Dell EMC PowerFlex with Dell EMC PowerEdge

MX7000 Chassis
Proof of Concept Using Storage-Only Nodes

July 2021

H18813

Deployment Guide

Abstract
This guide describes how to deploy a Dell EMC PowerEdge MX7000
setup in a compute-only configuration with a two-layer Dell EMC
PowerFlex Integrated rack deployment. It includes validated design,
deployment, and configuration guidance.

Dell Technologies Solutions

 Copyright

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Use, copying, and distribution of any software described in this publication requires an applicable software license.
Copyright © 2021 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved. Dell Technologies, Dell, EMC, Dell EMC and other
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of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Published in the USA 07/21 Deployment Guide H18813.
Dell Inc. believes the information in this document is accurate as of its publication date. The information is subject to change
without notice.

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 Contents

Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction 5
Document purpose ................................................................................................6
Audience ...............................................................................................................6
Terminology ..........................................................................................................6

Chapter 2 MX7000 Build Overview 8

MX7000 network configuration ..............................................................................9
PowerFlex two-layer configuration with an MX7000 logical network ....................10
Hardware overview .............................................................................................13
Logical configuration overview ............................................................................14

Chapter 3 Physical Deployment 17

Deployment considerations .................................................................................18

Chapter 4 Configuring the switches 19

Configuring OOB management ...........................................................................20
Configuring northbound customer switches .........................................................20

Chapter 5 Configuring the PowerEdge MX7000 Chassis 22

Introduction .........................................................................................................23
Deploying the PowerFlex MX7000 chassis .........................................................23
Configuring OpenManage Enterprise – Modular Edition ......................................23
Managing the OpenManage Enterprise – Modular Edition firmware ....................25
Configuring the management, production, and uplink network ............................25
Configuring the storage uplink network ...............................................................34
Configuring MX740c sleds ..................................................................................46

Chapter 6 Configuring the PowerFlex R640 Management Node 49

Introduction .........................................................................................................50
Installing and configuring VMware ESXi ..............................................................50
Installing vCSA....................................................................................................52
Adding ESXi host to the VMware vCenter ...........................................................54
Creating the Front-End DVSwitch .......................................................................54
Creating the FE_dvSwitch distributed port groups ...............................................55
Creating the Back-End DVSwitch ........................................................................55
Creating the BE_dvswitch distributed port groups ...............................................56
Create LAG on the new DVSwitches ...................................................................57
Modifying Failover Order for BE_dvSwitch ..........................................................57

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Migrating Interfaces to BE_dvswitch ...................................................................57

Modifying the failover order for the FE_dvSwitch ................................................58
Adding First Uplink to FE_dvswitch .....................................................................58
Migrating vCenter to FE_dvswitch .......................................................................58
Migrating the second uplink and VMkernel port ...................................................59
Creating the Out of Band dvswitch ......................................................................59
Creating the oob_dvswitch distributed port group................................................60
Adding a host to oob_dvswitch ............................................................................60
Deleting the Standard Switch (vSwitch0).............................................................60

Chapter 7 Deploying a Jump Server 61

Installing a Windows jump server ........................................................................62

Chapter 8 Configuring the MX740c ESXi Compute Sleds 64

Introduction .........................................................................................................65
Installing and configuring VMware ESXi ..............................................................65
Adding an ESXi host to the VMware vCenter ......................................................66
Renaming the local operating system datastore ..................................................66
Configuring compute virtual networking...............................................................67

Chapter 9 Deploying PowerFlex Two-Layer 76

Introduction .........................................................................................................77
Installing PowerFlex Manager .............................................................................77
Deploying PowerFlex Manager ...........................................................................78
Setting up PowerFlex Manager ...........................................................................78
Configuring PowerFlex Manager .........................................................................82
Discovering resources.........................................................................................84
Defining networks in PowerFlex Manager ...........................................................85
Deploying the PowerFlex Presentation UI ...........................................................86
Deploying the PowerFlex Gateway .....................................................................87
Deploying PowerFlex storage-only node service .................................................87

Chapter 10 Deploy SDC on ESXi Servers 91

Installing the SDC on an ESXi server ..................................................................92

Appendix A Validated Components 93

Validated components tables ..............................................................................94

Appendix B Technical Resources 96

References .........................................................................................................97

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 Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 1 Introduction

This chapter presents the following topics:

Document purpose .............................................................................................6

Audience..............................................................................................................6

Terminology ........................................................................................................6

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 Chapter 1: Introduction

Document purpose

This deployment guide describes a method of configuring a five-node Dell EMC

PowerFlex two-layer storage-only cluster with a pair of Dell EMC PowerEdge MX7000
chassis. In this configuration, each chassis contains two MX740c compute-only nodes,
plus the necessary MX7000 networking components. Unlike a traditional PowerFlex two-
layer configuration with external network switches, this deployment uses the embedded
networking capabilities of the MX7000 chassis to provide network connectivity using the
MX9116n Fabric Switching Engine (FSE) and MX7116n Fabric Expander Module (FEM).
The engineering team used PowerFlex Manager for the installation and configuration of
the PowerFlex storage-only nodes. A Dell EMC PowerEdge R640 server was used in
place of the PowerFlex management appliance.

For more information, see Appendix B.

Audience
This guide is for solutions architects, implementation services managed services teams,
and anyone who is interested in using the MX7000 chassis in a PowerFlex environment.

This guide describes the configuration steps that are required to deploy PowerFlex using
MX7000 components. It assumes a basic understanding of the PowerEdge MX platform
and PowerFlex rack two-layer architecture.

Terminology
The following table provides definitions for some of the terms that are used in this guide:

Table 1. Terminology

Term Definition

CO Compute-only nodes

FEM Fabric Expander Module

FSE Fabric Switching Engine

LACP Link Aggregation Control Protocol

LCS Logical Configuration Survey

NTP Network Time Protocol

OME OpenManage Enterprise

OOB Out of Band

OVA Open Virtual Appliance

POC Proof of Concept

RCM Release Certification Matrix

SDC Storage Data Client

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 Chapter 1: Introduction

Term Definition

SDS Storage Data Server

Sled MX740c server

SO PowerFlex storage-only nodes

ToR Top of Rack

vCSA VMware vCenter Server Appliance

VDS vSphere Distributed Switch

VLT Virtual Link Trunking

MX7000 Build Overview

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Chapter 2 MX7000 Build Overview

This chapter presents the following topics:

MX7000 network configuration ..........................................................................9

PowerFlex two-layer configuration with an MX7000 logical network ............10

Hardware overview ...........................................................................................13

Logical configuration overview........................................................................14

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MX7000 network configuration

Note: The MX7000 network configuration differs greatly from a traditional PowerFlex two-layer
deployment.

Each MX7000 chassis contains two pairs of intelligent, programmable MX9116n FSE
modules: one pair for management and production, and one pair for storage traffic. These
modules replace the aggregation switches found in a PowerFlex two-layer design. The
modules provide connectivity to all components, including external management, attached
storage-only nodes, and the MX7116n FEM modules. They also function as the ToR
switches for customer connectivity. Each MX7000 chassis also contains a pair of
MX7116n FEM modules, which are used to extend the switching fabric from one chassis
to another.

The following figure provides a side-by-side comparison of the traditional PowerFlex two-
layer configuration with the MX7000 two-layer configuration:

Figure 1. Comparison of traditional two-layer and MX7000 configurations

The key points include:

• The traditional two-layer configuration has dedicated ToR switch pairs while the
MX7000 chassis has embedded networking modules.

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• All network connectivity enters and exists the Proof of Concept (POC) lab using the
MX9116n FSE modules including the PowerFlex management node, the PowerFlex
storage-only nodes, and the MX740c compute-only nodes.

PowerFlex two-layer configuration with an MX7000 logical

network
The following figure shows the logical network on a PowerFlex two-layer configuration
with an MX7000 solution with four data networks:

Figure 2. Logical network for a PowerFlex two-layer deployment with an MX7000 chassis

Note:
There were two VLAN design changes on the PowerFlex Management Controller from our
standard logical design, which are shown in red:
• FE_dvswitch—Removed flex-stor-mgmt and added flex-vmotion
• BE_dvswitch—Removed flex-vmotion added flex-stor-mgmt

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The management/production MX91B16n switches provide network connectivity to the

customer environment and are connected, as shown in the following figure:

Figure 3. MX9116n FSE management/production network connectivity

The MX9116n FSE modules that are located inside the B chassis slots provide storage
connectivity to the PowerFlex storage-only nodes, as shown in the following figure:

Figure 4. MX9116n FSE modules in B chassis slots

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The MX7116n FEM modules are used to connect multiple chassis. The following figure
shows the MX7116n FEM module and its associated connectivity ports:

Figure 5. MX7116n FEM and associated connectivity ports

To provide a better representation of a fully cabled system, the following figure shows the
MX9116n FSE and MX7116n FEM connections:

Figure 6. MX9116n FSE and MX7116n FEM connections

MX740c compute Each node in the MX740c compute architecture is inserted into an MX7000 chassis and
nodes contains two network mezzanine adapters. Each mezzanine adapter contains two 25 GbE
architecture network links for a total of four 25 GbE links per node. The following figure shows that the
mezzanine adapters are hard wired to a specific fabric slot.

Note: This detail was considered when we configured the MX7000 chassis and associated nodes
for maximum high availability.

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Figure 7. MX740c compute architecture

Because each chassis contains a pair of MX9116n FSE modules and a pair of MX7116n
FEM modules, the internal connections alternate when Chassis1 Node1 is compared with
Chassis2 Node1 for high availability and redundancy purposes. Each mezzanine card is
connected to one MX9116n FSE and one MX7116n FEM.

For example:
 Chassis 1 Node 1 connects to switch port 1/1/1 on B1 and A2, and switch port
1/71/1 on B2 and A1.
 Chassis 2 Node 1 connects to switch port 1/71/1 on B1 and A2, and switch port
1/1/1 on B2 and A1.

Hardware overview
This section briefly describes the hardware that is associated with this POC. For complete
information, see Appendix A - Validated Components.

Table 2. PowerFlex MX component details

Resource Components

Chassis MX7000 chassis

I/O Switching modules MX9116n and MX7116n

Management module MX9002m

Compute MX740c sled

Management software OpenManage Enterprise - Modular Edition

Table 3. PowerFlex rack component details

Resource Components

Controller node PowerFlex R640

Storage-only nodes PowerFlex R640

Customer network environment Cisco 9332 switches

Out-of-Band (OOB) management Cisco 3048 switch

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Resource Components

Storage software PowerFlex software-defined storage

Management software PowerFlex Manager

Logical configuration overview

Before proceeding with the logical build, including network details, hostnames, and port
maps, gather information about:
• Configuration requirements
• Elevations
• Port maps

Configuration The following configuration requirements for all switches, the management server, and
requirements PowerFlex node components are the same for a standard PowerFlex build:
• Network subnets
• Hostnames
• IP address
The MX7000 configuration requirements are different:
• Each MX7000 chassis requires an FQDN hostname and IP address used for OOB
management.
• Each MX740c sled is configured similarly to a standard PowerEdge R640 compute
node. Collect the following information:
 iDRAC hostname and IP address
 ESXi FQDN hostname, IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway
 For vMotion: IP address and subnet mask
 For flex-data1, flex-data2, flex-data3, and flex-data4: IP addresses and subnet
masks

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Rack elevations The following figure shows the physical placement of the hardware components used in
this POC:

Figure 8. Rack elevation

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Port maps The following figure shows the port mapping for the R640 PowerFlex controller node and
the R640 Red Hat Enterprise Linux storage-only node:

Figure 9. Port maps

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 Chapter 3: Physical Deployment

Chapter 3 Physical Deployment

This chapter presents the following topic:

Deployment considerations .............................................................................18

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Deployment considerations
While technically not part of the logical build process, the physical deployment of the
environment is a critical factor in setting up a functioning environment.

When racking the hardware, keep in mind that:

• At least two people are required to install the chassis. The MX7000 chassis is
heavy and must be installed at the bottom of the rack. Start at the bottom of the
rack and add a second unit on top of the first unit.
• The MX7000 chassis requires six power outlets per chassis. Ensure that enough
outlets are available before racking the chassis.
• The MX7000 chassis requires special “double-density” QSFP+ cables for network
connectivity. Ensure that the appropriate cables are available before installing the
chassis. Use the correct length of cable because the cables are large and do not
bend easily.
• When deploying more than two MX7000 chassis in a configuration, allocate one
rack for every two chassis. Install the racks next to each other to allow for shorter
cable runs and a cleaner setup.
• We recommend racking the gear by starting with the MX7000 chassis, then the
PowerFlex storage-only nodes, then the PowerFlex management nodes, and finally
the ToR management switch. This racking method ensures that the heaviest
hardware is racked first. It also keeps the network and cable runs orderly.

Note: For the physical placement of the hardware components used in this POC, see Figure 8.

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Chapter 4 Configuring the switches

This chapter presents the following topics:

Configuring OOB management ........................................................................20

Configuring northbound customer switches ..................................................20

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Configuring OOB management

After racking, cabling, and completing power activities, configure the OOB management
switch.

The management switch uses a standard configuration and requires no additional or new
configuration features when introducing the MX7000 chassis to PowerFlex. The following
table provides standard configuration examples:

Table 4. OOB management switch configuration

Category Configuration

Basic configuration Perform basic configurations, including:

• Hostname
• IP address (default is VLAN 101)
• Network Time Protocol (NTP)
• DNS
• Domain names

Switch port configuration Example of a switch port configuration for an access port:
interface Ethernet1/1
switchport access vlan 101
spanning-tree port type edge
spanning-tree bpduguard enable
spanning-tree guard root no shutdown

Configuring northbound customer switches

The MX7000 chassis connects to the northbound network using the MX9116n FSE
modules. Before configuring the MX7000 chassis and modules, configure the northbound
switches with the appropriate Virtual Port Channels.

The following table provides standard configuration examples of the Cisco Nexus 9332
switches:

Table 5. Cisco Nexus 9332 switch configuration examples

Category Configuration

Basic configuration Sets basic configuration parameters, including:

• Hostname
• IP address (default is VLAN 101)
• NTP
• DNS
• Domain names

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Category Configuration

Spanning tree By default, Dell OS10 uses RPVST+.

When connecting to a customer’s environment, ensure that the same
type of Spanning Tree RPVST+ is running on the upstream switches.

Note: If this setting is incorrect, it may impact network stability

Port channel Example of a port channel configuration:

interface port-channel22
description 9116 A1-2
switchport
switchport mode trunk
switchport trunk allowed vlan 106,848,858
vpc 22

Switch port Example of a switch port configuration:

interface Ethernet1/22
description 9116 A1
switchport
switchport mode trunk
switchport trunk allowed vlan 106,848,858
channel-group 22 mode active
no shutdown

Complete configuration See the Dell EMC PowerFlex Rack Logical Build Guide for the
complete switch configuration for Cisco Nexus aggregation switches.

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Chapter 5 Configuring the PowerEdge

MX7000 Chassis

This chapter presents the following topics:

Introduction .......................................................................................................23

Deploying the PowerFlex MX7000 chassis......................................................23

Configuring OpenManage Enterprise – Modular Edition ...............................23

Managing the OpenManage Enterprise – Modular Edition firmware .............25

Configuring the management, production, and uplink network ....................25

Configuring the storage uplink network ..........................................................34

Configuring MX740c sleds ...............................................................................46

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Introduction
After the northbound switches are configured, configure the MX7000 chassis and
networking components in the following order:
• Perform initial chassis deployment.
• Configure OpenManage Enterprise – Modular Edition.
• Manage OpenManage Enterprise – Modular Edition.

Deploying the PowerFlex MX7000 chassis

Note: Before you perform the following procedure, ensure that all interchassis cabling on the
management modules is complete.

Assign the basic settings required to access each chassis by using the LCD touch screen.

1. Activate the LCD touch screen by tapping the screen lightly. The Select Language
screen is displayed.
2. Select the language, such as English.
3. Select Main Menu, and then Save.
4. Select Settings > Network Settings > Edit > IPv4 > Static IP.
5. Select Yes to change the IP settings from DHCP to Static.
6. Provide the following information:
 IP address
 Subnet mask
 Default gateway
7. Select Save.
8. Repeat steps 1 through 7 for the second chassis.

Configuring OpenManage Enterprise – Modular Edition

Use the web-based configuration wizard to configure OpenManage Enterprise – Modular
Edition:

1. Open a browser to the chassis IP and log in to OME–Modular. The home page is
displayed.
2. Click Configure > Initial Configuration. The Chassis Deployment Wizard is
displayed.

Note: A configuration wizard is displayed if the user logs in to the OME-Modular web
interface for the first time. If the wizard is closed or accessed during subsequent
connections, the web interface can be accessed again by clicking Configure > Initial
Configuration. This option is displayed only if the chassis is not yet configured.

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3. On the Import Profile tab, click Next.

4. On the Time Configuration tab, click Configure Time Settings and configure
the time zone and timestamp of the configuration.
5. Click the Use NTP check box to configure the primary, secondary, or tertiary NTP
addresses, and then click Next.
The Activity and Alerts tab is displayed.

Note: If you select multiple NTP servers, OME–Modular selects the NTP server
algorithmically.

6. Configure the email, SNMP, and syslog settings, and then click Next.
The iDRAC tab is displayed.
7. Click the Configure iDRAC Quick Deploy Settings check box to configure the
password to access the iDRAC web interface and the management IP addresses,
and then click Next.
You can select the slots to which the iDRAC Quick Deploy settings must be
applied.
The Network IOM tab is displayed.
8. Click the Configure I/O Module Quick Deploy Settings check box to configure
the password to access the IOM console and management IP addresses, and
then click Next.
The Firmware tab is displayed.
9. Click the Configure all devices to use following catalog check box, click the
New Catalog check box, and click Catalog to open the Add Firmware Catalog
window.
10. Type a name for the catalog, and under Catalog Source ensure that Latest
component firmware versions on Dell.com is selected, and then click Finish to
save the changes and return to the Chassis Deployment Wizard.
11. Wait for the job to finish and select the new catalog name in the box, and then
click Next.
12. Click Next to view the Proxy tab, do not enable, and then click Next.
13. Click Next to view the Group Definition tab.
14. Click Create Group to configure the chassis group settings.
15. Click Next to view the Summary tab.

Note: After setting the time in the lead chassis, wait for the lead chassis time and the member
chassis time to synchronize before performing any operation. The time configuration can be
disruptive.

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Managing the OpenManage Enterprise – Modular Edition

firmware
The following procedure shows the steps to update the MX7000 chassis and components.
See https://www.dell.com/support for downloads.

Note: See Appendix A for reference information about the code levels used in this guide.

1. Click Configuration > Firmware Compliance > Create Baseline. The Create
Firmware Baseline window is displayed.
2. Click Catalog type, and from the menu click the catalog that you created in the
previous task (Configuring OpenManage Enterprise – Modular Edition).
3. Type a name and description for the baseline, and then click Next.
4. Click Devices, and then click Select Devices Box.
5. Click All Devices, click All Devices on the right, and then click Finish
6. To verify the compliance of a firmware baseline, on the Firmware page, click the
baseline and click Check Compliance.
A summary of the compliance check is displayed on the right side of the firmware
page.
7. Click View Report.
The Compliance Report page is displayed. You can view details of the baseline
and status of the compliance.
8. On the Compliance Report page, select the device or component for which you
want to update the firmware.
The Update Firmware window is displayed.
9. Click Update Now to update the firmware immediately.

Configuring the management, production, and uplink network

Configure the MX9116n FSE management, production, and uplink modules, which include
both the MX9116n-A1 and MX9116n-A2 modules. Differences between the switch
configuration for the MX9116n-A1 and MX9116n-A2 are stated. All other configurations
are required on both switches.

Note: Some VLAN names and IDs might vary.

1. Use SSH to connect to the switch.

2. Check the code level and verify that operating system version 10.5.0.3P1 is
installed:
MX9116N-A1# show version
Dell EMC Networking OS10 Enterprise
Copyright (c) 1999-2019 by Dell Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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OS Version: 10.5.0.3P1
Build Version: 10.5.0.3P1.612
Build Time: 2019-12-18T19:19:25+0000
System Type: MX9116N-ON
Architecture: x86_64

3. Verify full switch mode:

MX9116N-A1# show switch-operating-mode
Switch-Operating-Mode: Full Switch Mode

4. Configure port groups.

The following table shows the port groups and cable types used for this POC:
Table 6. POC port groups and cable types

Port group type Cable Type POC Purpose

100g-2x QSFP28-DD – 200 Gb DAC/AOC MX7116n FEM and peer links

25g-4x 4-port 25 Gb DAC/AOC breakout cable PowerFlex Manager connectivity

40g-1x 40 g SFP+ Customer uplink

5. Change the following six ports-groups accordingly:

port-group 1/1/1
mode Eth 25g-8x fabric-expander-mode
!
port-group 1/1/11
mode Eth 100g-2x
!
port-group 1/1/12
mode Eth 100g-2x
!
port-group 1/1/13
mode Eth 40g-1x
!
port-group 1/1/14
mode Eth 100g-2x
!
port-group 1/1/15
mode Eth 25g-4x

6. Create additional required customer VLAN IDs, as shown in the following table:
Table 7. Customer VLAN IDs

VLAN Purpose

106 vMotion

848 MGMT

interface vlan106
description ESXi_vmotion

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no shutdown
!
interface vlan848
description ESXi_mgmt
no shutdown

7. Run the following commands to configure bonds by using the required port
channels, as shown in the following table:
Table 8. Required port channels

Port channel number Purpose

11 MGMT/vMotion for the first CO node

12 MGMT/vMotion for second CO node

13 MGMT/vMotion for third CO node

14 MGMT/vMotion for fourth CO node

21 MGMT for Customer Uplink

31 MGMT/vMotion for PFM

interface port-channel11
description "CO ESXimgmt/vmotion/prod 236"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 106,848
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 11
!
interface port-channel12
description "CO ESXimgmt/vmotion/prod 237"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 106,848
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 12
!
interface port-channel13
description "CO ESXimgmt/vmotion/prod 238"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 106,848
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 13
!

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interface port-channel14
description "CO ESXimgmt/vmotion/prod 239"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 106,848
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 14
!
interface port-channel21
description “Customer uplink”
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 848
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 21
!
interface port-channel31
description "PxFM ESXI/PROD"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 106,848
spanning-tree port type edge
spanning-tree bpduguard enable
spanning-tree guard root
speed 25000
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 31

8. Verify that port channels exist:

MX9116N-B1# show port-channel summary

Flags: D - Down I - member up but inactive P - member up and active

U - Up (port-channel) F - Fallback Activated
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Group Port-Channel Type Protocol Member Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 port-channel11 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/1(P)
14 port-channel12 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/3(P)
16 port-channel13 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/71/1(P)
18 port-channel14 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/71/2(P)
20 port-channel21 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/33:1(P) 1/1/35:1(P)
31 port-channel31 (U) Eth STATIC 1/1/43:1(P)
1000 port-channel1000 (U) Eth STATIC 1/1/37(P) 1/1/38(P) 1/1/39(P)
1/1/40(P)

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Note: At this step, member ports are not displayed as they have not yet been defined.

9. Configure each MX9116n module to connect to its attached MX9117n module.

As shown in the following table, F0SHS13 is the fabric extender that is connected
to the MX9116n-A1 port. Similarly, F0TJH13 is connected to the MX9116n-A2
port:
Table 9. Connection configuration

MX9116n-A1 MX9116n-A2
Port-group 1/1/1 Port-group 1/1/1 Port-group 1/1/1
Mode Eth 25g-8x fabric-expander Mode Eth 25g-8x fabric-expander
mode mode

Unit-provision 1/71 F0SHS13 Unit-provision 1/71 F0TJH13

10. Validate the MX9116-A1 connection to its attached MX9117n module:

MX9116N-A1# show unit-provision

Node ID | Unit ID | Provision Name | Discovered Name | State |

---------+---------+------------------+--------------------------+-------|
1 | 71 | F0SHS13 | F0SHS13 | up |
1 | 72 | | | |
1 | 73 | | | |

11. Validate the MX9116-A2 connection to its attached MX9117n module:

MX9116N-A2# show unit-provision

Node ID | Unit ID | Provision Name | Discovered Name | State |

---------+---------+------------------+--------------------------+-------|
1 | 71 | F0TJH13 | F0TJH13 | up |
1 | 72 | | | |
1 | 73 | | | |

12. Configure peer links and Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) configurations using ports 37
through 40 using two 200 Gb DAC/AOC cables.
In the following configuration:
 backup destination points to the peer switch.
 vlt-mac is identical on each switch, as it is a common virtual interface.
 Ports 37 through 38 are one physical QSFP28-DD port.
 Ports 39 through 40 are one physical QSFP28-DD port.

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Table 10. Peer link and VLT configuration

MX9116n-A1 MX9116n-A2
vlt-domain 1 interface ethernet1/1/37
backup destination description "Peer-link 9116-A1"
10.234.90.244 no shutdown
discovery-interface no switchport
ethernet1/1/37-1/1/40
flowcontrol receive off
primary-priority 4196
!
vlt-mac 00:11:22:33:44:5a
interface ethernet1/1/38
!
interface ethernet1/1/37 description "Peer-link 9116-A1"
description "Peer-link 9116-A2" no shutdown
no shutdown no switchport
no switchport flowcontrol receive off
flowcontrol receive off !
! interface ethernet1/1/39
interface ethernet1/1/38 description "Peer-link 9116-A1"
description "Peer-link 9116-A2" no shutdown
no shutdown
no switchport
no switchport
flowcontrol receive off
flowcontrol receive off
!
!
interface ethernet1/1/39 interface ethernet1/1/40
description "Peer-link 9116-A2" description "Peer-link 9116-A1"
no shutdown no shutdown
no switchport no switchport
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off
!
interface ethernet1/1/40
description "Peer-link 9116-A2"
no shutdown
no switchport
flowcontrol receive off

13. Configure customer uplinks.

Each of the two switches contains two QSFP28 ports that are dedicated to
customer uplinks. Ports 1/1/41 through 1/1/42 are used for this purpose. When
setting the ports to 40g-1x mode (as configured in step 5), the use of 40 Gb DAC
cables as uplinks is allowed. These ports become available in the configuration as
1/1/41:1 and 1/1/42:1.
interface ethernet1/1/41:1
description 9332
shut
channel-group 21 mode active
no switchport
mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off
!

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interface ethernet1/1/42:1
description 9332
shut
channel-group 21 mode active
no switchport
mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off

14. Enable the customer uplinks

Note: STP+ must be enabled on the customer switches before you enable the uplinks.

interface range ethernet1/1/41:1-1/1/42:1

no shut

15. Ensure that the port channel is up:

MX9116N-B1# show vlt 1 vlt-port-detail
…
vlt-port-channel ID : 21
VLT Unit ID Port-Channel Status Configured ports Active ports
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 port-channel21 up 2 2
* 2 port-channel21 up 2 2

Note: The asterisk (*) denotes the active switch. If the first uplink switch configured is active, only
one entry is available, and the port value is 2 by default.

16. Configure the compute-only node links.

The following example configures the correct internal ports for the compute-only
nodes. Configure ports initially as trunked access ports; these ports are converted
to Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) later.

Note: The port mapping is different for internal nodes because of the two chassis having
different switches per I/O module. (See MX740c compute nodes architecture.)

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Table 11. Compute-only node links configuration

MX9116n-A1 MX9116n-A2
interface ethernet1/1/1 interface ethernet1/1/1
description "M740-236 – vmnic0" description "M740-238 - vmnic1"
no shutdown no shutdown
fec off fec off
switchport access vlan 848 switchport access vlan 848
mtu 9216 mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off
! !
interface ethernet1/1/3 interface ethernet1/1/3
description "M740-237 – vmnic0" description "M740-239 - vmnic1"
no shutdown no shutdown
fec off fec off
switchport access vlan 848 switchport access vlan 848
mtu 9216 mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off
! !
interface ethernet1/71/1 interface ethernet1/71/1
description "M740-238 – vmnic0" description "M740-236 - vmnic1"
no shutdown no shutdown
fec off fec off
switchport access vlan 848 switchport access vlan 848
mtu 9216 mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off
! !
interface ethernet1/71/2 interface ethernet1/71/2
description "M740-239 – vmnic0" description "M740-237 - vmnic1"
no shutdown no shutdown
fec off fec off
switchport access vlan 848 switchport access vlan 848
mtu 9216 mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off

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17. Configure the PowerFlex node links.

Note: On all four MX9116n FSE modules, PowerFlex is connected using 4-port 25 Gb
breakout cables to port 41.

Table 12. PowerFlex node link configuration

MX9116n-A1 MX9116n-A2
interface ethernet1/1/43:1 interface ethernet1/1/43:1
description "PFM vmnic4 description "PFM vmnic6
ESXI/PROD" ESXI/PROD"
no shutdown no shutdown
channel-group 31 mode active channel-group 31
spanning-tree port type edge no switchport
trunk flowcontrol receive off
spanning-tree bpduguard enable
spanning-tree guard root
speed 25000
lacp fallback enable
no switchport
flowcontrol receive off

Note: If the PowerFlex appliance contains 10 Gb NICs, the port-group mode must be changed to
mode Eth 10g-4x, and 4-port 10 Gb breakout cables must be used.

The following table provides examples of the full switch configurations for the POC lab
switches:

Table 13. Example A1 and A2 configurations

Configuration Document

A1 configuration

A1 configuration
example

A2 configuration

A2 configuration
example

Note: This information might be different for your deployment.

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Configuring the storage uplink network

When the management/production modules have been configured, configure the storage-
only network connections, which are the MX9116n-B1 and MX9116n-B2 FSE modules.

Notes:

• These instructions have been modified from the original switch code to allow
PowerFlex to use the correct port.
• Any switch configuration differences between the MX9116n-B2 and MX9116n-A1
modules are noted; otherwise, configure both switches as described in this guide.
• The VLAN IDs in these instructions might differ from the standard.

1. Use SSH to connect to the switch.

2. Check the code level and verify that OS Version 10.5.0.3P1 is installed:
MX9116N-B1# show version
Dell EMC Networking OS10 Enterprise
Copyright (c) 1999-2019 by Dell Inc. All Rights Reserved.
OS Version: 10.5.0.3P1
Build Version: 10.5.0.3P1.612
Build Time: 2019-12-18T19:19:25+0000
System Type: MX9116N-ON
Architecture: x86_64

3. Verify full switch mode:

MX9116N-B1# show switch-operating-mode
Switch-Operating-Mode: Full Switch Mode

4. Configure the port groups.

The following table shows the port groups and cable types used for this POC:
Table 14. Port group configuration

Port group type Cable Type POC Purpose

100g-2x QSFP28-DD – 200 Gb DAC/AOC MX7116n FEM and peer links

25g-8x 8-port 25 Gb DAC/AOC breakout cable Storage-only node connectivity

25g-4x 4-port 25 Gb DAC/AOC breakout cable PowerFlex Manager connectivity

40g-1x 40 g SFP+ Customer uplink

The following commands set the configuration of the 10 port-groups to the correct
cable types:
port-group 1/1/1
mode Eth 25g-8x fabric-expander-mode
!
port-group 1/1/5
mode Eth 25g-8x
!

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port-group 1/1/6
mode Eth 25g-8x
!
port-group 1/1/9
mode Eth 25g-8x
!
port-group 1/1/10
mode Eth 25g-8x
!
port-group 1/1/11
mode Eth 100g-2x
!
port-group 1/1/12
mode Eth 100g-2x
!
port-group 1/1/13
mode Eth 40g-1x
!
port-group 1/1/14
mode Eth 40g-1x
!
port-group 1/1/15
mode Eth 40g-1x

5. Create additional VLAN IDs, as shown in the following table:

Table 15. Additional VLAN IDs

VLAN Purpose

858 Flex MGMT

152 Flex Data1

160 Flex Data2

168 Flex Data3

176 Flex Data4

interface vlan152
description data1
no shutdown
mtu 9216
!
interface vlan160
description data2
no shutdown
mtu 9216
!
interface vlan168
description data3
no shutdown
mtu 9216

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!
interface vlan176
description data4
no shutdown
mtu 9216
!
interface vlan858
description flex_mgmt
no shutdown

6. Run the following commands to configure bonds by using the required port
channels shown in the following table:
Table 16. Required port channels

Port channel number Purpose

1 Data1, Data3, and Flex MGMT for the first SO node

2 Data2 and Data4 for the first SO node

3 Data1, Data3, and Flex MGMT for the second SO node

4 Data2 and Data4 for the second SO node

5 Data1, Data3, and Flex MGMT for the third SO node

6 Data2 and Data4 for the third SO node

7 Data1, Data3, and Flex MGMT for the fourth storage-only node

8 Data2 and Data4 for the fourth storage-only node

9 Data1, Data3, and Flex MGMT for the fifth storage-only node

10 Data2 and Data4 for the fifth storage-only node

15 Data1, Data2, Data3, and Data4 for the first compute-only node

16 Data1, Data2, Data3, and Data4 for the second compute-only

node

17 Data1, Data2, Data3, and Data4 for the third compute-only node

18 Data1, Data2, Data3, and Data4 for the fourth compute-only

node

22 Customer uplink

30 Flex MGMT, Data1, Data2, Data3, and Data4 for PFM

interface port-channel1
description "231 mgmt d1 d3"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 152,160,858
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 1
!

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interface port-channel2
description "231 d2 d4"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 168,176
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 2
!
interface port-channel3
description "232 mgmt d1 d3"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 152,160,858
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 3
!
interface port-channel4
description "232 d2 d4"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 168,176
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 4
!
interface port-channel5
description "233 mgmt d1 d3"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 152,160,858
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 5
!
interface port-channel6
description "233 d2 d4"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 168,176
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 6
!

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interface port-channel7
description "234 mgmt d1 d3"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 152,160,858
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 7
!
interface port-channel8
description "234 d2 d4 "
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 168,176
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 8
!
interface port-channel9
description "235 mgmt d1 d3"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 152,160,858
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 9
!
interface port-channel10
description "235 d2 d4"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 168,176
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 10
!
interface port-channel15
description "CO 236 vmotion d1-d4"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 152,160,168,176
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 15
!

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interface port-channel16
description "CO 237 vmotion d1-d4"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 152,160,168,176
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 16
spanning-tree port type edge
!
interface port-channel17
description "CO 238 vmotion d1-d4"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 152,160,168,176
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 17
!
interface port-channel18
description "CO 239 vmotion d1-d4"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 152,160,168,176
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 18
!
interface port-channel22
description “Customer uplink”
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 858
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 22
!
interface port-channel30
description "PFM D1-D4/STIOMGMT"
no shutdown
switchport mode trunk
switchport access vlan 1
switchport trunk allowed vlan 152,160,168,176,858
lacp fallback enable
mtu 9216
vlt-port-channel 30

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7. Verify that the port channels exist:

MX9116N-B1# show port-channel summary

Flags: D - Down I - member up but inactive P - member up and active

U - Up (port-channel) F - Fallback Activated
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Group Port-Channel Type Protocol Member Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 port-channel1 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/25:1(P)
2 port-channel2 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/27:1(P)
3 port-channel3 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/25:2(P)
4 port-channel4 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/27:2(P)
5 port-channel5 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/25:3(P)
6 port-channel6 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/27:3(P)
7 port-channel7 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/33:1(P)
8 port-channel8 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/35:1(P)
9 port-channel9 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/33:2(P)
10 port-channel10 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/35:2(P)
15 port-channel15 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/1(P)
16 port-channel16 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/3(P)
17 port-channel17 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/71/1(P)
18 port-channel18 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/71/2(P)
22 port-channel22 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/41:1(P) 1/1/42:1(P)
30 port-channel30 (U) Eth DYNAMIC 1/1/43:1(P)
1000 port-channel1000 (U) Eth STATIC 1/1/37(P) 1/1/38(P) 1/1/39(P)
1/1/40(P)

Note: At this step, member ports do not contain links.

8. Configure the fabric extenders to connect to the MX7116n FEM modules. As

shown in the following table, F0SGS 13 is the fabric extender that is connected to
MX9116n-B1 port 1 and similarly F0THS13 is connected to MX9116n-B2 port 1.
Table 17. Fabric extender configuration

MX9116n-B1 MX9116n-B2

Port-group 1/1/1 Port-group 1/1/1

Mode Eth 25g-8x fabric-expander Mode Eth 25g-8x fabric-expander
mode mode

Unit-provision 1/71 F0SGS13 Unit-provision 1/71 F0THS13

9. Validate that the MX9116-B1 module is connected to the correct MX7116n FEM:
MX9116N-B1# show unit-provision

Node ID | Unit ID | Provision Name | Discovered Name | State |

---------+---------+------------------+--------------------------+-------|
1 | 71 | F0SGS13 | F0SGS13 | up |
1 | 72 | | | |
| 73 | | | |

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10. Validate that MX9116-B2 module is connected to the correct MX7116n FEM:
MX9116N-B2# show unit-provision

Node ID | Unit ID | Provision Name | Discovered Name | State |

---------+---------+------------------+--------------------------+-------|
1 | 71 | F0THS13 | F0THS13 | up |
1 | 72 | | | |
| 73 | | | |

11. Configure peer links and VLT configurations using ports 37 through 40 using two
200 Gb DAC/AOC cables.
Table 18. Peer link and VLT configuration

MX9116n-B1 MX9116n-B2

vlt-domain 1 vlt-domain 1
backup destination 10.234.90.245 backup destination 10.234.90.243
discovery-interface discovery-interface
ethernet1/1/37-1/1/40 ethernet1/1/37-1/1/40
primary-priority 4196 primary-priority 8192
vlt-mac 00:11:22:33:44:47 vlt-mac 00:11:22:33:44:47
! !
interface ethernet1/1/37 interface ethernet1/1/37
description "Peer-link 9116-B2" description "Peer-link 9116-B1"
no shutdown no shutdown
no switchport no switchport
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off
! !
interface ethernet1/1/38 interface ethernet1/1/38
description "Peer-link 9116-B2" description "Peer-link 9116-B1"
no shutdown no shutdown
no switchport no switchport
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off
! !
interface ethernet1/1/39 interface ethernet1/1/39
description "Peer-link 9116-B2" description "Peer-link 9116-B1"
no shutdown no shutdown
no switchport no switchport
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off
! !
interface ethernet1/1/40 interface ethernet1/1/40
description "Peer-link 9116-B2" description "Peer-link 9116-B1"
no shutdown no shutdown
no switchport no switchport
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off

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12. Configure storage-only node links.

Note: On each storage MX9116n FSE (B1, B2), ports 25 through 28 and ports 33
through 36 are used with 25g-8x breakout cables to connect to the external storage-only
nodes. The connections alternate among the nodes to provide resiliency. See the
following example and table for clarification.

Example: Switch port 1/1/33 was set to allow a 25g-8x breakout cable so that
eight virtual ports in the switch are created in the following manner: 1/1/33:1
through 1/1/33:8.

Note: Not all breakout cable ports are used in this POC.

Table 19. Switch port connections

Switch physical port Switch logical port Cable breakout number Device/port

1/1/33 1/1/33:1 1 Node 1, port 03:01

1/1/33 1/1/33:2 2 Node 2, port 03:01

1/1/33 1/1/33:3 3 Node 3, port 03:01

The ports are configured with LACP. The following example configures the correct
external ports for the storage-only nodes (applies to both modules):
interface ethernet1/1/25:1
description "231 - p2p1 - mgmt d1 d3 rep1"
no shutdown
channel-group 1 mode active
fec off
no switchport
mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off
!
interface ethernet1/1/25:2
description "232 - p2p1 - mgmt d1 d3 rep1"
no shutdown
channel-group 3 mode active
fec off
no switchport
mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off
!
interface ethernet1/1/25:3
description "233 - p2p1 - mgmt d1 d3 rep1"
no shutdown
channel-group 5 mode active
fec off
no switchport
mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off
!

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interface ethernet1/1/27:1
description "231 - p3p2 - d2 d4 rep2"
no shutdown
channel-group 2 mode active
no switchport
mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off
!
interface ethernet1/1/27:2
description "232 - p3p2 - d2 d4 rep2"
no shutdown
channel-group 4 mode active
no switchport
mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off
!
interface ethernet1/1/27:3
description "233 - p3p2 - d2 d4 rep2"
no shutdown
channel-group 6 mode active
no switchport
mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off
!
interface ethernet1/1/33:1
description "234 - p2p1 - mgmt d1 d3 rep1"
no shutdown
channel-group 7 mode active
fec off
no switchport
mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off
!
interface ethernet1/1/33:2
description "235 - p2p1 - mgmt d1 d3 rep1"
no shutdown
channel-group 9 mode active
fec off
no switchport
mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off
!
interface ethernet1/1/35:1
description "234 - p3p2 - d2 d4 rep2"
no shutdown
channel-group 8 mode active
no switchport
mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off
!

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interface ethernet1/1/35:2
description "235 - p3p2 - d2 d4 rep2"
no shutdown
channel-group 10 mode active
no switchport
mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off
!

13. Configure the compute-only node links.

Note: The following example configures the correct internal ports for the compute-only
nodes so that they have access to the storage network. The port mapping is different for
internal nodes because the two chassis have different switches per I/O module.

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Table 20. Compute-only node links configuration

MX9116n-B1 MX9116n-B2
interface ethernet1/1/1 interface ethernet1/1/1
description "M740-236 – vmnic2" description "M740-238 – vmnic4"
no shutdown no shutdown
channel-group 15 mode active channel-group 17 mode active
fec off fec off
no switchport no switchport
mtu 9216 mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off
! !
interface ethernet1/1/3 interface ethernet1/1/3
description "M740-237 – vmnic2" description "M740-239 – vmnic4"
no shutdown no shutdown
channel-group 16 mode active channel-group 18 mode active
fec off fec off
no switchport no switchport
mtu 9216 mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off
! !
interface ethernet1/71/1 interface ethernet1/71/1
description "M740-238 – vmnic2" description "M740-236 – vmnic4"
no shutdown no shutdown
channel-group 17 mode active channel-group 15 mode active
fec off fec off
no switchport no switchport
mtu 9216 mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off! flowcontrol receive off
! !
interface ethernet1/71/2 interface ethernet1/71/2
description "M740-239 - vmnic3" description "M740-237 - vmnic0"
no shutdown no shutdown
channel-group 18 mode active channel-group 16 mode active
fec off fec off
no switchport no switchport
mtu 9216 mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off

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14. Configure PowerFlex node links:

Note: On all four MX9116n FSE modules, PowerFlex is connected using 4-port 25 Gb
breakout cables to port 41.

Table 21. PowerFlex node links configuration

MX9116n-B1 MX9116n-B2
interface ethernet1/1/43:1 interface ethernet1/1/43:1
description "PFM vmnic5 description "PFM vmnic7
ESXI/PROD" ESXI/PROD"
no shutdown no shutdown
channel-group 30 channel-group 30
no switchport no switchport
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off

If the PowerFlex appliance contains 10 Gb NICs, the port-group mode must be changed
to mode Eth 10g-4x and 4-port 10 Gb breakout cables must be used.

The following table provides examples of the full switch configurations for the POC lab
switches:

Table 22. Example B1 and B2 configurations

Configuration Document

B1 configuration

B1 configuration
example

B2 configuration

B2 configuration
example

Note: This information might be different for your deployment.

Configuring MX740c sleds

This section shows how to prepare the MX740c sleds for the ESXi installation. These
steps include configuring the iDRAC network, BOSS card, Perc Mini-Controller, the boot
order, and validating firmware.

These steps take place inside the OpenManage Enterprise – Modular Edition web
interface.

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Configure iDRAC Manually configure iDRAC onto the network:

network settings
1. Log in to the OME–Modular web interface.
2. Go to Devices > Compute and select a sled to be configured.
3. Click Next.
4. Click iDRAC Settings > Network.
5. Configure the IPv4 settings as follows:
a. Type the iDRAC/Management IP address
b. Type the Subnet Mask
c. Type the Default Gateway
d. Type the DNS Server IP address
6. When the configuration is completed, open a browser and log in to the iDRAC
sled.
7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 for each remaining compute sled.

Configure the Manually configure the data protection (RAID 1) for the Dell BOSS card on each MX740
Dell BOSS card compute sled:
(RAID 1)
1. Launch the virtual console and select Next Boot to BIOS setup to enter the
system BIOS.
2. Power cycle the server and enter F2 to open the BIOS setup.
3. From the System Setup main menu, select Device Settings.
4. Select AHCI Controller in Slot1: BOSS-1 Configuration Utility.
5. Select Create RAID Configuration.
6. Select both devices and select Next.
7. Enter VD_R1_1 as the name and leave the default values.
8. Select Yes for Would you like to create this virtual disk?.
9. Select Next and then Select OK.
10. Select Exit and then Select Yes.
11. Select OK and then Select Exit.
12. Select System BIOS > Boot Settings > BIOS Boot Settings, and then select
Hard-Disk Drive Sequence.
13. Select DELLBOSS VD, select + to move, and then select OK.
14. Select Back > Back > Finish > Finish, and then select Yes.
15. Repeat steps 1 through 9 for each additional edge server.

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Verify the BIOS Verify that the boot order is set correctly in the BIOS on each MX740 compute sled:
boot order
1. Log in to the iDRAC interface.
sequence
2. Launch the Virtual Console from the Virtual Console Preview pane.
3. Boot the server into BIOS mode by pressing F2 during the boot process.
4. Select System BIOS.
5. Select BIOS Boot Settings and enter the following settings:
 Boot Mode: BIOS
 Boot Sequence Retry: Enabled
 Hard Disk Failover: Disabled
6. Select BIOS Boot Settings and use the following values:
Table 23. BIOS Boot Settings values

Option Boot sequence Boot option enable/disable Hard-disk drive sequence

1 Hard drive C: Hard drive C: AHCI Controller in Slot 1:

A0S0 DELLBOSS VD

2 Integrated NIC 1 2 Integrated NIC 1 Integrated RAID Controller

Port 1 Partition 1 Port 1 Partition 1 1: Perc Controller

7. Click Back > Back > Finish.

8. Click Finish again to reboot the server.

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Chapter 6 Configuring the PowerFlex R640

Management Node

This chapter presents the following topics:

Introduction .......................................................................................................50

Installing and configuring VMware ESXi .........................................................50

Installing vCSA ..................................................................................................52

Adding ESXi host to the VMware vCenter .......................................................54

Creating the Front-End DVSwitch ....................................................................54

Creating the FE_dvSwitch distributed port groups ........................................55

Creating the Back-End DVSwitch ....................................................................55

Creating the BE_dvswitch distributed port groups ........................................56

Create LAG on the new DVSwitches................................................................57

Modifying Failover Order for BE_dvSwitch .....................................................57

Migrating Interfaces to BE_dvswitch ...............................................................57

Modifying the failover order for the FE_dvSwitch ..........................................58

Adding First Uplink to FE_dvswitch ................................................................58

Migrating vCenter to FE_dvswitch ...................................................................58

Migrating the second uplink and VMkernel port .............................................59

Creating the Out of Band dvswitch ..................................................................59

Creating the oob_dvswitch distributed port group ........................................60

Adding a host to oob_dvswitch .......................................................................60

Deleting the Standard Switch (vSwitch0) ........................................................60

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Introduction
After the MX7000 chassis pair have been configured, configure the PowerFlex
Management Node.

Note: This chapter provides the configuration details from the POC lab. The POC used a single
R640 PowerFlex node to manage the cluster. We recommend moving to a three-node
management cluster to provide high availability for virtual machine workloads.

Installing and configuring VMware ESXi

Before you begin:

• Verify that the iDRAC firmware and BIOS are at the correct version of RCM 3.6
• Ensure that the IDRAC network is configured.
• Verify that the ESXi RCM ISO file is on the same network as the host.

Mount the 1. Connect to the iDRAC and launch a virtual remote console.
VMware vSphere
2. Use the Virtual Media option to attach the ESXi ISO to the DVD ISO.
ESXi ISO
3. Click Close.
4. Set Boot to Virtual CD/DVD/ISO.
5. Reboot the server.
6. Click Power > Reset System (warm boot).

Install VMware 1. When the VMware ESXi installer is loaded and the installation Welcome screen is
ESXi displayed, press Enter to continue.
2. Press F11 to accept the end-user license agreement.
3. Select DELLBOSS VD as the install location and press Enter to continue.
If the selected storage contains any other installation of ESXi and VMFS
datastore, you are prompted to select an option about the existing ESXi and
VMFS.
4. Select Install ESXi, overwrite the VMFS datastore to proceed with a fresh
installation, and press Enter to continue.
5. Select the keyboard type for the host and press Enter to continue
6. When prompted, type the root password and press Enter to start the installation.
7. Press F11 to confirm the installation.
8. When the installation is complete, remove the installation media and press Enter
to reboot the server.

Configure the 1. Press F2 to customize the system.

Management
2. Provide the password for the root user and press Enter.
Network

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3. Select Configure Management Network and set the following options:

a. Network Adapters: Select vmnic4.
b. Set the ESXi MGMT VLAN (the standard is 105 VLAN).
c. Set the IPv4 ADDRESS, SUBNET MASK, and DEFAULT GATEWAY.
d. Set the DNS.
e. Set the DNS suffix.
f. Go to DCUI troubleshooting Options.
g. Select Enable ESXi Shell and Enable SSH.
h. Press <Alt>-F1.
i. Log in as root.
j. Press <Alt>-F2 to return to the DCUI.
k. Select Troubleshooting Options > Disable ESXi Shell.
l. Go to DCUI IPv6 Configuration.
m. Select Configure Management Network > IPv6 Configuration.
n. Disable IPv6.
o. Press ESC to return to the DCUI.
p. Type Y to commit the changes and the node restarts.

Modify the 1. Log in to the ESXi host as root user.

existing VM
2. Click Networking on the left menu.
Network
3. Right Click VM Network and select Edit Settings.
4. Change the VLAN ID to <flex-node-mgmt-vlan>.

Configure NTP 1. Log in to the ESXi host as root user.

on the host
2. Click Manage in the VMware Host Client inventory and click System.
3. Click Time & date.
4. Click Edit settings.
5. Click Use Network Time Protocol (enable NTP client).
6. Click Start and Stop with host.
7. Enter NTP IP Addresses.
8. Click Save.
9. Select Services.
10. Select ntpd and click Start.

Rename the 1. Log in to the ESXi host as root user.

BOSS datastore
2. Click Storage on the left menu.

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3. Click Datastores.
4. Right-click datastore1 and click Rename.
5. Enter <PFMC-host-short-name-DAS>.
6. Click Save.

Create the PERC 1. Click New Datastore.

datastore
2. Click create a new VMFS datastore and click Next.
3. Type PERC-01 for Name, click Local Dell Disk, and then click Next.
4. Verify that Use Full Disk and VMFS 6 are selected, and then click Next.
5. Review the summary and click Finish.
6. Click Yes on the content warning pop-up panel.

Installing vCSA
Deploy the VMware vCenter Server Appliance (vCSA) by deploying and setting up the
vCenter Server.

Deploy vCenter 1. Download the VMware-VCSA-all-7.0.0-16386292.iso file from the win32

Server folder under the vcsa-ui-installer folder, and then run installer.exe.
The vCenter Server Appliance 7.0 Installer wizard opens.
2. Click Install > Next.
3. Accept the end-user license agreement and click Next.
4. In the vCenter Server deployment target page, enter the FQDN or IP Address,
root username, and password for the controller host.
5. Accept the certificate warning, if any, by clicking Yes.
6. On the Setup vCenter Server VM page, type the vCenter Server Appliance
name, set and confirm the password for the root user, and then click Next.
7. In the Select deployment size page, click Large, keep storage as the default,
and then click Next.
8. On the Select Datastore page, select datastore PERC-01 (created earlier), click
Enable Thin Disk Mode, and then click Next.
9. Enter the FQDN, IP Address, Subnet, Gateway, and DNS Server information and
click Next.
10. Review the details in the Ready to complete stage 1 screen and click Finish.

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Set up vCenter To set up the vCenter server:

Server

1. After selecting Continue from stage 1, select Next from the stage 2 introduction
page.
2. Select Synchronize time with NTP Server and enter NTP Server IP addresses
and select Disabled for SSH access and click Next.
3. At the SSO configuration page, create a new SSO domain.
4. Enter the Single Sign-On domain name and provide password for SSO and click
Next.
5. On the Configure CEIP page, clear Join the VMware’s Customer Experience
Improvement Program and click Next.
6. At the Ready to complete page, verify all settings and click Finish.
7. Click OK if a warning message is displayed.
8. When Stage 2 is completed, click Close and log in to vCenter using the SSO
credentials.

Add vSphere 1. Log in to the vCSA.

licenses
2. Click Administration > Licensing > Licenses.
3. Click the green plus sign (+) to open the New Licenses wizard.
4. Type or paste the license keys for VMware vSphere and vCenter, and then click
Next.
5. Optionally, provide an identifying name for each license and click Next.
6. Click Finish to complete the addition of licenses to the system inventory.
The newly added licenses are visible In the Licenses view.
7. Click the Assets tab.
8. Click Hosts.
9. Highlight the controller.
10. Click Assign License.
11. In the dialog box, select the vSphere license from the list and click OK.
12. Click Clusters.
13. Left-click the PowerFlex management controller host cluster to select it, if not
already selected.
14. Click Assign License.
15. In the dialog box, select the newly added vCenter license from the list and click
OK.
16. Click the License tab and verify usage appears for each listed license.

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Creating the 1. Log in to the vSphere Client (HTML5).

vSphere data
2. Right-click vCenter and select New Datacenter.
center
3. Enter the Datacenter Name and click OK

Creating the 1. Log in to the vSphere Client (HTML5).

vSphere cluster
2. In the left window, click vCenter > Hosts and Clusters.
3. Right-click the DataCenter Name and click New Cluster.
4. Type PowerFlex Management as the cluster name (this cluster is the controller
cluster) and click OK.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to create the compute cluster.

Adding ESXi host to the VMware vCenter

Add the R640 ESXi management host to VMware vCenter:
1. Log in to the vSphere Client (HTML5).
2. Click the home icon at the top of the screen and click Hosts and Clusters.
3. Expand the data center and right-click the Compute Cluster.
4. Click Add Host.
5. In the hostname or IP address field, type the FQDN of the new host and click
Next.
6. Type the root username and password for the host and click Next.
7. On the Host Summary page, click Next.
8. Click the proper license and click Next.
9. On the Lockdown Mode page, leave all default values and click Next.
10. Click Finish to add the host to the cluster.

Creating the Front-End DVSwitch

Set up virtual distributed switches on the PowerFlex Management Controller:
1. Log in to the VMware vSphere Client.
2. From Home, click Networking and expand the data center.
3. Right-click the data center:
a. Click Distributed Switch > New Distributed Switch.
b. Update the name to FE_dvSwitch and click Next.
c. Choose Distributed switch 7.0.0 version and click Next.
d. In the Edit settings screen, select 2 from the Number of Uplinks menu.
e. Select Enabled from the Network I/O Control menu.

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f. Clear the Create default port group option.

g. Click Next.
h. On the Ready to complete page, click Finish.
4. Right click FE_dvswitch and then click Settings > Edit Settings.
5. Click Advanced.
6. Set MTU to 9000.
7. Set Discovery Protocol Type to Link Layer Discovery Protocol.
8. Set Discovery Protocol Operation to Both.

Creating the FE_dvSwitch distributed port groups

Create the following distributed port groups for the PowerFlex Management network on
the FE_dvswitch:

• flex-node-mgmt
• flex-vmotion

1. Log in to the VMware vSphere Client.

2. Click Networking.
3. Right-click FE_dvSwitch and select Distributed Port Group > New Distribution
Port Group.
4. Update the name to <VLAN_NAME> and click Next.
5. Leave the port-related options at the default values (port binding, allocation, and
number of ports)
6. Select VLAN as the VLAN type.
7. Set the VLAN ID to the appropriate VLAN number.
8. Click Next.
9. In the Ready to complete page, review the details and click Finish.
10. Repeat for each distributed port group for FE_dvswitch.

Creating the Back-End DVSwitch

1. Log in to the VMware vSphere Client.
2. From Home, click Networking and expand the data center.
3. Right-click the data center:
a. Click Distributed Switch > New Distributed Switch.
b. Update the name to BE_dvswitch and click Next.
c. Choose Distributed switch 7.0.0 Version and click Next.
d. Select 2 from the Uplinks menu.

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e. Select Enabled from the Network I/O Control menu.

f. Clear the Create default port group option.
g. Click Next.
h. Review the details in the Ready to complete page and click Finish.
4. Right click BE_dvswitch and click Select Settings > Edit Settings.
5. Click Advanced.
6. Set MTU to 9000.
7. Set Discovery Protocol Type to Link Layer Discovery Protocol.
8. Set Discovery Protocol Operation to Both.

Creating the BE_dvswitch distributed port groups

Create the following distributed port groups for the PowerFlex Management network on
BE_dvswitch:

• flex-vcsa-ha
• flex-stor-mgmt
• flex-vmotion
• flex-data1
• flex-data2
• flex-data3
• flex-data4

1. Log in to the vSphere Client.

2. Click Networking.
3. Right-click BE_dvswitch and click Distributed Port Group > New Distribution
Port Group.
4. Update the name to <VLAN_NAME> and click Next.

Note: See the port group names mentioned above.

5. Select the default Port binding.

6. Select the default Port allocation.
7. Select the default number of ports, that is, 8.
8. Select VLAN as the VLAN type.
9. Set the VLAN ID to the appropriate VLAN number.
10. Clear Customize default policies configuration and click Next.
11. Click Finish.
12. Repeat these steps for each distributed port group for BE_dvswitch.

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Create LAG on the new DVSwitches

1. Select FE_dvswitch.
2. Click Configure, and in Settings, click LACP.
3. Click New and type the name as LAG-FE. The default number of ports is 2.
4. Select the mode as active.
5. Select Load Balancing Mode as Source and Destination IP address and
TCP/UDP Port.
6. Click OK to create LAG.
7. Repeat steps 1 through 6 on BE_dvswitch to create LAG.

Modifying Failover Order for BE_dvSwitch

1. Go to Networking > BE_dvswitch.
2. Click Configure, and from Settings, select LACP.
3. Click Migrating network traffic to LAGs.
4. Click Manage Distributed Port Groups, click Teaming and Failover, and then
click Next.
5. Select All port groups and click Next.
6. Select LAG-BE and move it to Active Uplinks.
7. Move Uplink1 and Uplink2 to Unused Uplinks and click Next.
8. Click Finish.

Migrating Interfaces to BE_dvswitch

1. Select BE_dvswitch.
2. Click Configure and in Settings click LACP.
3. Click Migrating network traffic to LAGs.
4. Click Add and Manage Hosts.
5. Click Add Hosts and click Next.
6. Click New Host, click the host, and then click OK.
7. Click Next.
8. Select vmnic5 and click Assign Uplink.
9. Select LAG-BE-0 and click OK.
10. Select vmnic7 and click Assign Uplink.
11. Select LAG-BE-1 and click OK.
12. Click Next > Next > Next > Next > Finish.

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Modifying the failover order for the FE_dvSwitch

1. Go to Networking > FE_dvswitch.
2. Click Configure, and from Settings, click LACP.
3. Click Migrating network traffic to LAGs.
4. Click Manage Distributed Port Groups, click Teaming and Failover, and then
click Next.
5. Select All port groups and click Next.
6. Select LAG-FE and move it to Active Uplinks.
7. Move Uplink1 and Uplink2 to Unused Uplinks and click Next.
8. Click Finish.

Adding First Uplink to FE_dvswitch

1. Go to Networking > FE_dvswitch.
2. Click Configure and in Settings, click LACP.
3. Click Migrating network traffic to LAGs.
4. Click Add and Manage Hosts.
5. Click Add Hosts and click Next.
6. Click New Host, click the host, and then click OK.
7. Click Next.
8. Select vmnic1 and click Assign Uplink.
9. Select LAG-FE-1 and click OK.
10. Click Next > Next > Next > Finish.

Migrating vCenter to FE_dvswitch

1. Click Configure and in Settings, click LACP
2. Click Migrating network traffic to LAGs.
3. Click Add and Manage Hosts.
4. Click Manage host networking and click Next.
5. Click Attached hosts, click Host, and then click OK.
6. Click Next three times.
7. Click Migrate VM Networking > Select Migrate Virtual Machine Networking >
Select vCenter.
8. Click Assign port group > Select flex-node-mgmt, and then click OK.
9. Click Next > Finish.

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Migrating the second uplink and VMkernel port

1. Click Configure and in Settings, select LACP.
2. Click Migrating network traffic to LAGs.
3. Click Add and Manage Hosts.
4. Click Managing host networking and click Next.
5. Click Attached hosts, click the host, and then click OK.
6. Click Next.
7. Select vmnic0 and click Assign Uplink.
8. Select LAG-FE-0 and click OK.
9. Click Next.
10. Select vmk0 and click Assign port Group.
11. Click flex-node-mgmt and click OK.
12. Click Next > Finish.

Creating the Out of Band dvswitch

1. Log in to the vSphere Client.
2. From Home, click Networking and expand the data center.
3. Right-click the data center.
4. Click Distributed Switch > New Distributed Switch.
5. Update the name to oob_dvswitch and click Next.
6. Choose Distributed switch 7.0.0 Version and click Next.
7. Select 1 from the Uplinks menu.
8. Select Enabled from the Network I/O Control menu.
9. Clear the Create default port group option.
10. Click Next.
11. Review the details in Ready to complete page and click Finish.

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Creating the oob_dvswitch distributed port group

1. Log in to the vSphere Client.
2. Click Networking.
3. Right-click oob_dvswitch and select Distributed Port Group > New
Distribution Port Group.
4. Update the name to flex-oob-mgmt and click Next.
5. Click Next > Finish.

Adding a host to oob_dvswitch

1. On the vSphere Client home page, click Networking
2. Select oob_dvswitch.
3. Click Add and Manage Hosts.
4. Click Add Hosts and click Next.
5. Click New Host, click the host, and then click OK.
6. Click Next.
7. Select vmnic4 and click Assign Uplink.
8. Click Uplink 1 and click OK.
9. Click Next > Next > Next > Finish.

Deleting the Standard Switch (vSwitch0)

1. From the menu, click Host and Cluster.
2. Click Host.
3. Click Configure > Networking > Virtual Switches.
4. Click Standard Switch: vSwitch0.
5. Click the More ellipsis (...) near vSwitch0 and click Remove.
6. Click Yes at the Remove Standard Switch prompt.

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Chapter 7 Deploying a Jump Server

This chapter presents the following topic:

Installing a Windows jump server ....................................................................62

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Installing a Windows jump server

For this POC, we used a Windows jump server.

Before installing the jump server:

• Ensure that ESXi is installed on all the PowerFlex Controller systems.
• Confirm the availability of a Microsoft Windows OVA virtual machine template. If a
template is not available, you must build a VM from the ISO file. The instructions for
this process are beyond the scope of this guide.
• Obtain an IP address for the main interface of the jump server from flex-node-
mgmt (VLAN 105).
Install the jump server:
1. Deploy the Open Virtual Appliance (OVA):
a. Launch the VMware vSphere client (HTML5) for the ESXi host
management IP address.
b. Click Host, and then click Create/Register VM.
c. Select Deploy a virtual machine from an OVF or OVA file and click Next.
d. Type the name, click Select files > Locate, and then select an OVF/OVA,
and then click Open.
e. Click Next.
f. On the Storage page, select the local disk datastore and click Next.
g. On the Disk Format page, select Thin Provision and click Next.
h. On the Network Mappings page, assign the Destination Network (flex-
node-mgmt) to the VM and click Next.
i. Confirm the settings and click Finish.
2. Boot the VM:
a. Right-click the VM, and then power on the VM and let it complete its initial
boot.
b. Log in and configure the IP/Subnet Mask/Default GW using the information
in the LCS.
c. Confirm network connectivity.
d. Power off the VM.
3. Modify the VM settings:
a. Right-click the VM and click Edit Settings.
b. Change Hard Disk 1 and Hard Disk 2 disk sizes to 60 GB for both drives.
c. Click Memory, set the memory to 8 GB, and then click OK.
4. Upgrade the VM hardware version:
a. Click Upgrade.

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b. Enable Schedule VM Compatibility Upgrade.

c. Expand Upgrade.
d. Click Compatible with (*): ESXi 6.7 and later.
e. Click OK.
5. Complete the configuration:
a. Right-click the VM and power on the VM.
b. Log in as administrator.
c. From the Start menu, click Server Manager.
d. Click File and Storage Services from the left menu.
e. Under Volumes, select Disks.
f. Right-click the D: drive.
g. Click Extend Volume.
h. Set New Size to the Maximum Size and click OK.
i. Repeat step a through step h for the C: drive
j. Exit Server Manager.

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Chapter 8 Configuring the MX740c ESXi

Compute Sleds

This chapter presents the following topics:

Introduction .......................................................................................................65

Installing and configuring VMware ESXi .........................................................65

Adding an ESXi host to the VMware vCenter ..................................................66

Renaming the local operating system datastore ............................................66

Configuring compute virtual networking.........................................................67

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Introduction
After the PowerFlex management node has been configured, configure the MX740c ESXi
compute sleds.

This chapter provides the configuration details from the POC lab. The following
instructions are to be performed in OpenManage Enterprise – Modular Edition.

Installing and configuring VMware ESXi

Install ESXi on each MX740 compute sled:
1. Log in to iDRAC and map a device:
a. Connect to the iDRAC interface and launch a virtual remote console by
clicking Launch Virtual Console.
b. Click Virtual Media > Connect Virtual Media.
c. Click Virtual Media > Map CD/DVD.
d. Go to the folder where the ISO file is saved, select it, and click Open.
e. Click Map Device.
f. Click Close.
g. Click Boot > Virtual CD/DVD/ISO.
h. Click Power > Reset System (warm boot).
2. Install ESXi:
a. On the VMware ESXi 7.0.x installer page, press Enter to continue.
b. Press F11 to accept the license agreement.
c. Under Local, select DELLBOSS VD as the install location.
d. Select US Default as the keyboard layout.
e. When prompted, type the root password from the LCS and press Enter.
f. At the Confirm Install page, press F11.
g. Press Enter to reboot the node.
3. Configure the host:
a. Press F2 to customize the system.
b. Go to Direct Console User Interface (DCUI) > Configure Management
Network.
c. Set Network Adapter VMNIC0.

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d. Enter the VLAN value. See the ESXi Management VLAN ID field in the LCS
for the required VLAN value.
e. Set the IPv4 ADDRESS, SUBNET MASK, and DEFAULT GATEWAY
configuration to the values defined in the LCS.
f. Go to DNS Configuration. See the LCS for the required DNS value.
g. Go to DCUI IPv6 Configuration.
h. Select Disable IPv6.
4. Press ESC to return to the DCUI.
5. Type Y to commit the changes and restart the node.
6. Verify host connectivity by pinging the IP address from the jump server, using the
command prompt.

Adding an ESXi host to the VMware vCenter

Add an MX740 ESXi host to VMware vCenter:
1. Log in to the vSphere Client (HTML5).
2. Click the home icon at the top of the screen and click Hosts and Clusters.
3. Expand the data center and right-click the Compute Cluster.
4. Click Add Host.
5. In the Host name or IP address fields, type the FQDN of the new host and click
Next.
6. Type the root username and password for the host and click Next.
7. On the Host Summary screen, click Next.
8. Select the license as recorded in the LCS and click Next.
9. On the Lockdown Mode screen, keep all default values and click Next.
10. Click Finish to add the host to the cluster.

Renaming the local operating system datastore

Rename the operating system datastore on each MX740 ESXi host:
1. Log in to the vSphere Client (HTML5).
2. Click Hosts and Clusters.
3. Locate and click the first edge ESXi host.
4. Click Configure > Datastores.
5. Right-click the datastore name and click Rename.
6. From the LCS, name the datastore by using the convention in which XX is the
node number.

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Configuring compute virtual networking

Create and configure distributed virtual switches for the compute cluster.

The following VLANs are used in this POC for the compute cluster:
• vlan 848 – flex-node-mgmt
• vlan 858 – flex-stor-Mgmt
• vlan 106 – flex- vMotion
• vlan 152 – flex Data1
• vlan 160 – flex Data2
• vlan 168 – flex Data3
• vlan 176 – flex Data4
The following table shows how the distributed switches are configured in the compute
cluster:

Table 24. Distributed switches configuration

Dvswitch0 Dvswitch1

• active/active • active/active
• Route based on IPHASH • Route based on IPHASH
• MLAG • MLAG with vmnic2/vmnic3
• MTU: 9000 • Distributed Port group (Ephemeral):
• MLAG with vmnic0/vmnic1  flex-data1-152
• Distributed Port groups (Ephemeral):  flex-data2-160
 flex-node-mgmt  flex-data3-168
 hv-vmotion-106  flex-data4-176

Create and These steps do the following:

configure
• Create two compute distributed switches (DSwitch0 and DSwitch1)
distributed
switches • Configure jumbo frames and the discovery protocol on both compute distributed
switches
• Configure LACP on both compute distributed switches
Create and configure DSwitch0 and DSwitch1 for the compute cluster:

1. Log in to the vSphere Client (HTML5).

2. From Home, click Networking and expand the data center.
3. Right-click the data center and click Distributed Switch > New Distributed
Switch to open the wizard.
4. In the New Distributed Switch wizard, type the data values as requested, accept
the default settings, and use the following configuration information:
 Name and location—Change Name to DSwitch0-CO.
 Select version—Click NEXT.

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 Configure settings—Keep the default values.

 Ready to complete—Click NEXT.

5. Verify that the switch is created in the left panel.

6. Configure jumbo frames and the discovery protocol on Dswitch0:
a. Right-click Dswitch0-CO > Settings > Edit Settings to open the wizard.
b. In the DSwitch0 wizard, type the data values as requested, accept the
default settings, and use the following configuration information:
 General—Change Network I/O Control to Disabled and keep all other
default values.
 Advanced—Change MTU to 9000, type to Link Layer Discovery
Protocol, Operation to Both, and then click OK.

7. Configure LAG (LACP) on DSwitch0-CO:

a. Click DSwitch0-CO > Configure > LACP.
b. Click +NEW to open the wizard.
c. In the New Distributed Switch wizard, type the data values as requested,
accept the default settings, use the following configuration information, and
then click OK:
 Change Name to lag-management.
 Leave Number of ports as default (2).
 Leave Mode as default (Active).
 Change Load balancing mode to Source and destination IP address,
TCP/UDP ports.
8. Repeat steps 1 through 7 to create an additional Distributed Switch named
DSwitch1-Data.

Create Create the co-flex-node-mgmt and hv-vmotion-106 distributed port groups on

distributed port DSwitch0:
groups for
DVSwitch0 1. Log in to VMware vSphere Client (HTML5).
2. Right-click DVSwitch0 and click Distributed Port Group > New Distribution
Port Group to open the wizard.
3. In the New Distributed Switch wizard, type the data values as requested, accept
the default settings, and use the following configuration information:
 Name and location—Change Name to flex-node-mgmt and click Next.
 Configure settings—Change Port binding to Static, VLAN type to VLAN,
VLAN ID to 848, and then click FINISH.
4. At the Ready to complete step, review the summary and then click FINISH.

5. Right-click the new port group and click Edit Settings to open the wizard.

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6. In the <port group> wizard, type the data values as requested, accept the default
settings, but do the following for the Teaming and Failover field:
a. Change Load balancing to Route based on IP hash.
b. Change the Failover order to be:
 Active uplinks: lag-managment (LACP).
 Unused uplinks: Uplink 1 and Uplink 2.
c. Click OK.
7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 for hv-vmotion-106

Create Create the flex-data1, flex-data2, flex-data3, flex-data4, and flex-

distributed port vmotion distributed port groups on DSwitch1:
groups for
DVSwitch1 1. Log in to VMware vSphere Client (HTML5).
2. Right-click DVSwitch1 and click Distributed Port Group > New Distribution
Port Group to open the wizard.
3. In the New Distributed Switch wizard, type the data values as requested, accept
the default settings, and use the following configuration information:
 Name and location—Change Name to co-data1-152 and click Next.
 Configure settings—Change Port binding to Static, VLAN type to VLAN,
VLAN ID to 152, and then click NEXT.
4. At the Ready to complete step, review the summary and then click FINISH.
5. Right-click the new port group and select Edit Settings to open the wizard.
6. In the wizard, type the data values as requested, accept the default settings, but
do the following:
 For General, change Load balancing to Route based on IP hash.
 For Teaming and Failover:
 Change Load balancing to Route based on IP hash.
 Change the Failover order to be:
 Active uplinks: Mgmt (LACP).
 Unused uplinks: Uplink 1 and Uplink 2.
7. Click OK.

8. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for co-data2, co-data3, and co-data4.

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Migrate compute Migrate the physical NICs and ESXi management (vmk0) adapter from vSwitch0 to
ESXi hosts DSwitch0-CO. These steps are for migrating the ESXi compute sleds from vSwitch0 to
DSwitch0-CO. They include reconfiguring LACP one side (NIC) at a time during migration
to the distributed switch.

Note: We recommend that you perform these steps on one ESXi host at time.

Only vSwitch0 is created with the flex-node-mgmt adapter configured on each compute
ESXi host. This section provides steps to migrate both the physical NICs and ESXi
management adapters to DSwitch0. All MX9116n FSE switch ports for the compute ESXi
hosts are configured as a trunk access port during initial configuration. These ports are
configured later with LACP enabled. The following are the high-level steps:

1. Validate the switch port.

2. Configure LACP on the 9116-A2 switch port (vmnic1).
3. Add vmnic1 to DSwitch0.
4. Migrate vmk0 (ESXi mgmt) to DSwitch0.
5. Remove vmnic0 from vSwitch0.
6. Configure LACP on the 9116-A1 switch port (vmnic0).
7. Add vmnic0 to DSwitch0.

Switch configuration example

The following provides a configuration example of the eventual switch configuration:

Note: Do not apply these changes at this time. The following is an example of the switch
configuration after all nodes have been converted into LACP.

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Table 25. Switch configuration example

MX9116n-A1 MX9116n-A2
interface ethernet1/1/1 interface ethernet1/1/1
description "M740-236 - vmnic0" description "M740-238 - vmnic1"
no shutdown no shutdown
channel-group 11 mode active channel-group 13 mode active
fec off fec off
no switchport no switchport
mtu 9216 mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off
! !
interface ethernet1/1/3 interface ethernet1/1/3
description "M740-237 - vmnic0" description "M740-239 - vmnic1"
no shutdown no shutdown
channel-group 12 mode active channel-group 14 mode active
fec off fec off
no switchport no switchport
mtu 9216 mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off
! !
interface ethernet1/71/1 interface ethernet1/71/1
description "M740-238 - vmnic0" description "M740-236 - vmnic1"
no shutdown no shutdown
channel-group 13 mode active channel-group 11 mode active
fec off fec off
no switchport no switchport
mtu 9216 mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off
! !
interface ethernet1/71/2 interface ethernet1/71/2
description "M740-239 - vmnic0" description "M740-237 - vmnic1"
no shutdown no shutdown
channel-group 14 mode active channel-group 12 mode active
fec off fec off
no switchport no switchport
mtu 9216 mtu 9216
flowcontrol receive off flowcontrol receive off

Physical NIC migration

Migrate both the physical NICs and ESXi management adapters to DSwitch0:
1. Log in to the VMware vSphere Client (HTML5).
2. Examine the vCenter and physical switches to ensure that all ports across all
hosts are up.

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3. Record to which physical switch port vmnic0 (9116-A1) and vmnic1 (9116-A2) are
connected.
4. Click Home, then select Hosts and Clusters and expand the compute cluster.
5. Select the first compute ESXi host in the left pane and then select the Configure
tab in the right pane.
6. Select Virtual switches under Networking.
7. Expand vSwitch0.
8. Under Physical Adapters, expand Uplink 1 (vmnic0), click the ellipsis (…), and
select View Settings.
9. Click the LLDP tab.
10. Record the Port ID (Switch Port) and System Name (Switch) values.
11. Repeat steps 3 through 10 for uplink 2 (vmnic1) and then go to step 12.
12. Remove vmnic1 from vSwitch0 on the compute ESXi host (sled) as follows:
a. Click Home, click Hosts and Clusters, and then expand the compute
cluster.
b. Select the first compute ESXi host in the left pane and then select the
Configure tab in the right pane.
c. Select Virtual switches under Networking.
d. Expand vSwitch0 and select Manage Physical Adapters to open the
wizard.
e. In the Manage Physical Network Adapters wizard, type the data values as
requested, accept the default settings, and do the following:
i Select vmnic1 and click the red X to remove the NIC.
ii Verify that vmnic1 is removed from list.
iii Click OK.

13. Configure LACP on the 9116-A2 switch port on a compute ESXi sled:
a. Use SSH to connect to the 9116-A2 switch.
b. Type the following switch commands to configure LACP for the ESXi host in
chassis 1/slot 1:

Note: See the port map to obtain port connectivity for each compute ESXi host.
Ensure that you use the correct channel-group number for each ESXi host being
configured.

# Config t
# interface ethernet1/1/1
# channel-group 12 mode active

14. Add vmnic1 to DSwitch0-CO on a compute ESXi host (sled):

a. Click Home > Hosts and Clusters.

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b. Select the first compute ESXi host in left pane and then select the Configure
tab in right pane.
c. Select Virtual switches under Networking.
d. Expand DSwitch0 and select Manage Physical Adapters to open the
wizard.
e. In the Manage Physical Network Adapters wizard, type the data values as
requested, accept the default settings, but do the following:
i Select Mgmt-1 (Mgmt).
ii Click + to open list of NICs.
iii Select vmnic1.
iv Click OK

15. Migrate flex-node-mgmt (vmk0) to DSwitch0 on a compute ESXi host (sled):

a. From Home, click Networking and expand the data center.
b. Right-click DSwitch0 and select Add and Manage Hosts to open the
wizard.
c. In the Add and Manage Hosts wizard, type the data values as requested,
accept the default settings, and use the following configuration information:
Table 26. Add and Manage Hosts wizard values

New distributed switch Tasks

Select task Select Add hosts.

Click NEXT.

Select hosts Click +New hosts.

Select the compute ESXi host and click OK.
Click NEXT.

Manage physical adapters Select vmnic1.

Click Assign uplink.
Select Mgmt-1 and click OK.
Click NEXT.

Manage VMkernel adapters Select vmk0 (Management Network) to highlight.

Click Assign port group.
Select flex-node-mgmt and click OK.
Click NEXT.

Migrate VM networking Leave the existing values as default.

Click NEXT.

Ready to complete Review the summary and click FINISH.

16. Wait 60 seconds and then select the VMkernel adapter link under Networking to
ensure that the flex-node-mgmt (vmk0) adapter is on DSwitch0.
17. Remove vmnic0 from vSwitch0 on the compute ESXi host (sled):

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a. Click Home, then click Hosts and Clusters.

b. Select the first compute ESXi host in the left pane and then select the
Configure tab in the right pane.
c. Select Virtual switches under Networking.
d. Expand vSwitch0 and select Manage Physical Adapters to open the
wizard.
e. In the Manage Physical Network Adapters wizard, type the data values as
requested, accept the default settings, and do the following:
i Select vmnic0 and click the red X to remove the NIC.
ii Verify that vmnic1 is removed from list.
iii Click OK.

18. Configure LACP on the 9116-A1 switch port on a compute ESXi sled:
19. Use SSH to connect to the 9116-A1 switch.
20. Type the following example switch commands to configure LACP for ESXi host in
chassis 1/slot 1:

Note: See the port map to obtain port connectivity for each compute ESXi host. Ensure that you
use the correct channel-group number for each ESXi host being configured.

# Config t
# interface ethernet1/1/1
# channel-group 12 mode active

21. Add vmnic0 to DSwitch0 on a compute ESXi host (sled):

a. Click Home > Hosts and Clusters.
b. Select the first compute ESXi host in left pane and then select the Configure
tab in right pane.
c. Select Virtual switches under Networking.
d. Expand DSwitch0 and select Manage Physical Adapters to open the
wizard.
e. In the Manage Physical Network Adapters wizard, type the data values as
requested, accept the default settings, and do the following:
i Select Mgmt-0 (Mgmt).
ii Click + to open list of NICs.
iii Click vmnic0.
iv Click OK

22. Repeat the preceding steps for each compute ESXi host.

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Creating the Create the network adapters on the following distributed switches:
VMkernel
• DSwitch0: co-mgmt-848, hv-vmotion-106
adapters on
distributed • DSwitch1: fos-data1-152, fos-data2-160, flex-data3-168, flex-data4-176
switches
Before you begin, verify that the compute ESXi hosts are configured on the distributed
switches.

1. From Home, click Hosts and Clusters and expand the data center and then
expand the compute cluster.
2. Select the first compute ESXi host in the left pane and then select the Configure
tab in the right pane.
3. Click VMkernel adapters under Networking.
4. Click Add Networking to open the wizard.
5. In the Add Networking wizard, type the data values as requested, accept the
default settings, and use the following configuration information
Table 27.

New distributed switch Selection

Select connection type Select VMkernel Network Adapter.

Click NEXT.

Selection target device Select an existing network.

Click Browse.
Select hv-vmotion-106 (DVswitch0) and click
OK.
Click NEXT.

Port properties Click the vMotion checkbox.

Click NEXT.

IPv4 settings Select Use static IPv4 settings:

• IPv4 address: 192.168.106.136
• Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Accept the defaults for the Default gateway
and DNS Server addresses.
Click NEXT.

Ready to complete Review the summary and click FINISH.

6. Wait 60 seconds and then verify that co-mgmt-848 and hv-vmotion-106 (vmk1)
network adapter is created on DSwitch0.
7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 to create flex-data1-152 and flex-data2-160, flex-data3-
168 and flex-data4-176 on DSwitch1. Each port group will have a different
address than what is in preceding table.
8. Repeat steps 1 through 7 for each compute ESXi host.

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Chapter 9 Deploying PowerFlex Two-Layer

This chapter presents the following topics:

Introduction .......................................................................................................77

Installing PowerFlex Manager ..........................................................................77

Deploying PowerFlex Manager ........................................................................78

Setting up PowerFlex Manager ........................................................................78

Configuring PowerFlex Manager .....................................................................82

Discovering resources......................................................................................84

Defining networks in PowerFlex Manager .......................................................85

Deploying the PowerFlex Presentation UI .......................................................86

Deploying the PowerFlex Gateway ..................................................................87

Deploying PowerFlex storage-only node service ...........................................87

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Introduction
After the MX740c ESXi compute sleds have been configured, configure the R640 storage-
only nodes and PowerFlex OS. This section provides the configuration details from the
POC lab.

Before you begin:

The storage-only PowerFlex integrated rack was built with five Dell EMC PowerEdge
servers. Complete the following steps before configuring the storage-only PowerFlex
integrated rack aggregation switch:
• Connect the storage-only PowerFlex integrated rack to the MX9116n FSE network
through a 200 Gb link.
• Connect the MX9116n FSE modules appropriately and ensure that the sleds are
correctly configured.
• Connect the MX9116n FSE modules to the customer core switches.
• Enable the data VLANs (VLAN 152, 160, 168, and 176) on the MX9116n FSE
modules.
• Obtain the embedded operating system (CentOS 7.7) software.
The logical configuration of the two-Layer PowerFlex storage-only nodes are no different
from a standard build except VLAN traffic uses different bond interfaces:
• bond0—flex-mgmt data1 and data3 on a single pair of network interfaces

• bond1—data2 and data4 on a single pair of network interfaces

Installing PowerFlex Manager

Before you begin installing PowerFlex Manager, gather the information that is required to
deploy the PowerFlex Manager virtual appliance and ensure that:
• The static IP addresses are not being used anywhere else in the environment and
the correct networks are defined.
• The appropriate VMware licenses are deployed. Only VMware vSphere Web Client
is supported on vCenter version until 6.7 U3.
• The VMware vCenter Server and VMware vSphere Client or vSphere Client are
running.
• The TCP/IP address information is available for the PowerFlex Manager virtual
appliance.
• The static IP addresses are not used anywhere else in the environment.
• The management, operating system installation, and OOB management networks
are defined in the PowerFlex management controller.

Note: You can configure PowerFlex Manager as the DHCP server or PXE server in the Initial
Setup wizard when you first log in to the PowerFlex Manager UI. If you specified that you want to
use an external server in the LCS, it is already configured.

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Deploying PowerFlex Manager

Download the PowerFlex Manager OVA and deploy the PowerFlex Manager virtual
appliance:
1. Log in to the Dell EMC Download Center, download the PowerFlex Manager OVA
file, and save it to a location that is accessible to the VMware vSphere Client.
2. Log in to VMware vSphere Client and select File > Deploy OVF Template.
The Deploy OVF Template wizard is displayed.
3. On the Select template page, enter the URL where the OVA is located or select
Local file and browse to the location where the OVA is saved. Click Next.
4. On the Select name and location page, enter a name for the VM of up to 80
characters and select a data center where the template will be stored. Click Next.
5. On the Select a resource page, select a location where the deployed template
runs. Click Next.
6. On the Review details page, verify that the template details are correct and then
click Next.
7. On the Accept license agreements page, read the license agreement, and click
Accept > Next.
8. On the Select storage page:
a. Select Thin provision from the Select virtual disk format menu.
b. Select a datastore from the Datastore Clusters menu and then click Next.
9. On the Select networks page, complete the following:
a. Select a destination network for the ESXi Management source network.
b. Select a destination network for the OS Installation source network. The
operating system installation network is the PXE network.
c. Select a destination network for the OOB Management source network. The
OOB management network is the dedicated iDRAC network.
d. Click Next.
10. On the Ready to Complete page, review the configuration data and click Finish to
deploy the PowerFlex Manager virtual appliance.

Setting up PowerFlex Manager

Complete the initial PowerFlex Manager configuration:
• Change the default password
• Configure the networks
• Configure the date and time
• Change the default hostname

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Change the After you accept the license agreement, log in to the Dell EMC Initial Appliance
default password Configuration UI and change the default password of the PowerFlex Manager virtual
appliance:
1. Log in to the PowerFlex Manager virtual appliance through the VM console using
the following default credentials and then press Enter:
 Username: delladmin
 Password: delladmin
2. Click Agree to accept the License Agreement and click Submit. After you agree
to the License Agreement, you can go back and review the license agreement at
any time by clicking EULA in the Dell EMC Initial Appliance Configuration UI.
3. In the Dell EMC Initial Appliance Configuration UI, click Change Admin
Password.
4. Enter the required information (Current Password, New Password, Confirm New
Password) and click Change Password.

Configure the Configure the VMware ESXi management OOB management, and operating system
networks installation networks through the Dell EMC Initial Appliance Configuration UI, using the
connections shown in the following table:

Table 28. Network connections

Network adapter Network Network connection

1 VMware ESXi management ens160

2 OOB management (dedicated iDRAC network) ens192

3 Operating system installation (PXE network) ens224

If the networks are not mapped, identify the mapping:

1. Log in to VMware vSphere Client.
2. Right-click the PowerFlex Manager virtual appliance and click Edit Settings.
3. On the Virtual Hardware tab, click the Network adapter menu for the VMware
ESXi management, the OOB management, and the operating system installation
networks and note the Port ID and MAC Address values for each network.
4. Log out of the Dell EMC Initial Appliance Configuration UI.
5. Open a PowerFlex Manager console and log in.
The system prompt is displayed.
6. Enter ifconfig.
The network connections are displayed.
7. To identify which network connection is mapped to which network, check the MAC
address of each of the three network connections that are displayed against the
MAC address of each of the three networks that you noted in step 3.

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To configure the network:

1. Run vxfm_init_shell to restart the Dell EMC Initial Appliance Configuration UI
and then click Network Configuration. If the UI is not displayed, run sudo
init_shell and then enter the username delladmin and your password.
2. Configure the VMware ESXi management network:
a. On the Network Connections page, select ens 160 and click Edit the
selected connection.
b. On the General tab, ensure the Automatically connect to this network
when it is available check box is selected.
c. Click the IPv4 Settings tab and from the Method list, select Manual.
d. In the Addresses pane, enter the Address, Netmask, Gateway, and then click
Add.
e. Enter the DNS IP addresses.
f. Enter the search domain.
g. Click Save.
3. Configure the OOB management network, which is the dedicated iDRAC network:
a. On the Network Connections page, select ens 192 and click Edit the
selected connection.
b. On the General tab, ensure the Automatically connect to this network
when it is available check box is selected.
c. Click the IPv4 Settings tab and from the Method list, select Manual.
d. In the Addresses pane, enter the Address and Netmask, and click Add.
e. Click Save.
4. Configure the operating system installation network, which is the PXE network:
a. On the Network Connections page, select ens 224 and click Edit the
selected connection.
b. On the General tab, ensure the Automatically connect to this network
when it is available check box is selected.
c. Click the IPv4 Settings tab and from the Method list, select Manual.
d. In the Addresses pane, enter the Address, Netmask, and click Add.
e. Click Routes and ensure the Use this connection only for resources on
its network check box is selected and select OK.
f. Click Save.
5. Log out of the PowerFlex Manager virtual appliance.
From a browser, log in to the PowerFlex Manager UI using the URL that is displayed in
the Dell EMC Initial Appliance Configuration UI. For example, https://<IP_Address>/ui.

If you can successfully log in to the PowerFlex Manager UI, PowerFlex Manager is
successfully deployed.

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If you cannot log in to PowerFlex Manager, ensure that you are using the correct
<IP_Address> by typing ip address in the command line and searching for the IP
address of the PowerFlex Manager virtual appliance. The <IP_Address> must be the
same <IP_Address> that is displayed in the Dell EMC Initial Appliance Configuration UI.

Configure the Set the date and time of the PowerFlex Manager virtual appliance in the Dell EMC Initial
date and time Appliance Configuration UI.

If you change the time after the license is uploaded, features might be disabled because
the appliance might fall outside the time range for which the license is valid.

1. In the Dell EMC Initial Appliance Configuration UI, click Date/Time properties.
2. Under the Date and Time tab, choose either of the following:
 To automatically set the time, select the Synchronize date and time over the
network check box and complete the following steps depending on your
requirements:
− Add an NTP server that is configured to the NTP Servers menu.
− Edit the default NTP server (s) from the NTP Servers menu.
− Delete the NTP server (s) from the NTP Servers menu.
 To manually set the time, select the Hour, Minute, and Second under the Time
page.
3. On the Time Zone tab, select the nearest city to your time zone on the map and
select the System clock uses UTC check box. Click OK.

Change the Update the hostname from the default setting, using the Dell EMC Initial Appliance
hostname Configuration UI.
1. In the Dell EMC Initial Appliance Configuration UI, click Hostname.
The Update Hostname dialog is displayed.
2. Enter the new hostname.
3. Select Update Hostname.
A dialog box states the hostname is successfully updated.
4. Reboot the PowerFlex Manager virtual appliance for the changes to take effect.

Enable remote Enable SSH and access the PowerFlex Manager VM through the command line to allow
access to the completion of certain tasks, such as administration or system maintenance.
PowerFlex
1. Log in to the PowerFlex Manager appliance console using the delladmin
Manager VM username.
If you do not see the system prompt, log out of the shell and log back in.
2. Enter the following command:
sudo su -

You are prompted to enter the delladmin password.

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3. Enter the following commands:

sudo /sbin/chkconfig sshd on sudo /sbin/service sshd start

4. Type exit to log out and return to the delladmin user.

Configuring PowerFlex Manager

Note: Due to equipment availability, we used a PowerEdge R640 system in place of a PowerFlex
management appliance. These instructions are for building a PowerEdge R640.

For detailed information about how to configure PowerFlex Manager, see the Initial setup
and configuration section in the PowerFlex Manager online help.

Before you start, log in to the Dell EMC Download Center and download the PowerFlex
Manager license key file to a local network share.

Have the following information available:

• Time zone of the virtual appliance that hosts PowerFlex Manager
• IP address or hostname of at least two network time protocol (NTP) servers
• IP address or hostname, port, and the credentials of the proxy server (optional)
• Networks for PowerFlex Manager to access in the environment (optional)
• Unique software ID and the PowerFlex rack solution serial number (a unique 12-
digit number, for example, V71FNXXXXXXX. These numbers are on a tag in the rear
of the rack.)
• Connector settings for the Secure Remote Services gateway

To configure PowerFlex Manager:

1. Log in to PowerFlex Manager using the following credentials:
 Username: delladmin
 Password: delladmin
The Setup wizard prompts you to configure the basic settings that are required to
start using PowerFlex Manager.
2. Configure the basic settings by completing the Setup wizard:
a. On the Licensing page, upload the license key file by clicking Choose File.
Browse to the local share where you downloaded the license file. Click Save
and Continue to upload the license and continue with the wizard.

Note: After uploading the license, you must complete the remaining tasks in the
Setup wizard. If you close the Setup wizard without completing the remaining tasks,
go to Settings > Virtual appliance management to complete the tasks.

b. On the Time Zone and NTP Settings page, configure the time zone and
add NTP server information. Click Save and Continue.

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c. On the Proxy Settings page, if using a proxy server, select the check box
and enter configuration details. Click Save and Continue.
d. On the DHCP Settings page, to configure PowerFlex Manager as a DHCP
or PXE server, select the Enable DHCP/PXE server check box. Enter the
DHCP details and click Save and Continue.

Note: Enter the starting IP address in the range, for example 192.168.104.100, and
the ending IP address in the range, for example, 192.168.104.250. The ending IP
range can be increased depending on the number of servers that are being
configured.

e. Do not configure alert connector during the Setup wizard. You must deploy
the system and create the cluster first. Skip this step in the wizard
f. On the Summary page, verify the settings. Click Finish to complete the
initial setup.
The Getting Started page is displayed after you complete the initial setup. The
page guides you through the common configuration that is required to prepare a
new PowerFlex Manager environment. A green check mark on a step indicates
that you have completed the step. First, click Configure Compliance under Step
1: Firmware and Software Compliance to provide the RCM location and
authentication information for use within PowerFlex Manager.
A message is displayed when the RCM upgrade starts. You can close this
window. The upgrade runs in the background.
3. Click Define Networks under Step 2: Networks to enter detailed information
about the available networks in the environment. The networks defined in
PowerFlex Manager are used in templates to specify the networks or VLANs that
are configured on nodes and switches for services. The following table outlines
the purpose of each network:
Table 29. Network purpose

Network Purpose

General-purpose LAN Optional; used to access network resources for basic

networking activities.

Hypervisor management Used to identify the management network for a hypervisor or

operating system deployed on a node.

Hypervisor migration Used to manage the network that you want to use for live
migration. Live migration allows you to move running VMs
from one node of the failover cluster to a different node in
the same cluster.

Operating system installation Allows static or DHCP network for operating system imaging
on nodes.

Hardware management Used for OOB management of hardware infrastructure.

PowerFlex data Used for traffic between PowerFlex data clients (SDC) and
data servers (SDS). Used for all node types except for
dedicated storage-only nodes.

PowerFlex data (SDC traffic Used for traffic between SDC and SDS and between SDS
only) and SDS. Used for cloning a dedicated storage template.

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Network Purpose

PowerFlex data (SDS traffic Used for traffic between SDS and SDS. Used for cloning a
only) dedicated storage template.

PowerFlex management Used for PowerFlex management traffic.

PowerFlex replication Used for PowerFlex replication traffic.

Discovering resources
Discover and grant PowerFlex Manager access to resources in the environment. Provide
the management IP address and credential for each discoverable resource.

Dell Technologies recommends using separate operating system credentials for SVM and
VMware ESXi. For information about creating or updating credentials in PowerFlex
Manager, click Settings > Credentials Management and access the online help.

During node discovery, you can configure iDRAC nodes to automatically send alerts to
PowerFlex Manager. If the PowerFlex nodes are not configured for alert connector,
Secure Remote Services does not receive critical or error alerts for those resources.

1. Gather the IP addresses and credentials that are associated with the resources.
2. On the PowerFlex Manager Getting Started page, click Discover Resources
under Step 3: Discover.
3. On the Welcome page of the Discovery wizard, read the instructions and click
Next.
4. On the Identify Resources page, click Add Resource Type. From the Resource
Type list, select the resource you want to discover.
5. Enter the management IP address of the resource in the IP Address Range field.
To discover a resource in an IP range, provide a starting and ending IP address.
6. In the Resource State list, select either Managed or Unmanaged. The resource
state must be managed for PowerFlex Manager to send alerts to Secure Remote
Services.
7. To discover resources into a selected node pool instead of the global pool
(default), select the node pool from the Discover into Node Pool list.
8. Select the appropriate credential from the Credentials list.
9. If you want PowerFlex Manager to automatically reconfigure the iDRAC nodes it
finds, select the Reconfigure discovered nodes with new management IP and
credentials checkbox. This option is not selected by default, because it is faster to
discover the nodes if you bypass the reconfiguration.
10. Select the Auto configure nodes to send alerts to PowerFlex Manager
checkbox to have PowerFlex Manager automatically configure iDRAC nodes to
send alerts to PowerFlex Manager.
11. Click Next to start discovery. On the Discovered Resources page, select the
resources from which you want to collect inventory data and click Finish. The
discovered resources are listed on the Resources page.

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Defining networks in PowerFlex Manager

The networks defined in PowerFlex Manager are used in templates to specify the
networks or VLANs that are configured on nodes and switches for services.

1. Log in to the PowerFlex Manager UI using your credentials.

2. Click Settings > + Network.
3. Click Define Networks to enter detailed information about the available
networks in the environment. Each network to be used needs to be added.
The following table outlines the purpose of each network:

Table 30. Network purpose

Network Purpose

General purpose LAN Optional; used to access network resources for basic
networking activities.

Hypervisor management Used to identify the management network for a hypervisor

or operating system deployed on a node.

Hypervisor migration Used to manage the network that you want to use for live
migration. Live migration allows you to move running VMs
from one node of the failover cluster to a different node in
the same cluster.

Operating system installation Allows static or DHCP network for operating system
imaging on nodes.

Hardware management Used for OOB management of hardware infrastructure.

PowerFlex data Used for traffic between PowerFlex data clients (SDC) and
data servers (SDS). Used for all node types except for
dedicated storage-only nodes.

PowerFlex data (SDC traffic only) Used for traffic between SDC and SDS and between SDS
and SDS. Used for cloning a dedicated storage template.

PowerFlex data (SDS traffic only) Used for traffic between SDS and SDS. Used for cloning a
dedicated storage template.

PowerFlex management Used for PowerFlex management traffic.

PowerFlex replication Used for PowerFlex replication traffic.

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Deploying the PowerFlex Presentation UI

Deploy the presentation server, which hosts the PowerFlex UI. PowerFlex Manager
supports the deployment of one presentation server.

1. Log in to PowerFlex Manager.

2. On the PowerFlex Manager menu bar, click Template > Sample

template > Management - presentation server, and then click Clone in the
right pane.

3. In the Clone Template dialog box, enter a template name under Template
Name.

4. Select a template category from the Template Category list. To create a

template category, select Create New Category.

5. In the Template Description, enter a description for the template.

6. To specify the version to use for compliance, select the version from
the Firmware and Software Compliance list or choose Use PowerFlex
Manager appliance default catalog.

Because the template only includes server firmware updates, you cannot select a
minimum compliance version. The compliance version for a template must include
the full set of compliance update capabilities. PowerFlex Manager does not show
any minimum compliance versions in the Firmware and Software Compliance list.
7. Indicate access rights to the service deployed from this template by selecting
one of the following options:

 Only PowerFlex Manager administrators

 PowerFlex Manager administrators and specific standard and operator
users
 PowerFlex Manager administrators and all standard and operator users
8. Click Next.

9. On the Additional Settings page, provide new values for the Network
Settings, OS Settings, and Cluster Settings.

10. Select the PowerFlex management controller vCenter or single vCenter.

11. Click Finish.

12. After the template is created, click Templates, select the PowerFlex
presentation server template, and then click Edit.

13. Edit each component (PowerFlex presentation server and VMware

Cluster), select the required field, and then click Save.

14. Select the published template and click Deploy.

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Deploying the PowerFlex Gateway

PowerFlex Manager supports the deployment of one PowerFlex Gateway. Perform this
task to deploy the PowerFlex Gateway.

1. From the PowerFlex Manager menu, click Templates.

2. On the Templates page, click Add a Template.

3. In the Add a Template wizard, click Clone an existing PowerFlex Manager

template.

4. For Category, select Sample Templates. For Template to be Cloned,

select Management - PowerFlex Gateway. Click Next.

5. On the Template Information page, provide the template name, template

category, template description, firmware and software compliance, and users who
have access to the service deployed from this template. Click Next.

6. On the Additional Settings page, enter new values for the Network
Settings, PowerFlex Gateway Settings, and Cluster Settings.

7. Click Finish.

8. After creating the template, click Templates, select the PowerFlex

Gateway template, and click Edit.

9. Edit the PowerFlex Gateway and VMware cluster, select the required field, and
click Save.

10. Publish the template and deploy the service.

Deploying PowerFlex storage-only node service

A service using a template in a draft state cannot be deployed. Publish the template
before using it to deploy a service.

Create a 1. From the menu, click Templates.

template
2. On the Templates page, click sample template > Storage Nodes – Partial
Network template, and click clone.
3. Enter a template name:
a. From the Template Category list, select a template category. To create a
category, select Create New Category from the list.
b. Enter a Template Description (optional).
c. To specify the version to use for compliance, select the version from the
Firmware and Software Compliance list or choose Use PowerFlex Manager
appliance default catalog.

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d. Specify the service permissions for this template under Who should have
access to the service deployed from this template? by doing one of the
following:
 To restrict access to administrators, select Only PowerFlex Manager
Administrators.
 To grant access to administrators and specific standard users, select
PowerFlex Manager Administrators and Specific Standard and
Operator Users.
 To grant access to administrators and all standard users, select
PowerFlex Manager Administrators and All Standard and Operator
Users.
e. Click Next.
4. On the Addition Settings page:
 Under Network settings, provide values for PowerFlex Management and Data
networks types.
 Under OS setting, select the operating system credential to be used across all
nodes. Then, select the operating system repository to use for each of the
repositories in the original template.
 Under PowerFlex Gateway Settings, create or select the PowerFlex Gateway
credential.
 Under Node Pool Settings, select the node pool to use for each of the node
pools in the original template. Click Finish.
5. Go to the Templates page, right-click, and click Edit Storage node.
a. Select Storage Node from the list as the component, enter the number of
instances, and then click Continue.
b. Provide or verify the operating system, hardware, BIOS, and network
settings details.
c. Click Validate Settings.
d. Click Save
6. On the Templates page, right-click and click Edit Cluster.
a. Select PowerFlex Cluster from the list as the component.
b. Click Continue.
7. Under PowerFlex Settings, select the Target PowerFlex Gateway and verify other
details.
8. Click Save.

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Deploy the 1. On the menu bar, click Storage-Only Node Templates > Deploy Service.
PowerFlex
2. On the Deploy Service page, perform the following steps:
storage-only
node service a. From the Select Published Template list, select the template to deploy a
service.
b. In the Service Name and Service Description fields, identify the service.
c. To specify the version to use for compliance, select the version from the
Firmware and Software Compliance list or choose Use PowerFlex Manager
appliance default catalog.
PowerFlex Manager checks the VMware vCenter version to determine if it
matches the VMware ESXi version for the selected compliance version. If the
VMware ESXi version is later than the vCenter version, PowerFlex Manager
blocks the service deployment and displays an error. PowerFlex Manager
instructs you to upgrade vCenter first or use a different compliance version
that is compatible with the installed vCenter version.

Note: Changing the firmware repository might update the firmware level on nodes
for this service. The global default firmware repository maintains the firmware on the
shared devices.

d. Indicate who has access to the service deployed from this template by
selecting one of the available options. Select one from the list and click Next.
3. Under PowerFlex Setting on the Deployment Settings Page, choose the Auto
Generate option and verify Protection Domain Name, Protection Domain Name
Template, Storage Pool Name, Number of Storage Pool, and Storage Pool Name
Template.
You can also click the Specify a new protection domain name now option to
the provide details manually.
To configure the PowerFlex settings, choose one of the following options for
PowerFlex MDM Virtual IP Source:
 PowerFlex Manager Selected IP instructs PowerFlex Manager to select the
virtual IP addresses.
 User Entered IP enables you to specify the IP address manually for each
PowerFlex data network that is part of the node definition in the service
template.
4. To configure operating system settings, select an IP Source.
To manually enter the IP address, click User Entered IP. From the IP Source list,
click Manual Entry. Then enter the IP address in the Static IP Address field.
5. To configure hardware settings, select the node source from the Node Source
list.
6. Click Next.
7. On the Schedule Deployment page, select one of the following options and click
Next:
 Deploy Now—Select this option to deploy the service immediately.

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 Deploy Later—Select this option and enter the date and time to deploy the
service.
8. Review the Summary page.
The Summary page gives you a preview of what the service will look like after the
deployment.
9. Click Finish when you are ready to begin the deployment. For more information,
see PowerFlex Manager online help.

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Chapter 10 Deploy SDC on ESXi Servers

This chapter presents the following topic:

Installing the SDC on an ESXi server ..............................................................92

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Installing the SDC on an ESXi server

Manually install the Storage Data Client (SDC) with the appropriate parameters to connect
it to an existing PowerFlex system. This procedure applies to adding more SDCs to an
existing system and adding SDCs to a two-layer system during initial deployment.

Before you start, ensure that you have:

• The virtual IP address or MDM IP address of the existing system. If an MDM virtual
IP address is not in use, obtain the IP addresses of all the MDM managers.
• Login credentials for the intended SDC host.
• The required installation software package for the operating system of the SDC
(available from the zipped software packages that you can download from the
Customer Support site).
• A GUID string for the SDC. Tools that are freely available online can generate these
strings. The GUID must conform to OSF DCE 1.1. The expected format is
xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx, where each x can be a digit (0–9) or a
letter (a–f).

Note: This procedure requires two server reboots.

To manually install an external SDC on an ESXi server using the ESXCLI command-line
interface:
1. Install the SDC on an ESXi 7.0.x server:
a. Copy the SDC file to the tmp directory on the local datastore on the host.
b. Use SSH to connect to the host and run the following command:
esxcli software vib install -d /tmp/sdc-3.5.1100.101-
esx7.x.zip --no-sig-check

c. Reboot the MX server node.

2. Run the following command to set the IP address of the MDM:
esxcli system module parameters set -m scini -p
"IoctlIniGuidStr=<XXXXXX> IoctlMdmIPStr=<LIST_VIP_MDM_IPS>
IoctMdmPasswordStr=<ip>-<password> bBlkDevIsPdlActive=1
blkDevPdlTimeoutMillis=60000"

3. Perform another reboot.

4. Ensure that the driver is loaded:
vmkload_mod -l | grep scini

Output similar to the following indicates that the driver is loaded:

scini 2 808

The SDC is installed on the ESXi server and is connected to PowerFlex. You can now
create and map volumes to the compute nodes.

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Appendix A Validated Components

This appendix presents the following topic:

Validated components tables ...........................................................................94

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Validated components tables

The following tables list the validated components that were used in this POC:

Table 31. Validated PowerFlex appliance components

PowerFlex appliance

Component Version

PowerFlex hardware

RCM 3.6

PowerFlex Manager

PxFM 3.6.0

Management Server PowerFlex R640

PowerFlex

PowerFlex 3.5.1100.104

VMware

vCenter Server 7.0.0 Build 16386335

ESXi 7.0 Build 16324942

Storage-only nodes

PowerFlex R640 EmbeddedOS 7.7

Management switch

Cisco 3048 7.0(3)I7(9)

Table 32. Validated PowerEdge MX modular chassis components

PowerEdge MX modular chassis

Component Version

MX7000 Chassis 1.20.00

MX9116n FSE 10.5.0.3P1.612

MX740c blade

BIOS 2.7.7

BOSS-S1 Modular 2.6.13.3024

iDRAC 4.20.20.20

Dell PERC H730P MX 25.5.6.0009

Mellanox ConnectX-4 Lx Dual Port 25 GbE 14.26.60.00

14G SEP 4.35

Enterprise UEFI Diagnostics 4301A46

iSM LC DUP 3.51

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PowerEdge MX modular chassis

OS COLLECTOR 5.0 5.0

OS Drivers Pack 19.12.05

VMware

vCenter Server 7.0.0 Build 16386335

ESXi 7.0 Build 16324942

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Appendix B Technical Resources

This appendix presents the following topic:

References.........................................................................................................97

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References
The following Dell Technologies documentation provides additional and relevant
information. Access to these documents depends on your login credentials. If you do not
have access to a document, contact your Dell Technologies representative.
• PowerFlex InfoHub site
• Dell EMC PowerFlex Rack Architecture Overview
• Dell EMC PowerFlex: Networking Best Practices and Design Considerations
• Dell EMC PowerFlex Rack Using PowerFlex Manager
• Dell EMC PowerEdge MX
• PowerEdge MX7000 documentation
• Dell EMC Networking MX9116n Fabric Switching Engine documentation

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