager is a virtual machine running VxRail management

software. It provides a web user interface (UI) to deploy clusters. After the
initial deployment of the VxRail cluster, the VxRail Manager functionality is
accessed through the VxRail Plugin. The VxRail Plugin is installed on the
vCenter Server and accessed through the vSphere Client.

VxRail Manager supports the VxRail systems life-cycle operations

including deployment, update, monitoring, and maintenance. To learn
about the life-cycle operations, select the four hotspots that are outlined in
black.

VxRail Manager Functionality

 VxRail System Management

1: The deployment functionality includes:

• VxRail nodes discovery

• Initial cluster configuration

2: The monitor functionality includes:

• Health
• Events
• Physical views

3: The maintain functionality includes:

• Direct access to support, articles, and community

 VxRail System Management

• Secure connect gateway

• Smart diagnostics
• Smart logging snapshots
• Node maintenance including disk replacements and cluster expansion

4: The update functionality includes:

• Updates by Internet or local software

• Viewing or generating compliance reports

VxRail Dashboard View

The VxRail Dashboard provides a centralized location to view information

about the VxRail system. To learn about the different sections of the
dashboard, select the five hotspots that are outlined in red.

VxRail Plugin Dashboard View

1: System Health provides a quick reference for overall system health

status. The health status aggregates health metrics from iDRAC, vCenter,
and VxRail Manager.
 VxRail System Management

2: The Support section is used for configuring a valid Dell Support

Account and Secure Connect Gateway. This page has links to open a
Service Request (SR) or chat session with Dell Support.

VxRail Manager Plugin - Support page.

3: The VxRail Dashboard is accessible by selecting VxRail from the

drop-down Menu in the vSphere Client.

Accessing the VxRail Dashboard in the vSphere Client. Choose Menu > VxRail.
 VxRail System Management

4: The VxRail Community section provides links to articles and

discussions from VxRail users and experts. It can be a useful resource in
managing the VxRail system.

5: The Knowledge Base (KB) section lists popular web links and useful
KB articles for quick reference. A valid Dell Support account is required.

vCenter Server with VxRail

VxRail is integrated with vCenter Server to provide management,

maintenance, and monitoring of the virtual infrastructure components.

To learn more about vCenter Server in a VxRail environment, select each

tab.

vCenter Server

vCenter Server is the centralized platform for managing the following

objects in the VxRail infrastructure:

VxRail architecture showing software components with vCenter Server, vSphere Client,
and VxRail Plugin

• vSAN cluster
• vSAN datastore
• ESXi hosts
 VxRail System Management

• Virtual machines
• Virtual networking

Management

The vSphere Client is the user interface for managing components such
as ESXi hosts, vSAN cluster, vSAN datastore, and virtual machines. The
VxRail Manager Plugin enables administrators to manage the physical
hardware of the VxRail cluster.

vSphere Client Home page showing Installed Plugins with VxRail Plugin highlighted

vSphere Client showing the Physical View of a node

 VxRail System Management

VxRail vCenter Server Configuration Options

VxRail clusters are deployed with one of two vCenter options. The table
provides information about the vCenter Server Configuration Options.

Use the A new

VxRail VxRail-
vCente managed
r vCenter
Server. Server is
deployed on
a new
VxRail
cluster.

New VxRail-managed vCenter Server

 VxRail System Management

Join an A new
existing VxRail
vCente cluster is
r deployed
Server. with an
existing
vCenter
server that
runs on
infrastructur New cluster with an existing customer-supplied vCenter
e that is Server
external to
the new
VxRail
cluster. The
existing
vCenter
server can
be VxRail-
managed or
customer-
supplied.
VxRail vCenter Server Configuration Options

iDRAC Management Functions and VxRail Event

Integration

The Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) provides local and
remote system monitoring and can be used to troubleshoot a VxRail node.
iDRAC functions are controlled through a UI accessed using a web
browser.

iDRAC functionality is integrated into VxRail Manager and Secure

Connect Gateway. VxRail Manager monitors and analyzes the iDRAC
events.
 VxRail System Management

iDRAC provides onboard system management including:

• Remote virtual console
• Remote power management
• Firmware updates
• Secure connectivity

Each VxRail node contains a dedicated 1 GbE network port for iDRAC.
The iDRAC port is typically connected to a management network.

Location of the dedicated iDRAC network port at the rear of a VxRail S series node

iDRAC Dashboard

iDRAC URL - https://<iDRAC IP Address>

To learn about the iDRAC Dashboard, select the eight hotspots that are
outlined in red.

iDRAC9 Dashboard showing healthy status

 VxRail System Management

1: Virtual Console

Opens a virtual console to the VxRail Node.

2: Storage Health

Displays the overall status of the storage components. The Details link
can be used for further investigation and troubleshooting.

3: Storage

Provides information about the capacity and slot location of each storage
device. This information helps locate failing disks during troubleshooting.

4: Recent Logs

Provides information about recently logged events.

5: Maintenance

Provides maintenance and troubleshooting information to help proactively

maintain or restore system health.

6: System Information

Provides basic information about the VxRail node. This information is

useful to ensure that all nodes are at the same code versions.
 VxRail System Management

7:

Pull down for actions:

• Power Off System
• NMI (Non-Masking Interrupt)
• Reset System (warm boot)
• Power Cycle System (cold boot)
• Power On System

8: System Health

Displays the overall status of the system components. The Details link
can be used for further investigation and troubleshooting.

VxRail API

VxRail API exposes VxRail Manager functionality through standard public

RESTful APIs. VxRail API can be integrated into many existing automation
solutions, empowering customers to automate and streamline IT
operations. VxRail API can be used for initial configuration and typical
administration tasks, such as monitoring, cluster expansion, and Lifecycle
Management (LCM) upgrades.

To learn about VxRail API, select the four hotspots that are outlined in
black.

VxRail API infographic

 VxRail System Management

1: VxRail API can be integrated with open-source and third-party

automation tools. Examples include Ansible, Chef, Puppet, ServiceNow,
and VMware Aria Automation.

VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) leverages VxRail API in a VCF on

VxRail environment.

2: VxRail Manager provides onboard documentation for VxRail API that is

accessible using a web browser at
https://<VxRail_Manager_IP_or_FQDN>/rest/vxm/api-doc.html.

The documentation describes the entire API including:

• Endpoints and operations
• Input parameters
• Example responses
• Response codes
• Authentication methods

VxRail API calls can be run directly from the documentation browser
interface.
 VxRail System Management

VxRail REST API onboard documentation - Overview page

3: The VxRail API PowerShell Modules include PowerShell cmdlets for all
the publicly available VxRail APIs. A user guide for the VxRail PowerShell
cmdlets is also included.

The PowerShell cmdlets make the VxRail API accessible using a scripting
interface that is familiar to VMware PowerCLI users.

Download the package from the Dell Support site.

4:

The Ansible Modules for VxRail allow IT administrators to automate and

orchestrate the configuration and management of VxRail systems. The
Dell Automation open-source community supports the Ansible modules.

Download the modules from GitHub.

CloudIQ with VxRail Overview

CloudIQ is a cloud-based SaaS analytics platform that allows users to

monitor and analyze multiple VxRail clusters from a single web-based
portal. It uses advanced telemetry that is collected from VxRail clusters
and leverages machine learning to proactively monitor and measure the
health and performance of VxRail systems. CloudIQ is available at no
additional charge for products with a valid ProSupport (or higher) contract.

To learn about CloudIQ, select the three blue hotspots.

 VxRail System Management

Features of CloudIQ with VxRail

1: Simplified Health Reporting

CloudIQ displays a health score of all clusters on a single page. The

health score is aggregated at the cluster level to reflect the overall health
of the components within the cluster. Users can examine problem clusters
to pinpoint the primary issue and view an accompanying Knowledge Base
article to remediate the issue.

2: Centralized Monitoring

Users can view cluster configuration details including software versions,

hardware components, resource usage (CPU, memory, capacity,
network), performance charts of system resources, health scores, and
alerts.

3: Life Cycle Management at Scale

LCM planning and implementation capabilities can be conducted across

multiple clusters with a single workflow. On-demand preupdate cluster
health checks (LCM prechecks) can determine whether the cluster is
ready for an update. The LCM precheck can then orchestrate downloading
the update bundle onto the VxRail clusters. Once the download is staged
on the VxRail Manager VM on the cluster, a user can initiate the cluster
update.
 VxRail System Management

VxRail System Details in CloudIQ

CloudIQ provides system details for all connected VxRail clusters in a

customer's environment. These details include information about the
health, inventory, capacity, and performance of the cluster. Each cluster
can be selected to see more details about that cluster.

To learn about the VxRail cluster information provided in CloudIQ, select

each tab.

Health

The HCI HEALTH view on the Systems page displays the Health Score
of each cluster. The Health Score is determined by monitoring the
components, configuration, capacity, and performance of the cluster.

CloudIQ Systems Health View

Inventory

The HCI INVENTORY view on the Systems page displays system

information for each cluster.
 VxRail System Management

CloudIQ Systems Inventory View

Capacity

The HCI CAPACITY view on the Systems page displays the Used and
Free space for each cluster.

CloudIQ Systems Capacity View

 VxRail System Management

Performance

The HCI PERFORMANCE view on the Systems page displays CPU and
Memory utilization for each cluster.

CloudIQ Systems Performance View

 Data Protection Options for VxRail

Data Protection Options for VxRail

Data Protection Overview for VxRail

VxRail provides several data protection options to meet various customer

requirements.

The graphic organizes different data protection options according to the

service level objective, from continuous availability to archival. To learn
more about the data protection options, select the four hotspots that are
outlined in black.

VxRail Data Protection Options

1: A vSAN Stretched Cluster is a native vSAN software feature that

provides customers with site-level protection with zero data loss and near
instantaneous recovery. This setup has automated failover if there is a site
failure. For customers looking for disaster avoidance and zero recovery
point objective (RPO), stretched clusters are the appropriate data
protection option.

2: VMware vSphere Replication is a hypervisor-based, asynchronous

replication for VMs. It is fully integrated with vCenter Server and the
vSphere Web Client. vSphere Replication can provide local data
protection and can be an appropriate disaster recovery solution between
 Data Protection Options for VxRail

sites for environments that can tolerate some data loss. vSphere
Replication can be combined with VMware Site Recovery Manager to
deliver automated failover and failback to minimize downtime.

3: Dell RecoverPoint for VMs provides a flexible replication solution for

virtual workloads running on VxRail clusters. It can provide synchronous
replication between sites to mitigate site loss events. With its point-in-time
and asynchronous local replication capability; replicated copies or
snapshots can be repurposed for test/development, operational recovery,
and short-term backup and long-term backup use cases. RecoverPoint for
VMs is managed directly from vCenter Server. It is storage agnostic so
that VMs on VxRail clusters can be replicated to other storage options
including cloud service providers for cloud disaster recovery solutions.

4: Local backup and recovery solutions include Dell PowerProtect

software and Dell Data Domain Virtual Edition (VE), with PowerProtect
appliance or Dell Integrated Data Protection Appliance as backup
repositories. The PowerProtect software provides comprehensive backup
and point-in-time recovery. PowerProtect appliance and Integration Data
Protection Appliance (IDPA) are purpose-built data protection appliances
that are designed as backup targets for environments in which capacity
and balanced performance are priorities.

VxRail Business Continuity

VxRail clusters leverage all the features of VMware vSAN and VMware
vSphere HA to provide the necessary business continuity and resiliency
functionality.
 Data Protection Options for VxRail

Restarting a failed VM on another hypervisor in the cluster.

High availability features integrated into the hypervisor layer in VxRail

provide the failover capabilities. In the event of a loss of resource, or
failure, the hypervisor restarts a failed VM on the same hypervisor, or
another available node in the cluster.

VMware vSAN policies define the number of host and device failures that
a VM can tolerate. This policy can be applied to all virtual machines or
individual VMDKs for storage protection. vSAN replicates objects, at the
vSAN cluster level, throughout the datastore based on the policies to
provide business continuity.
 VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail

VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail

Overview of VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail and

the Benefits

Dell Technologies and VMware developed a jointly engineered and

integrated solution: VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail. The solution is
designed for rapid deployment of a Software-Defined Data Center
(SDDC). The VCF on VxRail solution adds NSX networking and security,
and centralized management capabilities on VxRail systems.

Benefits of VCF on VxRail:

• Simplifies data center operations
• Provides orchestration, automation, and life cycle management
capabilities
• Integrates VxRail Manager with SDDC Manager9 to deploy and
manage the entire infrastructure
• Provides enhanced security at the virtual machine networking layer

Business Challenges and the Solution

The table provides a list of business challenges and the solutions that
VCF on VxRail provides.

9SDDC Manager is the software component that provisions, manages,

and monitors the logical and physical resources of a VMware Cloud
Foundation system. SDDC Manager automates the entire system life
cycle when implemented with VCF on VxRail and simplifies day-to-day
management and operations.
 VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail

Overview of SDDC Manager and VxRail Manager

The key functions of the SDDC Manager and VxRail Manager are:

• The SDDC Manager

− Upgrades and deploys NSX and VMware Aria LCM.
− Automates configuration, provisioning, and life cycle management
of the entire SDDC stack.
− Manages the passwords and certificates for VCF on VxRail.
• The VxRail Manager

− Integrates, optimizes, and manages the underlying HCI

infrastructure hardware components.
− Automates configuration, provisioning, and life cycle management
at the VxRail cluster layer.
 VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail

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Appendix

Explore VxRail E Series Components

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[Detailed description of the Interaction for Guides]

Explore VxRail P Series Components

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[Detailed description of the Interaction for Guides]

Explore VxRail VD Series Components

The Online Course Contains an Interaction Here.

[Detailed description of the Interaction for Guides]

VxRail 8.0.XXX Concepts

© Copyright 2023 Dell Inc Page 45

Dynamic node clusters
VxRail dynamic node clusters are compute-only vSphere clusters that use
external storage as the primary storage.

RESTful API
Representation State Transfer (REST) API is a specific design
methodology for API communications. Application Programming Interfaces
(APIs) establish rules that enable a client and server to communicate data
that would otherwise be unmanageable. RESTful refers to the API
complying with those rules. REST API is an architectural style for
client/server communications because it promotes scalability, simplicity of
interface, and independence of communications.
A useful analogy for APIs is human language. Language enables humans
to communicate with each other by providing structure for how that
communication takes place. Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)
function in a similar manner.

Satellite nodes
VxRail satellite nodes are a single-node option that is typically deployed at
edge locations. A VxRail cluster that is located elsewhere manages
satellite nodes.

Virtual Machine
A Virtual Machine (VM) is a compute resource that uses software instead
of a physical system to run programs and deploy apps. One or more
virtual “guest” machines run on a physical “host” machine. Each virtual
machine runs its own operating system and functions separately from the
other VMs, even when they are all running on the same host.

VMware vSAN HCI Mesh

HCI Mesh is a unique, software-based approach for disaggregation of
compute and storage resources. VxRail dynamic nodes can be part of
VMware vSAN HCI Mesh environments where remote vSAN datastores
can be used as primary storage for dynamic node clusters.

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vSAN Express Storage Architecture (ESA)
VMware vSAN ESA is a storage virtualization solution. In a vSphere
cluster deployed with vSAN ESA, the storage is configured as a single-tier
vSAN datastore with NVMe devices. The vSAN datastore is accessible to
all the hosts in the cluster.

vSAN Original Storage Architecture (OSA)

VMware vSAN OSA is a storage virtualization solution. In a vSphere
cluster deployed with vSAN OSA, the storage is configured as a vSAN
datastore made up of disk groups with a two-tier architecture. Each disk
group has a cache device and one or more capacity devices. The vSAN
datastore is accessible to all the hosts in the cluster.

VxRail-managed vCenter
A vCenter that is deployed during an initial VxRail cluster build and is
upgraded using VxRail Manager.

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© Copyright 2023 Dell Inc Page 47