Dell EMC VxRail vCenter Server Planning Guide

November 2020

Abstract
This planning document provides guidance for various vCenter Server
deployment options that are supported on VxRail appliances.
Copyright

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Published in the USA 11/20.
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without notice.

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2 VxRail vCenter Server Planning Guide
 Contents

Contents
Executive summary.......................................................................................................................4

Intended use and audience ..........................................................................................................4

vCenter Server 7.0 .........................................................................................................................4

vCenter Server 6.0 - 6.7 .................................................................................................................5

VxRail appliances ..........................................................................................................................5

VMware vSphere recommended topologies for vCenter Server 7.0 ..........................................9

VMware vSphere recommended topologies for vCenter Server 6.0 – 6.7 ...............................10

VxRail vCenter Server deployment details ................................................................................14

Conclusion...................................................................................................................................15

Dell EMC VxRail vCenter Server Planning Guide 3

Executive summary

Executive summary
vCenter Server is the centralized platform for managing a VMware environment. It is the
primary point of management for both server virtualization and vSAN. It is also the
enabling technology for advanced capabilities such as vMotion, Distributed Resource
Scheduler (DRS), and HA. vCenter scales to enterprise levels where a single vCenter can
support up to 2,500 hosts (VxRail nodes) and 30,000 virtual machines. vCenter supports
a logical hierarchy of data centers, clusters, and hosts, which allow resources to be
separated by use cases or lines of business and allow resources to be moved as needed
dynamically. These resource changes are all done from a single interface.

Intended use and audience

This guide discusses various VMware vCenter Server™ deployment scenarios that are
supported to manage your Dell EMC VxRail™ clusters. It is intended for customers and
field engineers who are involved in selling, planning and installing VxRail, including Dell
EMC Sales and support personnel.

vCenter Server 7.0

Starting with vSphere v7.0, external Platform Services Controller (PSC) is deprecated.
The only option is vCenter Server with embedded Platform Services Controller (PSC).
• The new vCenter Server contains all PSC services, preserving the functionality and
workflows, including authentication, certificate management, tags, and licensing.
• The vCenter Server group of services contains vCenter Server, vSphere Web
Client, Inventory Service, vSphere Auto Deploy, vSphere ESXi Dump Collector,
VMware vSphere Syslog Collector on Windows, and VMware Sphere Syslog
Service for the vCenter Server appliance.
Starting with VxRail 7.0.100, Enhanced Link Mode (ELM) is supported on embedded
VxRail vCenters.

vCenter Server The vCenter Server and the PSC are deployed on a single virtual machine or physical
7.0 with server.
embedded PSC

For details, see vCenter Server Installation and Setup VMware vSphere 7.0

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4 VxRail vCenter Server Planning Guide
 vCenter Server 6.0 - 6.7

vCenter Server 6.0 - 6.7

vSphere v6.0 introduced vCenter Server with an embedded PSC and vCenter Server with
an external PSC. The following components are part of the vCenter Server installations:
• The PSC group of infrastructure services contains vCenter Single Sign-On, License
service, Lookup service, and VMware Certificate Authority.
• The vCenter Server group of services contains vCenter Server, vSphere Web Client,
Inventory Service, vSphere Auto Deploy, vSphere ESXi Dump Collector, VMware
vSphere Syslog Collector on Windows and VMware Sphere Syslog Service for the
vCenter Server appliance.

vCenter Server The vCenter Server and the PSC are deployed on a single virtual machine or physical
with an server.
embedded PSC

vCenter Server The vCenter Server and the PSC are deployed as separate virtual machines or physical
with an external servers. The PSC can be shared across several vCenter Server instances. You can install
PSC a PSC and then install several vCenter Server instances and register them with the PSC.
You can then install another PSC, configure it to replicate data with the first PSC, and
then install vCenter Server instances and register them with the second PSC.

For details, see the following:

• vCenter Server Installation and Setup vCenter Server 6.7 for VxRail 4.7.0+
• vSphere Installation and Setup Guide VMware vSphere 6.5 for VxRail 4.5.0+
• vSphere Installation and Setup Guide Update 2 VMware vSphere 6.0 for VxRail
4.0.x

VxRail appliances
VxRail is jointly developed by Dell EMC and VMware and is the only fully integrated,
preconfigured, and tested HCI appliance that is powered by VMware Virtual SAN (vSAN).

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VxRail appliances

VxRail is managed through the vCenter Server interface. It provides a familiar vSphere
experience and enables streamlined deployment and the ability to extend the use of
existing IT tools and processes.

VxRail appliances are managed using VxRail HCI System software for hardware and
appliance maintenance tasks as well as software life cycle management. VxRail HCI
System Software incorporates Secure Remote Services (SRS) and other serviceability
capabilities. VxRail appliances are discoverable and visible in Dell EMC Vision™
Intelligent Operations.

Note: For day-to-day VM management, you manage the VMware stack on the VxRail appliance
directly through vCenter server.

The VxRail software bundle is preloaded and licensed onto hardware and consists of the
following components (specific software versions not shown):
• VxRail HCI System Software
• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSAN™
• Dell Secure Remote Services (SRS)/VE

Also preloaded is VMware vSphere®; however, licenses are required and can be
purchased through Dell EMC, VMware, or your preferred VMware reseller partner.

The VxRail clusters also include licenses for software that can be downloaded, installed,
and configured:
• Dell EMC RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines (RP4VM) - 15 full licenses per G-series
appliance chassis or 5 full licenses per all other single node VxRail series
appliances

VxRail is fully compatible with other software in the VMware ecosystem, including
VMware NSX. See the VMware Product Interoperability Matrices for specific versions of
NSX supported on specific versions of vSphere.

VxRail vCenter The initial releases of VxRail deployed a vCenter Server appliance on the VxRail
Server options appliance. The license for this vCenter Server appliance was included with VxRail. This
vCenter Server deployment has been referred to as “internal” or “embedded” vCenter
Server. For consistency, the term that is used throughout this guide is VxRail vCenter
Server. VxRail orchestrates the deployment and life cycle management of the VxRail
vCenter Server. This VxRail vCenter Server can only manage the VxRail cluster on which
it is deployed.

A VxRail appliance can optionally join a compatible vCenter Server environment, hosted
outside of the VxRail cluster. This feature allows for a central vCenter Server instance to
manage multiple VxRail clusters. Each VxRail environment appears within vCenter Server
as a cluster of hosts configured with a vSAN datastore. This environment has been
referred to “external” or “existing” vCenter Server. For consistency, the term that is used
throughout this guide is customer-supplied vCenter Server.

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6 VxRail vCenter Server Planning Guide
 VxRail appliances

This instance of vCenter Server must exist before you deploy the VxRail appliance and
requires a separate customer-provided license. You are responsible for deployment,
configuration, and life cycle management of the customer-supplied vCenter Server.

The virtual infrastructure of a VxRail cluster is managed by a single vCenter Server

instance, either VxRail vCenter Server or customer-supplied vCenter Server. When a
VxRail appliance is deployed, the vCenter deployment type is selected and is difficult to
change. Changing from a customer-supplied vCenter Server to VxRail vCenter Server
requires a factory reset and all data to be wiped from the VxRail appliance and reinstalled.
On the other hand, migrating a VxRail vCenter Server to a customer-supplied vCenter is
possible but requires a Request for Product Qualification. Starting with VxRail 4.0.301,
your Dell EMC service team can perform this migration procedure.

Starting with VxRail 4.7.x VxRail vCenter Server can be externalized using the VxRail
plug-in.

Note: The customer-supplied vCenter Server provides more configuration options and is
recommended.

VxRail vCenter As part of a VxRail deployment, a vCenter Server instance with embedded PSC is
Server 7.0 configured. The vCenter Server and the PSC are hosted on a single Linux-based virtual
machine. The vCenter Server with embedded PSC is deployed on the VxRail cluster it is
managing and cannot be moved off the cluster after deployment.

The VxRail vCenter license is for the VxRail vCenter Server and is not transferable to be
used for a customer-supplied vCenter Server. As such, it can be considered a limited or
restricted use vCenter Server license.

VxRail vCenter As part of a VxRail deployment, a vCenter Server instance with an external PSC is
Server 6.0 – 6.7 configured. The vCenter Server and the PSC are separate Linux-based virtual machines.
Both the VxRail vCenter Server and PSC are deployed on the VxRail cluster they are
managing and cannot be moved off the cluster after deployment.

The VxRail vCenter license is for the VxRail vCenter Server and is not transferable to be
used for a customer-supplied vCenter Server. As such, it can be considered a limited or
restricted use vCenter Server license.

Use cases
A VxRail vCenter Server is an ideal choice for:
• Single VxRail clusters
• Standalone environments

Note: Stretched clusters are not recommended because if an Inter-Switch Link (ISL) failure occurs
and site-affinity rule is used (PFTT=0), all virtual machines that are not on the same site as the
vCenter will be powered off.

Limitations (6.x and 7.0)

• The VxRail vCenter Server only manages its own VxRail cluster.

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VxRail appliances

• It cannot manage other VxRail clusters or any other ESXi hosts.

▪ It cannot be used as a customer-supplied vCenter Server.
• Enhanced link mode is supported with VxRail 7.0.100 and later.
• Single Sign-On domain is vsphere.local and cannot be customized.
• VxRail vCenter Server does not support encryption in VxRail versions earlier than
4.5.200.

Customer- The following figure shows an example where multiple VxRail clusters are part of a
Supplied vCenter customer-supplied vCenter environment. Each cluster appears as a separate cluster
Server within vCenter. In addition to centralized management, being part of the same vCenter
environment allows VMs to be easily migrated into and between vSAN environments for
optimal workload balance and simplifies VxRail appliance upgrades and expansion.

Note: The customer-supplied vCenter Server deployment can be a physical server or a virtual
server running on a vCenter Server appliance.

Use cases
A customer-supplied vCenter Server solution is required when:
• VxRail is being added to an existing VMware platform, and a single management
instance is desired.
• Multiple VxRail clusters are deployed, and a single management interface is
desired.
• vCenter Server cannot be deployed on the 2-Node cluster.
In versions earlier than VxRail 4.5.200, customer-supplied vCenter Server solution is
required when:
• Stretched clusters are part of the solution.
• vSAN encryption is desired. When enabling Data at Rest Encryption (DARE) in a
vSAN cluster, the Key Management Server (KMS) must be external to the vSAN
cluster.

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8 VxRail vCenter Server Planning Guide
 VMware vSphere recommended topologies for vCenter Server 7.0

Limitations
• VxRail Manager does not upgrade the customer-supplied vCenter Server. Before
an upgrade of VxRail appliance software, see the release notes to verify the
minimum required vCenter Server release number. It might be necessary to
upgrade the customer-supplied vCenter Server before the VxRail upgrade.
• RPQ is required if the customer-supplied vCenter Server is hosted on a VxRail
cluster running versions earlier than 4.7.
▪ The VxRail cluster Shutdown function requires that you power off all VMs
manually.
▪ We highly recommend the vCenter be backed up to a remote site in case a
vSAN failure occurs.
Notes

• You are responsible for the customer-supplied vCenter Server license.

• Log Insight is not activated when using a customer-supplied vCenter Server.

• Only one public IP address for the vCenter HA network is supported.

VMware vSphere recommended topologies for vCenter Server 7.0

The following table indicates whether a VxRail vCenter Server or a customer-supplied
vCenter Server could support a particular topology.

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VMware vSphere recommended topologies for vCenter Server 6.0 – 6.7

VMware vSphere recommended topologies for vCenter Server

6.0 – 6.7
VMware provides a list of recommended topologies for VMware vCenter Server
deployments. The vCenter Server topologies are described in VMware KB article 2147672
for vSphere 6.5 and VMware KB article 2108548 for vSphere 6.0. The following table
indicates whether a VxRail vCenter Server or a customer-supplied vCenter Server could
support a particular topology.

Recommended Topology VxRail Customer-Supplied

vCenter vCenter Server
Server 6.x * requires a vCenter
Server license

1 Single sign-on domain Yes Yes

1 Single sign-on site
1 vCenter Server with
embedded PSC

Limitations:
• VxRail embedded vCenter does not support enhanced
linked mode.
• VxRail embedded vCenter does not support PSC
replication.

Note: Only one public

No IP address for the
vCenter HA network
is supported.

1 Single sign-on domain

1 Single sign-on site
vCenter Server with PSC on same vCenter Server appliance
3 vCenter Server appliances are used (1 Active, 1 Passive, and
1 Witness connected to the vCenter HA network).

Limitations:
• VCS does not support Enhanced Linked mode.
• VCS does not support PSC replication.

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10 VxRail vCenter Server Planning Guide
VMware vSphere recommended topologies for vCenter Server 6.0 – 6.7

Dell EMC VxRail vCenter Server Planning Guide 1

VMware vSphere recommended topologies for vCenter Server 6.0 – 6.7

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VMware vSphere recommended topologies for vCenter Server 6.0 – 6.7

Dell EMC VxRail vCenter Server Planning Guide 1

VxRail vCenter Server deployment details

VxRail vCenter Server deployment details

Following are the high-level details of each deployment option. It is important to
understand the pre-requisites before deployment. This document covers the requirements
that are related to vCenter Server only. See the Dell EMC VxRail Network Planning Guide
for complete VxRail implementation requirements.

VxRail vCenter Note: The vCenter license that is included with the VxRail appliance is for use of the VxRail
Server vCenter Server only. It is not transferable for use as a customer-supplied vCenter Server.

Requirements
This scenario requires:
• A reserved vCenter Server hostname
• A reserved IP address for the VxRail vCenter Server
• A reserved PSC hostname
• A reserved IP address for the new VxRail vCenter Server Platform Service
Controller
• DNS names to be configured correctly

Note: PSC Hostname and IP Address are not needed when using VxRail 7.0 with vCenter Server
7.0.

Customer- When deploying a VxRail appliance into an existing VMware virtualization infrastructure,
Supplied vCenter use the customer-supplied vCenter Server that is managing the current environment to
Server also manage the VxRail appliance. This allows an external central vCenter Server to
manage multiple VxRail clusters in a single management instance.

The customer-supplied vCenter Server can be:

• Standalone with an embedded PSC or external PSC1
• A vCenter Server appliance virtual machine or vCenter Server for Windows 2
• Using Enhanced Linked Mode
Requirements
• In versions earlier than VxRail 4.5.200, the customer-supplied vCenter cannot be
hosted on the VxRail cluster it is managing.
• Starting with VxRail 4.5.200, the customer-supplied vCenter Server can be hosted
on the VxRail cluster it is managing, except for 2-node clusters. You must shut
down the vCenter Server in order to use the shutdown cluster feature.
• Check the VxRail Release Notes to determine the proper version numbers. The
ESXi version hosting the vCSA should be running version 6.0 or later.

1 External PSC is deprecated starting with version 7.0

2 vCenter Server for Windows has been deprecated starting with vSphere 7.0

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14 VxRail vCenter Server Planning Guide
 Conclusion

▪ VxRail 4.0.x and vSphere 6.0 VxRail Appliance Software 4.0.x Release Notes
▪ VxRail 4.5.x and vSphere 6.5 VxRail Appliance Software 4.5.x Release Notes
▪ VxRail 4.7.x and vSphere 6.7 VxRail Appliance Software 4.7.x Release Notes
▪ VxRail 7.x and vSphere 7.0 VxRail Appliance Software 7.x Release Notes
• You must provide the vCenter Server license.

If you want VxRail to join a customer-supplied vCenter Server, you must:

• Know the customer-supplied vCenter Server FQDN.
• Know whether your customer-supplied vCenter Server has an embedded or
nonembedded PSC. If the PSC is nonembedded, you will need the PSC FQDN.
• Know the Existing Single Sign-On domain (SSO) (for example, vsphere.local).
• Create a VxRail management user and password for this VxRail cluster on the
customer-supplied vCenter Server. This user must be:
▪ Created with no permissions
▪ Created with no roles assigned to it

Note: If a previous VxRail cluster has been deployed on the customer-supplied vCenter Server,
the same VxRail Management User can be reused for additional VxRail clusters that are managed
by the same vCenter Server.

• Create or select a data center on the customer-supplied vCenter Server for the
VxRail cluster to join.
• Specify the name of the cluster that is created by VxRail in the selected data center
when the cluster is built. This is also the name of the distributed switch. This name
must be unique and not used anywhere in the data center on the customer-supplied
vCenter Server.
• Verify that the DNS server can resolve all VxRail ESXi hostnames before
deployment.
• (Optional) Create a VxRail non-admin user and password for VxRail on the
customer-supplied vCenter Server. The following will be performed by your Dell
EMC Representative:
▪ Create two new roles, VxRail Initial Global and VxRail Datacenter Global.
▪ Assign each of these roles to the new VxRail admin user.

Note: Starting with VxRail 4.5.200, you can deploy a customer-supplied vCenter Server on an
existing VxRail cluster, even the one it is managing. You must still provide a vCenter Server
license.

Conclusion
During the planning stage of a VxRail cluster configuration, careful planning should take
place to determine the best vCenter Server deployment topology for your environment.

Dell EMC VxRail vCenter Server Planning Guide 1

 VxRail gives you the option of using a customer-supplied vCenter Server so that more
topologies can be supported.

For more details about the best vCenter deployment options, contact your Dell EMC sales
team or your VMware representative.

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16 VxRail vCenter Server Planning Guide