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Revision history
Revision history
Date May 2011 June 2011 July 2011 July 2011 July 2011 August 2011 May 2012 Version 1.0 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Author Colin Ferguson Colin Ferguson Colin Ferguson Colin Ferguson Colin Ferguson Colin Ferguson Sandy Guardiani Description of changes Initial release Updates for GA Correction: the HA AMP includes two C200 series servers, each with two 2 TB SAS disks RAID-1 protected US Power Options > North American Power Options Added virtualization information Removed blade pack information. Now refers to Blade Packs Reference Added the Cisco UCS 6248UP Fabric Interconnects and the Cisco UCS 2208XP Series Fabric Extenders Updated all illustrations Removed port assignments information. Now refers to Port Assignments Reference Updated the following information: ESRS, bare-metal support, aggregation, RAID and drive type, model overview, VMware vSphere, base configurations and scaling, AMP hardware, management software tools, and storage features support Added Vblock Data Protection information Updated the Vblock systems elevations Added new storage drives Added I/O bandwidth enhancement information Revised external NFS and CIFS access information Revised replica statement for NAS configurations Updated block storage, SAN boot storage, unified storage, and aggregation common services graphics Added new POU information Updated for VCE branding
June 2012
2.6
Sandy Guardiani
Table of contents
Table of contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 7 Accessing VCE documentation ................................................................................................................. 8 Overview ...................................................................................................................................................... 9 Vblock Systems Series 300 overview ................................................................................................. 9 Base configurations and scaling ........................................................................................................... 11 Connectivity overview ........................................................................................................................... 12 Block storage configuration .................................................................................................................. 13 SAN boot storage configuration............................................................................................................ 14 Unified storage configuration ................................................................................................................ 15 Aggregating multiple Vblock systems ................................................................................................... 16 Aggregation common services ....................................................................................................... 17 Compute layer hardware .......................................................................................................................... 18 Compute overview ................................................................................................................................ 18 Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) .............................................................................................. 18 Cisco UCS fabric interconnects ............................................................................................................ 19 Scaling up compute resources ............................................................................................................. 19 Blade packs .................................................................................................................................... 19 Chassis activation kits (CAK) ......................................................................................................... 20 Bare-metal support ............................................................................................................................... 21 Storage layer hardware ............................................................................................................................ 22 Storage overview .................................................................................................................................. 22 EMC VNX Series storage arrays .......................................................................................................... 22 Replication ............................................................................................................................................ 23 Scaling up storage resources ............................................................................................................... 23 I/O bandwidth expansion................................................................................................................ 23 RAID packs .................................................................................................................................... 24 Disk array enclosure (DAE) packs ................................................................................................. 26 Network layer hardware............................................................................................................................ 27 Network overview ................................................................................................................................. 27 IP network components ........................................................................................................................ 27 Storage switching components ............................................................................................................. 28 Virtualization components ....................................................................................................................... 29 Virtualization overview .......................................................................................................................... 29 VMware vSphere Hypervisor ESXi ....................................................................................................... 29 Cluster configuration ...................................................................................................................... 29 Datastores ...................................................................................................................................... 29 Virtual networks.............................................................................................................................. 29 VMware vCenter Server ....................................................................................................................... 30
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Table of contents
Databases ...................................................................................................................................... 30 Authentication ................................................................................................................................ 30 VCE supported features ................................................................................................................. 31 Management components ........................................................................................................................ 32 Management hardware components .................................................................................................... 32 Management software tools ................................................................................................................. 33 AMP software tools ........................................................................................................................ 33 Storage features support ...................................................................................................................... 34 vStorage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI).................................................................................... 34 File deduplication ........................................................................................................................... 34 Block compression ......................................................................................................................... 34 External NFS and CIFS access ..................................................................................................... 34 Snapshotting .................................................................................................................................. 35 Replicas ......................................................................................................................................... 35 Data protection .......................................................................................................................................... 36 Vblock Data Protection overview .......................................................................................................... 36 Data protection defined .................................................................................................................. 36 VCE Vblock Data Protection capabilities .............................................................................................. 37 Backup and recovery ............................................................................................................................ 38 One VCE cabinet that contains EMC Avamar ............................................................................... 38 Multiple VCE cabinets that contain EMC Avamar .......................................................................... 40 One VCE cabinet that contains EMC Avamar and EMC Data Domain 670 .................................. 41 One VCE cabinet that contains EMC Avamar and another VCE cabinet that contains EMC Data Domain 890 .................................................................................................................................... 43 One VCE cabinet that contains EMC Avamar and multiple cabinets that contain EMC Data Domain 890 .................................................................................................................................... 44 Business continuity and workload mobility ........................................................................................... 45 EMC VPLEX ................................................................................................................................... 45 Cluster configurations .................................................................................................................... 45 Recommended configurations ....................................................................................................... 46 Single engine ................................................................................................................................. 47 Dual engine .................................................................................................................................... 48 Vblock Series 300 cabinets ...................................................................................................................... 49 Cabinets overview ................................................................................................................................ 49 Cabinet types ........................................................................................................................................ 50 Compute/storage base (CSB) cabinets ......................................................................................... 50 Compute/storage expansion (CSE) cabinets ................................................................................. 51 Storage expansion (SE) cabinets .................................................................................................. 51 Network cabinets ............................................................................................................................ 51 Vblock Series 300 models ........................................................................................................................ 52 Vblock Series 300 model overview....................................................................................................... 52 Power options for Vblock Series 300 ................................................................................................... 53
Table of contents
North America power options ......................................................................................................... 53 Power options outside of North America........................................................................................ 53 Vblock Series 300 model HX .................................................................................................................... 54 300HX overview.................................................................................................................................... 54 300HX base configuration .................................................................................................................... 55 300HX compute layer base configuration ...................................................................................... 57 300HX storage layer base configuration (block storage) ............................................................... 57 300HX storage layer base configuration (unified storage)............................................................. 58 300HX maximum configuration ............................................................................................................ 59 Expanding the 300HX compute layer ............................................................................................ 60 Expanding the 300HX storage layer .............................................................................................. 60 300HX maximum CSB cabinets ........................................................................................................... 61 300HX CSB A cabinet .................................................................................................................... 61 300HX CSB B cabinet .................................................................................................................... 62 300HX maximum compute/storage expansion cabinets ...................................................................... 63 300HX maximized CSE 1 cabinet .................................................................................................. 63 300HX maximized CSE 2 cabinet .................................................................................................. 64 300HX maximum storage expansion cabinets ..................................................................................... 65 Vblock Series 300 model GX .................................................................................................................... 68 300GX overview ................................................................................................................................... 68 300GX base configuration .................................................................................................................... 69 300GX compute layer base configuration ...................................................................................... 71 300GX storage layer base configuration (block storage) ............................................................... 71 300GX storage layer base configuration (unified storage) ............................................................ 72 300GX maximum configuration ............................................................................................................ 73 Expanding the 300GX compute layer ............................................................................................ 74 Expanding the 300GX storage layer .............................................................................................. 74 300GX maximum CSB cabinets ........................................................................................................... 75 300GX CSB A cabinet.................................................................................................................... 75 300GX CSB B cabinet.................................................................................................................... 76 300GX compute/storage expansion cabinets ....................................................................................... 77 300GX maximized CSE 1 cabinet .................................................................................................. 77 300GX maximized CSE 2 cabinet .................................................................................................. 78 300GX storage expansion cabinet ....................................................................................................... 79 Vblock Series 300 model FX .................................................................................................................... 80 300FX overview .................................................................................................................................... 80 300FX base configuration ..................................................................................................................... 81 300FX compute layer base configuration ...................................................................................... 83 300FX storage layer base configuration (block storage) ............................................................... 83 300FX storage layer base configuration (unified storage) ............................................................. 84 300FX maximum configuration ............................................................................................................. 85 Expanding the 300FX compute layer ............................................................................................. 86 Expanding the 300FX storage layer ............................................................................................... 86
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300FX maximum CSB cabinets ............................................................................................................ 87 300FX CSB A cabinet .................................................................................................................... 87 300FX CSB B cabinet .................................................................................................................... 88 300FX compute/storage expansion cabinets ....................................................................................... 89 300FX maximized CSE 1 cabinet .................................................................................................. 89 300FX maximized CSE 2 cabinet .................................................................................................. 90 Vblock Series 300 model EX .................................................................................................................... 91 300EX overview .................................................................................................................................... 91 300EX base configuration .................................................................................................................... 92 300EX compute layer base configuration ...................................................................................... 94 300EX storage layer base configuration (block storage) ............................................................... 94 300EX storage layer base configuration (unified storage) ............................................................. 95 300EX maximum configuration............................................................................................................. 96 300EX maximum CSB cabinet ............................................................................................................. 98 300EX maximum storage expansion cabinet ....................................................................................... 99 Additional references ............................................................................................................................. 100 References overview .......................................................................................................................... 100 Virtualization components .................................................................................................................. 100 Compute components ........................................................................................................................ 101 Network components .......................................................................................................................... 102 Storage components .......................................................................................................................... 102
Introduction
Introduction
Growing business challenges and fleeting opportunities demand an infrastructure that is swift, agile, and economicalenabling enterprises to adapt to change quickly and cost-effectively. VCE represents the next evolution of IT, one focused on the next generation data center and the future of cloud computing. VCE seeks to eliminate challenges that consume today's data center resources. VCE designs and delivers Vblock Systems that seamlessly integrate leading compute, network, and storage technologies. Through intelligent discovery, awareness and automation, Vblock systems provide the highest levels of virtualization and application performance. The Vblock Series 300 is an agile and efficient data center class system, providing modular and scalable performance. The Vblock 300 features high density, compact fabric switch, tightly-integrated fabric based blade servers, and best-in-class unified storage. It is available in four models - Vblock Series 300 model HX (300HX), Vblock Series 300 model GX (300GX), Vblock Series 300 model FX (300FX), and Vblock Series 300 model EX (300EX). This document describes the high-level design of the Vblock Series 300. This document also describes the hardware and software components that VCE includes in each Vblock 300 model. The target audience for this document includes sales engineers, field consultants, advanced services specialists, and customers who want to deploy a virtualized infrastructure by using a Vblock 300 model. The VCE Glossary provides terms, definitions, and acronyms that are related to Vblock systems. Refer to Accessing VCE documentation. To suggest documentation changes and provide feedback on this book, send an e-mail to docfeedback@vce.com. Include the name of the topic to which your feedback applies.
Overview
Each Vblock 300 model contains the following key hardware and software components:
Resource Compute Components Network Storage Virtualization Management Cisco UCS 5108 Blade Server Chassis Cisco UCS B-Series Blades Cisco UCS 2104XP Series Fabric Extenders or Cisco UCS 2208XP Series Fabric Extenders Cisco UCS 6248UP Series Fabric Interconnects or Cisco UCS 61x0XP Series Fabric Interconnects Cisco Nexus 1000V Series virtual switch Cisco Nexus 5548 Series IP switches Cisco MDS 9148 Series Storage Switches (Fibre Channel) EMC VNX Series unified storage with EMC Unisphere (Optional) EMC RecoverPoint VMware ESXi VMware vCenter Server EMC PowerPath/VE Cisco UCS Manager EMC Unisphere Manager EMC VNX Local Protection Suite EMC VNX Remote Protection Suite EMC VNX Application Protection Suite EMC VNX Fast Suite EMC VNX Security and Compliance Suite EMC Ionix Unified Infrastructure Manager (UIM) EMC Secure Remote Support (ESRS) on Windows VMware vSphere Server Enterprise Plus
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Overview
The following illustration provides a high-level overview of the components in the Vblock 300 architecture:
The VCE Vblock Systems Release Certification Matrix provides a list of the certified versions of components for Vblock 300. Refer to Accessing VCE documentation. Each Vblock 300 model has a different scale point based on compute and storage options. Each Vblock 300 model can support block or unified storage protocols. Refer to EMC VNX Series storage arrays.
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Overview
Management hardware options EMC RecoverPoint Appliances (RPAs) Data Mover Enclosure (DME) packs
Together, the components offer balanced CPU, I/O bandwidth, and storage capacity relative to the compute and storage arrays in the system. All components have N+N or N+1 redundancy. These resources can be scaled up as necessary to meet increasingly stringent requirements. The maximum supported configuration differs from model to model. To scale up compute resources, add blade packs and chassis activation kits. Refer to Scaling up compute resources. To scale up storage resources, add RAID packs, DME packs, and DAE packs. Optionally, add expansion cabinets with additional resources. Refer to Scaling up storage resources. Vblock systems are designed to keep hardware changes to a minimum should the customer decide to change the storage protocol after installation (for example, from block storage to unified storage). Cabinet space is reserved for all components that are needed for each storage configuration (Cisco MDS switches, X-Blades, etc.) All network and power cabling for these components is in place.
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Overview
Connectivity overview
Components and interconnectivity within Vblock systems are conceptually subdivided into three layers:
Layer Compute Storage Network Description Contains the components that provide the computing power within the Vblock system. The Cisco UCS blade servers, chassis, and fabric interconnects belong to this layer. Contains the EMC VNX storage components. Contains the components that provide switching between the compute and storage layers within a Vblock system, and between the Vblock system and the customer network. The Cisco Nexus switches and the Cisco MDS switches belong to this layer.
All components incorporate redundancy into the design. The following topics present connectivity configurations for the Vblock Series 300: Block storage configuration SAN boot storage configuration Unified storage configuration
The VCE Vblock Systems Series 300 Port Assignments Reference provides information about the assigned use for each port in the Vblock system. Refer to Accessing VCE documentation.
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Overview
13
Overview
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Overview
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Overview
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Overview
These topologies have various scaling points using different Cisco MDS and Cisco Nexus solutions to provide the required connectivity among the Vblock system, customer network, and external common services appliances.
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Vblock systems powered by Cisco UCS feature: Built-in redundancy for high availability Hot swappable components for serviceability, upgrade, or expansion Fewer physical components than in a comparable system built piece-by-piece Reduced cabling Improved energy efficiency over traditional blade server chassis
The VCE Vblock Systems Blade Pack Reference provides a list of supported Cisco UCS blades in Vblock Series 300 models. Refer to Accessing VCE documentation.
Blade packs
Cisco UCS blades are sold in packs of two. Each blade pack includes: Two identical Cisco UCS blades Two fabric interconnect port licenses
The base configuration of each Vblock system model includes two blade packs. The maximum number of blade packs depends on the model. Each blade type must have a minimum of two blade packs as a base configuration and then can be increased in single blade pack increments thereafter.
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Each blade pack is added along with license packs for the following software: Note: Cisco UCS Manager (UCSM) VMware ESXi Cisco Nexus 1000v virtual switch EMC Ionix UIM EMC PowerPath/VE License packs for VMware ESXi, Cisco Nexus 1000v virtual switch, and EMC PowerPath are not available for bare-metal blades.
The VCE Vblock Systems Blade Pack Reference provides a list of supported Cisco UCS blades in Vblock 300 models. Refer to Accessing VCE documentation.
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Bare-metal support
If applications cannot be virtualized due to technical or commercial reasons, Vblock system blades can be deployed bare-metal; that is, with non-virtualized operating system and application configurations. Bare-metal workloads always require separate physical spindles, disk groups, and pools to ensure that bare-metal workloads do not adversely impact Vblock system workloads. VCE can provide reasonable-effort support for bare-metal blades only if the bare-metal deployment complies with the following requirements: The base Vblock system contains only VCE published, tested, and validated hardware and software components. The VCE Vblock Systems Release Certification Matrix provides a list of the certified versions of components for Vblock Series 300. Refer to Accessing VCE documentation. The applications and operating systems for tested Vblock systems software for compute and storage components are included in published support matrices from EMC and Cisco.
For bare-metal deployments that include other hypervisor technologies (Hyper-V, KVM, etc.), those hypervisor technologies are not supported by VCE. VCE reasonable effort support means that VCE determines that the base Vblock system is operating correctly, and assists in problem resolution to a reasonable extent. VCE is unable to reproduce problems or provide support on the operating systems installed for bare-metal deployments. VCE cannot provide updates to those operating systems or test them. Customers must work directly with their support vendors for issues and patches for those operating systems.
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Note:
Within Vblock 300 models, all EMC VNX components are installed within VCE cabinets in VCEspecific layouts.
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Replication
For block storage configurations, Vblock Series 300 systems can be upgraded to include EMC RecoverPoint. This replication technology provides continuous data protection and continuous remote replication for ondemand protection and recovery to any point in time. EMC RecoverPoint advanced capabilities include policybased management, application integration, and bandwidth reduction. RecoverPoint is included in the EMC Local Protection Suite and EMC Remote Protection Suite. To implement EMC RecoverPoint within a Vblock system, add two or more EMC RecoverPoint Appliances (RPA) in a cluster to the Vblock system. This cluster can accommodate approximately 80 MB/s sustained throughput through each RPA. To ensure proper sizing and performance of an EMC RecoverPoint solution, VCE works with an EMC Technical Consultant and the customer. They collect information about the data to be replicated, as well as data change rates, data growth rates, network speeds, and other information that is needed to ensure that all business requirements are met.
I/O bandwidth and packs can be added when Vblock systems are built and after they are deployed.
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RAID packs
Storage capacity can be increased by adding RAID packs. Each pack contains a number of drives of a given type, speed, and capacity. The number of drives in a pack depends upon the RAID level that it supports. The number and types of RAID packs to include in a Vblock system is based upon the following: The number of storage pools that are needed. The storage tiers that each pool contains, and the speed and capacity of the drives in each tier. The following table lists tiers, supported drive types, and supported speeds and capacities. Note: The speed and capacity of all drives within a given tier in a given pool must be the same.
Tier 1 2 Drive type Solid-state Enterprise Flash drives (EFD) Serial attached SCSI (SAS) Supported speeds and capacities 100 GB 200 GB 300 GB 10K RPM 600 GB 10K RPM 900 GB 10K RPM 300 GB 15K RPM 600 GB 15K RPM 2 TB 7.2K RPM 3 TB 7.2K RPM
Nearline SAS
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The RAID protection level for the tiers in each pool. The following table describes each supported RAID protection level. The RAID protection level for the different pools can vary.
Description A set of mirrored drives. Offers the best overall performance of the three supported RAID protection levels. Offers robust protection. Can sustain double-drive failures that are not in the same mirror set. Lowest economy of the three supported RAID levels since usable capacity is only 50% of raw capacity. Block-level striping with a single parity block, where the parity data is distributed across all of the drives in the set. Offers the best mix of performance, protection, and economy. Has a higher write performance penalty than RAID 1 because multiple IOs are required to perform a single write. With single parity, can sustain a single drive failure with no data loss. Vulnerable to data loss or unrecoverable read errors on a track during a drive rebuild. Highest economy of the three supported RAID levels. Usable capacity is 80% of raw capacity. Block-level striping with two parity blocks, distributed across all of the drives in the set. Offers increased protection and read performance comparable to RAID 5. Has a significant write performance penalty because multiple IOs are required to perform a single write. Economy is very good. Usable capacity is 75% of raw capacity or better. EMC best practice for SATA and NL-SAS drives.
RAID 5
RAID 6
There are RAID packs for each RAID protection level/tier type combination. The RAID levels dictate the number of drives that are included in the packs. The following table lists RAID protection levels and the number of drives in the packs for each level:
RAID protection level RAID 1 RAID 5 RAID 6 Number of drives per RAID pack 8 (4 + 4) 5 (4 + 1) 8 (6 drives + 2 parity)
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IP network components
Each Vblock Series 300 model includes two Cisco Nexus 5548 Ethernet switches. In the Vblock system, these switches provide Ethernet connectivity: Between the Vblock system internal components To the site network To the Advanced Management Pod (AMP) through redundant connections to the Cisco Catalyst 3000 Ethernet switches in the AMP
The Cisco Nexus 5548 switch supports low latency line-rate 10 GB Ethernet and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) connectivity on up to 32 ports. A unified port expansion module provides an extra 16 ports of 10 GbE or FCoE connectivity. The ports are licensed on an on-demand basis.
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The Cisco MDS 9148 switch provides from 16 to 48 line-rate ports for non-blocking 8 Gbps throughput. The port groups are enabled on an as needed basis.
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Virtualization components
Cluster configuration
ESXi hosts and their resources are pooled together into clusters. These clusters contain the CPU, memory, network, and storage resources available for allocation to virtual machines. Clusters can scale up to a maximum of 32 hosts. Clusters can support thousands of virtual machines. The clusters can also support a variety of Cisco UCS blades running inside the same cluster. Note: Some advanced CPU functionality might be unavailable if more than one blade model is running in a given cluster.
Datastores
Vblock systems support a mixture of datastore types: block level storage using VMFS or file level storage using NFS. The maximum size per VMFS5 volume is 64 TB (50 TB VMFS3 @ 1 MB). Each host/cluster can support a maximum of 255 volumes. VCE optimizes the advanced settings for ESXi hosts that are deployed in Vblock systems to maximize the throughput and scalability of NFS datastores. Vblock systems currently support a maximum of 256 NFS datastores per host.
Virtual networks
Virtual networking in the AMP uses the VMware standard vSwitch. Virtual networking in Vblock systems is managed by the Cisco Nexus 1000v distributed virtual switch.
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Virtualization components
VMware vCenter Server also provides monitoring and alerting capabilities for hosts and virtual machines. Vblock system administrators can create and apply alarms to all managed objects in VMware vCenter Server. These alarms include: Datacenter, cluster, and host health, inventory, and performance Datastore health and capacity Virtual machine usage, performance, and health Virtual network usage and health
Databases
The backend database that supports VMware vCenter Server and VMware Update Manager (VUM) is remote Microsoft SQL Server 2008. Vblock systems also support the use of Oracle databases for vCenter and VUM databases. The SQL Server service requires a dedicated service account.
Authentication
Vblock systems support the integration of client-side Active Directory for authentication. VMware vCenter Server and Update Manager run as separate Windows services. Each service is configured to use a dedicated service account. A separate Active Directory domain can be provisioned by VCE if required. This domain is configured with the service accounts, user accounts, and groups required to manage the virtual environment.
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Virtualization components
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Management components
In a Vblock system configuration with a mini-AMP, space is reserved in the compute/storage base (CSB) cabinet for the additional HA AMP components to make it easy to upgrade to the HA AMP later. In the 300EX, the AMP is not installed in the base cabinet. The AMP must be installed within an external storage expansion (SE) cabinet, network cabinet, or customer-provided cabinet. The mini-AMP occupies three rack units (RUs). The HA AMP occupies 6 RUs.
EMC VNXe3100
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Management components
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Management components
File deduplication
File deduplication is supported but is not enabled by default. Note that enabling this feature requires thorough knowledge of capacity and storage requirements.
Block compression
Block compression is supported but is not enabled by default. Note that enabling this feature requires thorough knowledge of capacity and storage requirements.
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Management components
In a configuration with more than two X-Blades, external NFS and CIFS access runs on one or more X-Blades that are physically separate from the X-Blades serving VMFS datastores to the Vblock system compute layer
Snapshotting
For block storage snapshotting, EMC SnapView is supported. This software provides local block replication using snaps and clones without the extra cost of the optional EMC RecoverPoint Appliances. This software is included in the EMC VNX Local Protection Suite. For NAS file system snapshotting, EMC SnapSure is supported. It is included in the EMC VNX Local Protection Suite.
Replicas
For Vblock system NAS configurations, EMC VNX Replicator is supported. This software can create local clones (full copies) and replicate file systems asynchronously across IP networks. EMC VNX Replicator is included in the EMX VNX Remote Protection Suite.
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Data protection
The information in this section assumes prior knowledge of EMC Avamar, EMC Data Domain, and EMC VPLEX.
Replication of data snapshots: Additional data insurance. Provides additional level of data protection on top of daily backups since replication cannot always protect against data corruption. Takes multiple snapshots, or nearly continuous snapshots, throughout the day to reduce worst case data loss from 24 hours to time of last snapshot.
Business continuity: Application availability insurance Ensures zero data loss and near-zero recovery time for business-critical data. Provides additional level of data protection on top of daily backups since replication cannot always protect against data corruption.
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Data protection
Workload mobility: Moves workload to another site in anticipation of a disaster. Moves workload for balancing sites or systems.
Archive: Provides long-term copy of data that is typically done for legal compliance reasons whose retention period spans multiple years.
Refer to the VCE Vblock Data Protection white paper for more information about VCE data protection strategies and solutions. Consult with a VCE vArchitect or VCE Partner about data protection requirements and determine what type of solution is best for your environment.
Deduplication backup software and system, and deduplication storage systems Business continuity (disaster avoidance) and workload mobility
Vblock Data Protection solutions are extensions of the Vblock system and are contained in VCE cabinets. The solutions contain standardized components and are designed to be fully scalable. Vblock Data Protection solutions are individually sized for each customer based on specific customer requirements and based on the results of the EMC sizing tool. The EMC sizing tool assessment must be completed by personnel who have been trained and certified by EMC.
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Data protection
Refer to the Vblock Systems Backup and Recovery Best Practices white paper for more information about the Vblock Data Protection solution for backup and recovery.
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Data protection
The following illustration shows the rear view of the VCE data protection cabinet with EMC Avamar solution:
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Data protection
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Data protection
One VCE cabinet that contains EMC Avamar and EMC Data Domain 670
This solution is best used when the Vblock system will not require more than one cabinet of EMC Avamar and EMC Data Domain components to meet the backup requirements (single cabinet excluding the backup replication system). The VCE backup and recovery solution that contains EMC Avamar and EMC Data Domain 670 in one VCE cabinet has EMC Avamar switches, Cisco Nexus 5548UP switches, a minimum of one EMC Data Domain 670 Head Unit, one EMC ES30 expansion (storage) shelf, three EMC Avamar data nodes, and one EMC Avamar utility node. This solution includes built-in networking and two external connection cables to the Vblock system. It contains three expansion spaces providing room for an additional head unit, an additional storage unit, and an additional ten nodes in any combinations of data notes and accelerator nodes. The Cisco Nexus 5548UP switches connect the data protection cabinet to the Vblock system. When you add additional components in the available expansion area, add components starting from the bottom of the cabinet. Note: If backing up multiple Vblock systems to one VCE Vblock Data Protection cabinet that contains EMC Avamar and EMC Data Domain, each Vblock system must be connected to a group of dedicated uplink ports from the data protection cabinet.
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Data protection
The following illustration shows the rear view of the VCE data protection cabinet with EMC Avamar and EMC Data Domain 670:
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Data protection
One VCE cabinet that contains EMC Avamar and another VCE cabinet that contains EMC Data Domain 890
This solution is best used when the EMC sizing tool determines that an EMC Avamar with EMC Data Domain 890 deployment is the most effective solution. This solution provides a single instance backup deployment that is highly scalable. The first VCE cabinet is identical to the VCE data protection cabinet that contains EMC Avamar only, with the addition of inter-cabinet connections for connection of VCE cabinets containing EMC Data Domain 890 systems. The second cabinet contains one EMC Data Domain 890 Head Unit, up to 12 EMC ES30 expansion (storage) shelves with 2 TB drives, and 2U space for a future head unit upgrade. Note: If backing up multiple Vblock systems to one VCE Vblock Data Protection cabinet that contains EMC Avamar and EMC Data Domain, each Vblock system must be connected to a group of dedicated uplink ports from the data protection cabinet.
The following illustration shows the rear view of the minimum configuration for the combination of the VCE data protection cabinet with EMC Avamar and the VCE cabinet with EMC Data Domain 890:
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Data protection
One VCE cabinet that contains EMC Avamar and multiple cabinets that contain EMC Data Domain 890
The following illustration shows the rear view of the VCE data protection scaled-up solution with EMC Avamar in one VCE cabinet and EMC Data Domain 890 in multiple cabinets.
This solution includes one cabinet that contains EMC Avamar components and can scale beyond two cabinets with EMC Data Domain components.
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Data protection
EMC VPLEX
EMC VPLEX is an enterprise-class, storage federation technology that aggregates and manages pools of Vblock system storage within and among data centers. EMC VPLEX resides between the virtual machine servers and the FC attached storage. It presents local and distributed volumes to hosts. EMC VPLEX enables dynamic workload mobility and continuous availability within and between Vblock systems over distance. It provides simultaneous access to storage devices at two sites through the creation of EMC VPLEX Distributed Virtual Volumes, supported on each side by an EMC VPLEX cluster. The EMC VPLEX data protection solution for Vblock systems uses the following hardware and software components and technologies: Vblock systems VMware vCenter Server VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat VMware vSphere High Availability VMware vMotion
Refer to the Vblock Data Protection: Best Practices for EMC VPLEX with Vblock Systems white paper for more information about the business continuity and workload mobility solution. Refer to the EMC VPLEX Architecture Guide for more information about EMC VPLEX.
Cluster configurations
A single Vblock 300 can be connected to a single engine or a dual engine EMC VPLEX cluster. It cannot be connected to a quad engine EMC VPLEX cluster. The Vblock 300 has only 16 ports available for EMC VPLEX front-end and back-end connections.
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Data protection
Recommended configurations
The recommended configurations for the Vblock Data Protection solution for business continuity and workload mobility are:
Configuration Non cross-cluster connect Description Cross-cluster connect Delivers zero Recovery Point Objective (RPO) in all single failures including that of an entire site Delivers zero Recovery Time Objective (RTO) in the event of a storage array failure For a server domain failure or EMC VPLEX failure, limits RTO to the application restart time Requires a ping round-trip time of less than five milliseconds
Servers in cross-cluster connect configuration can access data from the EMC VPLEX cabinet at either site. Cross-cluster connect is suitable for deploying within a campus, or in multiple isolated zones within a single data center. This configuration eliminates the need to do server failover when an entire storage cluster (EMC VPLEX) or the storage behind it) goes down. A cross-cluster configuration: Delivers zero RPO in all single failures including that of an entire site Delivers zero RTO in the event of a storage domain failure For a server domain failure, limits RTO to the application restart time Requires a ping round-trip time of less than one millisecond
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Data protection
Single engine
The following illustration shows the single engine configuration:
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Data protection
Dual engine
The following illustration shows the dual engine configuration:
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Each cabinet conforms to a standard predefined layout. Space is reserved for specific components even if they are not present or required for the customer configuration. This design makes it easier to upgrade or expand each Vblock system as capacity needs increase. As shown in the following illustration, Vblock system cabinets are designed to be installed next to one another within the data center (that is, contiguously). If a customer requires the base and expansion cabinets to be physically separated, customized cabling is needed, which incurs additional cost and delivery delays. Note: The cable length is NOT the same as distance between cabinets. The cable must route through the cabinets and through the cable channels overhead or in the floor.
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Cabinet types
The VCE standard cabinet configurations for Vblock Series 300 include: Compute/storage base (CSB) cabinets Compute/storage expansion (CSE) cabinets Storage expansion (SE) cabinets Network cabinets
The CSB A cabinet contains these additional components: (Unified storage configurations) EMC VNX array storage processors, control stations, and data movers. Up to four DAEs (optional)
The CSB B cabinet contains these additional components: Mini Advanced Management Pod (mini AMP) Up to four DAEs (optional)
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Each CSE cabinet is added only if it is needed. The CSE 1 cabinet is added only if the Vblock system expands beyond its CSB cabinets. The CSE 2 cabinet is added only if the Vblock system expands beyond the CSE 1 cabinet. Space is reserved in each cabinet for the blade chassis and the DAEs, even if they are not all installed. This design makes it easier to add this hardware later, if necessary.
Network cabinets
If additional space is required for networking or storage switching components, one or more network cabinets is added. Network cabinets serve as aggregation points for: IP networking components for cross-Vblock system communication and customer access points The core portion of core-edge block fabrics to support shared replication and fabric services AMP IP management connectivity consolidation
Use network cabinets to house the following components: A centralized AMP for large Vblock system environments Shared (optional) EMC RecoverPoint Appliances (RPAs)
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B-series blades (maximum) IP switches SAN switches Array Back-end SAS buses Storage protocol
Half-width = 64 Full-width = 32 Cisco Nexus 5548 (2) Cisco MDS 9148 (2) EMC VNX 7500 8 Block = FC Unified = NFS, FC, and CIFS Block = VMFS Unified = NFS and VMFS Minimum = 2 Maximum = 8 SAN Minimum = 18 Maximum = 960
Half-width = 64 Full-width = 32 Cisco Nexus 5548 (2) Cisco MDS 9148 (2) EMC VNX 5700 4 Block = FC Unified = NFS, FC, and CIFS Block = VMFS Unified = NFS and VMFS Minimum = 2 Maximum = 4 SAN Minimum = 18 Maximum = 480
Half-width = 16 Full-width = 8 Cisco Nexus 5548 (2) Cisco MDS 9148 (2) EMC VNX 5300 2 Block = FC Unified = NFS, FC, and CIFS Block = VMFS Unified = NFS and VMFS Minimum = 2 Maximum = 2 SAN Minimum = 18 Maximum = 120
Datastore type
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The VCE Vblock Systems Series 300 Physical Planning Guide provides more information about power requirements. Refer to Accessing VCE documentation.
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The following illustration shows the rear of the 300HX base configuration:
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Four Cisco UCS blades (two blade packs), installed in the chassis Two Cisco UCS 6248UP Series Fabric Interconnects or two Cisco UCS 6140XP Series Fabric Interconnects
Four licenses to the following software packages are included in the base configuration: Note: Cisco UCS Manager VMware ESXi Cisco Nexus 1000v virtual switch EMC Ionix UIM EMC PowerPath/VE If the customer already has site licenses for one or more of these software packages, the licenses can be omitted from the base configuration.
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Optional software: VNX OE for Unified Advanced FAST Suite Local Protection Suite Remote Protection Suite Application Protection Suite Security and Compliance Suite
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NFS/CIFS licensing. An HX configuration can expand to up to eight X-Blades in a 7+1 active-standby cluster configuration. The expansion DMEs and X-Blades are installed in the SE cabinets. For information about the components contained in these cabinets, refer to 300HX maximum CSB cabinets, 300HX maximum compute/storage expansion cabinets, and 300HX maximum storage expansion cabinets.
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The location of the RecoverPoint appliances (RPAs) depends on the Vblock system configuration. If there are more than two RPAs in the cluster, the RPAs are not located in the CSB cabinet. The RPAs are located in the last CSE or SE cabinet with space available.
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The following illustration shows the rear of the 300GX base configuration:
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Four Cisco UCS blades (two blade packs), installed in the chassis Two Cisco UCS 6248UP Series Fabric Interconnects or two Cisco UCS 6140XP Series Fabric Interconnects These components are located in the CSB A and CSB B cabinets
Four licenses to the following software packages are included in the base configuration: Note: Cisco UCS Manager VMware ESXi Cisco Nexus 1000v virtual switch EMC Ionix UIM EMC PowerPath/VE If the customer already has site licenses for one or more of these software packages, the licenses can be omitted from the base configuration.
Optional software: VNX OE for Unified Advanced FAST Suite Local Protection Suite Remote Protection Suite Application Protection Suite Security and Compliance Suite
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For information about the components contained in these cabinets, refer to 300GX maximum CSB cabinets, 300GX compute/storage expansion cabinets and 300GX storage expansion cabinet.
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The location of the RecoverPoint appliances (RPAs) depends on the Vblock system configuration. If there are more than two RPAs in the cluster, the RPAs are not located in the CSB cabinet. The RPAs are located in the last CSE or SE cabinet with space available.
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The following illustration shows the rear of the 300FX base configuration:
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Four Cisco UCS blades (two blade packs), installed in the chassis Two Cisco UCS 6248UP Series Fabric Interconnects or two Cisco UCS 6140XP Series Fabric Interconnects These components are located in the CSB A and CSB B cabinets
Four licenses to the following software packages are included in the base configuration: Note: Cisco UCS Manager VMware ESXi Cisco Nexus 1000v virtual switch EMC Ionix UIM EMC PowerPath/VE If you already have site licenses for one or more of these software packages, the licenses can be omitted from the base configuration.
Optional software: VNX OE for Unified Advanced FAST Suite Local Protection Suite Remote Protection Suite Application Protection Suite Security and Compliance Suite
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Add RAID packs to one or more tiers. The EMC VNX 5500 maximum growth is about 16 DAEs/240 drives.
In a unified configuration, as storage capacity grows, add another X-Blade, including NFS/CIFS licensing. The X-Blades are configured in a 2+1 active-standby cluster.
For information about the components contained in these cabinets, refer to 300FX maximum CSB cabinets and 300FX compute/storage expansion cabinets.
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The location of the RecoverPoint appliances (RPAs) depends on the Vblock system configuration. If there are more than two RPAs in the cluster, the RPAs are not located in the CSB cabinet. The RPAs are located in the last CSE or SE cabinet with space available.
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The following illustration shows the rear of the 300EX base configuration:
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Four Cisco UCS blades (two blade packs), installed in the chassis Two Cisco UCS 6248UP Series Fabric Interconnects or two Cisco UCS 6120XP Series Fabric Interconnects
Two licenses to the following software packages are included in the base configuration: Note: Cisco UCS Manager VMware ESXi Cisco Nexus 1000v virtual switch EMC Ionix UIM EMC PowerPath/VE If the customer already has site licenses for one or more of these software packages, the licenses can be omitted from the base configuration.
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Optional software: VNX OE for Unified Advanced FAST Suite Local Protection Suite Remote Protection Suite Application Protection Suite Security and Compliance Suite
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300EX storage capacity can be expanded in any of the following ways: Add ESX or bare metal Boot LUN RAID groups (five drives per RAID group) to upgrade the boot capacity. Each RAID group accommodates 32 ESXi hosts. Upgrade FAST cache from 100 GB to 500 GB, in mirrored pairs of EFD drives. Add RAID packs to one or more tiers. The EMC VNX 5300 maximum growth is eight DAEs (including the DPE) / 120 drives. For information about the components contained in these cabinets, refer to 300EX maximum CSB cabinet and 300EX maximum storage expansion cabinet.
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Additional references
Virtualization components
Product VMware vCenter Server VMware vSphere ESXi Description Provides a scalable and extensible platform that forms the foundation for virtualization management. Virtualized infrastructure for Vblock systems. Virtualizes all application servers and provides VMware High Availability (HA) and Dynamic Resource Scheduling (DRS). Link to documentation www.vmware.com/solutions/virtualizationmanagement/ www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/
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Additional references
Compute components
Product Cisco UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects Description UCS family of linerate, low-latency, lossless, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), and Fibre Channel functions. Provide network connectivity and management capabilities. UCS family of linerate, low-latency, lossless, 10 Gbps Ethernet and Fibre Channel over Ethernet interconnect switches Chassis that supports up to eight blade servers and up to two fabric extenders in a six rack unit (RU) enclosure Bring unified fabric into the blade-server chassis, providing up to four 10 Gbps connections each between blade servers and the fabric interconnect Bring unified fabric into the blade-server chassis, providing up to four 10 Gbps connections each between blade servers and the fabric interconnect Servers that adapt to application demands, intelligently scale energy use, and offer best-in-class virtualization Centralized management capabilities for the Cisco Unified Computing System Link to documentation www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps11544/index.html
www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10276/index.html
www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10279/index.html
www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/ps10265/ps10276/data_sheet_c78675243.html
www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10278/index.html
www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10280/index.html
www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10281/index.html
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Additional references
Network components
Product Cisco Nexus 1000V Series Switches Cisco MDS 9500 Series Multilayer Directors Description A software switch on a server that delivers Cisco VN-Link services to virtual machines hosted on that server Provides industry-leading availability, scalability, security, and management. The Cisco MDS 9000 family allows deployment of high-performance SANs with the lowest TCO. Provides 48 line-rate 8 Gbps ports and offers cost-effective scalability through on-demand activation of ports Simplifies data center transformation by enabling a standards-based, highperformance unified fabric A single end-to-end platform designed around infrastructure scalability, operational continuity, and transport flexibility Link to documentation www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9902/index.html
www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps5990/index.html
Cisco MDS 9148 Multilayer Fabric Switch Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches
www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10703/index.html
www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9670/index.html
www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9402/index.html
Storage components
Product EMC VNX 7500, 5700, 5500, 5300 storage arrays Description High-performing unified storage with unsurpassed simplicity and efficiency, optimized for virtual applications Link to documentation www.emc.com/products/series/vnxseries.htm
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Additional references
ABOUT VCE
VCE, formed by Cisco and EMC with investments from VMware and Intel, accelerates the adoption of converged infrastructure and cloud-based computing models that dramatically reduce the cost of IT while improving time to market for our customers. VCE, through the Vblock system, delivers the industry's only fully integrated and fully virtualized cloud infrastructure system. VCE solutions are available through an extensive partner network, and cover horizontal applications, vertical industry offerings, and application development environments, allowing customers to focus on business innovation instead of integrating, validating, and managing IT infrastructure. For more information, go to www.vce.com.
Copyright 2012 VCE Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Vblock and the VCE logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of VCE Company, LLC. and/or its affiliates in the United States or other countries. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.
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