{"id":655,"date":"2019-04-01T13:06:58","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T10:06:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.arcak.net\/?p=653"},"modified":"2019-04-01T16:39:43","modified_gmt":"2019-04-01T13:39:43","slug":"dell-emc-vxrail-installation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.arcak.net\/index.php\/2019\/04\/01\/dell-emc-vxrail-installation\/","title":{"rendered":"Dell EMC VxRail Installation"},"content":{"rendered":"

In This article, I will talk about prerequisites, installation and basic issues for VxRail installation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

When I created the this document, the VxRail <\/strong>version was 4.5.300<\/strong>. Therefore, it may differ with the current version. (Adding new nodes, ESRS installation, etc.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Requirements (General)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Step<\/b><\/td>\nDefinition<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/strong><\/td>\nComplete physical installations of Servers and Switches.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/strong><\/td>\nDo the IDRAC and Switch BMC wiring.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/strong><\/td>\nOne cable from server to Tor Switch A, the second cable is to Tor Switch B.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/strong><\/td>\nConnect Tor Switches in the customer network and configure them as a stack, making sure there are no LACP on it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/strong><\/td>\nCreate the corresponding VLANS on Top-Of-Rack (Tor) Switches to be used for the VxRail.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/strong><\/td>\nEnable IPv4 and IPv6 multicast for the Management VLAN and IPv4 multicast for the vSAN VLAN.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/strong><\/td>\nCreate forward and reverse DNS records for ESXi, VCenter, and Log Insight and make sure they are resolved.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/strong><\/td>\nMake sure the Customer network is accessible. (AD, DNS, Proxy, etc.)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/strong><\/td>\nEnsure that the ESXi servers and the NTP server show the same time, if necessary, fix the time via the IDRAC and ESXi host.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/strong><\/td>\nTagged or Untagged traffic from Tor Switch ports connected to Vxrail are allowed, decide by structure.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11<\/strong><\/td>\nAllow all traffic to pass through ports used in connection between all switches, including IPv4 and IPv6 multicast if Multiple switches are in use.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Optional<\/strong><\/td>\nCheck that the EMC support account is correct.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Optional<\/strong><\/td>\nMake sure that the Switches connected to the BMC and the IDRAC support 100Mbps.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

Requirements (Network)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Vlan<\/b><\/td>\nMulticast-IGMP<\/b><\/td>\nRelated VLANS (4.7)<\/b><\/td>\nSample IP Range<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A<\/td>\nX<\/td>\nVmotion_Network<\/td>\n192.168.100.20-30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
B<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\nVsan_Network<\/td>\n192.168.101.20-30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
C<\/td>\nX<\/td>\nVm_Network<\/td>\nTrunk<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
D<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\nThe internal _Management_network<\/td>\n192.168.102.20-30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
E<\/td>\nX<\/td>\nExternal_Management_Network<\/td>\n192.168.103.20-30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
F<\/td>\nX<\/td>\nIdrac_Network<\/td>\n192.168.104.20-30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vlan<\/b><\/td>\nMulticast-IGMP<\/b><\/td>\nRelated VLANS (VxRail <4.7)<\/b><\/td>\nSample IP Range<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A<\/td>\nX<\/td>\nVmotion_Network<\/td>\n192.168.100.20-30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
B<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\nVsan_Network<\/td>\n192.168.101.20-30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
C<\/td>\nX<\/td>\nVm_Network<\/td>\nTrunk<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
D<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\nManagement_Network<\/td>\n192.168.103.20-30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
E<\/td>\nX<\/td>\nIdrac_Network<\/td>\n192.168.104.20-30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Requirements (DNS)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Serve<\/b>r Task<\/b><\/td>\nSampl<\/b>e Hostname<\/b><\/td>\nExampl<\/b>e IP<\/b> Address<\/b><\/td>\nDNS <\/b>(Forward and Reverse)<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vcenter Ip<\/td>\nvcenter.fabrikam.local<\/td>\n192.168.103.31<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
PSC Ip<\/td>\npsc.fabrikam.local<\/td>\n192.168.103.32<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vxrail Manager<\/td>\nvxrail-mgr.fabrikam.local<\/td>\n192.168.103.33<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vmware Log Insight Ip<\/td>\nloginsight.fabrikam.local<\/td>\n192.168.103.34<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Esrs Ip (Emc Account & Site Id)<\/td>\nesrs.fabrikam.local<\/td>\n192.168.103.35<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
VxRail Node 1<\/td>\nvxrail-01.fabrikam.local<\/td>\n192.168.103.20<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
VxRail Node 2<\/td>\nvxrail-02.fabrikam.local<\/td>\n192.168.103.21<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
VxRail Node 3<\/td>\nvxrail-03.fabrikam.local<\/td>\n192.168.103.22<\/td>\n\u2713<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Simplified Topology<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Below you can see the simplified VxRail topology<\/strong>. It supports from 2 nodes to 64 nodes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

TCP-IP Configuration Defaults<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Each node must be configured as DHCP for IPv4 and IPv6.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Must be “Link Local” (APIPA)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0 -169.254.Y.Z for IPv4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
-FE80:: As for IPv6.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Access to VxRail Manager 192.168.10.200<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Static IP<\/strong> should not be defined for ESXi<\/strong> hosts unless problem solving situations, configuration must be configured during installation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Demo Setup<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Previous requirements cover production environments. In the following stages, some steps may be configured differently or skipped.<\/p>\n

Edit ESXi Management Network<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Connect to the Server via IDRAC<\/strong> or keyboard, mouse, monitor.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Activate ESXi<\/strong> Shell <\/strong>on A<\/strong>ll ESXi<\/strong> hosts.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Switch to ESXi shell<\/strong> and login with ALT + F1<\/strong> combination.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Configure the relevant VLANS<\/strong> for Management<\/strong> and VM Network<\/strong> through the following commands.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
(Use the IDRAC<\/strong> virtual keyboard If you experience regional character problems.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
esxcli network vswitch standard portgroup set \u2013p “Management Network” \u2013v <VLANID><\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
esxcli network vswitch standard portgroup set \u2013p “VM Network” \u2013v <VLANID><\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Installation Troubleshooting<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Power on all VxRail nodes one by one.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Type 192.168.10.200 <\/strong>into the browser and start the setup steps.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
If there is no access, check the network settings.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
If you are sure of the correct network settings, Connect using the user name “root” <\/strong>and password “Passw0rd<\/strong>!” to ESXi Web , you can restart VxRail Manager <\/strong>via ESXi<\/strong> Shell<\/strong> unless you want to give static IP<\/strong> to ESXi<\/strong>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Make sure that you can ping the default GW<\/strong> by connecting to VxRail Manager<\/strong> via SSH (<\/strong>mystic user) or ESXi Web GUI<\/strong>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
If\u00a0VxRail Manager<\/strong> is running but the nodes are not visible then simply run \/etc\/init.d\/loudmouth restart <\/strong>command through ESXi Shell<\/strong> and try again. If it still does not appear on, <\/strong>the Multicast-IGMP settings may not be correct switch side, check it again.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sometimes, a node with a different firmware or software level can coincide. In such cases doing RASR Factory Reset<\/strong> can solve the problem.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

IDRAC Connection<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Define IP<\/strong> to IDRAC <\/strong>for each node and provide remote connection to each one with “root”<\/strong> and “calvin”<\/strong> access information.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Access to all servers’ ESXi Console<\/strong> typing\u00a0Launch Remote Console<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Press F2<\/strong> and then tyoe username “root”<\/strong> and password “Passw0rd!” <\/strong>to access to the ESXi<\/strong>\u00a0Console<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

ESXi Shell Activation<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Under the Troubleshooting<\/strong> Options<\/strong> tab, run the Enable ESXi Shell<\/strong> option.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

VLAN Configuration<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Log in to ESXi Shel<\/strong>l pressing\u00a0ALT + F1<\/strong> combination, and perform VLAN<\/strong> descriptions to management and virtual server networks via ESXCLI<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

If you experience regional character problems,<\/strong> you can\u00a0benefit from the IDRAC virtual keyboard<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Start Setup<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

If all servers are displayed then continue configuration, if there is a problem, follow the Setup Troubleshooting<\/strong> steps.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Configure your DNS<\/strong> and network card<\/strong> type and continue.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Enter Domain Controller<\/strong>, ESX<\/strong>i name<\/strong> pattern and<\/strong>\u00a0vCenter<\/strong> informations<\/strong>, make sure that the host names to be created are queried from DNS<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Enter the relevant network information for PSC <\/strong>and\u00a0VxRail Manager<\/strong>, make sure that the host names that will be created are queried from DNS<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Enter the network information to be used for vMotion<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Enter the network information to be used for the vSAN<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Select the network information that virtual servers will access, and setup cannot complete if inaccessible network information is defined.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Enter the hostname and IP<\/strong> information required for LogInsight<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Enter the Username and password information.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Start the validation process and proceed to the setup step if the validation is successful.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Important<\/strong><\/p>\n

If the VxRail<\/strong> Manager<\/strong> will use an IP<\/strong> other than default one(192.168.10.200), be sure to configure that secondary IP<\/strong> to your computer.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

You can switch to the management screen when setup completes successfully.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Log in to the system with the previously created access information.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After checking that All processes are okay, log in to the vCenter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

By clicking Set Support Account, <\/strong>support activation is configured.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Under Config->\u00a0General<\/strong> tab, activation of ESRS<\/strong> is performed.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Under VxRail vSAN<\/strong> Cluster<\/strong>, follow the Monitor-> vSAN<\/strong> tab to start the Performance monitoring service, perform network performance and virtual server creation tests.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

The Installation phases end here, enjoy your product:)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In This article, I will talk about prerequisites, installation and basic issues for VxRail installation. When I created the this document, the VxRail version was 4.5.300. Therefore, it may differ with the current version. (Adding new nodes, ESRS installation, etc.) Requirements (General) Step Definition 1 Complete physical installations of Servers and Switches. 2 Do the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[193,165,167],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hyperconverged-infrastructure","category-virtualization","category-vmware"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.arcak.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.arcak.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.arcak.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.arcak.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.arcak.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=655"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blog.arcak.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":735,"href":"https:\/\/blog.arcak.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655\/revisions\/735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.arcak.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.arcak.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.arcak.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}