White Papers

vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Overview
Dell Inc. 5
3 Solution Overview
The solution discussed in this whitepaper is powered by Dell PowerEdge servers, Dell EqualLogic iSCSI
storage, Dell PowerConnect networking, and VMware vSphere. The solution implements Dell and
VMware best practices and utilizes the latest Dell-developed vSphere integration offerings that provide
management enhancements. Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter and Dell EqualLogic Host
Integration Tools for VMware (HIT/VE) Plug-in for vCenter are included in the solution, which provide
integration of Dell hardware management and storage configuration with vCenter.
EqualLogic SAN HeadQuarters (SAN HQ) is included in the solution for storage array management and
monitoring. The solution also includes the rack, power distribution units (PDU), and an optional
uninterruptible power supply (UPS), KMM (Keyboard, Monitor, Mouse) and management server.
Figure 1 below provides a high-level overview of the components utilized in the vStart 50 configuration.
vStart 50 Configuration Overview Figure 1.
PowerConnect 7024
SAN Traffic (iSCSI)
PowerConnect 7024
LAN Traffic (VM, Management, vMotion)
EqualLogic SAN HQ and Group Manager, OMSA, Out of Band,
Virtualization Cluster Management
Management and Monitoring
EqualLogic PS6100
iSCSI Storage
PowerEdge R620
Virtualization Cluster
Management Server
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Optional – Available with
vStart 50 Storage Expansion
PowerEdge R420