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EMC VNXe Setup Guide

NOVEMBER 15, 2016NOVEMBER 15, 2016

The VNXe is the most affordable hybrid and all-flash array across the EMC product range. Although
the future potentially sits with the newly released Unity (https://esxsi.com/2016/10/12/unity/) line, the
VNXe remains a popular, flexible, and efficient storage solution for SMBs and ROBOs. This post will
walk through the setup of an EMC VNXe device.

Architecture

The VNXe 3200 is powered by dual Intel Xeon E5-2407 4-Core processors, providing up to 3x the
performance of its 3150 predecessor. The Disk Processor Enclosure (DPE) leverages dual controllers
and 6-Gb SAS back-end connectivity to deliver high levels of availability and efficiency, whilst
lowering storage costs per I/O. Disk Array Enclosures (DAE) are added to scale out capacity up to 500
TB top end. There is concurrent support for NAS and SAN, with CIFS, SMB3, NFS, iSCSI and Fibre
Channel (up to 8Gb) protocols, whilst the unit itself has a small datacentre footprint. For more
information see the EMC VNXe Data Sheet (http://www.emc.com/collateral/software/specification-
sheet/h13842-vnxe-ss.pdf).

Some considerations when creating storage pools; typically we want to configure less storage pools to
reduce complexity and increase flexibility, however configuring multiple storage pools may be
required if you want to separate workloads. Storage pools must maintain free capacity to operate,
EMC recommend at least 10%. You will need to make design decisions based on your environment
around storage pool capacities and configured RAID protection. The VNXe range offers multicore
RAID 1/10/5/6 configured at storage pool level. EMC generally recommends smaller RAID widths as
providing the best performance and availability, at the cost of slightly less usable capacity, e.g. for
RAID 6 use 4+2 or 6+2 instead of 10+2 or 14+2.

VNXe arrays use the first 4 drives to store configuration information and critical system data, these
are known as the system or vault drives and run from DPE Disk 0 through to DPE Disk 3. The system
drives can be added to storage pools however usable capacity of system drives is reduced, therefore
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storage pools utilising system drives should use a smaller RAID width. For larger configurations with
high drive counts EMC does not recommend using the system drives as heavy client workload may
slow down management operations (does not apply to all-flash).

Requirements

In addition to the boxed system components you will need:

Cabinet vertical space of 2U for the DPE, and 2U for each optional 25-drive DAE.
2 x Cat 5e or better GbE management connections.
Between 2 and 8 Cat 5e or better GbE or 10GbE data connections, or, between 2 and 8 Gb FC
connections, depending on your chosen connection protocol.
A Windows based computer to run the initialisation and setup.
If you are unable to connect the Windows computer to the same subnet as the EMC VNXe then
you will need a USB drive to configure the array with a management IP address.
Phillips screwdriver for installation.

References –EMC VNXe Installation Guide

(https://www.emc.com/collateral/TechnicalDocument/docu52658.pdf), EMC VNXe Performance
Best Practises (https://www.emc.com/collateral/software/white-papers/h10938-vnx-best-practices-
wp.pdf), EMC VNXe Data Sheet (http://www.emc.com/collateral/software/specification-
sheet/h13842-vnxe-ss.pdf).

Unboxing

The VNXe base comes with the following:

Disk Processor Enclosure (DPE) 2U component consisting of 12 x 3.5″ bays or 25 x 2.5″ bays.
Rail kit consisting of 2 adjustable rails and 10 screws, or 2 snap-in rails and 6 screws.
Accessory kit consisting of an mini-USB adaptor, cable ties, stickers, etc.
Front bezel for DPE.
Power cords.

Any additional disk shelves contain:

Disk Array Enclosure (DAE) 2U component consisting of 12 x 3.5″ bays or 25 x 2.5″ bays.
Rail kit consisting of 2 adjustable rails and 10 screws, or 2 snap-in rails and 6 screws.
Front bezel for DAE.
Power cords.
Mini-SAS and mini-SAS HD to mini-SAS cables.

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Racking

EMC recommend installing the DPE at the bottom of the cabinet and installing any additional DAE’s
above. The snap-in method is the most commonly used rail set and the one we will use here. For
assistance with racking the adjustable rails see page 16 of the EMC VNXe Install Guide
(https://www.emc.com/collateral/TechnicalDocument/docu52658.pdf).

Locate the left and right markings on each rail. Align the 2U key tabs with the U-space in the rear
rack channel. Push the key tabs and adaptors into the rear mounting holes until the spring clips snap
into place. Round the front push in the spring clip and release once the rail is lined up with the
mounting holes. Secure the rear of the rail using 1 x M5 screw on each side.

Slide the DPE into the rails until they click into the rear tabs on each rail. The tabs secure and support
the rear of the enclosure, the front is secured using 2 x M5 screws on each side. Repeat the process for
any additional DAEs.

Cabling

First connect the 2 management ports to the switch, management ports have a LAN/management
symbol above them. Do not use the service ports, service ports have a wrench/spanner symbol above
them. Next plug in the cables for your chosen front end connectivity, i.e. Fibre Channel or Ethernet.
Front end ports need to be connected and configured symmetrically across both storage processors to
facilitate high availability. Furthermore you should use all front-end ports that are installed in the

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system, so that workload is spread across as many resources as possible. NAS ports should also be
configured with LACP grouped per storage processor, to provide path redundancy and performance
improvements.

If you have purchased additional DAEs then these need to be connected using the included SAS
cables. There are 2 on-board 6Gb SAS ports in each storage processor in the DPE. When cabling DAEs
to the DPE, balance them as evenly as possible across all available buses. The drives in the DPE are
serviced by SAS Bus 0; therefore, the first DAE should be cabled to SAS Bus 1. Connect SP A SAS Port
1 to DAE 1 Link Controller Card (LCC) A (cable 1 in the image below). Connect SP B SAS Port 1 to
DAE 1 LCC B (cable 2).

The mini-SAS HD connectors are used for the DPE ports, the mini-SAS connectors are used for DAE
ports. Mini-SAS to mini-SAS cables are used for cabling DAEs together. If you are attaching
additional DAE’s see page 28 of the EMC VNXe Install Guide
(https://www.emc.com/collateral/TechnicalDocument/docu52658.pdf).

The power cables included with the array are colour coded with an intended use of: grey for Power
Distribution Unit (PDU) A, black for PDU B. Once the array has power it will take approximately 10 –
15 minutes to power up. Finally, clip the front bezels into place and secure with the key included.

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Setup

To access the web UI for setup we have a couple of options for automatic or manual IP addressing.

Automatic – if the array has access to network DHCP and DNS servers (with dynamic DNS enabled)
then it will automatically be assigned an IP address. After power up if the SP Fault LED is solid blue
then a management address has been assigned. This IP is dynamically added to DNS in the format of
serialnumber.domain. If the SP Fault LED alternates between solid blue and flashing amber then a
management address has not been assigned as the DHCP or DNS server could not be reached.

Manual – download and install the Connection Utility from EMC Downloads
(https://support.emc.com/downloads/30951_VNXe3200). The Connection Utility gives you two
options; automatically detect unconfigured storage systems in the same subnet as your Windows
client, or manually configure an IP in a configuration file for use with a USB flash drive which the
array automatically reads.

Depending on how IP addressing has been assigned open a browser and enter the IP address
manually configured, or the DNS entry (serialnumber.dnszone). Log in to Unisphere using the
default credentials admin Password123#.

The Initial Configuration Wizard launches the first time you login. This self explanatory wizard
guides you through the basic setup of the array, any settings you skip here can be configured later
through the appropriate menus.

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Once the configuration wizard is complete you will be returned to the home dashboard. It is
recommended that the operating system is updated straight away. This can be achieved from the
Settings drop down menu, and selecting Update software. Software can either be obtained online
direct from the VNXe, or downloaded from EMC Downloads
(https://support.emc.com/downloads/30951_VNXe3200) and then uploaded to the array. If you
skipped the configuration wizard there are some basic configuration settings below to get you
started.

First browse to the Management Settings page of the Settings drop down menu. Under the General
tab we can configure the system name and management network settings. The Network tab features
DNS settings, NTP settings, and remote logging.

To apply a license (.lic file provided by EMC) go to Settings, Manage Licenses; upload and install the
license file. Also under Settings select Configure alerts, connect to EMC and configure SMTP and
alert settings here.

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It is recommended that physical network interfaces are  pooled together. To configure link
aggregation browse to Settings, More Configuration, Advanced Configuration. Tick the
Aggregation box.

Storage pools are configured under System, Storage Pools. You will see 2 default pools; Hot Spare
Pool and Unconfigured Disks. To configure the number of hot spares, or configure a storage pool and
RAID group, select the appropriate pool and click Configure Disks. Follow the Disk Configuration
Wizard.

To change the admin password at any time go to Settings, User administration. To enable SSH
(optional) navigate to Settings, Service System and enter the service password. Select Enable SSH
and click Execute service action.
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You can now move on to configure the chosen protocol for the array, whether that be creating
CIFS/NFS servers and shares through Settings, Manage Shared Folder Server Settings, or presenting
iSCSI or FC storage through Hosts or Settings, iSCSI Server Settings. For further assistance with the
VNXe GUI see EMC Unisphere for VNXe (https://www.emc.com/collateral/hardware/white-
papers/h8179-unisphere-vnxe-wp.pdf).
EMC SAN STORAGE VNXE

One thought on “EMC VNXe Setup Guide”

1. Brittany says:
MAY 17, 2023 AT 12:25 AM
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