Powerflex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design Student Guide: Downloadable Content

POWERFLEX 4.
X
APPLIANCE AND RACK
DESIGN STUDENT
GUIDE
DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT
DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT
PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design Student Guide
© Copyright 2023 Dell Inc Page 2

Table of Contents
PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design 6

PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design Introduction 6
PowerFlex Solution Design and Planning Overview 7
PowerFlex Architecture, Features, and Functions 8

How PowerFlex Components Work Together 8
PowerFlex Features and Functions 11
PowerFlex Management and Operations 13

PowerFlex Management Platform (PFMP) 2.0 Overview 13
Assess the PowerFlex Solution Request 15

Gather Customer Requirements 15
Assess Customer Workloads 17
Select the PowerFlex Solution 20

PowerFlex Platform Offerings 20
PowerFlex Platform Offering Deployment Models 22
Position the PowerFlex Platform with Deployment Model 25
PowerFlex Platform and Deployment Model Assessment - Hospital Patient Records
Requirement 27
PowerFlex Platform and Deployment Model Assessment - Customer Oracle Database
Requirements 28
PowerFlex Network Planning 29

PowerFlex Networking Overview 29
Full Network Automation Vs Partial Network Automation 30
PowerFlex Networking - Physical Construct 32
PowerFlex Networking - Logical Construct 35
Multi-Subnet and Multi-VLAN for PowerFlex 4.5 Appliance and Rack 37
Multi-Subnet in PFMC 2.0 Nodes 41
PowerFlex Networking - Hybrid Network Environments 43

Size the PowerFlex Storage Nodes 47
Design and Configuration: Sizer 47
Design for Availability 50
Sizing Rules and Best Practices 51
Using the PowerFlex Sizer 53
PowerFlex Sizing Activity 1 54
Activity 1 Solution Discussion 54
PowerFlex Sizing Activity 2 55
Activity 2 Solution Discussion 56
Capture the PowerFlex Solution Design 57

Planning: Enterprise Project Services (EPS) 57
Manage a Project 58
Practice Using EPS for PowerFlex 4.0 Design 61
Pre-deployment PowerFlex Solution Design Checks 62

Pre-deployment Checks Overview 62
Create and publish a Pre-deployment Checks Report 63
Work with the Pre-deployment Checks to Complete a Report 68
Finalize the PowerFlex HCI Solution Deployment 74
EPS Offline and Network Validation Tool 75

EPS for Deployment Partners Tool 75
Network Validation Tool (NVT) 76
Customer Configuration Center (C3) and a Logical Configuration Survey (LCS)77

Customer Configuration Center (C3) and a Logical Configuration Survey (LCS) Introduction
77
LCS Overview 78
Resources 84
PowerFlex 4.x Appliance and Rack Design Resources 84

Appendix 85
Glossary 86

PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design
PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design Introduction
This course is part of a curriculum of PowerFlex courses. The course is

intended for Dell Global Professional Services and Partner solution
architects (SA). SAs should complete the PowerFlex 4.0 Concepts,
PowerFlex 4.0 Implementation, and PowerFlex 4.0 Administration courses
prior to this course.
At the end of this course, the SA will be able to:

• Gather customer requirements for a PowerFlex solution design.
• Design a PowerFlex solution based on a specific PowerFlex
platform, deployment model, and network option.
• Configure the PowerFlex nodes in the solution design to meet
customer needs using the PowerFlex Sizer.
• Capture the PowerFlex appliance or custom note solution design
using the Dell Enterprise Project Services (EPS) online for co-
delivered deployments.
• Capture the PowerFlex appliance or custom note solution design
using the EPS for Deployment Partners Tool and Network
Validation Tool (NVT).
• Capture the PowerFlex rack solution design using the Customer
Configuration Center (C3).

PowerFlex Solution Design and Planning Overview
The Dell Professional Services PowerFlex planning and design team is

tasked with providing IT customers with a PowerFlex solution that meets
their needs. PowerFlex is configured in many different ways to match the
many different requirements. The team follows an approach, or plan, to
design the right system for the analyzed requirements. The team ensures
that the IT customer needs are the focus of the design from the beginning
to end of the plan.
The Dell Professional Services team is made up of both Dell internal and
partner services personnel. The core plan and design team consist of
project managers and solution architects for the design effort. The solution
architect works closely with the pre-sales team and the PowerFlex
implementation team for deployment. The core team of project managers
and solution architects act as a bridge between Dell pre-sales and the
PowerFlex solution deployment.

PowerFlex Architecture, Features, and Functions
How PowerFlex Components Work Together
A PowerFlex cluster is made up of many component parts. The main five

components are:
• Storage Data Server (SDS)

• Storage Data Client (SDC)
• Storage Data Target (SDT)
• Meta Data Manager (MDM)
• File Services Node (FSN)
SDS
The Storage Data Server is a software daemon that enables a server in

the cluster to contribute local storage devices to an aggregated storage
pool. SDS owns the contributing devices, and together with the other
SDSs, forms a protected mesh from which storage pools are created.
The web version of this content contains a video.
SDC
The Storage Data Client is a block device driver that exposes shared
block volumes from the SDS to the operating system. The SDC runs on

the same server as the application. In practice, an application issues an

I/O request, and the SDC fulfills the request regardless of what SDS the
requested blocks physically reside on.
SDT
The Storage Data Target manages host connections and controllers that
are connected over NVMe/TCP. SDT sends administrative and I/O
commands to the SDS programmatically such that the SDS is oblivious to
the source of the I/O. This makes traffic from an SDT look like it came
from an SDC.

MDM
The Meta Data Manager is the authority that controls and tracks data
storage ownership, mapping, and protection. As volumes are created, the
MDM provides the information application servers need to connect to the
cluster’s virtualized storage.
FSN
The File Services Node is a software component that allows the

PowerFlex cluster to make data available over file-based protocols. The
FSN supports protocols such as SMB, NFS, and FTP.

Review the PowerFlex 4.0 course to learn these concepts in detail.

• PowerFlex 4.0 Concepts
PowerFlex Features and Functions
Function PowerFlex Feature that Enables the Function
Data Storage Storage Data Service is loaded to each storage node,

creating and serving storage from the cluster.
Volume Data Protection Domain is a group of SDS that has rules

Mirroring and about where blocks of data can be stored in a Storage
Resiliency Pool.
Fault Sets are used to protect against a failure or for
performing maintenance tasks when all data in one
fault set is mirrored on a different fault set.
High Storage Pool (SP) defines the performance of its

Throughput, Low volumes based on the type and capacity of drives in
Latency the SP.
Performance Mesh Communication is when the SDC communicates
with each SDS simultaneously to maximize throughput.
Quality of Service (QoS) limits bandwidth and IOPs for
non-critical applications.
Volume Reads, Storage Data Client communicates with each SDS to

Writes, give applications access to volumes.
Snapshots

Data Layout: Meta Data Manager map applies granularity rules and
Protection Domain rules to evenly distribute blocks of
• Medium
data across every node.
Granularity
Medium Granularity is 1 MB blocks geared toward
• Fine speed and performance while Fine Granularity is 4 KB
Granularity blocks geared toward compression and snapshots.
File Support File Controllers are dedicated physical nodes that host
NAS servers.
Native Storage Data Replicator (SDR) software is loaded to

Asynchronous each storage node and processes journal-based
Replication replication.
Maintenance Instant Maintenance Mode (IMM) is just minutes long,

Mode perfect for rolling upgrades and reboots.
Protected Maintenance Mode (PMM) is available for
maintenance windows longer than 30 minutes.
Data Security Data at Rest Encryption (D@RE) encrypts data

through software or self-encrypting drives (SED).
CloudLink (PowerFlex Encryption and Keystore
Services) is an optional application that manages the
encryption as well as providing key management.
Capacity and CloudIQ plugin provides health, configuration, capacity,

Performance and performance metrics.
Monitoring
Review the PowerFlex 4.0 course to learn more about the PowerFlex
features and functions in detail.
• PowerFlex 4.0 Administration

PowerFlex Management and Operations
PowerFlex Management Platform (PFMP) 2.0 Overview
The PowerFlex Management Platform (PFMP) 2.0 is part of the overall

PowerFlex 4.x deployment. PFMP is the underlying Management and
Operations (M&O) software stack that enables PowerFlex Manager.
1. PowerFlex Manager 4.0 is a robust toolset designed to automate IT

operations and lifecycle management of the entire PowerFlex
infrastructure across compute, storage, and networking. The
PowerFlex Manager interface provides a dashboard overview of the
PowerFlex system and its health. Also, detailed Block service
management, File service management, and other operations such as
resource management and monitoring.
2. The PFMP is a distributed containerized common M&O integrated
approach based on Infrastructure Management Services, Integration
Services, and Kubernetes Platform Services. The combined services
along with the Kubernetes Pods are known as the Kubernetes Cluster.
3. PFMP runs on various types of PowerFlex deployments. The previous
iteration of the PowerFlex management controller (PFMC) 1.0 is based

on VMware virtual storage area network (vSAN) while the PFMC 2.0 is
based solely on PowerFlex with Kubernetes. PFMC 2.0 can use either
a single management node, with raid, or use 3 plus management
nodes with a Powerflex cluster. PFMP also runs on software-only
PowerFlex solutions where customers use their own management VMs
or Co-Resident storage nodes.
Go to the Dell PowerFlex 4.0.x Technical Overview to review the

specifications and requirements for a PowerFlex 4.x deployment.
Review the PowerFlex 4.0 course to learn more about the PFMP and
PFMC in detail.
• PowerFlex 4.0 Implementation

Assess the PowerFlex Solution Request
Gather Customer Requirements
The first step that is involved in designing a PowerFlex solution is to

properly plan the optimal outcome for the customer. Once these objectives
are constructed, the data that is needed for measuring these outcomes
may be gathered.
Understand Customers Objectives
Customer objectives are defined by what they

require from the solution. Take, for example, a
soccer match. The objective is to win the game. In
order to achieve that objective, teams are
required to score goals on their opponent, and
stop their opponent from scoring. Similarly, project
objectives may include providing a highly
performing, site-redundant storage solution for
production applications. To achieve that objective,
offer appropriately sized nodes, which are based
on a measured workload, and enough network
bandwidth between locations.
By truly assessing the requirements, a solution designer can set the

proper objectives for the project.
Data Gathering
In order to understand the end-goal, an accurate estimation of what the

current environment looks like is required. The best way to learn about
their environment is to interview the customer. Below are the areas to
focus on, and some of the details to look for:

1. How is the customer 4. What do their day-to-day

environment configured? operations look like and what
are their plans for future
a. Virtualized vs Physical
expansion?
b. Hypervisors and Versions
a. Scale Requirements –
(ESXi, Red Hat
Compute and Storage (HCI vs
Virtualization, Hyper-V, and
2 Layer)
so on)
b. Maintenance Processes
c. Workloads (VDI, Splunk,
EPIC, SA, and so on) c. Information Technology
Infrastructure Library (ITIL) or
d. Physical resources - CPU,
IT operations management
Cores, and Memory
(ITOM) usage
2. How does the customer
5. How is the current storage
protect their data?
infrastructure configured?
a. Backup and Replication
a. Current Protection Domain,
Strategy
Storage Pool, and Fault Set
b. Business Continuity and layout
Disaster (BCDR) plan
b. Thin vs Thick
c. Recovery Point Objective
c. Usable capacity and
(RPO) and Recovery Time
anticipated future growth
Objective (RTO)
d. Performance benchmarks
d. Encryption, Data at Rest
including Read/Write ratios
Encryption
and block sizes
3. How is their network
e. Data Types (Object, NAS,
configured?
Block, and so on)
a. Customer Core Network f. Snapshots
b. Software Defined g. Multi-Tenancy
Networking (NSX, ACI, and
6. Do they have specific data
so on)
center requirements?
c. Multi-Tenancy
a. Power and Cooling
d. Storage Latency Targets
requirements
b. Rack Layout

Assess Customer Workloads
Once requirements and objectives have been defined, and the

requirement questions have been answered, consideration must be given
to what workloads are running. Take a database for example; the
customer may have a requirement to remotely protect that data. The
objective may be to set up remote replication and snapshots. Then the
questions become:
• What type of workload is being replicated?

• Does it require quiescing before taking a snapshot?
From a performance perspective, what architecture benefits the

application most? Designing a solution to meet the customer workload
also means that the SA needs understand how to assess the workload
capacity of the different node configurations.
In order to help with architecting advanced solutions, Dell provides the

Infohub site. This site offers detailed whitepapers and reference
architectures for many line-of-business applications.
Examples of the information available in the infohub site:

Oracle RAC on PowerFlex
This Oracle RAC on PowerFlex rack white paper outlines how customers
can deploy Oracle RAC databases on PowerFlex rack to meet
performance, resiliency, scale, and availability requirements.

Microsoft SQL Server 2019 on Windows Hyper-V using

PowerFlex
The Microsoft SQL Server 2019 on Windows Hyper-V using PowerFlex

white paper demonstrates the deployment of Microsoft SQL Server 2019
on Microsoft Hyper-V Failover clustering using PowerFlex two-layer
deployment architecture.

Select the PowerFlex Solution
PowerFlex Platform Offerings
The customer data center virtual storage and compute needs vary. One
customer may require storage-only custom nodes to meet their needs.
Another customer may require a full integrated rack solution because of a
different need.
The PowerFlex Platform offerings that are designed to meet customer

needs consist of PowerFlex rack, PowerFlex appliance, and PowerFlex
custom node option. Each offering comes with PowerFlex software-
defined storage. Each option comes with licensing for a PowerFlex system
and a unified management platform.
PowerFlex rack

PowerFlex rack is a fully engineered rack-scale platform with integrated

networking. It has a larger starting point, and scales to hundreds of nodes
and racks.
PowerFlex appliance
PowerFlex appliance has a smaller starting point than rack, and still scales
to hundreds of nodes. PowerFlex appliance allows customers to use a
broad set of supported networking options and can be added to existing
networking infrastructures. However, PowerFlex appliance is limited to
supported networking configurations.

PowerFlex custom node
PowerFlex custom nodes are servers that are configured to support a

PowerFlex system. The servers are tested and certified to deliver
predictable performance for a wide variety of workloads. PowerFlex
custom nodes are ideal for customers who prefer to build their own
environments and have their own management services. Custom nodes
also allow broader networking options than the PowerFlex appliance.
PowerFlex Platform Offering Deployment Models
The PowerFlex Platform offerings are available in several deployment

models. Each model is designed to meet different customer requirements.
PowerFlex supports deploying nodes in three different configurations:
Storage-only, Compute-only, and HCI. As the name implies, a Storage-
only node handles virtualized storage. Compute-only nodes do not have
storage responsibilities but handle running applications. An HCI node
performs both the storage and compute responsibilities.

As with the nodes, the options for deploying the models vary as well.
Based on which nodes make up the model, there can be three different
deployments: Two-Layer, Hyperconverged, and Mixed.
Two-Layer
In a two-layer deployment, the SDS is installed on a separate host from

the SDC. The front-end (client) is separated from the back-end (storage)
data traffic.
Two-layer deployments allow compute and storage resources to grow

independently. PowerFlex SDC nodes host end-user applications.
PowerFlex SDS nodes contribute storage to the storage pool.
The SDC requests data from the mapped volumes of the storage pool.

HCI
In the HCI configuration, both the SDC and the SDS are installed on the
same host. HCI deployments maximize hardware utilization and reduce
infrastructure requirements.
In the HCI deployment model, the node SDS contributes storage to the
storage pool. The same node SDC makes requests for data from the
mapped storage pool volumes.
Mixed

A hybrid HCI deployment model, which is known as a mixed model,

consists of HCI, compute-only, and storage-only nodes.
The HCI nodes contribute both compute and storage resources from the
same host. The singular SDC nodes provide compute resources, making
request for data from the storage pool volumes. The singular SDS nodes
provide storage resources, contributing storage data to the storage pool.
Position the PowerFlex Platform with Deployment

Model
To learn how a PowerFlex appliance or rack offering that are combined

with a deployment model would meet a customer requirement, select each
tab.
Rack Two-Layer
A securities brokerage company is going to refresh their data center. The

company uses Splunk to monitor their trading environment. Splunk ingests
10 TB of data daily and frequently experiences large trading spikes. The
customer is looking for a solution that provides the storage which can
handle the large trading spikes. They want a system that has all the
hardware components that are integrated, fully configured, managed, and
supported by Dell.
Why would a PowerFlex rack two-layer system be a good solution for

the brokerage company?

PowerFlex rack is a fully engineered rack-scale system with integrated

networking. PowerFlex rack is configured in the factory and Dell
supported. The two-layer deployment model allows the organization to
separately scale their compute and storage as their needs change.
Appliance HCI
A small retail chain wants to update their IT infrastructure. The retail chain
does not need a lot of compute and storage capabilities. However, the
retail chain does require handling a spike in transactions at peak times
during the year. They have a limited budget and space available for
hardware. Other storage solutions do not meet their performance needs.
The retail chain provides their own networking and management
environment.
Why would a PowerFlex appliance HCI system would be a good

solution for this retail chain?

PowerFlex appliance offers storage and compute flexibility. PowerFlex

appliance allows customers to use a broad set of supported networking
options and can be added to existing networking infrastructures. The HCI
deployment model provides nodes that include both compute and storage
components. So, the system can be scaled with fewer nodes rather than
the compute and storage being scaled separately.
PowerFlex Platform and Deployment Model

Assessment - Hospital Patient Records Requirement
Scenario
A local hospital must process and store many patient records. The
hospital needs fast, high-performance storage for hundreds of medical
records for personnel to access quickly. The hospital must also expand
their storage quickly as their patient records increase. The hospital is
looking for a Dell system that is a fully engineered solution as it includes
supported networking devices.

1. Which PowerFlex offering best suits these requirements? (Select an

option)
a. A PowerFlex rack two-layer deployment
b. A PowerFlex appliance two-layer deployment
c. A PowerFlex rack HCI deployment
d. A PowerFlex appliance HCI deployment
PowerFlex Platform and Deployment Model

Assessment - Customer Oracle Database
Requirements
Scenario
A college wants to run an Oracle database on their PowerFlex solution.

The college needs high I/O block storage, but they are concerned about
the licensing cost. The Oracle database is an application that is licensed
per CPU core. The college needs high-performance storage and wants a
lower core count. The database storage size is expected to expand over
the next several years. The customer wants to keep their own networking.
2. Which PowerFlex offering meets the customer requirements? (Select

an option)
a. A PowerFlex rack two-layer deployment
b. A PowerFlex appliance two-layer deployment
c. A PowerFlex rack HCI
d. A PowerFlex appliance HCI

PowerFlex Network Planning
PowerFlex Networking Overview
Review the Dell PowerFlex Appliance with PowerFlex 4.x Network

Planning Guide to learn more.
PowerFlex uses TCP/IP and NVMe/TCP protocols to offer block and file
services.
Networking is a key component of the PowerFlex solution design. It

provides the communication layer between the nodes and enables data

transfer, replication, and protection. The PowerFlex network is designed

as both a physical and logical construct.
The differences on how the PowerFlex custom node, appliance, and rack
handle networking are:
• PowerFlex custom node uses a Do-it-Yourself (DIY) networking and

management system.
• PowerFlex appliance offers flexible networking options to suit different
workloads and environments.
• PowerFlex rack provides integrated networking to simplify deployment
and management of the infrastructure.
PowerFlex Networking Considerations:
• Single IP network - All communications and IOs used for management

and for data storage are performed on the same IP network. The single
IP network applies to PowerFlex 4.0 or greater.
• Multiple separate IP networks - Separate networks are used for
management, data storage, or used within the data storage part of the
system. Multiple separate IP networks only apply to PowerFlex 4.5 or
greater.
Full Network Automation Vs Partial Network Automation
Access the Dell PowerFlex Appliance and PowerFlex Rack PowerFlex

Manager 4.x Compatibility Matrix to review the specifications for the
PowerFlex rack and appliance network devices.
PowerFlex rack uses a Dell network-configured solution with Dell or Cisco

supported network devices. There are two network options available for
PowerFlex appliance:

• Full Network Automation (FNA) requires the customer to use fully

integrated (supported) switches to which PowerFlex Manager can have
write access.
• Partial Network Automation (PNA) is used when a customer may not
want PowerFlex Manager to have write access to the switches, or they
may want to use other enterprise grade switches.
FNA is the Dell preferred network option for PowerFlex appliance since it
is a fully tested system. For the PowerFlex appliance FNA, the customer
can:
• Use PowerFlex Manager to help automate server-facing ports and

node operating system networking.
• Use the switches listed in the PowerFlex Manager Compatibility Matrix.
For the PowerFlex appliance PNA, the customer can:
• Leverage existing network investments and processes.

• Use PowerFlex Manager to help automate node operating system
networking only.
• Manage the switches and ensures that their switches are (and remain)
configured properly. PowerFlex Manager does not validate the switch
configuration.
• Use other enterprise-grade switches that are not in the PowerFlex
Manager Compatibility Matrix.

PowerFlex Networking - Physical Construct
A PowerFlex network is made up of nodes and switches.

Each PowerFlex node connects to dedicated, redundant switch paths that
enable maximum system bandwidth with fault tolerance. Nodes are also
connected to an out-of-band (OOB) management switch.
Each PowerFlex node contains the following network connections:
• 2 x links for customer and management traffic that is 25G or 100G

based on the network design.
• 2 x links for storage data traffic that is 25G or 100G based on the
network design.
• 1 Gbps link for the OOB Management (iDRAC and IPMI).
Traffic separation, QOS, and Class of Service (COS) are preconfigured to

maintain systems availability and performance.

Aggregation/Access
The access-aggregation physical network configuration is a three-tier

topology for PowerFlex appliance and rack. When a multicabinet
configuration is needed, the aggregation switches are used to allow data
flow between nodes in each cabinet. PowerFlex uses two top-of-rack
(ToR) switches known as access switches per cabinet. The configuration
includes an OOB management switch per cabinet.
For PowerFlex appliance, the access-aggregation physical configuration is

implemented in either FNA or PNA. For PowerFlex rack, the physical
configuration is FNA only.

Spine/Leaf
Spine-leaf is a two-layer network topology that is composed of spine and

leaf switches. The configuration includes an OOB management switch.
This topology is recommended for high-performance, large-scale, high-
bandwidth, and highly scalable environments. Each leaf switch connects
back to the spine using 100 Gbps connections.
Network switches provide two options to support leaf-to-node connectivity.
• 10G or 25G Cisco Nexus 93240YC-FX2 switch

• 100G Cisco Nexus 9336-fX2, 9364C, or 9364-GX switches
For an FNA configuration in both PowerFlex rack and appliance, Cisco
spine and leaf switches are mandatory.

PowerFlex Networking - Logical Construct
Review the VLAN and Data Transport Protocol Specific Details to learn
more.
A logical network is an overlay network that groups a subset of devices

that share a physical network. This grouping isolates the traffic for each
group. It appears as a self-contained network even though it might
physically be only a portion of a larger network or a local area network. A
logical network might also be an entity that has been created out of
multiple separate networks and made to appear as a single network.
Logical networks are often used in virtual environments, where there are
physical and virtual networks running together.
PowerFlex supports logical networks that are created from the

Aggregation/Access or Spine/Leaf physical network configuration.
Because the logical network is virtual, it requires an IP address for each
device in the network. Node and switch communication requires a VLAN
and data transfer protocol.
Default VLAN Setup for a PowerFlex appliance:
Default VLANS PowerFlex Notes Data

Defaults Transfer
Protocol
flex-oob-mgmt 101 Management Network L3

Connectivity (iDRAC and Networking
Switch Out-of-Band)
flex-vcsa-ha 103 PowerFlex Controller L2

VCSA high availability Networking
traffic
flex-node-mgmt 105 Host Management traffic L3

Networking

flex-vmotion 106 VMware vmotion network L3

Networking
pfmc-sds-mgmt 140 PowerFlex Management L3

Controller management Networking
traffic
pfmc-sds-data1 141 PowerFlex Management L2

Controller data network 1 Networking
pfmc-sds-data2 142 PowerFlex Management L2

Controller data network 2 Networking
pfmc-vmotion 143 PowerFlex Management L3

Controller vmotion traffic Networking
flex-stor-mgmt 150 PowerFlex Management L3

traffic Networking
flex-data1 151 PowerFlex data network 1 L2

(SDC+SDS+SDT) (Node Storage Data) Networking
flex-data2 152 PowerFlex data network 2 L2

(SDC+SDS+SDT) (Node Management Data) Networking
flex-data3 153 If needed data network 3 L2

(SDC+SDS+SDT) Networking
flex-data4 154 If needed data network 4 L2

(SDC+SDS+SDT) Networking
flex-rep1 (SDR) 161 Replication Traffic L3

Networking
flex-rep2 (SDR) 162 Replication Traffic L3

Networking
file-mgmt 250 File management traffic L3

Networking

file-data1 251 File data network 1 L3

Networking
file-data2 252 File data network 2 L3

Networking
Multi-Subnet and Multi-VLAN for PowerFlex 4.5

Appliance and Rack
In PowerFlex 4.5 rack and appliance, the system can be implemented to

use a switch and node multi-subnet or a multi-subnet and multi-VLAN
network.
Multi-Subnet or Multi-Subnet and Multi-VLAN Implementation
The most common PowerFlex 4.5 rack or appliance multi-subnet or multi-

subnet and multi-VLAN implementation is when the PowerFlex node
management or vMotion network spans multiple racks. In the
implementation where the network spans multiple racks, each rack is its
own subnet and/or VLAN. However, there are use cases for multi-subnet
or multi-subnet and multi-VLAN per a row of racks in a data center. The
rack or row implementation each have a maximum subnet size 1 to use.
1The recommended maximum subnet size for each rack network is under
27 subnets. The recommended maximum subnet size for each row
network is under 21 subnets.

• Multi-subnet is the support of two or more subnets of the same network

type with the same logical VLAN ID.

• Multi-subnet and multi-VLAN is the support of two or more subnets of

the same network type with a different logical VLAN ID for each
subnet. The VLAN ID is changed from the previously associated rack
networks as shown in the example flex-node-mgmt VLAN ID 105
changed to VLAN ID 305 for the rack 2 network.

Supported Nodes and Switch Topologies
Review the table for the supported node types and switch topologies for
multi-subnet and multi-VLAN PowerFlex 4.5 rack or appliance
implementations.
Node Types (14G and 15G) Network Types Switch

Topologies
• Hyperconverged • Out-of-Band • Dell access-

(PowerFlex Manager) Management aggregation
• Compute-only (PowerFlex • ESXi • Cisco access-
Manager) Management aggregation
• Storage-only (PowerFlex • Customer vMotion • Cisco leaf-
Manager) • PFMC vMotion spine with
Border
• PFMC 2.0 Controller • PFMC SDS Gateway
nodes Management Protocol
• NSX nodes (Edge and (BGP)
• Customer Flex
Transport) Ethernet
Management
Virtual Private
• Replication
Network
(EVPN)
PowerFlex Manager Services
When deploying a resource group in PowerFlex Manager, the

implementation engineer associates multi-subnets or multi-subnets and
multi-VLANs, including replication. The nodes in the resource group have
different IPs from the subnets for the Hypervisor Management, Hypervisor
Migration, Replication, and Node Management networks.
When the implementation engineer is deploying new nodes for an existing

PowerFlex 4.5 system, the new nodes are added to the existing resource
group. Because the existing resource group is multi-subnet or multi-subnet
and multi-VLAN that PowerFlex Manager manages, the newly added
nodes are assigned IPs from the different networks.

Important: A multi-subnet or multi-subnet and multi-VLAN

implementation is supported in all PowerFlex 4.5 networks
except for the PowerFlex Data, vSAN, NSX Overlay, and
NSX external networks.
Multi-Subnet in PFMC 2.0 Nodes

The VLAN requirement for the PFMC 2.0 management nodes is changed
in PowerFlex 4.5 because of multi-subnet. PFMC 2.0 is reliant on a series
of management virtual machines (VMs) to control the PowerFlex cluster
and provide the block services for each node. A new VLAN subnet, named
pfmc-mgmt-130 (VLAN 130), is used in PowerFlex 4.5 for all
management VMs when implementing multi-subnet.
The PFMC management VMs include:
• VMware VCSA
• Jump Server
• PowerFlex Manager (PFxM)
• Dell CloudLink
• Secured Connected Gateway (SCG)
• Policy Manager
• PFMP (Kubernetes Cluster)
VLAN 130 is required for a multi-subnet PFMC node implementation

because of an issue with the use of VLAN 105 on the management VMs.
On a standard single network implementation, the existing VLAN 105
node management is shared between the ESXi Management VMkernel
and the management VMs. However, in the multi-subnet implementation,
the ESXi Management is configured on different racks or rows.
For all the other node types, the use of VLAN 105 for multi-subnet is
allowed. However, the VLAN 105 implementation will cause the
management VMs in PFMC nodes to break after vMotion migration. The
use of the new VLAN 130 remediates the ESXi Management and
management VMs issue for a PFMC node multi-subnet implementation.
If the customer wants the standard single network implementation, either

the VLAN 105 or VLAN 130 can be used for the management VMs. It is,
however, recommended to use the new VLAN 130 for the PFMC nodes in
a standard single network implementation regardless.

PowerFlex Networking - Hybrid Network Environments
Review information about the Dell PowerFlex Rack Dual Network

Architecture. Review the VMware NSX-T ready network requirements
from the Dell PowerFlex Appliance with PowerFlex 4.x Network Planning
Guide.
PowerFlex operates in hybrid network environments such as a software-

defined network (SDN) added to the PowerFlex physical and logical
network configuration. SDNs are excellent for large, complex networks
that require high levels of availability. SDN (also seen as "Hybrid")
provides centralized remote management of the network. The two hybrid
network configurations available for PowerFlex are:
• Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI)

• VMware NSX-T Ready

ACI
Cisco ACI enables agility and resiliency in hybrid-cloud and multi-cloud

environments. On a PowerFlex rack solution, two new customer access
switches are added to either the Aggregation/Access or Spine/Leaf
topology. Two additional ports are added to the Hyperconverged (HCI)
and compute-only nodes to connect to the new customer access switches.
The hybrid configuration is known as a Dual Network Design.
The network concept is as follows:
• Front-end (FE) Network - SDN

• Back-end (BE) Network - PowerFlex
A new Distributed Virtual Switch is added to the logical configuration to

funnel the customer traffic into the ACI SDN. Storage nodes remain
connected to the standard PowerFlex Aggregation/Access or Spine/Leaf

network. The hyperconverged and compute-only nodes connect to both

the ACI SDN and the PowerFlex network.
NSX-T Ready
VMware NSX-T Ready is an SDN technology that delivers VM-centric

network services and security in a hybrid cloud environment. The NSX-T
Ready is deployed within a PowerFlex system and extends across the
customer data center.
The NSX-T Ready configuration is available for PowerFlex rack and

appliance. It includes one extra NSX-T management controller and two or
more NSX-T Edge nodes. The nodes are pre-allocated to support an
NSX-T SDN deployment. The customer provides the NSX-T Edge nodes
and NSX-T controller, or the nodes and controller are part of the
PowerFlex appliance deployment.
If the edge nodes and controller are part of the appliance, then the
required hardware components are installed at the Dell factory. The NSX-
T software for the controller and edge nodes is installed in the Dell factory
or onsite by the Dell Implementation team.

NSX-T edge nodes can run as virtual appliances or bare metal nodes.
However, PowerFlex rack only supports NSX-T edge nodes as virtual
appliances. The edge nodes connect directly to the aggregation switches.

Size the PowerFlex Storage Nodes
Design and Configuration: Sizer
PowerFlex Sizer is a tool that estimates PowerFlex custom nodes,

appliances, and rack configurations based on inputs and filters. The Sizer
has two modes, simple and advanced. Start with the Simple Sizer. The
Advanced Sizer may be used to fine-tune the recommendations.
Simple Sizer Inputs
Inputs include:
1. Minimum Medium Granularity (MG) Capacity
2. By default, the results are sorted by relative price. To sort by another
metric, click to select space, speed, and so on.
3. Network Speed: 25 Gbps or 100 Gbps
4. Workload Read/Write Percentage
Simple Sizer Filters
Filters include:
1. Storage Data Layout: Medium Granularity or Fine Granularity

2. Hardware Generation: 14G or 15G

3. Storage Drive Interface: FIPS_SAS, NVMe, PCI, SAS, SATA
4. Drive Size: 3840 GB or 7680 GB
Important:13G servers are not supported for PowerFlex 4.x

deployments. 16G servers will be available for the
PowerFlex 4.5 deployment.
Sizer Results
Sizer considers the inputs and filter and shows the results.
1. Click one of the results in the right panel to show its details in the left
panel.
2. View the details from multiple viewpoints, including raw and usable
storage, workload, compute, network, and availability.
3. In the example below, the Availability option shows the amount of time
it would take to rebuild a failed node and failed drive.
4. Export a PDF to include all or selected information about the
configuration.

Advanced Sizer
To use the Advanced Sizer, clear the Simple Sizer toggle. The advanced
mode includes additional filters and inputs. Options are available to select
replication, specific PowerFlex products, host connectivity, chassis model,
and specific CPUs, among others.

Design for Availability
Two concepts to consider when using the Sizer to design the PowerFlex
solution are storage node reliability and availability.
• Reliability is the system “up” time. It is the likelihood of not having a

failure event; it is the absence of failure.
• Availability is the amount of time that the PowerFlex system is
operating normally. It is described as a percentage, for example,
99.9999000%. This number is described as being “six nines," or 31.56
seconds of downtime per year. Some configurations can get to seven
nines. Ultimately, it is the percentage of time that the PowerFlex
system is up and running.
How does drive size impact a system

during drive failure?
• A PowerFlex solution requires
fewer drives when they are larger
in capacity. Drives with larger
capacity take more time to rebuild.
• Which is more important to the
customer? Fewer drives or faster
rebuilds?

After a node failure, how quickly can

the node recover?
• More nodes are required for
smaller capacity drives. A greater
number of nodes with smaller
drives rebuild more quickly than
fewer nodes with larger capacity
drives.
• Again, is one more important than
the other?
What is happening during the rebuild?

• Since there is data redundancy across nodes, single node or drive
failures do not result in data loss or outages.
• Using spare capacity built into the system, data residing on the failed
node or drives is rebuilt to other nodes or drives.
• After a node or drive is replaced, the data is rebalanced.
Sizing Rules and Best Practices
Follow the rules and best practices to determine the size and scale of the
best PowerFlex solution for the customer.

PowerFlex See the available PowerFlex sizing and quoting guides.

Documentation Note that some resources are available for Dell Global
Services and Sales only. Partners, contact Dell account
teams for support when needed:
• PowerFlex 4.0.x Technical Overview - This guide
provides details about the minimums and maximums
of the PowerFlex product.
• System Design Guide for PowerFlex Family - Follow
the advice in this guide when sizing a PowerFlex
solution.
• PowerFlex FastPass - This webpage includes links
to many helpful PowerFlex resources, including:
− PowerFlex Appliance Quoting Guide

− PowerFlex Rack Ordering Guide
Replication Journal capacity in a PowerFlex system is affected by

remote replication. Factors such as bandwidth between
sites, RPO, and the rate of change in the source data
may require additional capacity beyond the default
10%.
When sizing PowerFlex for replication, use the
advanced mode of the PowerFlex Sizer. Advanced
mode requests replication-specific information to help
you size the solution correctly.
Protective PMM creates a third copy of the data on a node to

Maintenance protect it during a maintenance window. PMM uses
Mode both free and spare capacity when creating the copy.
PMM is recommended for maintenance windows that
are longer than 30 minutes.
To accommodate the space required for PMM, add one
node of storage to the PowerFlex design.

Using the PowerFlex Sizer
Launch the PowerFlex Sizer.
The PowerFlex Sizer is a tool that is used to design PowerFlex custom

nodes, appliance nodes, and rack nodes.
Important: If there is a specific workload request or a

requirement to configure replication, solution architects
should engage Dell Global Professional Services. If
PowerFlex rack is identified as the platform that meets the
customer requirements, solution architects should also
engage Dell Global Professional Services.

PowerFlex Sizing Activity 1
Instructions: Practice designing a PowerFlex solution that is based on

customer requirements. Use the PowerFlex Sizer to size it. When you are
finished and have a recommendation, go to the next page to see a video
describing a possible solution.
The customer wants to purchase a PowerFlex solution to run a mission-

critical database application that will be responsible for mirroring its data.
The database application handles the mirroring of its databases, but this
HA solution requires isolation of the data. If one side of the database fails,
the other remains active, and the data is redundant. Both mirror copies of
the database will reside in the same data center.
The customer gave the following specifications for each database system:
• Usable Capacity: 120 TB
• IOPS Requirement:
− 35k
− 70/30 Read/Write
− Write sizes up to 1 MB
• The customer will use existing compute resources, which is targeted
for refresh next year.
Diagram the entire solution, including PowerFlex architecture, Protection
Domains, Storage Pools, and any other necessary components. Focus
only on storage components and provide a summary of the components
for a conversation with the customer. On the next page, compare your
diagram to the proposed solution.
Activity 1 Solution Discussion
After initial requirements are gathered from the customer, there will be
more conversations to find the design that best fits their needs. View the
video below to see one possible design to the Activity 1 scenario.

PowerFlex Sizing Activity 2
Instructions: Practice designing a PowerFlex solution that is based on

customer requirements. Use the PowerFlex Sizer to size it. When you are
finished and have a recommendation, go to the next page to see a video
describing a possible solution.
The customer is running high-performance data analytics software in their

environment on HCI appliances. The customer is frustrated with the cost
to scale compute and storage together. They are looking at PowerFlex
and want to take advantage of its ability to scale compute and storage
independently.
The customer gave the following specifications for the storage aspects of
the application:
• Usable Capacity: 340 TB
• IOPS Requirement:
− 500k
− 40/60 Read/Write
− 64 K Block
• Uptime and availability of storage is required, so PMM must be
included

• Customer would like to keep their footprint as small as possible,

without sacrificing performance or availability
• The customer has limited space in their data center and only has
enough space for 1 (maybe 2) cabinet
Diagram the entire solution, including PowerFlex architecture, Protection
Domains, Storage Pools, and any other necessary components. Focus
only on storage components and provide a summary of the components
for a conversation with the customer. On the next page, compare your
diagram to the proposed solution.
Activity 2 Solution Discussion
View the video below to see one possible design to the Activity 2 scenario.

Capture the PowerFlex Solution Design
Planning: Enterprise Project Services (EPS)
Enterprise Project Services (EPS) is used to implement Dell products at

the customer site. After the sale is complete, the Project Manager (PM)
creates a project in EPS and imports the order from Financial Force. Each
project goes through six phases in EPS: Survey, Design, Deploy, Verify,
Acceptance, and Close. Once a phase is completed, including approval
from the customer and Dell, it is marked with a green checkmark.
EPS is used to deploy many Dell Technologies products. During the

design phase, there are two EPS templates specific to PowerFlex 4.x
deployments. The templates are PowerFlex custom node and PowerFlex
appliance that include all design specifications that are required for a
successful implementation. These PowerFlex templates replace all prior
checklists, spreadsheets, or similar design tools used by Dell PowerFlex
planning and design teams.

See the Enterprise Project Services Concepts and Features course for a
one-hour overview video of the EPS tool.
Manage a Project
After the PowerFlex solution has been sold, the project moves to the
implementation phase in EPS. Use EPS to design and manage the
project.
Manage a Project
In EPS project management, all tasks are role-specific. Depending on

role, you may:
1. Open and update the project: Eligible Dell Technologies employees
access EPS directly. Partners access the project template through the
EPS for Deployment Partners Tool. Non-employees access EPS from
the Build and Deploy section of TechDirect.
2. Manage the project team: On the left side of the dashboard, create and
edit a list of team members who can access the project. The team may
include Dell employees, partners, and customers.
3. Access Financial Force: The Financial Force project can be opened
from within EPS. If risks and issues came from Financial Force, they
are viewable in EPS. If the Financial Force project ID link is absent, it
indicates that the order was manually created.
4. Include Documents and Notes: Attach up to 20 documents and leave
notes for yourself and other team members.
5. Escalate Issues: Notify the project manager and customer by
escalating issues within EPS.

Manage a Customer Order
Within an EPS project, there are one or more customer orders. EPS
receives customer orders from Financial Force, or orders can be created
manually.
Click View orders from the Overview section.

1. Click View orders from the Overview section.
− Add an order by entering the order number and Business Unit ID
(BUID).
− From the list of orders, you can remove an order if it was manually
created. Orders that came from Financial Force are removable only
by the Project Manager or Dell team member.
− Export order details to an XLSX file.
2. View or edit the site survey, including site access information and
contact names.
3. To launch the design template, click Provide details.

Manage the Design
During the Design phase, Dell team members, partners, and customers
collaborate to complete the design of the PowerFlex solution. In EPS, this
process follows one of the PowerFlex templates: PowerFlex appliance 4.0
or PowerFlex custom node 4.0. The information entered into the template
is used to correctly implement the system on site.
Complete all required information in the template before submitting the

design:
1. In the left navigation, review the design form sections. Items with a
green checkmark are complete. Click a section to go to that part of the
form. All required design information must be complete before the
project can move to the next step.
2. On the main part of the screen, answer questions about the selected
design information category. A red asterisk identifies information that is
required. Hover over the information icon to see the requirements for
each question.

Practice Using EPS for PowerFlex 4.0 Design
To try capturing a design in the EPS PowerFlex 4.0 appliance template,

use the simulation below. Use the following design details to complete the
exercise:
Root DNS Domain: bigbusiness.com
SSO Domain: vsphere local
Primary DNS of your Datacenter: 192.168.10.2
Primary NTP of your Datacenter: 192.168.10.3
TimeZone of your Datacenter: 192.168.10.4.
The web version of this content contains an interactive activity.

Pre-deployment PowerFlex Solution Design Checks
Pre-deployment PowerFlex Solution Design

Checks
Pre-deployment Checks Overview
The pre-deployment checks are a part of the overall design process that
provides the status of various tasks that are associated with the
deployment.

These checks are performed to minimize potential incompatibility issues in

physical and virtual host configuration, hardware, BIOS, firmware, virtual
switches, switch infrastructure, and Dell software.
The report indicates the status of the deployment site, including data
center readiness, network readiness, and other relevant factors.
The main tasks to complete the pre-deployment checks report are:
1. Create a pre-deployment checks report, name it, and then publish the
report.
2. Complete the required pre-deployment checks tasks.
3. Submit a final pre-deployment checks report after working with the
customer to refine the report.
Important: The team member creating and editing the pre-

deployment checks report must have delivery, partner
project admin, or partner project technician rights.
Create and publish a Pre-deployment Checks Report
The EPS project team member completing the design of the PowerFlex
solution creates the pre-deployment checks report. After the team member
creates the report, then they go to publish the report. Publishing the report
allows the customer to participate by providing the network check details.

Step 1: Select the Perform pre-deployment checks button.
The Pre-deployment checks must be set to Not started or Draft on the

Design card to create the report.
To perform the check, select the Perform pre-deployment checks

option.
Step 2: Name the report and then select the Create button.

It is recommended to use the default name provided.
To create the report, select the Create button.
Step 3: Start the report publishing process.
The Pre-deployment checks are now set to In progress on the Design

card to allow the publishing of the new report.
To publish the new report, select the Perform pre-deployment checks

button.

Step 4: Select the Manual network & site checks option.
There are two options available on the Pre-deployment checks page.
Select the Manual network & site checks tab to proceed with the
publishing process.
Step 5: Select the Publish button.
Publish button is selected on the Manual Networks & Site Checks page
in order to proceed with the publishing process.

Publishing a report does not mean that the report is submitted for final
approval. Publishing means that the report is made available in EPS for
data entry and editing by all team members including the customer.
The left navigation menu and the data field do not provide any data entry
capabilities, indicating a lack of input options. Until the report is published,
details about the network and site cannot be entered or captured.
Step 6: Select the Yes, publish button.
Upon selecting Yes, publish in the Publish forms for manual checks
dialogue box, the report is published, enabling the technician and
customer to proceed with further tasks.

Step 7: Begin working with the Pre-deployment checks report
Once the report is published, all the forms in the Manual network & site
checks page are active. Each section of the page can be populated with
data from previous work, such as design (Project Details).
In addition to the Manual network & site checks page, the Automated
network checks page also becomes active. The customer performs the
automated check by accessing the page to complete the network check
onsite. If the customer decides to skip the automated network check, they
must provide a valid reason in EPS.
The check that is completed in the automated page gets populated in the
section that is named Network check in the final report.
Work with the Pre-deployment Checks to Complete a

Report
There are two methods to complete pre-deployment checks report:

1. Automated network checks: Automated network checks are

recommended to prevent human error and prioritize consistency and
speed. A reason must be provided if you skip the automated check.
2. Manual network & site checks: Manual network & site checks are
conducted to verify certain questions that the automated check cannot
answer, like the availability of power at the customer site.
To learn about performing the pre-deployment checks process to generate

a report, select each tab below.
Automated pre-deployment checks options
The primary step in generating a pre-deployment check is for the

customer to run the Automated network checks. The customer
downloads an executable file that compiles and checks the network data.
Once the automated network check is done, the card marks the
Automated network checks section as Completed.

Manual pre-deployment checks options
The subsequent step in generating a pre-deployment report is to complete

the manual check data entry. The manual check ensures that both the
network and site are ready for the deployment. The Complete manual
checks button launches the manual checks card.
The Manual network & site checks validate the following:
• Infrastructure
• Data center switches
• Power and cooling
• Cabling and transceivers
• Data center access

Modify pre-deployment checks report
During the Manual network & site checks task, the details that are
entered are in draft mode. The left panel tracks data entry progress,
showing check marks for completed details and indicating the remaining
information to be entered.
The Save button is selected to maintain the integrity of the data and allow
for interim data entry.
To change the details on a report that has not been submitted, select the
Modify option. At any time, the data in this section can be discarded by
selecting the Discard changes button and reentered if the report is in
draft mode.

Export pre-deployment checks report
A technician exports the report during the data entry effort in the Manual
network & site checks task. The report export is used when the
customer cannot work with the published EPS report.
The Manual network & sites report is downloaded as a ZIP file. The
exported file is shared with the customer to view offline.
As the customer is reviewing the report, the Pre-deployment checks card

is marked as Needs Input.
Import pre-deployment checks report

At some point in the Manual network & site check data entry, the
customer must provide some revisions or additional data. The Pre-
deployment checks card displays a Needs input status when the
customer must provide the details.
After the customer completes their review and revision of the exported
report, they send the file back to the team member technician. The
technician imports the revised customer file in the Manual networks &
site checks section.
The size of the imported ZIP file must be less than 10 MB. The imported
file must be the same exported file from the offline bundle of the same
project.
Submit the pre-deployment checks report
The last task in the generating a pre-deployment report is to submit the

report. The team member ensures that all the details are entered for both
the network and site readiness.
Once the pre-deployment checks report is submitted, an email is sent to

the customer. The submitted report alerts the customer that the pre-
deployment checks are completed.

Finalize the PowerFlex HCI Solution Deployment
After verifying and accepting the design, the customer hands off the
project to the PowerFlex Implementation team. The team then deploys the
PowerFlex solution at the customer site.
The PowerFlex Implementation team accomplishes the following final EPS

tasks:
• Deploy - during the deployment, Dell Global Professional Services

personnel, or partners perform the deployment activities at the
customer site. In EPS, the team marks the deployment ready and
keeps notes of the activities when working onsite.
• Verification - the team hands off the deployed PowerFlex solution once
the deployment is completed and marked as ready. The team
generates the report validating the PowerFlex hardware and software
is configured and ready for production.
• Customer acceptance - the customer acknowledges that the
PowerFlex solution is deployed.
Once all the tasks in EPS are completed, the project manager closes the
project.

EPS Offline and Network Validation Tool
EPS for Deployment Partners Tool
The EPS for Deployment Partners Tool, also known as EPS offline, is a
version of the EPS online tool with limited capability. The focus of the EPS
offline is to allow Dell partners to conduct PowerFlex custom node or
appliance design captures on their own without support from Dell
Professional Services. The Dell partner solution architect captures the
design details with the customer and provides the information to
deployment partner engineers.
Tip: Go to central.dell.com to access the landing page for

the EPS Templates for Deployment Partners. You need to
have a partner central.dell.com account to access the page.

Network Validation Tool (NVT)
The Dell PowerFlex Network Validation Tool (NVT) is a portable

application that automates the validation of a customer network readiness.
PowerFlex appliance networks that are customer provided must be
validated. If the partner TA is conducting the design capture in EPS offline,
it is necessary to provide the customer with the NVT.
NVT verifies the IP addresses of the network components such as
switches and servers and infrastructure services such as NTP, DNS,
SNMP, and SMTP. The PowerFlex NVT is run after the design is captured
and before the PowerFlex solution is deployed.
To download the NVT:
• Go to the central.dell.com site.
• Select the Take Me to Solutions option from the home page.
• From the Solutions page, type NVT in the search field.
• Select the Downloads link in the Network Validation Tool for
PowerFlex card.
In the Network Validation Tool for PowerFlex (NVT-PowerFlex) page,

download the PowerFlex NVT User Guide to learn more.

Customer Configuration Center (C3) and a Logical Configuration Survey
(LCS)
Customer Configuration Center (C3) and a Logical

Configuration Survey (LCS)
Customer Configuration Center (C3) and a Logical

Configuration Survey (LCS) Introduction
The Customer Configuration Center (C3) online design tool provides the
PowerFlex rack design survey page. A PowerFlex rack SA or a Dell
partner TA and customer work together to capture a PowerFlex rack
design. The output from the C3 online tool is a Logical Configuration
Survey (LCS).
Important: PowerFlex rack planning and design are

completed in the C3 and LCS tools. However, PowerFlex
rack is a planned part of the EPS 4.x templates in the near
future. Also, Dell partners must purchase the Validation of
Logical Configuration Requirements for Partner
Deployed VxBlock & PowerFlex rack offering to
complete a PowerFlex rack LCS.

(LCS)
LCS Overview
The LCS defines the configuration of the PowerFlex rack system for a
deployment engineer. The LCS is the blueprint that takes account of:
• Network elements like VLAN names and IP addresses

• IP addresses of network devices
• Network services like DNS, NTP, SNMP, and Syslog
• Operational items such as device hostnames
• Workload requirements for storage and compute
Project Details
The PowerFlex rack details are provided in the LCS through categories of
information. Each category is collapsible for ease of use.
An SA or TA use the Opportunity ID and the Order ID to look up the
details about the configuration of the PowerFlex rack system in C3.
System Information
Deployment engineers can view the details of the deployment
requirements in the System Information category.
Important details such as RCM version, type of PowerFlex rack
implementation, network architecture, network devices, and number of
servers that are required are provided. These details are captured in the
C3 online tool by an SA or TA and customer.

(LCS)
Storage Layout
The Storage Layout information provides the deployment engineer a view
into the required PowerFlex rack cluster storage implementation.
Information on the Protection Domain, Storage Pool, and Nodes (storage)
plus drive types is captured. In this category, the PowerFlex Protection
Domains for the SDS nodes that are being modified or added to the
cluster are identified. SDC nodes are not applicable to this category.
System VLAN
The System VLAN category provides all the VLAN information that is
captured during the PowerFlex rack design process. IP addresses for the
System Management, Hypervisor Management, vMotion, PowerFlex Data
#1, and PowerFlex Data #2 VLANs are also identified.

(LCS)
Fast Track
The Fast Track category relates to the auto-population of IP addresses for
VLANs. Deployment engineers can edit any IP address that is auto-
populated.
Device Information
The LCS provides the network switch information in the Device
Information category. An engineer can look up the device type, IP
address, and provide a hostname for the switches that are used in the
PowerFlex rack network topology.

(LCS)
Cluster Configuration
Deployment engineers can look up the data center and cluster
identification information in the Cluster Configuration category of the LCS.
For PowerFlex rack expansions, the engineer ensures that the added
nodes are configured to meet the cluster configuration requirements.
Core Environment
The Core Environment category of the LCS provides deployment
engineers the customer domain, DNS, and NTP server information. The
Domain name and IP address are identified, along with DNS servers
hostname and IP address and NTP servers hostname and IP address.

(LCS)
Customer Support and License

Cisco Support for the Cisco switches used in the network topology can be
configured at the factory before deployment on-site. Cisco Support can
also be configured at the customer site when more switches are required.
In the Customer Support and License category, the Cisco Support details
are entered. Customer license information is also provided in this
category.
Survey Finalization
In the Survey Finalization category of the LCS, the deployment engineer
can add notes as needed. Also, the engineer can review all the categories
with the customer. When changes are needed, the engineer obtains a
sign-off that the changes meet with the customer approval.

(LCS)

Resources
Resources
PowerFlex 4.x Appliance and Rack Design Resources
The following list contains links to the resources for this course:
PowerFlex Product Knowledge Centers
• PowerFlex Sales Portal (Knowledge Center)

• PowerFlex Infohub
• Dell PowerFlex Family Product Documentation (dell.com/support)
PowerFlex Design and Planning Documentation
• PowerFlex appliance Quoting Guide

• PowerFlex rack Ordering Guide
• PowerFlex custom node Quoting Guide
• Dell EMC PowerFlex Family System Design Guide
• PowerFlex Family FAQ
• PowerFlex Specification Sheet
• PowerFlex Manager Compatibility Matrix

Appendix
VLAN and Data Transport Protocol Specific Details
The switches in a PowerFlex appliance logical network are configured to

use logical V3 (L3) networking protocols for the data transfer between the
network devices. L3 networking uses the Link Aggregation Control
Protocol (LACP) as the default for the switch configuration in PowerFlex.
LACP allows the switch to use either Cisco Virtual Port Channel (VPC) or
Dell Virtual Link Trunking (VLT). LACP provides bundling of multiple port
channel connections to transfer a large pipeline of data at one time. The
connection appears as one port channel link to the receiving device,
whether it is a server or another switch.
For the node VLAN setup, PowerFlex uses an L2 LACP networking

protocol. L2 networking combines the two node port NIC data and
management into one port channel of data transfer.

Glossary
Bring your own hypervisor (BYO)
Option to allow customer to supply a hypervisor to host the Kubernetes
VM/Env, and enable setup of the PFMP system for management
purposes. Can be ESXi or Kubernetes VM.
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR)

A business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) plan protects an
organization from disruption, downtime, and data loss in the event of a
disaster such as ransomware attack, human error, accidental/malicious
deletion, and natural disasters.
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR)

A business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) plan protects an
organization from disruption, downtime, and data loss in the event of a
disaster such as ransomware attack, human error, accidental/malicious
deletion, and natural disasters.
Co-residency
The PowerFlex storage-only nodes in a protection domain runs the
management of the system.
Dual Signature Policy

There is a multistep business-approval workflow with specific
documentation requirements (including two business leader signatures)
before a support ticket is created. The required documentation is
reviewed, and a login session with support is facilitated in which the
snapshot retention period is reset, and the snapshot is deleted.
Enterprise Project Services (EPS)

EPS is an end-to-end deployment project platform that contains the
configuration details for the installation and implementation of a PowerFlex
appliance system.
Enterprise Project Services (EPS)

EPS is an end-to-end deployment project platform that contains the
configuration details for the installation and implementation of a PowerFlex
appliance system.
Fault Set
A Fault Set is a logical entity that contains a group of SDSs within a
Protection Domain (PD) that have a higher chance of failing together. By
grouping the SDSs into a Fault Set, PowerFlex mirrors the data for a Fault
Set on separate SDSs that are outside the Fault Set. In this way,
availability is assured even if all the servers within one Fault Set fail
simultaneously.
Fault Set
A Fault Set is a logical entity that contains a group of SDSs within a
Protection Domain (PD) that have a higher chance of failing together. By
grouping the SDSs into a Fault Set, PowerFlex mirrors the data for a Fault
Set on separate SDSs that are outside the Fault Set. In this way,
availability is assured even if all the servers within one Fault Set fail
simultaneously.
File Services Node (FSN)

The File Services Node (FSN) is a software component that allows the
PowerFlex cluster to make data available over file-based protocols (NAS).
The FSN supports protocols such as SMB, NFS, and FTP.
File Services Node (FSN)

The File Services Node (FSN) is a software component that allows the
PowerFlex cluster to make data available over file-based protocols (NAS).
The FSN supports protocols such as SMB, NFS, and FTP.
Fine Granularity Pool

In a Fine Granularity (FG) Pool, the volumes are divided into 4 KB
allocation units. The FG layout requires both Flash media (SSD or NVMe)
and NVDIMM to create an FG pool. FG layout is thin-provisioned and
zero-padded natively, and enables support for inline compression, more
efficient snapshots, and persistent checksums.

Hyperconverged Deployment
In the hyperconverged (HCI) configuration, both the SDC and the SDS
can be installed on the same host. HCI deployment maximizes hardware
utilization and reduces infrastructure requirements.
Intelligent Catalog (IC)

The PowerFlex Intelligent Catalog (IC) is a definition of all compatible
versions of hardware and software that are tested and validated together
for a PowerFlex appliance deployment.
IOPS
IOPS (input/output operations per second) is the standard unit of
measurement for the maximum number of reads and writes.
Lightweight Installer Agent (LIA)

The PowerFlex Lightweight Installation Agent (LIA) is used to upgrade the
component on which it is installed and is required for many maintenance
operations. LIA can be configured to use LDAP authentication following
the PowerFlex deployment.
Management data store (MDS)

The PowerFlex datastore on the dedicated multi-node controller. It is not
the same as the datastore used in a co-resident option. Kubernetes VMs
that host the management containers reside on this datastore.
Management virtual machine (MVM)

The PowerFlex Manager UI is hosted in a Kubernetes environment
running across a series of Linux machines. The VM version is termed the
management VM. The OS is a customized eSLES version that is
maintained by PowerFlex Engineering.
Medium Granularity Pool

In a Medium Granularity (MG) Pool, the volumes are divided into 1 MB
allocation units, which are distributed and replicated across all disks which
are contributing to the pool.

Meta Data Manager (MDM)
The MDM is the authority that controls and tracks data storage ownership,
mapping, and protection. As volumes are created, the MDM provides the
information application servers need to connect to the cluster’s virtualized
storage.

storage.

storage.
Mixed Deployment
Hybrid hyperconverged deployment consists of hyperconverged, compute-
only, and storage-only nodes. Some nodes contribute both compute
resources and storage resources (hyperconverged nodes), some
contribute only compute resources (compute-only nodes), and some
contribute only storage resources (storage-only nodes).
Network Time Protocol (NTP)

Network Time Protocol (NTP) is an Internet protocol that is used to
synchronize with computer clock time sources in a network.
Nodes
Nodes are the basic hardware units that are used to install and run a
hypervisor and PowerFlex software.
Nodes
Nodes are the basic hardware units that are used to install and run a
hypervisor and PowerFlex software.

PowerAPI
PowerAPI (the PowerFlex REST API) allows users to automate PowerFlex
deployment, configuration, and management tasks.
PowerEdge R650
The PowerEdge R650 platform is a 15G single rack unit. As such,
PowerEdge R650 provides great CPU core density for usage in a
compute-only, or hyperconverged node use-case. PowerEdge R650
provides ten drive slots for an overall maximum capacity of 76.8 TB. While
more expensive than two rack unit systems, two R650 systems can
provide a similar storage density to the R750 and R850.
PowerFlex
PowerFlex is an enterprise-class, software-defined block and file storage
solution that is deployed, managed, and supported as a single system.
PowerFlex
PowerFlex is an enterprise-class, software-defined block and file storage
solution that is deployed, managed, and supported as a single system.
PowerFlex appliance
PowerFlex appliance has a smaller starting point than PowerFlex rack, but
scales to hundreds of nodes. PowerFlex appliance allows customers to
use a broad set of supported networking options and can be added to
existing networking infrastructures. However, PowerFlex appliance is
limited to supported networking configurations. PowerFlex appliance
comes with licensing for a PowerFlex system and a unified management
platform.
PowerFlex Cluster
A collection of multiple nodes, either SDS, SDC, or HCI, that
communicates with each other to perform set of operations.
PowerFlex custom node

PowerFlex custom nodes are servers that are configured to support a
PowerFlex system. The servers are tested and certified to deliver
predictable performance for a wide variety of workloads. The PowerFlex
custom node offering is ideal for customers who prefer to build their own
environments and have their own management services. PowerFlex
custom node also allows broader networking options than the appliance.
PowerFlex custom node comes with licensing for a PowerFlex system and
a unified management platform.
PowerFlex Device
Local, direct attached block storage (DAS) in a node that is managed by
an SDS and is contributed to a storage pool.
PowerFlex management controller (PFMC)

The infrastructure underlying the PowerFlex management controller in a
dedicated multi-node configuration. It is mandatory in the PowerFlex rack,
and optional for PowerFlex appliance. The physical controllers with ESXi
hosting PFMP can be a three-node or a five-node ESXi cluster with vSAN
(PFMC 1.0) or PowerFlex as shared storage (PFMC 2.0).
PowerFlex management controller (PFMC)

The infrastructure underlying the PowerFlex management controller in a
dedicated multi-node configuration. It is mandatory in the PowerFlex rack,
and optional for PowerFlex appliance. The physical controllers with ESXi
hosting PFMP can be a three-node or a five-node ESXi cluster with vSAN
(PFMC 1.0) or PowerFlex as shared storage (PFMC 2.0).
PowerFlex management platform (PFMP)

The management software stack for PowerFlex. It includes the
Kubernetes/RKE environment running on physical or virtual Linux
instances, and the containers that provide services. This management
solution can be implemented on various infrastructure options.
PowerFlex management platform (PFMP)

The management software stack for PowerFlex. It includes the
Kubernetes/RKE environment running on physical or virtual Linux
instances, and the containers that provide services. This management
solution can be implemented on various infrastructure options.
PowerFlex Manager
PowerFlex Manager automates deploying, configuring, managing, and
upgrading a PowerFlex system. The PowerFlex Manager Dashboard
provides an overview of the PowerFlex system. PowerFlex Manager
allows administrators to quickly view the status of the system hardware
and software components.
PowerFlex rack
A fully engineered rack-scale system with integrated networking.
PowerFlex rack has a larger starting point, and scales to hundreds of
nodes and racks. PowerFlex rack comes with licensing for a PowerFlex
system and a unified management platform.
PowerFlex System
A PowerFlex system is the collection of entities managed by the Metadata
Management (MDM) cluster.
Protection Domain
A Protection Domain (PD) is a group of nodes or SDSs that provide data
isolation, security, and performance benefits. A node can only participate
in one PD. Separate PDs can be created for different node types with
unequal performance profiles.
Protection Domain
A Protection Domain (PD) is a group of nodes or SDSs that provide data
isolation, security, and performance benefits. A node can only participate
in one PD. Separate PDs can be created for different node types with
unequal performance profiles.
Recovery Point Objective (RPO)

The maximum amount of data, as measured by time, that can be lost after
a recovery from a disaster, failure, or comparable event before data loss
will exceed what is acceptable to an organization.
Recovery Point Objective (RPO)

The maximum amount of data, as measured by time, that can be lost after
a recovery from a disaster, failure, or comparable event before data loss
will exceed what is acceptable to an organization.
Recovery Time Objective (RTO)

The goal your organization sets for the maximum length of time it should
take to restore normal operations following an outage or data loss.
Recovery Time Objective (RTO)

The goal your organization sets for the maximum length of time it should
take to restore normal operations following an outage or data loss.
Release Certification Matrix (RCM)

The PowerFlex Release Certification Matrix (RCM) is a definition of all
compatible versions of hardware and software that are tested and
validated together for a PowerFlex rack deployment.
Software Defined Storage

Physical storage from aggregate nodes are pooled together to create
volumes. Volumes are mapped to targets, allowing an application to have
access to the storage.
Storage Data Client (SDC)

The Storage Data Client (SDC) is a block device driver that exposes
shared block volumes from the SDS to the operating system. The SDC
runs on the same server as the application. In practice, an application
issues an I/O request, and the SDC fulfills the request regardless of what
SDS the requested blocks physically reside on.
Storage Data Client (SDC)

The Storage Data Client (SDC) is a block device driver that exposes
shared block volumes from the SDS to the operating system. The SDC
runs on the same server as the application. In practice, an application
issues an I/O request, and the SDC fulfills the request regardless of what
SDS the requested blocks physically reside on.
Storage Data Replication (SDR)

Extending the PowerFlex cluster beyond a single site is accomplished
through the Storage Data Replication (SDR) component. SDR is an
optional component responsible for managing all the aspects of
PowerFlex replication. SDR is installed on an SDS node that contains
storage media contributing to storage pools that have the potential to be
replicated.
Storage Data Server (SDS)

The Storage Data Server (SDS) is a software daemon that enables a
server in the cluster to contribute local storage devices to an aggregated
storage pool. SDS owns the contributing devices, and together with the
other SDSs, forms a protected mesh from which storage pools are
created.
Storage Data Server (SDS)

The Storage Data Server (SDS) is a software daemon that enables a
server in the cluster to contribute local storage devices to an aggregated
storage pool. SDS owns the contributing devices, and together with the
other SDSs, forms a protected mesh from which storage pools are
created.
Storage Data Target (SDT)

The Storage Data Target (SDT) manages host connections and
controllers that are connected over NVMe/TCP. SDT sends administrative
and I/O commands forward to the SDS programmatically such that the
SDS is oblivious to the source of the I/O. This makes traffic from an SDT
look like it came from an SDC.
Storage Data Target (SDT)

The Storage Data Target (SDT) manages host connections and
controllers that are connected over NVMe/TCP. SDT sends administrative
and I/O commands forward to the SDS programmatically such that the
SDS is oblivious to the source of the I/O. This makes traffic from an SDT
look like it came from an SDC.
Storage Pools
The Storage Pools are a subset of physical storage devices within a
Protection Domain (PD). Each storage device belongs to a Storage Pool.
Dell Technologies recommends having the same type of storage devices
within a Storage Pool to ensure that the volumes are distributed across
the same type of storage within the PD.
Storage Pools
The Storage Pools are a subset of physical storage devices within a
Protection Domain (PD). Each storage device belongs to a Storage Pool.
Dell Technologies recommends having the same type of storage devices
within a Storage Pool to ensure that the volumes are distributed across
the same type of storage within the PD.
SupportAssist
SupportAssist is a proactive monitoring software with automatic failure
detection and notifications for Dell PCs, tablets, and servers.
SupportAssist is free of charge, secure, and streamlines traditional
support routines.
Two-Layer Deployment
In a two-layer deployment, the SDS is installed on a separate host from
the SDC. The front-end (client) is separated from the back-end (storage)
data traffic.Two-layer deployments allow compute and storage resources
to grow independently. PowerFlex compute-only nodes host end-user
applications. PowerFlex storage-only nodes contribute storage to the
system pool.
VCSA

The vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) is a preconfigured Linux virtual
machine, which is optimized for running VMware vCenter Server and the
associated services on Linux. Using LogicMonitor's VMware VCSA
package, you can monitor CPU usage, file system capacity, disk
performance, memory, and much more.
Volume
Analogous to a LUN, a volume is a subset of a storage pool’s capacity
presented by an SDC as a local block device. A volume’s data is evenly
distributed across all disks comprising a storage pool, according to the
data layout selected for that storage pool.

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POWERFLEX 4.

© Copyright 2023 Dell Inc Page 2

PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design 6

PowerFlex Architecture, Features, and Functions 8

PowerFlex Management and Operations 13

Assess the PowerFlex Solution Request 15

Select the PowerFlex Solution 20

PowerFlex Network Planning 29

PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design Student Guide

© Copyright 2023 Dell Inc Page 3

Capture the PowerFlex Solution Design 57

Pre-deployment PowerFlex Solution Design Checks 62

EPS Offline and Network Validation Tool 75

Customer Configuration Center (C3) and a Logical Configuration Survey (LCS)77

PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design Student Guide

© Copyright 2023 Dell Inc Page 4

PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design Student Guide

© Copyright 2023 Dell Inc Page 5

PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design

PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design Introduction

This course is part of a curriculum of PowerFlex courses. The course is

At the end of this course, the SA will be able to:

PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design Student Guide

© Copyright 2023 Dell Inc Page 6

PowerFlex Solution Design and Planning Overview

The Dell Professional Services PowerFlex planning and design team is

PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design Student Guide

© Copyright 2023 Dell Inc Page 7

PowerFlex Architecture, Features, and Functions

How PowerFlex Components Work Together

A PowerFlex cluster is made up of many component parts. The main five

• Storage Data Server (SDS)

The Storage Data Server is a software daemon that enables a server in

PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design Student Guide

© Copyright 2023 Dell Inc Page 8

the same server as the application. In practice, an application issues an

PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design Student Guide

© Copyright 2023 Dell Inc Page 9

The File Services Node is a software component that allows the

PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design Student Guide

© Copyright 2023 Dell Inc Page 10

Review the PowerFlex 4.0 course to learn these concepts in detail.

PowerFlex Features and Functions

Function PowerFlex Feature that Enables the Function

Data Storage Storage Data Service is loaded to each storage node,

Volume Data Protection Domain is a group of SDS that has rules

High Storage Pool (SP) defines the performance of its

Volume Reads, Storage Data Client communicates with each SDS to

PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design Student Guide

© Copyright 2023 Dell Inc Page 11

Native Storage Data Replicator (SDR) software is loaded to

Maintenance Instant Maintenance Mode (IMM) is just minutes long,

Data Security Data at Rest Encryption (D@RE) encrypts data

Capacity and CloudIQ plugin provides health, configuration, capacity,

PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design Student Guide

© Copyright 2023 Dell Inc Page 12

PowerFlex Management and Operations

PowerFlex Management Platform (PFMP) 2.0 Overview

The PowerFlex Management Platform (PFMP) 2.0 is part of the overall

1. PowerFlex Manager 4.0 is a robust toolset designed to automate IT

PowerFlex 4.X Appliance and Rack Design Student Guide

© Copyright 2023 Dell Inc Page 13

Go to the Dell PowerFlex 4.0.x Technical Overview to review the