FlexPod Datacenter with VMware vSphere 6.5, NetApp AFF A-Series and IP-Based Storage

Deployment Guide for FlexPod Datacenter with IP-Based Storage, VMware vSphere 6.5, and ONTAP 9.1

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Last Updated: June 29, 2017

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary. 8

Solution Overview.. 9

Introduction. 9

Audience. 9

Purpose of this Document 9

What’s New?. 9

Solution Design. 10

Architecture. 10

Physical Topology. 11

Deployment Hardware and Software. 13

Software Revisions. 13

Configuration Guidelines. 13

Physical Infrastructure. 14

FlexPod Cabling. 14

Network Switch Configuration. 18

Physical Connectivity. 18

FlexPod Cisco Nexus Base. 18

Set Up Initial Configuration. 18

FlexPod Cisco Nexus Switch Configuration. 20

Enable Licenses. 20

Set Global Configurations. 21

Create VLANs. 21

Add NTP Distribution Interface. 22

Add Individual Port Descriptions for Troubleshooting. 22

Create Port Channels. 23

Configure Port Channel Parameters. 24

Configure Virtual Port Channels. 25

Uplink into Existing Network Infrastructure. 27

Storage Configuration. 28

AFF A300 Controllers. 28

NetApp Hardware Universe. 28

Controllers. 28

Disk Shelves. 28

Clustered Data ONTAP 9.1. 29

Complete Configuration Worksheet 29

Configure ONTAP Nodes. 29

Log In to the Cluster 38

Zero All Spare Disks. 38

Set Onboard Unified Target Adapter 2 Port Personality. 38

Set Auto-Revert on Cluster Management 39

Set Up Management Broadcast Domain. 39

Set Up Service Processor Network Interface. 39

Create Aggregates. 40

Verify Storage Failover 41

Disable Flow Control on 10GbE and 40GbE Ports. 41

Disable Unused FCoE Capability on CNA Ports. 42

Configure Network Time Protocol 42

Configure Simple Network Management Protocol 42

Configure AutoSupport 43

Enable Cisco Discovery Protocol 43

Create Jumbo Frame MTU Broadcast Domains in Clustered Data ONTAP. 43

Create Interface Groups. 43

Create VLANs. 44

Create Storage Virtual Machine. 44

Create Load-Sharing Mirrors of SVM Root Volume. 44

Create Block Protocol (iSCSI) Service. 45

Configure HTTPS Access. 45

Configure NFSv3. 46

Create FlexVol Volumes. 46

Create Boot LUNs. 47

Schedule Deduplication. 47

Create iSCSI LIFs. 47

Create NFS LIF. 47

Add Infrastructure SVM Administrator 48

Server Configuration. 49

Cisco UCS Base Configuration. 49

Perform Initial Setup of Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects for FlexPod Environments. 49

Cisco UCS Setup. 51

Log in to Cisco UCS Manager 51

Upgrade Cisco UCS Manager Software to Version 3.1(2f) 51

Anonymous Reporting. 51

Configure Cisco UCS Call Home. 52

Add Block of IP Addresses for KVM Access. 52

Synchronize Cisco UCS to NTP. 53

Edit Chassis Discovery Policy. 54

Enable Server and Uplink Ports. 55

Acknowledge Cisco UCS Chassis and FEX. 56

Create Uplink Port Channels to Cisco Nexus Switches. 57

Create MAC Address Pools. 58

Create IQN Pools for iSCSI Boot 60

Create IP Pools for iSCSI Boot 61

Create UUID Suffix Pool 62

Create Server Pool 63

Create VLANs. 64

Modify Default Host Firmware Package. 67

Set Jumbo Frames in Cisco UCS Fabric. 68

Create Local Disk Configuration Policy (Optional) 69

Create Network Control Policy for Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) and Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) 70

Create Power Control Policy. 71

Create Server Pool Qualification Policy (Optional) 72

Create Server BIOS Policy. 73

Update the Default Maintenance Policy. 76

Create vNIC Templates. 77

Create LAN Connectivity Policy for iSCSI Boot 81

Create vMedia Policy for VMware ESXi 6.5a Install Boot 84

Create iSCSI Boot Policy. 86

Create Service Profile Templates. 88

Create vMedia-Enabled Service Profile Template. 101

Create Service Profiles. 102

Add More Servers to FlexPod Unit 102

Gather Necessary Information. 102

Storage Configuration – Boot LUNs and Igroups. 104

ONTAP Boot Storage Setup. 104

Create igroups. 104

Map Boot LUNs to igroups. 104

VMware vSphere 6.5a Setup. 105

VMware ESXi 6.5a. 105

Download Cisco Custom Image for ESXi 6.5a. 105

Log in to Cisco UCS 6300/6200 Fabric Interconnect 105

Set Up VMware ESXi Installation. 106

Install ESXi 106

Set Up Management Networking for ESXi Hosts. 107

Log in to VMware ESXi Hosts by Using VMware Host Client 109

Set Up VMkernel Ports and Virtual Switch. 109

Setup iSCSI Multipathing. 113

Mount Required Datastores. 114

Configure NTP on ESXi Hosts. 117

VMware vCenter 6.5a. 118

Building the VMware vCenter Server Appliance. 118

Setting Up VMware vCenter Server 129

ESXi Dump Collector setup for iSCSI-Booted Hosts. 135

Cisco UCS Manager Plug-in for VMware vSphere Web Client 135

Cisco UCS Manager Plug-in Installation. 136

Cisco UCS Domain Registration. 138

Using the Cisco UCS vCenter Plugin. 139

FlexPod VMware vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS) 142

Configure the VMware vDS in vCenter 143

FlexPod Management Tools Setup. 151

NetApp Virtual Storage Console 6.2.1 Deployment Procedure. 151

Virtual Storage Console 6.2.1P1 Pre-installation Considerations. 151

Install Virtual Storage Console 6.2.1P1. 151

Register Virtual Storage Console with vCenter Server 153

Install NetApp NFS VAAI Plug-in. 153

Discover and Add Storage Resources. 154

Optimal Storage Settings for ESXi Hosts. 154

Virtual Storage Console 6.2.1P1 Provisioning Datastores. 156

Virtual Storage Console 6.2.1P1 Backup and Recovery. 164

Sample Tenant Provisioning. 170

Provisioning a Sample Application Tenant 170

Appendix. 172

FlexPod Backups. 172

Cisco UCS Backup. 172

Cisco Nexus Backups. 173

VMware VCSA Backup. 174

Breakout Interface Configuration in the Cisco Nexus 9332PQ Switches. 176

About the Authors. 178

Acknowledgements. 178

 

 

Cisco Validated Designs include systems and solutions that are designed, tested, and documented to facilitate and improve customer deployments. These designs incorporate a wide range of technologies and products into a portfolio of solutions that have been developed to address the business needs of customers. Cisco and NetApp have partnered to deliver FlexPod, which serves as the foundation for a variety of workloads and enables efficient architectural designs that are based on customer requirements. A FlexPod solution is a validated approach for deploying Cisco and NetApp technologies as a shared cloud infrastructure.

This document describes the Cisco and NetApp® FlexPod Datacenter with Cisco UCS Manager unified software release 3.1(2f) and VMware vSphere 6.5a. Cisco UCS Manager (UCSM) 3.1 provides consolidated support of all current Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect models (6200, 6300, 6324 (Cisco UCS Mini)), 2200/2300 series IOM, Cisco UCS B-Series, and Cisco UCS C-Series.  FlexPod Datacenter with Cisco UCS unified software release 3.1(2f), and VMware vSphere 6.5a is a predesigned, best-practice data center architecture built on the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS), the Cisco Nexus® 9000 family of switches and NetApp AFF.

Introduction

The current industry trend in data center design is towards shared infrastructures. By using virtualization along with pre-validated IT platforms, enterprise customers have embarked on the journey to the cloud by moving away from application silos and toward shared infrastructure that can be quickly deployed, thereby increasing agility and reducing costs. Cisco and NetApp have partnered to deliver FlexPod, which uses best of breed storage, server and network components to serve as the foundation for a variety of workloads, enabling efficient architectural designs that can be quickly and confidently deployed.

Audience

The audience for this document includes, but is not limited to; sales engineers, field consultants, professional services, IT managers, partner engineers, and customers who want to take advantage of an infrastructure built to deliver IT efficiency and enable IT innovation.

Purpose of this Document

This document provides a step by step configuration and implementation guide for the FlexPod Datacenter with Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects, NetApp AFF, and Cisco Nexus 9000 solution.

What’s New?

The following design elements distinguish this version of FlexPod from previous FlexPod models:

·         Support for the Cisco UCS 3.1(2f) unified software release, Cisco UCS B200-M4 servers, and Cisco UCS C220-M4 servers

·         Support for the latest release of NetApp Data ONTAP® 9.1

·         iSCSI, Fiber Channel and NFS Storage Design

·         Validation of VMware vSphere 6.5a

Architecture

FlexPod is a defined set of hardware and software that serves as an integrated foundation for both virtualized and non-virtualized solutions. VMware vSphere® built on FlexPod includes NetApp All Flash FAS storage, Cisco Nexus® networking, the Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS®), and VMware vSphere software in a single package. The design is flexible enough that the networking, computing, and storage can fit in one data center rack or be deployed according to a customer's data center design. Port density enables the networking components to accommodate multiple configurations of this kind.

One benefit of the FlexPod architecture is the ability to customize or "flex" the environment to suit a customer's requirements. A FlexPod can easily be scaled as requirements and demand change. The unit can be scaled both up (adding resources to a FlexPod unit) and out (adding more FlexPod units). The reference architecture detailed in this document highlights the resiliency, cost benefit, and ease of deployment of an IP-based storage solution. A storage system capable of serving multiple protocols across a single interface allows for customer choice and investment protection because it truly is a wire-once architecture.

Figure 1 shows the VMware vSphere built on FlexPod components and the network connections for a configuration with the Cisco UCS 6332-16UP Fabric Interconnects. This design has end-to-end 40 Gb Ethernet connections between the Cisco UCS 5108 Blade Chassis and C-Series rackmounts and the Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect, between the Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect and Cisco Nexus 9000, and between Cisco Nexus 9000 and NetApp AFF A300. This infrastructure is deployed to provide iSCSI-booted hosts with file-level and block-level access to shared storage. The reference architecture reinforces the "wire-once" strategy, because as additional storage is added to the architecture, no re-cabling is required from the hosts to the Cisco UCS fabric interconnect.

 

Physical Topology

Figure 1       FlexPod with Cisco UCS 6332-16UP Fabric Interconnects

The reference 40Gb based hardware configuration includes:

·         Two Cisco Nexus 9332PQ switches

·         Two Cisco UCS 6332-16UP fabric interconnects

·         One NetApp AFF A300 (HA pair) running clustered Data ONTAP with Disk shelves and Solid State Drives (SSD)

Figure 2 shows the VMware vSphere built on FlexPod components and the network connections for a configuration with the Cisco UCS 6248UP Fabric Interconnects. This design is identical to the 6332-16UP based topology, but has 10 Gb Ethernet connecting through a pair of Cisco Nexus 93180YC-EX switches to access iSCSI and NFS access to the AFF A300.  Alternately, the Cisco Nexus 9332PQ switch can be used with the Cisco UCS 6248UP with a QSFP breakout cable and port configuration setting on the 9332PQ switch.

 

Figure 2       FlexPod with Cisco UCS 6248UP Fabric Interconnects

The reference hardware configuration includes:

·         Two Cisco Nexus 93180YC-EX switches

·         Two Cisco UCS 6248UP fabric interconnects

·         One NetApp AFF A300 (HA pair) running clustered Data ONTAP with Disk shelves and Solid State Drives (SSD)

For server virtualization, the deployment includes VMware vSphere 6.5a.  Although this is the base design, each of the components can be scaled easily to support specific business requirements. For example, more (or different) servers or even blade chassis can be deployed to increase compute capacity, additional storage controllers or disk shelves can be deployed to improve I/O capability and throughput, and special hardware or software features can be added to introduce new features. This document guides you through the low-level steps for deploying the base architecture, as shown in Figure 2. These procedures cover everything from physical cabling to network, compute and storage device configurations.

Software Revisions

Table 1 lists the software revisions for this solution.

Table 1    Software Revisions

Configuration Guidelines

This document provides details for configuring a fully redundant, highly available configuration for a FlexPod unit with clustered Data ONTAP storage. Therefore, reference is made to which component is being configured with each step, either 01 or 02 or A and B. For example, node01 and node02 are used to identify the two NetApp storage controllers that are provisioned with this document, and Cisco Nexus A or Cisco Nexus B identifies the pair of Cisco Nexus switches that are configured. The Cisco UCS fabric interconnects are similarly configured. Additionally, this document details the steps for provisioning multiple Cisco UCS hosts, and these examples are identified as: VM-Host-Infra-01, VM-Host-Infra-02 to represent infrastructure hosts deployed to each of the fabric interconnects in this document. Finally, to indicate that you should include information pertinent to your environment in a given step, <text> appears as part of the command structure. See the following example for the network port vlan create command:

Usage:

network port vlan create ?

 [-node] <nodename>                  Node

 { [-vlan-name] {<netport>|<ifgrp>}  VLAN Name

 |  -port {<netport>|<ifgrp>}        Associated Network Port

 [-vlan-id] <integer> }              Network Switch VLAN Identifier

Example:

network port vlan -node <node01> -vlan-name i0a-<vlan id>

This document is intended to enable you to fully configure the customer environment. In this process, various steps require you to insert customer-specific naming conventions, IP addresses, and VLAN schemes, as well as to record appropriate MAC addresses. Table 3 lists the virtual machines (VMs) necessary for deployment as outlined in this guide. Table 2 describes the VLANs necessary for deployment as outlined in this guide.

Table 2    Necessary VLANs

Table 3 lists the VMs necessary for deployment as outlined in this document.

Table 3    Virtual Machines

Physical Infrastructure

FlexPod Cabling

The information in this section is provided as a reference for cabling the physical equipment in a FlexPod environment. To simplify cabling requirements, the tables include both local and remote device and port locations.

The tables in this section contain details for the prescribed and supported configuration of the NetApp AFF A300 running NetApp ONTAP® 9.1.

This document assumes that out-of-band management ports are plugged into an existing management infrastructure at the deployment site. These interfaces will be used in various configuration steps.

The NetApp storage controller and disk shelves should be connected according to best practices for the specific storage controller and disk shelves. For disk shelf cabling, refer to the Universal SAS and ACP Cabling Guide: https://library.netapp.com/ecm/ecm_get_file/ECMM1280392.

Figure 3 details the cable connections used in the validation lab for the 40Gb end-to-end iSCSI topology based on the Cisco UCS 6332-16UP fabric interconnect.  Additional 1Gb management connections will be needed for an out-of-band network switch that sits apart from the FlexPod infrastructure.  Each Cisco UCS fabric interconnect and Cisco Nexus switch is connected to the out-of-band network switch, and each AFF controller has two connections to the out-of-band network switch.

 

Figure 3       FlexPod Cabling with Cisco UCS 6332-16UP Fabric Interconnect

Figure 4 details the cabling connections used in the alternate 10Gb end-to-end iSCSI topology based on the Cisco UCS 6248UP fabric interconnect.  As with the 40Gb topology, out-of-band connections will also be needed, with each Cisco UCS fabric interconnect and Cisco Nexus Switch will have a connection to the out-of-band network switch, and each AFF controller will have two connections to the out-of-band network switch.

 

 

Figure 4       FlexPod Cabling with Cisco UCS 6248UP Fabric Interconnect

This section provides a detailed procedure for configuring the Cisco Nexus 9000s for use in a FlexPod environment. Follow these steps precisely because failure to do so could result in an improper configuration.

Physical Connectivity

Follow the physical connectivity guidelines for FlexPod as covered in the section "FlexPod Cabling."

FlexPod Cisco Nexus Base

The following procedures describe how to configure the Cisco Nexus switches for use in a base FlexPod environment.  This procedure assumes the use of Cisco Nexus 9000 7.0(3)I4(5), and is valid for both the Cisco Nexus 9332PQ switches deployed with the 40Gb end-to-end topology, and the Cisco Nexus 93180YC-EX switches used in the 10Gb based topology.

Set Up Initial Configuration

Cisco Nexus A

To set up the initial configuration for the Cisco Nexus A switch on <nexus-A-hostname>, complete the following steps:

1.    Configure the switch.

Abort Power on Auto Provisioning and continue with normal setup? (yes/no) [n]: yes

Do you want to enforce secure password standard (yes/no) [y]: Enter

Enter the password for "admin": <password>

Confirm the password for "admin": <password>

Would you like to enter the basic configuration dialog (yes/no): yes

Create another login account (yes/no) [n]: Enter

Configure read-only SNMP community string (yes/no) [n]: Enter

Configure read-write SNMP community string (yes/no) [n]: Enter

Enter the switch name: <nexus-A-hostname>

Continue with Out-of-band (mgmt0) management configuration? (yes/no) [y]: Enter

Mgmt0 IPv4 address: <nexus-A-mgmt0-ip>

Mgmt0 IPv4 netmask: <nexus-A-mgmt0-netmask>

Configure the default gateway? (yes/no) [y]: Enter

IPv4 address of the default gateway: <nexus-A-mgmt0-gw>

Configure advanced IP options? (yes/no) [n]: Enter

Enable the telnet service? (yes/no) [n]: Enter

Enable the ssh service? (yes/no) [y]: Enter

 

Type of ssh key you would like to generate (dsa/rsa) [rsa]: Enter

Number of rsa key bits <1024-2048> [1024]: Enter

Configure the ntp server? (yes/no) [n]: y

NTP server IPv4 address: <global-ntp-server-ip>

Configure default interface layer (L3/L2) [L3]: L2

Configure default switchport interface state (shut/noshut) [shut]: Enter

Configure CoPP system profile (strict/moderate/lenient/dense/skip) [strict]: Enter

  Would you like to edit the configuration? (yes/no) [n]: Enter

2.    Review the configuration summary before enabling the configuration.

Use this configuration and save it? (yes/no) [y]: Enter

Cisco Nexus B

To set up the initial configuration for the Cisco Nexus B switch on <nexus-B-hostname>, complete the following steps:

1.    Configure the switch.

Abort Power on Auto Provisioning and continue with normal setup? (yes/no) [n]: yes

Do you want to enforce secure password standard (yes/no) [y]: Enter

Enter the password for "admin": <password>

Confirm the password for "admin": <password>

Would you like to enter the basic configuration dialog (yes/no): yes

Create another login account (yes/no) [n]: Enter

Configure read-only SNMP community string (yes/no) [n]: Enter

Configure read-write SNMP community string (yes/no) [n]: Enter

Enter the switch name: <nexus-B-hostname>

Continue with Out-of-band (mgmt0) management configuration? (yes/no) [y]: Enter

Mgmt0 IPv4 address: <nexus-B-mgmt0-ip>

Mgmt0 IPv4 netmask: <nexus-B-mgmt0-netmask>

Configure the default gateway? (yes/no) [y]: Enter

IPv4 address of the default gateway: <nexus-B-mgmt0-gw>

Configure advanced IP options? (yes/no) [n]: Enter

Enable the telnet service? (yes/no) [n]: Enter

Enable the ssh service? (yes/no) [y]: Enter

 

Type of ssh key you would like to generate (dsa/rsa) [rsa]: Enter

Number of rsa key bits <1024-2048> [1024]: Enter

Configure the ntp server? (yes/no) [n]: y

NTP server IPv4 address: <global-ntp-server-ip>

Configure default interface layer (L3/L2) [L3]: L2

Configure default switchport interface state (shut/noshut) [shut]: Enter

Configure CoPP system profile (strict/moderate/lenient/dense/skip) [strict]: Enter

Would you like to edit the configuration? (yes/no) [n]: Enter

2.    Review the configuration summary before enabling the configuration.

Use this configuration and save it? (yes/no) [y]: Enter

FlexPod Cisco Nexus Switch Configuration

Enable Licenses

Cisco Nexus A and Cisco Nexus B

To license the Cisco Nexus switches, complete the following steps:

1.    Log in as admin.

2.    Run the following commands:

config t

feature interface-vlan

feature lacp

feature vpc

feature lldp

Set Global Configurations

Cisco Nexus A and Cisco Nexus B

To set global configurations, complete the following step on both switches:

Run the following commands to set global configurations:

spanning-tree port type network default

spanning-tree port type edge bpduguard default

spanning-tree port type edge bpdufilter default

port-channel load-balance src-dst l4port

ntp server <global-ntp-server-ip> use-vrf management

ntp master 3

ip route 0.0.0.0/0 <ib-mgmt-vlan-gateway>

copy run start

Create VLANs

Cisco Nexus A and Cisco Nexus B

To create the necessary virtual local area networks (VLANs), complete the following step on both switches:

From the global configuration mode, run the following commands:

vlan <ib-mgmt-vlan-id>

name IB-MGMT-VLAN

vlan <native-vlan-id>

name Native-VLAN

vlan <vmotion-vlan-id>

name vMotion-VLAN

vlan <vm-traffic-vlan-id>

name VM-Traffic-VLAN

vlan <infra-nfs-vlan-id>

name Infra-NFS-VLAN

vlan <infra-iSCSI-A-vlan-id>

name iSCSI-A-VLAN

vlan <infra-iSCSI-B-vlan-id>

name iSCSI-B-VLAN

exit

 

Add NTP Distribution Interface

Cisco Nexus A

From the global configuration mode, run the following commands:

ntp source <switch-a-ntp-ip>

interface Vlan<ib-mgmt-vlan-id>

ip address <switch-a-ntp-ip>/<ib-mgmt-vlan-netmask-length>

no shutdown

exit

Cisco Nexus B

From the global configuration mode, run the following commands:

ntp source <switch-b-ntp-ip>

interface Vlan<ib-mgmt-vlan-id>

ip address <switch-b-ntp-ip>/<ib-mgmt-vlan-netmask-length>

no shutdown

exit

Add Individual Port Descriptions for Troubleshooting

Cisco Nexus A

To add individual port descriptions for troubleshooting activity and verification for switch A, complete the following step:

From the global configuration mode, run the following commands:

interface Eth1/3

description <st-node>-1:e2a

interface Eth1/4

description <st-node>-2:e2a

interface Eth1/25

description <ucs-clustername>-a:1/27

interface Eth1/26

description <ucs-clustername>-b:1/27

interface Eth1/27

description <nexus-hostname>-b:1/27

interface Eth1/28

description <nexus-hostname>-b:1/28

exit

Cisco Nexus B

To add individual port descriptions for troubleshooting activity and verification for switch B, complete the following step:

From the global configuration mode, run the following commands:

interface Eth1/3

description <st-node>-1:e2e

interface Eth1/4

description <st-node>-2:e2e

interface Eth1/25

description <ucs-clustername>-a:1/28

interface Eth1/26

description <ucs-clustername>-b:1/28

interface Eth1/27

description <nexus-hostname>-a:1/27

interface Eth1/28

description <nexus-hostname>-a:1/28

exit

Create Port Channels

Cisco Nexus A and Cisco Nexus B

To create the necessary port channels between devices, complete the following step on both switches:

From the global configuration mode, run the following commands:

interface Po10

description vPC peer-link

interface Eth1/27-28

channel-group 10 mode active

no shutdown

interface Po13

description <st-node>-1

interface Eth1/3

channel-group 13 mode active

no shutdown

interface Po14

description <st-node>-2

interface Eth1/4

channel-group 14 mode active

no shutdown

interface Po125

description <ucs-clustername>-a

interface Eth1/25

channel-group 125 mode active

no shutdown

interface Po126

description <ucs-clustername>-b

interface Eth1/26

channel-group 126 mode active

no shutdown

exit

 

copy run start

Configure Port Channel Parameters

Cisco Nexus A and Cisco Nexus B

To configure port channel parameters, complete the following step on both switches:

From the global configuration mode, run the following commands:

interface Po10

switchport mode trunk

switchport trunk native vlan 2

switchport trunk allowed vlan <ib-mgmt-vlan-id>, <infra-nfs-vlan-id>, <vmotion-vlan-id>, <vm-traffic-vlan-id>, <infra-iSCSI-A-vlan-id>, <infra-iSCSI-B-vlan-id>

spanning-tree port type network

interface Po13

switchport mode trunk

switchport trunk native vlan 2

switchport trunk allowed vlan <infra-nfs-vlan-id>, <infra-iSCSI-A-vlan-id>, <infra-iSCSI-B-vlan-id>

spanning-tree port type edge trunk

mtu 9216

interface Po14

switchport mode trunk

switchport trunk native vlan 2

switchport trunk allowed vlan <infra-nfs-vlan-id>, <infra-iSCSI-A-vlan-id>, <infra-iSCSI-B-vlan-id>

spanning-tree port type edge trunk

mtu 9216

interface Po125

switchport mode trunk

switchport trunk native vlan 2

switchport trunk allowed vlan <ib-mgmt-vlan-id>, <infra-nfs-vlan-id>, <vmotion-vlan-id>, <vm-traffic-vlan-id>, <infra-iSCSI-A-vlan-id>, <infra-iSCSI-B-vlan-id>

spanning-tree port type edge trunk

mtu 9216

interface Po126

switchport mode trunk

switchport trunk native vlan 2

switchport trunk allowed vlan <ib-mgmt-vlan-id>, <infra-nfs-vlan-id>, <vmotion-vlan-id>, <vm-traffic-vlan-id>, <infra-iSCSI-A-vlan-id>, <infra-iSCSI-B-vlan-id>

spanning-tree port type edge trunk

mtu 9216

exit

 

copy run start

Configure Virtual Port Channels

Cisco Nexus A

To configure virtual port channels (vPCs) for switch A, complete the following step:

From the global configuration mode, run the following commands:

vpc domain <nexus-vpc-domain-id>

role priority 10

peer-keepalive destination <nexus-B-mgmt0-ip> source <nexus-A-mgmt0-ip>

peer-switch

peer-gateway

auto-recovery

delay restore 150

interface Po10

vpc peer-link

interface Po13

vpc 13

interface Po14

vpc 14

interface Po125

vpc 125

interface Po126

vpc 126

exit

copy run start

Cisco Nexus B

To configure vPCs for switch B, complete the following step:

From the global configuration mode, run the following commands:

vpc domain <nexus-vpc-domain-id>

role priority 20

peer-keepalive destination <nexus-A-mgmt0-ip> source <nexus-B-mgmt0-ip>

peer-switch

peer-gateway

auto-recovery

delay restore 150

interface Po10

vpc peer-link

interface Po13

vpc 13

interface Po14

vpc 14

interface Po125

vpc 125

interface Po126

vpc 126

exit

copy run start

Uplink into Existing Network Infrastructure

Depending on the available network infrastructure, several methods and features can be used to uplink the FlexPod environment. If an existing Cisco Nexus environment is present, we recommend using vPCs to uplink the Cisco Nexus switches included in the FlexPod environment into the infrastructure. The previously described procedures can be used to create an uplink vPC to the existing environment. Make sure to run copy run start to save the configuration on each switch after the configuration is completed.

AFF A300 Controllers

See the following sections in the Site Requirements Guide for planning the physical location of the storage systems:

·         Site Preparation

·         System Connectivity Requirements

·         Circuit Breaker, Power Outlet Balancing, System Cabinet Power Cord Plugs, and Console Pinout Requirements

·         80xx Series Systems

NetApp Hardware Universe

The NetApp Hardware Universe (HWU) application provides supported hardware and software components for any specific ONTAP version. It provides configuration information for all the NetApp storage appliances currently supported by ONTAP software. It also provides a table of component compatibilities.

1.    Access the HWU application to view the System Configuration guides. Click the Controllers tab to view the compatibility between different version of the ONTAP software and the NetApp storage appliances with your desired specifications.

2.    Alternatively, to compare components by storage appliance, click Compare Storage Systems.

Controllers

Follow the physical installation procedures for the controllers found in the AFF A300 Series product documentation at the NetApp Support site.

Disk Shelves

NetApp storage systems support a wide variety of disk shelves and disk drives. The complete list of disk shelves that are supported by the AFF A300 is available at the NetApp Support site.

When using SAS disk shelves with NetApp storage controllers, refer to the SAS Disk Shelves Universal SAS and ACP Cabling Guide for proper cabling guidelines.

Clustered Data ONTAP 9.1

Complete Configuration Worksheet

Before running the setup script, complete the cluster setup worksheet from the ONTAP 9.1 Software Setup Guide. You must have access to the NetApp Support site to open the cluster setup worksheet.

Configure ONTAP Nodes

Before running the setup script, review the configuration worksheets in the ONTAP 9.1 Software Setup Guide to learn about configuring ONTAP. Table 4 lists the information needed to configure two ONTAP nodes. Customize the cluster detail values with the information applicable to your deployment.

Table 4    ONTAP Software Installation Prerequisites

Configure Node 01

To configure node 01, complete the following steps:

1.    Connect to the storage system console port. You should see a Loader-A prompt. However, if the storage system is in a reboot loop, press Ctrl-C to exit the autoboot loop when the following message displays:

2.    Allow the system to boot up.

3.    Press Ctrl-C when prompted.

4.    To install new software, select option 7.

5.    Enter y to perform an upgrade.

6.    Select e0M for the network port you want to use for the download.

7.    Enter y to reboot now.

8.    Enter the IP address, netmask, and default gateway for e0M.

9.    Enter the URL where the software can be found.

10.  Press Enter for the user name, indicating no user name.

11.  Enter y to set the newly installed software as the default to be used for subsequent reboots.

12.  Enter y to reboot the node.

13.  Press Ctrl-C when the following message displays:

14.  Select option 4 for Clean Configuration and Initialize All Disks.

15.  Enter y to zero disks, reset config, and install a new file system.

16.  Enter y to erase all the data on the disks.

Configure Node 02

To configure node 02, complete the following steps:

1.    Connect to the storage system console port. You should see a Loader-A prompt. However, if the storage system is in a reboot loop, press Ctrl-C to exit the autoboot loop when the following message displays:

2.    Allow the system to boot up.

3.    Press Ctrl-C when prompted.

4.    To install new software, select option 7.

5.    Enter y to perform an upgrade.

6.    Select e0M for the network port you want to use for the download.

7.    Enter y to reboot now.

8.    Enter the IP address, netmask, and default gateway for e0M.

9.    Enter the URL where the software can be found.

10.  Press Enter for the user name, indicating no user name.

11.  Enter y to set the newly installed software as the default to be used for subsequent reboots.

12.  Enter y to reboot the node.

13.  Press Ctrl-C when you see this message:

14.  Select option 4 for Clean Configuration and Initialize All Disks.

15.  Enter y to zero disks, reset config, and install a new file system.

16.  Enter y to erase all the data on the disks.

Set Up Node

From a console port program attached to the storage controller A (node 01) console port, run the node setup script. This script appears when ONTAP 9.1 boots on the node for the first time.

1.    Follow the prompts to set up node 01:

2.    To complete the cluster setup, open a web browser and navigate to https://<node01-mgmt-ip>.

Table 5    Cluster create in ONTAP prerequisites

 

3.    Click Guided Setup on the Welcome screen.

 

4.    In the Cluster screen, do as follows:

·         Enter the cluster and node names.

·         Select the cluster configuration.

·         Enter and confirm the password.

·         (Optional) Enter the cluster base and feature licenses.

 

5.    Click Submit.

6.    In the network page, complete the following sections:

·         Cluster Management

o    Enter the IP address, netmask, gateway and port details.

·         Node Management

o    Enter the node management IP addresses and port details for all the nodes.

·         Service Processor Management

o    Enter the IP addresses for all the nodes.

·         DNS Details

o    Enter the DNS domain names and server address.

·         NTP Details

o    Enter the primary and alternate NTP server.

7.    Click Submit.

8.    In the Support page, configure the AutoSupport and Event Notifications sections.

9.    Click Submit.

10.  In the Summary page, review the configuration details if needed.

Log In to the Cluster

To log in to the cluster, complete the following steps:

1.    Open an SSH connection to either the cluster IP or host name.

2.    Log in to the admin user with the password you provided earlier.

Zero All Spare Disks

To zero all spare disks in the cluster, run the following command:

Set Onboard Unified Target Adapter 2 Port Personality

To set the personality of the onboard unified target adapter 2 (UTA2), complete the following steps:

1.    Verify the Current Mode and Current Type properties of the ports by running the ucadmin show command:

2.    Verify that the Current Mode and Current Type properties for all ports are set properly. Set the ports used for iSCSI connectivity to mode cna. The port type for all protocols should be set to target. Change the port personality by running the following command:

Set Auto-Revert on Cluster Management

To set the auto-revert parameter on the cluster management interface, complete the following step:

Run the following command:

Set Up Management Broadcast Domain

By default, all network ports are included in the default broadcast domain. Network ports used for data services (for example, e0d, e2a, and e2e) should be removed from the default broadcast domain, leaving just the management network ports (e0c and e0M). To perform this task, run the following commands:

Set Up Service Processor Network Interface

To assign a static IPv4 address to the service processor on each node, run the following commands:

Create Aggregates

An aggregate containing the root volume is created during the ONTAP setup process. To create additional aggregates, determine the aggregate name, the node on which to create it, and the number of disks it should contain.

To create new aggregates, complete the following steps:

1.    Run the following commands:

 

 

 

2.    (Optional) Rename the root aggregate on node 01 to match the naming convention for this aggregate on node 02. The aggregate will be automatically renamed if System guided setup is used.

Verify Storage Failover

To confirm that storage failover is enabled, run the following commands for a failover pair:

1.    Verify the status of the storage failover.

2.    Enable failover on one of the two nodes.

3.    Verify the HA status for a two-node cluster.

4.    Continue with step 6 if high availability is configured.

5.    Only enable HA mode for two-node clusters. Do not run this command for clusters with more than two nodes because it causes problems with failover.

6.    Verify that hardware assist is correctly configured and, if needed, modify the partner IP address.

Disable Flow Control on 10GbE and 40GbE Ports

NetApp recommends disabling flow control on all the 10GbE and UTA2 ports that are connected to external devices. To disable flow control, complete the following steps:

1.    Run the following commands to configure node 01:

2.    Run the following commands to configure node 02:

Disable Unused FCoE Capability on CNA Ports

If the UTA2 port is set to CNA mode and is only expected to handle Ethernet data traffic (for example NFS), then the unused FCoE capability of the port should be disabled by setting the corresponding FCP adapter to state down with the fcp adapter modify command. Here are some examples:

Configure Network Time Protocol

To configure time synchronization on the cluster, complete the following steps:

1.    Set the time zone for the cluster.

2.    Set the date for the cluster.

3.    Configure the Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers for the cluster.

Configure Simple Network Management Protocol

To configure the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), complete the following steps:

1.    Configure basic SNMP information, such as the location and contact. When polled, this information is visible as the sysLocation and sysContact variables in SNMP.

2.    Configure SNMP traps to send to remote hosts, such as a DFM server or another fault management system.

Configure SNMPv1 Access

To configure SNMPv1 access, set the shared, secret plain-text password (called a community):

Configure AutoSupport

NetApp AutoSupport® sends support summary information to NetApp through HTTPS. To configure AutoSupport, run the following command:

Enable Cisco Discovery Protocol

To enable the Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) on the NetApp storage controllers, run the following command to enable CDP on ONTAP:

Create Jumbo Frame MTU Broadcast Domains in Clustered Data ONTAP

To create a data broadcast domain with an MTU of 9000, run the following commands to create a broadcast domain for NFS and iSCSI on ONTAP:

Create Interface Groups

To create the LACP interface groups for the 10GbE data interfaces, run the following commands:

Create VLANs

To create VLANs, create NFS VLAN ports and add them to the NFS broadcast domain:

To create VLANs, create iSCSI VLAN ports and add them to the iSCSI broadcast domain:

Create Storage Virtual Machine

To create an infrastructure SVM, complete the following steps:

1.    Run the vserver create command.

2.    Select the SVM data protocols to configure, keeping iSCSI and NFS.

3.    Add the two data aggregates to the Infra-SVM aggregate list for the NetApp VSC.

4.    Enable and run the NFS protocol in the Infra-SVM.

5.    Turn on the SVM vstorage parameter for the NetApp NFS VAAI plugin.

Create Load-Sharing Mirrors of SVM Root Volume

To create a load-sharing mirror of an SVM root volume, complete the following steps:

1.    Create a volume to be the load-sharing mirror of the infrastructure SVM root volume on each node.

2.    Create a job schedule to update the root volume mirror relationships every 15 minutes.

3.    Create the mirroring relationships.

4.    Initialize the mirroring relationship.

Create Block Protocol (iSCSI) Service

Run the following command to create the iSCSI service on each SVM. This command also starts the iSCSI service and sets the iSCSI Qualified Name (IQN) for the SVM.

Configure HTTPS Access

To configure secure access to the storage controller, complete the following steps:

1.    Increase the privilege level to access the certificate commands.

2.    Generally, a self-signed certificate is already in place. Verify the certificate and obtain parameters (for example, <serial-number>) by running the following command:

3.    For each SVM shown, the certificate common name should match the DNS FQDN of the SVM. Delete the two default certificates and replace them with either self-signed certificates or certificates from a certificate authority (CA). To delete the default certificates, run the following commands:

4.    To generate and install self-signed certificates, run the following commands as one-time commands. Generate a server certificate for the Infra-SVM and the cluster SVM. Use TAB completion to aid in the completion of these commands.

5.    To obtain the values for the parameters required in step 5 (<cert-ca> and <cert-serial>), run the security certificate show command.

6.    Enable each certificate that was just created by using the –server-enabled true and –client-enabled false parameters. Use TAB completion to aid in the completion of these commands.

7.    Disable HTTP cluster management access.

8.    Change back to the normal admin privilege level and set up the system to allow SVM logs to be available by web.

Configure NFSv3

To configure NFSv3 on the SVM, complete the following steps:

1.    Create a new rule for the infrastructure NFS subnet in the default export policy.

2.    Assign the FlexPod export policy to the infrastructure SVM root volume.

Create FlexVol Volumes

The following information is required to create a NetApp FlexVol^® volume:

·         The volume name

·         The volume size

·         The aggregate on which the volume exists

To create a FlexVol volume, run the following commands:

 

Create Boot LUNs

To create two boot LUNs, run the following commands:

Schedule Deduplication

On NetApp All Flash FAS systems, deduplication is enabled by default. To schedule deduplication, complete the following steps:

1.    After the volumes are created, assign a once-a-day deduplication schedule to esxi_boot and infra_datastore_1:

Create iSCSI LIFs

Run the following commands to create four iSCSI LIFs (two on each node):

Create NFS LIF

To create an NFS LIF, run the following commands:

Add Infrastructure SVM Administrator

To add the infrastructure SVM administrator and SVM administration LIF in the out-of-band management network, complete the following steps:

1.    Run the following commands:

2.    Create a default route to allow the SVM management interface to reach the outside world.

3.    Set a password for the SVM vsadmin user and unlock the user.

Cisco UCS Base Configuration

This FlexPod deployment will show configuration steps for the Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects (FI) in a design that will support iSCSI to the NetApp AFF through the Cisco Nexus. 

Perform Initial Setup of Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects for FlexPod Environments

This section provides detailed procedures for configuring the Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS) for use in a FlexPod environment. The steps are necessary to provision the Cisco UCS B-Series and C-Series servers and should be followed precisely to avoid improper configuration.

Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect A

To configure the Cisco UCS for use in a FlexPod environment, complete the following steps:

1.    Connect to the console port on the first Cisco UCS fabric interconnect.

Enter the configuration method: gui

Physical switch Mgmt0 IP address: <ucsa-mgmt-ip>

Physical switch Mgmt0 IPv4 netmask: <ucsa-mgmt-mask>

IPv4 address of the default gateway: <ucsa-mgmt-gateway>

2.    Using a supported web browser, connect to https://<ucsa-mgmt-ip>, accept the security prompts, and click the ‘Express Setup’ link under HTML.

3.    Select Initial Setup and click Submit.

4.    Select Enable clustering, Fabric A, and IPv4.

5.    Fill in the Virtual IP Address with the UCS cluster IP.

6.    Completely fill in the System setup section.  For system name, use the overall UCS system name. For the Mgmt IP Address, use <ucsa-mgmt-ip>.

7.    Click Submit.

Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect B

To configure the Cisco UCS for use in a FlexPod environment, complete the following steps:

1.    Connect to the console port on the second Cisco UCS fabric interconnect.

Enter the configuration method: gui

Physical switch Mgmt0 IP address: <ucsb-mgmt-ip>

Physical switch Mgmt0 IPv4 netmask: <ucsb-mgmt-mask>

IPv4 address of the default gateway: <ucsb-mgmt-gateway>

2.    Using a supported web browser, connect to https://<ucsb-mgmt-ip>, accept the security prompts, and click the ‘Express Setup’ link under HTML.

3.    Under System setup, enter the Admin Password entered above and click Submit.

4.    Enter <ucsb-mgmt-ip> for the Mgmt IP Address and click Submit.

Cisco UCS Setup

Log in to Cisco UCS Manager

To log in to the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) environment, complete the following steps:

1.    Open a web browser and navigate to the Cisco UCS fabric interconnect cluster address.

2.    Click the Launch UCS Manager link under HTML to launch Cisco UCS Manager.

3.    If prompted to accept security certificates, accept as necessary.

4.    When prompted, enter admin as the user name and enter the administrative password.

5.    Click Login to log in to Cisco UCS Manager.

Upgrade Cisco UCS Manager Software to Version 3.1(2f)

This document assumes the use of Cisco UCS 3.1(2f). To upgrade the Cisco UCS Manager software and the Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect software to version 3.1(2f), refer to Cisco UCS Manager Install and Upgrade Guides.

Anonymous Reporting

To create anonymous reporting, complete the following step:

1.    In the Anonymous Reporting window, select whether to send anonymous data to Cisco for improving future products. If you select Yes, enter the IP address of your SMTP Server.  Click OK.

Configure Cisco UCS Call Home

It is highly recommended by Cisco to configure Call Home in Cisco UCS Manager.  Configuring Call Home will accelerate resolution of support cases.  To configure Call Home, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click Admin on the left.

2.    Select All > Communication Management > Call Home.

3.    Change the State to On.

4.    Fill in all the fields according to your Management preferences and click Save Changes and OK to complete configuring Call Home.

Add Block of IP Addresses for KVM Access

To create a block of IP addresses for in band server Keyboard, Video, Mouse (KVM) access in the Cisco UCS environment, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click LAN on the left.

2.    Expand Pools > root > IP Pools.

3.    Right-click IP Pool ext-mgmt and select Create Block of IPv4 Addresses.

4.    Enter the starting IP address of the block, number of IP addresses required, and the subnet mask and gateway information.

5.    Click OK to create the block.

6.    Click OK in the confirmation message.

Synchronize Cisco UCS to NTP

To synchronize the Cisco UCS environment to the NTP servers in the Nexus switches, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click Admin on the left.

2.    Expand All > Time Zone Management.

3.    Select Timezone.

4.    In the Properties pane, select the appropriate time zone in the Timezone menu.

5.    Click Save Changes, and then click OK.

6.    Click Add NTP Server.

7.    Enter <switch-a-ntp-ip> and click OK. Click OK.

8.    Click Add NTP Server.

9.    Enter <switch-b-ntp-ip> and click OK. Click OK on the confirmation.

Edit Chassis Discovery Policy

Setting the discovery policy simplifies the addition of Cisco UCS B-Series chassis and of additional fabric extenders for further Cisco UCS C-Series connectivity. To modify the chassis discovery policy, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click Equipment on the left and select Equipment in the second list.

2.    In the right pane, click the Policies tab.

3.    Under Global Policies, set the Chassis/FEX Discovery Policy to match the minimum number of uplink ports that are cabled between the chassis or fabric extenders (FEXes) and the fabric interconnects.

4.    Set the Link Grouping Preference to Port Channel. If Backplane Speed Preference appears, leave it set at 40G.  If the environment being setup contains a large amount of multicast traffic, set the Multicast Hardware Hash setting to Enabled.

5.    Click Save Changes.

6.    Click OK.

Enable Server and Uplink Ports

To enable server and uplink ports, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click Equipment on the left.

2.    Expand Equipment > Fabric Interconnects > Fabric Interconnect A (primary) > Fixed Module.

3.    Expand Ethernet Ports.

4.    Select the ports that are connected to the chassis, Cisco FEX, and direct connect UCS C-Series servers, right-click them, and select “Configure as Server Port.”

5.    Click Yes to confirm server ports and click OK.

6.    Verify that the ports connected to the chassis, C-series servers and Cisco FEX are now configured as server ports.

7.    Select the ports that are connected to the Cisco Nexus switches, right-click them, and select Configure as Uplink Port.

8.    Click Yes to confirm uplink ports and click OK.

9.    Select Equipment > Fabric Interconnects > Fabric Interconnect B (subordinate) > Fixed Module.

10.  Expand Ethernet Ports.

11.  Select the ports that are connected to the chassis, C-series servers or to the Cisco 2232 FEX (two per FEX), right-click them, and select Configure as Server Port.

12.  Click Yes to confirm server ports and click OK.

13.  Select the ports that are connected to the Cisco Nexus switches, right-click them, and select Configure as Uplink Port.

14.  Click Yes to confirm the uplink ports and click OK.

Acknowledge Cisco UCS Chassis and FEX

To acknowledge all Cisco UCS chassis and any external 2232 FEX modules, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click Equipment on the left.

2.    Expand Chassis and select each chassis that is listed.

3.    Right-click each chassis and select Acknowledge Chassis.

4.    Click Yes and then click OK to complete acknowledging the chassis.

5.    If Nexus 2232 FEX are part of the configuration, expand Rack Mounts and FEX.

6.    Right-click each FEX that is listed and select Acknowledge FEX.

7.    Click Yes and then click OK to complete acknowledging the FEX.

Create Uplink Port Channels to Cisco Nexus Switches

To configure the necessary port channels out of the Cisco UCS environment, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click LAN on the left.

2.    Under LAN > LAN Cloud, expand the Fabric A tree.

3.    Right-click Port Channels.

4.    Select Create Port Channel.

5.    Enter 125 as the unique ID of the port channel.

6.    Enter vPC-125-Nexus as the name of the port channel.

7.    Click Next.

8.    Select the ports connected to the Nexus switches to be added to the port channel:

9.    Click >> to add the ports to the port channel.

10.  Click Finish to create the port channel.

11.  Click OK.

12.  In the navigation pane, under LAN > LAN Cloud, expand the fabric B tree.

13.  Right-click Port Channels.

14.  Select Create Port Channel.

15.  Enter 126 as the unique ID of the port channel.

16.  Enter vPC-126-Nexus as the name of the port channel.

17.  Click Next.

18.  Select the ports connected to the Nexus switches to be added to the port channel:

19.  Click >> to add the ports to the port channel.

20.  Click Finish to create the port channel.

21.  Click OK.

Create MAC Address Pools

To configure the necessary MAC address pools for the Cisco UCS environment, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click LAN on the left.

2.    Select Pools > root.

3.    Right-click MAC Pools under the root organization.

4.    Select Create MAC Pool to create the MAC address pool.

5.    Enter MAC-Pool-A as the name of the MAC pool.

6.    Optional: Enter a description for the MAC pool.

7.    Select Sequential as the option for Assignment Order.

8.    Click Next.

9.    Click Add.

10.  Specify a starting MAC address.

11.  Specify a size for the MAC address pool that is sufficient to support the available blade or server resources.

12.  Click OK.

13.  Click Finish.

14.  In the confirmation message, click OK.

15.  Right-click MAC Pools under the root organization.

16.  Select Create MAC Pool to create the MAC address pool.

17.  Enter MAC-Pool-B as the name of the MAC pool.

18.  Optional: Enter a description for the MAC pool.

19.  Select Sequential as the option for Assignment Order.

20.  Click Next.

21.  Click Add.

22.  Specify a starting MAC address.

23.  Specify a size for the MAC address pool that is sufficient to support the available blade or server resources.

24.  Click OK.

25.  Click Finish.

26.  In the confirmation message, click OK.

Create IQN Pools for iSCSI Boot

To configure the necessary IQN pools for the Cisco UCS environment, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click SAN on the left.

2.    Select Pools > root.

3.    Right click IQN Pools.

4.    Select Create IQN Suffix Pool to create the IQN pool.

5.    Enter IQN-Pool for the name of the IQN pool

6.    Optional: Enter a description for the IQN pool

7.    Enter iqn.1992-08.com.cisco as the prefix.

8.    Select Sequential for Assignment Order

9.    Click Next.

10.  Click Add.

11.  Enter ucs-host as the suffix.

12.  Enter 1 in the From field.

13.  Specify the size of the IQN block sufficient to support the available server resources.

14.  Click OK.

15.  Click Finish.

Create IP Pools for iSCSI Boot

To configure the necessary IP pools iSCSI boot for the Cisco UCS environment, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click LAN on the left.

2.    Select Pools > root.

3.    Right-click IP Pools.

4.    Select Create IP Pool.

5.    Enter iSCSI-IP-Pool-A as the name of IP pool.

6.    Optional: Enter a description for the IP pool.

7.    Select Sequential for the assignment order.

8.    Click Next.

9.    Click Add to add a block of IP address.

10.  In the From field, enter the beginning of the range to assign as iSCSI IP addresses

11.  Set the size to enough addresses to accommodate the servers

12.  Click OK.

13.  Click Next.

14.  Click Finish.

15.  Right-click IP Pools.

16.  Select Create IP Pool.

17.  Enter iSCSI-IP-Pool-B as the name of IP pool.

18.  Optional: Enter a description for the IP pool.

19.  Select Sequential for the assignment order.

20.  Click Next.

21.  Click Add to add a block of IP address.

22.  In the From field, enter the beginning of the range to assign as iSCSI IP addresses

23.  Set the size to enough addresses to accommodate the servers

24.  Click OK.

25.  Click Next.

26.  Click Finish.

Create UUID Suffix Pool

To configure the necessary universally unique identifier (UUID) suffix pool for the Cisco UCS environment, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click Servers on the left.

2.    Select Pools > root.

3.    Right-click UUID Suffix Pools.

4.    Select Create UUID Suffix Pool.

5.    Enter UUID-Pool as the name of the UUID suffix pool.

6.    Optional: Enter a description for the UUID suffix pool.

7.    Keep the prefix at the derived option.

8.    Select Sequential for the Assignment Order.

9.    Click Next.

10.  Click Add to add a block of UUIDs.

11.  Keep the From field at the default setting.

12.  Specify a size for the UUID block that is sufficient to support the available blade or server resources.

13.  Click OK.

14.  Click Finish.

15.  Click OK.

Create Server Pool

To configure the necessary server pool for the Cisco UCS environment, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click Servers on the left.

2.    Select Pools > root.

3.    Right-click Server Pools.

4.    Select Create Server Pool.

5.    Enter Infra-Pool as the name of the server pool.

6.    Optional: Enter a description for the server pool.

7.    Click Next.

8.    Select two (or more) servers to be used for the VMware management cluster and click >> to add them to the Infra-Pool server pool.

9.    Click Finish.

10.  Click OK.

Create VLANs

To configure the necessary virtual local area networks (VLANs) for the Cisco UCS environment, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click LAN on the left.

2.    Select LAN > LAN Cloud.

3.    Right-click VLANs.

4.    Select Create VLANs.

5.    Enter Native-VLAN as the name of the VLAN to be used as the native VLAN.

6.    Keep the Common/Global option selected for the scope of the VLAN.

7.    Enter the native VLAN ID.

8.    Keep the Sharing Type as None.

9.    Click OK and then click OK again.

10.  Expand the list of VLANs in the navigation pane, right-click the newly created Native-VLAN and select Set as Native VLAN.

11.  Click Yes, and then click OK.

12.  Right-click VLANs.

13.  Select Create VLANs

14.  Enter IB-MGMT as the name of the VLAN to be used for management traffic.

15.  Keep the Common/Global option selected for the scope of the VLAN.

16.  Enter the In-Band management VLAN ID.

17.  Keep the Sharing Type as None.

18.  Click OK, and then click OK again.

19.  Right-click VLANs.

20.  Select Create VLANs.

21.  Enter Infra-NFS as the name of the VLAN to be used for NFS.

22.  Keep the Common/Global option selected for the scope of the VLAN.

23.  Enter the Infrastructure NFS VLAN ID.

24.  Keep the Sharing Type as None.

25.  Click OK, and then click OK again.

26.  Right-click VLANs.

27.  Select Create VLANs.

28.  Enter vMotion as the name of the VLAN to be used for vMotion.

29.  Keep the Common/Global option selected for the scope of the VLAN.

30.  Enter the vMotion VLAN ID.

31.  Keep the Sharing Type as None.

32.  Click OK, and then click OK again.

33.  Select Create VLANs.

16.  Enter VM-Traffic as the name of the VLAN to be used for VM Traffic.

34.  Keep the Common/Global option selected for the scope of the VLAN.

35.  Enter the VM-Traffic VLAN ID.

36.  Keep the Sharing Type as None.

37.  Click OK, and then click OK again.

38.  Right-click VLANs.

39.  Select Create VLANs.

40.  Enter iSCSI-A-VLAN as the name of the VLAN to be used for iSCSI-A.

41.  Keep the Common/Global option selected for the scope of the VLAN.

42.  Enter the iSCSI-A VLAN ID.

43.  Keep the Sharing Type as None.

44.  Click OK, and then click OK again.

45.  Right-click VLANs.

46.  Select Create VLANs.

47.  Enter iSCSI-B-VLAN as the name of the VLAN to be used for iSCSI-B.

48.  Keep the Common/Global option selected for the scope of the VLAN.

49.  Enter the iSCSI-B VLAN ID.

50.  Keep the Sharing Type as None.

51.  Click OK, and then click OK again.

Modify Default Host Firmware Package

Firmware management policies allow the administrator to select the corresponding packages for a given server configuration. These policies often include packages for adapter, BIOS, board controller, FC adapters, host bus adapter (HBA) option ROM, and storage controller properties.

To create a firmware management policy for a given server configuration in the Cisco UCS environment, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click Servers on the left.

2.    Select Policies > root.

3.    Expand Host Firmware Packages.

4.    Select default.

5.    In the Actions pane, select Modify Package Versions.

6.    Select the version 3.1(2f) for both the Blade and Rack Packages.

7.    Click OK then OK again to modify the host firmware package.

Set Jumbo Frames in Cisco UCS Fabric

To configure jumbo frames and enable quality of service in the Cisco UCS fabric, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click LAN on the left.

2.    Select LAN > LAN Cloud > QoS System Class.

3.    In the right pane, click the General tab.

4.    On the Best Effort row, enter 9216 in the box under the MTU column.

5.    Click Save Changes in the bottom of the window.

6.    Click OK

Create Local Disk Configuration Policy (Optional)

A local disk configuration for the Cisco UCS environment is necessary if the servers in the environment do not have a local disk.

To create a local disk configuration policy, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click Servers on the left.

2.    Select Policies > root.

3.    Right-click Local Disk Config Policies.

4.    Select Create Local Disk Configuration Policy.

5.    Enter SAN-Boot as the local disk configuration policy name.

6.    Change the mode to No Local Storage.

7.    Click OK to create the local disk configuration policy.

8.    Click OK.

Create Network Control Policy for Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) and Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)

To create a network control policy that enables CDP and LLDP on virtual network ports, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click LAN on the left.

2.    Select Policies > root.

3.    Right-click Network Control Policies.

4.    Select Create Network Control Policy.

5.    Enter Enable-CDP-LLDP as the policy name.

6.    For CDP, select the Enabled option.

7.    For LLDP, scroll down and select Enabled for both Transmit and Receive.

8.    Click OK to create the network control policy.

 

9.    Click OK.

Create Power Control Policy

To create a power control policy for the Cisco UCS environment, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click Servers tab on the left.

2.    Select Policies > root.

3.    Right-click Power Control Policies.

4.    Select Create Power Control Policy.

5.    Enter No-Power-Cap as the power control policy name.

6.    Change the power capping setting to No Cap.

7.    Click OK to create the power control policy.

8.    Click OK.

 

Create Server Pool Qualification Policy (Optional)

To create an optional server pool qualification policy for the Cisco UCS environment, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click Servers on the left.

2.    Select Policies > root.

3.    Right-click Server Pool Policy Qualifications.

4.    Select Create Server Pool Policy Qualification.

5.    Name the policy UCS-Broadwell.

6.    Select Create CPU/Cores Qualifications.

7.    Select Xeon for the Processor/Architecture.

8.    Enter UCS-CPU-E52660E as the PID.

9.    Click OK to create the CPU/Core qualification.

10.  Click OK to create the policy then OK for the confirmation.

  

Create Server BIOS Policy

To create a server BIOS policy for the Cisco UCS environment, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click Servers on the left.

2.    Select Policies > root.

3.    Right-click BIOS Policies.

4.    Select Create BIOS Policy.

5.    Enter VM-Host as the BIOS policy name.

6.    Change the Quiet Boot setting to disabled.

7.    Change Consistent Device Naming to enabled.

8.    Click the Processor tab on the left.

9.    Set the following within the Processor tab

10.  Processor C State -> disabled

11.  Processor C1E -> disabled

12.  Processor C3 Report -> disabled

13.  Processor C7 Report -> disabled

14.  Scroll down to the remaining Processor options and select:

15.  Energy Performance -> performance

16.  Frequency Floor Override -> enabled

17.  DRAM Clock Throttling -> performance

 

18.  Click the RAS Memory option, and select:

19.  LV DDR Mode -> performance-mode

20.  Click Finish to create the BIOS policy.

21.  Click OK.

Update the Default Maintenance Policy

To update the default Maintenance Policy, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click Servers on the left.

2.    Select Policies > root.

3.    Select Maintenance Policies > default.

4.    Change the Reboot Policy to User Ack.

5.    Select “On Next Boot” to delegate maintenance windows to server administrators.

 

6.    Click Save Changes.

7.    Click OK to accept the change.

Create vNIC Templates

To create multiple virtual network interface card (vNIC) templates for the Cisco UCS environment, complete the following steps. A total of 4 vNIC Templates will be created.

Create Infrastructure vNICs

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click LAN on the left.

2.    Select Policies > root.

3.    Right-click vNIC Templates.

4.    Select Create vNIC Template.

5.    Enter Infra-A as the vNIC template name.

6.    Keep Fabric A selected.

7.    Select the Enable Failover checkbox.

8.    Select Primary Template for Redundancy Type.

9.    Leave the Peer Redundancy Template set to <not set>.

10.  Under Target, make sure that only the Adapter checkbox is selected.

11.  Select Updating Template as the Template Type.

12.  Under VLANs, select the checkboxes for IB-MGMT, Infra-NFS, vMotion  VM-Traffic, and Native-VLAN VLANs.

13.  Set Native-VLAN as the native VLAN.

14.  Select vNIC Name for the CDN Source.

15.  For MTU, enter 9000.

16.  In the MAC Pool list, select MAC-Pool-A.

17.  In the Network Control Policy list, select Enable-CDP-LLDP.

 

18.  Click OK to create the vNIC template.

19.  Click OK.

Create the secondary redundancy template Infra-B:

1.    Select LAN on the left.

2.    Select Policies > root.

3.    Right-click vNIC Templates.

4.    Select Create vNIC Template

5.    Enter Infra-B as the vNIC template name.

6.    Select Fabric B.

7.    Select the Enable Failover checkbox.

8.    Set Redundancy Type to Secondary Template.

9.    Select Infra-A for the Peer Redundancy Template.

10.  In the MAC Pool list, select MAC-Pool-B. The MAC Pool is all that needs to be selected for the Secondary Template.

11.  Click OK to create the vNIC template.

12.  Click OK.

Create iSCSI vNICs

1.    Select LAN on the left.

2.    Select Policies > root.

3.    Right-click vNIC Templates.

4.    Select Create vNIC Template.

5.    Enter iSCSI-Template-A as the vNIC template name.

6.    Select Fabric A. Do not select the Enable Failover checkbox.

7.    Leave Redundancy Type set at No Redundancy.

8.    Under Target, make sure that only the Adapter checkbox is selected.

9.    Select Updating Template for Template Type.

10.  Under VLANs, select only iSCSI-A-VLAN.

11.  Select iSCSI-A-VLAN as the native VLAN.

12.  Leave vNIC Name set for the CDN Source.

13.  Under MTU, enter 9000.

14.  From the MAC Pool list, select MAC-Pool-A.

15.  From the Network Control Policy list, select Enable-CDP-LLDP.

16.  Click OK to complete creating the vNIC template.

17.  Click OK.

18.  Select LAN on the left.

19.  Select Policies > root.

20.  Right-click vNIC Templates.

21.  Select Create vNIC Template.

22.  Enter iSCSI-Template-B as the vNIC template name.

23.  Select Fabric B. Do not select the Enable Failover checkbox.

24.  Leave Redundancy Type set at No Redundancy.

25.  Under Target, make sure that only the Adapter checkbox is selected.

26.  Select Updating Template for Template Type.

27.  Under VLANs, select only iSCSI-B-VLAN.

28.  Select iSCSI-B-VLAN as the native VLAN.

29.  Leave vNIC Name set for the CDN Source.

30.  Under MTU, enter 9000.

31.  From the MAC Pool list, select MAC-Pool-B.

32.  From the Network Control Policy list, select Enable-CDP-LLDP.

33.  Click OK to complete creating the vNIC template.

34.  Click OK.

Create LAN Connectivity Policy for iSCSI Boot

To configure the necessary Infrastructure LAN Connectivity Policy, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click LAN on the left.

2.    Select LAN > Policies > root.

3.    Right-click LAN Connectivity Policies.

4.    Select Create LAN Connectivity Policy.

5.    Enter iSCSI-Boot as the name of the policy.

6.    Click the upper Add button to add a vNIC.

7.    In the Create vNIC dialog box, enter 00-Infra-A as the name of the vNIC.

8.    Select the Use vNIC Template checkbox.

9.    In the vNIC Template list, select Infra-A.

10.  In the Adapter Policy list, select VMWare.

11.  Click OK to add this vNIC to the policy.

 

12.  Click the upper Add button to add another vNIC to the policy.

13.  In the Create vNIC box, enter 01-Infra-B as the name of the vNIC.

14.  Select the Use vNIC Template checkbox.

15.  In the vNIC Template list, select Infra-B.

16.  In the Adapter Policy list, select VMWare.

17.  Click OK to add the vNIC to the policy.

18.  Click the upper Add button to add a vNIC.

19.  In the Create vNIC dialog box, enter 02-iSCSI-A as the name of the vNIC.

20.  Select the Use vNIC Template checkbox.

21.  In the vNIC Template list, select iSCSI-Template-A.

22.  In the Adapter Policy list, select VMWare.

23.  Click OK to add this vNIC to the policy.

24.  Click the upper Add button to add a vNIC to the policy.

25.  In the Create vNIC dialog box, enter 03-iSCSI-B as the name of the vNIC.

26.  Select the Use vNIC Template checkbox.

27.  In the vNIC Template list, select iSCSI-Template-B.

28.  In the Adapter Policy list, select VMWare.

29.  Click OK to add this vNIC to the policy.

30.  Expand the Add iSCSI vNICs.

31.  Select Add in the Add iSCSI vNICs section.

32.  Set the name to iSCSI—A-vNIC.

33.  Select the 02-iSCSI-A as Overlay vNIC.

34.  Set the VLAN to iSCSI-A-VLAN (native).

35.  Set the iSCSI Adapter Policy to default

36.  Leave the MAC Address set to None.

37.  Click OK.

38.  Select Add in the Add iSCSI vNICs section.

39.  Set the name to iSCSI-B-vNIC.

40.  Select the 03-iSCSI-A as Overlay vNIC.

41.  Set the VLAN to iSCSI-B-VLAN.

42.  Set the iSCSI Adapter Policy to default.

43.  Leave the MAC Address set to None.

44.  Click OK, then click OK again to create the LAN Connectivity Policy.

Create vMedia Policy for VMware ESXi 6.5a Install Boot

In the NetApp Data ONTAP setup steps an HTTP web server is required, which will be used for hosting NetApp Data ONTAP as well as VMware software. The vMedia Policy created here will map the VMware ESXi 6.5a ISO to the Cisco UCS server in order to boot the ESXi installation.  To create this policy, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, select Servers on the left.

2.    Select Policies > root.

3.    Right-click vMedia Policies.

4.    Select Create vMedia Policy.

5.    Name the policy ESXi-6.5a-HTTP.

6.    Enter “Mounts ISO for ESXi 6.5a” in the Description field.

7.    Click Add.

8.    Name the mount ESXi-6.5a-HTTP.

9.    Select the CDD Device Type.

10.  Select the HTTP Protocol.

11.  Enter the IP Address of the web server.

12.  Enter VMware-VMvisor-Installer-201701001-4887370.x86_64.iso as the Remote File name.

13.  Enter the web server path to the ISO file in the Remote Path field.

 

14.  Click OK to create the vMedia Mount.

15.  Click OK then OK again to complete creating the vMedia Policy.

Create iSCSI Boot Policy

This procedure applies to a Cisco UCS environment in which two iSCSI logical interfaces (LIFs) are on cluster node 1 (iscsi_lif01a and iscsi_lif01b) and two iSCSI LIFs are on cluster node 2 (iscsi_lif02a and iscsi_lif02b). Also, it is assumed that the A LIFs are connected to Fabric A (Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect A) and the B LIFs are connected to Fabric B (Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect B).

To create a boot policy for the Cisco UCS environment, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click Servers on the left.

2.    Select Policies > root.

3.    Right-click Boot Policies.

4.    Select Create Boot Policy.

5.    Enter Boot-Fabric-A as the name of the boot policy.

6.    Optional: Enter a description for the boot policy.

7.    Keep the Reboot on Boot Order Change option cleared.

8.    Expand the Local Devices drop-down menu and select Add Remote CD/DVD.

9.    Expand the iSCSI vNICs drop-down menu and select Add iSCSI Boot.

10.  In the Add iSCSI Boot dialog box, enter iSCSI-A-vNIC.

11.  Click OK.

12.  Select Add iSCSI Boot.

13.  In the Add iSCSI Boot dialog box, enter iSCSI-B-vNIC.

14.  Click OK.

15.  Expand CIMC Mounted Media and select Add CIMC Mounted CD/DVD.

16.  Click OK to create the policy.

Create Service Profile Templates

In this procedure, one service profile template for Infrastructure ESXi hosts is created for Fabric A boot.

To create the service profile template, complete the following steps:

1.    In Cisco UCS Manager, click Servers on the left.

2.    Select Service Profile Templates > root.

3.    Right-click root.

4.    Select Create Service Profile Template to open the Create Service Profile Template wizard.

5.    Enter VM-Host-Infra-iSCSI-A as the name of the service profile template. This service profile template is configured to boot from storage node 1 on fabric A.

6.    Select the “Updating Template” option.

7.    Under UUID, select UUID_Pool as the UUID pool.

8.    Click Next.

Configure Storage Provisioning

1.    If you have servers with no physical disks, click on the Local Disk Configuration Policy and select the SAN-Boot Local Storage Policy. Otherwise, select the default Local Storage Policy.

2.    Click Next.

Configure Networking Options

1.    Keep the default setting for Dynamic vNIC Connection Policy.

2.    Select the “Use Connectivity Policy” option to configure the LAN connectivity.

3.    Select iSCSI-Boot from the LAN Connectivity Policy pull-down.

4.    Select IQN_Pool in Initiator Name Assignment.

  

5.    Click Next.

Configure Storage Options

1.    Select No vHBAs for the “How would you like to configure SAN connectivity?” field.

2.    Click Next.

Configure Zoning Options

1.    Click Next.

Configure vNIC/HBA Placement

1.    In the “Select Placement” list, leave the placement policy as “Let System Perform Placement”.

2.    Click Next.

Configure vMedia Policy

1.    Do not select a vMedia Policy.

2.    Click Next.

Configure Server Boot Order

1.    Select Boot-Fabric-A for Boot Policy.

2.    In the Boor order, select iSCSI-A-vNIC.

3.    Click Set iSCSI Boot Parameters button.

4.    In the Set iSCSI Boot Parameters pop-up, leave Authentication Profile to <not set> unless you have independently created one appropriate to your environment.

5.    Leave the “Initiator Name Assignment” dialog box <not set> to use the single Service Profile Initiator Name defined in the previous steps.

6.    Set iSCSI_IP_Pool_A as the “Initiator IP address Policy”.

7.    Select iSCSI Static Target Interface option.

8.    Click Add.

9.    Enter the iSCSI Target Name. To get the iSCSI target name of Infra-SVM, login into storage cluster management interface and run “iscsi show” command”.

10.  Enter the IP address of iscsi_lif_02a for the IPv4 Address field.

11.  Click OK to add the iSCSI static target.

12.  Click Add.

13.  Enter the iSCSI Target Name.

14.  Enter the IP address of iscsi_lif_01a for the IPv4 Address field.

15.  Click OK to add the iSCSI static target.

16.  In the Boot order, select iSCSI-B-vNIC.

17.  Click Set iSCSI Boot Parameters button.

18.  In the Set iSCSI Boot Parameters pop-up, leave Authentication Profile to <not set> unless you have independently created one appropriate to your environment

19.    Leave the “Initiator Name Assignment” dialog box <not set> to use the single Service Profile Initiator Name defined in the previous steps

20.  Set iSCSI_IP_Pool_B as the “Initiator IP address Policy”.

21.  Select iSCSI Static Target Interface option.

22.  Click Add.

23.  Enter the iSCSI Target Name. To get the iSCSI target name of Infra-SVM, login into storage cluster management interface and run “iscsi show” command”.

24.  Enter the IP address of iscsi_lif_02b for the IPv4 Address field.

25.  Click OK to add the iSCSI static target.

26.  Click Add.

27.  Enter the iSCSI Target Name.

28.  Enter the IP address of iscsi_lif_01b for the IPv4 Address field.

29.  Click OK to add the iSCSI static target.

30.  Click Next.

 

Configure Maintenance Policy

1.    Change the Maintenance Policy to default.

2.    Click Next.

Configure Server Assignment

To configure server assignment, complete the following steps:

1.    In the Pool Assignment list, select Infra-Pool.

2.    Select Down as the power state to be applied when the profile is associated with the server.

3.    Optional: select “UCS-Broadwell” for the Server Pool Qualification.

4.    Expand Firmware Management at the bottom of the page and select the default policy.

 

5.    Click Next.

Configure Operational Policies

To configure the operational policies, complete the following steps:

1.    In the BIOS Policy list, select VM-Host.

2.    Expand Power Control Policy Configuration and select No-Power-Cap in the Power Control Policy list.

  

3.    Click Finish to create the service profile template.

4.    Click OK in the confirmation message.

Create vMedia-Enabled Service Profile Template

To create a service profile template with vMedia enabled, complete the following steps:

1.    Connect to UCS Manager and click Servers on the left.

2.    Select Service Profile Templates > root > Service Template VM-Host-Infra-iSCSI-A.

3.    Right-click VM-Host-Infra-iSCSI-A and select Create a Clone.

4.    Name the clone VM-Host-Infra-iSCSI-A-vM.

5.    Select the newly-created VM-Host-Infra-iSCSI-A-vM and select the vMedia Policy tab on the right.

6.    Click Modify vMedia Policy.

7.    Select the ESXi-6.5a-HTTP vMedia Policy and click OK.

8.    Click OK to confirm.

Create Service Profiles

To create service profiles from the service profile template, complete the following steps:

1.    Connect to Cisco UCS Manager and click Servers on the left.

2.    Select Service Profile Templates > root > Service Template VM-Host-Infra-iSCSI-A-vM.

3.    Right-click VM-Host-Infra-iSCSI-A and select Create Service Profiles from Template.

4.    Enter VM-Host-Infra-0 as the service profile prefix.

5.    Enter 1 as “Name Suffix Starting Number.”

6.    Enter 2 as the “Number of Instances.”

7.    Click OK to create the service profiles.

 

8.    Click OK in the confirmation message.

9.    Once VMware ESXi 6.5a has been installed on the hosts, the host Service Profiles can be bound to the VM-Host-Infra-iSCSI-A Service Profile Template to remove the vMedia Mapping from the host.

Add More Servers to FlexPod Unit

Additional server pools, service profile templates, and service profiles can be created in the respective organizations to add more servers to the FlexPod unit. All other pools and policies are at the root level and can be shared among the organizations.

Gather Necessary Information

After the Cisco UCS service profiles have been created, each infrastructure server in the environment will have a unique configuration. To proceed with the FlexPod deployment, specific information must be gathered from each Cisco UCS server and from the NetApp controllers. Insert the required information into Table 6 and Table 7.

Table 6    iSCSI LIFs for iSCSI IQN

Table 7    vNIC iSCSI IQNs for fabric A and fabric B

ONTAP Boot Storage Setup

Create igroups

Create igroups by entering the following commands from the cluster management node SSH connection:

To view the three igroups just created, type igroup show.

Map Boot LUNs to igroups

From the storage cluster management SSH connection, enter the following commands:

VMware ESXi 6.5a

This section provides detailed instructions for installing VMware ESXi 6.5a in an environment. After the procedures are completed, two booted ESXi hosts will be provisioned.

Several methods exist for installing ESXi in a VMware environment. These procedures focus on how to use the built-in keyboard, video, mouse (KVM) console and virtual media features in Cisco UCS Manager to map remote installation media to individual servers and connect to their boot logical unit numbers (LUNs).

Download Cisco Custom Image for ESXi 6.5a

If the VMware ESXi custom image has not been downloaded, complete the following steps to complete the download.

1.    Click the following link: VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi) 6.5a.

2.    You will need a user id and password on vmware.com to download this software.

3.    Download the .iso file.

Log in to Cisco UCS 6300/6200 Fabric Interconnect

Cisco UCS Manager

The Cisco UCS IP KVM enables the administrator to begin the installation of the operating system (OS) through remote media. It is necessary to log in to the Cisco UCS environment to run the IP KVM.

To log in to the Cisco UCS environment, complete the following steps:

1.    Open a web browser and enter the IP address for the Cisco UCS cluster address. This step launches the Cisco UCS Manager application.

2.    Click the Launch UCS Manager link under HTML to launch the HTML 5 UCS Manager GUI.

3.    If prompted to accept security certificates, accept as necessary.

4.    When prompted, enter admin as the user name and enter the administrative password.

5.    To log in to Cisco UCS Manager, click Login.

6.    From the main menu, click Servers on the left.

7.    Select Servers > Service Profiles > root > VM-Host-Infra-01.

8.    Right-click VM-Host-Infra-01 and select KVM Console.

9.    Follow the prompts to launch the Java-based KVM console.

10.  Select Servers > Service Profiles > root > VM-Host-Infra-02.

11.  Right-click VM-Host-Infra-02. and select KVM Console.

12.  Follow the prompts to launch the Java-based KVM console.

Set Up VMware ESXi Installation

ESXi Hosts VM-Host-Infra-01 and VM-Host-Infra-02

To prepare the server for the OS installation, complete the following steps on each ESXi host:

1.    In the KVM window, click Virtual Media.

2.    Click Activate Virtual Devices.

3.    If prompted to accept an Unencrypted KVM session, accept as necessary.

4.    Click Virtual Media and select Map CD/DVD.

5.    Browse to the ESXi installer ISO image file and click Open.

6.    Click Map Device.

7.    Click the KVM tab to monitor the server boot.

Install ESXi

ESXi Hosts VM-Host-Infra-01 and VM-Host-Infra-02

To install VMware ESXi to the iSCSI-bootable LUN of the hosts, complete the following steps on each host:

1.    Boot the server by selecting Boot Server and clicking OK. Then click OK again.

2.    On reboot, the machine detects the presence of the ESXi installation media. Select the ESXi installer from the boot menu that is displayed.

3.    After the installer is finished loading, press Enter to continue with the installation.

4.    Read and accept the end-user license agreement (EULA). Press F11 to accept and continue.

5.    Select the LUN that was previously set up as the installation disk for ESXi and press Enter to continue with the installation.

6.    Select the appropriate keyboard layout and press Enter.

7.    Enter and confirm the root password and press Enter.

8.    The installer issues a warning that the selected disk will be repartitioned. Press F11 to continue with the installation.

9.    After the installation is complete, click on the Virtual Media tab and clear the P mark next to the ESXi installation media. Click Yes.

10.  After the installation is complete, press Enter to reboot the server.

11.  In Cisco UCS Manager, bind the current service profile to the non-vMedia service profile template to prevent mounting the ESXi installation iso over HTTP.

Set Up Management Networking for ESXi Hosts

Adding a management network for each VMware host is necessary for managing the host. To add a management network for the VMware hosts, complete the following steps on each ESXi host:

ESXi Host VM-Host-Infra-01 and VM-Host-Infra-02

To configure each ESXi host with access to the management network, complete the following steps:

1.    After the server has finished rebooting, press F2 to customize the system.

2.    Log in as root, enter the corresponding password, and press Enter to log in.

3.    Select Troubleshooting Options and press Enter.

4.    Select Enable ESXi Shell and press Enter.

5.    Select Enable SSH and press Enter.

6.    Press Esc to exit the Troubleshooting Options menu.

7.    Select the Configure Management Network option and press Enter.

8.    Select Network Adapters and press Enter.

9.    Verify that the numbers in the Hardware Label field match the numbers in the Device Name field.

10.  Press Enter.

11.  Select the VLAN (Optional) option and press Enter.

12.  Enter the <ib-mgmt-vlan-id> and press Enter.

13.  Select IPv4 Configuration and press Enter.

14.  Select the Set static IPv4 address and network configuration option by using the space bar.

15.  Enter the IP address for managing the first ESXi host.

16.  Enter the subnet mask for the first ESXi host.

17.  Enter the default gateway for the first ESXi host.

18.  Press Enter to accept the changes to the IP configuration.

19.  Select the DNS Configuration option and press Enter.

20.  Enter the IP address of the primary DNS server.

21.  Optional: Enter the IP address of the secondary DNS server.

22.  Enter the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for the first ESXi host.

23.  Press Enter to accept the changes to the DNS configuration.

24.  Press Esc to exit the Configure Management Network menu.

25.  Select Test Management Network to verify that the management network is set up correctly and press Enter.

26.  Press Enter to run the test, press Enter again once the test has completed, review environment if there is a failure.

27.  Re-select the Configure Management Network and press Enter.

28.  Select the IPv6 Configuration option and press Enter.

29.  Using the spacebar, select Disable IPv6 (restart required) and press Enter.

30.  Press Esc to exit the Configure Management Network submenu.

31.  Press Y to confirm the changes and reboot the ESXi host.

Log in to VMware ESXi Hosts by Using VMware Host Client

ESXi Host VM-Host-Infra-01

To log in to the VM-Host-Infra-01  ESXi host by using the VMware Host Client, complete the following steps:

1.    Open a web browser on the management workstation and navigate to the VM-Host-Infra-01 management IP address.

2.    Click Open the VMware Host Client.

3.    Enter root for the user name.

4.    Enter the root password.

5.    Click Login to connect.

6.    Repeat this process to log into VM-Host-Infra-02 in a separate browser tab or window.

Set Up VMkernel Ports and Virtual Switch

ESXi Host VM-Host-Infra-01 and VM-Host-Infra-02

To set up the VMkernel ports and the virtual switches on the ESXi hosts, complete the following steps:

1.    From the Host Client, select Networking on the left.

2.    In the center pane, select the Virtual switches tab.

3.    Select vSwitch0.

4.    Select Edit settings.

5.    Change the MTU to 9000.

6.    Click Save.

7.    Select Networking on the left.

8.    In the center pane, select the Virtual switches tab.

9.    Select iScsiBootvSwitch.

10.  Select Edit settings.

11.  Change the MTU to 9000

12.  Click Save.

13.  Select the VMkernel NICs tab.

14.  Select vmk1 iScsiBootPG.

15.  Select Edit settings.

16.  Change the MTU to 9000.

17.  Expand IPv4 settings and change the IP address to an address outside of the UCS iSCSI-IP-Pool-A.

18.  Click Save.

19.  Select the Virtual switches tab.

20.  Select the Add standard virtual switch.

21.  Provide a name of iScsciBootvSwitch-B for the vSwitch Name.

22.  Set the MTU to 9000.

23.  Select vmnic3 from the Uplink 1 pulldown options.

24.  Click Add.

25.  In the center pane, select the VMkernel NICs tab.

26.  Select Add VMkernel NIC

27.  Specify a New port group name of iScsiBootPG-B.

28.  Select iScsciBootvSwitch-B for Virtual switch.

29.  Set the MTU to 9000. Do not enter a VLAN ID.

30.  Select Static for the IPv4 settings and expand the option to provide the Address and Subnet Mask within the Configuration.

31.  Click Create.

32.   On the left, select Networking, then select the Port groups tab.

33.  In the center pane, right-click VM Network and select Remove.

34.  Click Remove to complete removing the port group.

35.  In the center pane, select Add port group.

36.  Name the port group IB-MGMT Network and enter <ib-mgmt-vlan-id> in the VLAN ID field, and make sure Virtual switch vSwitch0 is selected.

37.  Click Add to finalize the edits for the IB-MGMT Network.

38.  At the top, select the VMkernel NICs tab.

39.  Click Add VMkernel NIC.

40.  For New port group, enter VMkernel-vMotion.

41.  For Virtual switch, select vSwitch0 selected.

42.  Enter <vmotion-vlan-id> for the VLAN ID.

43.  Change the MTU to 9000.

44.  Select Static IPv4 settings and expand IPv4 settings.

45.  Enter the ESXi host vMotion IP address and netmask.

46.  Select the vMotion stack TCP/IP stack.

47.  Select vMotion under Services.

48.  Click Create.

49.  Click Add VMkernel NIC.

50.  For New port group, enter VMkernel-Infra-NFS

51.  For Virtual switch, select vSwitch0 selected.

52.  Enter <infra-nfs-vlan-id> for the VLAN ID

53.  Change the MTU to 9000.

54.  Select Static IPv4 settings and expand IPv4 settings.

55.  Enter the ESXi host Infrastructure NFS IP address and netmask.

56.  Do not select any of the Services.

57.  Click Create.

58.  Select the Virtual Switches tab, then vSwitch0. The properties for vSwitch0 VMkernel NICs should be similar to the following example:

59.  Select the VMkernel NICs tab to confirm configured virtual adapters. The adapters listed should be similar to the following example:

Setup iSCSI Multipathing

ESXi Hosts VM-Host-Infra-01 and VM-Host-Infra-02

To setup the iSCSI multipathing on the ESXi host VM-Host-Infra-01 and VM-Host-Infra-02, complete the following steps:

1.    From each Host Client, select Storage on the left.

2.    In the center pane, click Adapters.

3.    Select the iSCSI software adapter and click Configure iSCSI.

4.    Under Dynamic targets, click Add dynamic target.

5.    Enter the IP Address of iSCSI_lif01a.

6.    Repeat putting the ip address of iscsi_lif01b, iscsi_lif02a, iscsi_lif02b.

7.    Click Save configuration.

 

 

Mount Required Datastores

ESXi Hosts VM-Host-Infra-01 and VM-Host-Infra-02

To mount the required datastores, complete the following steps on each ESXi host:

1.    From the Host Client, select Storage on the left.

2.    In the center pane, select Datastores.

3.    In the center pane, select New Datastore to add a new datastore.

4.    In the New datastore popup, select Mount NFS datastore and click Next.

 

5.    Input infra_datastore_1 for the datastore name.  Input the IP address for the nfs_lif01 LIF for the NFS server.  Input /infra_datastore_1 for the NFS share.  Leave the NFS version set at NFS 3.  Click Next.

6.    Click Finish. The datastore should now appear in the datastore list.

7.    In the center pane, select New Datastore to add a new datastore.

8.    In the New datastore popup, select Mount NFS datastore and click Next.

9.    Input infra_datastore_2 for the datastore name.  Input the IP address for the nfs_lif02 LIF for the NFS server.  Input /infra_datastore_2 for the NFS share.  Leave the NFS version set at NFS 3.  Click Next.

10.  Click Finish. The datastore should now appear in the datastore list.

11.  Mount both datastores on both ESXi hosts.

Configure NTP on ESXi Hosts

ESXi Hosts VM-Host-Infra-01 and VM-Host-Infra-02

To configure Network Time Protocol (NTP) on the ESXi hosts, complete the following steps on each host:

1.    From the Host Client, select Manage on the left.

2.    In the center pane, select the Time & Date tab.

3.    Click Edit settings.

4.    Make sure Use Network Time Protocol (enable NTP client) is selected.

5.    Use the pulldown to select Start and stop with host.

6.    Enter the two Nexus switch NTP addresses in the NTP servers box separated by a comma.

7.    Click Save to save the configuration changes.

8.    Select Actions > NTP service > Start.

9.    Verify that NTP service is now running and the clock is now set to approximately the correct time.

VMware vCenter 6.5a

The procedures in the following subsections provide detailed instructions for installing the VMware vCenter 6.5a Server Appliance in an environment. After the procedures are completed, a VMware vCenter Server will be configured.

Building the VMware vCenter Server Appliance

The VCSA deployment consists of 2 stages: install and configuration. To build the VMware vCenter virtual machine, complete the following steps:

1.    Locate and copy the VMware-VCSA-all-6.5.0-4944578.iso file to the desktop of the management workstation.  This ISO is for the VMware vSphere 6.5 vCenter Server Appliance.

2.    Using ISO mounting software, mount the ISO image as a disk on the management workstation. (For example, with the Mount command in Windows Server 2012).

3.    In the mounted disk directory, navigate to the vcsa-ui-installer > win32 directory and double-click installer.exe. The vCenter Server Appliance Installer wizard appear.

4.    Click Install to start the vCenter Server Appliance deployment wizard.

5.    Click Next in the Introduction section.

6.    Read and accept the license agreement and click Next.

7.    In the “Select deployment type” section, select Embedded Platform Services Controller.

8.    In the “Appliance deployment target”, enter the ESXi host name or IP address, User name and Password.

  

9.    Click Yes to accept the certificate.

10.  Enter the Appliance name and password details in the “Set up appliance VM” section. Click Next.

   

11.  In the “Select deployment size” section, Select the deployment size and Storage size. For example, “Tiny.”

12.  Click Next.

13.  Select the infra_datastore_1. Click Next.

14.  In the “Network Settings” section, configure the following settings:

a.     Choose a Network: IB-MGMT Network

b.    IP version: IPV4

c.     IP assignment: static

d.    System name: <vcenter-fqdn>

e.    IP address: <vcenter-ip>

f.      Subnet mask or prefix length: <vcenter-subnet-mask>

g.    Default gateway: <vcenter-gateway>

h.     DNS Servers: <dns-server>

    

15.  Click Next.

16.  Review all values and click Finish to complete the installation.

17.  The vCenter appliance installation will take a few minutes to complete.

    

18.  Click Continue to proceed with stage 2 configuration.

19.  Click Next.

20.  In the Appliance Configuration, configure the below settings:

a.     Time Synchronization Mode: Synchronize time with NTP servers.

b.    NTP Servers: <ntp_server_ip>

c.     SSH access: Enabled.

21.  Click Next.

22.  Complete the SSO configuration as show below.

23.  Click Next.

24.  If needed, select Join the VMware’s Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP).

25.  Click Next.

26.  Review the configuration and click Finish.

27.  Click OK.

Setting Up VMware vCenter Server

To set up the VMware vCenter Server, complete the following steps:

1.    Using a web browser, navigate to https://<vcenter-ip>/vsphere-client

2.    Click Download Enhanced Authentication Plugin. Install the same by double clicking the downloaded file.

3.    Log in using the Single Sign-On username and password created during the vCenter installation.

4.    Click “Create Datacenter” in the center pane.

5.    Type “FlexPod-DC” in the Datacenter name field.

6.    Click OK.

  

7.    Right-click the data center FlexPod-DC in the list in the center pane. Click New Cluster.

8.    Name the cluster FlexPod-Management.

9.    Check the box to turn on DRS. Leave the default values.

10.  Check the box to turn on vSphere HA. Leave the default values.

  

11.  Click OK to create the new cluster.

12.  On the left pane, double click the “FlexPod-DC”.

13.  Click Clusters.

14.  Under the Clusters pane, right click FlexPod-Management and select Settings.

15.  Select Configuration > General in the list on the left and select Edit to the right of General.

16.  Select Datastore specified by host and click OK.

 

17.  On the left, right-click FlexPod-Management and click Add Host.

18.  In the Host field, enter either the IP address or the FQDN name of one of the VMware ESXi hosts. Click Next.

19.  Type root as the user name and the root password. Click Next to continue.

20.  Click Yes to accept the certificate.

21.  Review the host details and click Next to continue.

22.  Assign a license or leave in evaluation mode and click Next to continue.

23.  Click Next to continue.

24.  Click Next to continue.

25.  Review the configuration parameters. Click Finish to add the host.

 

26.  Repeat the steps 17 to 25 to add the remaining VMware ESXi hosts to the cluster.

Add AD User Authentication to vCenter (Optional)

If an AD Infrastructure is set up in this FlexPod environment, you can setup in AD and authenticate from vCenter. 

1.    In the AD Infrastructure, using the Active Directory Users and Computers tool, setup a Domain Administrator user with a user name such as flexadmin (FlexPod Admin).

2.    Connect to https://<vcenter-ip>, and select Log in to vSphere Web Client.

3.    Log in as Administrator@vsphere.local (or the SSO user set up in vCenter installation) with the corresponding password.

4.    Navigate to Home. In the center pane, select System Configuration under Administration.

5.    On the left, select Nodes and under Nodes select the vCenter.

6.    In the center pane, select the manage tab, and within the Settings select Active Directory and click Join.

7.    Fill in the AD domain name, the Administrator user, and the domain Administrator password.  Click OK.

8.    On the left, right-click the vCenter and select Reboot.

9.    Input a reboot reason and click OK.  The reboot will take approximately 10 minutes for full vCenter initialization. 

10.  Log back into the vCenter Web Client.

11.  In the center pane, select System Configuration under Administration.

12.  On the left, select Nodes and under Nodes select the vCenter.

13.  In the center pane under the Manage tab, select Active Directory.  Make sure your Active Directory Domain is listed.

14.  Navigate back to the vCenter Home.

15.  In the center pane under Administration, select Roles.

16.  On the left under Single Sign-On, select Configuration.

17.  In the center pane, select the Identity Sources tab.

18.  Click the green + sign to add an Identity Source.

19.  Select the Active Directory (Integrated Windows Authentication) Identity source type.

20.  Your AD domain name should be filled in.  Leave Use machine account selected and click OK.

21.  Your AD domain should now appear in the Identity Sources list.

22.  On the left, under Single Sign-On, select Users and Groups.

23.  In the center pane, select your AD domain for the Domain.

24.  Make sure the FlexPod Admin user setup in step 1 appears in the list.

25.  On the left under Administration, select Global Permissions.

26.  Select the Manage tab, and click the green + sign to add a User or Group.

27.  In the Global Permission Root - Add Permission window, click Add.

28.  In the Select Users/Groups window, select your AD Domain.

29.  Under Users and Groups, select either the FlexPod Admin user or the Domain Admins group.

30.  Click Add.  Click Check names to verify correctness of the names. Click OK to acknowledge the correctness of the names.

31.  Click OK to add the selected User or Group.

32.  Verify the added User or Group is listed under Users and Groups and the Administrator role is assigned.

33.  Click OK.

34.  Log out and log back into the vCenter Web Client as the FlexPod Admin user.  You will need to add the domain name to the user, i.e. flexadmin@domain.

ESXi Dump Collector setup for iSCSI-Booted Hosts

ESXi hosts booted with iSCSI using the VMware iSCSI software initiator need to be configured to do core dumps to the ESXi Dump Collector that is part of vCenter. The Dump Collector is not enabled by default on the vCenter Appliance. To setup the ESXi Dump Collector, complete the following steps:

1.    In the vSphere web client, select Home.

2.    In the center pane, click System Configuration.

3.    In the left pane, select Services.

4.    Under services, click VMware vSphere ESXi Dump Collector.

5.    In the center pane, click the green start icon to start the service.

6.    In the Actions menu, click Edit Startup Type.

7.    Select Automatic.

8.    Click OK.

9.    Connect to each ESXi host via ssh as root

10.  Run the following commands:

Cisco UCS Manager Plug-in for VMware vSphere Web Client

The Cisco UCS Manager Plug-in for VMware vSphere Web Client allows administration of Cisco UCS domains through the VMware’s vCenter administrative interface.  Capabilities of the plug-in include:

·         View Cisco UCS physical hierarchy

·         View inventory, installed firmware, faults, power and temperature statistics

·         Map the ESXi host to the physical server

·         Manage firmware for B and C series servers

·         View VIF paths for servers

·         Launch the Cisco UCS Manager GUI

·         Launch the KVM consoles of UCS servers

·         Switch the existing state of the locator LEDs

Installation is only valid for VMware vCenter 5.5 or higher, and will require revisions of .NET Framework 4.5 and VMware PowerCLI 5.1 or greater.

Cisco UCS Manager Plug-in Installation

To begin the plug-in installation on a Windows system that meets the previously stated requirements:

1.    Download the plugin and registration tool from: https://software.cisco.com/download/release.html?mdfid=286282669&reltype=latest&relind=AVAILABLE&dwnld=true&softwareid=286282010&catid=282558030&rellifecycle=&atcFlag=N&release=2.0.1&dwldImageGuid=5963DCD457E74C173F61512F00BB6FE78C5D8B72

2.    Place the downloaded ucs-vcplugin-2.0.1.zip file onto the web server used for hosting the ONTAP software and VMware ESXi ISO.

3.    Unzip the Cisco_UCS_Plugin_Registration_Tool_1_1_3.zip and open the executable file within it.

4.    Leave Register Plugin selected for the Action and fill in:

-         IP/Hostname

-         Username

-         Password

-         URL that plugin has been uploaded

5.    A pop-up will appear explaining that ‘allowHttp=true’ will need to be added to the webclient.properties file on the VCSA in the /etc/vmware/vsphere-client directory.

6.    Take care of this issue after the plugin has been registered, click OK to close the Information dialogue box.

7.    Click Submit to register the plugin with the vCenter Server Appliance.

8.    To resolve the change needed for the HTTP download of the vSphere Web Client launch, connect to the VCSA with ssh using the root account and type:

echo “allowHttp=true” >> /etc/vmware/vsphere-client/webclient.properties

9.    Reboot the VCSA.

Cisco UCS Domain Registration

Registration of the FlexPod UCS Domain can now be performed.  The account used will correlate to the permissions allowed to the plugin, admin will be used in our example, but a read only account could be used with the plugin if that was appropriate for the environment.

To register the Cisco UCS Domain, complete the following steps::

1.    Opening up the vSphere Web Client.

2.    Select the Home from the Navigator or pull-down options, and double click the Cisco UCS icon appearing in the Administration section.

3.    Click the Register button and provide the following options in the Register UCS Domain dialogue box that appears:

-         UCS Hostname/IP

-         Username

-         Password

-         Port (if different than 443)

-         Leave SSL selected and click on the Visible to All users option

4.    Click OK to register the UCS Domain.

Using the Cisco UCS vCenter Plugin

The plugin can now enable the functions described at the start of this section by double-clicking the registered Cisco UCS Domain:

This will pull up a view of the components associated to the domain:

Selecting within the chassis or rack mounts will provide you with a list of ESXi or non-ESXi servers to perform operations:

In addition to viewing and working within objects shown in the Cisco UCS Plugin’s view of the Cisco UCS Domain, direct access of Cisco UCS functions provided by the plugin can be selected within the pulldown options of hosts registered to vCenter:

For the installation instructions and usage information, please refer to the Cisco UCS Manager Plug-in for VMware vSphere Web Client User Guide at: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/sw/vmware_tools/vCenter/vCenter_Plugin_User_Guide/2x/b_vCenter_2x.html

FlexPod VMware vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS)

This section provides detailed procedures for installing the VMware vDS on the FlexPod ESXi Management Hosts. 

In the Cisco UCS setup section of this document two sets of vNICs (Infra-A and B, and iSCSI-A and B) were setup.  The vmnic ports associated with the Infra-A and B vNICs will be migrated to VMware vDS in this procedure.  The critical infrastructure VLAN interfaces and vMotion interfaces will be placed on the vDS.

An IB-Mgmt VLAN and a VM-Traffic VLAN port group will be added to the vDS.  Any additional VLAN-based port groups added to the vDS would need to have the corresponding VLANs added to the Cisco UCS LAN cloud, to the Cisco UCS Infra-A and B vNIC templates, and to the Cisco Nexus 9K switches and vPC and peer-link interfaces on the switches.

Configure the VMware vDS in vCenter

VMware vSphere Web Client

To configure the vDS, complete the following steps:

1.    After logging into the VMware vSphere Web Client, select Networking under the Home tab. 

2.    Right-click the FlexPod-DC datacenter and select Distributed Switch > New Distributed Switch.

3.    Give the Distributed Switch a descriptive name and click Next.

4.    Make sure Distributed switch: 6.5.0 is selected and click Next.

5.    Change the Number of uplinks to 2. If VMware Network I/O Control is to be used for Quality of Service, leave Network I/O Control Enabled.  Otherwise, Disable Network I/O Control. Enter VM-Traffic for the Port group name. Click Next.

6.    Review the information and click Finish to complete creating the vDS.

7.    On the left, expand the FlexPod-DC datacenter and the newly created vDS.  Select the newly created vDS.

8.    Select the VM-Traffic port group.  In the center pane, select the Edit distributed port group settings icon. The Edit button can be used to change the number of ports in the port group to a number larger than the default of 8.  All of the other properties of the port group can also be changed under Edit.

9.    Select the vDS on the left. Click the Edit distributed switch settings icon on the right.

10.  On the left in the Edit Settings window, select Advanced.

11.  Change the MTU to 9000.  The Discovery Protocol can optionally be changed to Link Layer Discovery Protocol and the Operation to Both.  Click OK.

12.  Three port groups will be created for infrastructure use, first being for the management vmkernel.  On the left, right-click the vDS, select Distributed Port Group, and select New Distributed Port Group… within the pull-down options of Distributed Port Group.

13.  For the first port group used for vMotion on the left, right-click the vDS, select Distributed Port Group, and select New Distributed Port Group… within the pull-down options of Distributed Port Group.

14.  Enter vMotion as the name and click Next.

15.  Set the VLAN type to VLAN, enter the VLAN used for vMotion, click the Customize default policies configuration check box, and click Next.

16.  Leave the Security options set to Reject and click Next.

17.  Leave the Ingress and Egress traffic shaping options as Disabled, and click Next.

18.  Select Uplink 1 from the list of Active uplinks, and click the down arrow icon twice to place Uplink 1 in the list of Standby uplinks.

19.  Click Next.

20.  Leave Netflow Disabled and click Next.

21.  Leave Block all ports set as No and click Next.

22.  Leave the additional settings dialogue options as they are shown and click Next.

23.  Confirm the options and click Finish to create the port group.

24.  For the second port group used for Infrastructure In-Band Management on the left, right-click the vDS, select Distributed Port Group, and select New Distributed Port Group… within the pull-down options of Distributed Port Group.

25.  Enter IB-MGMT as the name and click Next.

26.  Set the VLAN type to VLAN, enter the VLAN used for In-Band Management, click the Customize default policies configuration check box, and click Next.

27.  Leave the Security options set to Reject and click Next.

28.  Leave the Ingress and Egress traffic shaping options as Disabled, and click Next.

29.  Select Uplink 2 from the list of Active uplinks, and click the down arrow icon twice to place Uplink 2 in the list of Standby uplinks. This step is pinning In-Band Management traffic to UCS Fabric A.

30.  Click Next.

31.  Leave Netflow Disabled and click Next.

32.  Leave Block all ports set as No and click Next.

33.  Leave the additional settings dialogue options as they are shown and click Next.

34.  Confirm the options and click Finish to create the port group.

35.  Repeating this same procedure, a second time for the Infrastructure NFS vmkernel.  On the left, right-click the vDS, select Distributed Port Group, and select New Distributed Port Group… within the pull-down options of Distributed Port Group.

36.  Enter Infra-NFS as the name and click Next.

37.  Set the VLAN type to VLAN, enter the VLAN used for NFS, and click Next.

38.  Click Finish to create the port group.

39.  On the left, right-click the vDS and select Add and Manage Hosts.

40.  Make sure Add hosts is selected and click Next.

41.  Click the green + sign to add hosts.  Select the two FlexPod Management hosts and click OK. Click Next.

42.  Leave Manage physical adapters and Manage VMkernel adapters selected.  Select Migrate virtual machine networking and click Next.

43.  Select vmnic1 on the first host and click Assign uplink. Select Uplink 2 and click OK. Repeat this process to assign vmnic1(Uplink2) from both hosts to the vDS.

 

44.  Click Next.

45.  Select vmk0 on the first host and click Assign port group.

46.  Select the IB-MGMT destination port group and click OK.

47.  Select vmk3 on the first host and click Assign port group.

48.  Select the vMotion destination port group and click OK.

49.  Select vmk4 on the first host and click Assign port group.

50.  Select the Infra-NFS destination port group and click OK.

51.  Repeat this process for the second ESXi host.

52.  Confirm the 3 VMkernel adapters on each host have valid Destination Port Groups and Click Next.

53.  Click Next after confirming there is no impact detected in the Analyze impact screen.

54.  In the Migrate VM networking window, expand the vCenter VM and select Network adapter 1.

55.  Click Assign port group, select the IB-MGMT port group and click OK.

56.  Click Next.

57.  Click Finish to complete adding the two ESXi hosts to the vDS.

58.  Select Hosts and Clusters and select ESXi Host 1.

59.  Under the Configure tab, in the pane on the left, select Virtual switches.

60.  In the center pane under Virtual switches, select vSwitch0.

61.  Under Virtual switches, select the red X icon to delete vSwitch0. Click Yes to confirm.

62.  Under Virtual switches, select the vDS.

63.  Under Virtual switches, select the third icon to Manage the physical network adapters connected to the virtual switch.

64.  Click the green + icon to add an uplink.

65.  Make sure vmnic0 and Uplink 1 are selected and click OK.

66.  Click OK to complete adding the adapter to the vDS on the host.

67.  Repeat this process to add vmnic0 to the vDS on ESXi Host 2.

NetApp Virtual Storage Console 6.2.1 Deployment Procedure

This section describes the deployment procedures for the NetApp Virtual Storage Console (VSC).

Virtual Storage Console 6.2.1P1 Pre-installation Considerations

The following licenses are required for VSC on storage systems that run ONTAP 9.1:

·         Protocol licenses (NFS and iSCSI)

·         NetApp FlexClone® (for provisioning and cloning only)

·         NetApp SnapRestore® (for backup and recovery)

·         The NetApp SnapManager® Suite

Install Virtual Storage Console 6.2.1P1

To install the VSC 6.2.1P1 software, complete the following steps:

1.    Build a VSC VM with Windows Server 2012 R2, 4GB of RAM, two CPUs, and one virtual network interface in the IB-MGMT Network port group. The virtual network interface should be a VMXNET 3 adapter.

2.    Bring up the VM, install VMware Tools, assign the IP address and gateway in the IB-MGMT subnet, and join the machine to the Active Directory domain.

3.    Activate Adobe Flash Player in Windows Server 2012 R2 by installing Desktop Experience under the User Interfaces and Infrastructure Feature on the VM.

4.    Install all Windows updates on the VM.

5.    Log in to the VSC VM as the FlexPod Admin user using the VMware console.

6.    From the VMware console on the VSC VM, download the x64 version of Virtual Storage Console 6.2.1P1 from the NetApp Support site.

7.    Right-click the VSC-6.2.1P1-win64.exe file downloaded in step 6 and select Run as Administrator.

8.    Select the appropriate language and click OK.

9.    On the Installation wizard Welcome page, click Next.

10.  Select the checkbox to accept the message and click Next.

11.  Click Next to accept the default installation location.

 

12.  Click Install.

 

13.  Click Finish.

Register Virtual Storage Console with vCenter Server

To register the VSC with the vCenter Server, complete the following steps:

1.    A browser window with the registration URL opens automatically when the installation phase is complete. If the URL does not open automatically, open https://localhost:8143/Register.html in Internet Explorer.

2.    Click Continue to This Website (Not Recommended).

3.    In the Plug-in Service Information section, select the local IP address of the VSC VM.

4.    In the vCenter Server Information section, enter the host name or IP address, the user name (FlexPod admin user or root), and the user password for the vCenter Server. Click Register to complete the registration.

5.    With a successful registration, the storage controller discovery automatically begins.

Install NetApp NFS VAAI Plug-in

To install the NetApp NFS VAAI Plug-in, complete the following steps:

1.    Download the NetApp NFS Plug-in 1.1.2 for VMware .vib file from the NFS Plugin Download  on the VSC VM.

2.    Rename the downloaded file NetAppNasPlugin.vib.

3.    Move the file to the C:\Program Files\NetApp\Virtual Storage Console\etc\vsc\web folder.

Discover and Add Storage Resources

To discover storage resources for the Monitoring and Host Configuration capability and the Provisioning and Cloning capability, complete the following steps:

1.    Using the vSphere web client, log in to the vCenter Server as the FlexPod admin user. If the vSphere web client was previously opened, close it and then reopen it.

2.    In the Home screen, click the Home tab and click Virtual Storage Console.

3.    Select Storage Systems. Under the Objects tab, click Actions > Modify.

4.    In the IP Address/Hostname field, enter the storage cluster management IP. Enter admin for the user name and the admin password for password. Confirm Use TLS to Connect to This Storage System is selected. Click OK.

5.    Click OK to accept the controller privileges.

6.    Wait for the Storage Systems to update. You may need to click Refresh to complete this update.

Optimal Storage Settings for ESXi Hosts

VSC allows for the automated configuration of storage-related settings for all ESXi hosts that are connected to NetApp storage controllers. To use these settings, complete the following steps:

1.    From the Home screen, click on vCenter > Hosts and Clusters. For each ESXi host, right-click and select NetApp VSC > Set Recommended Values for these hosts.

 

2.    Check the settings that are to be applied to the selected vSphere hosts. Click OK to apply the settings.

3.    Click OK.

 

4.    From the Home screen in the vSphere Web Client, select Virtual Storage Console.

5.    On the left under Virtual Storage Console, select NFS VAAI Tools.

6.    Make sure that NFS Plug-in for VMware VAII Version 1.1.2-3 is shown.

7.    Click Install on Host.

8.    Select both ESXi hosts and click Install.

9.    For each host for which settings were adjusted in the previous step, place the host in maintenance mode, reboot the host, and exit maintenance mode.

Virtual Storage Console 6.2.1P1 Provisioning Datastores

Using VSC, the administrator can provision NFS, FC or iSCSI datastore and attach it to single host or multiple hosts in the cluster. Following steps illustrates provisioning a datastore and attach it to the cluster.

Provisioning NFS Datastore

To provision the NFS datastore, complete the following steps:

1.    From the Home screen of the vSphere Web Client, right-click the FlexPod-Management cluster and select “NetApp VSC > Provision Datastore”.

2.    Enter the datastore name and select the type as NFS.

3.    Click Next.

4.    Select the cluster name in the Storage system and desired SVM to create the datastore. In this example, Infra-SVM is selected.

5.    Click Next.

6.    Enter the size of the datastore and select the aggregate name.

7.    Click Next.

8.    Review the details and click Finish.

9.     Click Ok.

Provisioning iSCSI Datastore

To provision the iSCSI datastore, complete the following steps:

1.    From the Home screen of the vSphere Web Client, right click the FlexPod-Management cluster and select “NetApp VSC > Provision Datastore”.

2.    Enter the datastore name and select the type as VMFS. For VMFS protocol, select iSCSI.

3.    Click Next.

4.    Select the cluster name in the Storage system and desired SVM to create the datastore. In this example, Infra-SVM is selected.

5.    Click Next.

6.    Enter the size of the datastore. Select “Create new volume” check box and select the aggregate name.

7.    Click Next.

8.    Review the details and click Finish.

9.     Click Ok.

Virtual Storage Console 6.2.1P1 Backup and Recovery

Prerequisites for Use of Backup and Recovery Capability

Before you begin using the Backup and Recovery capability to schedule backups and restores of your datastores, VMs, or virtual disk files, you must confirm that the storage systems that contain the datastores and VMs for which you are creating backups have valid storage credentials.

If you plan to leverage the SnapMirror update option, add all of the destination storage systems with valid storage credentials.

Backup and Recovery Configuration

To configure a backup job for a datastore, complete the following steps

1.    From the Home screen of the vSphere Web Client, select the Home tab and click Storage.

2.    On the left, expand the datacenter.

3.    Right-click the datastore that you need to backup. Select NetApp VSC > Schedule Backup.

4.    Type a backup job name and description. Click Next.

5.    Select the options necessary for the backup.

6.    Click Next on the Options screen.

7.    Click Next on the Spanned Entities screen.

8.    Select one or more backup scripts if available, and click Next in the Scripts screen.

 

9.    Select the hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly schedule and retention policy that you want for this backup job. Click Next.

10.  Use the default vCenter credentials or enter the user name and password for the vCenter server. Click Next.

11.  Specify any needed backup notification details. Enter an e-mail address and mail server address for receiving e-mail alerts. You can add multiple e-mail addresses by using semicolons to separate them. Click Next.

12.  Review the summary page and click Finish. If you want to run the job immediately, select the Run Job Now option and then click Finish.

13.  Click OK.

14.  You can also create other backup jobs with overlapping schedules. For example, you can create weekly or monthly backups that overlay daily backups.

15.  On the storage cluster interface, automatic Snapshot copies of the volume can now be disabled because NetApp VSC is now handling scheduled backups. To do so, enter the following command:

16.  Also, to delete any existing automatic Snapshot copies that have been created on the volume, enter the following command:

Provisioning a Sample Application Tenant

This section describes a sample procedure for provisioning an application tenant. The procedure here refers back to previous sections of this document and can be used as a guide and modified as needed when provisioning an application tenant.

1.    Plan your application tenant and determine what storage protocols will be provided in the tenant.  In the architecture covered in this document, NFS, iSCSI, and CIFS/SMB can be provided to the tenant.  Also, plan what network VLANs the tenant will use.  It is recommended to have a VLAN for virtual machine management traffic.  One or two VLANs (iSCSI needs two if VMware RDM LUNs or iSCSI datastores will be provisioned) are also needed for each storage protocol used. 

2.    In the Nexus switches, declare all added VLANs and configure the VM VLAN as an allowed VLAN on the Cisco UCS port channels and the vPC peer link.  Also, Layer 3 with HSRP or VRRP can be configured in the Nexus switches to provide this VLAN access to the outside.  Layer 3 setup is not covered in this document, but is covered in the Cisco Nexus 9000 documentation. Configure the storage VLANs on the Cisco UCS and storage port channels, and on the vPC peer link. The VM VLAN can also be added to the storage port channels in order to configure the tenant SVM management interface on this VLAN.

3.    In the storage cluster:

a.     Create a broadcast domain with MTU 1500 for the tenant SVM management interface. Create a broadcast domain with MTU 9000 for each tenant storage protocol except fiber channel.

b.    Create VLAN interface ports on the node interface group on each node for tenant SVM management (VM VLAN) and for the VLAN for each storage protocol.  Add these VLAN ports to the appropriate broadcast domains.

c.     Create the tenant SVM and follow all procedures in that section.

d.    Create Load-Sharing Mirrors for the tenant SVM.

e.    Create the iSCSI service for the tenant SVM if iSCSI is being deployed in this tenant.

f.      Optionally, create a self-signed security certificate for the tenant SVM.

g.    Configure NFSv3 for the tenant SVM.

h.     Create a VM datastore volume in the tenant SVM.

i.      Create a once-a-day deduplication schedule on the VM datastore volume.

j.      If iSCSI is being deployed in this tenant, configure four iSCSI LIFs in the tenant SVM on the appropriate VLAN interface ports.

k.     Create one NFS LIF in the tenant SVM on each storage node.

l.      Create a boot LUN in the esxi_boot volume in the Infra-SVM for each tenant VMware ESXi host.

m.   Add the tenant SVM Administrator, SVM management LIF on the SVM management VLAN port, and default route for the SVM.

4.    In Cisco UCS, one method of tenant setup is to dedicate a VMware ESXi cluster and set of Cisco UCS servers to each tenant.  Service profiles will be generated for at least two tenant ESXi hosts.  These hosts can boot from LUNs from the esxi_boot volume in the Infra-SVM, but will also have access to FC storage in the tenant SVM.

a.     Create a Server Pool for the tenant ESXi host servers.

b.    Create all tenant VLANs in the LAN Cloud.

c.     Add the tenant VLANs to the Infra vNIC templates. 

d.    Generate service profiles from the service profile template with the vMedia policy for the tenant ESXi hosts.  Remember to bind these service profiles to the service profile template without the vMedia policy after VMware ESXi installation.

5.    In the storage cluster:

a.      Create igroups for the tenant ESXi hosts in both the Infra-SVM and tenant SVM.  Also, create an igroup in the tenant SVM that includes the IQNs for all tenant ESXi hosts to support shared storage from the tenant SVM.

b.    In Infra-SVM, map the boot LUNs created earlier to the tenant ESXi hosts.  Tenant iSCSI storage can be created later using either NetApp VSC or NetApp SnapDrive.

6.    Install and configure VMware ESXi on all tenant host servers.  It is not necessary to map infra_datastore_1.

7.    In VMware vCenter, create a cluster for the tenant ESXi hosts. Add the hosts to the cluster.

8.    Using the vCenter Web Client, add the tenant hosts to the VMware vDS. In the VMware vDS, add port-groups for the tenant VLANs. If iSCSI port-groups are created, pin them to the appropriate uplink for the UCS Fabric they are connected to.

9.    Back in vCenter, add in any necessary VMkernel ports for storage interfaces remembering to set the MTU correctly on these interfaces.  Mount the tenant NFS datastore on the tenant cluster if one was created.

10.  Using the NetApp VSC plugin to the vCenter Web Client, set recommended values for all tenant ESXi hosts.  Install the NetApp NFS Plug-in for VMware VAAI for all tenant hosts and reboot each host. Optionally, create a VSC backup job for the tenant NFS datastore.

11.  You can now begin provisioning virtual machines on the tenant cluster.  The NetApp VSC plugin can be used to provision both fiber channel and NFS datastores.

FlexPod Backups

Cisco UCS Backup

Automated backup of the Cisco UCS domain is important for recovery of the Cisco UCS Domain from issues ranging from catastrophic failure to human error.  There is a native backup solution within Cisco UCS that allows local or remote backup using FTP/TFTP/SCP/SFTP as options, and is detailed below.

Backups created can be a binary file containing the Full State, which can be used for a restore to the original or a replacement pair of fabric interconnects.  Alternately this XML configuration file consisting of All configurations, just System configurations, or just Logical configurations of the Cisco UCS Domain.  For scheduled backups, options will be Full State or All Configuration, backup of just the System or Logical configurations can be manually initiated.

To schedule the backup, complete the following steps within the Cisco UCS Manager GUI:

1.    Select Admin within the Navigation pane and select All.

2.    Click the Policy Backup & Export tab within All.

3.    For a Full State Backup, All Configuration Backup, or both, specify the following:

a.     Hostname : <IP or FQDN of host that will receive the backup>

b.    Protocol: [FTP/TFTP/SCP/SFTP]

c.     User: <account on host to authenticate>

d.    Password: <password for account on host>

e.    Remote File: <full path and filename prefix for backup file>

f.      Admin State: <select Enable to activate the schedule on save, Disable to disable schedule on save>

g.    Schedule: [Daily/Weekly/Bi Weekly]

4.    Click Save Changes to create the Policy.

Cisco Nexus Backups

The configuration of the Cisco Nexus 9000 switches can be backed up manually at any time with the copy command, but automated backups can be put in place with the NX-OS feature scheduler.  An example of setting up automated configuration backups of one of the FlexPod 9332PQ switches is shown below:

bb04-9332-a# conf t

Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.

bb04-9332-a(config)# feature scheduler

bb04-9332-a(config)# scheduler logfile size 1024

bb04-9332-a(config)# scheduler job name backup-cfg

bb04-9332-a(config-job)# copy running-config tftp://192.168.156.155/9332/$(SWITCHNAME)-cfg.$(TIMESTAMP) vrf management

bb04-9332-a(config-job)# exit

bb04-9332-a(config)# scheduler schedule name daily

bb04-9332-a(config-schedule)# job name backup-cfg

bb04-9332-a(config-schedule)# time daily 2:00

bb04-9332-a(config-schedule)# end

 

Show the job that has been setup:

 

bb04-9332-a# sh scheduler job

Job Name: backup-cfg

--------------------

copy running-config tftp://192.168.156.155/9332/$(SWITCHNAME)-cfg.$(TIMESTAMP) vrf management

==============================================================================

 

bb04-9332-a# show scheduler schedule

Schedule Name       : daily

---------------------------

User Name           : admin

Schedule Type       : Run every day at 2 Hrs 0 Mins

Last Execution Time : Sun Apr  9 02:00:00 2017

Last Completion Time: Sun Apr  9 02:00:01 2017

Execution count     : 3

-----------------------------------------------

     Job Name            Last Execution Status

-----------------------------------------------

backup-cfg                        Success (0)

==============================================================================

 

For detailed information about the scheduler, refer to: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/nexus9000/sw/7-x/system_management/configuration/guide/b_Cisco_Nexus_9000_Series_NX-OS_System_Management_Configuration_Guide_7x/b_Cisco_Nexus_9000_Series_NX-OS_System_Management_Configuration_Guide_7x_chapter_01010.html

VMware VCSA Backup

Basic backup of the vCenter Server Appliance is also available within the native capabilities of the VCSA, though within the default solution this is manually initiated for each backup operation.  To create a backup, complete the following steps:

1.    Connect to the VCSA Console at https://<VCSA IP>:5480

2.    Click Backup within the Summary section to open up the Backup Appliance Dialogue.

3.    Specify:

a.     the Protocol to use [HTTPS/HTTP/SCP/FTPS/FTP]

b.    location of an empty directory to be used for the backup

c.     the User name and password

4.    Click Next.

5.    De-select some parts if they should be excluded from the backup.

6.    Click Next.

7.    Review the options selected and click Finish to begin the backup.

Breakout Interface Configuration in the Cisco Nexus 9332PQ Switches

The 40Gb end to end FlexPod design in this document uses a pair of Nexus 9332PQ which is built with all ports being of the 40 Gbps Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable Plus (QSFP+) type.  If there is a need to directly support a 10Gb Small Form Pluggable Plus (SFP+), this can be configured within the switch, and connected to the 10Gb SFP+ device using a supported QSFP+ Breakout Cable.

Configuring the QSFP+ ports uses the interface breakout command as shown in this example to turn the 40G interface Ethernet 1/1 into 4x10G interfaces:

bb04-9332-a(config)# show running-config interface Ethernet1/1

 

interface Ethernet1/1

  no switchport

 

bb04-9332-a(config)# interface breakout module 1 port 5 map 10g-4x

 

bb04-9332-a(config)# show running-config interface Ethernet1/1/1-4

 

interface Ethernet1/1/1

 

interface Ethernet1/1/2

 

interface Ethernet1/1/3

 

interface Ethernet1/1/4

 

Breakout configurations that are no longer needed can be reverted with the no interface breakout command:

bb04-9332-a(config)# no interface breakout module 1 port 1 map 10g-4x

bb04-9332-a(config)#

John George, Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco UCS Data Center Solutions Engineering, Cisco Systems, Inc.

John George recently moved to Cisco from NetApp and is focused on designing, developing, validating, and supporting the FlexPod Converged Infrastructure since its inception. Before his role with FlexPod, he supported and administered a large worldwide training network and VPN infrastructure. John holds a Master's degree in Computer Engineering from Clemson University.

Karthick Radhakrishnan, Systems Architect, Converged Infrastructure Engineering, NetApp

Karthick Radhakrishnan is a Systems Architect in the NetApp Infrastructure and Cloud Engineering team. He focuses on the validating, supporting, implementing cloud infrastructure solutions that include NetApp products. Prior to his current role, he was a networking tools developer at America Online supporting AOL transit data network. Karthick worked in the IT industry for more than 14 years and he holds Master's degree in Computer Application.

Acknowledgements

For their support and contribution to the design, validation, and creation of this Cisco Validated Design, the authors would like to thank:

·         Ramesh Isaac, Cisco Systems, Inc.

·         Aaron Kirk, NetApp