b. On the Storage Group tab, enter the storage group name that you created in the preceding step in “Existing storage group name.”
If it is a uniform configuration, the PowerMax device paths are doubled, as shown in the following figure:
Figure 27. PowerMax device paths with vMSC uniform configuration
If it is a nonuniform configuration, the AZ2 servers start to see the PowerMax devices, as shown in the following figure:
Figure 28. PowerMax device paths with vMSC nonuniform configuration
Testing methodology
We implemented four test scenarios for our validation. For FC:
• VMware VCF on VxRail with PowerMax SRDF/Metro FC uniform configuration plus NMP
• VMware VCF on VxRail with PowerMax SRDF/Metro FC nonuniform configuration
Testing methodology For iSCSI:
• VMware VCF on VxRail with PowerMax SRDF/Metro iSCSI uniform configuration plus Dell EMC PowerPath/VE 7.0
• VMware VCF on VxRail with PowerMax SRDF/Metro iSCSI nonuniform configuration plus NMP
We tested the following configurations:
• VM operating system type: Windows 2012/Windows 2016, Red Hat RHEL6/Red Hat RHEL7
• The I/O tool fio run on each VM Functional verification testing
This testing addresses the basic operations that are performed when PowerMax is used as supplementary storage with VMware VCF on VxRail. The following table describes the test cases and the expected results:
Table 6. Functional verification testing
Number Test case Expected result
1 PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN provision to servers of workload domain
PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN can be used for
supplementary storage to VI workload domain
2 VMFS5\6 creation on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN over 2 TB
Both VMFS5 and VMFS6 datastores are verified on PowerMax SRDF/Metro devices. They all can be read and written to in the VxRail stretched cluster 3 VM deployment, Power On\Off &
Suspend\Resume on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN
VM can be deployed on PowerMax SRDF/Metro devices in VI workload domain and all VM operations work properly 4 VM snapshot create and revert and delete on
PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN
The operation on VM snapshot works well on PowerMax SRDF/Metro device on VI workload domain
5 VM clone on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN Clone VMs which are running I/O on PowerMax. SRDF/Metro device works correctly
6 VM (newly created and workload domain- initiated NSX appliance) can perform storage migration bidirectionally between PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN
VM storage migration works on both the primary storage and supplementary storage of VI the workload domain
Test
configurations
Testing methodology
Number Test case Expected result
7 LUN hot add/remove with PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN to workload domain cluster node
PowerMax SRDF/Metro devices can be hot added and removed in VI workload domain
Note: The SRDF group is
required to be suspended before you add or remove a device on the existing SRDF group. There is no I/O interruption on PowerMax SRDF/Metro uniform configuration. The I/O on AZ2 is interrupted on PowerMax SRDF/Metro nonuniform configuration.
8 Online device expansion on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN in workload domain
Perform online device expansion on any PowerMax site. All sites of
PowerMax/SRDF devices can be updated
simultaneously. 9 VM migration in workload domain cluster on
PowerMax SRDF/Metro
VM migration within the datastore which is supplementary to the VI workload domain,
High availability testing
HA testing helps validate the capability of the solution to avoid a single point of failure from the hardware component port level up to the IDC site level. The following table describes the HA testing that we performed:
Table 7. High availability testing
Number Test case Expected result
1 Maintenance work for management domain level HA protection
The VCF on VxRail stretch cluster keeps working without any interruption. 2 Host side HBA port failure triggered I/O path
failover
Host FC/iSCSI connection is partly failed. There is no I/O interruption in such a condition.
3 Storage-side service processor port failure triggered I/O path failover
One PowerMax director is in failure. The I/O does not interrupt because FC zoning and storage provision were also performed on different PowerMax directors to provide a failover path. 4 Storage firmware NDU No I/O interruption during
the storage firmware upgrade.
Testing methodology
Number Test case Expected result
5 VCF Stretch Cluster-WLD AZ1 host unplanned failure triggered HA protection
The powered-on VMs on the AZ1 host can be restarted on the AZ2 host.
The powered-on VMs on AZ2 keep running with no I/O interruption.
6 Network failure between WLD AZ1 hosts and AZ2 hosts
The AZ1 and AZ2 network isolation does not impact the I/O running on a VI workload domain with PowerMax SRDF/Metro. 7 PowerMax SRDF/Metro: unplanned failure on
one of the PowerMax nodes (R1 or R2)
While one PowerMax is dead:
- For vMSC uniform configuration: no I/O interruption while one PowerMax is down. - For vMSC nonuniform configuration: the VMs on the surviving PowerMax continue to run without interruption, the VMs on the dead PowerMax restart on the surviving side with VMware HA PDL enabled after the PowerMax is online, all PowerMax SRDF/Metro devices path are active, and VMs can be migrated between AZ1 and AZ2.
8 PowerMax SRDF/Metro feature test for interlink break triggered VM level HA protection
For uniform vMSC configuration: no I/O interruption on both AZ1 and AZ2.
For nonuniform vMSC configuration: VMs on AZ2 that connect to PowerMax R2 are restarted on AZ1 and connected to PowerMax R1 when HA PDL is enabled on the VI workload domain.
Reliability testing
In general, reliability testing validates whether the components and the whole system are reliable enough with a certain level of stress running on them.
Testing methodology
Table 8. Reliability testing
Number Test case Expected result
1 Scale testing for more than 100 VMs operating simultaneously on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUNs attached to the workload domain
All VM power-on operations can be successfully run simultaneously. 2 Scale testing for long-time stress I/O running in
all VMs
Continually running I/O for more than 24 hours without error
Table 9. Test results for FC
Number Test case FC uniform with NMP
FC nonuniform with PPVE7.0
1 PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN provision to servers of workload domain
Pass Pass
2 VMFS5\6 creation on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN over 2 TB
Pass Pass
3 VM deployment, Power On\Off, and Suspend\Resume on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN
Pass Pass
4 VM snapshot create and revert and delete on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN
Pass Pass
5 VM clone on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN
Pass Pass
6 VM (newly created and workload domain initiated NSX appliance) can do storage migration bidirectionally between PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN
Pass Pass
7 LUN hot add/remove with PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN to workload domain cluster node
Pass Pass
8 Online device expansion on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN in workload domain
Pass Pass
9 VM migration in workload domain cluster on PowerMax SRDF/Metro
Pass Pass
10 Host-side HBA port failure triggered I/O path failover
Pass Pass
11 Storage-side SP port failure triggered I/O path failover
Pass. Pass
Testing methodology
Number Test case FC uniform with NMP
FC nonuniform with PPVE7.0
13 PowerMax SRDF/Metro feature test for interlink break triggered VM level HA protection
Pass Pass
14 Scale testing for more than 100 VMs operating simultaneously on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUNs attached to workload domain
Pass Pass
15 Scale testing for long time stress I/O running in all VMs
Pass Pass
16 VCF stretch cluster-WLD AZ1 host unplanned failure triggered HA protection
Pass Pass
17 Maintenance work for
management domain level HA protection
Pass Pass
18 Network failure between WLD AZ1 hosts and AZ2 hosts
Pass Pass
19 PowerMax SRDF/Metro: unplanned failure on one of PowerMax Node (R1 or R2)
Pass Pass
Table 10. Test results for iSCSI
Number Test case iSCSI uniform with PPVE7.0
iSCSI nonuniform with NMP
1 PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN provision to servers of workload domain
Pass Pass
2 VMFS5\6 creation on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN over 2 TB
Pass Pass
3 VM deployment, Power On/Off and Suspend/Resume on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN
Pass Pass
4 VM snapshot create and revert and delete on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN
Pass Pass
5 VM clone on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN Pass Pass 6 VM (newly created and workload domain
initiated NSX appliance) can perform storage migration bidirectionally between PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN
Pass Pass
7 LUN hot add/remove with PowerMax
SRDF/Metro LUN to workload domain cluster node
Pass Pass
8 Online device expansion on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUN in workload domain
Conclusion
Number Test case iSCSI uniform with PPVE7.0
iSCSI nonuniform with NMP
9 VM migration in workload domain cluster on PowerMax SRDF/Metro
Pass Pass
10 Host-side HBA port failure triggered I/O path failover
Pass Pass
11 Storage-side SP port failure triggered /IO path failover
Pass Pass
12 Storage firmware NDU Pass Pass 13 PowerMax SRDF/Metro feature test for
interlink break triggered VM level HA protection
Pass Pass
14 Scale testing for more than 100 VMs operating simultaneously on PowerMax SRDF/Metro LUNs attached to workload domain
Pass Pass
15 Scale testing for long-time stress I/O running in all VMs
Pass Pass
16 VCF stretch cluster-WLD AZ1 host unplanned failure triggered HA protection
Pass Pass
17 Maintenance work for management domain level HA protection
Pass Pass
18 Network failure between WLD AZ1 hosts and AZ2 hosts
Pass Pass
19 PowerMax SRDF/Metro: unplanned failure on one of PowerMax Node (R1 or R2)
Pass Pass
Conclusion
This white paper describes how Dell EMC engineers integrated VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail with PowerMax SRDF/Metro and the design configuration steps that they took to automatically provision PowerMax storage by using the PowerMax vRO plug-in. The paper validates that the Cloud Foundation on VxRail solution functions as expected in both a PowerMax uniform vMSC configuration and a nonuniform vMSC configuration by passing all the designed test cases. This reference architecture validation demonstrates the power of the Dell Technologies portfolio to provide customers with modern cloud infrastructure technologies that deliver the highest levels of application availability for business-critical and mission-critical applications running in their private clouds.
References
References
The following documents on the Dell Technologies online support website provide additional information. Access to these documents depends on your login credentials. If you do not have access to a document, contact your Dell Technologies representative:
• Dell EMC PowerMax and VMAX All Flash: SRDF/Metro Overview and Best Practices
• Dell EMC Unisphere for PowerMax Installation Guide • vRO Plug-in for Dell EMC PowerMax Installation Guide
• BEST PRACTICES FOR USING Dell EMC SRDF/METRO IN A VMWARE VSPHERE METRO STORAGE CLUSER
• VMware vSphere Metro Storage Cluster (vMSC) with Dell EMC PowerMax and VMAX SRDF/Metro (Partner Verified and Supported) (2134684)
• VMware Cloud Foundation 3.9.1 on Dell EMC VxRail Release Notes • VxRail-Appliance-Software-4.7.x-Release-Notes
• Stretch a Cluster for NSX-V in VMware Cloud Foundation 3.9.1 • Deploy vRealize Automation in Cloud Foundation