ES101CPX02007+ +VxRail+7.0.XXX+Concepts+-+Downloadable+Content

ES101CPX02007 ~
VXRAIL 7.0.XXX
CONCEPTS
DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT
DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT
ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.XXX Concepts
© Copyright 2021 Dell Inc. Page i

Table of Contents
ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.241 Concepts ............................................................ 1

ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.XXX Concepts Introduction ................................................. 1
Course Content Key Identifiers ............................................................................................ 2
Introduction to the VxRail Solution .......................................................................... 3

Introduction to VxRail ........................................................................................................... 3
Benefits of VxRail................................................................................................................. 3
Knowledge Check: Benefits of System................................................................................. 4
VxRail System Architecture Overview ..................................................................... 5

VxRail System Components ................................................................................................ 5
What Is a VxRail Node? ....................................................................................................... 7
VxRail Models ...................................................................................................................... 8
VxRail Clusters .................................................................................................................. 12
Scaling a VxRail Cluster..................................................................................................... 13
Planning Considerations for Scalability .............................................................................. 14
VxRail Network Connectivity .............................................................................................. 14
Knowledge Check: Architecture Overview ......................................................................... 19
VMware Validated Solutions and VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail

Solutions................................................................................................................... 21
VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail Overview ................................................................. 21
VMware Validated Solutions Overview............................................................................... 22
Knowledge Check: VVS and VCF on VxRail Solutions ...................................................... 23
VxRail System Management Features.................................................................... 25

VxRail Manager Functionality............................................................................................. 25
VxRail Plugin Dashboard View........................................................................................... 28
vCenter Server with VxRail ................................................................................................ 32
iDRAC Integration with VxRail............................................................................................ 35
VxRail API.......................................................................................................................... 37
Knowledge Check: System Management Features with VxRail Appliance ......................... 39
Page ii © Copyright 2021 Dell Inc.

VxRail Licensing Options ........................................................................................ 40
VMware Licensing Options for VxRail ................................................................................ 40
VMware vSphere and vSAN Editions VxRail Feature Comparison ..................................... 41
Knowledge Check: Licensing the VxRail ............................................................................ 43
VxRail Data Protection Options .............................................................................. 44

VxRail Data Protection Overview ....................................................................................... 44
VxRail Business Continuity ................................................................................................ 45
vSAN Stretched Clusters Overview .................................................................................... 46
VxRail with RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines Overview ................................................... 48
Dell Data Protection ........................................................................................................... 49
Knowledge Check: Data Protection Features ..................................................................... 50
Additional VxRail Resources .................................................................................. 51

Helpful Resources.............................................................................................................. 51
VxRail Certification............................................................................................................. 52
You Have Completed This Content .................................................................................... 53
Appendix ................................................................................................. 55
Glossary .................................................................................................. 59
© Copyright 2020 Dell Inc. Page iii

ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.241 Concepts
ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.XXX Concepts Introduction
Course Objectives:
→ Present the VxRail solution and how it adapts to various customer
requirements and use cases.
→ List the benefits of using the VxRail solution.
→ Discuss the VxRail solution including the hardware, software, and
virtualization layers.
→ List all the available models and their use cases.
→ Discuss the physical and virtual networking options available with the VxRail
system.
→ Discuss how VMware offers different paths for adoption of VMware Software
Defined Data center (SDDC).
→ Discuss how VxRail Manager supports the key aspects of the VxRail system
life cycle.
→ Present the VxRail Plugin Dashboard view.
→ Discuss the role of vCenter server in VxRail.
→ Describe the key features of iDRAC.
→ Describe the VMware licensing options available for VxRail.
→ Discuss the functionalities available with vSphere Enterprise Edition and
with vSphere Standard Edition.
→ Discuss the data protection options available with VxRail.
→ Locate helpful resources.
Tip: If available, resources such as job aids, reference guides, and

other supplementary materials can be accessed by clicking the Menu
button and navigating to the Resources tab.
© Copyright 2021 Dell Inc. Page 1

Course Content Key Identifiers
This course uses the following guidelines:
• The historic reference to a VxRail Appliance is replaced with a VxRail system or

a VxRail cluster.
• A VxRail node is also referenced as a VxRail host.
• All VxRail nodes are configured as ESXi hosts. References to ESXi host in the
course aligns to a VxRail node.
• The terms Internal vCenter Server, Embedded vCenter Server, VxRail vCenter
Server, and VxRail-managed vCenter Server are synonymous. VxRail
orchestrates the deployment and lifecycle management of this vCenter Server.
• The term Management Domain that is used in this course may also be
referenced as management workload domain, or as Mgmt WLD.
• The term Virtual Infrastructure (VI) workload domain that is used in this course
may also be referenced as VI WLD, tenant workload domain, or as tenant WLD.
• All graphics with no or gold highlights can be clicked to enlarge.
• All graphics with red boxes can be clicked for more information.
• The text appearing in the UI element is in bold font. It includes elements like
wizard titles, window titles, labels, and any other UI text.
• The command-line commands use this style format. For example, review the
output of the ipconfig command.
• The terminology definitions appear in the course as Glossary Term.
• The hot text element1 in the course adds detail about a task or a term.
1 Example of a hot text element used in this course.
Page 2 © Copyright 2021 Dell Inc

.
Introduction to the VxRail Solution
Introduction to VxRail
VxRail supports a wide variety of traditional and cloud-native environments. Listed

here are some of the benefits of VxRail Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI):
• 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 like edge computing
VxRail delivers the fastest and simplest path to IT solutions in a VMware

environment. To learn more about the benefits of VxRail, watch the video below.
Movie:
The web version of this content contains a movie.
Benefits of VxRail
VxRail HCI System Software integrates the VMware software and the PowerEdge
server so it can be managed as a unified system. Automation, orchestration, and
life cycle management are the direct benefits. VxRail also provides the following
benefits:
To learn more about the benefits of VxRail, watch the VxRail

Advantage video.

Full stack lifecycle management

Continuously
Validated
States
Management and analytics at scale
SaaS Multi-
Cluster
Management Manage clusters at scale through scripts or custom automation
solutions
RESTful
API
VxRail VxRail Manager Plugin is fully

Manager integrated with vCenter
Single
Point of
Contact
Simplified management and support
Ecosystem
Connectors
Tight integration across the entire stack
Electronic
Compatibility
Matrix
Validates compliance of configurations
Benefits of VxRail
Knowledge Check: Benefits of System
1. Select three [3] benefits of the VxRail System.

a. End-to-end life cycle management and support.
b. Automation using extensible APIs.
c. Configuration allows mixing different storage arrays.
d. Simplified management through a global namespace.
e. SaaS multicluster management for analytics.

.
VxRail System Architecture Overview
VxRail System Components
VxRail is based on a modular, system architecture, which is composed of individual

nodes and three key software categories. This system architecture delivers a
virtualized infrastructure that is integrated into a VxRail cluster.
To learn about each element of a VxRail cluster, select each hotspot below:
5 3
7 6
8 4 14
11
13
12
15 10 9
1: Hardware
The VxRail solution consists of PowerEdge servers and physical Top of Rack
(ToR) switches.
2: RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines is an optional component that provides

continuous data protection to enhance operational and disaster recovery.
Administrators can setup and manage VxRail virtual machine data protection
capabilities through the RP4VMs VMware vCenter plug-in.
3: VMware vRealize Suite is a platform for managing a heterogeneous, hybrid

cloud hosted on VxRail. It provides cloud management functionality, including self-
service, automation, and intelligence operations.
4: VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) is an integrated software stack. It virtualizes

and bundles compute (VMware vSphere), storage (VMware vSAN), network

(VMware NSX-T Data Center), and cloud management (VMware vRealize Suite)
into a single platform. VCF can be deployed on premises as a private cloud, or run
as a service within a public cloud. VCF is an optional application for VxRail.
5: 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. The customer can use an
existing license or purchase the license through Dell Technologies.
6: 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.
7: 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 license options.
8: VMware Tanzu is an optional component which provides the ability to run

container based modern applications.
9: VxRail Manager is a system appliance that is used to deploy the initial

configuration of the cluster, perform regular maintenance, add nodes, and complete
upgrades. The full post-deployment functionality of the VxRail Manager is provided
to the administrator through a vCenter plug-in.
10: 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, enhancing ease of
management, especially for large-scale systems.
11: A wide-ranging set of publicly available RESTful APIs help customers deliver a
broad level of cloud and IT automation extensibility.
12: VxRail HCI System Software includes automation and orchestration services
for VxRail cluster and system wide, end-to-end life cycle management.
13: Ecosystem connectors integrate with infrastructure components including

vSAN, physical appliance components and networking, enabling automation and
orchestration services across the entire system. API integration with Dell
SmartFabric Services automates network fabric configuration and management.

.
14: VMware vSphere Replication is an optional vSphere hypervisor-based,

asynchronous replication solution for all the virtual machines running on VxRail.
VMware vSphere Replication provides data protection locally within the same
vCenter environment and disaster recovery and avoidance using a remote vCenter
site. It can be installed through the VxRail market place.
15: Dell Secure Remote Services offers a single point of contact for both hardware
and software components. Secure Remote Services is a call-home and proactive
two-way remote connection for remote monitoring, diagnosis, and repair to ensure
maximum availability.
What Is a VxRail Node?
2 ToR network switches recommended.
VxRail systems are based on Dell PowerEdge servers and offer configuration
flexibility.
Each VxRail node includes the following:
• Processors
• DIMMs
• Disk drive controller
• Boot device
• Hybrid or all flash storage devices
• Onboard Networking
• iDRAC port

iDRAC Port 10 GbE Ports
Three node minimum per standard cluster.
Each VxRail node is connected to at least one ToR Ethernet switch. Two ToR
network switches are recommended.
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. The table below offers a description of each VxRail
model.
Models Description

.
The VxRail
E Series is a
1U low-
profile, cost-
VxRail E Series
effective
platform for
core to edge
deployments
. The E
Series is
available
with a
choice of
Intel Xeon
Scalable or
AMD EPYC
processors.
The VxRail
D Series is a
1U
ruggedized,
short-depth
platform for
workloads at
the edge, in
extreme
VxRail D Series environment
s and
space-
constrained
areas.

The VxRail
P Series is a
2U
performance
-intensive
platform that
VxRail P Series is optimized
for heavy
workloads
such as
databases.
The VxRail
V Series is a
2U
Virtualizatio
n-extended,
graphics-
VxRail V Series ready
platform for
specialized
use cases
such as
high-end
2D/3D
visualization
and VDI
environment
s.

.
The VxRail
G Series is
a four node,
2U general-
purpose
platform for
VxRail G Series a broad
range of
hyperconver
ged use
cases.
The VxRail
S Series is a
2U hybrid
disk storage
and
memory-
VxRail S Series dense
platform that
is capacity-
optimized
for
demanding
applications
such as
Microsoft
SharePoint,
Microsoft
Exchange,
big data,
and
analytics.

Tip: See the VxRail Specification Sheet for detailed technical

specifications of each VxRail model shown.
VxRail Clusters
A VxRail cluster contains 2 to 64 nodes.
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 about the different clusters, select each tab below.
VxRail vSAN Clusters
Standard Cluster:
• Contains 3 to 64 nodes.
• First three nodes must have identical configurations.
Stretched Cluster:
• A stretched cluster is a deployment model in which two or more virtualization
host servers are part of the same cluster. However, they are in separate
geographical locations. A Witness host, a third fault domain, is required.
• Stretched clusters deliver continuous availability across a campus or metro-
based area.
2-node vSAN Cluster:

• A vSAN 2-node configuration is a special case stretched-cluster configuration. If
there is a failure, the Witness host is the component that provides quorum for
the two data nodes.
• As in a stretched-cluster configuration, the requirement for a Witness host still
applies.

.
VxRail Dynamic Node Clusters
VxRail Dynamic Node Clusters expand the benefits on VxRail HCI System
Software. VxRail dynamic node clusters are compute-only vSphere clusters which
allow users to scale compute and storage independently, based on workload
needs.
Dynamic node storage options:

• Dell Fibre Channel Storage Arrays - PowerMax, Unity XT, and PowerStore T
• Dell PowerFlex
• VMware vSAN HCI Mesh
To learn about Dynamic Nodes, watch the video below.
Movie: The web version of this content contains a movie.
Scaling a VxRail Cluster
One of the many benefits of a VxRail is the ability to start small and easily scale-out
or scale up while maintaining performance levels. Both options are shown in the
following table.
Start with What is Scale Out Scale Up

Needed.
Base cluster configuration
Add new nodes to scale out Add additional storage capacity

to scale up

Important: VxRail Dynamic Node clusters can also be scaled out by

adding new nodes.
Planning Considerations for Scalability
The balance and flexibility of a VxRail protects the initial investment. Start with what
is needed and then expand by adding nodes and or drives to increase performance
and capacity as needed.
• All systems in a cluster must be running the same version of VxRail software.
• All-flash, all-NVMe, and Hybrid nodes cannot be mixed in the same cluster.
However, mixing of all-flash and all-NVMe nodes in a cluster is allowed.
• All G Series nodes in a chassis must be identical. A G series chassis can be
partially populated.
• All systems in the cluster must run the same base network speed (25 GbE, 10
GbE, or 1 GbE).
• A cluster can have a varied number of drives, CPU, memory, and model types.
• A cluster can have between 2-64 nodes.
− If 1 GbE base networking speed is used, there is a limit of a maximum of
eight nodes in the cluster.
− 1 GbE base networking speed is only supported with hybrid single processor
nodes.
• AMD-based nodes and Intel-based nodes cannot be mixed in the same cluster.
VxRail Network Connectivity
VxRail ToR Switches
VxRail Systems connect to the existing data center network through Top of Rack
switches. Customers can provide their own switches or purchase switches directly
from Dell.

.
Each VxRail node is connected to a pair of ToR Ethernet switches to provide

increased networking availability. All VxRail networks are configured on the ToR
switches including:
• Management
• vSAN
• vMotion
• Virtual Machine
To learn about VxRail ToR Ethernet switches, select each tab below:
General Requirements
ToR switch requirements for all VxRail Models are as follows:
• Node ports must be configured for 1 GbE, 10 GbE, or 25 GbE connectivity.

• Link aggregation is supported for specific VxRail networks such as vSAN and
vMotion.
• Link aggregation is not supported for VxRail management networks.
Reusing Your Own Switches
Customers providing their own switches can reuse their existing networking
infrastructure.
• Integrating existing switches help keep costs low.

• Customer is responsible for all configuration of the customer provided 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 validated networking guides can be downloaded for Do-It-Yourself (DIY)

fabric deployments.
• Dell switches lead to faster deployments as switch configurations can be
configured as part of the VxRail deployment.

• SmartFabric Services included with Dell OS10 Enterprise Edition can be used
to create a fully integrated solution between the fabric and the VxRail Cluster.
− SmartFabric Services facilitate autonomous fabric deployment, expansion,
and lifecycle management of the VxRail system.
− SmartFabric Services are not supported on vSAN Stretched Cluster and
VCF on VxRail deployments.
• Dell Open Manage Network Integration (OMNI) plug-in for vCenter enables
synchronized network management after a VxRail cluster has been deployed.
For a list of VxRail supported Dell switches, see the Networking Support
Interoperability Matrix.
Tip: For more detailed VxRail networking information, see the VxRail
Network Planning Guide.
SaaS Multi-cluster Management Connectivity
VxRail customers use the SaaS Multi-cluster Management Connectivity to

streamline the monitoring and management of multiple VxRail clusters to improve
serviceability. SaaS Multi-cluster Management Connectivity allows the customer to
make better decisions to manage performance and capacity of their VxRail
systems.
The SaaS Multi-cluster Management Connectivity platform provides health scores

for the entire HCI stack to enable customers to quickly identify areas to
troubleshoot and to address areas to efficiently scale the VxRail system based on
projected growth of IT resources. A data collector service running on the VxRail
nodes aggregates metrics from the vSAN cluster and from the VxRail system.
Officially called the Adaptive Data Collector, this service transfers the data bundle
to the VxRail cloud-based multi-cluster management platform. It uses the Secure
Remote Services conduit for data aggregation to send to the managed data
repository. This repository is housed at Dell.

.
SaaS Multi-cluster Management Connectivity
External Storage Connectivity with VxRail
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
below.
Fibre Channel
FC
vSAN Datastore Fibre Channel Datastore vSAN Datastore
Fibre Channel storage as secondary external storage with VxRail

VxRail can connect to an external storage array through a Fibre Channel Host Bus
Adapter (HBA). Fibre Channel storage can be configured as secondary storage to
the local VxRail cluster storage.
VxRail also supports the use of Fibre Channel as primary storage for VxRail
Dynamic Node Clusters.
FC
Fibre Channel Datastore
Fibre Channel storage as primary external storage with VxRail
iSCSI
IP
vSAN Datastore iSCSI Datastore vSAN Datastore
iSCSI storage with VxRail
VxRail can connect to an external storage array using iSCSI. iSCSI storage can
only be configured as secondary storage to the local VxRail cluster storage.

.
NFS
IP
vSAN Datastore NFS vSAN Datastore
iSCSI storage with VxRail
VxRail can connect to an external storage array using NFS. NFS storage can only
be configured as secondary storage to the local VxRail cluster storage.
Knowledge Check: Architecture Overview
Knowledge Check: Architecture Overview 1/3
1. Match the VxRail System to its corresponding characteristic.
A. V Series A A 2U platform used for high-end 2D/3D

Nodes visualization.
B. P Series C A 1U low profile platform.

Nodes
C. E Series E A 2U storage and memory-dense

Nodes platform that is used for analytics.
D. G Series D A 2U platform used for general-purpose

Nodes needs.
E. S Series B A 2U platform used for heavy workloads.

Nodes
F. D Series F A 1U platform used in extreme

Nodes environments.

2. What are the considerations when expanding a VxRail cluster? Select three
(3).
a. Systems in a cluster can be different models or series after initial
deployment.
b. All systems in a cluster must be running the same version of VxRail
software.
c. Nodes can have different base networking speeds.
d. All-flash and hybrid nodes can be mixed.
e. For G Series, a chassis can be partially populated.
3. What is the main reason for using two ToR switches with VxRail?
a. Two switches provide increased networking availability.
b. Two switches increase networking performance
c. Two switches provide an increased port count to accommodate additional
VxRail nodes.
d. Two switches provide network I/O load balancing.

.
VMware Validated Solutions and VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail Solutions
VMware Validated Solutions and VMware Cloud

Foundation on VxRail Solutions
VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail Overview
VCF on VxRail is a jointly engineered and integrated solution that is developed by

Dell Technologies and VMware. The solution is designed for rapid deployment of a
Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC). The VCF on VxRail solution layers
compute virtualization, storage virtualization, network virtualization, and centralized
management capabilities on VxRail systems.
Benefits of VMware Cloud Foundations on VxRail:

• Full stack integration
− Enables automated end-to-end life cycle management.
− Makes operating the data center fundamentally simpler.
• Simplest path to hybrid cloud
− Orchestrates deployment, configuration, and life cycle management of
vCenter, NSX, and vRealize Suite.
− Integrates VxRail Manager with SDDC Manager to deploy, configure, and
oversee the life cycle management of vSphere, vSAN, and VxRail hardware
firmware.
• Native security
− Provides micro-segmentation at the virtual machine networking layer.

− Enables encryption at the vSAN storage layer.
To learn about VCF on VxRail, watch the video below.
Movie:
The web version of this content contains a movie.

VMware Validated Solutions Overview
Consistent Hybrid Cloud Platform
VMware Validated Solutions (VVS) are enhancements for a VMware Cloud

Foundation on VxRail environment that solve common business problems for
customers. The solutions are sets of detailed designs with design decisions and
implementation guidance. The solutions may also include software automation
using infrastructure-as-code, code samples, success stories, and links to published
assets.
VMware Validated Solutions can be deployed in a VMware Cloud Foundation on

VxRail environment. To learn about the benefits of VVS and the validated solutions,
select each tab below:
Benefits
VVS in a VCF on VxRail environment enables benefits such as:

• Reliable - build secure, high-performing, resilient, and efficient infrastructure
• Scalable - technically validated, repeatable, and automated solutions
• Securable - enhanced postdeployment hardening of VCF infrastructure
• Reducible - manual labor and rework with automated workflows

.
Validated Solutions
• Identity and Access Management for VCF - Enables secure role-based access
control, password management, and account policies.
• Developer Ready Infrastructure for VMware Cloud Foundation - Provides
guidance for a VI workload domain running vSphere with Tanzu workloads.
• Advanced Load Balancing for VMware Cloud Foundation - Uses VMware NSX
Advanced Load Balancer for workloads on VMware Cloud Foundation.
• Private Cloud Automation for VMware Cloud Foundation - Delivers self-service
automation, DevOps for infrastructure, and orchestration.
• Intelligent Operations Management for VMware Cloud Foundation - Centralizes
monitoring and alerting through a single interface.
• Intelligent Logging and Analytics for VMware Cloud Foundation - Delivers highly
scalable log management with dashboards, analytics, and broad extensibility.
• Site Protection and Disaster Recovery for VMware Cloud Foundation - Adapts a
dual-instance SDDC to provide disaster recovery of the SDDC management
components.
To learn more about VMware VVS, click here.
Knowledge Check: VVS and VCF on VxRail Solutions
Knowledge Check: VVS and VCF on VxRail Solutions 1/2
1. What are the benefits of VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail? Select three
(3).
a. Provides full stack integration.
b. Oversees the life cycle management of vSphere, vSAN, and VxRail
hardware firmware.
c. Enables ability to deploy, host, and manage any app, anywhere, whether a
traditional VM or a cloud-native workload.
d. Provides a turnkey uniform cloud experience.
e. Creates the first converged system that is fully integrated with SDDC
Manager.

Knowledge Check: VVS and VCF on VxRail Solutions 2/2
2. What are VMware Validated Solutions? Select two (2).

a. Enhancements for VMware Cloud Foundation
b. Blueprints for automating the bring up of a VMware Software-Designed
Datacenter
c. Best practices for the implementation of a VMware Software-Designed
Datacenter
d. Enhancements for Dell VxRail

.
VxRail System Management Features
VxRail Manager Functionality
The VxRail Manager is a virtual machine running VxRail management software.

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 each hotspot below.
1 2
4
3
1: Deploy
The deployment functionality includes:

• VxRail nodes discovery
• Initial VxRail cluster configuration

VxRail Deployment Wizard. Dell or Dell Partners perform the initial deployment of the VxRail
Cluster.
2: Update
The update functionality includes:
• Upgrade by Internet or local software
VxRail Plugin - Updates page
• View or generate compliance report.
3: Monitor
The monitor functionality includes:

.
• Health
• Events
• Physical Views
VxRail Plugin - Appliances view.
4: Maintain
The maintain functionality includes:
• Direct access to support, articles, and community

• Secure Remote Services
• Self-healing smart diagnostics
• Smart logging snapshots
• Node maintenance including:
− Disk replacements

VxRail Plugin - Disk information and option to replace disk.
− Cluster expansion and more
VxRail Plugin 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 each
hotspot below.

.
1 4
1: System Health provides a quick reference for overall system health status. The
health status aggregates health metrics from iDRAC, vCenter, and VxRail
Manager.
2: The Support section of the dashboard is used for configuring a valid Dell
Support Account and Secure Remote Services. 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.
4: The VxRail Community section of the dashboard provides web links to articles
within the VxRail community space. The VxRail online community is a collection of
insights and community discussions from VxRail users and VxRail 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. To access the KB articles, the VxRail Manager VM must be
able to access the Dell Support site with a valid Dell Support account.

vCenter Server with VxRail
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
below.
vCenter Server
VxRail Cluster
VxRail
vSphere Client Manager
Plugin
vCenter Server
Virtual Networking
vSAN
ESXi
VxRail Nodes
vCenter Server with VxRail Architecture
vCenter Server is the centralized platform for managing the following objects in the
VxRail infrastructure:
• vSAN cluster
• vSAN datastore
• ESXi hosts
• 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 physical hardware of the VxRail cluster.
vSphere Client - VxRail Plugin - Installed Plugins
VxRail Plugin - Node level - Physical View
VxRail vCenter Server Configuration Options
vCenter Server Options:
VxRail clusters are deployed with one of two vCenter options; Use the VxRail
vCenter Server or Join an existing vCenter Server.

Use the VxRail

vCenter Server VxRail Manager
vCenter Server.
ESXi ESXi
 A new ESXi ESXi
New VxRail Cluster
VxRail- Data Center
managed
vCenter New VxRail-managed vCenter Server
Server is
deployed on
a new
VxRail
cluster.
Join an existing
vCenter Server.
VxRail Manager vCenter Server
 A new
VxRail
ESXi ESXi
cluster is
deployed ESXi ESXi
with an New VxRail Cluster
existing
Data Center
vCenter
server that
runs on New Cluster with an Existing Customer-supplied vCenter
infrastructur
e that is
external to
the new
VxRail
cluster.

.
iDRAC Integration with VxRail
iDRAC Overview
The Dell Integrated 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 User Interface (UI) accessed using a web
browser.
iDRAC functionality is integrated into VxRail Manager and Dell Secure Remote
Services to further consolidate administration and maintenance. VxRail Manager
monitors and analyzes the iDRAC events.
iDRAC provides onboard system management including:

• Maintenance and troubleshooting
− 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.
iDRAC Port iDRAC Port
Location of the dedicated iDRAC network port at the rear of a VxRail G560 and P580N node.
iDRAC Dashboard
iDRAC URL - https://<iDRAC IP Address>
To learn about the iDRAC Dashboard, select each hotspot below.

3 5
8 2
4
1
1: Virtual Console
Supports opening 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 aids with the location of 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.
7:
Pull down for actions:

• Power Off System
• NMI (Non-Masking Interrupt)
• Reset System (warm boot)
• Power Cycle System
• 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
VxRail APIs expose VxRail Manager functionality through standard, easy to

consume public RESTful APIs. VxRail APIs can be integrated into a broad
spectrum of existing automation solutions, empowering customers to automate and
streamline IT operations. VxRail API can be used for initial configuration and to
perform typical administration tasks, such as monitoring, querying, and LCM
upgrades.
To learn about VxRail API, select each hotspot below.

1: VxRail API can be integrated with "infrastructure as code" environments.
Tools like Chef, Ansible, or Puppet can be used to automate

VxRail administrative tasks.
Puppet
Ansible
2: The interactive VxRail API documentation is in VxRail

Manager.
Chef
The documentation describes the entire API including:

• API calls, syntax, and test feature
• Input parameters
• Example responses
• Response codes
• Authentication methods
Click here to view an example of the VxRail API documentation.
3: The VxRail API PowerShell Modules include PowerShell cmdlets for all the
publicly available VxRail APIs. The module also includes a user guide for the
VxRail PowerShell cmdlets.

.
The VxRail PowerShell Package complements VMware PowerCLI. VxRail

PowerShell cmdlets make the VxRail API easily accessible using a scripting
interface that is familiar to PowerCLI users.
4: VCF leverages VxRail API in a VCF on VxRail environment.
Knowledge Check: System Management Features with VxRail

Appliance

Appliance 1/4
1. What are the two vCenter Server configuration options available for a VxRail
cluster deployment? Select two (2).
a. Use the VxRail vCenter Server.
b. Join an existing vCenter Server.
c. Deploy a new external vCenter Server.
d. Transfer internal vCenter Server license to an external vCenter Server.

Appliance 2/4

Appliance 3/4

Appliance 4/4
2. What enables PowerCLI users to access the VxRail API?

a. VxRail Manager Plugin
b. PowerEdge iDRAC
c. VxRail API PowerShell Module
d. Puppet PowerShell Module

VxRail Licensing Options
VMware Licensing Options for VxRail
Listed below are licensing options and considerations for VxRail:
vCenter Server
vSphere ESXi
vSAN
vRealize Log Insight
RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines
VxRail included software licenses.
• VxRail includes 60-day evaluation licenses for vSphere ESXi and vSAN
however, permanent licenses must be purchased separately.
• Customers can bring their own vSphere and vSAN licenses or licenses can be
purchased from Dell, VMware channel partners, or directly from VMware.
• VxRail supports several vSphere licenses including Standard, Enterprise Plus,
and Remote Office Branch Office (ROBO).
• VxRail supports flexible vSAN licensing options including Standard, Advanced,
Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus.
• The vCenter Server license in VxRail is for the included VxRail-managed
vCenter Server and is not transferable to a customer-supplied vCenter Server.

.
• VxRail includes a standard license for VMware vRealize Log Insight which is
used with a VxRail-managed vCenter Server.
• VxRail includes 15 VM licenses per G series chassis and five VM licenses for all
other node types for RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines.
• A vSAN license is not required for Dynamic nodes.
VMware vSphere and vSAN Editions VxRail Feature

Comparison
To learn about vSphere and vSAN editions VxRail feature comparisons, select
each tab below.
vSphere Editions VxRail Feature Comparison
VxRail features with vSphere VxRail features with vSphere

Enterprise Plus edition Standard edition
Automated workload rebalancing Manual workload balancing (no

(Distributed Resource Scheduler) and Distributed Resource Scheduler)
affinity rules
Automated maintenance mode Manual maintenance mode (no

(Distributed Resource Scheduler) Distributed Resource Scheduler)
Automated, one-click software updates Automated, one-click software updates
Dynamic nodes support No dynamic nodes support
vGPU support No vGPU support
For more information about VMware vSphere licensing, see the VMware vSphere
Compute Virtualization - Licensing, pricing and packaging guide

vSAN Editions VxRail Feature Comparison
Feature vSAN vSAN vSAN vSAN

Standard Advanced Enterprise Enterprise
Edition Edition Edition Plus Edition
Deduplication
and
Compression
RAID 5/6
Erasure Coding
vRealize
Operations
within vCenter
Data-at-Rest
Encryption
Stretched
Cluster with
Local Failure
File Services
VMware HCI
Mesh
vROPS 8
Advanced
Services
For more information about VMware vSAN licensing, see the VMware vSAN -
licensing, pricing, and packaging guide.

.
Knowledge Check: Licensing the VxRail
Knowledge Check: Licensing the VxRail (1/2)
1. Select the license that supports the listed functionality in a VxRail environment.
vSphere Enterprise vSphere
Both
Plus Standard
Automated, one-click software
updates ☐ ☐ ☒
Distributed Resource Scheduler

☒ ☐ ☐
Dynamic nodes support

☒ ☐ ☐
Manual workload balancing

☐ ☐ ☒
Knowledge Check: Licensing the VxRail (2/2)
2. On a new VxRail deployment, which VMware software is included as a 60-day

evaluation license? Select two (2).
a. vSphere
b. vSAN
c. vCenter Server
d. VMware vRealize Log Insight
e. Horizon

VxRail Data Protection Options
VxRail Data Protection Overview
VxRail provides many options to protect your business-critical applications and

data. Several data protection options are included at no cost like Stretched Cluster,
RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines, and vSphere Replication. For organizations that
require enhanced, comprehensive data protection capabilities, VxRail supports
data protection options like PowerProtect and PowerProtect X400 appliance.
The graphic below 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 each hotspot below.
Data protection options to meet every protection requirement.
1 2
4
3
1: Stretched clusters allow customers to have site level protection with zero data
loss and near instantaneous recovery. It provides automated failover during site
failures. This data protection option is for customers looking for disaster avoidance
and zero Recovery Point Objective (RPO).

.
2: VMware vSphere Replication is a hypervisor-based asynchronous replication

solution for virtual machines. It is fully integrated with vCenter Server and the
vSphere Client. vSphere Replication supports the following use cases:
• Local data protection within a single site

• Disaster recovery and avoidance between two sites
• Disaster recovery and avoidance to a service provider cloud
• Data center migration
vSphere Replication is combined with VMware Site Recovery Manager to deliver

automated failover and failback to minimize downtime.
3: Dell RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines provides a flexible replication solution for
workloads running on the VxRail clusters. It protects VMs with VM-level granularity
and provides local or remote replication for any Point-in-Time recovery.
RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines provides disaster recovery, testing, and
operational recovery with integrated orchestration and automation capabilities.
4: The Dell PowerProtect Software is a software-defined solution that runs on

VxRail infrastructure or in the cloud. PowerProtect software provides built in
deduplication, replication, and reuse.
The Dell PowerProtect X400 is a factory-integrated data protection appliance that is

built on PowerEdge servers and integrated with the PowerProtect Data Manager
Software.
VxRail Business Continuity
VxRail High Availability (HA) provides the necessary business continuity and
resiliency functionality.

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.
Important: 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 Stretched Clusters Overview
VMware vSAN stretched cluster deployments provide synchronous replication of

data between sites that are in separate geographical locations. It is implemented in
environments where disaster avoidance and preventing unscheduled downtime are
a key requirement. Stretched clusters provide site level protection with zero data
loss and near instantaneous recovery.

.
Active/active stretched cluster configuration.
Stretched clusters:
• Consist of two data sites and a Witness site.
• Identify sites as either Primary (Preferred Site) or Secondary.
• Tolerate one link failure at a time between sites or between the Witness and
one site.
• Enable local storage protection to be set to either RAID 1 or RAID 5/6 (RAID 6
is shown in the example).

VxRail with RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines Overview
RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines
RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines provides a continuous local and remote data
protection for virtual machines that are deployed on VxRail.
RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines is integrated with VMware vSphere so that

management can be done from within vCenter.
With RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines protecting VxRail resources:
• Administrators configure the replication of local and remote data, ensuring that
the business suffers no downtime during a disaster.
• VMs can be rolled back to a known good point in time and resume operations
quickly and efficiently through VM-level granularity protection.

.
Dell Data Protection
Dell Data Protection PowerProtect provides a scalable and flexible solution. It

allows the extension of data protection for VMware environments to the public
cloud, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, and VMware Cloud on
AWS.
VxRail Hybrid Cloud Solution example using PowerProtect.
To learn about the Dell VxRail Data Protection options, select each tab below.
Dell PowerProtect Data Manager Software
The PowerProtect Software uses the PowerProtect Data Manager to discover,

manage, protect, and restore data in a virtual environment.
Features and capabilities of the PowerProtect Data Manager:

• Deployed as an open virtual appliance (OVA) in the vCenter environment which
stores backup to connected integrated storage.
• Discovers workloads such as virtual machines, databases (SQL, Oracle, SAP
HANA and Exchange), file systems, and Kubernetes.
• Enables Cloud Disaster Recovery (Cloud DR) workflows for deployment,
protection, and recovery operations in AWS or Azure Cloud.
• Provides centralized governance that helps mitigate risk and assures
compliance of Service Level Agreements (SLA) and Service Level Objectives
(SLO) through simple protection workflows.
• Enables Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) based reporting solution for
management.

• Provides a RESTful interface that allows the user to monitor, configure, and
orchestrate data protection life cycle.
• Enables self-service model for data owners to perform backup and recovery
operations from their native applications.
Dell PowerProtect X400 Appliance
Features and capabilities of the PowerProtect X400 Appliance:

• Provides scale-up and scale-out flexibility and all flash performance, which is
enabled with machine learning.
• Enables automated capacity and performance balancing across cluster.
• Provides replication, deduplication, and instant access and restore with VMware
integration.
• Provides long-term retention and disaster recovery to the cloud.
Knowledge Check: Data Protection Features
Knowledge Check: Data Protection Features 1/2
1. Which data protection solution requires two data sites and a witness site.
a. vSAN Stretched Clusters
b. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager Software
c. vSphere High Availability
d. RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines
Knowledge Check: Data Protection Features (2/2)
2. Which data protection options are designed with VM protection as the primary
focus? Choose two (2).
a. RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines
b. vSAN Stretched Clusters
c. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager Software
d. vSphere Replication

.
Additional VxRail Resources
Helpful Resources
List of available resources, supplemental documentation, technical papers, and

websites for reference:
VxRail https://www.delltechnologies.com/asset/en-
Specification us/products/converged-infrastructure/technical-support/h16763-
Sheet vxrail-spec-sheet.pdf
VxRail Solution https://www.delltechnologies.com/asset/en-

Brief us/products/converged-infrastructure/technical-support/vxrail-
datasheet.pdf
VxRail Network delltechnologies.com/asset/en-us/products/converged-

Planning Guide infrastructure/technical-support/h15300-vxrail-network-guide.pdf
VxRail https://www.delltechnologies.com/asset/en-
TechBook us/products/converged-infrastructure/technical-support/h15104-
vxrail-appliance-techbook.pdf
VMware Cloud https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Cloud-

Foundation on Foundation/4.4/com.vmware.vcf.vxrail.doc/GUID-A5029B3C-
VxRail F47C-43D1-BA12-AC3ADAE2B765.html
Documentation
Dell VxRail 7.0 https://www.delltechnologies.com/asset/en-

vSAN us/products/converged-infrastructure/technical-support/vxrail-
Stretched stretched-cluster-planning-guide-for-7-0.pdf
Cluster
Planning Guide

vSAN 2-Node https://www.delltechnologies.com/asset/en-

Cluster on us/products/converged-infrastructure/technical-support/h17566-
VxRail Planning vsan-2node-cluster-on-vxrail-planning-guide.pdf
Guide
VxRail RESTful https://dl.dell.com/content/docu96731

API Cookbook
Case Studies https://www.delltechnologies.com/en-us/converged-

and Customer infrastructure/customers/index.htm#scroll=off&customer=none
Testimonials
VxRail TV https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwdra0q-
YouTube H7c7Gh5dOkswI7Q
Channel
VMware vSAN https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSAN/index.html

Documentation
VxRail Certification

.
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Click the Save Progress and Exit button in the course menu or below to
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Go to the next learning or assessment, if applicable.

Appendix
VxRail API Online Documentation - Example
VxRail API Online Help for Chassis Related API Calls

Appendix
Base URL - https://<VxRail Manager IP/FQDN>/rest/vxm
API Endpoint
Required Parameters
Response codes and example responses
Page 56 © Copyright 2020 Dell Inc.

Appendix
VxRail API Online Documentation example

Glossary
Glossary Term
Example of a glossary term used in this course.
Primary (Preferred) or Secondary Site

The Primary (Preferred) site is the site that must remain active when there is a
failure and the site can no longer communicate. In an active/active configuration,
the virtual machines can run on any of the two data sites. When network
connectivity between the sites is lost, but both the sites have connectivity to the
Witness, the Witness chooses the Preferred site to remain active. The components
of the Primary (Preferred) site remain active while the Secondary site is marked
down and its components are marked as absent.
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.
Scale Out
Scale-out is the addition of nodes to the existing cluster. VxRail clusters start with
as few as two nodes and can be scaled-out to 64 nodes. Scaling out a VxRail
cluster adds additional Compute/Memory/Storage capacity.
Scale Up
Scale up is the adding of storage capacity only to each node.
VMware vSAN HCI Mesh

VMware vSAN HCI Mesh allows customers to mix compute clusters and vSAN
clusters. This can result in better resource utilization and optimized license costs.
VxRail dynamic nodes can extend to VMware vSAN HCI Mesh environments where
remote vSAN datastores can be used as primary storage for dynamic node
clusters.
Witness host
A dedicated ESXi host or vSAN witness appliance can be used as the witness host.
The witness components are stored on the witness host and provide a quorum to
prevent a split-brain scenario if the network is lost between the data sites. This
witness host is the third fault domain.
Page 60 © Copyright 2020 Dell Inc.


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© Copyright 2021 Dell Inc. Page i

ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.241 Concepts ............................................................ 1

Introduction to the VxRail Solution .......................................................................... 3

VxRail System Architecture Overview ..................................................................... 5

VMware Validated Solutions and VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail

VxRail System Management Features.................................................................... 25

ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.XXX Concepts

Page ii © Copyright 2021 Dell Inc.

VxRail Data Protection Options .............................................................................. 44

Additional VxRail Resources .................................................................................. 51

ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.XXX Concepts

© Copyright 2020 Dell Inc. Page iii

ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.241 Concepts

ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.XXX Concepts Introduction

Tip: If available, resources such as job aids, reference guides, and

button and navigating to the Resources tab.

ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.XXX Concepts

© Copyright 2021 Dell Inc. Page 1

Course Content Key Identifiers

This course uses the following guidelines:

• The historic reference to a VxRail Appliance is replaced with a VxRail system or

1 Example of a hot text element used in this course.

ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.XXX Concepts

Page 2 © Copyright 2021 Dell Inc

Introduction to the VxRail Solution

VxRail supports a wide variety of traditional and cloud-native environments. Listed

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

The web version of this content contains a movie.

To learn more about the benefits of VxRail, watch the VxRail

ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.XXX Concepts

© Copyright 2021 Dell Inc. Page 3

Full stack lifecycle management

VxRail VxRail Manager Plugin is fully

Knowledge Check: Benefits of System

1. Select three [3] benefits of the VxRail System.

ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.XXX Concepts

Page 4 © Copyright 2021 Dell Inc

VxRail System Architecture Overview

VxRail System Components

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

2: RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines is an optional component that provides

3: VMware vRealize Suite is a platform for managing a heterogeneous, hybrid

4: VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) is an integrated software stack. It virtualizes

ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.XXX Concepts

© Copyright 2021 Dell Inc. Page 5

6: VMware vSAN is storage virtualization software that creates and manages

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

8: VMware Tanzu is an optional component which provides the ability to run

9: VxRail Manager is a system appliance that is used to deploy the initial

13: Ecosystem connectors integrate with infrastructure components including

ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.XXX Concepts

Page 6 © Copyright 2021 Dell Inc

14: VMware vSphere Replication is an optional vSphere hypervisor-based,

What Is a VxRail Node?

2 ToR network switches recommended.

Each VxRail node includes the following:

ES101CPX02007 ~ VxRail 7.0.XXX Concepts

© Copyright 2021 Dell Inc. Page 7

iDRAC Port 10 GbE Ports

Three node minimum per standard cluster.

VxRail is offered in multiple models with configuration options including choice of