vce vblock® specialized systems for extreme applications

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VCE Vblock Specialized Systems forExtreme ApplicationsGen 2.1Architecture Overview

Version 1.5May 2015

Revision historyDate Vblock System Document revision Description of changesMay 2015 Gen 2.1 1.5 Streamlined the business

applications section Added a system architecture

section Changed the VDI

deployment information froma bulleted list to a tabularformat

Added support for the CiscoUCS B200 M4 Blade Server

December 2014 Gen 2.1 1.4 Added support for the 5 TBEMC XtremIO

Updated elevations Added support for Data at

Rest Encryption Added data compression

informationAugust 2014 Gen 2.1 1.3 Added support for VMware

vSphere 5.5 Added support for EMC

PowerPath Added support for VCE

Vision IntelligentOperations

May 2014 Gen 2.1 1.2 Removed Cisco Nexus 1000Vreferences

April 2014 Gen 2.1 1.1 Updated terminology and cabinetelevations

February 2014 Gen 2.1 1.0 Initial release

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview Revision history

2 2014-2015 VCE Company, LLC.

All Rights Reserved.

ContentsIntroduction.................................................................................................................................................5

Accessing VCE documentation.................................................................................................................6

System overview.........................................................................................................................................7System architecture and components ................................................................................................... 7Business application...............................................................................................................................8

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure with EMC XtremIO............................................................................9Connectivity overview...........................................................................................................................11

Compute layer...........................................................................................................................................14Compute overview................................................................................................................................14

Cisco Unified Computing System.................................................................................................. 14Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects....................................................................................................15

Storage layer............................................................................................................................................. 16EMC XtremIO storage.......................................................................................................................... 16

EMC XtremIO configuration...........................................................................................................17EMC XtremIO performance........................................................................................................... 22

Network layer............................................................................................................................................ 23Networking overview............................................................................................................................ 23

Virtualization layer....................................................................................................................................24Virtualization components.................................................................................................................... 24

VMware vSphere Hypervisor ESXi................................................................................................ 24VMware vCenter Server.................................................................................................................25

Management .............................................................................................................................................27AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications.......................................................... 27

AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications components............................... 27

System infrastructure...............................................................................................................................29Cabinets overview................................................................................................................................ 29Power options.......................................................................................................................................29

Configuration descriptions......................................................................................................................31Sample single cabinet configuration.....................................................................................................33Sample dual cabinet configuration....................................................................................................... 33

Additional references............................................................................................................................... 41Compute components.......................................................................................................................... 41

Contents VSS XAPP Architecture Overview



Network components............................................................................................................................42Storage components............................................................................................................................ 42Virtualization components.................................................................................................................... 43

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview Contents



IntroductionThis document describes the high-level design of Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications.This document also describes the hardware and software components that VCE includes in each VSSXAPP.

This document is intended for sales engineers, field consultants, advanced services specialists, and VCEcustomers of the VSS XAPP.

The VCE Glossary provides terms, definitions, and acronyms that are related to Vblock Systems.

To suggest documentation changes and provide feedback on this book, send an e-mail to [email protected]. Include the name of the topic to which your feedback applies.

Introduction VSS XAPP Architecture Overview



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VSS XAPP Architecture Overview Accessing VCE documentation



System overviewSystem architecture and componentsThis topic provides an overview of the Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications architectureand components.

VSS XAPP has a number of features including:

High levels of input/output operations per second (IOPS) Consistent

Resource ComponentsCompute Cisco UCS 5108 Server Chassis

Cisco UCS B200 M3 Blade Servers and Cisco UCS B200 M4 Blade Servers Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card 1240 and Cisco UCS Virtual Interface

Card 1280 - supported on the Cisco UCS B200 M3 Blade Server Cisco Port Expander for 1240 VIC, optional Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card 1340 and Cisco UCS Virtual Interface

Card 1380 - supported on the Cisco UCS B200 M4 Blade Server Cisco UCS 2204XP Fabric Extenders Cisco UCS 6248UP Fabric Interconnects

Network Cisco Nexus 5548UP Unified Switches VMware Virtual Distributed Switch (VDS)

Storage EMC XtremIO 10 TB Encryption Capable EMC XtremIO 5 TB Starter

The VCE Release Certification Matrix provides a list of the certified versions of components for VSSXAPP. For information about Vblock System management, refer to the VCE Vision IntelligentOperations Technical Overview.

Business applicationThis topic provides an overview of how the Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications addsvalue in specific scenarios.

VSS XAPP provides power and flexibility specifically targeted to Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)applications. In addition, VSS XAPP provides benefits to a variety of scenarios:

Scenario BenefitVDI VDI applications, such as VMware Horizon View and

Citrix XenDesktop deployments, with more than 1,000desktops that require: Full clone or linked clone technology use

interchangeably and without drawbacks Successful projects from pilot to large-scale

deployment A fast and simple method of performing high volume

cloning of desktops, including during productionhours

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview System overview



Scenario BenefitVirtual server applications Virtual server applications, such as VMware vCloud

Director deployments, in large-scale environments thatrequire: A simple and dynamic method of creating a large

number of virtual machines, including duringproduction hours

Application scenarios requiring mixed read and writeworkloads that require adapting to high levels ofgrowth

High-performance database applications OLTP database, database test/developer environments,and database analytic applications such as Oracle andMicrosoft SQL Server that require: Consistent and low I/O (

Benefit DescriptionRapid provisioning and rollout Because EMC XtremIO is easy to setup, requires no

tuning, and accommodates any deployment model,complex planning is eliminated. VDI deployments aredesigned and deployed quickly.

No third-party tools required EMC XtremIO solves all I/O related deploymentchallenges. There is no need for additional caching orhost-based deduplication schemes, or any other pointsolutions that increase expense and complexity.

No change to desktop administration The existing management system for the physicaldesktops is directly applied to the VDI deployment whenEMC XtremIO is used. No changes to software updates,operating system patching, antivirus scanning, or otherprocedures are required to reduce the I/O load onshared storage.

No change to desktop setup VDI best practices require dozens of changes to thedesktop image to reduce the I/O load on shared storage.No changes are required with EMC XtremIO, allowingthe desktop to remain fully functional and maintain astrong user experience.

Deduplication Deduplication on the EMC XtremIO storage for VDIoccurs in real time at a granular 4 KB block size withouta reduction in performance. Because VDI uses manycopies of identical or very similar desktop images,deduplication is effective in reducing flash capacity.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure deployments

This topic provides information for small, medium, and large VDI deployments.

Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications configurations support VDI environments with thefollowing limits:

VDI deploymentsize

Number of cabinets Virtual desktops EMC XtremIO Usable storage

Small 1 1,750 1 (Starter) 3.6 TB(21.5 TB with a 6:1deduplication ratio)

Medium 1 3,500 1 7.5 TB(35 TB with a 6:1deduplication ratio)




VDI deploymentsize

Number of cabinets Virtual desktops EMC XtremIO Usable storage

Large 2 7,000 2 15 TB(70 TB with a 6:1deduplication ratio)

Related information

EMC XtremIO configuration (see page 17)

Connectivity overviewThis topic describes the components and interconnectivity in the Vblock System.

The components and connectivity are subdivided into the following layers:

Layer DescriptionCompute Contains the components that provide the computing power in a Vblock System. The Cisco UCS

blade servers, chassis, and fabric interconnects belong to this layer.Storage Contains the EMC XtremIO storage component.Network Contains the components that provide switching between the compute and storage layers in a

Vblock System, and between a Vblock System and the external network. Cisco Nexus Switchesbelong to this layer.

All components incorporate redundancy into the design.

System overview VSS XAPP Architecture Overview



Single cabinet connectivity

The following illustration shows the configuration and connections between the components in a singlecabinet VSS XAPP:




Dual cabinet connectivity

The following illustration shows the configuration and connections between the components in a dualcabinet VSS XAPP:

System overview VSS XAPP Architecture Overview



Compute layerCompute overviewThis topic provides an overview of the Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications computecomponents.

Cisco UCS B-Series Blades installed in the Cisco UCS chassis provide the computing power in a VblockSystem.

Fabric extenders (FEX) in the Cisco UCS Chassis connect to Cisco Fabric Interconnects over convergedEthernet. Four 10 GbE ports on each FEX connect northbound to the fabric interconnects regardless ofthe number of blades in the chassis. These connections carry IP and storage traffic.

Each fabric interconnect has multiple ports reserved by VCE for 10 GbE ports. VCE has reserved some ofthese ports to connect to upstream access switches in the VSS XAPP. These connections are formedinto a port channel to the Cisco Nexus switch and carry IP traffic destined for the customer network. Thisport channel can also carry IP traffic to the storage layer. Each fabric interconnect also has multiple portsreserved by VCE for Fibre Channel (FC) ports. These connections carry FC traffic between the computelayer and the storage layer. These connections also enable storage area network (SAN) booting of theUCS Blades.

Cisco Unified Computing SystemThis topic provides an overview of the UCS data center platform that unites compute, network, andstorage access.

Optimized for virtualization, the Cisco UCS integrates a low-latency, lossless 10 GB Ethernet unifiednetwork fabric with Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers. Vblock Systems contain a number of Cisco UCS5108 Server Chassis. Each chassis contains up to eight half-width or four full-width blades. Each chassisalso includes Cisco UCS fabric extenders (FEX) and Cisco UCS B-Series converged network adapters.

The Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications Port Reference Guide provides informationabout the assigned use for each port in the Vblock System.

Vblock Systems powered by Cisco UCS feature:

Built-in redundancy for high availability Hot-swappable components for serviceability, upgrade, or expansion Fewer physical components than in a comparable system built piece-by-piece Reduced cabling Improved energy efficiency over traditional blade server chassis

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview Compute layer



The VCE Vblock System Blade Packs Reference provides a list of supported Cisco UCS blades in VblockSystems. The Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications Blade Expansion Guide providesguidelines for expanding compute components for the Vblock Specialized Systems for ExtremeApplications after it is installed.

Related information

Accessing VCE documentation (see page 6)

Cisco UCS Fabric InterconnectsThis topic provides an overview of UCS fabric interconnects (FIs).

The Cisco UCS FIs provide the following features:

Network connectivity and management capabilities to the Cisco UCS blades and chassis Offer line-rate, low-latency, lossless 10 GbE and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) Provide the management and communication backbone for the blades and chassis, and facilitate

LAN and SAN connectivity for all blades within their domain

Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications uses Cisco UCS 6248UP Fabric Interconnects.Single-domain uplinks of 2, 4, or 8 between the fabric interconnects and the chassis are provided with theCisco UCS 6248UP Fabric Interconnects.

Compute layer VSS XAPP Architecture Overview



Storage layer

EMC XtremIO storageThis topic describes the benefits of the EMC XtremIO flash storage.

Key attributes of the EMC XtremIO flash array are:

High levels of input/output (I/O) performance, particularly for random I/O workloads that aretypical in virtualized environments. These performance levels are achieved with low andconsistent latency.

Real-time inline data deduplication (the ability to remove redundant information in the data pathand only ever write unique data to the storage array, thus lowering the amount of capacityrequired)

Data at Rest Encryption (DARE) - EMC XtremIO arrays securely encrypt all data stored on theall-flash array delivering protection for regulated use cases in sensitive industries such ashealthcare, finance, and the government.

Note: All supported configurations support DARE.

EMC XtremIO automatically compresses data after all duplications are removed. This processensures that the compression is only performed for unique data blocks. Data compression isperformed in real time and not as a post-processing operation.

Full suite of enterprise array capabilities such as: Active/Active operation

High availability

Strong data protection

Thin provisioning

DARE

In line data compression

Scale-out design with additional performance and capacity added in a building block approach.All building blocks form a single clustered system.

Complete integration to VMware vSphere through VAAI. All application programming interface(API) commands are supported. This enables nearly instantaneous virtual machine provisioningand cloning and the ability to use large volume sizes for management simplicity.

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview Storage layer



No tuning or ongoing administration required to achieve and maintain high performance levels.

EMC XtremIO configurationThis topic provides information about the single and dual cabinet EMC XtremIO configurations optimizedfor the Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications.

Each EMC XtremIO consists of a set of two servers, which act as storage controllers, a disk arrayenclosure (DAE), and a battery backup unit (BBU). The dual EMC XtremIO configuration requires anEMC XtremIO InfiniBand Switch infrastructure to provide a communication channel that allows back-endcommunications between EMC XtremIO storage controllers.

An EMC XtremIO Management Server (XMS), either physical or virtual, has a graphical user interfaceand command-line utility. The XMS provides EMC Secure Remote Support (ESRS) and SNMP monitoringsupport.

The EMC XtremIO InfiniBand Switch infrastructure provides a communication channel that allows back-end communications and data distribution between EMC XtremIO with back-end connectivity of 40Gb/Sec (4xQDR) back-end connectivity HCAs and 56 Gb/Sec (4xFDR) between switches. It also provideslow-latency RDMA support.

Storage layer VSS XAPP Architecture Overview



The following illustration shows the front and rear views of how a single EMC XtremIO system isconfigured:




The following illustrations show how the front and rear views of a dual EMC XtremIO system isconfigured:




Disk array enclosure

Each EMC XtremIO disk array enclosure (DAE) contains:

25 x Hitachi Ultrastar 400 GB MLC solid state drivesNote: In the 5 TB Starter EMC XtremIO, there are 13 Hitachi Ultrastar 400 GB MLC solid state

drives.

Two online swappable link controller cards (LCC)Note: Each LCC has 2 x 6 Gbit SAS ports (only one port is currently enabled)

Dual redundant hot-swappable power supply units (PSU)




Storage controllers

The EMC XtremIO storage controllers are Intel-based servers with the following specifications:

Intel S2600GZ Motherboard Two 8-core 2.1GHZ CPUs (16 cores total) 256 GB RAM Dual redundant hot-swappable power supply Integrated IPMI 2 X Micron P400m 200 GB SSDs (contain the Linux OS and journals dump) 2 X Hitachi Ultrastar 900 GB SAS2 Spinning Drives (contain data path input/output (IO) traces for

the last several hours)

LSI PCI Express Fusion-MPT SAS-2 Qlogic QLE22562 Dual 8 Gb FC HBA Mellanox ConnectX-3 Dual 40 Gb Infiniband HCAs Intel Dual 10 GbE SFP+ NIC

Battery backup unit

Each EMC XtremIO contains one battery backup unit (BBU) configured with:

Two internal batteries Two managed power outlets may be controlled and shut off Two COM interfaces (onboard + extension card) for SC monitoring

Related information

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure deployments (see page 10)




EMC XtremIO performanceThis topic provides information about the EMC XtremIO performance.

Each EMC XtremIO is tested and configured to deliver performance defined by a number of criteria anddelivers:

3.6 TB of deduplicated physical disk space (37 TB of hydrated logical disk space) for the StarterEMC XtremIO

7.5 TB of deduplicated physical disk space (70 TB of hydrated logical disk space) Self-healing, double-parity, high-performance data protection group (DPG) Four 8 Gb/sec Fiber Channel (FC) ports Four 10 Gb/sec iSCSI SFP+ ports

The performance for each EMC XtremIO is:

250,000 fully random 4 KB read IOPS 100,000 fully random 4 KB write IOPS 150,000 fully random 4 KB IOPS with a 50/50 read/write mix




Network layer

Networking overviewThis topic provides an overview of the network components for the Vblock Specialized Systems forExtreme Applications.

The network infrastructure for the VSS XAPP includes Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switches, fabricinterconnects, and Cisco Nexus 3064-T Ethernet Switches. The Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switches provide10 GbE connectivity:

Between the Vblock System internal components To the external network To the AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications through redundant

connections to the Cisco Nexus 3064-T Ethernet Switches in the AMP for VSS XAPP

The two Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switches support low-latency line-rate 10 GbE and Fibre Channel overEthernet (FCoE) connectivity on up to 32 ports. The Cisco Nexus 5548UP switches have one expansionslot that can be populated with a 16-port unified port expansion module. The FC ports are licensed inpacks of eight in an on-demand basis. The Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switch is the only network switchsupported for Vblock System data connectivity in the VSS XAPP.

Ports are reserved or identified for special Vblock System services such as backup, replication, oraggregation uplink connectivity. Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switches provide a number of line-rate ports fornon-blocking 8 Gb/sec throughput.

Related information

AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications components (see page 27)

Network layer VSS XAPP Architecture Overview



Virtualization layer

Virtualization componentsThis topic provides an overview of the virtualization components.

VMware vSphere is the virtualization platform that provides the foundation for the private cloud. The coreVMware vSphere components are the VMware vSphere Hypervisor ESXi and VMware vCenter Server formanagement. VMware vSphere 5.5 includes a Single Sign-on (SSO) component.

The hypervisors are deployed in a cluster configuration and can scale up to 32 nodes per cluster. Thecluster allows dynamic allocation of resources, such as CPU, memory, and storage. The cluster alsoprovides workload mobility and flexibility with the use of VMware vMotion and Storage vMotiontechnology.

VMware vSphere Hypervisor ESXiThis topic describes the VMware xSphere Hypervisor ESXi that runs on the AMP for Vblock SpecializedSystems for Extreme Applications and in a Vblock System using VMware vSphere Server EnterprisePlus.

This lightweight hypervisor requires very little space to run (less than 6 GB of storage required to install)and has minimal management overhead. VMware vSphere ESXi does not contain a console operatingsystem. It boots from SAN through an independent 20 GB FC LUN. The FC LUN also contains thehypervisor's locker for persistent storage of logs and other diagnostic files to provide stateless computingin the Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications. The stateless hypervisor is not supported.

Cluster configuration

VMware vSphere ESXi hosts and their resources are pooled together into clusters. These clusterscontain the CPU, memory, network, and storage resources available for allocation to virtual machines.Clusters scale up to a maximum of 32 hosts.

Clusters support thousands of virtual machines.

Note: Some advanced CPU functionality might be unavailable if more than one blade model is running ina given cluster.

Data-stores

VSS XAPP supports block level storage using VMware Virtual Machine File System (VMFS). Themaximum size per VMFS5 volume is 64 TB (50 TB VMFS3 at 1 MB). Each host/cluster supports amaximum of 255 volumes.

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview Virtualization layer



VMware vCenter ServerThis topic describes the VMware vCenter Server which is a central management point for the hypervisorsand VMs.

VMware vCenter is installed on a 64-bit Windows Server and runs as a service.

The AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications and the Vblock System each have aunified VMware vCenter Server instance, as well as an accompanying instance of VMware UpdateManager to assist with upgrades and host patch management. VMware Update Manager (VUM) isinstalled on a separate Windows Server and runs as a Windows service. Each of these systems residesin the management stack.

VMware vCenter Server provides the following functionality:

Cloning of VMs Template creation VMware vMotion and VMware Storage vMotion Initial configuration of VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) and VMware vSphere

high-availability clusters

VMware vCenter Server provides monitoring and alerting capabilities for hosts and VMs. Vblock Systemadministrators can create and apply the following alarms to all managed objects in VMware vCenterServer:

Data center, cluster, and host health, inventory, and performance Data store health and capacity VM usage, performance, and health Virtual network usage and health

Databases

The back-end database that supports VMware vCenter Server and VUM is remote Microsoft SQL 2012(VMware vSphere 5.5). The SQL Server service requires a dedicated service account.

Authentication

Vblock Systems support the VMware Single Sign-On (SSO) Service which can integrate multiple identitysources including Active Directory, Open LDAP, and local accounts for authentication. VMware vCenterServer, Inventory, Web Client, SSO, and VUM run as separate Windows services. Each service can beconfigured to use a dedicated service account depending on security and directory servicesrequirements.

Virtualization layer VSS XAPP Architecture Overview



VCE supported features

VCE supports the following VMware vCenter Server features:

VMware SSO (version 5.5) VMware vSphere Web Client (used with VCE Vision Intelligent Operations) VMware vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS) VMware vSphere High Availability VMware DRS VMware Fault Tolerance VMware vMotion VMware Storage vMotion Raw Device Maps Resource Pools Storage DRS (capacity only) VMware vSphere Storage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI) (except the TP reclaim primitive) Storage-driven profiles (user-defined only) Distributed power management (up to 50 percent of VMware vSphere ESXi hosts/blades) VMware Syslog Service VMware Core Dump Collector VMware vCenter Web Services

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview Virtualization layer



Management

AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for ExtremeApplicationsThis topic describes the AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications components.

The Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications includes the AMP for VSS XAPP whichprovides a single management point. The AMP for VSS XAPP provides these benefits:

Monitors and manages VSS XAPP health, performance, and capacity Provides fault isolation for management Eliminates resource overhead on the VSS XAPP Provides a clear demarcation point for remote operations Manages and monitors application management workloads such as Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

(VDI) applications

AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme ApplicationscomponentsThis topic describes the AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications hardware andsoftware.

Hardware components

The AMP for VSS XAPP provides a single management point and includes a number of hardware andsoftware components that are combined to provide a management solution for the Vblock System. EachAMP for VSS XAPP includes the following hardware components:Component DescriptionCisco UCS C220 Servers The single cabinet configuration contains three servers.

The dual cabinet configuration contains four servers.Cisco Nexus 3064-T Switches The AMP for VSS XAPP contains two Cisco Nexus

3064-T Ethernet Switches. The Cisco Nexus 3064-TEthernet Switch is a 10 GBASE-T switch with 48 10GBASE-T RJ-45 ports and 4 QSFP+ ports. This switchsupports connectivity over copper, providing excellentphysical-layer flexibility.

Management VSS XAPP Architecture Overview



Component DescriptionEMC VNXe3150 or VNXe3300 The AMP for VSS XAPP for the single cabinet solution

contains an EMC VNXe3150. The dual cabinetconfiguration contains an EMC VNXe 3300.

Software components

Each AMP for VSS XAPP is delivered pre-configured with the following software components:

Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Standard R2 x64 VMware vSphere Server Enterprise Plus VMware vSphere Hypervisor ESXi, VMware Single Sign-On (SSO) Service (version 5.5),

vSphere Web Client, vCenter Server, vCenter Database using Microsoft SQL 2012 (vSphere 5.5),vCenter Update Manager, vCenter Client

EMC PowerPath/VE vApp for licensing EMC Secure Remote Support (ESRS) Array management modules, including but not limited to EMC XtremIO Management Server

(XMS), EMC Unisphere Client and Server, and EMC VNXe Initialization Utility

System administration utilities such as PuTTY, TFTP Server, Java, etc.

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview Management



System infrastructureCabinets overviewThis topic describes the VCE cabinets.

In each VCE System, the compute, storage, and network layer components are distributed within two ormore 42U cabinets. Distributing the components this way balances out the power draw and reduces thesize of the power outlet units (POUs) that are required.

Each cabinet conforms to a standard predefined layout. Space can be reserved for specific componentseven if they are not present or required for the external configuration. This design makes it easier toupgrade or expand each VCE System as capacity needs increase.

VCE System cabinets are designed to be installed next to one another within the data center (that is,contiguously). If a customer requires the base and expansion cabinets to be physically separated,customized cabling is needed, which incurs additional cost and can increase delivery time.

Note: The cable length is NOT the same as distance between cabinets. The cable must route throughthe cabinets and through the cable channels overhead or in the floor.

Power optionsThis topic describes the power outlet unit (POU) options for North America and regions outside of NorthAmerica.

Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications supports several POU options, inside and outsideof North America.

North America power options

The NEMA POU is standard; other POUs add time to VSS XAPP assembly and delivery. The followingtable lists the POUs available for VSS XAPP systems in North America:

POU Power specificationsNEMA L15-30P 3-phase delta / 30A / 208 VIEC 60309EC 309 3P4W Splashproof 460P9S

3-phase delta / 60A / 208 V

IEC 60309IEC309 2P3W Splashproof 360P6S

Single phase / 60A / 208 V

NEMA L6-30P Single phase / 30A / 208 V

System infrastructure VSS XAPP Architecture Overview



Power options outside of North America

The IEC 309 POU is standard; other POUs add time to VSS XAPP systems in regions outside of NorthAmerica. The following table lists the POUs available for VSS XAPP systems outside of North America.POU Power specificationsIEC 309 32A 3P+N+PEIEC 309 4P5W Splashproof 532P6S

3-phase wye / 32A / 230 / 400 V

IEC 60309 3P+N+ EIEC 309 4P5W Splashproof 516P6S

3-phase wye / 16A / 230 / 400 V

IEC 60309 2P+EIEC 309 2P3W Splashproof 332P6S

Single phase / 32A / 230 V

The Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications Physical Planning Guide provides moreinformation about power requirements.

Related information

Accessing VCE documentation (see page 6)

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview System infrastructure



Configuration descriptionsThis topic provides information about the two cabinet configurations for the Vblock Specialized Systemsfor Extreme Applications system.

The VSS XAPP has two configuration options: a single cabinet system and a dual cabinet system. Theseconfigurations differ in the number of EMC XtremIO components and in their storage configuration.

System Single-cabinet Starter EMCXtremIO configuration

Single-cabinetconfiguration

Dual-cabinetconfiguration

Usable storage 6 TB 7.5 TB 15 TBAMP for VblockSpecialized Systemsfor ExtremeApplications

3 x Cisco UCS C220 Servers 3 x Cisco UCS C220Servers

4 x Cisco UCS C220Servers

2 x Cisco Nexus 3064-T Switches 2 x Cisco Nexus 3064-TSwitches

2 x Cisco Nexus 3064-TSwitches

1 x EMC VNXe3150 1 x EMC VNXe3150 1 x EMC VNXe3300Compute andnetwork

1 x 42RU cabinets 1 x 42RU cabinets 2 x 42RU cabinets3 x Cisco UCS 5108 ServerChassis

3 x Cisco UCS 5108Server Chassis

6 x Cisco UCS 5108Server Chassis

2 x Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switches 2 x Cisco Nexus 5548UPSwitches

2 x Cisco Nexus 5548UPSwitches

2 x Cisco UCS 6248UP FabricInterconnect

2 x Cisco UCS 6248UPFabric Interconnect

2 x Cisco UCS 6248UPFabric Interconnect

24 x Cisco UCS B-Series BladeServers

24 x Cisco UCS B-SeriesBlade Servers

48 x Cisco UCS B-SeriesBlade Servers

Storage 1 x EMC XtremIO containing: 1 x EMC XtremIO Disk Array

Enclosure 13 x 400 GB Flash Drives 2 x Battery Backup Units 2 x Storage Controllers

1 x EMC XtremIOcontaining: 1 x EMC XtremIO

Disk Array Enclosure 25 x 400 GB Flash

Drives 2 x Battery Backup

Units 2 x Storage

Controllers

2 x EMC XtremIOcontaining: 2 x EMC XtremIO

Disk ArrayEnclosures

50 x 400 GB FlashDrives

2 x Battery BackupUnits

4 x StorageControllers

2 x EMC XtremIOInfiniband Switches

Configuration descriptions VSS XAPP Architecture Overview



System Single-cabinet Starter EMCXtremIO configuration

Single-cabinetconfiguration

Dual-cabinetconfiguration

Virtualization andmanagement

VMware vCenter Server 5.5 VMware vSphere Server Enterprise Plus Version 5.5 Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard Edition Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Enterprise EMC PowerPath/VE EMC XtremIO Management Server EMC Unisphere for VNXe Cisco UCS Manager VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5 on AMP for VSS XAPP

Vblock Systemmanagement

VCE Vision Intelligent Operations System Library VCE Vision Intelligent Operations Plug-in for vCenter VCE Vision Intelligent Operations Compliance Checker VCE Vision Intelligent Operations API for System Library VCE Vision Intelligent Operations API for Compliance Checker

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview Configuration descriptions



Sample single cabinet configurationThis topic provides elevations for a sample Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications singlecabinet configuration.

Cabinet elevations vary based on the specific configuration requirements. These are provided for samplepurposes only. For a specific VSS XAPP design, consult your vArchitect.

VSS XAPP front and rear

Sample dual cabinet configurationThe topic provides elevations for a sample dual cabinet configuration for the Vblock Specialized Systemsfor Extreme Applications.




Cabinet elevations vary based on the specific configuration requirements. These are provided for samplepurposes only. For a specific VSS XAPP design, consult your vArchitect.




VSS XAPP front and rear




VSS XAPP cabinet 1




VSS XAPP cabinet 2




VSS XAPP cabinets 1 and 2 front view




VSS XAPP cabinets 1 and 2 rear view




Additional referencesCompute componentsThis topic provides a description of the compute components.

Product Description Link to documentationCisco UCS 6248UP 48-PortFabric Interconnect

Provides uniform access toboth networks and storage.

www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps11548/

Cisco UCS B-Series BladeServer

Works with virtualized and non-virtualized applications toincrease performance,efficiency, flexibility, andproductivity.

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/servers-unified-computing/ucs-b-series-blade-servers/index.html

Cisco UCS Manager Centralized managementcapabilities for the CiscoUnified Computing System.

www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10281/index.html

Cisco UCS 5108 ServerChassis

Supports up to eight bladeservers and up to two fabricextenders in a 6RU enclosure.


Cisco UCS C220 Rack Servers Deliver unified computing in anindustry-standard form factor toreduce total cost of ownershipand increase agility. Eachproduct addresses varyingworkload challenges through abalance of processing,memory, I/O, and internalstorage resources.


Additional references VSS XAPP Architecture Overview



Network componentsThis topic provides a description of the network components.

Product Description Link to documentationCisco Nexus 5548UP Switch A software switch on a server

that delivers Cisco VN-Linkservices to virtual machineshosted on that server.

www.cisco.com/en/us/products/ps11681

Cisco Nexus 3064-T Switch High-performance, high-densityEthernet switches that are partof the Cisco Nexus 3000 SeriesSwitches portfolio.


Storage componentsThis topic provides a description of the storage components.

Product Description Link to documentationEMC XtremIO All-Flash Array Delivers new levels of real-

world performance,administrative ease, andadvanced data services forapplications.

www.emc.com/storage/xtremio/index.htm

EMC VNXe Series StorageArray

Unified storage platform thatprovides automated,application-ready storage withsolution-focused software.

www.emc.com/products/series/vnxe-series.htm

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview Additional references



Virtualization componentsThis topic provides a description of the virtualization components.

Product Description Link to documentationVMware vCenter Server Provides a scalable and

extensible platform that formsthe foundation for virtualizationmanagement.

http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/products/vCenter/VMware-vCenter-Server-Datasheet.pdf

VMWare vSphere Virtualized infrastructure forVblock Systems. Virtualizes allapplication servers andprovides VMware HighAvailability (HA) and DynamicResource Scheduling (DRS).

www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/

VMware Single Sign-On (SSO)Service

Provides VMware-specificauthentication services.

http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/tag/single-sign-on

Additional references VSS XAPP Architecture Overview



www.vce.com

About VCE

VCE accelerates the adoption of converged infrastructure and cloud-based computing models that dramatically reduce thecost of IT while improving time to market for enterprises and service providers globally. Through its leading VblockSystems, VCE delivers the industry's only true converged infrastructure, leveraging Cisco compute and networktechnology, EMC storage and data protection, and VMware virtualization and virtualization management. VCE solutionsare available through an extensive partner network and cover horizontal applications, vertical industry offerings andapplication development environments, enabling customers to focus on business innovation instead of integrating,validating, and managing IT infrastructure.

For more information, go to http://www.vce.com.

2014-2015 VCE Company, LLC. All rights reserved. VCE, Vblock, VCE Vision, and the VCE logo are registeredtrademarks or trademarks of VCE Company, LLC. and/or its affiliates in the United States or other countries. All othertrademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.



ContentsIntroductionAccessing VCE documentationSystem overviewSystem architecture and componentsBusiness applicationVirtual Desktop Infrastructure with EMC XtremIOVirtual Desktop Infrastructure deployments

Connectivity overview

Compute layerCompute overviewCisco Unified Computing SystemCisco UCS Fabric Interconnects

Storage layerEMC XtremIO storageEMC XtremIO configurationEMC XtremIO performance

Network layerNetworking overview

Virtualization layerVirtualization componentsVMware vSphere Hypervisor ESXiVMware vCenter Server

ManagementAMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme ApplicationsAMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications components

System infrastructureCabinets overviewPower options

Configuration descriptionsSample single cabinet configurationSample dual cabinet configuration

Additional referencesCompute componentsNetwork componentsStorage componentsVirtualization components

vce vblock® specialized systems for extreme applications

Documents