Numbers

10 Gigabit Ethernet switch edge cluster configurations, 70–73

40 Gigabit Ethernet cabling, 56

A

access

cluster access policies, 241

Controller VM access (HX Connect), 167

RBAC (HX Connect), 152–154

accounts (local), HX Connect, 151

ACI (Application Centric Infrastructures)

ACI mode, Nexus 9000 series switches, 34–36

stretch cluster requirements, 133

Activity page (HX Connect), 163–164

adaptability, HyperFlex, 7–12

administrators, replication, 266

Alarms page (HX Connect), 160–161

All Flash nodes, 26–27, 47, 51

All-NVMe nodes, NVMe drives, 51

analytics, Intersight, 293

ASUP (Auto-Support)

HX Connect, 156–157

HyperFlex installation requirements, 100–101

automation, Intersight, 293

B

backups

HyperFlex backups, 286

changed block tracking, 288–289

Cohesity, 289–290

Cohesity Protection, 289–290

Cohesity Recovery, 290

Commvault, 290–291

Veeam Availability Suite, 286–289

Hyper-V, 39

replication

administrators, 266

considerations, 266–267

port requirements, 265–266

storage spaces, 266

supported clusters, 266–267

topologies, 265

replication networks

considerations, 269

HX Connect configurations, 270–273

overview of, 267–268

topologies, 268

replication pairs

creating, 274–277

overview of, 273–274

bandwidth, replication network connections, 272–273

bare metal (type 1) hypervisors, 37

Base edition (Intersight), 295

base VM, ReadyClone support, 200

best practices

native snapshots, 192–193

ReadyClones, 201

blade firmware bundle (UCS), 232–233

blade servers

compute-only nodes, 52

UCS 5108 chassis, 19–20

UCS-B series blade servers, 20, 62

branch offices, HyperFlex Edge, 27–28

browsers

HyperFlex installations, 81

Intersight browser compatibility, 295

bundles (HyperFlex components)

downloading, 232–233

UCS bundles, 232–233

upgrade bundle (.tgz file), 232

VMware ESXi Offline Zip bundle, 232

C

cabling, 40 Gigabit Ethernet, 56

carbon-aggregator (controller service), 43

carbon-cache (controller service), 43

Catalyst switches, 88

certificates

CSR, 179

self-certificates, 179

changed block tracking, HyperFlex backups, 288–289

charts, Performance page (HX Connect), 164–165

Chrome (Google), HyperFlex installations, 81

cip-monitor (controller service), 43

Cleaner, 45, 46

clients (vSphere), 38-38

cloud-based management, Intersight, 23–24, 293–296

Cluster IP Monitor (controller service), 43

Cluster Management IP (controller service), 44

Cluster Manager Service (controller service), 43

clusters, 75

access policies, configuring, 241

compute-only nodes, 81

converged nodes, 43

CRM, 46

direct connect mode setup, 101–103

edge clusters, 41, 64–66

10 Gigabit Ethernet switch configurations, 70–73

dual-switch configurations, 68–70

HyperFlex configurations, 107–120

single-switch configurations, 66–68

UCS FI, 78

health

verifying in UCSM, 238–239

viewing, 235–236

HyperFlex Edge clusters

installation wizard, 310–320

management, 321–322

Intersight

cluster deployments, 297

cluster policies, 296–297

M*N connectivity, 269

nodes

five-node clusters, 219

four-node clusters, 219

three-node clusters, 219, 245–247

QoS, 88

remote clusters, HX Connect, 176–177

replication, 266–267

scaling, 207

compute nodes, 213, 224

converged nodes, 208–212, 217–224

expanding stretch clusters, 213–218

node expansion, 207–213

node removal, 217, 224

SED cluster ports, 86

shutdown stops, 46

standard clusters, 41, 58–59

FI connectivity, 59–60

HX-series rack-mount server connectivity, 60–62

HyperFlex configurations, 107–120

UCS B-series blade server connectivity, 62

storage capacity, 236

storage clusters

adding drives, 225

HyperFlex installation requirements, 94–95

NTP servers, 96

registration, 184–189

stretch clusters, 41, 63–64, 76

ACI requirements, 133

expanding, 213–218

FI, 132

HyperFlex configurations, 130–150

network IP addressing, 136–137

stretch witness ports, 85

UCSM requirements, 133

VLAN requirements, 133

VMware requirements, 133

witness nodes, 133–136

Witness VM, 132

upgrades, with HX Connect UI, 254–259

upstream switches, 88, 89

Cohesity

Cohesity Protection, 289–290

Cohesity Recovery, 290

HyperFlex backups, 289–290

combined upgrades, 252

Commvault, HyperFlex backups, 290–291

component bundles (HyperFlex upgrades)

downloading, 232–233

UCS bundles, 232–233

upgrade bundle (.tgz file), 232

VMware ESXi Offline Zip bundle, 232

compression (data), 45

compute nodes

removing, 224

scaling clusters, 213, 224

compute-only nodes, 52, 81

computing

Hyper-V computing environment, 39

UCS, 15

configurations

cluster access policies, 241

HyperFlex configurations

edge clusters, 107–120

HyperFlex 3.5 configurations, 88–89

standard clusters, 107–120

stretch clusters, 130–150

HyperFlex Edge, postinstallation configurations, 320–321

integrated management controllers, 306–308

Net.TeamPolicyUpDelay default values, 236–237

replication networks via HX Connect, 270–273

vCenter configuration requirements, 95

connectivity

HyperFlex, 7–9, 75

M*N connectivity, 269

remote connectivity, Hyper-V, 39

upstream network connectivity, verifying, 240–241

controller services, 43–44

Controller VM

access (HX Connect, System Information page), 167

CPU resource reservations, 96–97

HX220c M4 Controller VM, 99

HX220c M5 Controller VM, 97–98

HX240c M4 Controller VM, 99–100

HX240c M5 Controller VM, 97, 98

HXAF220c Controller VM, 97–98

HXAF220c M4 Controller VM, 99

HXAF240c M4 Controller VM, 99–100

HXAF240c M5 Controller VM, 97–98

locations, 97–100

storage cluster registration, 188–189

converged data centers, 1–2

converged nodes, 77–78

HyperFlex

clusters and, 43

installation requirements, 79–80

removing, 217–224

scaling clusters, 208–212, 217–224

CPU resource reservations, Controller VM, 96–97

CRM (Cluster Resource Manager), 46

cron (controller service), 44

CSR (Certificate Signing Requests), 179

D

Dashboard page (HX Connect), 154–155

data centers

converged data centers, 1–2

HCI, 3–4. See also HyperFlex

deployment models (automated), 4

server integration, 4

traditional (non-converged) data centers, 1–2

data optimization, 45

compression, 45

deduplication, 45

data platforms, HyperFlex, 24–25

data protection

DR snapshots, 267

protection groups, 267

replication

administrators, 266

considerations, 266–267

port requirements, 265–266

storage spaces, 266

supported clusters, 266–267

topologies, 265

replication networks

considerations, 269

HX Connect configurations, 270–273

overview of, 267–268

topologies, 268

replication pairs

creating, 274–277

overview of, 273–274

RPO, 263–265

RTO, 263–265

VM protection groups, 276–281

data recovery, Cohesity Recovery, 290

datastores, 205

adding, 205–206

creating, 206

non-HX datastores, disaster recovery, 267

Datastores page (HX Connect), 169–170

deduplication, 45

deleting snapshots, 198–199

deployments

cluster deployments with Intersight, 297

HCI automated deployments models, 4

HyperFlex deployment options, 6–7

desktops (VDI), hypervisors, 36–37

Device Connect page (HX Connect), 159–160

direct connect mode, cluster setup, 101–103

disaster recovery, 263

compatibility matrix, 281–282

considerations, 267

data protection, RTO/RPO, 263–265

DRS, verifying enabled status, 236

HyperFlex, 12

Hyper-V, 39

non-HX datastores, 267

overview of, 281

plan migration, 285–286

protection groups, 267

rebooting nodes, 267

replication

administrators, 263

considerations, 266–267

port requirements, 265–266

storage spaces, 266

supported clusters, 266–267

topologies, 265

replication networks

considerations, 269

HX Connect configurations, 270–273

overview of, 267–268

topologies, 268

replication pairs

creating, 274–277

overview of, 273–274

snapshots

DR snapshots, 267

VM, 267

thin provisioning, 267

VM

protection groups, 276–281

recovery, 282–285

snapshots, 267

disks

HyperFlex installation requirements, 79

partitioning, 80

Disks page (HX Connect, System Information page), 168–169

DJL2 (Disjoint Layer 2), 89

DNS and name server service (controller service), 44

DNS servers, HyperFlex installation requirements, 96

downloading component bundles (HyperFlex upgrades), 232–233

DR (Disaster Recovery) snapshots, 267

drives

adding to storage clusters, 225

HDD, 229–230

SSD, 225–229

DRS (Disaster Recovery Systems), verifying enabled status, 236

dual-switch configurations

HyperFlex Edge, 300–301

edge clusters, 68–70

E

edge clusters, 41, 64–66

10 Gigabit Ethernet switch configurations, 70–73

dual-switch configurations, 68–70

HyperFlex configurations, 107–120

single-switch configurations, 66–68

UCS FI, 78

edge for remote branch offices, 47

encryption

HX Connect, 177–179

key-encryption (security) keys, 177

media encryption keys, 177

security (key-encryption) keys, 177

ensembles, 47

Essentials edition (Intersight), 295–296

ESX Agent Manager, 237

ESXi, 37

ESXi Offline Zip bundle (VMware), 232

ESXi Upgrade (HX Connect, Upgrade page), 173–174

node checks, 242–243

stretch cluster installations, 130–150

vmkernel, 37

Ethernet

10 Gigabit Ethernet switch edge cluster configurations, 70–73

40 Gigabit Ethernet cabling, specifications, 56

Events page (HX Connect), 162–163

exhibitor (controller service), 43

external HyperFlex connections, HyperFlex installation requirements, 87–88

F

FI (Fabric Interconnects)

direct connect mode cluster setup, 103

DJL2, 89

edge clusters, 78

HyperFlex installation requirements, 92

HyperFlex installations, 78

network provisioning, 88

standard cluster topologies, 59–60

stretch clusters, 132

UCS 6200 series, 18–19

UCS 6300 series, 17–18

UCS 6454, 16–17

upstream switches and, 88, 89

Firefox, HyperFlex installations, 81

firmware, UCS

blade firmware bundle, 232–233

infrastructure firmware, upgrading, 248–261

rack-mount firmware bundle, 232–233

server firmware, Upgrade page (HX Connect), 173

five-node clusters, 219

four-node clusters, 219

G

Google Chrome, HyperFlex installations, 81

graphite (controller service), 44

H

hard disks

HyperFlex installation requirements, 79

partitioning, 80

hardware replacement

HDD, 229–230

SSD, 225–226

housekeeping SSD, 227–229

NVMe SSD, 226–227

HCI (Hyperconverged Infrastructure), 3–4. See also HyperFlex

deployment models (automated), 4

management (centralized), 4

scalability, 4

server integration, 4

storage, 4

HDD (Hard-Disk Drives), replacing, 229–230

health checks

HyperCheck utility, 242–248

storage controller VM, 242–243

health of clusters

verifying in UCSM, 238–239

viewing, 235–236

hosts, HyperFlex installation requirements, 79

housekeeping SSD, 227–229

HX Connect, 29

Activity page, 163–164

Alarms page, 160–161

Dashboard page, 154–155

datastores

creating, 206

Datastores page, 169–170

encryption, 177–179

Events page, 162–163

local accounts, 151

logins, 151

Performance page, 164–165

pre-upgrade UCS server firmware (C-bundle), verifying, 234–235

RBAC, 152–154

ReadyClones, creating, 201–203

remote clusters, 176–177

replication, 175–177

replication networks, 270–273

Settings page, 155

Auto-Support, 156–157

Device Connect, 159–160

Kubernetes, 158–159

Notifications Settings page, 157–158

Support Bundle Settings, 156–157

System Information page, 165–166

Controller VM access, 167

Disks page, 168–169

Nodes page, 167

Upgrade page, 172

ESXi Upgrade, 173–174

HX Data Platform Upgrade, 173

Progress page, 174

UCS server firmware, 173

Virtual Machines page, 171–172

Web CLI page, 174–175

HX Connect UI, cluster upgrades, 254–259

HX Data Platform, 29, 41, 183

components of, 78

datastores, 205

adding, 205–206

creating, 206

disaster recovery, 263

compatibility matrix, 281–282

considerations, 267

data protection, RTO/RPO, 263–265

replication, 265–267

replication, networking, 267–273

replication, pairs, 273–277

VM migration, 285–286

VM protection, 276–281

VM recovery, 282–285

installations, 183

installer navigation aid buttons, 117

Installer OVA deployments with vSphere Web Client, 104–107

installer-related ports, 82

ReadyClones, 199

base VM support, 200

benefits of, 200

best practices, 201

creating, 201–205

requirements, 200–201

standard cluster topologies, 58–59

FI connectivity, 59–60

HX-series rack-mount server connectivity, 60–62

UCS B-series blade server connectivity, 62

storage clusters, 183, 184–189

upgrade bundle (.tgz file), 232

vSwitch switches, 91

HX Device Connector (controller service), 43–44

HX220 M5/M4 Series, 47

HX220c-M4S Hybrid, 49

HX220c-M5SX Hybrid, 48

HXAF220c-M4S All Flash, 48

HXAF220c-M5SX All Flash, 48

HX220c M4 Controller VM, 99

HX220c M5 Controller VM, 97–98

HX240 M5/M4 Series, 49

HX240c-M4SX All Flash, 50–51

HX240c-M4SX Hybrid, 51

HX240c-M5L Hybrid, 50

HX240c-M5SX Hybrid, 49–50

HXAF220c-M5N All-NVMe, 51

HXAF240c-M5SX All Flash, 49

HX240c M4 Controller VM, 99–100

HX240c M5 Controller VM, 97, 98

HXAF220c Controller VM, 97–98

HXAF220c M4 Controller VM, 99

HXAF240c M4 Controller VM, 99–100

HXAF240c M5 Controller VM, 97–98

hx-device-connector (controller service), 43–44

hxmanager (controller service), 43

HX-series nodes

all flash nodes, 47

HX220 M5/M4 Series, 47

HX220c-M4S Hybrid, 49

HX220c-M5SX Hybrid, 48

HXAF220c-M4S All Flash, 48

HXAF220c-M5SX All Flash, 48

HX240 M5/M4 Series, 49

HX240c-M4SX All Flash, 50–51

HX240c-M4SX Hybrid, 51

HX240c-M5L Hybrid, 50

HX240c-M5SX Hybrid, 49–50

HXAF220c-M5N All-NVMe, 51

HXAF240c-M5SX All Flash, 49

hybrid nodes, 47

node models, 47

HX-series rack-mount servers, standard cluster topologies, 60–62

Hybrid converged nodes, SSD, 51

hybrid nodes, 25, 47

HyperCheck utility, 242–248

HyperFlex, 4–5, 41–42. See also HCI

adaptability, 7–12

advantages of, 7–12

All Flash nodes, 26–27

backups, 286

changed block tracking, 288–289

Cohesity, 289–290

Cohesity Protection, 289–290

Cohesity Recovery, 290

Commvault, 290–291

Veeam Availability Suite, 286–289

clusters, 75

converged nodes, 43

edge clusters, 41, 64–73, 120–130

node expansion, 207–213

node removal, 217, 224

scaling clusters, 207–224

standard clusters, 41, 58–62, 107–120

storage clusters, 225

stretch clusters, 41, 63–64, 76, 130–150, 213–218

verifying health in UCSM, 238–239

components of, 4–6

compute-only nodes, 52

connectivity, 7–9, 75

control services, 43–44

CRM, 46

data compression, 45

data optimization, 45

data platform, 24–25

data platforms, 41

deduplication, 45

deployment options, 6–7

edge for remote branch offices, 47

external connections, 87–88

hardware replacement

HDD, 229–230

SSD, 225–229

HX Connect, logins, 151

HX Data Platform, 41

183–0006, 183

components of, 78

creating snapshots, 193–195

datastores, 205–206

deleting snapshots, 198–199

disaster recovery, 263

disaster recovery, compatibility matrix, 281–282

disaster recovery, considerations, 267

disaster recovery, data protection, 263–265

disaster recovery, replication, 265–267

disaster recovery, replication networking, 267–273

disaster recovery, replication pairs, 273–277

disaster recovery, VM migration, 285–286

disaster recovery, VM protection, 276–281

disaster recovery, VM recovery, 282–285

installations, 183

native snapshots, 190, 193

ReadyClones, 199–205

reverting to snapshots, 196–198

scheduling snapshots, 195–196

SENTINEL snapshots, 193, 199

storage cluster registration, 184–189

storage clusters, 183

HX220 M5/M4 Series, 47

HX220c-M4S Hybrid, 49

HX220c-M5SX Hybrid, 48

HXAF220c-M4S All Flash, 48

HXAF220c-M5SX All Flash, 48

HX240 M5/M4 Series, 49

HX240c-M4SX All Flash, 50–51

HX240c-M4SX Hybrid, 51

HX240c-M5L Hybrid, 50

HX240c-M5SX Hybrid, 49–50

HXAF220c-M5N All-NVMe, 51

HXAF240c-M5SX All Flash, 49

HX-series nodes

all flash nodes, 47

hybrid nodes, 47

node models, 47

HX-series system management

components of, 28–29

HX Connect, 29

HX Data Platform, 29

UCSM, 28–29

VMware vCenter management, 29

hybrid nodes, 25

HyperFlex 3.5 configurations, 88–89

HyperFlex Cleaner, 45–46

HyperFlex Edge, 27–28

installations, 52–53

ASUP requirements, 100–101

browser recommendations, 81

compute-only nodes, 79–80

Controller VM locations, 97–100

converged nodes, 79–80

CPU resource reservations, Controller VM, 96–97

direct connect mode cluster setup, 101–103

disk requirements, 79–81

edge clusters, 107–120

external HyperFlex connections, 87–88

host requirements, 79

HX Data Platform, Installer OVA deployments, 104–107

hypervisor requirements, 93–94

Intersight and, 76

IP address requirements, 93–94

memory resource reservations, storage controller VM, 97

network settings, 91

port requirements, 81–87

prerequisites, 76–77

software versions, 78

SSO requirements, 101

storage clusters, 94–95

stretch clusters, 130–150

system components, 77–78

system servers, 101

system services requirements, 96

UCS FI, 78

UCS FI network provisioning, 88

UCS requirements, 92–93

upstream switches and FI, 88, 89

vCenter configuration requirements, 95

VLAN requirements, 91–92

VMware vSphere, 79

vSwitch switch requirements, 91–92

workflows, 103

Intersight and, 12–13, 76

Log File System, 44–45

management

HX Connect, 151–179

next generation management, 12–13

scaling clusters, 207–224

single point of management, 7–9

node models, 47

nodes, 75

replication, 12

scalability, 7–11

SCVM, 42

IO Visor, 42, 44

stHypervisorSvc, 43

VAAI, 42

VIB, 42–43

Smart Account registration, 184, 185

Smart Licensing, 184–189

snapshots

creating, 193–195

deleting, 198–199

native snapshots, 190, 193

reverting to, 196–198

scheduling, 195–196

SENTINEL snapshots, 193, 199

software, versions of, 78

storage clusters, registration, 184–189

stretch clusters, 12

system components, 77–78

UCS and, 7–9

upgrading, 230–231

cluster health, 235–236

cluster storage capacity, 236

cluster upgrades with HX Connect UI, 254–259

downloading component bundles, 232–233

ESX Agent Manager, 237

health checks via HyperCheck utility, 242–248

Net.TeamPolicyUpDelay default values, 236–237

pre-upgrade validation, 235–241

pre-upgrade workflow, 231–232

verifying cluster access policies, 241

verifying DRS enabled status, 236

verifying pre-upgrade UCS server firmware (C-bundle), 234–235

verifying upstream network connectivity, 240–241

verifying vMotion interfaces, 239

Zookeeper, 46–47

HyperFlex 3.5 configurations, 88–89

HyperFlex Cleaner, 45–46

HyperFlex Connect server (controller service), 43

HyperFlex Edge

clusters

installation wizard, 310–320

management, 321–322

dual-switch configurations, 300–301

installations via Intersight, 304

claiming devices, 308–310

HyperFlex Edge clusters installation wizard, 310–320

integrated management controller configurations, 306–308

postinstallation configurations, 320–321

prerequisites, 304–306

single-switch configurations, 299–300

topologies

logical topology, 301–304

physical topology, 299

Hyper-V, 38

backups, 39

computing environment, 39

disaster recovery, 39

optimization, 39

portability, 39

remote connectivity, 39

security, 39

hypervisors, 36–37

bare metal (type 1) hypervisors, 37

HyperFlex installation requirements, 93–94

type 1 (bare metal) hypervisors, 37

type 2 hypervisors, 37

VMware vSphere hypervisors, 37–38

I

infrastructure bundle (UCS), 232–233

installations

HX Data Platform, 183

HyperCheck utility, 243–248

HyperFlex, 52–53, 76

ASUP requirements, 100–101

browser recommendations, 81

compute-only nodes, 79–80

Controller VM locations, 97–100

converged nodes, 79–80

CPU resource reservations, Controller VM, 96–97

direct connect mode cluster setup, 101–103

disk requirements, 79–81

edge clusters, 107–120

external HyperFlex connections, 87–88

host requirements, 79

HX Data Platform, Installer OVA deployments, 104–107

hypervisor requirements, 93–94

IP address requirements, 93–94

memory resource reservations, storage controller VM, 97

network settings, 91

port requirements, 81–87

prerequisites, 76–77

software versions, 78

SSO requirements, 101

storage clusters, 94–95

stretch clusters, 130–150

system components, 77–78

system servers, 101

system services requirements, 96

UCS FI, 78, 88

UCS requirements, 92–93

upstream switches and FI, 88, 89

vCenter configuration requirements, 95

VLAN requirements, 91–92

VMware vSphere, 79

vSwitch switch requirements, 91–92

workflows, 103

HyperFlex Edge clusters installation wizard, 310–320

HyperFlex Edge via Intersight, 304

claiming devices, 308–310

HyperFlex Edge clusters installation wizard, 310–320

integrated management controller configurations, 306–308

postinstallation configurations, 320–321

prerequisites, 304–306

VIB

IO Visor, 42

stHypervisorSvc, 43

VAAI, 42

VIC, 52–53

installer-related ports, HyperFlex installation requirements, 82

integrated management controller configurations, 306–308

Internet Explorer, HyperFlex installations, 81

Intersight, 294

analytics, 293

arbitrator overview, 298–299

automation, 293

Base edition, 295

browser compatibility, 295

cloud-based management, 23–24, 293–296

Essentials edition, 295–296

HyperFlex, 12–13

clusters, 296–297

installations, 76

HyperFlex Edge

dual-switch configurations, 300–301

installations, 304–321

logical topology, 301–304

physical topology, 299

single-switch configurations, 299–300

MaaS, 294

recommendation engine, 294

support for, 294

telemetry, 293

IO Visor, 42, 44

IP addresses

HyperFlex installation requirements, 93–94

network IP addressing, stretch clusters, 136–137

replication network connections, 272–273

J

Job scheduler (controller service), 44

K

key-encryption (security) keys, 177

Kubernetes page (HX Connect), 158–159

L

Licensing (Smart), 184–189

local accounts, HX Connect, 151

Log File System, 44–45

logical topology, HyperFlex Edge, 301–304

logins, HX Connect, 151

M

M*N connectivity, 269

MaaS (Management as a Service), Intersight, 294

mail servers, ports, 83

management

HCI, 4

HyperFlex

HX Connect, 151–179

next generation management, 12–13

scaling clusters, 207–224

single point of management, 7–9

HyperFlex Edge cluster management, 321–322

HyperFlex HX-series system management, components of, 28–29

Intersight cloud-based management, 23–24

UCS, 16

VM

datastores, 205–206

ReadyClones, 199–205

snapshots, 189–199

VMware vCenter, 29

vSphere update manager, 38

MDS 9000 multilayer director, SAN switches, 29

9500 series, 31

9700 series, 30

media encryption keys, 177

memory, resource reservations, storage controller VM, 97

mgmtip (controller service), 44

Microsoft Internet Explorer, HyperFlex installations, 81

migration planning, disaster recovery, 285–286

monitoring-related ports, HyperFlex installation requirements, 83

Mozilla Firefox, HyperFlex installations, 81

N

name servers, ports, 83–84

native snapshots, 190

benefits of, 190–191

best practices, 192–193

considerations, 191–192

parameters, 191–192

timezones, 193

Net.TeamPolicyUpDelay default values, 236–237

network switches, 31

Nexus 5000 series, 31–33

Nexus 9000 series, 33

ACI mode, 34–36

NX-OS mode, 33–34

networks

HyperFlex installation settings, 91

IP addressing, stretch clusters, 136–137

provisioning, UCS FI, 88

replication networks

considerations, 269

HX Connect configurations, 270–273

overview of, 267–268

topologies, 268

UCS, 15

upstream network connectivity, verifying, 240–241

VLAN, replication network connections, 270–272

Nexus 5000 series switches, 31–33

Nexus 9000 series switches, 33

ACI mode, 34–36

NX-OS mode, 33–34

nginx (controller service), 44

nodes, 75

All Flash nodes, 26–27, 47, 51

All-NVMe nodes, NVMe drives, 51

clusters, scaling

compute nodes, 213, 224

converged nodes, 208–212, 217–224

expanding stretch clusters, 213–218

compute nodes

removing, 224

scaling clusters, 213, 224

compute-only nodes, 52

clusters, 81

HyperFlex installation requirements, 81

converged nodes, 77–78

HyperFlex clusters, 43

HyperFlex installation requirements, 79–80

removing, 217–224

scaling clusters, 208–212, 217–224

DRS, verifying enabled status, 236

ensembles, 47

ESXi node checks, 242–243

five-node clusters, 219

four-node clusters, 219

HX220 M5/M4 Series, 47

HX220c-M4S Hybrid, 49

HX220c-M5SX Hybrid, 48

HXAF220c-M4S All Flash, 48

HXAF220c-M5SX All Flash, 48

HX240 M5/M4 Series, 49

HX240c-M4SX All Flash, 50–51

HX240c-M4SX Hybrid, 51

HX240c-M5L Hybrid, 50

HX240c-M5SX Hybrid, 49–50

HXAF220c-M5N All-NVMe, 51

HXAF240c-M5SX All Flash, 49

Hybrid converged nodes, SSD, 51

hybrid nodes, 47

HyperFlex node models, 47

rebooting nodes, 267

removing

compute nodes, 224

converged nodes, 217–224

simultaneous failures, 95

three-node clusters, 219, 245–247

witness nodes

stretch cluster deployments, 134–136

stretch cluster requirements, 133–134

znode, 46–47

Nodes page (HX Connect, System Information page), 167

non-converged (traditional) data centers, 1–2

non-HX datastores, disaster recovery, 267

Notifications Settings page (HX Connect), 157–158

NTP servers

HyperFlex installation requirements, 96

storage clusters, 96

NVMe drives, All-NVMe nodes, 51

NVMe SSD, replacing, 226–227

NX-OS mode, Nexus 9000 series switches, 33–34

O

optimization

data, 45

compression, 45

deduplication, 45

Hyper-V, 39

P

partitioning disks, 80

Performance page (HX Connect), 164–165

physical topology, HyperFlex Edge, 299

plan migration, disaster recovery, 285–286

portability, Hyper-V, 39

ports

HyperFlex installation requirements, 81–82

installer-related ports, 82

mail server-related ports, 83

monitoring-related ports, 83

name server-related ports, 83–84

replication ports, 85–86

SED cluster ports, 86

SSO server-related ports, 85

stretch witness ports, 85

time server-related ports, 82

UCSM-related ports, 86

user-related ports, 84

replication requirements, 265–266

prerequisites, HyperFlex installations, 76–77

pre-upgrade UCS server firmware (C-bundle), verifying, 234–235

Progress page (HX Connect, Upgrade page), 174

protecting data

DR snapshots, 267

protection groups, 267

replication

administrators, 266

considerations, 266–267

port requirements, 265–266

storage spaces, 266

supported clusters, 266–267

topologies, 265

replication networks

considerations, 269

HX Connect configurations, 270–273

overview of, 267–268

topologies, 268

replication pairs

creating, 274–277

overview of, 273–274

RPO, 263–265

RTO, 263–265

VM protection groups, 276–281

Q

QoS (Quality of Service), clusters, 88

QSA, VIC 1387 mLOM cards support, 54–56

QSFP, VIC 1387 mLOM cards support, 54–55

R

rack servers, UCS-C series, 22

rack-mount firmware bundle (UCS), 232–233

rack-mount servers (HX-series), standard cluster topologies, 60–62

RBAC (Role-Based Access Control), HX Connect, 152–154

ReadyClones, 199

base VM support, 200

benefits of, 200

best practices, 201

creating via

HX Connect, 201–203

HX Data Platform, 203–205

requirements, 200–201

rebalancing (CRM), 46

rebooting nodes, 267

recommendation engine, Intersight, 294

recovery. See disaster recovery

redo log snapshots, 193–195

registration

Smart Account registration, 184, 185

storage clusters, 184–185

controller VM, 188–189

creating registration tokens, 185–187

tokens, creating, 185–187

remote clusters, HX Connect, 176–177

remote connectivity, Hyper-V, 39

remote offices

edge for remote branch offices, 47

HyperFlex Edge, 27–28

removing nodes

compute nodes, 224

converged nodes, 217–224

replacing hardware

HDD, 229–230

SSD, 225–226

housekeeping SSD, 227–229

NVMe SSD, 226–227

repl-cip-monitor (controller service), 43

replication

administrators, 265

considerations, 266–267

HX Connect, 175–177

HyperFlex, 12

pairing, HX Connect, 176–177

port requirements, 265–266

ports, HyperFlex installation requirements, 85–86

replication networks

considerations, 269

HX Connect configurations, 270–273

overview of, 267–268

topologies, 268

replication pairs

creating, 274–277

overview of, 273–274

storage spaces, 266

supported clusters, 266–267

topologies, 265

Replication Cluster IP Monitor (controller service), 43

Replication services (controller service), 43

replsvc (controller service), 43

resolvconf (controller service), 44

resource reservations

CPU, Controller VM, 96–97

memory, storage controller VM, 97

Reverse proxy server (controller service), 44

reverting to snapshots, 196–198

robo clusters. See edge clusters

RPO (Recovery Point Objectives), 263–265

RTO (Recovery Time Objectives), 263–265

S

SaaS (Software as a Service), Intersight cloud-based management, 23–24

SAN switches, MDS 9000 multilayer director, 29

9500 series, 31

9700 series, 30

scalability

HCI, 4

HyperFlex, 7–11

scaling clusters, 207

node expansion, 207–208

compute nodes, 213, 224

converged nodes, 208–212, 217–224

stretch clusters, 213–218

node removal

compute nodes, 224

converged nodes, 217–224

scheduling snapshots, 195–196

SCVM (Storage Controller Virtual Machine), 42

HX services, 43–44

IO Visor, 42, 44

SCVM client (controller service), 43

stHypervisorSvc, 43

VAAI, 42

VIB, 42–43

security

Hyper-V, 39

key-encryption security, 177

SED cluster ports, HyperFlex installation requirements, 86

self-certificates, 179

SENTINEL snapshots, 193, 199

servers

blade servers

compute-only nodes, 52

standard cluster topologies, 62

UCS 5108 chassis, 19–20

UCS-B series blade servers, 20

disk partitioning, 80

DNS servers, HyperFlex installation requirements, 96

HCI, server integration, 4

mail servers, ports, 83

name servers, ports, 83–84

NTP servers

HyperFlex installation requirements, 96

storage clusters, 96

rack servers, UCS-C series, 22

rack-mount servers, standard cluster topologies, 60–62

SSO servers, ports, 85

storage servers, UCS-S series, 23

UCS server firmware, Upgrade page (HX Connect), 173

vCenter servers, 38

services, controller services, 43–44

Settings page (HX Connect), 155

Auto-Support, 156–157

Device Connect, 159–160

Kubernetes, 158–159

Notifications Settings page, 157–158

Support Bundle Settings, 156–157

SFP (Small Form Factor Pluggable)

VIC 1227 mLOM cards support, 54

VIC 1387 mLOM cards support, 56

SFP+10 Gbps transceivers, VIC 1457 mLOM cards, 56, 57

shutdown stops (clusters), 46

simultaneous failures, 95

single-switch configurations

edge clusters, 66–68

HyperFlex Edge, 299–300

Smart Account registration, 184, 185

Smart Licensing, storage cluster registration, 184–185

controller VM, 188–189

creating registration tokens, 185–187

snapshots

creating, 193–195

deleting, 198–199

native snapshots, 190

benefits of, 190–191

best practices, 192–193

considerations, 191–192

parameters, 191–192

timezones, 193

redo log snapshots, best practices, 193–195

reverting to snapshots, 196–198

scheduling, 195–196

SENTINEL snapshots, 193, 199

VM management, 189–199

datastores, 205–206

ReadyClones, 199–205

VM protection, 267

software, HyperFlex software versions, 78

split L2 topologies, 267–268

split upgrades, 252

Springpath file system (controller service), 43

SSD (Solid-State Drives)

All Flash nodes, 51

Hybrid converged nodes, 51

replacing, 225–226

housekeeping SSD, 227–229

NVMe SSD, 226–227

SSO (Single Sign-On)

HyperFlex installation requirements, 101

servers, ports, 85

standard clusters, 41, 58–59

FI connectivity, 59–60

HX-series rack-mount server connectivity, 60–62

HyperFlex configurations, 107–120

UCS B-series blade server connectivity, 62

Stats Aggregator Service (controller service), 43

Stats Cache Service (controller service), 43

Stats Listener Service (controller service), 43

Stats web server (controller service), 44

statsd (controller service), 43

stHypervisorSvc, 43

stMgr (controller service), 43

storage

cluster storage capacity, 236

HCI, 4

replication of storage spaces, 266

UCS, 16

UCS-S series storage servers, 23

storage clusters, 183

adding drives, 225

HyperFlex installation requirements, 94–95

NTP servers, 96

registration, 184–185

controller VM, 188–189

creating registration tokens, 185–187

storage controller VM

health checks, 242–243

time zones, 96

storfs (controller service), 43

stretch clusters, 41, 63–64, 76

ACI requirements, 133

expanding, 213–218

FI, 132

HyperFlex, 12, 130–150

network IP addressing, 136–137

stretch witness ports, 85

UCSM requirements, 133

VLAN requirements, 133

VMware requirements, 133

witness nodes, 133–136

Witness VM, 132

stretch witness ports, HyperFlex installation requirements, 85

Support Bundle Settings page (HX Connect), 156–157

switches

10 Gigabit Ethernet switch edge cluster configurations, 70–73

Catalyst switches, clusters and, 88

dual-switch configurations

edge clusters, 68–70

HyperFlex Edge, 300–301

HyperFlex Edge

dual-switch configurations, 300–301

single-switch configurations, 299–300

network switches, 31

Nexus 5000 series, 31–33

Nexus 9000 series, 33–36

SAN switches, MDS 9000 multilayer director switches, 29–31

single-switch configurations

edge clusters, 66–68

HyperFlex Edge, 299–300

upstream switches

clusters and, 88, 89

DJL2, 89

vSwitch switches

HX Data Platform, 91

HyperFlex installation requirements, 91–92

System Information page (HX Connect), 165–166

Controller VM access, 167

Disks page, 168–169

Nodes page, 167

system management service (controller service), 43

system servers, HyperFlex installation requirements, 101

system services, HyperFlex installation requirements, 96

T

telemetry, Intersight, 293

.tgz file (upgrade bundle), 232

thin provisioning, 267

three-node clusters, 219, 245–247

time server-related ports, HyperFlex installation requirements, 82

time zones

native snapshots, 193

storage controller VM, 96

tomcat (controller service), 44

topologies

edge clusters, 64–66

10 Gigabit Ethernet switch configurations, 70–73

dual-switch configurations, 68–70

single-switch configurations, 66–68

HyperFlex Edge

logical topology, 301–304

physical topology, 299

replication, 265

replication networks, 268

split L2 topologies, 267–268

standard clusters, 58–59

FI connectivity, 59–60

HX-series rack-mount server connectivity, 60–62

UCS B-series blade server connectivity, 62

stretch clusters, 63–64

traditional (non-converged) data centers, 1–2

Twinax

VIC 1227 mLOM cards support, 54

VIC 1387 mLOM cards support, 56

VIC 1457 mLOM cards support, 57–58

type 1 (bare metal) hypervisors, 37

type 2 hypervisors, 37

U

UCS (Unified Computing System), 15

blade firmware bundle, 232–233

B-series blade servers, standard cluster topologies, 62

components of, 15–16

computing, 15

FI

edge clusters, 78

HyperFlex installations, 78, 92

network provisioning, 88

HyperFlex and, 7–9, 92–93

infrastructure

bundle, 232–233

firmware, upgrading, 248–261

management, 16

networks, 15

pre-upgrade UCS server firmware (C-bundle), verifying, 234–235

rack-mount firmware bundle, 232–233

server firmware, Upgrade page (HX Connect), 173

storage, 16

UCS-B series, 16

blade servers, 20

UCS 5108 chassis, 19–20

UCS 6200 series, 18–19

UCS 6300 series, 17–18

UCS 6454, 16–17

UCS-C series rack servers, 22

UCSM, 16, 20–22, 28–29

UCS-S series storage servers, 23

virtualization, 16

UCSM (UCS Manager), 16, 20–22

cluster health, verifying, 238–239

HyperFlex Edge cluster management, 321–322

HyperFlex HX-series system management, 28–29

HyperFlex installation requirements, 93

ports, HyperFlex installation requirements, 86

replication network connections, 271

stretch cluster requirements, 133

verifying pre-upgrade UCS server firmware (C-bundle), 234

updates, vSphere update manager, 38

Upgrade page (HX Connect)

ESXi Upgrade, 173–174

HX Data Platform Upgrade, 173

Progress page, 174

UCS server firmware, 173

upgrades

cluster upgrades with HX Connect UI, 254–259

combined upgrades, 252

HX Data Platform Upgrade, 173

HyperFlex, 230–231

cluster health, 235–236

cluster storage capacity, 236

cluster upgrades with HX Connect UI, 254–259

downloading component bundles, 232–233

ESX Agent Manager, 237

health checks via HyperCheck utility, 242–248

Net.TeamPolicyUpDelay default values, 236–237

pre-upgrade validation, 235–241

pre-upgrade workflow, 231–232

verifying cluster access policies, 241

verifying DRS enabled status, 236

verifying pre-upgrade UCS server firmware (C-bundle), 234–235

verifying upstream network connectivity, 240–241

verifying vMotion interfaces, 239

split upgrades, 252

UCS infrastructure firmware, 248–261

Upgrade page (HX Connect), 172

upstream network connectivity, verifying, 240–241

upstream switches

clusters and, 88, 89

DJL2, 89

user-related ports, HyperFlex installation requirements, 84

V

VAAI (VMware API for Integration Application), 42

validation, HyperFlex pre-upgrade validation, 235–241

vCenter

configuration requirements, 95

servers, 38

VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure), hypervisors, 36–37

Veeam Availability Suite

changed block tracking, 288–289

HyperFlex backups, 286–289

verifying

cluster health in UCSM, 238–239

DRS enabled status, 236

Net.TeamPolicyUpDelay default values, 236–237

pre-upgrade UCS server firmware (C-bundle), 234–235

upstream network connectivity, 240–241

vMotion interfaces, 239

VIB (vSphere Installation Bundles)

IO Visor, 42, 44

stHypervisorSvc, 43

VAAI, 42

VIC (Virtual Interface Cards)

installation, 52–53

VIC 1227 mLOM cards, 52–53

cable specification, 54

SFP support, 54

Twinax support, 54

VIC 1387 mLOM cards, 53

QSA support, 54–56

QSFP support, 54–55

SFP support, 56

Twinax support, 56

VIC 1455, direct connect mode cluster setup, 103

VIC 1457, direct connect mode cluster setup, 103

VIC 1457 mLOM cards, 53

SFP support, 56–57

SFP+10 Gbps transceivers, 56–57

SFP28 25 Gbps transceivers, 57

Twinax support, 57–58

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), hypervisors, 36–37

Virtual Machines. See VM

virtualization

Hyper-V, 38

backups, 39

computing environment, 39

disaster recovery, 39

optimization, 39

portability, 39

remote connectivity, 39

security, 39

UCS, 16

VLAN (Virtual Local Area Networks)

HyperFlex installation requirements, 91–92

replication network connections, 270–272

stretch cluster requirements, 133

VM (Virtual Machines)

base VM, ReadyClone support, 200

controller VM

access (HX Connect, System Information page), 167

CPU resource reservations, 96–97

HX220c M4 Controller VM, 99

HX220c M5 Controller VM, 97–98

HX240c M4 Controller VM, 99–100

HX240c M5 Controller VM, 97, 98

HXAF220c Controller VM, 97–98

HXAF220c M4 Controller VM, 99

HXAF240c M4 Controller VM, 99–100

HXAF240c M5 Controller VM, 97–98

locations, 97–100

storage cluster registration, 188–189

disaster recovery, snapshots, 267

management

datastores, 205–206

ReadyClones, 199–205

snapshots, 189–199

protection

groups, 276–281

snapshots, 267

ReadyClone support, 200

recovery, 282–285

SCVM, 42–43

storage controller VM

health checks, 242–243

time zones, 96

Virtual Machines page (HX Connect), 171–172

Witness VM, stretch cluster installations, 132

vmkernel, 37

vMotion interfaces, verifying, 239

VMware

ESXi, 37

ESXi Offline Zip bundle, 232

vmkernel, 37

stretch cluster requirements, 133

vCenter management, 29

vSphere

clients, 38, 104–107

ESXi, 37

vmkernel, 37

web client, 38

HyperFlex installations, 79

hypervisors, 37–38

update manager, 38

vCenter servers, 38

web client, 38

vSwitch switches

HX Data Platform, 91

HyperFlex installation requirements, 91–92

W

web browsers. See browsers

Web CLI page (HX Connect), 174–175

web clients, vSphere web client, 38

Web server (controller service), 44

witness nodes, stretch clusters

deployments, 134–136

requirements, 133–134

Witness VM, stretch cluster installations, 132

workflows, HyperFlex installations, 103

X - Y - Z

znode, 46–47

Zookeeper, 46–47