Dell VxRail™

Technical FAQ

This VxRail Technical FAQ describes technical details related to VxRail features and
functionality and should be used as a companion to the VxRail General FAQ.

Table of Contents

What’s New in VxRail .......................................................................................................................................... 3

What’s new in VxRail 8.0.320? .................................................................................................................... 3
What’s new in VxRail 7.0.553? .................................................................................................................... 4
VxRail Conversions ............................................................................................................................................... 4
General VxRail ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
VMware Technology ....................................................................................................................................... 9
VMware vSAN Express Storage Architecture (ESA) ...................................................................... 9
VxRail HCI System Software .......................................................................................................................... 10
System Management .................................................................................................................................... 10
VxRail Lifecycle Management ................................................................................................................... 10
APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observability and VxRail ..................................................................... 14
VxRail RESTful API........................................................................................................................................ 16
VxRail Hardware ................................................................................................................................................ 16
VxRail on PowerEdge Servers .................................................................................................................. 16
VD-4000 ............................................................................................................................................................ 17
Processors ........................................................................................................................................................ 18
Disk Drives ....................................................................................................................................................... 18
Connectivity: On-board networking, additional networking, and fibre channel support 20
Memory ............................................................................................................................................................. 21
GPU ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21
Security .................................................................................................................................................................. 22
Networking ........................................................................................................................................................... 25
VxRail Deployment Options ........................................................................................................................... 27
VxRail satellite nodes................................................................................................................................... 27
VxRail dynamic nodes ................................................................................................................................. 28

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 VxRail dynamic nodes with PowerStore integration.................................................................. 31
Dynamic nodes with VMware vSAN cross-cluster capacity sharing .................................... 31
VxRail with vSAN ESA .................................................................................................................................. 32
VCF on VxRail .................................................................................................................................................. 33
2-node vSAN Cluster .................................................................................................................................... 33
VxRail with vSAN Stretched Clusters..................................................................................................... 34
Customer-deployable VxRail .................................................................................................................... 34
Ecosystem support ............................................................................................................................................ 35
External storage ............................................................................................................................................. 35
VxRail Management Pack for VCF Operations (formerly Aria Operations) ........................... 35
Delivery Options ................................................................................................................................................. 37
Dell Integrated Rack Services ................................................................................................................... 37
VxRail Selling...................................................................................................................................................... 37
Licensing ........................................................................................................................................................... 37
Dell Selling Tools for VxRail ...................................................................................................................... 37
VxRail Training Content.............................................................................................................................. 38
End of Sales Life (EOL) ................................................................................................................................ 38
VxRail Support Services .............................................................................................................................. 39
VxRail Deployment Services ..................................................................................................................... 39
Validated VxRail Solutions ............................................................................................................................. 40
Competition .......................................................................................................................................................... 40

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 What’s New in VxRail
What’s new in VxRail 8.0.320?
Question: What’s new is the latest VxRail 8.0.320 release?
Answer: This release adds support for the following new features:
Updated VxRail and VMware Software Component Versions
Serviceability and Administration
• New service agent to improve issue identification
• Fix VxRail Community window on VxRail Manager UI
Lifecycle Management
• Improvements to the update advisor report export capabilities
• New error checking for unsupported use case with vLCM mode
• Improved accuracy of VxRail pre-check result with vLCM mode
• ESXi Live Patch enhancements to improve usability
Security Enhancements
• Procedure and API to change vCenter User
• Improved Password Management on UI and API
• Support for BOSS-N1 Encryption (General Availability) on VxRail clusters
Networking
• IPv4/IPv6 Dual Stack and IPv6 Single Stack support for vSAN ESA (General
Availability)
• Support 2-port networking minimum for 2-node vSAN cluster
Dynamic Nodes and PowerStore
• Notifications on PowerStore update bundle availability
• Centralized PowerStore LCM updates on single VxRail Manager
Configuration Flexibility
• Set the cluster EVC value based on node’s CPU generation at cluster
deployment to realize CPU performance potential
Node Image Management (NIM)
• Select different network interface to improve NIM ISO transfer times
• Ability to set VxRail and VMW mgmt vLANS for greater flexibility
• Add PCIe network cards to VSS during reimaging
• Autorun capability on USB-based version of NIM to avoid additional setup work
on-site
Please refer to the VxRail What’s New Deck, VxRail Technical Reference Deck, and
VxRail 8.x Release Notes for more detailed information on release features.

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 What’s new in VxRail 7.0.553?
Question: What are the availability dates for VxRail 7.0.553?
Answer: What’s new is the latest VxRail 7.0.553 release?
This release adds support for the following:

Updated VxRail and VMware Software Component Versions

• Address VMware Software Security Vulnerabilities and VxRail Bug Fixes
Please refer to the VxRail 7.x Release Notes for more detailed information on release
features and supported VxRail upgrade paths.

VxRail Conversions
Question: What is a conversion?
Answer: Dell appliances, like VxRail, XC, AX, ACP, are deeply integrated into our Dell
systems and built and configured in the factory. This ensures a seamless
experience for our customers from procuring, deploying, managing and contacting
support. A conversion requires changing the identity of the Dell appliance into the
identity of another product. This requires extensive technical changes to the
appliance and substantial updates to all our backend systems to reflect this new
identity.

Question: What appliances support conversions?

Answer: Conversions are not supported with any appliances except VxRail. Conversions are
not a standard process and are available on a very limited exception basis.

Question: Can VxRail standard HCI and VxRail dynamic nodes be converted to
something else?
Answer: Yes, on a very limited exception basis. VxRail conversions require RPQ approval
and there are many considerations and requirements involved in the process. Dell
sellers and customers should take notice of these important considerations and
requirements listed in the following FAQs below before making the decision to
pursue such conversion RPQ requests.
Before pursuing a conversion RPQ, the preferred action Dell sellers should take
with customers who desire to change their current state is to position a standard
tech refresh that is aligned to the customer’s required timeline and target end state.
If a customer is unwilling to pursue a tech refresh and is agreeable with the
requirements associated with pursuing a VxRail conversion, then an RPQ should
be submitted for evaluation.

Question: Can all VxRail node hardware platform model types be converted?
Answer: Conversions have restrictions regarding which VxRail models are supported. The
models supported for conversion is based on the support for the targeted
destination post conversion (i.e., a 16th generation-based node of VxRail that is

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 supported in the NativeEdge support matrix could be permitted for conversion).
This information will be requested as part of the RPQ review process.

Question: Do VxRail nodes need to have an active warranty contract to be converted?

Answer: Yes, VxRail nodes cannot be converted unless they have an active warranty
contract.

Question: Can customers perform conversions themselves?

Answer: No, VxRail conversions require an RPQ and are performed by Dell Professional
Services.

Question: Are there any costs associated with conversions?

Answer: Yes, conversions are performed by Dell Professional Services. If the RPQ is
approved, a statement of work will be created by Dell Professional Services
detailing the work needed and cost of the conversion. In addition, there may be
costs for purchasing Dell software licensing (i.e. NativeEdge or Dell Private Cloud
SW), third party licensing (i.e. Red Hat), or Dell ProSupport or ProDeploy.

Question: What can a standard VxRail HCI node be converted to?

Answer: Conversions are only supported from standard VxRail HCI node to:
1) VxRail dynamic node
2) PowerEdge to be used exclusively for Dell NativeEdge
3) PowerEdge to be used exclusively for Private Cloud for Dell Automation
Platform (Coming soon)
Conversions are NOT supported to standalone Dell PowerEdge servers, vSAN
Ready Nodes, or any other appliance (e.g. XC, AX, PowerFlex, etc.)

Question: What can a VxRail dynamic node be converted to?

Answer: Conversions are only supported from VxRail dynamic node to:
1) PowerEdge to be used exclusively for Dell NativeEdge
2) PowerEdge to be used exclusively for Private Cloud for Dell Automation
Platform (Coming soon)
Conversions are NOT supported to standalone Dell PowerEdge servers, vSAN
Ready Nodes, or any other appliance (e.g. XC, AX, PowerFlex, etc.)

Question: What steps are involved in the VxRail conversion process?

Answer: All standard VxRail HCI node and VxRail dynamic node conversions require an
approved RPQ and require Dell Professional services to perform. It involves taking
the node out of an existing cluster, wiping the system of all data, and using Dell
tools to modify the existing VxRail personality type on it and installing the new
personality of the target product on it. It also requires updating all Dell backend
systems to accurately record what the new product personality is that it was
changed to.
Performing data migrations and/or standing up additional destination resources
(swing capacity) is not part of the conversion process. Dell Services has additional

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 migration services that can be wrapped into a custom SOW to cover customer
specific solutions. Investing in and performing those activities is the responsibility of
the customer if such actions are required to be performed the conversion-related
activities mentioned above.

Question: Can I reuse any unused, internal disk drives from VxRail elsewhere in other
PowerEdge systems?
Answer: Yes, unused disk drives can be used in other PowerEdge systems, but the
customer will be responsible for confirming compatibility.

Question: What is needed from a services, support, and licensing perspective to

perform a conversion?
Answer: Please refer to the below:
1) Dell Professional Services Custom Conversion Engagement Purchase –
Customer must purchase professional services engagement
2) Dell Software Licensing Purchase - VxRail HCI System Software licensing
cannot be repurposed except for converting to VxRail dynamic nodes. For
any other conversion target the customer must purchase the licensing for the
Dell Software of the desired destination (e.g. Dell NativeEdge Software, Dell
Private Cloud Software)
3) Dell Support Purchase - Customers may be required to purchase or update
ProSupport SW/ProSupport HW maintenance contracts for the desired
destination as the existing contracts may not cover the term of support
needed for the destination outcome. If a customer has existing hardware
support remaining, they can carry it over to the converted target outcome. If
additional hardware support is required, this will require an additional
purchase by the customer.
4) Dell Deployment Services Purchase - Customers will be required to
purchase ProDeploy services for conversion, additional services may be
required depending on customer’s desired destination.
5) Third Party Software Licensing – In many cases VMware software
purchased with VxRail cannot be reused. Customers may be required to
purchase third party software licensing.

Question: Can I reuse my VMware software licensing that I purchased with my VxRail?
Answer: VMware VAO or eOEM licensing purchased through Dell with VxRail cannot be
reused as it is tied to VxRail hardware. These VAO / eOEM licenses live and expire
with the VxRail appliance and cannot be repurposed. If a customer purchased their
licenses outside of Dell using BYOL/BYOS or have a VMware ELA – they should
reach out to Broadcom to confirm they approve repurposing their VMware software
licensing without any issue.

Question: Are VxRail conversions the same as repurposing server hardware to a

different Dell Private Cloud outcome within the Dell Automation Platform
offering?
Answer: No, VxRail conversions are a professional services-driven process and are not a
feature of the Dell Automation Platform. VxRail conversions are different from the

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 Reclaim or Repurposing (i.e., moving infrastructure between Dell Private Cloud
outcomes) capabilities which are features and inherent capabilities of the Dell
Automation Platform offering.

Question: What is the process to start a VxRail conversion evaluation and RPQ
request?
Answer: Please refer to this internal Dell KB for details.

General VxRail
Question: Are VxRail systems achieving six 9’s of availability?
Answer: VxRail 2- to 4-node clusters configured with N + 1 redundancy, and 4- to 16-node
clusters configured with N + 2 redundancy are designed for 99.9999% hardware
availability, which equates to less than 1 minute of unplanned downtime per year.
When used with additional included software features that provide further high
availability, like fault domains or stretched cluster, VxRail can achieve greater than
6 x 9’s availability at the per VM level.

Question: How do VxRail systems scale up?

Answer: Storage can scale up by adding more capacity disks to an existing disk group, or by
adding additional disk groups. Additional memory can be added providing it follows
balanced guidelines.

Question: How do VxRail systems scale out?

Answer: After initial deployment as a 2 or 3 node cluster, VxRail clusters scale near-linearly
up to 64 nodes, in one node increments, pooling additional compute, storage,
virtualization, and management resources. New nodes can be added with just one
click, and will first undergo a version compatibility check to ensure expansion
prerequisites are met. A target node running an older version of VxRail HCI system
software than the cluster it is joining will receive the appropriate composite update
(as outlined in the target version release notes) before the expansion procedure is
initiated. Existing cluster workloads will automatically optimize and rebalance in
accordance with the newly added resources.

Question: How does VxRail load balance storage when a node is added?
Answer: VxRail can rebalance storage assuming there is available slack space to do so.
While DRS (if licensed) will handle moving VMs, vSAN will not rebalance data to
the drives of the newly added node, unless a capacity drive has reached 80% full If
any capacity drive in the cluster has reached 80% full, vSAN will automatically
rebalance the cluster, until the space available on all capacity drives is below the
80% threshold. You can manually start a rebalance from the storage perspective,
which may be beneficial as the timing of it can be controlled. See vSAN
documentation for additional details.

Question: Can I mix different VxRail nodes in a cluster?

Answer: Yes, VxRail clusters can expand and accommodate mixed node types. Please refer
to the VxRail Node Addition Matrix Guide for more details on what is currently
supported and caveats to consider.

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 Note: For new cluster deployments, the first 3 nodes must be homogenous (same
series type and configuration), but can accommodate mixed node types thereafter.
Homogenous configuration applies only to components managed by VxRail LCM
(CPU, disk drives, networking, and memory must be the same in the first three
nodes of a cluster).

Question: What are the supported VxRail vSAN storage availability configuration
options when using 3-node and 4-node deployments?
Answer: VxRail supports customers using VMware vSAN storage availability features for
delivering storage availability. See vSAN documentation for additional details on
vSAN storage availability features.
Note: vSAN storage clusters (also referred to as vSAN Max) are not currently
supported with VxRail.

Question: What hardware components in a VxRail system are customer upgradeable

(Customer Replaceable Unit - CRU), and which are field upgradeable (Field
Replaceable Unit - FRU)?
Answer: Please refer to the VxRail Ordering and Licensing Guide for a list of upgradable
components across specific platforms.

Question: Which VxRail software components are not included in a full stack update?
Answer: VxRail LCM ensures a continuously validated version set of VMware software,
VxRail software, drivers, and firmware, but does not include GPU drivers and FC
HBA firmware. Though a user would optionally be able to consolidate customer
provided GPU drivers and FC HBA firmware in the same cluster update for a faster
update. In VxRail deployments using a VxRail-managed vCenter, the vCenter
server is also included in the LCM stack. Customer-managed vCenter servers
would be the responsibility of the customer to update. Customer installable
software such as RecoverPoint for VMs is updated separately; refer to SolVe
procedures and VMware documentation for update instructions. Some update
paths are only available between certain VxRail software versions; refer to the
target version release notes to ensure valid update paths.

Question: What is the difference between RTQ, RTW, and RTS?

Answer: RTQ means Ready to Quote and that sales teams can begin quoting activities (in
specific catalogs only). RTW means Release to Web and the VxRail software for
existing clusters can be updated. RTS means Release to Ship from factory and
new clusters and net new nodes can be ordered. Refer to the VxRail Ordering and
eLicensing Guide for additional details.

Question: Where can I find more technical reference documentation information about
all things VxRail?
Answer: There are many technical reference resources available. For a quick list of these
resources please visit the Dell VxRail Documentation Quick Reference List (Note:
Some assets require support.dell.com authenticated access).

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 VMware Technology
Question: Do VxRail systems support vSAN data reduction capabilities?
Answer: Yes. Please refer to VMware documentation for more details on vSAN data
reduction features and their required vSAN configurations.

Question: Is any of the VMware software licensing running on the VxRail node
transferrable?
Answer: Dell-sold VAO subscription software is tied to VxRail hardware and is not
transferrable to other hardware. If a customer purchased VMware subscription
software for VxRail using BYOS (Bring Your Own Subscription) RTM from
Broadcom directly or through an authorized Broadcom Reseller Partner, then that
software is transferrable to other hardware approved by Broadcom.

Question: How is vCenter Server deployed with VxRail?

Answer: A VxRail-managed vCenter server manages the VxRail cluster on which it was
deployed, and can also manage other VxRail clusters (including dynamic node
clusters, 2-node and stretched clusters).
A customer-managed vCenter can manage multiple VxRail clusters and other non-
VxRail vSphere or vSAN clusters. Note that LCM operations of the vCenter are the
responsibility of the customer in this deployment configuration..
Please refer to the vCenter Deployment Scenarios Technical Webinar and the
vCenter Server Planning Guide for more information.

Question: Does VxRail support VMware Host Profiles?

Answer: No.

Question: What are the recommended VMware configuration limits VxRail can support?
Answer: Refer to the VMware Configuration Limits to obtain information on ESXi host
maximums and other details.

VMware vSAN Express Storage Architecture (ESA)

Question: Does VxRail support vSAN ESA?
Answer: Yes. Please refer to the VxRail Technical Reference Deck and VxRail Hardware
Config Guide for more information on currently supported vSAN ESA features and
hardware platform configurations available with VxRail.

Question: Where can I find more information about vSAN ESA?

Answer: Please use the following VMware resources:

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 • VMware vSAN 8 ESA VMware FAQ (For general vSAN concepts,
positioning/value prop, and technical architecture information. Note: For VxRail
opportunities, please refer to Dell documentation for official details of supported
vSAN configurations and features avaialble.)
• VMware Blog on Introduction to the vSAN ESA
• VMware Blog on Adaptive RAID-5 Erasure Coding
• VMware Blog on Delivering RAID-1 Performance with RAID-5/6
• VMware vSAN VMware documentation (For general vSAN planning and
deployment and vSAN network design guidance, vSAN administration, and
more.)

VxRail HCI System Software

System Management
Question: How are the VxRail systems managed?
Answer: All VxRail hardware maintenance and LCM activities can be managed from within
vCenter using the VxRail Manager vCenter plugin. For day-to-day VM
management, customers manage the VMware stack on VxRail directly from
vCenter.
Note: Dell iDRAC UI is also used for certain hardware management activities.

VxRail Lifecycle Management

Question: What is synchronous release (commonly referred to as simultaneous
shipment or SimShip)?
Answer: There is an agreement between Dell VxRail and VMware that for every express
patch, quarterly patch, and major update of ESXi and vSAN software, VxRail will
deliver a supporting software release within 30 days of VMware GA. Best effort is
given to express patches to deliver even more quickly (sometimes in a few
business days).This objective is to provide customers confidence that they can
invest in VxRail while knowing they can quickly reap the benefits of the latest
software features and promptly address security vulnerabilities identified and fixed
by VMware. Refer to this synchronous release commitment KB article for more
information.

Question: What are some common things that would cause a delay to the agreed upon
commitment?
Answer: Holidays, factory shutdowns, and most often engineering findings during validation
might impact the 30-day commitment. Rather than release against a software
version with critical issues still present, engineering may choose to defer to a
subsequent software release/version with proper fixes and often assists our
partners to deliver those fixes faster. You can reach out to your regional Storage
Center of Competence (CoC) Product Line Manager (PLM) to get updates when
there is a delay.

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 Question: What are the different elements in VxRail LCM update process that makes it
unique and differentiated for customers?
Answer: Refer to the VxRail Techbook for a detailed explanation of the update process, its
features, and enhancements introduced over time. For a presentable overview of
the VxRail LCM experience, refer to the VxRail Customer Presentation or the
VxRail Technical Overview Presentation. For more in depth content that can be
used to augment general overview materials, please refer to the VxRail Technical
Reference Deck.

Question: What is the update path for VxRail?

Answer: VxRail update paths differ with every release. Some VxRail software versions allow
updates only along specific update paths, while others are restricted to certain node
types, or are entirely unsupported. To ensure version compatibility, please refer to
the Dell VxRail Release Notes here for the VxRail system software that you wish to
update to.

Question: Can a node be downgraded to a prior version of code?

Answer: Yes, but not in all cases. Any node downgrade request must be verified with VxRail
engineering on a case-by-case basis. Refer to KB article 000020460 for additional
guidance.

Question: Should customers use software, other than VxRail Manager to perform
updates?
Answer: No, VxRail Manager is the sole source for VxRail lifecycle management, cluster
compatibility, software updates, and version control. No other Dell or VMware
tooling is supported.

Question: What is pre-update health check?

Answer: The VxRail pre-update health check, or pre-check as the VxRail Manager UI refers
to it as, has been an important tool for users to determine the overall health of their
clusters and assess the readiness for a cluster update. The output of this report
brings awareness to users of troublesome areas and provides users with
information such as Knowledge Base articles to resolve the issues.
Health check automatically runs every 24 hours. This tool relies on a LCM pre-
checks file. The VxRail team frequently updates the LCM pre-checks file with new
checks to improve the quality of the health check. It is best practice to run the latest
version of the LCM pre-checks file.
Clusters, that are connected to the Dell cloud via the Secure Connect Gateway,
automatically scans the Dell Support website to check for an updated LCM pre-
checks file to download and apply for the next pre-check run.
Unconnected clusters require users to manually check the Dell Support website for
a new version of the LCM pre-checks file. If there is newer version, users can
download the file onto a local client and upload the file to VxRail Manager.
Please refer to the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for more details on VxRail
LCM features.

Question: What is update advisor?

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 Answer: The update advisor is a planning tool that provides VxRail users a list of the
possible update paths available for their cluster on the System Updates page of the
VxRail Manager UI. They can select each option to generate an update advisor
report that provides a consolidated readout comprised of the target update path
information, drift analysis detailing components that need to be updated, pre-
update health check report, and user-managed component report. This planning
tool is designed to simplify the update planning experience for users.
Please refer to the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for more details on VxRail
LCM features.

Question: What is compliance checker?

Answer: The compliance checker allows VxRail users to run a scan on the VxRail-managed
components in the HCI stack to generate a drift detection report against the
Continuously Validated State running on their cluster. VxRail user can use this
feature to periodically check for any version drift. The compliance checker is
configured to run daily though the user can initiate it on-demand.
Please refer to the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for more details on VxRail
LCM features.

Question: What is a smart bundle?

Answer: The term ‘smart bundle’ refers to a space-efficient LCM bundle that can be
downloaded from the Dell cloud. A space-efficient bundle is created by first
performing a change analysis of the VxRail Continuously Validated State currently
running on a cluster versus the target VxRail Continuously Validated State that a
user wants to download for their cluster. The change analysis determines the delta
of install files in the full LCM bundle that is needed by the cluster to download and
update to the target version.
Please refer to the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for more details on VxRail
LCM features.

Question: How is VxRail compatible with vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM)?

Answer: vLCM compatibility provides the ability for the VxRail to use vLCM API framework
to perform the cluster updates with VxRail-provided Continuously Validated States.
By leveraging the vLCM API set, the use of the vLCM framework by VxRail is
mostly transparent and abstracted to the VxRail user as all interactions to update
the VxRail software remain within the VxRail Manager curated LCM experience.
Please refer to the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for more details on VxRail
LCM features.

Question: Why would a customer choose to enable VxRail vLCM mode?

Answer: VMware is clearly prioritizing their LCM innovations for vLCM. In vSphere/VCF 9.0
and higher, vLCM mode is required. Users should consider transitioning their
clusters to use vLCM mode to future-proof their investments. Refer to this KB
article for additional guidance.
For VxRail dynamic node clusters, users can take advantage of parallel
remediation to update their nodes in parallel to potentially significantly reduce
cluster update times.

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 Question: How does vLCM compatibility impact the VxRail advantage in LCM over vSAN
ReadyNodes?
Answer: At its core, the VxRail advantage remains the same. VxRail’s Continuously
Validated States is what provides the operational simplicity and certainty our VxRail
users value to confidently evolve their clusters through hardware and software
changes over time. The practice of Continuously Validated States helps offloads
customer’s IT resources and decision-making responsibilities. While vLCM
compatibility changes how the cluster update is executed, it is the planning and
preparation LCM features that differentiates VxRail from vSAN ReadyNodes:
VxRail-driven experience vs. customer-driven experience.
How VxRail supports the enablement of vLCM differentiates from how it is done on
vSAN ReadyNodes. During baseline image creation, a vSAN ReadyNode user
would need to go through several manual steps to build the image: deploying and
configuring the hardware support manager plugin to vLCM, deploying the driver
and firmware depot, identifying each component firmware and driver package in the
stack, exporting the packages to vCenter Server, and creating the cluster profile to
establish the baseline image. For a VxRail user, VxRail already has the baseline
image in the form of the Continuously Validated State. It’s a 3-step wizard. The
VxRail Manager VM acts as the hardware support manager plugin and can
automatically port the Continuously Validated State already on its VM into the
vLCM framework. Similarly, building the desired state image is just as manual of a
process for a vSAN ReadyNode user while the VxRail user has a much more
streamlined, automated process because of Continuously Validate States. The use
of vLCM APIs in VxRail’s implementation of vLCM compatibility allows the user
experience to be an automated one within VxRail Manager.

Question: Are FC HBAs part of the VxRail LCM?

Answer: Starting with VxRail 7.0.240 and higher, the user has the option to include FC HBA
driver and firmware updates into the VxRail LCM workflow for a combined single
update cycle. However, the user still retains the responsibility to perform the testing
and validation for the FC HBA. This capability is available with vLCM or VxRail
LCM modes.

Question: Can the NVIDIA GPU VIB be added to the cluster image?
Answer: Yes. Users can include the NVIDIA GPU VIB when customizing their cluster
update. Customers are still responsible for acquiring the files and check for
compatibility as this is not part of the VxRail Continuously Validated State. Clusters
running VxRail 7.0.350 or later support this feature with vLCM mode enabled.
Starting with VxRail 7.0.450, clusters using legacy LCM mode has this feature.
Please refer to the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for more details on VxRail
LCM features.

Question: What is the VxRail sequential node reboot feature?

Answer: The sequential node reboot feature is a cluster update planning tool that users can
use to serve as a test run where nodes are rebooted one at a time to confirm the
nodes are in good standing without interrupting service. Nodes that fail to reboot
accordingly can be investigated before scheduling a cluster update.

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 From previous customer conversations, we understand that some customers prefer
to perform a sequential node reboot to surface issues that may not be detected by
LCM pre-checks before performing a cluster update. This practice can be very
beneficial when the cluster has not been frequently updated and the nodes have
not been rebooted for a long time.
The Cluster Hosts page on VxRail Manager UI has been enhanced to allow users
to select from a table which nodes that they want to have rebooted. The table also
has a new column to show when the node was last rebooted. Before performing the
sequential node reboot, cluster-level and node-level pre-checks are performed to
ensure good health before placing the nodes in maintenance mode one at a time.
Please refer to the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for more details on VxRail
LCM features.

Question: How does partial cluster update work?

Answer: At this time, the feature is only available via API. Within the input parameters for the
cluster update API call, user can enter the specific host names to which to perform
a cluster update. Per VMware guidance, the full cluster update should be
completed within one week as some Day 2 management operations are disabled
while in a partially upgraded state.
Please refer to the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for more details on VxRail
LCM features.

APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observability and VxRail

Question: What are the autonomous and multi-cluster management features in VxRail
HCI System Software that are available in APEX AIOps Infrastructure
Observability?
Answer: Global visualization – Users have a centralized topology of all their VxRail
clusters in one global virtualization view. Cluster resource utilization (CPU,
memory, capacity, network), health scores, and alerts are available in a
virtualization context. VxRail clusters are organized under Datacenter and vCenter
Servers as you would find on the vCenter Server UI. The virtualization view, under
the Monitor section in APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observability, provides a
Summary tab for cluster information, Alert tab for reported health alerts, and VMs
tab for an inventory of VMs running on the VxRail clusters.
Simplified health scores – The health of cluster components is aggregated,
creating a health score for the cluster. Users can quickly assess the state of their
clusters and quickly identify clusters that require troubleshooting. Users can drill
down problem clusters to pinpoint the primary issue and view the accompanying
Knowledge Base article to remediate the issue.
Advanced reporting – APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observability users can monitor
CPU, memory, disk, and network performance and utilization metrics at a cluster
level. Further drilldown into individual nodes is available with the Report Browser
feature which allows for custom line-chart reports that are available for export.

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 Future capacity planning – VxRail also uses infrastructure machine learning to
project future usage so the user can have better insight into their current usage and
projected IT resource needs.
Lifecycle management – LCM planning and execution capabilities can be
conducted across multiple clusters with a single workflow. On-demand pre-update
cluster health checks (LCM pre-checks) can determine whether the cluster is ready
for an update. It can then orchestrate update bundle downloads onto their VxRail
clusters. Once staged on the VxRail Manager VM on the cluster, a user can initiate
the execution of a cluster update.
Role-based access control – Integration with vCenter Server role-based access
allows users to regulate access and privilege to perform lifecycle management
operations. APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observabilitycan register to the vCenter
Servers so that privileges such as: LCM pre-checks, update bundle download and
staging, and cluster update can be managed using vCenter role-based access and
enforced by APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observability.

Question: How do VxRail customers use APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observability?

Answer: Customers can access APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observability for their VxRail
clusters via the web portal: https://apex-aiops.dell.com/. Using APEX AIOps
Infrastructure Observability does not require additional hardware or software on a
customer’s VxRail cluster. It is entirely consumed via a cloud-based web portal
which provides a single global view of the customer’s VxRail environment.
Users are required to have a Dell Online Support account and establish a
connection with Dell Technologies using connectivity agent on the VxRail cluster.
The connectivity agent is a software-based secure communication channel for
remote support activities so that VxRail clusters can securely send telemetry data
to Dell Technologies cloud. VxRail clusters need to be registered to the Dell Online
Support account for APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observability to report them.
Please refer to this KB on how to onboard VxRail to APEX AIOps Infrastructure
Observability.

Question: How does VxRail HCI System Software provide multi-cluster management
capabilities such as cluster updates for APEX AIOps Infrastructure
Observability users?
Answer: Please refer to the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for more information on how
VxRail HCI System software enables multi-cluster management for APEX AIOps
Infrastructure Observability, its architecture, configuration requirements, and
administration.
Additional APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observability information can be found in the
Dell APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observability: A Detailed Review whitepaper and
the APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observability Simulator.
Please also refer to the APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observability Simulator Help
documentation for more details on VxRail LCM operations administration.
Note: SaaS multi-cluster management VxRail cluster update is only supported for
standard clusters (3 or more nodes), dynamic node clusters, and management
clusters for satellite nodes. It is not available for 2-node clusters, stretched cluster
configurations, and satellite nodes.

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 Question: Is this available for dark sites that have no access to the internet?
Answer: No. VxRail uses a connectivity agent for secure data transfer and requires an
internet connection. VxRail clusters that do not have internet access will not be able
to use APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observability.

VxRail RESTful API

Question: What are the VxRail RESTful API capabilities?
Answer: The VxRail API provides customers and partners/system integrators a full set of
capabilities to automate “Day 1” (cluster deployment), “Day 2” (cluster operations
and LCM updates) and collection of system information. The latest API
documentation is available at the Dell Technologies Developer Portal:
https://developer.dell.com/apis/5538/. More VxRail API information and resources
can be found in this VxRail API blog post.

Question: Does VxRail support cover custom-built automation (e.g., PowerShell scripts,
Ansible playbooks) using VxRail API?
Answer: VxRail support covers the public API built into VxRail (VxRail API), the official
VxRail API PowerShell Modules, and VxRail script packages created by VxRail
Engineering available for download from the Dell Technologies Support site.
Support for any custom-built automation leveraging VxRail API should be provided
by the party developing and implementing this solution for the Customer (e.g., Dell
Services/Consulting, VMware PSO, 3rd party system integrator, Customer) – it is
not covered by VxRail support.
VxRail offers an API-driven deployment option for a VxRail system as a part of the
public VxRail API. Like the GUI-driven deployment, the use of this API requires
professional services engagement from either Dell Services or an
authorized/certified partner.

Question: VxRail can be deployed via a “Day 1” REST API. Can customers use this, and
is there an RPQ required?
Answer: API-driven deployment is another way of deploying the VxRail cluster, providing
customers with more choice. The deployment restrictions are the same as for the
standard, GUI-driven deployment. API-driven deployment does not remove the
need for professional services to provide customers with the best experience (the
same applies to using this API from the VxRail API PowerShell Modules and
Ansible Modules). Dell Technologies and certified partners deliver professional
services for the cluster deployment.
For more information about the customer-deployable option and requirements,
please check the following section of this Technical FAQ: Customer-Deployable
VxRail.

VxRail Hardware
VxRail on PowerEdge Servers
Question: Which VxRail hardware platforms are available for sale?

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 Answer: Refer to the VxRail Spec Sheet for a high level view of currently available
platforms, and the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for in-depth review of platform
features. From an ordering process perspective, please refer to the VxRail Ordering
and eLicensing Guide.

Question: If a customer purchases VxRail nodes without TPM, can it be added APOS?
Answer: Yes. However, the VxRail APOS ordering path does not contain a TPM part (the
VxRail APOS component list is not an exhaustive list) so it is recommended to use
the PowerEdge APOS part for TPM in this situation.

Question: Can customers upgrade TPM from 1.2 to 2.0?

Answer: Yes. When TPM is installed and enabled it is tied to the motherboard
cryptographically. If a customer wants to move from TPM 1.2 to 2.0, they need to
disable TPM in BIOS, replace the TPM with the new module, then re-enable TPM
in the BIOS. This workflow will not require replacing the motherboard.

Question: Can a customer move components like disks or memory between nodes?
Answer: No, this is not supported. These items are tracked as part of the nodes that they
were originally ordered with in Dell backend systems. Customer would need to
submit an RPQ to have this tracking updated.

VD-4000
Question: Does a VD-4000 satellite node provide RAID or storage device redundancy?
Answer: The VD-4000 does not support a PERC, and therefore, there is no storage
redundancy. It is an army of one. Note that PERCs are optional, and not a
requirement, for any VxRail to deploy as a satellite node.

Question: What licenses are required for the VD-4000 nodes, including the VD-4000w
witness host?
Answer: VD-4000 nodes support the same license options as other VxRail node models.
The VD-4000w witness host (physical hardware) requires vSphere/ESXi licensing.
No license is necessary for the OVA witness VM. See the VxRail Ordering and
eLicensing Guide for details.

Question: Does VxRail LCM the VD-4000w host?

Answer: Yes, VxRail will LCM the embedded physical witness host hardware contained
within the VD-4000 chassis.

Question: My customer has 1GbE switches. Can they deploy VD-4000 in 1GbE
environments?
Answer: In a 2-node configuration, the 10GbE or 25GbE ports can be connected back to
back to handle vSAN traffic. SFP transceivers can be used to auto-negotiate all
other traffic down to 1GbE.

Question: What is the difference between the two VD-4000 thermal profiles?

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 Answer: Two distinct identity modules contain custom thermal tables. The 55C profile is the
default option, supporting operations in ambient temperatures of up to 55C.
The 35C ambient profile is optimized for auditory comfort by reducing fan speed
during node reboots and firmware upgrades. This is most useful for when the VD-
4000 is deployed in an office location, where operational noise if of concern, and
where ambient temperatures will not exceed 35C.
Processors
Question: What processors are available on VxRail?
Refer to the VxRail Hardware Configs Spreadsheet for detailed information on
specific processor support for VxRail platforms.

Question: What is a Xeon D processor?

Answer: The Xeon D is a brand of x86 system-on-a-chip based on the same architecture as
Xeon Ice Lake CPUs. Unique to the Xeon D line, emphasis was also made on low
power consumption, and integrated hardware blocks such as a network interface
controller. The Xeon D is exclusively available on the VD-4000.

Question: What are the CPU swap and upgrade rules?

Answer: All CPU upgrades and swaps are required to go through the RPQ process.
APOS processor upgrade options:
• RPQ required for all upgrades / swaps
– All requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis
– Upgrade may require changes to other components such as heatsinks,
fans, risers, etc.
– Additional vSphere and vSAN licenses maybe be required
– Upgrades / swaps are FRU only, and are performed by partner or
ProDeploy Additional development time SKUs
• Upgrades / swaps that are supported:
– 1S to 1S and 2S to 2S
– Higher frequency, and / or more cores
• Upgrades / swaps that are not supported
– Generational socket upgrades (14G to 16G) – different physical socket
– 1S to 2S conversions
nd
– Populating an empty 2 socket on a dual socket node (eg. 1S P670F)
Disk Drives
Question: What are the performance considerations among cache disk drive selection?
Answer: In order of overall performance, from highest to lowest, the following cache drive
types are available: NVMe, MU NVMe, WI SAS, and MU SAS.
Generally, higher performing drives cost more. However, the performance gains
from NVMe versus the increased cost to the overall solution can make them very
attractive. Note, pricing changes frequently. Refer to the VxRail Hardware Configs
spreadsheet for additional disk details.

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 Question: Will larger cache disk drives have a greater portion of the drive usable for
write cache?
Answer: For clusters running vSAN OSA, the write cache buffer size is 600GB, though
larger capacity drives will extend drive life. vSAN 8.0 OSA increases the buffer
capacity to 1.6TB for all-flash clusters.

Question: Is it possible to mix different cache disk drives in the same node?
Answer: For some nodes, depending on the drive backplane, this is possible. However,
uniformity is always preferred, but not required, as it provides predictable
performance, and types of cache can have greatly varying performance. Refer to
the “VxRail OSA Disk Mixing Guidelines” slide in VxRail Technical Reference Deck
for additional details.

Question: Does Dell replace SSD disk drives that wear out?
Answer: Yes, ProSupport and ProSupport Plus include drive replacements for solid-state
drive wear-outs.

Question: Can a customer re-use disk drives from a decommissioned node in a newer
node?
Answer: No, this is not supported.

Question: Is it possible to change the diskgroup layout after initial deployment?

Answer: No, this is not supported. The disk group layout is set at time of deployment,
directing the mapping of future disk and group expansions. If a customer needs this
done, please submit an RPQ.

Question: What are the performance considerations among all-flash capacity disk
drives selection?
Answer: In order of overall performance, from highest to lowest, the following capacity drive
types are available: NVMe, SAS, and SATA SSD.
NVMe delivers the most performance. The needs of many high-performance
workloads can be met with SAS, particularly when paired with NVMe cache drives,
and two or more disk groups per node.
SATA drives are the most inexpensive flash option, and are suitable for general
purpose VMs and their workloads. Refer to the VxRail Hardware Configs
spreadsheet for additional disk details.

Question: Does VxRail offer hybrid disk drive node configurations?

Answer: Yes. Refer to the VxRail spec sheet for more information on the currently available
hardware platform options.

Question: We no longer sell the capacity drive needed to expand my customer’s

diskgroup, what are my options?
Answer: In such circumstances where an equivalent drive is no longer available, a different
drive can be used. Starting with 7.0.210, adding a larger drive to an existing
diskgroup is supported. See the “VxRail OSA Disk Mixing Guidelines” slide in the
VxRail Technical Reference Deck for additional information.

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 Connectivity: On-board networking, additional networking, and fibre channel support
Question: What networking does VxRail support?
Answer: VxRail supports 10GbE and 25GbE in SFP+, SFP28 and BaseT, and 100GbE in
SFP28 and QSFP56, with a variety of dual and quad port OCP 3.0 on-board cards
from various vendors. Networking can be expanded with the addition of 10GbE,
25GbE and 100GbE dual or quad port PCIe network cards. 1GbE is supported with
the restrictions described below. For a full list of supported PCIe and OCP 3.0
network adapters, refer to the VxRail Hardware Configs spreadsheet.

Question: Would an existing 10GbE network infrastructure be compatible to run 25GbE

SFP28 configured VxRail clusters?
Answer: 25GbE SFP28 is compatible with 10GbE SFP+ and will autonegotiate down to
10GbE, with the correct optics. This could enable customers who currently have
10GbE network infrastructure in place to refresh their VxRail environment with new
nodes configured with 25GbE network cards connected to their existing 10GbE
SFP+ network switches. Then in the future, upgrade the switches to 25GbE, and
gain the additional bandwidth.
With this compatibility in mind, customers can also choose to upgrade their network
switches to 25GbE first. The 10GbE SFP+ network cards in their VxRail node can
use this new switch fabric, but at the slower 10GbE speed. Then they can choose
to refresh their VxRail cluster with 25GbE SFP networking to increase available
network throughput performance for the cluster.
Unfortunately, this 25GbE SFP compatibility does not apply to 10GbE BaseT
environments.

Question: Do VxRail systems configured for SFP+, SFP28 interfaces ship with
compatible cables or transceivers?
Answer: No, VxRail systems do not ship with SFP+/SFP28 cables or transceivers – they are
specific to each switch type and are best provided separately so that they match. If
the customer is using SFP+/SFP28/Twinax/optic cables and transceivers, purchase
those compliant to the switch vendor specifications. Additional information on optics
and what is included in the ordering path can be found in the VxRail Ordering and
eLicensing Guide.

Question: Can I expand my VxRail systems by adding additional network cards to

support additional traffic bandwidth or traffic configurations?
Answer: Yes. Refer to the Hardware Configurations Guide for supported network expansion
configurations.

Question: What network cards support vSAN over RDMA?

Answer: Certified options include offerings from Mellanox and Intel. Refer to the Hardware
Configurations Guide for supported component models currently available.

Question: How does VxRail handle LCM of FC HBA?

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 Answer: In VxRail 7.0.240 and higher, FC HBA drivers and firmware can be added to the
cluster update process for a more efficient singular update cycle. This
customization is available using VxRail LCM mode or vLCM mode. However,
customers remain responsible for testing and validation of the FC HBA drivers and
firmware as they are not part of the Continuously Validated States BOM provided
by VxRail. In addition, customers are responsible for managing, upgrading, and
supporting their external storage arrays separately.

Question: What are the considerations when using 1GbE networking on VxRail?
Answer: As network is the backplane for all vSAN storage traffic, the reduced bandwidth
impacts performance and scaling. Because of this the following limitations imposed:
• Single processor configurations only
• Maximum cluster size of 8 nodes
• Hybrid configurations only, all-flash or NVMe nodes are not supported
• Four network ports required on each node
• Requires the use of four 10GbE BaseT, which will negotiate down to 1GbE.
• With today’s increasingly more powerful and dense hardware, some customers’
needs may be met with a heavily configured 2-node cluster.
Memory
Question: Are there any CPU processor architecture considerations that may impact
VxRail memory configuration rules?
Answer: Yes. Different CPU processor architectures have different memory rules and
configurations to achieve optimal performance. These rules are covered in more
detail in the Technical Reference deck and VxRail Orderability and eLicensing
Guide.

GPU
Question: What is a GPU?
Answer: Graphical processing units (GPUs) are compute accelerators that are beneficial to
improving performance for all types of VDI environments, graphics heavy
rendering, and AI/ML data science workloads.

Question: What VxRail hardware platforms support GPUs?

Answer: Please refer to the VxRail Hardware Configurations Guide to find the latest
available VxRail platforms that support GPUs.

Question: Which GPU is suited for a particular workload?

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 Answer: Refer to the VxRail Technical Reference deck for more information on supported
GPUs and their associated workload use cases.

Question: Are GPU firmware included in the LCM process?

Answer: GPU firmware are not part of VxRail’s Continuously Validated States because Dell
is not authorized to publish NVIDIA’s software and firmware. However, users can
acquire the files separately and consolidate the update of GPU software and
firmware into the VxRail cluster update workflow for a more streamlined
maintenance window.

Question: Can I mix different GPUs within a VxRail node/cluster?

Answer: Mixing of GPUs within a node is not supported, by VxRail or PowerEdge.
Mixing of GPUs within a cluster is permitted, however different GPUs use different
vGPU profiles. A virtual machine or VDI gold image that is configured for one vGPU
profile, will not run on a GPU that does not support that profile. This can mean that
even though there are sufficient other compute resources for the virtual machine,
vSphere cannot power it on as the physical GPU it requires is not available.

Question: Which GPUs are supported on which VxRail nodes?

Answer: Refer to the VxRail Technical Reference deck and the VxRail Hardware
Configurations Guide for the latest supported GPU options available.

Question: Does the NVIDIA H100NVL support connection via NVLink?

Answer: No. While NVL is present in the product name, the GPU is connected via PCIe.

Security
Question: What are DISA STIGs, and do I need them?
Answer: Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Security Technical Implementation
Guides (STIGs) are the configuration standards for U.S. Department of Defense
(DOD) Information Assurance (IA) and IA-enabled devices/systems. The STIGs
contain technical guidance to “lock down” information systems/software that might
otherwise be vulnerable to a malicious computer attack. To receive Approval to
Operate (ATO), a VxRail customer must first lock down (or harden) in accordance
with applicable DISA STIGs.

Question: Does VxRail provide DISA STIG compliant hardening guidelines and scripts?
Answer: Yes, VxRail provides the VxRail STIG Hardening Package to harden VxRail
systems to comply with DISA STIG requirements, in support of the NIST

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 Cybersecurity Framework. In addition, VxRail provides security configuration
guidance for protecting the system post-deployment.

Question: What is the VxRail STIG Hardening Package?

Answer: The VxRail STIG Hardening Package includes scripts and the VxRail STIG
Hardening Guide provides manual steps to harden VxRail systems in compliance
with relevant Department of Defense (DoD) Security Technical Implementation
Guidelines (STIG) requirements.

Question: Where can customers find the latest information and documentation
associated with VxRail STIG releases and get the VxRail STIG hardening
package?
Answer: Please refer to the VxRail STIG Hardening Guide and this KB article for more
information. Or users can go to the Support for VxRail Appliance Family | Drivers &
Downloads page and search “STIG” in the keyword box for a list of all currently
available VxRail STIG Packages and documentation.

Question: Where can I find detailed information about VxRail security design and
assurances?
Answer: Please see the VxRail Comprehensive Security by Design Whitepaper that covers
best practices, integrated and optional security features, and proven techniques.

Question: What are the differences between vSAN encryption and virtual machine
encryption (known as vSphere Encryption)?
Answer: Virtual machine encryption, also known as vSphere Encryption, is enabled on a per
VM bases, whereas, vSAN encryption is enabled for the entire cluster datastore.
vSAN data at rest encryption is a better option for concerns of media theft and
allows data reduction to be applied. VM Encryption is a better option for concerns
of a rogue administrator but eliminates the benefit of data duplication due to
randomizing the data. Both forms of encryption require an external KMS. Read this
VMware KB for more details.

Question: Do VxRail systems address customer encryption and security needs?

Answer: Yes, VxRail leverages data-at-rest encryption and data in-transit encryption as part
of its security capability set. vSAN’s version of data-at-rest encryption is native to
HCI and is set at the cluster level (supporting vSAN OSA, vSAN ESA, and
stretched clusters) for broad protection. Data in-transit encryption keys are auto
generated with a FIPS 2-compliant algorithm, and can be enabled for all-flash
nodes in conjunction with deduplication, compression, and data at rest encryption.
Alternatively, vSphere encryption can be used for VM-level encryption.

Question: Where should the Key Management Server (KMS) be hosted?

Answer: VMware vSphere/vSAN has support for a Native Key Provider feature which
simplifies key management for environments using VMware encryption. For vSAN,
the embedded KMS is ideal for Edge or 2-Node topologies and is a great example
of VMware’s approach to intrinsic security. This also works with ESXi Key

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 Persistence to eliminate dependencies. Please refer to VMware vSAN
documentation for more details on vSAN encryption deployment considerations.

Question: Is a Key Management Server (KMS) required when using encryption with
VxRail?
Answer: Yes. A KMIP compliant KMS is required for either vSphere or vSAN encryption.
vSphere Native Key Provider, HyTrust, or any other vSphere compatible KMS is
recommended. It should never be hosted on the same cluster of which it is
managing the encryption keys. VMware vSphere/vSAN has support for a Native
Key Provider feature which simplifies key management for environments using
VMware encryption. For vSAN, the embedded KMS is ideal for Edge or 2-Node
topologies and is a great example of VMware’s approach to intrinsic security. This
also works with ESXi Key Persistence to eliminate dependencies. Please refer to
VMware vSAN documentation for more details on vSAN encryption deployment
considerations. For vSAN data-in-transit encryption, a KMS is not needed.

Question: Does VxRail support multi-factor authentication?

Answer: VxRail supports 2FA with RSA SecurID. Users can login to VxRail via the vCenter
plugin when the vCenter is configured for RSA 2FA.

Question: Does VxRail transmit management traffic securely over the network?
Answer: Yes, VxRail requires management traffic to be transmitted over HTTPS using TLS
1.2. VxRail Manager, vCenter, and iDRAC all disable the HTTP interface, thus
preventing management traffic from being transmitted in the clear.

Question: Does VxRail support ESXi Lockdown Mode?

Answer: Yes, ESXi Lockdown mode is supported with the following restrictions as follows;
the only supported "Lockdown Mode is "Normal" and the VxRail
Management, Platform services account, and Root accounts all need to be added
to the "Exception Users”.

Question: Does VxRail have Common Criteria certification?

Answer: Yes, VxRail has an EAL 2+ certification that provides customers with the assurance
that our process of specification, implementation and evaluation of VxRail security
has been conducted in a rigorous, standard and repeatable manner for its
environment. Refer to the VxRail Comprehensive Security by Design paper for
details.

Question: Does VxRail support IPv6 and dual stack IPv4/IPv6?

Answer: Yes, VxRail meets all USGv6 Compliance and Interoperability testing, including
IPv6 Ready Standards.

Question: How do VxRail features align with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework?
Answer: Refer to the VxRail Comprehensive Security by Design paper for details.

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 Networking
Question: How can a customer use their own VDS to deploy a VxRail cluster?
Answer: Please refer to the VxRail network planning guide for details customer supplied
VDS cluster deployment considerations.

Question: Does VxRail require IPv6 multicast?

Answer: IPv6 multicast is used by the VxRail Manager loudmouth service and is required for
automatic node discovery. VxRail nodes can be added manually in the event of
customer IPv6 network limitations or restrictions. Please refer to the VxRail network
planning guide for more information.

Question: Where can I find detailed information about VxRail network configuration
options?
Answer: Refer to the VxRail Network Planning Guide for more information about VxRail
network configuration options.

Question: Does VxRail provide Layer 3 (L3) Network support?

Answer: Yes, refer to the VxRail Network Planning Guide for more details.

Question: Can VxRail be configured for network redundancy?

Answer: Yes. This can be accomplished at the network card level, VDS level, and link
aggregation level. Please refer to the VxRail Network Planning Guide and VxRail
Technical Reference Deck for more information.

Question: What are the requirements for configuring link aggregation? Is LACP
supported?
Please refer to the VxRail Network Planning Guide for information on requirements
for configuring link aggregation. LACP is supported. For Day 1 deployment you can
use the Configuration Portal to build the JSON file. Either the First Run deployment
wizard or VxRail API can be used.
For Day 2 deployment, customers can configure link aggregation using their
VxRail-provided VDS with a SolVe procedure.

Question: What are the requirements for configuring VxRail system traffic across two
VDSs?
Answer: Please refer to the VxRail Network Configuration Guide for details on configuring
VxRail with two System VDSs. A minimum of 4 physical ethernet ports are
required. They can be from one NIC or spread across two NICs for NIC-level
redundancy. You can use the Configuration Portal to build the JSON file. In this
release, this feature can only be deployed using VxRail API.
For Day 1 deployment, it can be implemented on a newly created VxRail-provided
VDS. It can also be implemented on a newly or existing customer-managed VDS.
There is also support for a Day 2 conversion from one VDS to two VDSs.

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 Question: Does VxRail provide Layer 3 (L3) Network support?
Answer: Yes. Users may create single cluster across multiple racks or create stretched
clusters over L3 vs. running Layer 2 on a Layer 3 network. L3 networking is
supported with the following considerations:
• The vCenter and VxRail Manager must be on the first rack because system
VMs will lose network connectivity when moved from the first rack unless multi-
rack is on the same vLAN.
• While VxRail networks, by default, share the same IP gateway as management
traffic, users can utilize the vSAN gateway, override gateway, for routable
network segments for vSAN traffic.
• When creating a new network segment, user is prompted to identify the initial
network segment where the system VMs reside and to input the vSAN gateway
for the new network segment.
Maximum of 6 racks per VxRail cluster is allowed.
If customer does not want to use L3 feature, there is no action needed. vSAN will
continue using default TCP/IP stack.

Question: How are VxRail systems connected to the customer network?

Answer: See the latest VxRail Networking Guide for further details on supported VxRail
networking connection configuration options.

Question: Do VxRail systems include Top of Rack switch networking?

Answer: No, VxRail systems use the customer’s existing network or new purchased
switches for connectivity between nodes. Please refer to the VxRail Network
Planning Guide for details on network switch requirements.

Question: What is multi-homing?

Answer: Multi-homing enables VxRail Manager to simultaneously connect to an external
management network for administrative purposes and an internal network for
device discovery. Multicast on the internal network is still required.

Question: What software is available to manage Dell PowerSwitch with OS10 switches
deployed with VxRail ?
Answer: The Dell PowerSwitch OMNI vCenter plug-in can be used to manage Dell
PowerSwitch with OS10 switches used in a VxRail deployment. The OMNI plug-in
can also be used for Day-2 switch administration. Customers can also choose to
use native Dell PowerSwitch management tooling for Day 1 and Day 2 operations
instead.

Question: How can I update the PowerSwitch OS10 operating system/firmware when
connected to VxRail clusters? Is it a part of VxRail LCM?

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 Answer: PowerSwitch OS10 updates on switches can be done using the OMNI vCenter
plug-in or native Dell PowerSwitch management tooling. Dell PowerSwitch OS10
updates are not managed through the automated VxRail LCM.

VxRail Deployment Options

VxRail satellite nodes
Question: What are VxRail satellite nodes?
Answer: VxRail satellite nodes are low-cost single node extension for existing VxRail
customers. These customers have seen the benefit from the simplicity, scalability,
and automation of VxRail. They want to extend that benefit beyond the core data
center, but with a smaller footprint and lower cost than what a 2-node cluster can
deliver, and are willing to accept a lower level of resiliency.
VxRail satellite nodes run the same VxRail HCI System Software as VxRail with
vSAN and VxRail dynamic nodes providing a common operating model from core
to edge. Like the VxRail dynamic nodes, satellite nodes do not use vSAN.
Key uses can be for customers with locations that have no high availability
requirements, have less strict SLA than the core data center, have application
workloads are not compute, memory, or storage intensive, or where high availability
and SLA requirements can be met by other means, e.g. at the application layer.
Typical use cases would be:
• Retail and ROBO customers with distributed edge sites
• Telco 5G far edge sites at cell towers
• Test/Dev and Legacy Application Workloads

Question: What is the hardware configuration for satellite nodes?

Answer: Please refer to the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for more information
regarding available VxRail satellite node hardware configurations. You can also
refer to the VxRail Hardware Configs Spreadsheet for additional details.

Question: What are the deployment and LCM operations like for VxRail satellite nodes?
Answer: Please refer to the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for details regarding the
deployment, management architecture, and LCM operations experience of VxRail
satellite nodes.
Note: Up to 500 satellite nodes can be managed by a single VxRail management
cluster.
VxRail supports a maximum latency of 200ms between the VxRail management
cluster and satellite nodes it is managing. As latency approaches 200ms, some
operations are less optimized.
From an LCM perspective, up to 20 satellite nodes can LCM in parallel; additional
nodes beyond 20 will be queued.
LCM of satellite nodes can be performed via VxRail Manager or VxRail API.

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 Question: What is the minimum node count for a satellite node cluster?
Answer: Satellite nodes are not deployed as part of a cluster, and cannot be converted for
use in a cluster. Satellite nodes are standalone hosts which are remotely managed
from a VxRail management cluster. A minimum of a single satellite node can be
deployed and managed by a VxRail management cluster.

Question: How are virtual machines and application availability handled in the event of
node failure or node LCM?
Answer: Satellite nodes are intended for use cases where planned or unplanned downtime
is acceptable. In use cases where downtime cannot be tolerated, availability must
be handled at the application layer when using satellite nodes, otherwise a
clustered infrastructure option may be more appropriate.

Question: How are satellite nodes licensed?

Answer: Satellite nodes are licensed no differently than standard VxRail nodes, using the
available VMware subscription offerings supported for use on VxRail. Please see
the VxRail Ordering and eLicensing guide for more information on VMware
software licensing options for VxRail.

Question: Can VxRail satellite nodes operate at extreme temperatures?

Answer: Only the ruggedized VD-4000 hardware platform being used as a satellite node is
capable of operating at extreme temperatures of 27F – 131F (-5C to 55C).

Question: Does deployment of satellite nodes require services?

Answer: Satellite nodes are customer deployable. The experience is similar to adding a
node to an existing VxRail cluster. Alternatively, ProDeploy Suite for VxRail does
include satellite node deployment.

VxRail dynamic nodes

Question: What are VxRail dynamic nodes?
Answer: VxRail dynamic nodes are compute-only VxRail nodes that do not contain internal
disk drives. They require external storage, either from a remote vSAN datastore
from a VxRail cluster via VMware vSAN cross-cluster capacity sharing (formerly
known as HCI Mesh) or a Dell external storage array. They run VxRail HCI System
Software so that VxRail clusters running vSAN and dynamic node clusters have a
consistent VMware compute and LCM experience.

Question: What is Dynamic AppsON?

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 Answer: Dynamic AppsON was a marketing term that refered to VxRail dynamic nodes with
PowerStore, and the tighter integration they have with each other in comparison to
the other Dell storage offerings. An example of these unique integrations include
PowerStore LCM integration in VxRail Manager. This integration between VxRail
dynamic nodes and PowerStore is simply being referenced as VxRail dynamic
nodes with PowerStore from now on along with discussing the capabilities available
as a result of this integration.

Question: Which external storage arrays are supported with VxRail dynamic nodes as
primary cluster storage?
Answer: Dynamic nodes require Dell storage as primary cluster storage. Supported options
include: PowerFlex, PowerStore, PowerMax, Unity XT, and VMAX. The primary
storage is where the VxRail Manager VM is deployed.
Third party storage array offerings are not supported for use as primary storage.
However, they can be used in addition to Dell external storage to act as cluster
supplemental storage.

Question: What are the key use cases for dynamic nodes?
Answer: Customers can better address data-centric workloads, for example in financial
services and medical verticals, that may still run on traditional three-tier
infrastructure by tightly coupling external storage arrays with dynamic nodes in their
VCF on VxRail environment. Users can add dynamic nodes, creating new workload
domains and utilizing external storage as primary storage with PowerFlex,
PowerStore, PowerMax, Unity XT, and VMAX in a VCF on VxRail environment.
For customers looking to improve the economics of their HCI deployment, VMware
vSAN cross-cluster capacity sharing allows them to scale compute and storage
asymmetrically to better meet their companies’ IT demands while saving on vSAN
license costs where possible. Deploying VxRail dynamic nodes with vSAN cross-
cluster capacity sharing as the primary storage ensures customers have the same
LCM experience in their client clusters as they do with their server clusters running
VxRail HCI System Software. Dynamic nodes enable customers to lower
subscription costs by avoiding additional vSAN capacity subscription licensing.
Dynamic nodes can use external storage arrays as primary storage. This provides
flexibility to take advantage of Dell storage arrays’ strong feature set while providing
the same VxRail operational model in the compute layer to address more
workloads.

Question: Is it possible to use VxRail dynamic nodes for SAP HANA?

Answer: Yes, VxRail dynamic nodes are supported as a solution for SAP HANA
deployments under the SAP HANA TDI program provided all the underlying
components, certified server and certified storage are supported and listed on the
SAP HANA hardware directory and the VMware vSphere conditions for SAP HANA
support are all followed. VMware vSAN cross-cluster capacity sharing is not
supported for SAP HANA, therefore VxRail dynamic nodes are supported for SAP
HANA deployments only with certified external storage. VxRail dynamic nodes are
not supported under the SAP HCI program.
Refer to the Dell Validated Design for SAP HAHA Deployments with Dell VxRail
Infrastructure Whitepaper for more information.

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 Question: What is the hardware configuration for dynamic nodes?
Answer: Refer to the VxRail Hardware Config Guide for details on which platforms support
dynamic node deployment. In the VxRail ordering path in Dell ordering tools, select
‘None’ for internal storage disk drive options.

Question: What is the minimum node count for a dynamic node cluster?
Answer: The minimum node count to deploy a dynamic node cluster is two.

Question: Can a cluster have a mix of VxRail dynamic nodes and VxRail nodes running
vSAN?
Answer: No, dynamic nodes cannot be mixed within a standard VxRail HCI cluster running
local vSAN primary storage or vice versa.

Question: How are dynamic nodes licensed?

Answer: Dynamic nodes are licensed the same way standard VxRail nodes are licensed,
using the VMware Subscription offerings approved by Broadcom for use with
VxRail. Please refer to the VxRail Ordering and eLicensing guide for details.

Question: What protocols are supported for external storage array connectivity?
Answer: FC, FC-NVMe, iSCSI, NFS, NVMe-oF, and NVMe-oF/TCP are available currently.
More information can be found in the VxRail Technical Reference Deck.

Question: Does VxRail also lifecycle manage the Dell external storage array when
deployed with dynamic nodes?
Answer: No, unless VxRail is deployed with Dell PowerStore specifically and leveraging the
unique integration between VxRail and PowerStore. For all other Dell external
storage arrays other than PowerStore, the management of the LCM of external
storage array is done separately using storage system management tooling.

Question: What is the deployment process to configure dynamic nodes with external
storage array as primary storage?
Answer: Please refer to the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for more information on the
process of configuring dynamic nodes with external storage as primary storage.

Question: Can an external storage array be connected to multiple VxRail dynamic node
clusters?
Answer: Yes. An external storage array can be the primary storage resource to multiple
dynamic node clusters which is an example of scaling compute and storage
independently.

Question: What storage features of a Dell storage array are supported with primary
storage for dynamic nodes or secondary storage with VxRail for vSAN
nodes?
Answer: Provided the storage array OS/firmware level is at the appropriate level published
in the E-Lab support matrix to match to the corresponding ESXi level on the VxRail
nodes then the features of the storage array are supported.

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 For specific storage array features follow the recommended procedures and best
practices as published by the storage platform and/or VMware. The exception
being there must be more than one node per site, i.e. two node stretched metro
clusters are not recommended and require an RPQ.

Question: Are there any external storage array management features integrated onto
VxRail Manager when deploying dynamic nodes with external storage?
Answer: Please refer to the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for more details on the
currently supported external storage array management features.

VxRail dynamic nodes with PowerStore integration

Question: What are the unique features, considerations, and limitations that are
available with deploying VxRail dynamic nodes with PowerStore integration?
Answer: Please refer to the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for more details on the
management and LCM features, prerequisites, implementation details,
considerations, and limitations when using VxRail dynamic nodes with PowerStore
integration.

Question: Can Powerstore MetroVolume be used with VxRail dynamic nodes?

Answer: Yes. Beginning in VxRail 8.0.320, the ability to deploy VxRail dynamic node
clusters using a vSphere Metro Cluster connected with PowerStore deployed in a
Metro Volume configuration as primary storage is supported. Please refer to the
VxRail Technical Reference Deck for more details on deployment and configuration
requirements.
VCF on VxRail deployments require an approved RPQ.

Dynamic nodes with VMware vSAN cross-cluster capacity sharing

Question: What is the deployment process to configure dynamic nodes with VMware
vSAN cross-cluster capacity sharing as primary storage?
Answer: Please refer to the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for more details on the
deployment process of VxRail dynamic nodes with VMware vSAN cross-cluster
capacity sharing as primary storage.

Question: What is a vSAN gateway?

Answer: Before VxRail 7.0.480, vSAN traffic shared the same default gateway as other
management traffic. While this is not an issue for Layer 2 networking, it can
become an issue for clusters with nodes across different subnets, as the static
routing table for each node becomes complex to manage.
VxRail 7.0.480 enables the use of vSAN gateway, also known as override gateway,
which was introduced in VMware vSphere 7.0 U3o. With vSAN gateway, Layer 3

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 networking management is greatly simplified as static routing table can be replaced
with setting the vSAN gateway for the vSAN VMK for each node.
VxRail dynamic node clusters with VMware cross-cluster capacity sharing is a good
example where vSAN gateways can be very beneficial as Layer 3 networks of
server clusters and client clusters can get very complex.

Question: What is the maximum distance for shared storage between client and server
clusters?
Answer: The maximum latency is 5ms round-trip time.

Question: Do the vSAN cross-cluster capacity sharing client and server clusters have to
be managed by a common vCenter Server?
Answer: No. As of VMware ESXi 8.0 U1, client and server VxRail clusters can be managed
by separate vCenter Servers regardless of if they are VxRail-managed or
customer-managed. The vCenter Servers can be linked via VMware Enhanced
Linked Mode or exist as standalone instances. However, vSAN stretched clusters
and 2-node vSAN clusters still require a common vCenter Server.

Question: What considerations are there for cluster expansions of a dynamic node
cluster using a remote vSAN datastore as primary storage?
Answer: Cluster expansion is supported via the usual workflows. The expansion node needs
to be on the same subnet as the client cluster.

VxRail with vSAN ESA

Question: What are the minimum requirements to support vSAN ESA on VxRail?
Answer: Refer to Section 14 of the VxRail 8.x Support Matrix for ESA platform support and
associated minimum requirements.

Question: What are the deployment options for VxRail with vSAN ESA?
Answer: VxRail with vSAN ESA is only supported as new node purchases. Scenarios that
involve repurposing existing VxRail nodes running vSAN OSA to run vSAN ESA
requires an RPQ be submitted and approved to carefully evaluate each customer’s
situation and ability to successfully perform this conversion.
VxRail clusters with vSAN ESA can be managed by either VxRail-managed or
customer-managed vCenter Server 8.0. There is flexibility such that the vCenter
Server 8.0 instance can also manage VxRail clusters running vSAN OSA 7.0 or
OSA 8.0.

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 VxRail with vSAN ESA can be deployed as a standard vSAN cluster (3+ nodes), 2-
node vSAN cluster, or a stretched cluster.

Question: What are the deployment limitations for VxRail with vSAN ESA?
Answer: At this time, the following deployment options are not available for VxRail with
vSAN ESA:
• Re-purposing existing VxRail nodes as a standard supported operation (RPQ
Required to request this on a case by case basis)
• Mixing vSAN ESA and OSA nodes in the same cluster
• Using vSAN cross-cluster capacity sharing on 2-node clusters
• 2-node vSAN cluster that shares a witness with a 2-node vSAN OSA cluster
• Storage only clusters (i.e., vSAN MAX deployment configurations)

VCF on VxRail
Question: Where can I learn more about VCF on VxRail?
Answer: Find more information in the VCF on VxRail Technical FAQ, VCF on VxRail
Technical Overview Customer Presentation, VCF on VxRail Technical Deep Dive
Deck, and VCF on VxRail Whitepaper.

2-node vSAN Cluster

Question: Where can I find more information about 2-node vSAN Cluster with VxRail
configuration requirements, deployment configuration and resiliency
architecture options, and supported hardware platforms?
Answer: Refer to the VxRail Architecture Overview Guide and the VxRail Technical
Reference Deck.

Question: My customer would like to remove one node from a VxRail 3-node cluster to
make a 2-node cluster. Is this possible?
Answer: No. A 2-node cluster must be a newly defined configuration. Therefore, removing a
single node from a 3-node cluster to form a 2-node configuration is not supported
and will require node reimaging and a cluster redeploy.

Question: My customer would like to expand a VxRail 2-node cluster to make a 3-node+
standard vSAN cluster. Is this possible?
Yes, 2-node clusters can be expanded to a 3-node+ standard HCI cluster. Please
follow the official SoLVE documented procedures for 2-node to 3-node cluster
conversion/expansion.

Question: What are the vSAN licensing options for the 2-node cluster?
Answer: Please refer to the VxRail Ordering and eLicensing Guide for VMware software
licensing options for VxRail.

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 VxRail with vSAN Stretched Clusters
Question: What should I know about deploying vSAN Stretched Clusters with VxRail?
Answer: Please see the VxRail Architecture Overview Guide and VxRail Technical
Reference Deck.

Customer-deployable VxRail
Question: How is VxRail customer-deployable?
Answer: For existing customers with experienced technical resources, VxRail has
introduced capabilities to enable customers to pre-configure their VxRail clusters
with a web-based configuration portal and to self-deploy their clusters with these
configurations using the VxRail deployment wizard, RESTful API, or the Offline
Deployment Tool.

Question: Should any customer self-deploy their own VxRail clusters?

Answer: No. While the self-deploy option can be ordered with any supported VxRail node,
the default choice is for Dell Professional Deployment Services to deploy the
cluster. The self-deploy option is designed for existing VxRail customers who have
had considerable experience with VxRail infrastructure planning, networking
planning, and virtual infrastructure management. The self-deployment process still
requires extensive planning and preparation beyond what VxRail has introduced to
simplify the pre-configuration and deployment workflow with the configuration portal
and VxRail deployment wizard.
Deploying a VxRail cluster is still a complex procedure that requires the sales team
to diligently vet which customers are a fit for this capability. Customers who have
chosen to self-deploy but ultimately require assistance from the Dell support team
to deploy their clusters will be directed to purchase Deployment services. Correctly
positioning and selling the customer-deployable option will lead to the best
customer experience.

Question: What is the VxRail configuration portal?

Answer: The VxRail configuration portal is a web-based user interface designed to guide the
customer to build a cluster configuration for the cluster that will be deployed. The
customer creates a project and adds to it the VxRail nodes that will form the cluster.
The customer will provide cluster configuration settings for resources such as top of
rack switches, networking, vSphere distributed switches, vCenter Server, VxRail
Manager, ESXi hosts, and virtual networks. From these settings, the wizard
generates a JSON configuration file which will be used by any of the available
VxRail deployment tools to apply the settings during cluster deployment.
Customers should review with their virtualization and networking teams all
necessary guides to plan the VxRail cluster configuration settings and networking
architecture before using the configuration portal. Those guides can include:
vCenter Server planning guide, VxRail networking guide, and VxRail administration
planning guide.

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 Question: Can customers self-deploy a VxRail cluster with any VxRail node?
Answer: All VxRail 14th generation, VxRail 15th generation and VxRail 16th generation
models are customer self-deployable. VxRail nodes must be running a minimum
VxRail software version of 7.0.410. Expect new platforms going forward to support
the self-deploy option, unless expressly stated.
Customers can repurpose supported nodes that are already deployed in a cluster.
Customers can re-image the nodes using the node image management tool with a
supported version. Then they can self-deploy the re-imaged nodes into a new
cluster.

Question: How can a customer re-image a VxRail node?

Answer: Please see the VxRail Technical Reference Deck for details on the customer-driven
VxRail node reimaging options currently available.

Question: Which VxRail cluster types are not customer self-deployable?

Answer: Dynamic node cluster, stretched clusters, and clusters used in VCF on VxRail are
not supported as self-deployable.

Ecosystem support
External storage
Question: Can I use VxRail systems to access external storage as supplemental
storage?
Answer: Yes. VxRail systems can utilize Dell or third party external iSCSI and NFS
datastores, in addition to Fibre Channel storage. External storage can be
connected via FC. It is up to the customer to verify the FC HBA card, driver, and
firmware is qualified with their storage array.

Question: What vSAN native file services are supported for VxRail?
Answer: VxRail supports vSAN OSA and ESA native file services including both NFS and
SMB.
It is important to know that the vSAN File Services VM is not managed by the
VxRail LCM and needs to be updated separately from a cluster update by the
customer.

VxRail Management Pack for VCF Operations (formerly Aria Operations)

Question: What is VxRail Management Pack for VCF Operations (formerly Aria
Operations)?
Answer: The VxRail Management Pack is an additional free-of-charge software pack
available to download from the VMware Marketplace that can be installed into a
VCF Operations instance to provide VxRail cluster aware predictive monitoring,
analytics, capacity planning, and alerting.

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 Without this Management Pack, VCF Operations can still detect vSAN clusters but
cannot discern that they are VxRail clusters. The Management Pack consists of an
adapter that collects distinct VxRail events, analytics logic specific to VxRail, and
three custom dashboards. These VxRail events are translated into VxRail alerts on
VCF Operations so that users have helpful information to understand health issues
along with recommended course of resolution. With custom dashboards, users can
easily go to VxRail-specific views to troubleshoot issues and make use of existing
Aria Operations capabilities in the context of VxRail clusters.

Question: How are VCF Operations (formerly Aria Operations) and APEX AIOps
Infrastructure Observability’s VxRail multi-cluster management features
different?
Answer: Both products have visibility into the health status, health events, and topology and
provide resource metrics charting, anomaly detection, and capacity forecasting of
the VxRail clusters. However, VCF Operations and APEX AIOps Infrastructure
Observability are designed to solve different customer problems. VCF Operations
focuses on the management and optimization of the virtual application
infrastructure for the complete SDDC stack as well as hybrid/public cloud. APEX
AIOps Infrastructure Observability focuses on active multi-cluster management of
customer’s entire VxRail footprint from a centralized point. It does not manage the
virtualized workload running on the VxRail clusters. Both can be used together in a
complementary nature
VCF Operations can be installed on-premises as part of vSphere Foundation and
VMware Cloud Foundation offerings available with VxRail.

Question: When should I position VxRail Management Pack for VCF Operations
(formerly Aria Operations) vs. APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observability and
its VxRail-related features?
Answer: The Management Pack itself is free of charge but requires that the customer
purchase Aria Operations licensing entitlements in order to use it. VCF Operations
is now included in vSphere Foundation and VMware Cloud Foundation subscription
offerings that can be sold with VxRail. Customers can benefit by adding VxRail
context into their vSphere Foundation and VMware Cloud Foundation monitoring,
troubleshooting, and optimization activities of their virtual infrastructure that are
provided by VCF Operations.
APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observability’s VxRail-related features are part of
VxRail HCI System Software and does not require additional license for its feature
set, except for multi-cluster ACTIVE management. It is suitable for the majority of
the VxRail customer base. It requires VxRail clusters to be able to connect to Dell
cloud via the connectivity agent. Customers looking to more efficiently manage
their VxRail clusters at scale and leverage operational intelligence to simplify
administration can benefit from APEX AIOps Infrastructure Observability’s VxRail
multi-cluster management features.

Question: Where can I find more information on VxRail Management Pack for VCF
Operations (formerly Aria Operations)?
Answer: Please refer to the VMware Marketplace - VxRail Management Pack for Aria
Operations page.

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 Delivery Options
Dell Integrated Rack Services
Question: Are deployment/installation services still required with the order of VxRail
Integrated Rack services?
Answer: Once the custom rack arrives in a customer datacenter, the typical onsite VxRail
installation and deployment services engagement begins. These VxRail installation
and deployment services are required no matter if a customer chooses to have
their physical infrastructure pre-racked and stacked at the Dell Technologies 2nd
touch facility prior to it arriving at their datacenter. The standard VxRail or VCF on
VxRail deployment and installation services would be performed by Dell
Technologies or partner professional services teams to configure the environment
per the designed physical site survey requirements.

VxRail Selling
Licensing
Question: Where can I find more information about ordering and licensing for VxRail?
Answer: Please refer to the VxRail with VMware Subscriptions Licensing Options
SharePoint Site for the latest resources on selling/licensing VxRail with VMware
subscriptions and the VxRail Ordering and eLicensing Guide.

Question: Where can customers go to find VxRail software licenses ordered from Dell?
Answer: The Dell Digital Locker is where customers can go to find their licenses.

Question: Are RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines (RP4VM) licenses included with the
purchase of a VxRail?
Answer: Yes, except for VxRail satellite nodes. Standard 1U1N and 2U1N nodes include 5
licenses per node. 2U4N models include15 licenses per chassis. There is a
limitation with RP4VM that prevents support for standalone hosts such as VxRail
satellite nodes. Please refer to the VxRail Ordering and eLicensing Guide.

Question: Where can I find more information on RP4VM licensing in general?

Answer: Refer to the RP4VM FAQ as well as ordering and licensing information in the Dell
RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines Ordering and Licensing Guide.

Question: Do we support shutting off cores in the BIOS to help customers stay in
compliance with software licensing?
Answer: No. VMware subscription software require all physical cores on a host be licensed,
even if they are shut off in the BIOS. As a result, there is no licensing cost
advantage to shutting off cores. If a customer still wishes to disable cores in the
BIOS, please submit an RPQ request for evaluation.

Dell Selling Tools for VxRail

Question: Can the EIPT (Enterprise Infrastructure Planning Tool) be used for VxRail?

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 Answer: Yes, for specific power, cooling, weight, dimensions, etc., refer to the EIPT Tool.

Question: Is there a sizing tool available for VxRail systems?

Answer: Yes, there is the online VxRail Sizing Tool: VxRail Sizing Tool.

Question: Is there documentation for racking VxRail systems?

Answer: The Enterprise Systems Rail Sizing and Rack Compatibility Matrix provides
mounting features and key dimensions of the rack rails used for mounting many
Dell enterprise systems and peripheral devices in a rack enclosure.

Question: Where can I direct product enhancement requests?

Answer: VxRail enhancement requests can be submitted via the VxRail | ISG Request For
Enhancements (RFEs) Portal.

Question: Where can I direct questions related to VxRail platform security?

Answer: Security requests and questions can be submitted in the Security & Customer Trust
portal.

VxRail Training Content

Question: What technical resources can I use to learn about VxRail?
Answer: The VxRail Selling Channel on EDUTube can be referenced for the latest VxRail
training videos, product release update videos, and other VxRail technical topic
videos.

Question: Where can I access additional VMware product specific training content?
Answer: From Broadcom Partner Portal you can access VMware product training content.
VMware’s The Core (https://core.vmware.com/) page is available for technical
guidance on the core technologies, VCF, vSphere and vSAN, that provide modern
cloud infrastructure. Broadcom Tech Docs Site for VMware Infrastructure offerings
can also be used for additional technical product documentation.
End of Sales Life (EOL)
Question: What is the typical hardware and software EoL/EoS policy for VxRail?
Answer: Dell’s software policy is to offer N and N-1 versions of VxRail and ESXi out of the
factory. Dell’s VxRail hardware platform policy ensures that End-of-Sale is
announced at least 6 months in advance. EoL announcements of specific VxRail
components are generally communicated at least one month before PowerEdge
marks them as End of Sale..

Question: Where can I find the most up-to-date list of EOL dates for all VxRail hardware
platforms and VxRail system software?
Answer: This KB article provides links to Excel files that document the EOL status for all
Converged Infrastructure products, including VxRail platforms and system software.
Question: What happens to support contracts that exceed the EOSS dates?

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 Answer: Once EOSS dates are coded, entitlements quoted past the EOSS date are
terminated, and the unused portion of the standard support contract quoted beyond
the EOSS date is credited back to the customer automatically.

Question: Is VxRail HCI OS 7.x and VCF 4.x on VxRail 7.x End of Sales Life (EOL) and
End of Standard Support (EOSS)?
Answer: Earlier this year, VMware announced the end of general support (EOGS) for
vSphere 7.0, to occur on October 2nd, 2025. VMware announced EOGS for VCF
4.x to occur on May 31st, 2025.
For sales guidance and additional information relating to Dell Technologies’
EOL/EOSS of VxRail HCI OS 7.x and VCF 4.x on VxRail 7.x, please refer to this
411 and the Dell End-of-Life Product List for Converged Infrastructure and Storage
KB article.

Question: What should I know about VxRail 15th Generation Intel platforms End of
Sales Life?
Answer: VxRail 15th Generation Intel platforms planned EOL date has been extended from
the original date of February 4, 2025, to July 8th, 2025. This change of EOL timing
is to allow for further depletion of excess available supply. 15G AMD platforms are
not included in this EOL date extension
Quotes generated by July 8th, 2025 can still be executed until August 5th, 2025.
Note that all sales are dependent on supply availability.
The VD-4000 is excluded from this EOL announcement. No EOL date for the VD-
4000 has been announced.

Question: What should I know about VxRail 15th Generation AMD platforms End of
Sales Life?
Answer: VxRail 15th Generation AMD nodes are no longer for sale. Please refer to this 411
that discusses specific 15G AMD platform EOL dates.

VxRail Support Services

Question: Does ProSupport Suite provide code upgrades by Dell Support for the
customer?
Answer: Yes, but it depends on the ProSupport Suite level purchased by the customer. If the
customer purchases ProSupport Next Business Day, then code upgrades by Dell
Support are not available. All other ProSupport offers include the code upgrades by
Dell Support. The customer can perform their own code upgrades. Note – VCF on
VxRail is different from VxRail in that ALL ProSupport Suite for VCF on VxRail
offers include code upgrades by Dell Support.
VxRail Deployment Services
Question: Are Dell ProDeploy Suite offers mandatory?
Answer: No, but they are highly recommended to ensure the best deployment experience
for the customer. Customer can deploy their own VxRail nodes but should only do it
if they have experience with doing the installation. ProDeploy Suite for VxRail offers

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 are sold by the node. They can be sold with onsite or guided hardware deployment
and with remote or onsite configuration. ProDeploy Plus for VxRail is the highest
level of deployment providing a ‘white-glove’ onsite hardware installation and onsite
configuration experience. It is the default option for VxRail in the sales tools.

Question: Are there Dell ProDeploy offers for factory rack integration?
Answer: Yes, there are ProDeploy Rack Integration for VxRail offers available in the Dell
ordering tools for regions that have a 2T facility. These offers are standardized to
expedite quoting. Please work with Dell services sales resources for more
information.

Validated VxRail Solutions

Question: Is VxRail SAP HANA certified?
Answer: Yes. Please refer to the Dell Validated Design for SAP HAPA Deployments with
Dell VxRail Infrastructure documentation for more information.

Competition
Question: Where do I get additional information about positioning VxRail systems
against the competition?
Answer: See the VxRail system battle cards in the VxRail Knowledge Center.

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