VCE Vblock® Specialized Systems For Extreme Applications

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com
VCE Vblock Specialized Systems for

Extreme Applications
Gen 2.1
Architecture Overview
Version 1.5
May 2015
VSS XAPP Architecture Overview
Revision history
Revision history
Date
Vblock System
Document revision
Description of changes
May 2015
Gen 2.1
1.5
Streamlined the business

applications section
Added a system architecture

section
Changed the VDI

deployment information from
a bulleted list to a tabular
format
Added support for the Cisco

UCS B200 M4 Blade Server
Added support for the 5 TB

EMC XtremIO
Updated elevations
Added data compression

information
Added support for VMware

vSphere 5.5
Added support for EMC

PowerPath
Added support for VCE

Vision Intelligent
Operations
December 2014
August 2014
Gen 2.1
Gen 2.1
1.4
1.3
Added support for Data at

Rest Encryption
May 2014
Gen 2.1
1.2
Removed Cisco Nexus 1000V

references
April 2014
Gen 2.1
1.1
Updated terminology and cabinet

elevations
February 2014
Gen 2.1
1.0
Initial release
2014-2015 VCE Company, LLC.
All Rights Reserved.
Contents
Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................................. 5
Accessing VCE documentation.................................................................................................................6
System overview.........................................................................................................................................7
System architecture and components ................................................................................................... 7
Business application...............................................................................................................................8
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure with EMC XtremIO............................................................................9
Connectivity overview...........................................................................................................................11
Compute layer...........................................................................................................................................14
Compute overview................................................................................................................................14
Cisco Unified Computing System.................................................................................................. 14
Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects....................................................................................................15
Storage layer............................................................................................................................................. 16
EMC XtremIO storage.......................................................................................................................... 16
EMC XtremIO configuration........................................................................................................... 17
EMC XtremIO performance........................................................................................................... 22
Network layer............................................................................................................................................ 23
Networking overview............................................................................................................................ 23
Virtualization layer....................................................................................................................................24
Virtualization components.................................................................................................................... 24
VMware vSphere Hypervisor ESXi................................................................................................ 24
VMware vCenter Server.................................................................................................................25
Management .............................................................................................................................................27
AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications.......................................................... 27
AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications components............................... 27
System infrastructure...............................................................................................................................29
Cabinets overview................................................................................................................................ 29
Power options.......................................................................................................................................29
Configuration descriptions...................................................................................................................... 31
Sample single cabinet configuration.....................................................................................................33
Sample dual cabinet configuration....................................................................................................... 33
Additional references............................................................................................................................... 41
Compute components.......................................................................................................................... 41
Contents
Network components............................................................................................................................42
Storage components............................................................................................................................ 42
Virtualization components.................................................................................................................... 43
Introduction
Introduction
This document describes the high-level design of Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications.
This document also describes the hardware and software components that VCE includes in each VSS
XAPP.
This document is intended for sales engineers, field consultants, advanced services specialists, and VCE
customers of the VSS XAPP.
The VCE Glossary provides terms, definitions, and acronyms that are related to Vblock Systems.
To suggest documentation changes and provide feedback on this book, send an e-mail to
docfeedback@vce.com. Include the name of the topic to which your feedback applies.
Accessing VCE documentation
Accessing VCE documentation

Select the documentation resource that applies to your role.
Role
Resource
Customer
support.vce.com
A valid username and password are required. Click VCE Download Center to access the
technical documentation.
VCE Partner
partner.vce.com
A valid username and password are required.
Cisco, EMC, VCE, or

VMware employee
portal.vce.com
VCE employee
sales.vce.com/saleslibrary
or
vblockproductdocs.ent.vce.com
System overview
System overview
System architecture and components
This topic provides an overview of the Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications architecture
and components.
VSS XAPP has a number of features including:
High levels of input/output operations per second (IOPS)
Consistent <1ms response times
A high volume of random access virtual machines and applications
Virtual machines and applications with high levels of redundant data that benefit from the power
Each VSS XAPP contains the following key hardware and software components:
Resource
Components
Vblock System management
Virtualization and
management
VCE Vision Intelligent Operations System Library

VCE Vision Intelligent Operations Plug-in for vCenter
VCE Vision Intelligent Operations Compliance Checker
VCE Vision Intelligent Operations API for System Library
VCE Vision Intelligent Operations API for Compliance Checker
Cisco Nexus 3064-T Switches
Cisco UCS C220 Servers
Cisco UCS Manager
EMC PowerPath vApp for licensing
EMC PowerPath/VE
EMC Secure Remote Support (ESRS)
EMC XtremIO Management Server
VMware Single Sign-On (SSO) Service
VMware vCenter Server
VMware vSphere Web Client
VMware vSphere ESXi
VMware vSphere Server Enterprise Plus
VMware vSphere Web Client
System overview
Resource
Components
Compute
Network
Storage
Cisco UCS 5108 Server Chassis

Cisco UCS B200 M3 Blade Servers and Cisco UCS B200 M4 Blade Servers
Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card 1240 and Cisco UCS Virtual Interface
Card 1280 - supported on the Cisco UCS B200 M3 Blade Server
Cisco Port Expander for 1240 VIC, optional
Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card 1340 and Cisco UCS Virtual Interface
Card 1380 - supported on the Cisco UCS B200 M4 Blade Server
Cisco UCS 2204XP Fabric Extenders

Cisco UCS 6248UP Fabric Interconnects
Cisco Nexus 5548UP Unified Switches
VMware Virtual Distributed Switch (VDS)
EMC XtremIO 10 TB Encryption Capable
EMC XtremIO 5 TB Starter
The VCE Release Certification Matrix provides a list of the certified versions of components for VSS
XAPP. For information about Vblock System management, refer to the VCE Vision Intelligent
Operations Technical Overview.
Business application
This topic provides an overview of how the Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications adds
value in specific scenarios.
VSS XAPP provides power and flexibility specifically targeted to Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
applications. In addition, VSS XAPP provides benefits to a variety of scenarios:
Scenario
Benefit
VDI
VDI applications, such as VMware Horizon View and

Citrix XenDesktop deployments, with more than 1,000
desktops that require:
Full clone or linked clone technology use

interchangeably and without drawbacks
Successful projects from pilot to large-scale

deployment
A fast and simple method of performing high volume

cloning of desktops, including during production
hours
System overview
Scenario
Benefit
Virtual server applications
Virtual server applications, such as VMware vCloud

Director deployments, in large-scale environments that
require:
High-performance database applications
A simple and dynamic method of creating a large

number of virtual machines, including during
production hours
Application scenarios requiring mixed read and write

workloads that require adapting to high levels of
growth
OLTP database, database test/developer environments,

and database analytic applications such as Oracle and
Microsoft SQL Server that require:
Consistent and low I/O (<1ms) latency to meet

performance service level objectives of the
database workload
Multiple space-efficient test or development copies
Reduced database licensing costs (EMC XtremIO
increases database server CPU utilization so fewer
database CPU core licenses are needed)
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure with EMC XtremIO

This topic provides additional detail about the benefits of deploying VDI on a Vblock Specialized Systems
for Extreme Applications.
VSS XAPP with the EMC XtremIO all-flash array, provides the following benefits for VDI deployments:
Benefit
Description
Flexible deployments
Leverage linked clones, full clones, or any combination

of the two without regard to underlying I/O performance
or excessive capacity consumption.
Superior VDI user experience
Every desktop in an EMC XtremIO deployment is

provided with reliable and massive I/O potential, both in
sustained IOPS and the ability to burst to higher levels.
These higher levels meet the requirements of
demanding applications such as Microsoft Outlook,
desktop search, and antivirus scanning.
Lowest cost per virtual desktop
Due to the inline data deduplication and massive

performance density provided by EMC XtremIO, the cost
per desktop is lower than with other VDI solutions,
allowing VDI desktops to be deployed for less than their
physical desktop counterparts.
System overview
Benefit
Description
Rapid provisioning and rollout
Because EMC XtremIO is easy to setup, requires no

tuning, and accommodates any deployment model,
complex planning is eliminated. VDI deployments are
designed and deployed quickly.
No third-party tools required
EMC XtremIO solves all I/O related deployment

challenges. There is no need for additional caching or
host-based deduplication schemes, or any other point
solutions that increase expense and complexity.
No change to desktop administration
The existing management system for the physical

desktops is directly applied to the VDI deployment when
EMC XtremIO is used. No changes to software updates,
operating system patching, antivirus scanning, or other
procedures are required to reduce the I/O load on
shared storage.
No change to desktop setup
VDI best practices require dozens of changes to the

desktop image to reduce the I/O load on shared storage.
No changes are required with EMC XtremIO, allowing
the desktop to remain fully functional and maintain a
strong user experience.
Deduplication
Deduplication on the EMC XtremIO storage for VDI

occurs in real time at a granular 4 KB block size without
a reduction in performance. Because VDI uses many
copies of identical or very similar desktop images,
deduplication is effective in reducing flash capacity.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure deployments

This topic provides information for small, medium, and large VDI deployments.
Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications configurations support VDI environments with the
following limits:
VDI deployment
size
Number of cabinets
Virtual desktops
EMC XtremIO
Usable storage
Small
1,750
1 (Starter)
3.6 TB
(21.5 TB with a 6:1
deduplication ratio)
Medium
3,500
7.5 TB
(35 TB with a 6:1
10
System overview
VDI deployment
size
Number of cabinets
Virtual desktops
EMC XtremIO
Usable storage
Large
7,000
15 TB
(70 TB with a 6:1
Related information
EMC XtremIO configuration (see page 17)
Connectivity overview
This topic describes the components and interconnectivity in the Vblock System.
The components and connectivity are subdivided into the following layers:
Layer
Description
Compute
Contains the components that provide the computing power in a Vblock System. The Cisco UCS
blade servers, chassis, and fabric interconnects belong to this layer.
Storage
Contains the EMC XtremIO storage component.
Network
Contains the components that provide switching between the compute and storage layers in a
Vblock System, and between a Vblock System and the external network. Cisco Nexus Switches
belong to this layer.
All components incorporate redundancy into the design.
11
System overview
Single cabinet connectivity

The following illustration shows the configuration and connections between the components in a single
cabinet VSS XAPP:
12
System overview
Dual cabinet connectivity

The following illustration shows the configuration and connections between the components in a dual
cabinet VSS XAPP:
13
Compute layer
Compute layer
Compute overview
This topic provides an overview of the Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications compute
components.
Cisco UCS B-Series Blades installed in the Cisco UCS chassis provide the computing power in a Vblock
System.
Fabric extenders (FEX) in the Cisco UCS Chassis connect to Cisco Fabric Interconnects over converged
Ethernet. Four 10 GbE ports on each FEX connect northbound to the fabric interconnects regardless of
the number of blades in the chassis. These connections carry IP and storage traffic.
Each fabric interconnect has multiple ports reserved by VCE for 10 GbE ports. VCE has reserved some of
these ports to connect to upstream access switches in the VSS XAPP. These connections are formed
into a port channel to the Cisco Nexus switch and carry IP traffic destined for the customer network. This
port channel can also carry IP traffic to the storage layer. Each fabric interconnect also has multiple ports
reserved by VCE for Fibre Channel (FC) ports. These connections carry FC traffic between the compute
layer and the storage layer. These connections also enable storage area network (SAN) booting of the
UCS Blades.
Cisco Unified Computing System

This topic provides an overview of the UCS data center platform that unites compute, network, and
storage access.
Optimized for virtualization, the Cisco UCS integrates a low-latency, lossless 10 GB Ethernet unified
network fabric with Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers. Vblock Systems contain a number of Cisco UCS
5108 Server Chassis. Each chassis contains up to eight half-width or four full-width blades. Each chassis
also includes Cisco UCS fabric extenders (FEX) and Cisco UCS B-Series converged network adapters.
The Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications Port Reference Guide provides information
about the assigned use for each port in the Vblock System.
Vblock Systems powered by Cisco UCS feature:
Built-in redundancy for high availability
Hot-swappable components for serviceability, upgrade, or expansion
Fewer physical components than in a comparable system built piece-by-piece
Reduced cabling
Improved energy efficiency over traditional blade server chassis
14
Compute layer
The VCE Vblock System Blade Packs Reference provides a list of supported Cisco UCS blades in Vblock
Systems. The Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications Blade Expansion Guide provides
guidelines for expanding compute components for the Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme
Applications after it is installed.
Related information
Accessing VCE documentation (see page 6)
Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects

This topic provides an overview of UCS fabric interconnects (FIs).
The Cisco UCS FIs provide the following features:
Network connectivity and management capabilities to the Cisco UCS blades and chassis
Offer line-rate, low-latency, lossless 10 GbE and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
Provide the management and communication backbone for the blades and chassis, and facilitate
LAN and SAN connectivity for all blades within their domain
Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications uses Cisco UCS 6248UP Fabric Interconnects.
Single-domain uplinks of 2, 4, or 8 between the fabric interconnects and the chassis are provided with the
Cisco UCS 6248UP Fabric Interconnects.
15
Storage layer
Storage layer
EMC XtremIO storage
This topic describes the benefits of the EMC XtremIO flash storage.
Key attributes of the EMC XtremIO flash array are:
High levels of input/output (I/O) performance, particularly for random I/O workloads that are
typical in virtualized environments. These performance levels are achieved with low and
consistent latency.
Real-time inline data deduplication (the ability to remove redundant information in the data path
and only ever write unique data to the storage array, thus lowering the amount of capacity
required)
Data at Rest Encryption (DARE) - EMC XtremIO arrays securely encrypt all data stored on the
all-flash array delivering protection for regulated use cases in sensitive industries such as
healthcare, finance, and the government.
Note: All supported configurations support DARE.
EMC XtremIO automatically compresses data after all duplications are removed. This process
ensures that the compression is only performed for unique data blocks. Data compression is
performed in real time and not as a post-processing operation.
Full suite of enterprise array capabilities such as:
Active/Active operation
High availability
Strong data protection
Thin provisioning
DARE
In line data compression
Scale-out design with additional performance and capacity added in a building block approach.
All building blocks form a single clustered system.
Complete integration to VMware vSphere through VAAI. All application programming interface
(API) commands are supported. This enables nearly instantaneous virtual machine provisioning
and cloning and the ability to use large volume sizes for management simplicity.
16
Storage layer
No tuning or ongoing administration required to achieve and maintain high performance levels.
EMC XtremIO configuration

This topic provides information about the single and dual cabinet EMC XtremIO configurations optimized
for the Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications.
Each EMC XtremIO consists of a set of two servers, which act as storage controllers, a disk array
enclosure (DAE), and a battery backup unit (BBU). The dual EMC XtremIO configuration requires an
EMC XtremIO InfiniBand Switch infrastructure to provide a communication channel that allows back-end
communications between EMC XtremIO storage controllers.
An EMC XtremIO Management Server (XMS), either physical or virtual, has a graphical user interface
and command-line utility. The XMS provides EMC Secure Remote Support (ESRS) and SNMP monitoring
support.
The EMC XtremIO InfiniBand Switch infrastructure provides a communication channel that allows backend communications and data distribution between EMC XtremIO with back-end connectivity of 40
Gb/Sec (4xQDR) back-end connectivity HCAs and 56 Gb/Sec (4xFDR) between switches. It also provides
low-latency RDMA support.
17
Storage layer
The following illustration shows the front and rear views of how a single EMC XtremIO system is
configured:
18
Storage layer
The following illustrations show how the front and rear views of a dual EMC XtremIO system is
configured:
19
Storage layer
Disk array enclosure

Each EMC XtremIO disk array enclosure (DAE) contains:
25 x Hitachi Ultrastar 400 GB MLC solid state drives

Note: In the 5 TB Starter EMC XtremIO, there are 13 Hitachi Ultrastar 400 GB MLC solid state
drives.
Two online swappable link controller cards (LCC)

Note: Each LCC has 2 x 6 Gbit SAS ports (only one port is currently enabled)
Dual redundant hot-swappable power supply units (PSU)
20
Storage layer
Storage controllers
The EMC XtremIO storage controllers are Intel-based servers with the following specifications:
Intel S2600GZ Motherboard
Two 8-core 2.1GHZ CPUs (16 cores total)
256 GB RAM
Dual redundant hot-swappable power supply
Integrated IPMI
2 X Micron P400m 200 GB SSDs (contain the Linux OS and journals dump)
2 X Hitachi Ultrastar 900 GB SAS2 Spinning Drives (contain data path input/output (IO) traces for
the last several hours)
LSI PCI Express Fusion-MPT SAS-2
Qlogic QLE22562 Dual 8 Gb FC HBA
Mellanox ConnectX-3 Dual 40 Gb Infiniband HCAs
Intel Dual 10 GbE SFP+ NIC
Battery backup unit

Each EMC XtremIO contains one battery backup unit (BBU) configured with:
Two internal batteries
Two managed power outlets may be controlled and shut off
Two COM interfaces (onboard + extension card) for SC monitoring
Related information
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure deployments (see page 10)
21
Storage layer
EMC XtremIO performance

This topic provides information about the EMC XtremIO performance.
Each EMC XtremIO is tested and configured to deliver performance defined by a number of criteria and
delivers:
3.6 TB of deduplicated physical disk space (37 TB of hydrated logical disk space) for the Starter
EMC XtremIO
7.5 TB of deduplicated physical disk space (70 TB of hydrated logical disk space)
Self-healing, double-parity, high-performance data protection group (DPG)
Four 8 Gb/sec Fiber Channel (FC) ports
Four 10 Gb/sec iSCSI SFP+ ports
The performance for each EMC XtremIO is:
250,000 fully random 4 KB read IOPS
100,000 fully random 4 KB write IOPS
150,000 fully random 4 KB IOPS with a 50/50 read/write mix
22
Network layer
Network layer
Networking overview
This topic provides an overview of the network components for the Vblock Specialized Systems for
Extreme Applications.
The network infrastructure for the VSS XAPP includes Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switches, fabric
interconnects, and Cisco Nexus 3064-T Ethernet Switches. The Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switches provide
10 GbE connectivity:
Between the Vblock System internal components
To the external network
To the AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications through redundant
connections to the Cisco Nexus 3064-T Ethernet Switches in the AMP for VSS XAPP
The two Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switches support low-latency line-rate 10 GbE and Fibre Channel over
Ethernet (FCoE) connectivity on up to 32 ports. The Cisco Nexus 5548UP switches have one expansion
slot that can be populated with a 16-port unified port expansion module. The FC ports are licensed in
packs of eight in an on-demand basis. The Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switch is the only network switch
supported for Vblock System data connectivity in the VSS XAPP.
Ports are reserved or identified for special Vblock System services such as backup, replication, or
aggregation uplink connectivity. Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switches provide a number of line-rate ports for
non-blocking 8 Gb/sec throughput.
Related information
AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications components (see page 27)
23
Virtualization layer
Virtualization components
This topic provides an overview of the virtualization components.
VMware vSphere is the virtualization platform that provides the foundation for the private cloud. The core
VMware vSphere components are the VMware vSphere Hypervisor ESXi and VMware vCenter Server for
management. VMware vSphere 5.5 includes a Single Sign-on (SSO) component.
The hypervisors are deployed in a cluster configuration and can scale up to 32 nodes per cluster. The
cluster allows dynamic allocation of resources, such as CPU, memory, and storage. The cluster also
provides workload mobility and flexibility with the use of VMware vMotion and Storage vMotion
technology.
VMware vSphere Hypervisor ESXi

This topic describes the VMware xSphere Hypervisor ESXi that runs on the AMP for Vblock Specialized
Systems for Extreme Applications and in a Vblock System using VMware vSphere Server Enterprise
Plus.
This lightweight hypervisor requires very little space to run (less than 6 GB of storage required to install)
and has minimal management overhead. VMware vSphere ESXi does not contain a console operating
system. It boots from SAN through an independent 20 GB FC LUN. The FC LUN also contains the
hypervisor's locker for persistent storage of logs and other diagnostic files to provide stateless computing
in the Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications. The stateless hypervisor is not supported.
Cluster configuration
VMware vSphere ESXi hosts and their resources are pooled together into clusters. These clusters
contain the CPU, memory, network, and storage resources available for allocation to virtual machines.
Clusters scale up to a maximum of 32 hosts.
Clusters support thousands of virtual machines.
Note: Some advanced CPU functionality might be unavailable if more than one blade model is running in
a given cluster.
Data-stores
VSS XAPP supports block level storage using VMware Virtual Machine File System (VMFS). The
maximum size per VMFS5 volume is 64 TB (50 TB VMFS3 at 1 MB). Each host/cluster supports a
maximum of 255 volumes.
24

This topic describes the VMware vCenter Server which is a central management point for the hypervisors
and VMs.
VMware vCenter is installed on a 64-bit Windows Server and runs as a service.
The AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications and the Vblock System each have a
unified VMware vCenter Server instance, as well as an accompanying instance of VMware Update
Manager to assist with upgrades and host patch management. VMware Update Manager (VUM) is
installed on a separate Windows Server and runs as a Windows service. Each of these systems resides
in the management stack.
VMware vCenter Server provides the following functionality:
Cloning of VMs
Template creation
VMware vMotion and VMware Storage vMotion
Initial configuration of VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) and VMware vSphere
high-availability clusters
VMware vCenter Server provides monitoring and alerting capabilities for hosts and VMs. Vblock System
administrators can create and apply the following alarms to all managed objects in VMware vCenter
Server:
Data center, cluster, and host health, inventory, and performance
Data store health and capacity
VM usage, performance, and health
Virtual network usage and health
Databases
The back-end database that supports VMware vCenter Server and VUM is remote Microsoft SQL 2012
(VMware vSphere 5.5). The SQL Server service requires a dedicated service account.
Authentication
Vblock Systems support the VMware Single Sign-On (SSO) Service which can integrate multiple identity
sources including Active Directory, Open LDAP, and local accounts for authentication. VMware vCenter
Server, Inventory, Web Client, SSO, and VUM run as separate Windows services. Each service can be
configured to use a dedicated service account depending on security and directory services
requirements.
25
VCE supported features

VCE supports the following VMware vCenter Server features:
VMware SSO (version 5.5)
VMware vSphere Web Client (used with VCE Vision Intelligent Operations)
VMware vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS)
VMware vSphere High Availability
VMware DRS
VMware Fault Tolerance
VMware vMotion
VMware Storage vMotion
Raw Device Maps
Resource Pools
Storage DRS (capacity only)
VMware vSphere Storage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI) (except the TP reclaim primitive)
Storage-driven profiles (user-defined only)
Distributed power management (up to 50 percent of VMware vSphere ESXi hosts/blades)
VMware Syslog Service
VMware Core Dump Collector
VMware vCenter Web Services
26
Management
Management
AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme
Applications
This topic describes the AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications components.
The Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications includes the AMP for VSS XAPP which
provides a single management point. The AMP for VSS XAPP provides these benefits:
Monitors and manages VSS XAPP health, performance, and capacity
Provides fault isolation for management
Eliminates resource overhead on the VSS XAPP
Provides a clear demarcation point for remote operations
Manages and monitors application management workloads such as Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
(VDI) applications
AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications

components
This topic describes the AMP for Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications hardware and
software.
Hardware components
The AMP for VSS XAPP provides a single management point and includes a number of hardware and
software components that are combined to provide a management solution for the Vblock System. Each
AMP for VSS XAPP includes the following hardware components:
Component
Description
Cisco UCS C220 Servers
The single cabinet configuration contains three servers.

The dual cabinet configuration contains four servers.
Cisco Nexus 3064-T Switches
The AMP for VSS XAPP contains two Cisco Nexus

3064-T Ethernet Switches. The Cisco Nexus 3064-T
Ethernet Switch is a 10 GBASE-T switch with 48 10
GBASE-T RJ-45 ports and 4 QSFP+ ports. This switch
supports connectivity over copper, providing excellent
physical-layer flexibility.
27
Management
Component
Description
EMC VNXe3150 or VNXe3300
The AMP for VSS XAPP for the single cabinet solution
contains an EMC VNXe3150. The dual cabinet
configuration contains an EMC VNXe 3300.
Software components
Each AMP for VSS XAPP is delivered pre-configured with the following software components:
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Standard R2 x64
VMware vSphere Server Enterprise Plus
VMware vSphere Hypervisor ESXi, VMware Single Sign-On (SSO) Service (version 5.5),
vSphere Web Client, vCenter Server, vCenter Database using Microsoft SQL 2012 (vSphere 5.5),
vCenter Update Manager, vCenter Client
EMC PowerPath/VE vApp for licensing
EMC Secure Remote Support (ESRS)
Array management modules, including but not limited to EMC XtremIO Management Server
(XMS), EMC Unisphere Client and Server, and EMC VNXe Initialization Utility
System administration utilities such as PuTTY, TFTP Server, Java, etc.
28
System infrastructure
Cabinets overview
This topic describes the VCE cabinets.
In each VCE System, the compute, storage, and network layer components are distributed within two or
more 42U cabinets. Distributing the components this way balances out the power draw and reduces the
size of the power outlet units (POUs) that are required.
Each cabinet conforms to a standard predefined layout. Space can be reserved for specific components
even if they are not present or required for the external configuration. This design makes it easier to
upgrade or expand each VCE System as capacity needs increase.
VCE System cabinets are designed to be installed next to one another within the data center (that is,
contiguously). If a customer requires the base and expansion cabinets to be physically separated,
customized cabling is needed, which incurs additional cost and can increase delivery time.
Note: The cable length is NOT the same as distance between cabinets. The cable must route through
the cabinets and through the cable channels overhead or in the floor.
Power options
This topic describes the power outlet unit (POU) options for North America and regions outside of North
America.
Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications supports several POU options, inside and outside
of North America.
North America power options
The NEMA POU is standard; other POUs add time to VSS XAPP assembly and delivery. The following
table lists the POUs available for VSS XAPP systems in North America:
POU
Power specifications
NEMA L15-30P
3-phase delta / 30A / 208 V
IEC 60309
3-phase delta / 60A / 208 V
EC 309 3P4W Splashproof 460P9S

IEC 60309
Single phase / 60A / 208 V
IEC309 2P3W Splashproof 360P6S

NEMA L6-30P
29
Power options outside of North America

The IEC 309 POU is standard; other POUs add time to VSS XAPP systems in regions outside of North
America. The following table lists the POUs available for VSS XAPP systems outside of North America.
POU
Power specifications
IEC 309 32A 3P+N+PE
3-phase wye / 32A / 230 / 400 V
IEC 309 4P5W Splashproof 532P6S

IEC 60309 3P+N+ E
3-phase wye / 16A / 230 / 400 V

IEC 60309 2P+E
The Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications Physical Planning Guide provides more
information about power requirements.
Related information
Accessing VCE documentation (see page 6)
30
Configuration descriptions
This topic provides information about the two cabinet configurations for the Vblock Specialized Systems
for Extreme Applications system.
The VSS XAPP has two configuration options: a single cabinet system and a dual cabinet system. These
configurations differ in the number of EMC XtremIO components and in their storage configuration.
System
Single-cabinet Starter EMC

XtremIO configuration
Single-cabinet
configuration
Dual-cabinet
configuration
Usable storage
6 TB
7.5 TB
15 TB
AMP for Vblock

Specialized Systems
for Extreme
Applications
3 x Cisco UCS C220 Servers
3 x Cisco UCS C220

Servers
4 x Cisco UCS C220

Servers
2 x Cisco Nexus 3064-T Switches
2 x Cisco Nexus 3064-T

Switches
2 x Cisco Nexus 3064-T

Switches
1 x EMC VNXe3150
1 x EMC VNXe3150
1 x EMC VNXe3300
1 x 42RU cabinets
1 x 42RU cabinets
2 x 42RU cabinets
3 x Cisco UCS 5108 Server

Chassis
3 x Cisco UCS 5108

Server Chassis
6 x Cisco UCS 5108

Server Chassis
2 x Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switches
2 x Cisco Nexus 5548UP

Switches
2 x Cisco Nexus 5548UP

Switches
2 x Cisco UCS 6248UP Fabric

Interconnect
2 x Cisco UCS 6248UP

Fabric Interconnect
2 x Cisco UCS 6248UP

Fabric Interconnect
24 x Cisco UCS B-Series Blade

Servers
24 x Cisco UCS B-Series

Blade Servers
48 x Cisco UCS B-Series

Blade Servers
1 x EMC XtremIO containing:
1 x EMC XtremIO
containing:
2 x EMC XtremIO
containing:
1 x EMC XtremIO
Disk Array Enclosure
25 x 400 GB Flash
Drives
2 x EMC XtremIO
Disk Array
Enclosures
2 x Battery Backup
Units
50 x 400 GB Flash
Drives
2 x Storage
Controllers
2 x Battery Backup
Units
4 x Storage
Controllers
2 x EMC XtremIO
Infiniband Switches
Compute and
network
Storage
1 x EMC XtremIO Disk Array

Enclosure
13 x 400 GB Flash Drives

2 x Battery Backup Units
2 x Storage Controllers
31
System
Single-cabinet Starter EMC

XtremIO configuration
Virtualization and
management
Vblock System
management
Single-cabinet
configuration
Dual-cabinet
configuration
VMware vCenter Server 5.5

VMware vSphere Server Enterprise Plus Version 5.5
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard Edition
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Enterprise
EMC PowerPath/VE
EMC XtremIO Management Server
EMC Unisphere for VNXe
Cisco UCS Manager
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5 on AMP for VSS XAPP
VCE Vision Intelligent Operations System Library
VCE Vision Intelligent Operations Plug-in for vCenter
VCE Vision Intelligent Operations Compliance Checker
VCE Vision Intelligent Operations API for System Library
VCE Vision Intelligent Operations API for Compliance Checker
32
Sample single cabinet configuration

This topic provides elevations for a sample Vblock Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications single
cabinet configuration.
Cabinet elevations vary based on the specific configuration requirements. These are provided for sample
purposes only. For a specific VSS XAPP design, consult your vArchitect.
VSS XAPP front and rear
Sample dual cabinet configuration

The topic provides elevations for a sample dual cabinet configuration for the Vblock Specialized Systems
for Extreme Applications.
33
Cabinet elevations vary based on the specific configuration requirements. These are provided for sample
purposes only. For a specific VSS XAPP design, consult your vArchitect.
34
VSS XAPP front and rear
35
36
VSS XAPP cabinet 1
37
VSS XAPP cabinet 2
38
VSS XAPP cabinets 1 and 2 front view
39
VSS XAPP cabinets 1 and 2 rear view
40
Additional references
Compute components
This topic provides a description of the compute components.
Product
Description
Link to documentation
Cisco UCS 6248UP 48-Port

Fabric Interconnect
Provides uniform access to

both networks and storage.
www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps11548/
Cisco UCS B-Series Blade

Server
Works with virtualized and non- http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/serversvirtualized applications to

unified-computing/ucs-b-series-blade-servers/
increase performance,
index.html
efficiency, flexibility, and
productivity.
Cisco UCS Manager
Centralized management
capabilities for the Cisco
Unified Computing System.
index.html
Cisco UCS 5108 Server

Chassis
Supports up to eight blade

servers and up to two fabric
extenders in a 6RU enclosure.
index.html
Cisco UCS C220 Rack Servers
Deliver unified computing in an www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10493/

industry-standard form factor to index.html
reduce total cost of ownership
and increase agility. Each
product addresses varying
workload challenges through a
balance of processing,
memory, I/O, and internal
storage resources.
41
Network components
This topic provides a description of the network components.
Product
Description
Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switch
A software switch on a server

that delivers Cisco VN-Link
services to virtual machines
hosted on that server.
www.cisco.com/en/us/products/ps11681
Cisco Nexus 3064-T Switch
High-performance, high-density www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps11665/

Ethernet switches that are part index.html
of the Cisco Nexus 3000 Series
Switches portfolio.
Storage components
This topic provides a description of the storage components.
Product
Description
EMC XtremIO All-Flash Array
Delivers new levels of realworld performance,

administrative ease, and
advanced data services for
applications.
www.emc.com/storage/xtremio/index.htm
EMC VNXe Series Storage

Array
Unified storage platform that

provides automated,
application-ready storage with
solution-focused software.
www.emc.com/products/series/vnxe-series.htm
42
Virtualization components
This topic provides a description of the virtualization components.
Product
Description
Provides a scalable and

extensible platform that forms
the foundation for virtualization
management.
http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/products/
vCenter/VMware-vCenter-Server-Datasheet.pdf
VMWare vSphere
Virtualized infrastructure for

Vblock Systems. Virtualizes all
application servers and
provides VMware High
Availability (HA) and Dynamic
Resource Scheduling (DRS).
www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/
VMware Single Sign-On (SSO)

Service
Provides VMware-specific
authentication services.
http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/tag/singlesign-on
43
www.vce.com
About VCE
VCE accelerates the adoption of converged infrastructure and cloud-based computing models that dramatically reduce the
cost of IT while improving time to market for enterprises and service providers globally. Through its leading Vblock
Systems, VCE delivers the industry's only true converged infrastructure, leveraging Cisco compute and network
technology, EMC storage and data protection, and VMware virtualization and virtualization management. VCE solutions
are available through an extensive partner network and cover horizontal applications, vertical industry offerings and
application development environments, enabling customers to focus on business innovation instead of integrating,
validating, and managing IT infrastructure.
For more information, go to http://www.vce.com.
2014-2015 VCE Company, LLC. All rights reserved. VCE, Vblock, VCE Vision, and the VCE logo are registered
trademarks or trademarks of VCE Company, LLC. and/or its affiliates in the United States or other countries. All other
trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.
44

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VCE Vblock Specialized Systems for

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview

Streamlined the business

Added a system architecture

Changed the VDI

Added support for the Cisco

Added support for the 5 TB

Added data compression

Added support for VMware

Added support for EMC

Added support for VCE

Added support for Data at

Removed Cisco Nexus 1000V

Updated terminology and cabinet

2014-2015 VCE Company, LLC.

All Rights Reserved.

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview

2014-2015 VCE Company, LLC.

All Rights Reserved.

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview

2014-2015 VCE Company, LLC.

All Rights Reserved.

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview

2014-2015 VCE Company, LLC.

All Rights Reserved.

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview

Accessing VCE documentation

Accessing VCE documentation

Cisco, EMC, VCE, or

2014-2015 VCE Company, LLC.

All Rights Reserved.

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview

High levels of input/output operations per second (IOPS)

Consistent <1ms response times

A high volume of random access virtual machines and applications

Vblock System management

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All Rights Reserved.

VCE Vision Intelligent Operations System Library

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview

Cisco UCS 5108 Server Chassis

Cisco Port Expander for 1240 VIC, optional

Cisco UCS 2204XP Fabric Extenders

VDI applications, such as VMware Horizon View and

Full clone or linked clone technology use

Successful projects from pilot to large-scale

A fast and simple method of performing high volume

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All Rights Reserved.

VSS XAPP Architecture Overview

Virtual server applications

Virtual server applications, such as VMware vCloud

High-performance database applications

A simple and dynamic method of creating a large

Application scenarios requiring mixed read and write

OLTP database, database test/developer environments,

Consistent and low I/O (<1ms) latency to meet

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure with EMC XtremIO

Leverage linked clones, full clones, or any combination

Superior VDI user experience

Every desktop in an EMC XtremIO deployment is

Lowest cost per virtual desktop