Solution Brief
DELL EMC VXRAIL
The only HCI solution built for VMware, with VMware, to enhance VMware.
Agility is a key element to accelerating IT transformation. The agility, scalability
Transform with Dell EMC VxRail and simplicity of hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) drives IT transformation
and operational efficiencies. A recent survey by industry analyst firm ESG
• Proven to dramatically reduce OPEX, deliver up illustrates that of the vast majority of organizations that have adopted HCI,
to 52% lower cost of operations over build your 87% say that HCI has made their organization more agile.
own HCI, and reduce unplanned downtime by
88%. Dell EMC VxRail™ accelerates and simplifies IT transformation through
standardization and automation. With VxRail, you don’t just deploy a server,
you transform your infrastructure.
• Intelligent lifecycle management (LCM) delivers
rapid, automated full stack single click patching
and updating to ensure clusters are in a
continuously validated state.
• >25,000 test hours run on major new releases
ensure customers can upgrade with certainty The VxRail Advantage
and significantly improve IT productivity.
Whether you are accelerating data center modernization, deploying a hybrid
cloud or creating a developer-ready Kubernetes platform, VxRail delivers a
• Over $60M invested in VxRail labs and 100+ turnkey experience that enables users to unlock innovation, foster operational
staff dedicated to system and ecosystem testing. freedom and evolve predictably.
VxRail, powered by Dell EMC PowerEdge server platforms and VxRail HCI
System Software, features next-generation technology to future proof your
• The flagship HCI foundation for the Dell
infrastructure and enable deep integration across the VMware ecosystem. Dell
Technologies Cloud Platform, VxRail is the
EMC VxRail invests in the complete lifecycle, including advanced automation,
only jointly engineered HCI system with deep
making it easier for you from day one forward, allowing you to further simplify
VMware Cloud Foundation integration.
IT infrastructure and operations.
VxRail is the only fully integrated, preconfigured, and tested HCI system
• Supports any HCI use case, including SAP optimized for VMware vSAN and is the standard for transforming VMware
HANA, graphics-intensive VDI, big data and environments. VxRail provides a simple, cost effective hyperconverged
analytics, remote office, cloud native application solution that solves a wide range of your operational and environmental
development, high performance computing and challenges and supports almost any use case, including tier-one applications,
deployments in extreme environments. cloud native and mixed workloads.
VMware Tanzu on VxRail enables choice of the best infrastructure to fit your
• Single point of global support 24x7 for both organization’s operating model and level of Kubernetes expertise. Develop on
the hardware and software through the entire a validated PaaS or CaaS platform with Tanzu Architecture for VxRail, rapidly
lifecycle. get started with a Kubernetes deployment of vSphere with Tanzu on VxRail, or
deploy Kubernetes at scale on a turnkey, fully integrated, secure private cloud
deployment with VMware Cloud Foundation with Tanzu on VxRail.
VxRail HCI System Software
VxRail HCI System Software, a suite of integrated software elements that sits between infrastructure components such as vSAN and
VMware Cloud Foundation, delivers a seamless and automated operational experience.
VxRail offers 100% native integration between VxRail Manager and vCenter, all VxRail management is done within the familiar vCenter
Server interface. Intelligent lifecycle management (LCM) automates non-disruptive upgrades, patches, node addition or retirement while
keeping the VxRail infrastructure in a continuously validated state to ensure workloads are continuously up and running.
© 2020 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries.
The HCI System Software suite includes SaaS multi-cluster management and orchestration for centralized data collection and analytics
that uses machine learning and AI to help customers keep their HCI stack operating at peak performance and ready for future
workloads. IT teams benefit from actionable insights to optimize infrastructure performance, improve serviceability and foster
operational freedom.
VxRail on the Latest PowerEdge Servers
VxRail on the latest industry-leading PowerEdge servers offers next-generation technologies that accelerate IT transformation and
future proof your infrastructure. With multiple configuration options including choice of Intel Xeon Scalable processors or AMD EPYC
processors, VxRail offers millions of configuration options to optimize the platforms for your workload requirements. NVMe drives and
Intel Optane SSDs provide additional caching options to dramatically bolster application response time. Support for Intel Optane
Persistent Memory offers high performance and significantly increased memory capacity for select VxRail platforms. Additionally,
NVIDIA graphic cards are used for scaling high performance virtual graphics and compute.
Scalability and Networking
VxRail offers flexible deployment options including the ability to start with two-node clusters for the edge, three-node clusters at the
core, an entry level four node or standard eight node on-premise cloud with Vmware Cloud Foundation on VxRail. There's also an
option for an integrated rack deployment with networking flexibility. Mixed generations of hardware in the same cluster, non-disruptive
scaling and storage expansion provide a simple, predictable, “pay-as-you-grow” approach for future scale up and out as your
requirements evolve. Additionally, enterprise capabilities such as batch node expansion, REST APIs for cloud extensibility, and flexible
object renaming, accelerate growth and save time.
SmartFabric Services, now available on Dell EMC OS10 Enterprise Edition switches, offers autonomous fabric deployment, expansion,
and lifecycle management to reduce time-to-market by simplifying and automating network configuration in VxRail cluster deployments.
SmartFabric Services for VxRail is the first solution to deliver fully automated network awareness and configuration during set up,
cluster expansion, and during day-to-day management across multiple racks.
Direct Path to Hybrid Cloud
VxRail, the flagship HCI foundation for the Dell Technologies Cloud Platform, is the first hyperconverged system fully integrated with
VMware Cloud Foundation SDDC Manager to deliver a simple and direct path to the hybrid cloud with one, complete, automated
platform. Full stack integration means VxRail Manager and SDDC Manager have been integrated to allow for an automated and
seamless update and upgrade process orchestrated by SDDC Manager. This means the HCI infrastructure layer and VMware cloud
software stack lifecycle are managed as one, complete, automated, turnkey hybrid cloud platform, significantly reducing risk and
increasing operational efficiencies.
VCF on VxRail enables consistent management and orchestration between private and partner public clouds, allowing organizations to
run, manage, connect and secure their entire application portfolio across multiple clouds. VCF on VxRail supports remote clusters,
enabling customers to extend existing VCF operational capabilities to the edge.
Data Services, Security and Resiliency
Security is built into every level of the VxRail HCI stack, starting with each processor and PowerEdge server through the VxRail HCI
System Software including the integrated VMware software, to efficiently minimize risk and create a secure infrastructure
foundation. Enhanced security includes FIPS 140-2 validated cryptography and new automated hardening scripts and VxRail Security
Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) for customers who want to comply with DISA and STIG requirements.
Industry-leading enterprise data services, including HCI-native data-at rest encryption, in-transit encryption, replication, backup, and file
services make VxRail ready for the most demanding application or workload. All flash models can leverage compression, deduplication,
and erasure coding for further efficiency. VxRail supports 2-factor authentication (SecurID and CAC), allowing you to avoid limited
options and high cost of self-encrypting drives. vSAN encryption is built for compliance requirements and simple key management with
support for vSphere compatible KMIP compliant key managers.
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