cisco hyperflex hx data platform deployment ops v1 demo guide

8/17/2019 Cisco HyperFlex HX Data Platform Deployment Ops v1 Demo Guide

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Cisco HyperFlex HX Data Platform – Deployment &Operations v1

Last Updated: 28-MAR-2016

About This Solution

Cisco HyperFlex Systems are part of a complete data center strategy that uses hyperconvergence architecture models to solve

basic business challenges of data optimization, operational efficiency, and adaptability. Because it is built on the Cisco UCS®

platform, it allows unified network management using skillsets that are already present in the organization. It is scalable, adaptable,

and completely hyperconverged – providing the three layers of Network, Compute & Storage intelligently integrated into a single

solution for faster application deployment.

In Cisco HyperFlex Systems, the data platform spans three or more Cisco HyperFlex HX-Series nodes to create a highly available

cluster. Each node includes a Cisco HyperFlex HX Data Platform controller that implements the distributed file system usinginternal flash-based SSD drives and high-capacity HDDs to store data. The controllers communicate with each other over 10

Gigabit Ethernet to present a single pool of storage that spans the nodes in the cluster. Nodes access data through a data layer

using file, block, object, and API plug-ins. As nodes are added, the cluster scales linearly to deliver computing, storage capacity,

and I/O performance.

Figure 1. Distributed Cisco HyperFlex System

In the VMware vSphere environment, the controller occupies a virtual machine with a dedicated number of processor cores and

amount of memory, allowing it to deliver consistent performance and not affect the performance of the other virtual machines on

the cluster. The controller can access all storage without hypervisor intervention through the VMware VM_DIRECT_PATH feature.



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It uses the node’s memory and SSD drives as part of a distributed caching layer, and it uses the node’s HDDs for distributed

capacity storage. The controller integrates the data platform into VMware software through the use of two preinstalled VMware

ESXi vSphere Installation Bundles (VIBs):

• IO Visor: This VIB provides a network file system (NFS) mount point so that the ESXi hypervisor can access the virtual

disk drives that are attached to individual virtual machines. From the hypervisor’s perspective, it is simply attached to anetwork file system.

• VMware vStorage API for Array Integration (VAAI): This storage offload API allows vSphere to request advanced file

system operations such as snapshots and cloning. The controller causes these operations to occur through manipulation

of metadata rather than actual data copying, providing rapid response, and thus rapid deployment of new application

environments.

For more information about Cisco HyperFlex Systems, visit http://www.cisco.com/go/hyperflex.

About This Demonstration

This content includes the following scenarios:

• Scenario 1: Create Virtual Center Setup

• Scenario 2: HX Cluster Creation

• Scenario 3: System Administration Tasks

Limitations

The HX Management Simulator is a virtual instance of the HX storage cluster software. It is designed to provide a working instance

of the vSphere web client plug-in management interface and Command Line Interface (CLI) that individuals can use for

educational purposes.

The simulator does not resemble an actual HX storage cluster. As such, it should not be used for any purpose other than to learn

how to manage the HX platform.

Requirements

Table 1. Requirements

Required Optional

● Laptop ● Cisco AnyConnect

Topology

This content includes preconfigured users and components to illustrate the scripted scenarios and features of the solution. Most

components are fully configurable with predefined administrative user accounts. You can see the IP address and user account

credentials to use to access a component by clicking the component icon in the Topology menu of your active session and in the

scenario steps that require their use.

http://www.cisco.com/go/hyperflex






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Figure 2. Topology



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Get Started

BEFORE PRESENTING

We strongly recommend that you go through this document and work with an active session before presenting in front of a live

audience. This will allow you to become familiar with the structure of the document and content.

PREPARATION IS KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL PRESENTATION.

Follow the steps to schedule a session of the content and configure your presentation environment.

1. Browse to dcloud.cisco.com, select the location closest to you, and log in with your Cisco.com credentials.

2. Schedule a session. [Show Me How]

3. Test your connection. [Show Me How]

4. Verify that the status of your session is Act iv e in My Dashboard > My Sessions.

NOTE: It may take up to 10 minutes for your session to become active.

5. Click View to open the active session.

6. For best performance, connect to the workstation with Cisco AnyConnect VPN [Show Me How] and the local RDP client on

your laptop [Show Me How]

• Workstation 1: 198.18.133.36, Username: dcloud\demouser , Password: C1sco12345

NOTE: You can also connect to the workstation using the Cisco dCloud Remote Desktop client [Show Me How]. The dCloud

Remote Desktop client works best for accessing an active session with minimal interaction.

7. Click Desktop on the Start menu.

Figure 3. Start Menu

http://dcloud.cisco.com/



https://dcloud-cms.cisco.com/help/sched_demo



https://dcloud-cms.cisco.com/help/connect_test



https://dcloud-cms.cisco.com/help/install_anyconnect_pc_mac



https://dcloud-cms.cisco.com/help/local_rdp_mac_windows



https://dcloud-cms.cisco.com/help/access_demo_wkstn











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Scenario 1. Create Virtual Center Setup

The purpose of this scenario is to demonstrate the preparation and setup of a HyperFlex environment.

There are two options for performing this scenario, users must select one and proceed:

•

Option 1: Create a Virtual Datacenter, Cluster and Hosts via the vSphere client

• Option 2: Create the Virtual Center using a PowerShell Script

These two methods, both detailed in this scenario, are mutually exclusive. Once the environment is set up manually, you must use

a different demo session to demonstrate the script, and vice versa.

Steps

Option 1: Create a Virtual Datacenter, Cluster, and Hosts via vSphere Client

1. From the wkst1 desktop, double-click the vSphere Client shortcut . Click Use Windows session credentials and login.

Figure 4. Use Windows Session Credentials

2. Create the datacenter as follows:

a. Click Create a Datacenter .

Figure 5. Create Datacenter



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b. Change the name of the New Datacenter to dCloud-HX-DC and hit Enter .

Figure 6. Change the Name of the Datacenter

3. Create the cluster as follows:

a. Click the newly created datacenter in the vc1.dcloud.cisco.com hierarchy.

b. Right-click and select New Cluster from the menu.

Figure 7. Create New Cluster

c. Enter dCloud-HX-Cluster in the Name field.

d. Check the Turn On vSphere HA and Turn On vSphere DRS checkboxes.



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Figure 8. Cluster Options

e. Click Next through to the vSphere HA screen and click the Disable: Allow VM power on operations that violate

availability constraints radio button.

Figure 9. vSphere HA

f. Click Next through all remaining screens, then click Finish.

4. Add advanced setting to the newly created cluster :

a. Right click on newly created cluster and select Edit Settings.

b. Select vSphere HA and then Adv anced Options .

c. Add the following in the first 2 options column:

o das.ignoreInsufficientHbDatastore

o das.ignoreRedundantNetWarning

d. Add true in the Value column and then OK.



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Figure 10. HA Advanced Options

NOTE: These advance settings are done to suppress HA warnings in the virtual center, in a normal production environment they

would not be needed as you would have resilient connection to your hosts and multiple datastore’s presented.

5. Add the hosts to the cluster as follows:

a. Click the newly created cluster in the hierarchy.

b. Select Add a Host from the Basic task list.

Figure 11. Add a Host

c. Enter 198.18.134.201 in the Host name or IP address field.

d. Enter root in the Username field.

e. Enter cisco123 in the Password field and click Next.

f. Click Yes at the security pop-up.



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Figure 12. Security Pop-Up

g. Click Next through the Host Summary window, no changes are required.

h. In the License window, select the only available VMware vSphere 6 Enterprise Plus license and click Next.

i. In the Lockdown Mode window, click Next (no changes necessary).

j. In the Choose Resource Pool window, click Next (no changes necessary).

k. Click Finish.

6. Repeat Step 5 to create three more hosts, incrementing the IP address by 1 each time (198.18.134.202 to .204) and leaving

all other parameters the same.

Figure 13. New Hosts

7. Enable vMotion on each host as follows:

a. Select a host and click the Configuration tab.

b. Click the Networking link.

c. On vSwitch0 select Properties



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Figure 14. Edit Setting on a Host

d. Select Management Network in the Port section and then Edit.

e. Click the Enable checkbox next to vMotion, and click OK.

Figure 15. Enable vMotion on Host

8. Repeat Step 7 for the other 3 hosts.



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NOTE: Wait until all of the tasks in the Recent Tasks bar have completed before proceeding to Scenario 2. Proceeding prior to

the completion of all the tasks will break the session.

This concludes the activities in this scenario. Do not conti nue with Option 2 if you have completed Option 1.

Option 2: Create the Virtual Center Using a PowerShell Script

The purpose of this section is to use a script to configure the cluster. The script will not work if you have already manually created

the data center, cluster and added the hosts in the previous section – you will need to spin up a new session.

1. From the wkst1 desktop, double-click the vSphere Client shortcut . Click Use Windows session authentication and

login.


2. Click Hosts and Cluster s from the side menu – there are no Data Centers, Clusters or Hosts in vc1.dcloud.cisco.com.

3. On the demonstration workstation desktop, double-click the Scripts folder.

Figure 17. Scripts Folder

4. Double-click the Scenario 1 – Virtual Center Setup file and watch as the configured components drop into the vSphere

hierarchy.



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Figure 18. Configured Components

NOTE: Wait until all of the tasks in the Recent Tasks bar have completed before proceeding to Scenario 2. Proceeding prior to

the completion of all the tasks will break the session.

This concludes the activities in this scenario.



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Scenario 2. Create HX Cluster

The purpose of this scenario is to create the HX Storage Cluster.

There are two options for performing this scenario, users must select one and proceed:

•

Option 1: Create the HX Cluster via the Deployment Wizard

• Option 2: Create the HX Cluster via a Python Script

These two methods, both detailed in this scenario, are mutually exclusive. Once the environment is set up manually, you must use

a different demo session to demonstrate the script, and vice versa.

Steps

Option 1: Configure the Cluster via Cisco HX Data Platform Wizard

1. Open a new Chrome tab and click the [Deploy] Cisco HX Data bookmark. Log in (admin/springpath ).

2. Click Continue and accept the license agreement.

3. Click Configure Cluster .

Figure 19. Cisco HX Data Platform Home Page

4. Enter the IP addresses of the Hyperv isor (198.18.134.201) and the Storage Controller (198.18.134.205).



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5. Change the Cluster Name to hx-storage-cluster .

6. Scroll down to Hypervisor Credentials and change the root Password to cisco123.

7. Under vCenter Configuration, enter the following parameters:

• vCenter Server: https://198.18.133.30

• Admin User Name: [email protected]

• Admin Password: C1sco12345!

• Data Center Name: dCloud-HX-DC

• Cluster Name: dCloud-HX-Cluster

8. Under System Services, enter the following parameters:

• DNS Server(s): 198.18.133.1

• NTP Server(s): 198.18.128.1

• Time Zone: (UTC+00:00) UTC

Figure 20. Cluster Parameters



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9. Click Validate to confirm access to all the configured appliances, then click OK on the pop-up.

10. Click the Save Configuration File link to save the configuration. Click Save in the resulting window.

Figure 21. Save Configuration File

11. Click Deploy to begin the deployment of the HX Data Center.

Figure 22. Deployment Page

12. Click F5 to refresh the page manually until the deployment completes.

NOTE: The deployment page will refresh itself, but may not go to the correct link. When the Configuring Cluster percentage

reaches 100%, redirect the page to https://198.18.134.205/ if it does not happen automatically. It will probably take 10-15

minutes for the Configuring Cluster percentage to reach 100%.



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Figure 23. Completed Cluster Deployment

13. Close or minimize the vSphere window.

This concludes the activities in this scenario. Do not conti nue with Option 2 if you have completed Option 1.

Option 2: Configure the HX Cluster with a Script

The purpose of this section is to use a script to create the Cisco HX Storage Cluster. The script will not work if you have already

manually created the cluster in the previous section – you will need to spin up a new session.

NOTE: To streamline the flow of the demo, run the Xpress – Four Node Cluster Creation script instead of the Scenario 2 – HX

Cluster Creation script in Step 4. This script will create all four hosts, instead of three. Then skip the Expand HX Cluster

section of Scenario 3. Use this alternate method only if you are already familiar with the demo flow.

1. From the wkst1 desktop, double-click the vSphere Client shortcut . Click Use Windows session authentication and

login.



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2. Click Hosts and Cluster s from the side menu and review the existing hosts.

Figure 25. Start State – Before Script

3. On the demonstration workstation desktop, double-click the Scripts folder.

4. Double-click the Scenario 2 – HX Cluster Creation file.

NOTE: Wait approximately 10 minutes for the ESX Agents resource pool to be created and populated. You will notice that the last

VM ending 204 is not currently within the ESX Agents resource group. Once you add the last host, in the Expand HX

Cluster section in Scenario 3, it will move into the ESX Agents group.

Figure 26. End State of HX Cluster Creation Script



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5. You will see a number of tasks running and completing in the Recent Tasks in the vSphere Client.

Figure 27. Scenario 2 recent task list

6. The script window will finally display the following message once completed.

Figure 28. Scenario 2 – Script Window

7. Open a Chrome tab and click the [Deploy] Cisco HX shortcut if the HX Data Platform is not already open. Login if necessary

(admin/springpath).

8. Add /#summary to the URL and hit Enter .



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Figure 29. HX Summary Screen

9. Close or minimize the vSphere window.




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Scenario 3. System Administration Tasks

The purpose of this scenario is to demonstrate the simplicity of a number of the most common administrative and operational tasks

Steps

New Datastore Creation

The purpose of this section is to show how simple it is to create a new datastore and then how it is automatically mounted onto all

hosts with the HX Storage Cluster.

1. Open a new Chrome tab and click the vSphere Web Console shortcut. If Chrome is not already open, from the wkst1

desktop, double-click the vSphere Web Client shortcut .

2. If a security warning is generated, click Advanced, then Proceed to the vSphere Web Client.

3. Click Use Windows session authentication and login.


4. Click vCenter Inventory Li sts.

5. Click Cisco HX Data Platform.



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Figure 31. Cisco HX Data Platform

6. Click the hx-storage-cluster platform.

Figure 32. Click the Platform

7. Click the Manage tab and click Datastores.

8. Click the Add Datastor e icon.

Figure 33. Manage Datastore

9. In the resulting pop-up, enter HX-Datastore1 in the Datastore Name field and 50 in the Size field, then click OK.



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Figure 34. Create Datastore

10. Observe the creation of the new datastore in the Datastores window – 100% free and available for use.

Figure 35. New Datastore

Expand HX Cluster

The purpose of this section is to show how simple it is to add additional HX Nodes to your Cisco HX Cluster.

NOTE: Do not perform this section if you used the Xpress – Four Node Cluster Creation script in Scenario 2.

1. Within the vSphere Web Console, click Cisco HX Data Platform and see that there are 3 Converged Nodes. Note the total

storage.



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Figure 36. HX Cluster before expanding

2. Open a Chrome tab and click the [Expand] Cisco HX bookmark. Login if necessary

(admin/springpath).

3. Enter the IP address of the Hypervisor (198.18.134.204) and the Storage Controller (198.18.134.208).

4. Under Cisco HX Cluster , enter the following parameters:

• Cluster Management IP Address: 198.18.134.200

5. Under Hypervis or Credentials, enter the following parameters:

• Admin User Name: root

• Admin Password: cisco123

6. Under vCenter Configuration, enter the following parameters:

• vCenter Server: https://198.18.133.30

• Admin User Name: [email protected]

• Admin Password: C1sco12345!

7. Click Validate, then OK.

8. Enter the parameters as shown in the following figure, and click Validate, then OK.

Figure 37. Expand Cluster Parameters



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9. Click Deploy.

NOTE: It will take approximately 5-10 minutes for the node to be added. During that time, it will appear that nothing is happening.

10. Wait 5-10 minutes. Click the vSphere Web Client tab and watch as the VM comes online and gets moved to the ESX Agents

resource group.

Figure 38. ESX Resource Group additional Node

11. Go back to the [Expand] Cisco HX tab, where the Cluster Summary shows that the fourth appliance/hypervisor is online.

Figure 39. Recently Created Appliance/Hypervisor is Online

12. Return to the vSphere Web Client.

13. Click the back arrow to return to thevCenter Inventory Lis ts menu.

14. Click Cisco HX Data Platform and see that there are four Converged Nodes and the total storage has increased.



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Figure 40. New HX Cluster Sizing.

15. Click hx-storage-cluster and click the Manage tab.

16. Click HX-Datastore1.

Figure 41. Click Datastore

17. Return to the vSphere Client.

18. Click Hosts and show that the new host is connected to the HX-Datastore1 as soon as it joins the HX Cluster.

Figure 42. New Host Connected to Datastore

Figure 43. Recent Tasks

Deploy VM’s into the Cluster

The purpose of this section is to import a VM onto the newly created datastore via an OVF template.

1. Click the Back arrow three times to reach the vCenter Inventory Li sts menu.



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Figure 44. Back Arrow

2. Select Clusters .

3. Click dCloud-HX-Cluster .

4. From the Act ions drop-down, select Deploy OVF Templates.

Figure 45. Deploy OVF Templates

5. Click Allow.

6. Select Local File and click Browse.

7. Navigate to Z:\ftproot and select base_noNetRules.ova.

Figure 46. Navigate to OVA File

8. Click Open.

9. Click Next.

10. Click Next to proceed to section 2a Select name and folder .

11. Enter HX-VM-1 in the Name field.

12. Select dCloud-HX-DC in the Select a folder or datacenter window.



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Figure 47. Select Name and Folder

13. Click Next.

14. Select the HX-Datastore1.

15. Select Thin Provision from the Select virtual di sk format drop-down.

16. Verify that Datastore Default is pre-selected as the VM Storage Policy.

17. Click Next.

Figure 48. Selected Storage Parameters

18. Verify that VM Network is pre-selected on the Destination drop-down.

19. Click Next.

20. Click Power on after deployment, and click Finish.



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Figure 49. Click Finish to Deploy OVF Template

21. Deploy OVF template task starts in Recent Tasks bar.


22. Wait for the tasks to finish, which takes approximately 3 minutes.

23. Click the Back arrow to get to the vCenter Inventory Lists.

24. Click Virtual Machines.

25. Click the newly created HX-VM-1, then click the Summary tab and scroll down to see that it is deployed on HX-Datastore1.



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Figure 51. VM Deployed on HX-Datastore1

Create Native Snapshots From the Deployed VM

The purpose of this section is to create a native snapshot of a VM. Native snapshots provide efficient point-intime copies for

backup and remote-replication purposes. Unlike with enterprise shared storage, data center administrators do not have to install a

complex storage network, worry about logical unit numbers (LUNs), or require a storage administrator to configure the data

platform.

1. Still in the Virtual Machines window, right-click HX-VM-1.

2. Click Cisco HX Data Platform > Snapshot Now on the resulting menu.



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Figure 52. Snapshot Now

3. Enter snap1 in the Name field and click OK.

4. Monitor the Create virtual machine native snapshot task in the Recent Tasks bar until completed.


Change the Size of a Datastore

The purpose of this section is to show how quickly the size of a datastore can be changed.

1. Click the back arrow to return to vCenter Inventory Li sts.

2. Click Cisco HX Data Platform.

3. Click hx-storage-cluster .

4. Click Manage > Datastores. The size of the existing datastore is 50.00 GB.



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Figure 54. Datastore Size

5. Click Act ions > Edi t Datastor e.

Figure 55. Edit Datastore

6. Enter 100 in the Size field and click OK.

7. Refresh if necessary until the size change takes effect (this only takes a few seconds.)

Figure 56. Refresh Until Size Change Takes Effect

Ready Clones of a VM

The purpose of this section is to demonstrate using the ReadyClone feature to quickly create multiple clones of a deployed VM.

Fast, space-efficient clones help users provision new applications from existing templates or deployments with little use of storage.

Thin provisioning allows deployment of more virtual machines with existing storage, maximizing efficiency and making storage a

pay-as-you-go operation.

1. Click the back button to return to vCenter Inventory Lists.

2. Click Virtual Machines.

3. Right-click HX-VM1 and select Cisco HX Data Platform > ReadyClones from the menu.



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Figure 57. Select ReadyClones

4. Fill out the parameters as follows:

• Number of clones: 10

• VM Name Prefix: HX-VM-Clone

• Check the Use same name for ‘Guest Name’ checkbox.

• Check the Power on VMs after cloning checkbox.



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Figure 58. ReadyClone Parameters

5. Click OK.

6. Wait a minute and click Refresh. The VMs come online one by one.

Figure 59. Final List of VMs

7. Click the back button to return to vCenter Inventory Lists and click Cisco HX Data Platform.

8. Click hx-storage-cluster .

9. Click the Manage tab, and then click Datastores.



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10. Click HX-Datastore1.

Figure 60. Click HX-Datastore1

11. Show the free vs used storage.

Figure 61. Free Storage

12. Click the back button to return to the hx-storage-cluster .

13. Click the Summary tab.

14. Show the graphs, which show the spike in activity resulting from the new VMs.

Figure 62. Datastore Graphs



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Simulate Node Failure

The purpose of this section is to show that even if a host goes down, connectivity to the VMs do not go down.

1. In the vSphere client, click dCloud-HX-Cluster and show which VMs are running on each host. Note particularly that some of

the VMs are running on 198.18.134.201.

Figure 63. VMs on 198.18.134.201 Host

2. On the laptop, outside of the demo workstation, open a Chrome browser and login to the dcloud home page –

dcloud.cisco.com.

3. Login with your CEC credentials.

4. Click My Dashboard.

5. Locate your active session and click View.

Figure 64. Click View

6. Click the Servers tab.

7. Expand hx-node1.

8. Click Power Off , then OK.



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Figure 65. Power Off hx-node-1

9. Refresh until the server shows as powered down.

Figure 66. Powered Down Server

10. Return to the vSphere client. Within minutes the VMs are up, and those that were running on host .201 earlier have migrated

to other hosts.

Figure 67. vSphere Client View After Host Outage




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