D-VXR-OE-23 Dell VxRail Operate 2023 Questions and Answers

To protect the vSAN storage against unauthorized access for both data on disk and in-flight, enable vSAN data-at-rest encryption and data-in-transit encryption. Follow these steps:

Log in to vSphere Client:

Open the vSphere Client.

Enter the username: administrator@vsphere.local.

Enter the password: VMw@r3!123.

Click Login.

Navigate to vSAN Cluster Settings:

In the left-hand navigation pane, expand VxRail-DC and select VxRail-Cluster.

Click on the Configure tab.

Enable vSAN Data-at-Rest Encryption:

Under the vSAN section, select Services.

Click on Data-at-Rest Encryption.

Click Edit to configure encryption settings.

Ensure that the Enable Data-at-Rest Encryption checkbox is selected.

Choose the vSphere Native Key Provider that has already been configured.

Click Apply to enable data-at-rest encryption.

Enable vSAN Data-in-Transit Encryption:

Under the same vSAN section, select Services.

Click on Data-in-Transit Encryption.

Click Edit to configure encryption settings.

Ensure that the Enable Data-in-Transit Encryption checkbox is selected.

Click Apply to enable data-in-transit encryption.

Verify Configuration:

Return to the vSAN > Services section.

Ensure that both Data-at-Rest Encryption and Data-in-Transit Encryption are enabled and show as active.

Verify that there are no error messages indicating configuration issues.

Steps using the Simulator:

Login to vSphere Client:

Open the simulator and navigate to the vSphere Client interface.

Log in using the credentials:

Username: administrator@vsphere.local.

Password: VMw@r3!123.

Navigate to vSAN Settings:

In the vSphere Client interface, expand VxRail-DC and select VxRail-Cluster.

Click on the Configure tab on the right.

Enable Data-at-Rest Encryption:

Under vSAN, click Services.

Find Data-at-Rest Encryption and click Edit.

Check the box for Enable Data-at-Rest Encryption.

Select the vSphere Native Key Provider.

Click Apply.

Enable Data-in-Transit Encryption:

Still under vSAN > Services, find Data-in-Transit Encryption and click Edit.

Check the box for Enable Data-in-Transit Encryption.

Click Apply.

Verification:

Check the status of both encryption services under vSAN > Services to ensure they are enabled and operational.

To resolve the issue of health monitoring being disabled and enable the relevant service, follow these steps:

Log in to vSphere Client:

Open the vSphere Client.

Enter the username: administrator@vsphere.local.

Enter the password: VMw@r3!123.

Click Login.

Navigate to VxRail Manager:

In the vSphere Client interface, expand VxRail-DC and then VxRail-Cluster.

Select VxRail Manager.

Access VxRail Health Monitoring Settings:

Click on the Configure tab.

Under VxRail, select Health.

Enable Health Monitoring:

Find the option for Health Monitoring.

If it is disabled, click Edit or the relevant button to enable it.

Ensure that Enable Health Monitoring is checked.

Click Apply or OK to save the changes.

Verify Health Monitoring Status:

Go back to the Summary tab or the appropriate section in VxRail Manager.

Verify that the health monitoring status is now enabled and shows as healthy.

Steps using the Simulator:

Login to vSphere Client:

Open the simulator and navigate to the vSphere Client interface.

Log in using the credentials:

Username: administrator@vsphere.local.

Password: VMw@r3!123.

Navigate to VxRail Manager:

In the vSphere Client interface, expand VxRail-DC and then VxRail-Cluster.

Select VxRail Manager.

Enable Health Monitoring:

Click on the Configure tab.

Under VxRail, select Health.

Click Edit to modify the health settings.

Check the box for Enable Health Monitoring.

Click Apply or OK to save the changes.

Verify:

Go back to the Summary tab in VxRail Manager.

Ensure that the warning message about health monitoring being disabled is no longer present and that health monitoring is active.

To enable the system LED on vcluster730-esx03.edu.local for identification in the physical rack, follow these steps:

Log in to vSphere Client:

Open the vSphere Client.

Enter the username: administrator@vsphere.local.

Enter the password: VMw@r3!123.

Click Login.

Navigate to the Host:

In the vSphere Client interface, navigate to the Hosts and Clusters view.

Expand the VxRail-DC and then the VxRail-Cluster.

Select the host named vcluster730-esx03.edu.local.

Access Host Actions:

Right-click on vcluster730-esx03.edu.local.

From the context menu, select Actions.

Enable System LED:

In the Actions menu, locate and select Enable LED or Turn On Locator LED (the exact wording might vary).

Confirm the action if prompted.

Verify LED Activation:

Check the physical rack to ensure that the system LED on vcluster730-esx03.edu.local is enabled and the node is easily identifiable.

To create the required vSAN storage policy in the vSphere Client for a VxRail stretched cluster, follow these steps:

Log in to vSphere Client:

Open the vSphere Client.

Enter the username: administrator@vsphere.local.

Enter the password: VMw@r3!123.

Click Login.

Navigate to Storage Policies:

From the home screen, go to Policies and Profiles in the left-hand navigation pane.

Click on VM Storage Policies.

Create a New Storage Policy:

Click Create VM Storage Policy.

Enter the name as vSAN Stretched Cluster.

Click Next.

Configure Policy Rules:

In the Policy Structure section, choose Enable tag-based placement rules if needed.

Click Next.

Add vSAN Rules:

In the Storage Compatibility section, click Add rule and select vSAN.

Configure the following:

Primary level of failures to tolerate (PFTT): 1 failure - RAID 1 (Mirroring)

Secondary level of failures to tolerate (SFTT): 1 failure - RAID 1 (Mirroring)

Failures to Tolerate: 1

Provisioning type: Thick Provisioning

Ensure "Force Provisioning" is enabled. This allows the VM to be provisioned even if the current resources do not satisfy the policy.

Set Data Services:

Skip the Data Services section if not applicable.

Click Next.

Review and Finish:

Review the policy settings.

Click Finish to create the storage policy.

Apply the Storage Policy to VMs:

Navigate to the VMs section.

Select the VMs that need the new storage policy.

Right-click and select VM Policies > Edit VM Storage Policies.

Choose the vSAN Stretched Cluster policy for the applicable disks.

To unlock the mystic account on the VxRail Manager VM, the command used is pam_tally2 --user=mystic --reset. This command resets the failed login attempts counter for the specified user, unlocking the account if it was locked due to too many failed login attempts.

Steps to unlock:

Access the VxRail Manager VM through SSH.

Execute the command pam_tally2 --user=mystic --reset.

Verify that the account is unlocked and can log in successfully.

In the vSphere Client, VxRail Health Monitoring is enabled under Cluster > Configure > VxRail. This section provides an interface for configuring and monitoring VxRail-specific health and performance metrics, ensuring that administrators can effectively manage and monitor their VxRail clusters.

Steps:

Open the vSphere Client.

Navigate to the specific cluster.

Go to the Configure tab.

Select VxRail from the list.

In a VxRail Stretched Cluster, RAID 1 can be configured across sites to provide data protection. RAID 1 (mirroring) ensures that data is replicated across two sites, providing high availability and data redundancy in case one site fails. This configuration helps maintain continuous operations and data integrity in a multi-site deployment.

When adding VxRail nodes based on a different chipset (e.g., AMD vs. Intel) to an existing cluster, it is necessary to enable VMware Enhanced vMotion Compatibility (EVC) mode. EVC ensures CPU compatibility for vMotion by masking certain CPU features, making it possible to add nodes with different processors to the same cluster without causing compatibility issues.

Steps:

Enable VMware EVC mode on the existing cluster.

Ensure all cluster nodes meet the EVC requirements.

Add the new AMD-based nodes to the existing cluster.

The maximum number of remote vSAN data stores a client cluster can mount using vSAN HCI Mesh is 6. VMware vSAN HCI Mesh allows for the mounting of remote vSAN datastores to provide flexible storage solutions and scalability. This feature enables multiple clusters to share storage resources efficiently.

References:

VMware vSAN HCI Mesh Documentation

Dell VxRail Technical Guide

The two failure states of vSAN components are "Degraded" and "Absent."

Degraded: A vSAN component is considered degraded when it is still accessible but has experienced a loss of redundancy or other performance issues. This state indicates that the data is still available but may be at risk if further failures occur.

Absent: A vSAN component is in an absent state when it is temporarily unavailable, often due to transient issues like network disconnections or host reboots. The system expects the component to return shortly.

The duration of the evaluation licenses for vSphere ESXi included with the VxRail system is 45 days. This trial period allows users to explore and test the features and capabilities of vSphere ESXi before committing to a full license.