Administrator Guide
5 Dell FS8600 with VMware vSphere Deployment and Configuration Best practices
1 Preface
1.1 Audience
This document is intended for system, network and/or storage administrators and integrators who plan to deploy the
FS8600 as a storage solution for VMware vSphere-based virtualization platform.
It is assumed throughout the document that the reader is familiar with the following topics:
1. FS8600 network attached storage platform functionality, features, installation, user interface and operation.
2. Architecture, configuration and deployment of VMware
3. Network File System (NFS) protocol implementation and terminology.
4. Network infrastructure design, configuration and deployment.
1.2 Purpose
This document outlines key points to consider throughout the design, deployment and ongoing maintenance of a vSphere
solution with FS8600 file-level storage. The topics included in this document provide the reader with fundamental
knowledge and tools needed to make vital decisions to optimize the solution.
This guide constitutes a conceptual approach with directives to set up and tune the environment. The reader should not
expect to find step-by-step procedures for recommended configurations. It is assumed that these are described in other
documents, which are referenced throughout the document when necessary.
1.3 Additional Resources
FS8600 Administrator's Guide (available in the Compellent Knowledge Center http://kc.compellent.com):
Dell Tech Center- http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/storage/w/wiki/6935.dell-fluidfs-nas
vSphere Web Plugin for NFS (Part 1) Installation
(http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/extras/m/white_papers/20441351)
vSphere Web Plugin for NFS (Part 2) - Overview and Funtionality
(http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/extras/m/white_papers/20441352)
Dell Fluid File System Overview
FS8600 Snapshot and Volume Cloning Best Practices
Dell Compellent FluidFS (FS8600) Networking Best Practices
Other publications:
Best Practices for Running VMware vSphere® on Network-Attached Storage (NAS)
(http://www.vmware.com/resources/techresources/10096)