Dell VxRail Network Planning Guide

VxRail networking rules and restrictions

VxRail networking rules and restrictions apply.

The following restrictions apply:

• The Ethernet ports selected to support the VxRail cluster during the VxRail initial build are reserved for VxRail and cannot be reconfigured for other purposes.
• Any unused Ethernet ports on the nodes that are not reserved for VxRail cluster networking can be used for guest networks, external storage, and other requirements.
• Guest networks can share resources with the Ethernet ports that are reserved for VxRail networking. Unused Ethernet ports on the nodes can be configured to support guest networks.
• Only hybrid VxRail models can be configured with 1 GbE speed. All-flash VxRail models cannot support 1 GbE. For VxRail clusters running all Ethernet ports at 1 GbE speed:
  • You must reserve four ports on each node for VxRail network traffic.
  • Only single-processor VxRail models are supported.
  • A maximum of eight nodes per cluster are supported.
• For VxRail nodes supplied with Ethernet ports greater than 1 GbE:
  • The most common topology is to configure the cluster with 2-4 ports per node to support VxRail networking traffic.
  • For VxRail 7.0.400 and later, you can select six ports or eight ports per node to support VxRail networking. This option is best for deployments supporting demanding and network-intense workloads.
  • You cannot add Ethernet ports beyond the ports that were initially reserved for VxRail networking after the cluster is configured and operational.
  • For VxRail 7.0.010 and later, networks that become resource constrained due to increased workload demands can be migrated to higher-speed Ethernet ports.
  • Optionally, reserving six ports or eight ports per node for VxRail network traffic is supported. This option is best for deployments supporting demanding and network-intense workloads.
• Custom Ethernet port configurations are supported with restrictions:
  • Before VxRail 7.0.130, all Ethernet ports on the VxRail nodes for a VxRail cluster must be the same port type and run at the same speed.
  • For VxRail 7.0.130 and later, ports on the NDC or OCP and PCIe adapter cards that are configured in VxRail nodes can run at different speeds. The NDC or OCP ports can run at 10 GbE and the ports on the PCIe adapter cards can run at 25 GbE.
  • Any ports that are assigned to the same VxRail network, whether based on NDC/OCP or PCIe, must run at the same speed. A VxRail network cannot be paired with one port running at 10 GbE and another port running at 25 GbE.
  • Individual VxRail networks can be assigned to Ethernet ports running at different speeds. One VxRail network can be assigned to ports running at 100 GbE, while another VxRail network can be assigned to ports running at 10 GbE.
  • You should not mix Ethernet port types such as RJ45 and SFP+ to support VxRail cluster network operations. Mixing different Ethernet port types may cause complexity with firmware, drivers, and cabling with the data center network.