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Dell VxRail Network Planning Guide

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PowerFlex storage option

PowerFlex provides IP-based storage to VxRail dynamic clusters that can be configured as primary storage for VM workload.

Figure 1. VxRail dynamic cluster storage provided by PowerFlex virtual volume. VxRail dynamic cluster storage provided by PowerFlex virtual volume
VxRail dynamic cluster storage provided by PowerFlex virtual volume

PowerFlex configures pools of storage through a virtualization process, and manages the allocation of virtual volumes to connected clients. Virtual volumes can be configured to meet certain capacity, performance, and scalability characteristics to align with the workload requirements planned for the VxRail dynamic cluster.

The PowerFlex architecture combines both the compute and storage in a fabric-connected network architecture, PowerEdge servers serving as the hardware foundation for block storage capacity.

If you plan to leverage virtual volumes that are provided by PowerFlex to serve as the primary storage for your dynamic cluster, ensure that best practices are followed to ensure a successful deployment:
  • See Dell PowerFlex Networking Best Practices and Considerations to ensure the supporting network infrastructure is properly planned and configured.
  • See How to configure Dell PowerFlex Storage with VxRail Dynamic Nodes for more information about provisioning PowerFlex storage.
  • Reserve two Ethernet ports on each VxRail node planned for the dynamic cluster to support connectivity to the PowerFlex volumes serving as primary storage.
  • Enable jumbo frames on the network configured to support VxRail dynamic cluster storage.
  • After the VxRail dynamic cluster is built, configure a separate VMware VDS with new port groups in the VMware vCenter Server to support connectivity to the PowerFlex front-end system.

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