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Table of ContentsHOL-SDC-1428 - Introduction to EVO:RAIL ........................................................................ 2
Lab Overview .......................................................................................................... 3Module 1 - Exploring EVO:RAIL (60 min) ........................................................................... 6
EVO:RAIL Configuration........................................................................................... 7EVO:RAIL Management ......................................................................................... 23EVO:RAIL Auto Discovery and Scale Out ............................................................... 39EVO:RAIL Software Updates .................................................................................. 46EVO:RAIL Node Replacement ................................................................................ 51Conclusion............................................................................................................. 61
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HOL-SDC-1428 -Introduction to EVO:RAIL
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Lab OverviewEVO:RAIL combines VMware compute, networking, and storage resources into a hyper-converged infrastructure appliance to create an all-in-one solution offered by QualifiedEVO:RAIL Partners (QEPs). Be sure to explore the new features we've added to theEVO:RAIL Hands-On Lab for VMware Partner Exchange 2015.
Deployment: Although we can't show you deployment in this Hands-On Lab, here arethe steps:
1. Configure your top-of-rack switch.2. Rack, cable, and power-on EVO:RAIL.3. Connect a client workstation/laptop to the top-of-rack switch and point your
browser to EVO:RAIL for configuration and management.
Configuration:
• Configure and build a newly deployed EVO:RAIL appliance
Management:
• Create virtual machines and manage lifecycle operations• Explore management features, such as system health, config, and alerts• New: Simulate appliance discovery and scale out• New: Update EVO:RAIL software• New: Simulate hardware failure and node replacement
EVO:RAIL HOL Team:Mike Laverick, Judy Snow, Wit Riewrangboonya
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Physical Appliance Emulation in the Hands-On Lab
EVO:RAIL is a physical appliance that delivers vSphere and Virtual SAN in under 15minutes. While every attempt has been made to duplicate the EVO:RAIL experience inthe Hands-On Lab, some functionality that works on the genuine physical appliancedoes not work as expected in the virtual HOL environment.
In the Hands-On Lab, EVO:RAIL actually builds a virtual version of the appliance. Thistakes about 15 minutes, just like a real appliance. Then EVO:RAIL builds a second virtualappliance in about 7 minutes, just as it would in the physical world.
NOTE: If you are using a device with a non-US keyboard layout, you might find itdifficult to enter usernames and passwords in this lab. You can cut and paste these fromthe README.txt file on the ControlCenter desktop.
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Accessing EVO:RAIL
EVO:RAIL is normally accessed from a browser (Firefox/Chrome/IE) on a managementworkstation/laptop connected to the EVO:RAIL network. In the Hands-On Lab, you willuse the Chrome browser provided in the HOL ControlCenter.
1. Open the Google Chrome browser on your ControlCenter desktop.
You will see the two bookmarks we put for your use in the Hands-On Lab: one forEVO:RAIL Configuration and one for EVO:RAIL Management.
This lab walks you through the configuration and then lets you explore mangementfeatures:
• You must configure and "build" the appliance before you can manage it.• After building the appliance, you cannot go back to the configuration.
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Module 1 - ExploringEVO:RAIL (60 min)
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EVO:RAIL ConfigurationEVO:RAIL Configuration is the first thing you see after physical EVO:RAIL deployment.
For this Hands-On Lab, you will be using pre-configured network addresses required forthe virtual lab environment. The fields are populated with these default values to makeconfiguration quick and easy. Although you will walk through an entire customconfiguration, please don't change networking, passwords, or global settings. You won'tbreak anything, but someone may have to reset your lab. You are welcome to playaround with a new naming scheme for ESXi hosts. In minutes you will be creating virtualmachines!
Objective: Build an EVO:RAIL appliance and become familiar with configurationcapabilities.
EVO:RAIL Configuration
1. Click the toolbar shortcut, "1. EVO:RAIL Config" to point to EVO:RAILConfiguration.
2. When you see a message stating that the site's security certificate is not trusted,click Advanced.
3. Then click Proceed to 192.168.110.22 (unsafe)
You will now see the EVO:RAIL configuration splash page.
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Hello, my name is EVO:RAIL
Click Yes, Let's Go!
The next page displays the EVO:RAIL End-User License Agreement. To accept thelicense, click Yes, I do.
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Customize Me!
Click the Customize Me! button to configure hostnames, networking, passwords, andglobal settings. All the fields have predefined values to make configuration quick andeasy.
Configuration changes are automatically validated and saved when changing betweenfields or sections.
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Hostnames
To customize EVO:RAIL, use the Hostnames tab to define a naming scheme for yourESXi hosts. The hostname consists of an ESXi hostname prefix, a Separator, anIterator, and a Top-level domain. The Preview field shows an example of the resultof the first ESXi host, as illustrated in the screenshot.
• Enter an ESXi hostname prefix.• Select a Separator (“None” or a dash ”-“) and the Iterator (Alpha, Num X, or
Num 0X).• Enter a Top-level domain name.• Enter a vCenter Server hostname. The top-level domain is automatically
applied to the vCenter Server hostname.
You can change any of the fields in this page for the Hands-On Lab.
NetworkingPlease do not change the default values in the networking fields. They are required for thevirtual environment in the Hands-On Labs.
Click Networking to view IP and/or VLAN details for each network type: ESXi Hosts,vSphere vMotion, Virtual SAN, vCenter Server, and VM Networks.
• In ESXi Hosts, view the Starting and Ending address for IP pool, Netmask,and Default gateway.
• Click vMotion and view the Starting and Ending address for IP pool, thevSphere vMotion VLAN ID, and the Netmask.
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• Click Virtual SAN and view the Starting and Ending address for IP pool, theVirtual SAN VLAN ID, and the Netmask.
• Click vCenter Server to see the IP address for EVO:RAIL management andvCenter Server. The Netmask and Default gateway are automatically copiedfrom ESXi Hosts.
• Click VM networks to view the pre-configured virtual machine networks.
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Passwords
Click Passwords to see the predefined passwords for the ESXi hosts and vCenterServer. Please do not change the default passwords for the Hands-On Lab: VMware1!
To optionally use Active Directory for authentication, you would enter the AD domain,AD username, and AD password.
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Globals
Click Globals to set the time zone, logging, and any existing NTP, DNS, or Proxy serverson your network. Logging can be set to Log Insight or to an existing syslog server onyour network.
External servers are not used in this Hands-On Lab, so you should notconfigure any of these. In a physical environment, EVO:RAIL configures each of theseservices for all ESXi hosts and vCenter Server.
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Validate
Click the Validate button. EVO:RAIL quickly verifies the configuration data and checksfor conflicts.
After validation is successful, click the Build Appliance button.
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New IP Address
For the Hands-On Lab, we are using 10.10.10.200 as the IP address for vCenter Server.Click the Take me to it! button.
You will see a browser message that the site's security certificate is not trusted:
1. Click Advanced2. Then click Proceed to 10.10.10.200 (unsafe)
You will now see the EVO:RAIL build appliance page.
NOTE: If you accidentally close the Chrome browser and need to reconnect to EVO:RAILManagement, click the toolbar shortcut, 2. EVO:RAIL Manage.
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Build Appliance
EVO:RAIL implements data services, creates the new ESXi hosts and a Virtual SANdatastore, and deploys the vCenter Server. This process will take about 15 minutesin the Hands-On Lab environment.
While you wait, please continue to the next page in the Hands-On Lab manual. We havea few videos for you to watch. When you reach Hooray!, it will be time to create andmanage VMs with EVO:RAIL.
While you wait for your EVO:RAIL Appliance to build ...
Please enjoy the following videos and product information while you wait for theHooray! page. Just click through the next 4 steps in the manual as EVO:RAIL is beingbuilt.
NOTE: Sometimes build appliance gets stuck at approximately 76% in the Hands-OnLab environment. If you see a red box that offers the option to “Try again”, do not clickit. Instead, go to the ControlCenter desktop and double-click the “Restart VCSANetwork” shortcut to run a special script for the HOL environment. Then go back to theEVO:RAIL browser window and click the “Try again" button. The build process resets toabout 72%. If that still doesn’t work, please raise your virtual hand for furtherassistance.
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EVO:RAIL General Overview Video (1:57 minutes)
This animated video describes the EVO:RAIL solution.
• If you are in the HOL NEE environment, click on the video thumbnail and thenpress the play button in the lower left corner of the video viewer. To close thevideo screen, click the X in the upper right corner of the video viewer.
• If you are using a PDF file to read this manual, click on the following linkhttp://youtu.be/Gztk_7V4oys
Use a headset, if you have one, or use YouTube subtitles.
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EVO:RAIL Customer Testimonial Video (1:52 minutes)
Initial customers describe the advantages they experienced with EVO:RAIL.
• If you are in the HOL NEE environment, click on the video thumbnail and thenpress the play button in the lower left corner of the video viewer.
• If you are using a PDF file to read this manual, click on the following linkhttp://youtu.be/Wvb87oC4gRI
Use a headset, if you have one, or use YouTube subtitles.
Unboxing Vmware EVO:RAIL Video (1:48 minutes)
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You may enjoy seeing customer anticipation and delight about EVO:RAIL.
• If you are in the HOL NEE environment, click on the video thumbnail and thenpress the play button in the lower left corner of the video viewer.
• If you are using a PDF file to read this manual, click on the following linkhttp://youtu.be/cfPwuLt9Zvc
Use a headset, if you have one, or use YouTube subtitles.
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EVO:RAIL Product Page
Simplicity Transformed: EVO:RAIL enables power-on to VM creation in minutes,radically easy VM deployment, one-click non-disruptive patch and upgrades, simplifiedmanagement…you get the idea.
Software-Defined Building Block: EVO:RAIL is a scalable Software-Defined DataCenter (SDDC) building block that delivers compute, networking, storage, andmanagement to empower private and hybrid cloud, end-user computing, test/dev, andbranch office environments.
Trusted Foundation: Building on the proven technology of VMware vSphere®, vCenterServer™, and Virtual SAN™, EVO:RAIL delivers the first hyper-converged infrastructureappliance 100% powered by VMware software.
Highly Resilient by Design: Resilient appliance design starting with four independenthosts and a distributed Virtual SAN datastore ensures zero application downtime duringplanned maintenance or during disk, network, or host failures.
Infrastructure at the Speed of Innovation: Meet accelerating business demands bysimplifying infrastructure design with predictable sizing and scaling, by streamliningpurchase and deployment with a single appliance SKU, and by reducing CapEx andOpEx.
Freedom of Choice: EVO:RAIL is delivered as a complete appliance solution withhardware, software, and support through Qualified EVO:RAIL Partners (QEPs); customerschoose their preferred brand.
You can visit the EVO:RAIL product page at: http://www.vmware.com/products/evorail
NOTE: This link will open in a new window while EVO:RAIL continues to build your virtualappliance. Close the window to return to the Hands-On Lab.
You can also scan the QR code with a scanning app to visit the product page on yoursmartphone.
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EVO:RAIL Product Overview Video (2:08 minutes)
This animated video provides a tour of EVO:RAIL product features.
• If you are in the HOL NEE environment, click on the video thumbnail and thenpress the play button in the lower left corner of the video viewer.
• If you are using a PDF file to read this manual, click on the following linkhttp://youtu.be/g7i2PNE1XA0
Use a headset, if you have one, or use YouTube subtitles.
Hooray!
When you see Hooray!, click the IP address to continue to EVO:RAIL Management.
NOTE: Sometimes build appliance gets stuck at approximately 76% in the Hands-OnLab environment. If you see a red box that offers the option to “Try again”, do not clickit. Instead, go to the ControlCenter desktop and double-click the “Restart VCSA
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Network” shortcut to run a special script for the HOL environment. Then go back to theEVO:RAIL browser window and click the “Try again" button. The build process resets toabout 72%. If that still doesn’t work, please raise your virtual hand for furtherassistance.
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EVO:RAIL ManagementIn EVO:RAIL you will create virtual machines with only a few clicks to select the guestoperating system, VM size, network segment, and security option.
After creating some VMs, here are some of the things you can explore in EVO:RAILManagement:
• View VMs and manage lifecycle operations such as Clone or Rename.• Optionally access vSphere Web Client• Monitor EVO:RAIL cluster, appliance, and node health• Explore features such as logs, licenses, localization, updates, and tasks
Objective: Create a Virtual Machine and become familiar with EVO:RAIL Managementcapabilities.
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EVO:RAIL Management
After clicking away from the Hooray! page, you will see the login page for EVO:RAILManagement.
Login with username: [email protected], password: VMware1!
Click the Authenticate button.
NOTE: If you exit the browser and want to return to EVO:RAIL Management, you willhave to point the browser to https://10.10.10.200:7443 because of the configurationspecific to this Hands-On Lab. Alternatively, you can click the Chrome toolbar shortcutthat has been set up for you, 2. EVO:RAIL Manage.
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CREATE VM: Creating virtual machines
1. Click the Create VM icon in the left sidebar to begin the virtual machine creationprocess.
NOTE: The EVO:RAIL user interface is available in English, French, German, Japanese,Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. If you need to change the displaylanguage, you can click on the Config icon in the left sidebar before proceeding withthe Hands-On Lab.
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Upload guest operating system
1. In the Create VM called field, enter a name for your virtual machine such as"VMworld VM 1".
2. Then click the Upload Image button.3. In Upload ISO, click the Choose File button.
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Select TinyCore-current.iso
1. The Windows file selection pop-up will open. Go to "Desktop".2. Select the small guest OS (TinyCore-current.iso) that we made available to you
for this exercise.3. Click the Open button.
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Upload image
Click the Upload Image button. This may take a few minutes in the Hands-On Labenvironment.
When it is finished, follow the instructions in the next step to set the Guest OS version.
Select guest operating system version
In the Guest OS Version menu, select any operating system (such as Other OS), thenclick the Continue button.
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Configure VM size
EVO:RAIL simplifies virtual machine sizing by offering single-click small, medium, andlarge configurations optimized for each Guest OS type.
Select any size and then click the Select VM Size button.
NOTE: Depending on the size of your ControlCenter and Chrome browser windows, thegreen button may be cut off. You can still click the top edge of it.
Connect to network segments
Check one or more network segments (Development, Production, and/or Staging).
Then click the Select Networks button.
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Select VM security policy
Without EVO:RAIL, customers must manually go through a long list of options to securea Virtual Machine. EVO:RAIL streamlines this process with three pre-defined Risk Profilesto choose from at the time of VM provisioning.
These profiles are a collection of Virtual Machine Advanced Settings, based on aparticular Risk Profile from the vSphere 5.5 Security Hardening Guide. (In the Hands-OnLab, you can choose any security policy that you want.)
• No Policy means that no security configuration options are applied to the VM.• Default Policy is Risk Profile 3, which specifies guidelines that should be
implemented in all environments. These are VMware best practices for all datacenters.
• Basic Policy is Risk Profile 2, which specifies guidelines for more sensitiveenvironments or small/medium/large enterprises that are subject to strictcompliance rules.
• Secure Policy is Risk Profile 1, which specifies guidelines for the highest securityenvironments, such as top-secret government or military installations, or anyonewith extremely sensitive data or in a highly regulated environment.
Select one of the policies and then click Create and Start a New VM.
Wait a minute while EVO:RAIL creates and powers on your VM. You will be returnedautomatically to the VM dashboard.
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VMS: Dashboard for your virtual machines
Click the VMs icon in the left sidebar and you can see your new VM.
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Create more virtual machines
You can create more virtual machines from the same TinyCore-current.iso.
Click the Create VM icon in the left sidebar and then click TinyCore-current.iso in"Re-use an existing ISO".
NOTE: Don't try to upload an iso with the same name as an iso that has already beenuploaded, you will get an "unexpected failure". If you encounter problems, refresh yourbrowser.
Select a Guest OS version as you did before, then click the Continue button to finishconfiguring the VM. Be sure to give your new VM a new name.
Exploring Management Features
EVO:RAIL Management provides the following capabilities by clicking on the icons on theleft side of the management page:
• VMS - a dashboard to view and manage virtual machines• CREATE VM - starts the tool to create a VM• HEALTH - monitors the EVO:RAIL cluster, appliances, and nodes• CONFIG - accesses log collection, licensing, localization, and update features• TASKS - tracks system and user tasks
VMS: Dashboard for your virtual machines
EVO:RAIL Management displays a dashboard containing all virtual machines. From thispage, you can manage the VMs or arrange them with sorting and filtering. The icons atthe bottom of each VM allow you to perform operations to manage the virtual machine.
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1. Click the VMs icon in the left sidebar.2. Clone an existing VM by clicking the Clone button.3. Create or clone several VMs, then view them with Filter, Sort, and/or Search.4. If you are familiar with vSphere Web Client and you would like to use it to explore
what EVO:RAIL has created, click the vSphere Web Client icon. The username [email protected] and the password is VMware1!
5. In the Hands-On Lab, the VM cannot be properly installed and configured with anIP address, so the IP address is “IP Not Available”.
NOTE: In the Hands-On Lab virtual environment, there may be times when you need torefresh your browser. For example, you may notice that you can't see all your VMs aftera search or a VM appears to be off when it is on or vice versa.
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More VM options
Click on a VM to access all available VM options shown in the icons. Depending on thestate of your VM, you may be able to perform various operations.
1. Try renaming one of your VMs.
NOTE: The virtual Hands-On Lab environment is not set up to allow the installation of anOS in the VM or access the VM through the console, so please skip "Open Console".
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HEALTH: System, appliance, and node monitoring
Click the Health icon in the left sidebar.
EVO:RAIL Management simplifies live compute management with health monitors forCPU, memory, storage, and VM usage for entire EVO:RAIL clusters, individual appliances,and individual nodes.
• Cluster information: Click on OVERALL SYSTEM.• Appliance information: Click on an appliance ("MAR12345604") - either in the
menu bar in the top of the window or in the list of EVO:RAIL Appliances belowthe Live Usage Statistics.
• Node information: To view information about a specific node, click the appliancefirst and scroll down to see the nodes.
NOTE: The capacity you see is only for the Hands-On Lab and does not reflect thecapacity of the appliance.
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More health information
After you click on the appliance ("MAR12345604"), scroll down from "Live UsageStatistics" to see information about the four nodes in this appliance.
CONFIG: Logs, licensing, language choice, and updates
Click the Config icon in the left sidebar.
EVO:RAIL Management streamlines log collection, licensing, and offers language choicefor localization.
• View version numbers for VMware software products.• Generate a log bundle, which would be useful to attach to a service request. (Skip
this in the Hands-On Lab because it tends to be a time consuming task.)• View where you would enter your license. (You do not need a license to do the
Hands-On Lab.)• Change the language, if localization is desired.
In the upper right corner of this page, EVO:RAIL Management allows administrators toupdate VMware software. EVO:RAIL applies update files for vCenter, ESXi, andEVO:RAIL. With a minimum of four independent ESXi hosts in an EVO:RAIL cluster,
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updates are non-disruptive and require zero downtime. There will be an exercise thatwill take you through the update process later in this Hands-On Lab.
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TASKS: View system and user events
Click the Tasks icon in the left sidebar.
View some of the tasks you have completed so far in this lab.
NOTE: In the Hands-On Labs, a "Disconnected" message simply means your browserwas refreshed.
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EVO:RAIL Auto Discovery and ScaleOutEVO:RAIL revolutionizes scale-out. Increasing compute, network, and storage resourcesis as easy as powering up a new appliance to join an existing EVO:RAIL cluster.
EVO:RAIL provides auto-discovery capabilities that use the RFC-recognized "ZeroNetwork Configuration" protocol. New EVO:RAIL appliances advertise themselves on anetwork using the VMware "Loudmouth" service.
The first EVO:RAIL appliance in a cluster creates a new instance of vCenter Server, andadditional EVO:RAIL appliances join that first instance. Thus, subsequent appliances in acluster are built in considerably less time than the first EVO:RAIL appliance. Inproduction environments, the first EVO:RAIL appliance is built in about 15 minutes andadditional appliances are built in about 6 minutes each.
Objective: Witness EVO:RAIL auto-discovery and then add the new appliance to yourexisting EVO:RAIL cluster. Verify that your cluster is healthy.
EVO:RAIL Scale Out
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Power On a New EVO:RAIL Appliance
Virtually power on a new EVO:RAIL appliance in this Hands-On Lab as follows:
1. Go to the ControlCenter desktop. You may need to minimize your Chromebrowser.
2. Double-click the shortcut called “Enable 2nd Appliance”. This starts a script tovirtually power on a second appliance.
3. Return to EVO:RAIL Management tab in your Chrome browser. If youaccidentally closed Chrome instead of minimizing, you will need to click thetoolbar shortcut, "2. EVO:RAIL Manage".
4. In a couple of minutes, you will see that a new EVO:RAIL appliance was detected.Look for a box in the bottom right-hand corner of the page with “NewEVO:RAIL Appliance Detected”. Watch as each node is detected.
5. Go to the ControlCenter desktop.6. In the window running the script, press [ENTER] when the script finishes.7. Return to EVO:RAIL Management tab in your Chrome browser.
Add EVO:RAIL Appliance
Click the Add EVO:RAIL Appliance button.
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Network IP pools for the new appliance
The Networking Pools section shows the IP pools that were reserved for ESXi, vMotionand Virtual SAN during the configuration of the first EVO:RAIL appliance. In general, werecommend allocating 16 IP addresses for each pool to make adding new appliancesreally simple. On the right side of the page, you can see that EVO:RAIL validates thatyou have enough IP addresses for the new appliance; otherwise, you would need to addthem on this page. Also, note that the new EVO:RAIL appliance tag, "MAR45678904", isdisplayed in the upper right corner.
1. All you have to enter is the Passwords for the existing ESXi hosts and vCenterServer. Both passwords should be VMware1!
2. Be sure to leave the password fields (tab or click out).3. Click the Add EVO:RAIL Appliance button.
Note: Building a second appliance should take about 6 minutes. EVO:RAIL automaticallyconfigures the four new ESXi hosts contained in the new appliance.
If you forget to enter the passwords, refresh your browser and try again.
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While you wait for your new EVO:RAIL Appliance to build...
Please enjoy this video while you wait for the I'm Done page to appear. Just clickthrough the next step in the manual as the second EVO:RAIL appliance is added.
Adding a New Appliance Video (1:36 minutes)
This video shows the user interface to add a new appliance to an EVO:RAIL cluster. Itexplains in more detail about the steps you have taken.
• If you are in the HOL NEE environment, click on the video thumbnail and thenpress the play button in the lower left corner of the video viewer.
• If you are using a PDF file to read this manual, click on the following linkhttp://youtu.be/nctI7yAnI_E
Use a headset, if you have one, or use YouTube subtitles.
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I'm Done!
Once the new EVO:RAIL Appliance has been added, click the I’m Done button to returnto EVO:RAIL Management.
Now we can check the status of the new appliance in both EVO:RAIL Management andvSphere Web Client.
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Checking Status with EVO:RAIL Management
1. Click the Health icon in the left sidebar. Confirm that the Overall Health isHealthy.
2. Then click the first appliance, MAR12345604. Confirm that its status is Healthy.3. Then click the second appliance, MAR45678904. Confirm that its status is
Healthy.
NOTE: If you do not see the second appliance or your cluster shows "unheathy", refreshyour browser.
vSphere Web Client
1. Click the VMs icon in the left sidebar.2. Click the vSphere Web Client icon in the top right corner.3. Login to the vSphere Web Client; username: [email protected]
password: VMware1!
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Checking Status with vSphere Web Client
Using the vSphere Web Client, we can more closely investigate the status andconfiguration of the Virtual SAN datastore:
1. Click the Home tab in the center section, then click Hosts & Clusters.2. Expand MARVIN-Datacenter and expand MARVIN-Virtual-SAN-Cluster. This
shows that you now have eight ESXi hosts.3. With the MARVIN-Virtual-SAN-Cluster selected, click the Manage tab in the
center section.4. Under Virtual SAN, select General.5. Under Resources, confirm that all 8 hosts, SSD and Data disks are shown and
eligible, and that the network status is "Normal".
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EVO:RAIL Software UpdatesThe EVO:RAIL update feature was specifically developed for easy, non-disruptivesoftware updates for the EVO:RAIL engine, the vCenter Server, and ESXi hosts. Allupdates are tested and approved for EVO:RAIL before your QEP distributes them. Thisprocess guarantees consistency and reliability - providing VMware customers with asingle access point for support.
Objective: See how easy it is to update the EVO:RAIL software engine.
EVO:RAIL Updates
Return to EVO:RAIL Management in your Chrome Browser by clicking either the VMwareEVO:RAIL tab or the EVO:RAIL Manage bookmark.
This lab only updates the EVO:RAIL software engine. Due to time restrictions in theHands-On Lab, it is not possible to demonstrate vCenter Server and ESXi updates.
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Check current EVO:RAIL software version number
1. From EVO:RAIL Management, click the Config icon in the left sidebar.2. In the About area, note the EVO:RAIL software version number; in this
screenshot, it is VMware EVO:RAIL 1.0.0-2139122
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Upload and check EVO:RAIL files
In the upper right corner, there is an Offline Updates box. You will need to upload twofiles separately for the EVO:RAIL engine.
1. In the Offline Updates box, click the Upload link.2. On the ControlCenter desktop, open the Update folder.3. Select the first update file with a .zip extension, and click Open. The file is
uploaded to the Virtual SAN datastore.4. When the upload is complete, click the Upload link again.5. Select the second update file with a .rpm extension, and click Open. The file is
uploaded to the Virtual SAN datastore.6. Once both files are uploaded, click the Check now link.
IMPORTANT: If EVO:RAIL Management does not appear to upload the file, refresh thebrowser.
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Apply EVO:RAIL update
If the EVO:RAIL check succeeds, the Offline Updates box changes to allow you toperform the update(s).
1. Move the Offline Updates switch from No to Yes.2. Click the Update button.
The EVO:RAIL engine updates are applied.
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Check new EVO:RAIL software version number
1. In few minutes, you will be disconnected from EVO:RAIL.2. After EVO:RAIL restarts, you will be prompted to log back in; username:
[email protected] password: VMware1!3. Then click the Config icon in the left sidebar.4. In the About area, confirm that the EVO:RAIL software version number has
increased. In this screenshot, the new version is VMware EVO:RAIL1.0.0-2199407
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EVO:RAIL Node ReplacementEVO:RAIL handles hardware failures easily. A single node can be replaced in the fieldwithout disruption to your work load.
In the event of node failure, your Qualified EVO:RAIL Partner (QEP) will ship areplacement node with a unique identity stamped in the BIOS that matches that of thefailed node. All you need to do is remove the failed node and a replace it with the newEVO:RAIL node.
The EVO:RAIL engine detects the new node and alerts the operator to "re-add" it.EVO:RAIL cleans up the old ESXi host and configures a new ESXi host on thereplacement node with all previous parameters.
Objective: Emulate a failed node and enable a replacement node to experience the"Re-add Existing Node" workflow. In this lab you will emulate a failure by shuttingdown esxi-node08.vmworld.local. You will then use the HOL "console" access to poweron the replacement node, as if a new physical node had been sent to you. The EVO:RAILManagement UI lets you re-add the node.
Replacing a failed EVO:RAIL node
To emulate the failure of an EVO:RAIL node in this Hands-On Lab, you will merely shutdown an ESXi host in the vSphere Web Client and see the corresponding alert inEVO:RAIL.
In the real world, when you see an alert, you would investigate further to validate thatyou have a hardware failure. Then you would contact your Qualified EVO:RAIL Partner(QEP), under the terms and conditions of your Service and Support agreement, torequest a replacement node.
Return to the vSphere Web Client by clicking the vSphere Web Client tab in yourChrome browser or by clicking the vSphere Web Client icon on the EVO:RAILManagement home page.
NOTE: This part of the HOL lab is experimental even though the feature itself works onall physical EVO:RAIL appliances. Because of the emulation of physical nodereplacement that we did for the Hands-On Lab, some users may experience anunrecoverable error in Re-add Node.
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Emulating a hardware failure
To emulate the failure of an EVO:RAIL node, shut down an ESXi host in the vSphere WebClient. This triggers alerts in EVO:RAIL and the vCenter Web Client.
If you still have the vSphere Web Client tab open from previous exercises, you may beable to skip these 5 steps:
1. From EVO:RAIL Management, click the VMs icon in the left sidebar.2. In the top right corner, click the vSphere Web Client icon.3. Login to the vSphere Web Client; username: [email protected]
password: VMware1!4. From vSphere Web Client, click the Home tab, then click Hosts & Clusters.5. Expand MARVIN-Datacenter and expand MARVIN-Virtual-SAN-Cluster.
For this exercise, you will need to select the eighth ESXi host in the MARVIN-Virtual-SAN-Cluster. If you used the default host naming scheme when you configured the firstappliance, the name will be esxi-node08.vmworld.local.
1. Select the eighth ESXi host.2. Right-click to select Shut Down.3. Click OK.
After waiting a minute or two the ESXi host will be powered off. You will see a red alertnext to the selected ESXi host, confirming the failure in vSphere Web Client.
NOTE: There may be delays before alerts appear. Any time you want to see a morefrequent update, just refresh the vSphere Web Client.
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Confirm the failure in EVO:RAIL
1. Return to the EVO:RAIL Management tab in your browser. You may need to refreshyour browser.
2. Click the Health icon in the left sidebar. You should see that the Overall Health is"Critical".
3. Click the second appliance, MAR45678904.4. Verify that the node (in this example, esx-node08.vmworld.local) has a red X
icon indicating a problem.
All other nodes in the EVO:RAIL cluster will be marked with a "Warning" becauseEVO:RAIL fault tolerance policy is failure of one full node.
NOTE: There may be delays before warning marks appear. Any time you want to see amore frequent update, just refresh your browser page.
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Enable the replacement node
Each EVO:RAIL appliance has unique ID, and each node within the appliance has aunique number. The QEP will dispatch a replacement node with the exact same identityas the failed node. The failed node is removed and replaced, and the new node ispowered on. Because it has the same identity as the original node, EVO:RAIL recognizesthe new node and adds it back into the appliance. EVO:RAIL reconfigures the ESXi hoston the new node with the original configuration (Networking, Password, Global Settings).
In this lab you will need a new console window to power on a replacement EVO:RAILNode.
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1. On the left-hand side of the HOL interface you will see shortcut area labelled"Consoles"
2. When you click this icon, you will see an icon called "ESX-08A-REPLACEMENT".Click this icon.
3. In the central pane, click the Power On icon to bring the replacement nodeonline. Please wait for the ESXi host to complete the boot process.
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Fully booted ESXi host
1. When ESXi finishes booting, the Direct Console UI (DCUI) display (shown in thescreenshot) will display the IP address.
2. Go back to the Control Center by clicking the CONTROLCENTER icon on the left-hand side of the HOL interface.
3. You can close the Consoles tab by clicking the 'X' in the top left corner.
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Re-add the node
1. Return to EVO:RAIL Management in your Chrome browser.2. You will soon see that a new node was detected: look for a box in the bottom
right-hand corner of the page.3. Click the Re-add Existing Node button.4. Enter your ESXi host and vCenter Server passwords (VMware1!), and then click
the Re-Add Existing Node button.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This part of the HOL lab is experimental even though the featureitself works on all physical EVO:RAIL appliances. Because this is an emulation ofphysical node replacement, some users may experience an unrecoverable error in Re-add Node. If you are one of the unlucky users, the failure message will be a hostexception related to invalid credentials. Since trying again won't work, you can canceland conclude the Hands-On Lab.
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Confirm the hardware problem was resolved
If the emulated Re-add Existing Node process is successful, EVO:RAIL status returnsto normal. If you see a red message, "Exception running on some hosts", you willnot be able to complete this final lab step. (Since this process is emulated, failure occursonly in the Hands-On Lab, not on a physical appliance.)
1. Click the Health icon in the left sidebar. You should see that the Overall Health is"Healthy".
2. Click the second appliance, MAR45678904.3. Verify that the node (in this example, esx-node08.vmworld.local) has a green
checkmark indicating that it is healthy.
NOTE: If there is a delay before the warning marks disappear, just refresh your browserpage.
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ConclusionIn this Hands-On Lab, you built an EVO:RAIL Appliance from scratch, created virtualmachines, and explored EVO:RAIL's management capabilities. You added a secondappliance to the existing cluster to show how EVO:RAIL delivers a simple model for auto-discovery and scale-out. You used the EVO:RAIL update functionality for the EVO:RAILsoftware engine. You emulated the appearance of a failed EVO:RAIL node to experiencethe process of virtually replacing a node in an EVO:RAIL appliance.
Thank you for taking part in our Hands-On Lab!
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ConclusionThank you for participating in the VMware Hands-on Labs. Be sure to visithttp://hol.vmware.com/ to continue your lab experience online.
Lab SKU: HOL-SDC-1428
Version: 20150227-062710
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