Brocade Solution for EMC VSPEX Server Virtualization

Transcription

1 Reference Architecture Brocade Solution Blueprint Brocade Solution for EMC VSPEX Server Virtualization VMware vsphere 5 for 50 & 100 Virtual Machines Enabled by VMware vsphere 5, Brocade ICX series switch, EMC VNXe, and EMC Next-Generation Backup EMC VSPEX with Brocade June 2012

2 Copyright 2012 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Published in the USA. Published June, 2012 EMC believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information is subject to change without notice. The information in this publication is provided as is. EMC Corporation makes no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to the information in this publication, and specifically disclaims implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Use, copying, and distribution of any EMC software described in this publication requires an applicable software license. EMC2, EMC, and the EMC logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. For the most up-to-date regulatory document for your product line, go to the technical documentation and advisories section on the EMC online support website. Part Number: H

3 Table of Contents Brocade VSPEX Network Introduction... 4 Purpose of this Document... 4 EMC VSPEX with Brocade Network Integration... 4 Network Solution Overview... 5 Brocade Networking VSPEX Benefits... 5 Architecture Components... 6 Logical Architecture Overview... 6 Brocade Validated Network Architecture... 8 EMX VSPEX with ICX Series Switch... 8 ICX 6450 Network Layout for Server Virtualization up to 50 VMs... 9 ICX 6610 Network Layout for Server Virtualization up to 100 VMs ICX Software Resources Learn More EMC Documentation Other Documentation About Brocade

4 Brocade VSPEX Network Introduction Purpose of this Document This document describes the Brocade networking components for the EMC VSPEX solution for VMware vsphere 5 server virtualization for up to 100 virtual machine configurations. See the Learn More section to access detailed information for EMC VSPEX Reference Architectures with Brocade. EMC VSPEX with Brocade Network Integration EMC VSPEX reference architectures built with Brocade ICX series network switches ensure cost-effective integrated solutions that can quickly scale virtualization and cloud computing environments. VSPEX reference architectures are pre-validated and modular so customers can make an informed decision about the hypervisor, compute, networking and storage components. The Brocade ICX series switches, when integrated into the EMC VSPEX reference architecture, deliver complete, jointly tested and proven configurations for virtualization and cloud computing. Brocade backs VSPEX solutions with its investment in architecture validation and testing so partners can easily and cost-effectively deploy integrated server virtualization stacks. Partners recognize that working with Brocade means their customers get the benefits of proven networking technology with the simplicity of operation, scalability, and flexibility they need to meet a wide range of application performance requirements. 4

5 Network Solution Overview Brocade Networking VSPEX Benefits The Brocade ICX series switches provide industry-leading innovation optimized for small and medium business environments. The Brocade ICX series switches deliver fast, dependable optimized network connectivity between servers and storage, while ensuring the data throughput applications require. With the Brocade ICX series switches, interoperability with existing network equipment is assured. The network must handle traffic fluctuations and deliver the high performance and low latency required to run virtualized business applications. Table 1 summarizes the benefits of the EMC VSPEX solution with Brocade ICX series switches. Table 1. Brocade ICX Series Switch Customer Benefits Feature High speed stacking using either 10 GbE ports (ICX 6540) or dedicated 40 Gbps stacking ports (ICX 6610) Symmetric Flow Control (SFC) Total transmit queue depth limit Intelligent Buffer Management Hitless Failover Hot insertion and removal of switches in the stack Manage the entire stack from a single IP Address Single gateway IP Address for stack with single VLAN instance sflow monitoring built into every switch Benefits Ease of Deployment: Flat Layer 2 network without running spanning tree and high performance interswitch communication eliminating network bottleneck providing fast and easy virtual machine migration across servers. Network Performance: Optimize performance and reduce latency of LAN and NAS storage traffic. Availability and Resiliency: No interruption of service in the unlikely event of a failure of the master stack controller. No interruption of service when replacing a switch for servicing. Ease of Management: Single point of management, and single routing instance eliminating dependence on first hop redundancy protocols and Spanning Tree protocols. Real-time network traffic monitoring without overhead enabling continuous performance and security monitoring. 5

6 Architecture Components The Brocade ICX series switches are integrated with the EMC VNXe series array and VMware vsphere 5 to provide shared storage, network, and server hardware for efficient deployment and management of a scalable number of virtual machines. The Brocade ICX series scales dynamically with flexibility and ease. The following foundational components are used to configure the base virtualization solution: Brocade ICX series switches Hypervisor x86 server-based compute EMC VNXe 3100/3300 series arrays EMC next-generation backup and recovery The logical architecture in Figure 1 shows all components of the VSPEX solution. Logical Architecture Overview The Brocade ICX series switches can be stacked for high availability and simple management. Stacking creates a single logical switch from multiple physical switches and provides high availability, as any single switch can fail and traffic will automatically re-route around it. Brocade ICX series switches support open standard protocols to provide uplink connectivity to existing customer network equipment. For example, the Brocade ICX series switches support the following features: IEEE 802.1x Ethernet flow control 802.1q VLAN tagging Ethernet link aggregation using IEEE 802.1ax (802.3ad) Link Aggregation Control Protocol SNMP management capability Jumbo frames See the Learn More section to access specifications for the Brocade ICX series switches. Uplinks from any switch in the stack can be combined into a Link Aggregation Group (LAG) for increased throughput. Links can be added quickly to a LAG to adjust uplink oversubscription. Any stack configuration settings are applied once to the stack and all switches receive the same configuration. Uplink ports are Layer 3 ports relying on routing for the Reference Architecture (RA) and load balancing. 6

7 Figure 1 shows the overall logical architecture of the solution up to 100 virtual machines. Figure 1. Logical VSPEX Architecture for VMware Server Virtualization Both the Brocade ICX 6450 and more powerful Brocade ICX 6610 switches deliver fast, dependable network connectivity between servers and VNXe storage arrays to ensure high availability and a low latency network for server virtualization with VMware vsphere 5. 7

8 Brocade Validated Network Architecture EMX VSPEX with ICX Series Switch The Brocade ICX 6450 and ICX 6610 series switches provide unprecedented levels of performance, availability, and flexibility in a stackable form factor. The integration of the Brocade ICX series switch delivers wire-speed, non-blocking performance across all ports in the VSPEX solution. They are optimized to support latency-sensitive applications installed on NAS storage. The Brocade ICX series switch provides an end-to-end path between vsphere running in the compute layer to VNXe array in the storage layer and to existing customer infrastructure. The number of servers may vary based on the minimum number of cores and appropriate memory and HA requirements. Connectivity is provided to the VNXe 3100 storage array to meet the scale Input and Output (I/O) demands of the VSPEX solution. Uplink ports are configurable for either 1GbE or 10GbE to the existing customer networking infrastructure. The network must be able to handle traffic fluctuations, real-time VM movement, and deliver the high performance and low latency required by the business. All network traffic is carried by two Brocade ICX series switches with redundant cabling for high availability and low latency, meeting the performance requirements of the VSPEX solution. The following configuration ensures the network meets the high availability and resiliency requirements of the VSPEX reference architecture: Two stackable switches to support redundancy Redundant connectivity o To server o o To storage To existing customer network infrastructure Stacking ports use high-speed (ICX Gbps and ICX Gbps) links providing low oversubscription rates between switches in the stack. Stacking ports are typically configured in pairs of two or four depending on over subscription requirements. Uplink ports use LAG links from any switch in the stack. Links are added to the LAG to adjust uplink oversubscription. Any configuration settings are applied once to the stack and all switches receive that configuration when they join the stack. Storage traffic is carried over a dedicated VLAN while management traffic is carried over a separate VLAN for traffic isolation and security. 8

9 ICX 6450 Network Layout for Server Virtualization up to 50 VMs The Brocade ICX 6450 series switch provides connectivity requirements between compute, storage and network uplink used in the VSPEX Server Virtualization stack with VMware vsphere 5 for 50 Virtual Machines. The Brocade ICX 6450 series switch features are applied in the VSPEX solution during the network layout deployment. Table 2 lists the ICX 6450 series switch connectivity requirements between compute, storage and network uplink used in the VSPEX Server Virtualization with VMware vsphere 5 for 50 Virtual Machines solution stack. Table 2. EMC VSPEX Network Connectivity with ICX 6450 Switch Stack Component VMware vsphere servers EMC VNXe3100 Uplink to Customer Infrastructure Port Configuration to ICX Switch Minimum switching capacity to servers: Six 1 GbE NICs per vsphere 5 server Minimum switching capacity to VNXe3100 storage array: One 1 GbE port per storage processor for management Two 1 GbE ports per storage processor for data Each VNXe3100 is configured with two Storage Processors (active/active). Minimum switching capacity to VNXe storage: Two 1 GbE ports to existing customer infrastructure Optionally, the uplink to existing customer infrastructure can be two10 GbE ports to ICX series switch for additional bandwidth. Notes The number of VMware vsphere 5 servers required to implement 50 virtual machines with High Availability (HA) is listed in the VSPEX Reference Architecture. The minimum number of servers depends on the number of cores and the memory requirement across the cluster to support 50 virtual machines as described in the RA. The servers are configured as a single vsphere cluster. VNXe series provides Network File System (NFS) or Virtual Machine File System (VMFS) data storage for VMware network storage connectivity for VSPEX solution. Uplink ports use LAG with links from both switches in the stack so links can be added to the LAG for HA and to adjust uplink oversubscription. 9

10 The Physical network diagram in Figure 2 shows the network connectivity between the vsphere servers, VNXe3100 array, and uplinks to existing network infrastructure. Figure 2. Network Topology Diagram ICX 6450 Table 3 lists the ICX 6450 series switch configuration requirements for the VSPEX Server Virtualization Solution with VMware vsphere 5 for 50 Virtual Machines. 10

11 Table 3. Brocade ICX 6450 Series Switch Configuration VSPEX VMware vsphere 5 for 50 Virtual Machines Brocade ICX 6450 Series Switch Switch Options Description Quantity ICX ICX Port switch (SFP+ Optics and cables are required for stacking) 2 (required for HA) ICX6400-EPS1500 ICX6400-2x10G-LIC- POD Switch Option External Power Supply W External Power (External Power Supply for redundancy) ICX X10G Capacity Based License, Upgrade 1G Uplink/Stacking Ports to 1G/10G (SFP+ Optics and cables are required) 1(EPS supports 2 ICX 6450 switches) 2 (1 per switch Optional based on customer infrastructure uplink) ICX 6610 Network Layout for Server Virtualization up to 100 VMs The Brocade ICX 6610 series switch provides connectivity requirements between compute, shared storage and network uplinks used in the VSPEX Server Virtualization stack with VMware vsphere 5 for 100 Virtual Machines. The Brocade ICX 6610 series switch features are applied in the VSPEX solution during the network layout deployment. Table 4 lists the ICX 6610 series switch connectivity requirements between compute, storage and network uplink used in the VSPEX Server Virtualization with VMware vsphere 5 for 100 Virtual Machines solution stack. Table 4. EMC VSPEX Network Connectivity with ICX 6450 Switch Stack Componen t Port Configuration to ICX Switch Notes 11

12 Stack Componen t VMware vsphere servers EMC VNXe3300 Uplink to Customer Infrastructure Port Configuration to ICX Switch Minimum switching capacity to servers: Six 1 GbE NICs per vsphere 5 server Minimum switching capacity to VNXe storage: One 1 GbE port per storage processor for management Four 1 GbE ports per storage processor for data Optional Two 10 GbE ports per storage processor for Data is available on VNXe3300 series array* Each VNXe3300 is configured with two Storage Processors (active/active). * Use of optional 10 GbE ports on the VNXe3300 should align with storage requirements while keeping in mind the overall network requirements for this solution and a level of redundancy to support high availability. Minimum switching capacity to VNXe storage: Two 1 GbE ports to existing customer infrastructure Optionally, the uplink to existing customer infrastructure can be two10 GbE ports to ICX series switch for additional bandwidth. Notes The number of VMware vsphere 5 servers required to implement 100 virtual machines with High Availability (HA) is listed in the VSPEX Reference Architecture. The minimum number of servers depends on the number of cores and the memory requirement across the cluster to support 100 virtual machines as described in the RA. The servers are configured as a single vsphere cluster. VNXe series provides Network File System (NFS) or Virtual Machine File System (VMFS) data storage for VMware network storage connectivity for VSPEX solution. Uplink ports use LAG with links from both switches in the stack so links can be added to the LAG for HA and to adjust uplink oversubscription. 12

13 Note: The port counts required for the VSPEX solution will be based on existing requirements. Please review the additional documentation in Learn More for additional information. The Physical network diagram in Figure 3 shows the network connectivity between the vsphere servers, VNXe3300 array, and uplink to existing network infrastructure. Figure 3. Network Topology Diagram ICX

14 Table 5 lists the ICX 6610 series switch configuration requirements for VSPEX Server Virtualization Solution with VMware vsphere 5 for 100 Virtual Machines. Table 5. Brocade ICX 6610 Series Switch Configuration - VMware vsphere 5 for 100 Virtual Machines VSPEX VMware vsphere 5 for 100 Virtual Machines Brocade ICX 6610 Series Switch Switch Options Description Quantity ICX E 48 port 1G RJ45, plus 8 x 1G SFPP uplinks ports (upgradeable to 10G). 4 x 40G stacking ports. Exhaust air flow. Base S/W 2 (required for HA in VSPEX solution) RPS15-E Switch Option 250W Power supply for ICX6610. Exhaust airflow 2 (required for redundancy) ICX6610-FAN-E Exhaust direction FAN for the ICX6610Switch Option Capacitybased license, upgrade 1G Uplink/Stacking ports to 1G/10G (Optics are required) 2 (required for redundancy) ICX6610-RMK-4P 4 Post Rack Mount Kit 2 (1 per switch required for VSPEX rack 4 post mounting) ICX G-LIC- POD Switch Option License to upgrade 4 additional ports of 1G SFP+ uplink to 10G speeds (Optics are required and cables required) 2 (Optional -1 per switch based on 10G option to VNXe storage connectivity and customer infrastructure uplink) ICX Software Resources Table 6 lists the software used on the ICX series switches. Table 6. ICX Series Switch Software Brocade ICX Series Switches Software Configuration ICX 6450 FastIron Version 7.4 ICX 6610 FastIron Version

15 Learn More EMC Documentation The following documents, available on the EMC Powerlink website, provide additional and relevant information. If you do not have access to a document, contact your EMC representative. EMC VSPEX Server Virtualization Solution VMware vsphere 5 for 50 Virtual Machines Enabled by VMware vsphere 5, EMC VNXe3100, and EMC Next-Generation Backup Reference Architecture EMC VSPEX Server Virtualization Solution VMware vsphere 5 for 100 Virtual Machines Enabled by VMware vsphere 5, EMC VNXe3300, and EMC Next-Generation Backup Reference Architecture EMC VSPEX Server Virtualization Solution VMware vsphere 5 for 50 Virtual Machines Enabled by VMware vsphere 5 and EMC VNXe3100 Deployment Guide EMC VSPEX Server Virtualization Solution VMware vsphere 5 for 100 Virtual Machines Enabled by VMware vsphere 5 and EMC VNXe3300 Deployment Guide EMC VSPEX Server Virtualization Solution VMware vsphere 5 for Virtual Machines Sizing Guide Other Documentation For VMware documentation, refer to the VMware website at For more information on Brocade ICX Series Switches, visit 15

16 About Brocade Brocade networking solutions help the world s leading organizations transition smoothly to a virtualized world where applications and information can reside anywhere. These Ethernet networking offerings are designed for unmatched simplicity, HA Hit-less networking, optimized applications, and investment protection. Learn more at Brocade partners with companies of all sizes to deliver innovative solutions that help organizations maximize the value of their most critical information. To learn more, visit 16