Implementing Cisco HyperFlex Solutions

Features

• Thoroughly covers HyperFlex Edge, HyperFlex Standard, HyperFlex stretched clusters, and Intersight integration
• Explains key concepts with extensive configuration examples, topologies, verification steps, and best-practice guidelines and recommendations
• Presents straight-from-the-trenches “do’s and don’ts” for designing complex solutions and achieving maximum efficiency
• Shows how to deploy HyperFlex technologies quickly across a wide variety of datacenter environments

Cisco HyperFlex solutions enhance data center efficiency, agility, and resiliency by tightly integrating core infrastructure (compute, storage, networking, and system management), increasing automation, and simplifying lifecycle management. This authoritative, comprehensive guide brings together knowledge, detailed configuration options, and real-world case studies for successfully deploying Cisco HyperFlex technologies in environments of all types.

Three expert authors present easy-to-understand overviews of key Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) concepts, show how HyperFlex technologies apply them, and present detailed reference examples with topologies, configurations, and verifications for each major feature. Drawing on extensive experience helping Cisco customers adopt HyperFlex, they present best practices for optimizing design, streamlining deployment, avoiding pitfalls, and maximizing value.

This guide will be indispensable to every IT and network professional, manager, or consultant involved in planning, deploying, or operating Cisco HyperFlex or evaluating any HCI solution. Reflecting current trends in HCI deployment, it will be valuable in both small-scale environments and large-scale data centers.

• Explore how and why data centers have evolved from traditional to converged and hyperconverged infrastructure
• Review the essentials of HyperFlex hyperconverged infrastructure connectivity
• Understand HyperFlex Data Platform architecture, components, topologies, and supported hardware
• Compare HyperFlex standard, stretch, and edge clusters, and understand their respective roles
• Install and deploy each type of Cisco HyperFlex cluster, including preparation, prerequisites, and components
• Manage HyperFlex via HyperFlex Connect: HX storage cluster status, components, encryption, replication, and more
• Maintain HyperFlex: clustering, virtual machine management, native snapshots, ReadyClones, and more
• Scale HyperFlex clusters, replace hardware, and upgrade software
• Configure and manage advanced HyperFlex Data Platform disaster recovery features
• Integrate supported third-party data protection solutions, including Veeam Availability Suite, Cohesity, and Commvault
• Utilize the cloud-based Cisco Intersight platform to deploy HyperFlexAnywhere, including edge and standard clusters

Online Sample Chapter

Advanced Features

Table of Contents

Preface     xix
Introduction     1
Introduction to HCI     3
Cisco's HCI Solution: HyperFlex Overview     4
Deployment Options of Cisco HyperFlex     6
Cisco HyperFlex Advantages     7
Chapter 1  Overview of Data Center Products     15
Cisco Unified Computing System     15
    UCS-B Series Products     16
    Cisco UCS Manager (UCSM)     20
    UCS-C Series Products     22
    UCS-S Series Products     23
Cisco Intersight Cloud-Based Management (SaaS Solution)     23
HyperFlex Data Platform     24
    HyperFlex Hybrid Nodes     25
    HyperFlex All Flash Nodes     26
    HyperFlex Edge for Remote and Branch Offices     27
    Cisco HyperFlex HX-Series System Management Components     28
Cisco MDS 9000 Multilayer Director SAN Switches     29
    Cisco MDS 9700 Series Multilayer Director     30
    Cisco MDS 9500 Series Multilayer Director     31
Network Switches     31
    Nexus 5000 Series Products     31
    Nexus 9000 Series Products     33
Hypervisors     36
    VMWare vSphere Hypervisor     37
    Microsoft Hyper-V     38
Summary     39
Chapter 2  HyperFlex Architecture     41
HyperFlex Architecture Components     42
    Storage Controller Virtual Machine     42
    HX Services     43
    IO Visor     44
    Log Structure File System     44
    Data Optimization     45
    HyperFlex Cleaner     45
    Cluster Resource Manager (CRM)     46
    Zookeeper     46
HyperFlex HX-Series Node Overview     47
    HX220 M5/M4 Series     47
    HX240 M5/M4 Series     49
    HXAF220c-M5N All-NVMe     51
    All Flash, Hybrid, and All-NVMe     51
    Cisco HyperFlex Compute-Only Nodes     52
Physical Installation     52
    Supported Media     54
Physical Topology     58
    HyperFlex Standard Cluster/HyperFlex Extended Cluster Topology     58
    HyperFlex Stretch Cluster Topology     63
    HyperFlex Edge Cluster Topology     64
Summary     73
Chapter 3  Installing HyperFlex     75
Installation Prerequisites     76
    Cisco HyperFlex HX-Series System Components     77
    Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects (FIs)     78
    Cisco Nexus Switches     78
    HyperFlex Software Versions     78
    Host Requirements     79
    Disk Requirements     79
    Browser Recommendations     81
    Port Requirements     81
    HyperFlex External Connections     87
    UCS/Fabric Interconnect Network Provisioning     88
    Configuration for HyperFlex 3.5     88
    Network Settings     91
    VLAN and vSwitch Requirements     91
    Cisco UCS Requirements     92
    Hypervisor Requirements     93
    Storage Cluster Requirements     94
    vCenter Configuration Requirements     95
    System Services Requirements     96
    CPU Resource Reservation for Controller VMs     96
    Memory Resource Reservation for Controller Virtual Machines     97
    Controller VM Locations     97
    Auto-Support Requirements     100
    Single Sign-On Requirements     101
Installing Cisco HyperFlex System Servers     101
    Physical Connectivity Illustrations for Direct Connect Mode Cluster Setup     101
    Installation Workflow     103
    Deploy the HX Data Platform Installer OVA by Using the vSphere Web Client     104
    Configuring and Deploying a Standard HyperFlex Cluster     107
Installing HyperFlex Edge/Robo Cluster (ESXi, 3 Node)     120
    HyperFlex Edge Deployment Options     121
    Installation Overview     121
    Configuring and Deploying a HyperFlex Edge Cluster (Gigabit Ethernet Only)     123
    Configuring and Deploying a HyperFlex Edge Cluster (10 Gigabit Ethernet Only)     128
    HyperFlex Edge Postinstallation Tasks     129
Installing a HyperFlex Stretch Cluster (ESXi)     130
    Preinstallation Checklist     130
    Deploying the Witness Node     134
    HyperFlex Stretch Cluster Network IP Addressing     136
    HyperFlex Stretch Cluster Guidelines     138
    HyperFlex Stretch Cluster Limitations     138
    HyperFlex Stretch Cluster Installation     139
    HyperFlex Stretch Cluster Postinstallation     150
Summary     150
Chapter 4  Managing HyperFlex     151
Logging in to HyperFlex Connect     151
    Local Access     151
    Role-Based Access Control     152
    Dashboard Page     154
    Settings Page     155
    Alarms Page     160
    Events Page     162
    Activity Page     163
    Performance Page     164
    System Information Page     165
    Datastores Page     169
    Virtual Machines Page     171
    Upgrade Page     172
    Web CLI Page     174
Replication     175
    Replication Pairing     176
Encryption     177
Summary     181
Chapter 5  Maintaining HyperFlex     183
HyperFlex Licensing     184
    Registering a Cluster with Smart Licensing     184
    Registering a Cluster with Smart Software Licensing Through a Controller VM     188
Virtual Machine Management     189
    HX Data Platform Native Snapshots Overview     190
    ReadyClones     199
    Datastores     205
Scaling HyperFlex Clusters     207
    Node Expansion     207
    Expanding a Stretch Cluster     213
    Removing Nodes     217
    Increasing Storage Capacity by Adding Drives     225
Hardware (Disk) Replacement     225
    Replacing SSDs     225
    Replacing or Adding HDDs     229
Upgrading HyperFlex Software     230
    Upgrading HyperFlex     230
    Pre-Upgrade Workflow     231
    Downloading UCS Infra, B-Series, C-Series, and Storfs Bundles     232
    Verifying the Pre-Upgrade UCS Server Firmware (C-Bundle) Version     234
    Pre-Upgrade Validation     235
        Hypercheck Utility     242
    Upgrading UCS Infrastructure Firmware     248
    Upgrade Procedure     252
    Post-Upgrade Check     261
Summary     261
Chapter 6  Advanced Features     263
Data Protection     263
Replication Overview     265
    Port Requirements for Replication     265
    Replication Considerations     266
    Recovery Considerations     267
Replication Networking Overview     267
    Replication Network Considerations     269
    M*N Connectivity Between Clusters     269
    Configuring a Replication Network in HX Connect     270
Replication Pair Overview     273
    Procedure for Creating Replication Pair     274
    Protecting Virtual Machines     276
    Creating Protection Groups     277
    Protecting Virtual Machines     279
Disaster Recovery Overview     281
    Compatibility Matrix for Disaster Recovery Operations     281
    Testing Virtual Machine Recovery     282
    Recovering Virtual Machines     284
    Plan Migration     285
HyperFlex Backup     286
    Veeam Availability Suite     286
    Changed Block Tracking     288
Cohesity     289
    Cohesity Protection     289
    Cohesity Recovery     290
Commvault     290
Summary     291
Chapter 7  Deploying HyperFlex Anywhere with Cisco Intersight     293
Cloud-Based Management     293
    HyperFlex Cluster Policies in Intersight     296
Cisco HyperFlex Edge Cluster Deployment     297
    Intersight Arbitrator Overview for 2-Node     298
    Physical Topology     299
    Cisco HyperFlex Edge Single-Switch Configuration     299
    Cisco HyperFlex Edge Dual-Switch Configuration     300
    Logical Topology     301
    Installing Cisco HyperFlex Edge with the Cisco Intersight Platform     304
Standard UCSM Managed HyperFlex Cluster Deployment     321
Summary     322
Index     323

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