Netapp Aff A220

NetApp Verified Architecture
FlexPod Express with VMware vSphere 6.7

and NetApp AFF A220
NVA Deployment
Savita Kumari, NetApp
October 2018 | NVA-1123-DEPLOY | Version 1.0
Reviewed by
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Program Summary................................................................................................................................ 4
2 Solution Overview ................................................................................................................................ 4

2.1 FlexPod Converged Infrastructure Program....................................................................................................4
2.2 NetApp Verified Architecture Program ............................................................................................................5
2.3 Solution Technology .......................................................................................................................................6
2.4 Use Case Summary ........................................................................................................................................6
3 Technology Requirements .................................................................................................................. 7

3.1 Hardware Requirements .................................................................................................................................7
3.2 Software Requirements ..................................................................................................................................7
4 FlexPod Express Cabling Information................................................................................................ 8
5 Deployment Procedures .................................................................................................................... 10

5.1 Cisco Nexus 3172P Deployment Procedure .................................................................................................11
5.2 NetApp Storage Deployment Procedure (Part 1) ..........................................................................................17
5.3 Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Server Deployment Procedure ...........................................................................34
5.4 NetApp AFF Storage Deployment Procedure (Part 2) ..................................................................................43
5.5 VMware vSphere 6.7 Deployment Procedure ...............................................................................................44
5.6 Install VMware vCenter Server 6.7 ...............................................................................................................58
5.7 Configure VMware vCenter Server 6.7 and vSphere Clustering ...................................................................59
6 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 62
Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................................... 62
Version History ......................................................................................................................................... 62
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1) Hardware requirements for the base configuration...........................................................................................7
Table 2) Hardware for scaling the solution by adding two hypervisor nodes. .................................................................7
Table 3) Software requirements for the base FlexPod Express implementation. ...........................................................7
Table 4) Software requirements for a VMware vSphere implementation. ......................................................................8
Table 5) Cabling information for Cisco Nexus switch 3172P A.......................................................................................8
Table 6) Cabling information for Cisco Nexus switch 3172P B. ......................................................................................9
Table 7) Cabling information for NetApp AFF A220 storage controller A. ......................................................................9
Table 8) Cabling information for NetApp AFF A220 storage controller B. ......................................................................9
Table 9) Required VLANs.............................................................................................................................................10
Table 10) VMware virtual machines created. ...............................................................................................................10
Table 11) Information required for NFS configuration. .................................................................................................30
2 FlexPod Express with VMware vSphere 6.7 and NetApp AFF A220 © 2018 NetApp, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Table 12) Information required for iSCSI configuration. ...............................................................................................32
Table 13) Information required for NFS configuration. .................................................................................................33
Table 14) Information required for SVM administrator addition. ...................................................................................33
Table 15) Information required for CIMC configuration. ...............................................................................................34
Table 16) Information required for iSCSI boot configuration.........................................................................................36
Table 17) Information required for configuring ESXi hosts. ..........................................................................................47
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1) FlexPod portfolio. ............................................................................................................................................5
Figure 2) FlexPod Express with VMware vSphere 10GbE architecture. ........................................................................6
Figure 3) Reference validation cabling. ..........................................................................................................................8
1 Program Summary
Industry trends indicate a vast data center transformation toward shared infrastructure and cloud
computing. In addition, organizations seek a simple and effective solution for remote and branch offices,
leveraging the technology with which they are familiar in their data center.
FlexPod® Express is a predesigned, best practice data center architecture that is built on the Cisco
Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS), the Cisco Nexus family of switches, and NetApp® storage
technologies. The components in a FlexPod Express system are like their FlexPod Datacenter
counterparts, enabling management synergies across the complete IT infrastructure environment on a
smaller scale. FlexPod Datacenter and FlexPod Express are optimal platforms for virtualization and for
bare-metal operating systems and enterprise workloads.
FlexPod Datacenter and FlexPod Express deliver a baseline configuration and have the flexibility to be
sized and optimized to accommodate many different use cases and requirements. Existing FlexPod
Datacenter customers can manage their FlexPod Express system with the tools to which they are
accustomed. New FlexPod Express customers can easily adapt to managing FlexPod Datacenter as their
environment grows.
FlexPod Express is an optimal infrastructure foundation for remote and branch offices and for small to
midsize businesses. It is also an optimal solution for customers who want to provide infrastructure for a
dedicated workload.
FlexPod Express provides an easy-to-manage infrastructure that is suitable for almost any workload.
2 Solution Overview
This FlexPod Express solution is part of the FlexPod Converged Infrastructure Program.
2.1 FlexPod Converged Infrastructure Program

FlexPod reference architectures are delivered as Cisco Validated Designs (CVDs) or NetApp Verified
Architectures (NVAs). Deviations based on customer requirements from a given CVD or NVA are
permitted if these variations do not create an unsupported configuration.
As depicted in Figure 1, the FlexPod program includes three solutions: FlexPod Express, FlexPod
Datacenter, and FlexPod Select:
• FlexPod Express offers customers an entry-level solution with technologies from Cisco and NetApp.
• FlexPod Datacenter delivers an optimal multipurpose foundation for various workloads and
applications.
• FlexPod Select incorporates the best aspects of FlexPod Datacenter and tailors the infrastructure to
a given application.
Figure 1) FlexPod portfolio.
2.2 NetApp Verified Architecture Program

The NetApp Verified Architecture program offers customers a verified architecture for NetApp solutions. A
NetApp Verified Architecture provides a NetApp solution architecture with the following qualities:
• Is thoroughly tested
• Is prescriptive in nature
• Minimizes deployment risks
• Accelerates time to market
This guide details the design of FlexPod Express with VMware vSphere. In addition, this design uses the
all-new AFF A220 system, which runs NetApp ONTAP® 9.4; the Cisco Nexus 3172P; and Cisco UCS C-
Series C220 M5 servers as hypervisor nodes.
2.3 Solution Technology
This solution leverages the latest technologies from NetApp, Cisco, and VMware. This solution features
the new NetApp AFF A220 running ONTAP 9.4, dual Cisco Nexus 3172P switches, and Cisco UCS C220
M5 rack servers that run VMware vSphere 6.7. This validated solution uses 10GbE technology. Guidance
is also provided on how to scale compute capacity by adding two hypervisor nodes at a time so that the
FlexPod Express architecture can adapt to an organization’s evolving business needs.
Figure 2) FlexPod Express with VMware vSphere 10GbE architecture.
2.4 Use Case Summary

The FlexPod Express solution can be applied to several use cases, including the following:
• Remote offices or branch offices
• Small and midsize businesses
• Environments that require a dedicated and cost-effective solution
FlexPod Express is best suited for virtualized and mixed workloads.
3 Technology Requirements
A FlexPod Express system requires a combination of hardware and software components. FlexPod
Express also describes the hardware components that are required to add hypervisor nodes to the
system in units of two.
3.1 Hardware Requirements

Regardless of the hypervisor chosen, all FlexPod Express configurations use the same hardware.
Therefore, even if business requirements change, either hypervisor can run on the same FlexPod
Express hardware.
Table 1 lists the hardware components that are required for all FlexPod Express configurations.
Table 1) Hardware requirements for the base configuration.
Hardware Quantity
AFF A220 HA Pair 1
Cisco C220 M5 server 2
Cisco Nexus 3172P switch 2
Cisco UCS virtual interface card (VIC) 1387 for the 2

C220 M5 server
Table 2 lists the hardware that is required in addition to the base configuration for implementing 10GbE.
Table 2) Hardware for scaling the solution by adding two hypervisor nodes.
Hardware Quantity
Cisco UCS C220 M5 server 2
Cisco VIC 1387 2
3.2 Software Requirements

Table 3 lists the software components that are required to implement the architectures of the FlexPod
Express solutions.
Table 3) Software requirements for the base FlexPod Express implementation.
Software Version Details

Cisco Integrated Management 3.1(3g) For Cisco UCS C220 M5 rack servers
Controller (CIMC)
Cisco enic driver 1.0.16.0 For VIC 1387 interface cards
Cisco NX-OS nxos.7.0.3.I7.5.bin For Cisco Nexus 3172P switches
NetApp ONTAP 9.4 For AFF A220 controllers
Table 4 lists the software that is required for all VMware vSphere implementations on FlexPod Express.
Table 4) Software requirements for a VMware vSphere implementation.
Software Version
VMware vCenter server appliance 6.7
VMware vSphere ESXi hypervisor 6.7
NetApp VAAI Plug-In for ESXi 1.1.2
4 FlexPod Express Cabling Information

The reference of validation documented is cabled as shown in Figure 3 and Tables 5 through 8.
Figure 3) Reference validation cabling.
Table 5) Cabling information for Cisco Nexus switch 3172P A.
Local Device Local Port Remote Device Remote Port

Cisco Nexus Eth1/1 NetApp AFF A220 storage controller A e0c
switch 3172P A
Eth1/2 NetApp AFF A220 storage controller B e0c
Eth1/3 Cisco UCS C220 C-Series standalone server A MLOM1
Eth1/4 Cisco UCS C220 C-Series standalone server B MLOM1
Eth1/25 Cisco Nexus switch 3172P B Eth1/25
Eth1/26 Cisco Nexus switch 3172P B Eth1/26
Eth1/33 NetApp AFF A220 storage controller A e0M
Eth1/34 Cisco UCS C220 C-Series standalone server A CIMC
Table 6) Cabling information for Cisco Nexus switch 3172P B.

Cisco Nexus Eth1/1 NetApp AFF A220 storage controller A e0d
switch 3172P B
Eth1/2 NetApp AFF A220 storage controller B e0d
Eth1/3 Cisco UCS C220 C-Series standalone server A MLOM2
Eth1/4 Cisco UCS C220 C-Series standalone server B MLOM2
Eth1/25 Cisco Nexus switch 3172P A Eth1/25
Eth1/26 Cisco Nexus switch 3172P A Eth1/26
Eth1/33 NetApp AFF A220 storage controller B e0M
Eth1/34 Cisco UCS C220 C-Series standalone server B CIMC
Table 7) Cabling information for NetApp AFF A220 storage controller A.

NetApp AFF e0a NetApp AFF A220 storage controller B e0a
A220 storage
controller A e0b NetApp AFF A220 storage controller B e0b
e0c Cisco Nexus switch 3172P A Eth1/1
e0d Cisco Nexus switch 3172P B Eth1/1
e0M Cisco Nexus switch 3172P A Eth1/33
Table 8) Cabling information for NetApp AFF A220 storage controller B.

NetApp AFF e0a NetApp AFF A220 storage controller A e0a
A220 storage
controller B e0b NetApp AFF A220 storage controller A e0b
e0c Cisco Nexus switch 3172P A Eth1/2
e0d Cisco Nexus switch 3172P B Eth1/2
e0M Cisco Nexus switch 3172P B Eth1/33
5 Deployment Procedures
This document provides details for configuring a fully redundant, highly available FlexPod Express
system. To reflect this redundancy, the components being configured in each step are referred to as
either component A or component B. For example, controller A and controller B identify the two NetApp
storage controllers that are provisioned in this document. Switch A and switch B identify a pair of Cisco
Nexus switches.
In addition, this document describes steps for provisioning multiple Cisco UCS hosts, which are identified
sequentially as server A, server B, and so on.
To indicate that you should include information pertinent to your environment in a step, <<text>>
appears as part of the command structure. See the following example for the vlan create command:
Controller01>vlan create vif0 <<mgmt_vlan_id>>
This document enables you to fully configure the FlexPod Express environment. In this process, various
steps require you to insert customer-specific naming conventions, IP addresses, and virtual local area
network (VLAN) schemes. Table 9 describes the VLANs required for deployment, as outlined in this
guide. This table can be completed based on the specific site variables and used to implement the
document configuration steps.
Note: If you use separate in-band and out-of-band management VLANs, you must create a layer 3
route between them. For this validation, a common management VLAN was used.
Table 9) Required VLANs.

ID Used in Validating
AN Name VLAN Purpose
This Document
Management VLAN VLAN for management interfaces 3437
VLAN to which untagged frames are 2
Native VLAN
assigned
NFS VLAN VLAN for NFS traffic 3438
VLAN designated for the movement of 3441
VMware vMotion VLAN virtual machines from one physical host to
another
Virtual machine traffic VLAN VLAN for virtual machine application traffic 3442
iSCSI-A-VLAN VLAN for iSCSI traffic on fabric A 3439
iSCSI-B-VLAN VLAN for iSCSI traffic on fabric B 3440
The VLAN numbers are needed throughout the configuration of FlexPod Express. The VLANs are
referred to as <<var_xxxx_vlan>>, where xxxx is the purpose of the VLAN (such as iSCSI-A).
Table 10 lists the VMware virtual machines created.
Table 10) VMware virtual machines created.

Virtual Machine Description Host Name
VMware vCenter Server
5.1 Cisco Nexus 3172P Deployment Procedure
The following section details the Cisco Nexus 3172P switch configuration used in a FlexPod Express
environment.
Initial Setup of Cisco Nexus 3172P Switch

The following procedures describe how to configure the Cisco Nexus switches for use in a base FlexPod
Express environment.
Note: This procedure assumes that you are using a Cisco Nexus 3172P running NX-OS software
release 7.0(3)I7(5).
1. Upon initial boot and connection to the console port of the switch, the Cisco NX-OS setup
automatically starts. This initial configuration addresses basic settings, such as the switch name, the
mgmt0 interface configuration, and Secure Shell (SSH) setup.
2. The FlexPod Express management network can be configured in multiple ways. The mgmt0
interfaces on the 3172P switches can be connected to an existing management network, or the
mgmt0 interfaces of the 3172P switches can be connected in a back-to-back configuration. However,
this link cannot be used for external management access such as SSH traffic.
Note: In this deployment guide, the FlexPod Express Cisco Nexus 3172P switches are connected to an
existing management network.
3. To configure the Cisco Nexus 3172P switches, power on the switch and follow the on-screen
prompts, as illustrated here for the initial setup of both the switches, substituting the appropriate
values for the switch-specific information.
This setup utility will guide you through the basic configuration of
the system. Setup configures only enough connectivity for management
of the system.
*Note: setup is mainly used for configuring the system initially,

when no configuration is present. So setup always assumes system
defaults and not the current system configuration values.
Press Enter at anytime to skip a dialog. Use ctrl-c at anytime

to skip the remaining dialogs.
Would you like to enter the basic configuration dialog (yes/no): y
Do you want to enforce secure password standard (yes/no) [y]: y
Create another login account (yes/no) [n]: n
Configure read-only SNMP community string (yes/no) [n]: n
Configure read-write SNMP community string (yes/no) [n]: n
Enter the switch name : 3172P-B
Continue with Out-of-band (mgmt0) management configuration? (yes/no) [y]: y
Mgmt0 IPv4 address : <<var_switch_mgmt_ip>>
Mgmt0 IPv4 netmask : <<var_switch_mgmt_netmask>>
Configure the default gateway? (yes/no) [y]: y
IPv4 address of the default gateway : <<var_switch_mgmt_gateway>>
Configure advanced IP options? (yes/no) [n]: n
Enable the telnet service? (yes/no) [n]: n
Enable the ssh service? (yes/no) [y]: y
Type of ssh key you would like to generate (dsa/rsa) [rsa]: rsa
Number of rsa key bits <1024-2048> [1024]: <enter>
Configure the ntp server? (yes/no) [n]: y
NTP server IPv4 address : <<var_ntp_ip>>
Configure default interface layer (L3/L2) [L2]: <enter>
Configure default switchport interface state (shut/noshut) [noshut]: <enter>
Configure CoPP system profile (strict/moderate/lenient/dense) [strict]: <enter>
4. You then see a summary of your configuration, and you are asked if you would like to edit it. If your
configuration is correct, enter n.
Would you like to edit the configuration? (yes/no) [n]: n
5. You are then asked if you would like to use this configuration and save it. If so, enter y.
Use this configuration and save it? (yes/no) [y]: Enter
6. Repeat this procedure for Cisco Nexus switch B.
Enable Advanced Features

Certain advanced features must be enabled in Cisco NX-OS to provide additional configuration options.
Note: The interface-vlan feature is required only if you use the back-to-back mgmt0 option
described throughout this document. This feature allows you to assign an IP address to the
interface VLAN (switch virtual interface), which enables in-band management communication to
the switch (such as through SSH).
1. To enable the appropriate features on Cisco Nexus switch A and switch B, enter configuration mode
using the command (config t) and run the following commands:
feature interface-vlan
feature lacp
feature vpc
Note: The default port channel load-balancing hash uses the source and destination IP addresses to
determine the load-balancing algorithm across the interfaces in the port channel. You can achieve
better distribution across the members of the port channel by providing more inputs to the hash
algorithm beyond the source and destination IP addresses. For the same reason, NetApp highly
recommends adding the source and destination TCP ports to the hash algorithm.
2. From configuration mode (config t), enter the following commands to set the global port channel
load-balancing configuration on Cisco Nexus switch A and switch B:
port-channel load-balance src-dst ip-l4port
Perform Global Spanning-Tree Configuration

The Cisco Nexus platform uses a new protection feature called bridge assurance. Bridge assurance helps
protect against a unidirectional link or other software failure with a device that continues to forward data
traffic when it is no longer running the spanning-tree algorithm. Ports can be placed in one of several
states, including network or edge, depending on the platform.
NetApp recommends setting bridge assurance so that all ports are considered to be network ports by
default. This setting forces the network administrator to review the configuration of each port. It also
reveals the most common configuration errors, such as unidentified edge ports or a neighbor that does
not have the bridge assurance feature enabled. In addition, it is safer to have the spanning tree block
many ports rather than too few, which allows the default port state to enhance the overall stability of the
network.
Pay close attention to the spanning-tree state when adding servers, storage, and uplink switches,
especially if they do not support bridge assurance. In such cases, you might need to change the port type
to make the ports active.
The Bridge Protocol Data Unit (BPDU) guard is enabled on edge ports by default as another layer of
protection. To prevent loops in the network, this feature shuts down the port if BPDUs from another switch
are seen on this interface.
From configuration mode (config t), run the following commands to configure the default spanning-tree
options, including the default port type and BPDU guard, on Cisco Nexus switch A and switch B:
spanning-tree port type network default
spanning-tree port type edge bpduguard default
Define VLANs
Before individual ports with different VLANs are configured, the layer 2 VLANs must be defined on the
switch. It is also a good practice to name the VLANs for easy troubleshooting in the future.
From configuration mode (config t), run the following commands to define and describe the layer 2
VLANs on Cisco Nexus switch A and switch B:
vlan <<nfs_vlan_id>>
name NFS-VLAN
vlan <<iSCSI_A_vlan_id>>
name iSCSI-A-VLAN
vlan <<iSCSI_B_vlan_id>>
name iSCSI-B-VLAN
vlan <<vmotion_vlan_id>>
name vMotion-VLAN
vlan <<vmtraffic_vlan_id>>
name VM-Traffic-VLAN
vlan <<mgmt_vlan_id>>
name MGMT-VLAN
vlan <<native_vlan_id>>
name NATIVE-VLAN
exit
Configure Access and Management Port Descriptions

As is the case with assigning names to the layer 2 VLANs, setting descriptions for all the interfaces can
help with both provisioning and troubleshooting.
From configuration mode (config t) in each of the switches, enter the following port descriptions for the
FlexPod Express large configuration:
Cisco Nexus Switch A

int eth1/1
description AFF A220-A e0c
int eth1/2
description AFF A220-B e0c
int eth1/3
description UCS-Server-A: MLOM port 0
int eth1/4
description UCS-Server-B: MLOM port 0
int eth1/25
description vPC peer-link 3172P-B 1/25
int eth1/26
description vPC perr-link 3172P-B 1/26
int eth1/33
description AFF A220-A e0M
int eth1/34
description UCS Server A: CIMC
Cisco Nexus Switch B

int eth1/1
description AFF A220-A e0d
int eth1/2
description AFF A220-B e0d
int eth1/3
description UCS-Server-A: MLOM port 1
int eth1/4
description UCS-Server-B: MLOM port 1
int eth1/25
description vPC peer-link 3172P-A 1/25
int eth1/26
description vPC perr-link 3172P-A 1/26
int eth1/33
description AFF A220-B e0M
int eth1/34
description UCS Server B: CIMC
Configure Server and Storage Management Interfaces

The management interfaces for both the server and the storage typically use only a single VLAN.
Therefore, configure the management interface ports as access ports. Define the management VLAN for
each switch and change the spanning-tree port type to edge.
From configuration mode (config t), enter the following commands to configure the port settings for the
management interfaces of both the servers and the storage:

int eth1/33-34
switchport mode access
switchport access vlan <<mgmt_vlan>>
spanning-tree port type edge
speed 1000
exit

int eth1/33-34
switchport mode access
switchport access vlan <<mgmt_vlan>>
spanning-tree port type edge
speed 1000
exit
Perform Virtual Port Channel Global Configuration

A virtual port channel (vPC) enables links that are physically connected to two different Cisco Nexus
switches to appear as a single port channel to a third device. The third device can be a switch, server, or
any other networking device. A vPC can provide layer 2 multipathing, which allows you to create
redundancy by increasing bandwidth, enabling multiple parallel paths between nodes, and load-balancing
traffic where alternative paths exist.
A vPC provides the following benefits:
• Enabling a single device to use a port channel across two upstream devices
• Eliminating spanning-tree protocol blocked ports
• Providing a loop-free topology
• Using all available uplink bandwidth
• Providing fast convergence if either the link or a device fails
• Providing link-level resiliency
• Helping provide high availability
The vPC feature requires some initial setup between the two Cisco Nexus switches to function properly. If
you use the back-to-back mgmt0 configuration, use the addresses defined on the interfaces and verify
that they can communicate by using the ping <<switch_A/B_mgmt0_ip_addr>>vrf management
command.
From configuration mode (config t), type the following commands to configure the vPC global
configuration for both switches:

vpc domain 1
role priority 10
peer-keepalive destination <<switch_B_mgmt0_ip_addr>> source <<switch_A_mgmt0_ip_addr>> vrf
management
peer-gateway
auto-recovery
ip arp synchronize
int eth1/25-26
channel-group 10 mode active
int Po10
description vPC peer-link
switchport
switchport mode trunk
switchport trunk native vlan <<native_vlan_id>>
switchport trunk allowed vlan <<nfs_vlan_id>>,<<vmotion_vlan_id>>, <<vmtraffic_vlan_id>>,
<<mgmt_vlan>, <<iSCSI_A_vlan_id>>, <<iSCSI_B_vlan_id>>
spanning-tree port type network
vpc peer-link
no shut
exit
copy run start

vpc domain 1
peer-switch
role priority 20
peer-keepalive destination <<switch_A_mgmt0_ip_addr>> source <<switch_B_mgmt0_ip_addr>> vrf
management
peer-gateway
auto-recovery
ip arp synchronize
int eth1/25-26
int Po10
description vPC peer-link
switchport
switchport trunk allowed vlan <<nfs_vlan_id>>,<<vmotion_vlan_id>>, <<vmtraffic_vlan_id>>,
<<mgmt_vlan>>, <<iSCSI_A_vlan_id>>, <<iSCSI_B_vlan_id>>
spanning-tree port type network
vpc peer-link
no shut
exit
copy run start
Configure Storage Port Channels
The NetApp storage controllers allow an active-active connection to the network using the Link
Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP). The use of LACP is preferred because it adds both negotiation and
logging between the switches. Because the network is set up for vPC, this approach enables you to have
active-active connections from the storage to separate physical switches. Each controller has two links to
each of the switches. However, all four links are part of the same vPC and interface group (IFGRP).
From configuration mode (config t), run the following commands on each of the switches to configure
the individual interfaces and the resulting port channel configuration for the ports connected to the
NetApp AFF controller.
1. Run the following commands on switch A and switch B to configure the port channels for storage
controller A:
int eth1/1
int Po11
description vPC to Controller-A
switchport
switchport trunk allowed vlan <<nfs_vlan_id>>,<<mgmt_vlan_id>>,<<iSCSI_A_vlan_id>>,
<<iSCSI_B_vlan_id>>
spanning-tree port type edge trunk
mtu 9216
vpc 11
no shut
2. Run the following commands on switch A and switch B to configure the port channels for storage
controller B.
int eth1/2
int Po12
description vPC to Controller-B
switchport
switchport trunk allowed vlan <<nfs_vlan_id>>,<<mgmt_vlan_id>>, <<iSCSI_A_vlan_id>>,
<<iSCSI_B_vlan_id>>
mtu 9216
vpc 12
no shut
exit
copy run start
3. (Optional) Jumbo frames can be configured throughout the network to enable any applications and
operating systems to transmit these larger frames without fragmentation. If using jumbo frames, both
the endpoints and all the interfaces between the endpoints (layer 2 and layer 3) must support and be
configured for jumbo frames to prevent performance problems caused by fragmenting frames.
Although jumbo frames are configured for this workload, it is optional because few applications do not
support it.
Configure Server Connections

The Cisco UCS servers have a two-port virtual interface card, VIC1387, that is used for data traffic and
booting of the ESXi operating system using iSCSI. These interfaces are configured to fail over to one
another, providing additional redundancy beyond a single link. Spreading these links across multiple
switches enables the server to survive even a complete switch failure.
From configuration mode (config t), type the following commands to configure the port settings for the
interfaces connected to each server.
Cisco Nexus Switch A: Cisco UCS Server-A and Cisco UCS Server-B Configuration
int eth1/3-4
switchport trunk allowed vlan
<<iSCSI_A_vlan_id>>,<<nfs_vlan_id>>,<<vmotion_vlan_id>>,<<vmtraffic_vlan_id>>,<<mgmt_vlan_id>>
mtu9216
no shut
exit
copy run start
Cisco Nexus Switch B: Cisco UCS Server-A and Cisco UCS Server-B Configuration
int eth1/3-4
switchport trunk allowed vlan
<<iSCSI_B_vlan_id>>,<<nfs_vlan_id>>,<<vmotion_vlan_id>>,<<vmtraffic_vlan_id>>,<<mgmt_vlan_id>>
mtu 9216
no shut
exit
copy run start
Note: (Optional) Jumbo frames can be configured throughout the network to enable any applications
and operating systems to transmit these larger frames without fragmentation. If using jumbo
frames, both the endpoints and all the interfaces between the endpoints (layer 2 and layer 3)
must support and be configured for jumbo frames to prevent performance problems caused by
fragmenting frames. Although jumbo frames are configured for this workload, it is optional
because few applications do not support it.
Note: To scale the solution by adding additional Cisco UCS servers, run the previous commands with
the switch ports that the newly added servers have been plugged into on switches A and B.
Uplink into Existing Network Infrastructure

Depending on the available network infrastructure, several methods and features can be used to uplink
the FlexPod environment. If an existing Cisco Nexus environment is present, NetApp recommends using
vPCs to uplink the Cisco Nexus 3172P switches included in the FlexPod environment into the
infrastructure. The uplinks may be 10GbE uplinks for a 10GbE infrastructure solution or 1GbE for a 1GbE
infrastructure solution if required. The previously described procedures can be used to create an uplink
vPC to the existing environment. Make sure to run copy run start to save the configuration on each switch
after the configuration is completed.
5.2 NetApp Storage Deployment Procedure (Part 1)

This section describes the NetApp AFF storage deployment procedure.
NetApp Storage Controller AFF2xx Series Installation
NetApp Hardware Universe

The NetApp Hardware Universe (HWU) application provides supported hardware and software
components for any specific ONTAP version. It provides configuration information for all the NetApp
storage appliances currently supported by ONTAP software. It also provides a table of component
compatibilities.
Confirm that the hardware and software components that you would like to use are supported with the
version of ONTAP that you plan to install:
1. Access the HWU application to view the system configuration guides. Click the Controllers tab to view
the compatibility between different version of the ONTAP software and the NetApp storage
appliances with your desired specifications.
2. Alternatively, to compare components by storage appliance, click Compare Storage Systems.
Controller AFF2XX Series Prerequisites
To plan the physical location of the storage systems, see the NetApp Hardware Universe. Refer to the
following sections:
• Electrical requirements
• Supported power cords
• Onboard ports and cables
Storage Controllers
Follow the physical installation procedures for the controllers in the AFF A220 Documentation.
NetApp ONTAP 9.4
Configuration Worksheet
Before running the setup script, complete the configuration worksheet from the product manual. The
configuration worksheet is available in the ONTAP 9.4 Software Setup Guide.
Note: This system is set up in a two-node switchless cluster configuration.
Table 12) ONTAP 9.4 installation and configuration information.
Cluster Detail Cluster Detail Value

Cluster node A IP address <<var_nodeA_mgmt_ip>>
Cluster node A netmask <<var_nodeA_mgmt_mask>>
Cluster node A gateway <<var_nodeA_mgmt_gateway>>
Cluster node A name <<var_nodeA>>
Cluster node B IP address <<var_nodeB_mgmt_ip>>
Cluster node B netmask <<var_nodeB_mgmt_mask>>
Cluster node B gateway <<var_nodeB_mgmt_gateway>>
Cluster node B name <<var_nodeB>>
ONTAP 9.4 URL <<var_url_boot_software>>
Name for cluster <<var_clustername>>
Cluster management IP address <<var_clustermgmt_ip>>
Cluster B gateway <<var_clustermgmt_gateway>>
Cluster B netmask <<var_clustermgmt_mask>>
Domain name <<var_domain_name>>
DNS server IP (you can enter more than one) <var_dns_server_ip
Cluster Detail Cluster Detail Value
NTP server IP (you can enter more than one) <<var_ntp_server_ip>>
Configure Node A
To configure node A, complete the following steps:
1. Connect to the storage system console port. You should see a Loader-A prompt. However, if the
storage system is in a reboot loop, press Ctrl-C to exit the autoboot loop when you see this message:
Starting AUTOBOOT press Ctrl-C to abort…
2. Allow the system to boot.

autoboot
3. Press Ctrl-C to enter the Boot menu.

Note: If ONTAP 9.4 is not the version of software being booted, continue with the following steps to
install new software. If ONTAP 9.4 is the version being booted, select option 8 and y to reboot the
node. Then, continue with step 14.
4. To install new software, select option 7.
5. Enter y to perform an upgrade.
6. Select e0M for the network port you want to use for the download.
7. Enter y to reboot now.
8. Enter the IP address, netmask, and default gateway for e0M in their respective places.
<<var_nodeA_mgmt_ip>> <<var_nodeA_mgmt_mask>> <<var_nodeA_mgmt_gateway>>
9. Enter the URL where the software can be found.

Note: This web server must be pingable.
<<var_url_boot_software>>
10. Press Enter for the user name, indicating no user name.
11. Enter y to set the newly installed software as the default to be used for subsequent reboots.
12. Enter y to reboot the node.
Note: When installing new software, the system might perform firmware upgrades to the BIOS and
adapter cards, causing reboots and possible stops at the Loader-A prompt. If these actions occur, the
system might deviate from this procedure.
14. Select option 4 for Clean Configuration and Initialize All Disks.
15. Enter y to zero disks, reset config, and install a new file system.
16. Enter y to erase all the data on the disks.
Note: The initialization and creation of the root aggregate can take 90 minutes or more to complete,
depending on the number and type of disks attached. When initialization is complete, the storage
system reboots. Note that SSDs take considerably less time to initialize. You can continue with the
node B configuration while the disks for node A are zeroing.
17. While node A is initializing, begin configuring node B.
Configure Node B
To configure node B, complete the following steps:
1. Connect to the storage system console port. You should see a Loader-A prompt. However, if the
storage system is in a reboot loop, press Ctrl-C to exit the autoboot loop when you see this message:
Starting AUTOBOOT press Ctrl-C to abort…

autoboot
3. Press Ctrl-C when prompted.

Note: If ONTAP 9.4 is not the version of software being booted, continue with the following steps to
install new software. If ONTAP 9.4 is the version being booted, select option 8 and y to reboot the
node. Then continue with step 14.
4. To install new software, select option 7.
5. Enter y to perform an upgrade.
6. Select e0M for the network port you want to use for the download.
7. Enter y to reboot now.
8. Enter the IP address, netmask, and default gateway for e0M in their respective places.
<<var_nodeB_mgmt_ip>> <<var_nodeB_mgmt_ip>><<var_nodeB_mgmt_gateway>>
9. Enter the URL where the software can be found.

Note: This web server must be pingable.
<<var_url_boot_software>>
10. Press Enter for the user name, indicating no user name.
11. Enter y to set the newly installed software as the default to be used for subsequent reboots.
12. Enter y to reboot the node.
Note: When installing new software, the system might perform firmware upgrades to the BIOS and
adapter cards, causing reboots and possible stops at the Loader-A prompt. If these actions occur, the
system might deviate from this procedure.
14. Select option 4 for Clean Configuration and Initialize All Disks.
15. Enter y to zero disks, reset config, and install a new file system.
16. Enter y to erase all the data on the disks.
Note: The initialization and creation of the root aggregate can take 90 minutes or more to complete,
depending on the number and type of disks attached. When initialization is complete, the storage
system reboots. Note that SSDs take considerably less time to initialize.
Continuation Node A Configuration and Cluster Configuration

From a console port program attached to the storage controller A (node A) console port, run the node
setup script. This script appears when ONTAP 9.4 boots on the node for the first time.
Note: The node and cluster setup procedure has changed slightly in ONTAP 9.4. The cluster setup
wizard is now used to configure the first node in a cluster, and System Manager is used to
configure the cluster.
1. Follow the prompts to set up node A.
Welcome to the cluster setup wizard.
You can enter the following commands at any time:

"help" or "?" - if you want to have a question clarified,
"back" - if you want to change previously answered questions, and
"exit" or "quit" - if you want to quit the cluster setup wizard.
Any changes you made before quitting will be saved.
You can return to cluster setup at any time by typing "cluster setup".
To accept a default or omit a question, do not enter a value.
This system will send event messages and periodic reports to NetApp Technical
Support. To disable this feature, enter
autosupport modify -support disable
within 24 hours.
Enabling AutoSupport can significantly speed problem determination and

resolution should a problem occur on your system.
For further information on AutoSupport, see:
http://support.netapp.com/autosupport/
Type yes to confirm and continue {yes}: yes
Enter the node management interface port [e0M]:

Enter the node management interface IP address: <<var_nodeA_mgmt_ip>>
Enter the node management interface netmask: <<var_nodeA_mgmt_mask>>
Enter the node management interface default gateway: <<var_nodeA_mgmt_gateway>>
A node management interface on port e0M with IP address <<var_nodeA_mgmt_ip>> has been created.
Use your web browser to complete cluster setup by accessing

https://<<var_nodeA_mgmt_ip>>
Otherwise, press Enter to complete cluster setup using the command line
interface:
2. Navigate to the IP address of the node’s management interface.

Note: Cluster setup can also be performed by using the CLI. This document describes cluster setup
using NetApp System Manager guided setup.
3. Click Guided Setup to configure the cluster.
4. Enter <<var_clustername>> for the cluster name and <<var_nodeA>> and <<var_nodeB>> for
each of the nodes that you are configuring. Enter the password that you would like to use for the
storage system. Select Switchless Cluster for the cluster type. Enter the cluster base license.
5. You can also enter feature licenses for Cluster, NFS, and iSCSI.
6. You see a status message stating the cluster is being created. This status message cycles through
several statuses. This process takes several minutes.
7. Configure the network.
a. Deselect the IP Address Range option.
b. Enter <<var_clustermgmt_ip>> in the Cluster Management IP Address field,
<<var_clustermgmt_mask>> in the Netmask field, and <<var_clustermgmt_gateway>>
in the Gateway field. Use the … selector in the Port field to select e0M of node A.
c. The node management IP for node A is already populated. Enter <<var_nodeA_mgmt_ip>>
for node B.
d. Enter <<var_domain_name>> in the DNS Domain Name field. Enter
<<var_dns_server_ip>> in the DNS Server IP Address field.
Note: You can enter multiple DNS server IP addresses.
e. Enter <<var_ntp_server_ip>> in the Primary NTP Server field.
Note: You can also enter an alternate NTP server.
8. Configure the support information.

a. If your environment requires a proxy to access AutoSupport, enter the URL in Proxy URL.
b. Enter the SMTP mail host and email address for event notifications.
Note: You must, at a minimum, set up the event notification method before you can proceed. You can
select any of the methods.
9. When indicated that the cluster configuration has completed, click Manage Your Cluster to configure
the storage.
Continuation of Storage Cluster Configuration

After the configuration of the storage nodes and base cluster, you can continue with the configuration of
the storage cluster.
Zero All Spare Disks

To zero all spare disks in the cluster, run the following command:
disk zerospares
Set On-Board UTA2 Ports Personality
1. Verify the current mode and the current type of the ports by running the ucadmin show command.
AFF A220::> ucadmin show
Current Current Pending Pending Admin
Node Adapter Mode Type Mode Type Status
------------ ------- ------- --------- ------- --------- -----------
AFF A220_A 0c fc target - - online
AFF A220_A 0d fc target - - online
AFF A220_A 0e fc target - - online
AFF A220_A 0f fc target - - online
AFF A220_B 0c fc target - - online
AFF A220_B 0d fc target - - online
AFF A220_B 0e fc target - - online
AFF A220_B 0f fc target - - online
8 entries were displayed.
2. Verify that the current mode of the ports that are in use is cna and that the current type is set to
target. If not, change the port personality by using the following command:
ucadmin modify -node <home node of the port> -adapter <port name> -mode cna -type target
Note: The ports must be offline to run the previous command. To take a port offline, run the
following command:
network fcp adapter modify -node <home node of the port> -adapter <port name> -state down
Note: If you changed the port personality, you must reboot each node for the change to take effect.
Rename Management Logical Interfaces (LIFs)

To rename the management LIFs, complete the following steps:
1. Show the current management LIF names.
network interface show –vserver <<clustername>>
2. Rename the cluster management LIF.

network interface rename –vserver <<clustername>> –lif cluster_setup_cluster_mgmt_lif_1 –newname
cluster_mgmt
3. Rename the node B management LIF.

network interface rename -vserver <<clustername>> -lif cluster_setup_node_mgmt_lif_AFF A220_B_1 -
newname AFF A220-02_mgmt1
Set Auto-Revert on Cluster Management

Set the auto-revert parameter on the cluster management interface.
network interface modify –vserver <<clustername>> -lif cluster_mgmt –auto-revert true
Setting Up Service Processor Network Interface

To assign a static IPv4 address to the service processor on each node, run the following commands:
system service-processor network modify –node <<var_nodeA>> -address-family IPv4 –enable true –
dhcp none –ip-address <<var_nodeA_sp_ip>> -netmask <<var_nodeA_sp_mask>> -gateway
<<var_nodeA_sp_gateway>>
system service-processor network modify –node <<var_nodeB>> -address-family IPv4 –enable true –
dhcp none –ip-address <<var_nodeB_sp_ip>> -netmask <<var_nodeB_sp_mask>> -gateway
<<var_nodeB_sp_gateway>>
Note: The service processor IP addresses should be in the same subnet as the node management IP
addresses.
Enable Storage Failover in ONTAP

To confirm that storage failover is enabled, run the following commands in a failover pair:
1. Verify the status of storage failover.
storage failover show
Note: Both <<var_nodeA>> and <<var_nodeB>> must be able to perform a takeover. Go to step 3 if
the nodes can perform a takeover.
2. Enable failover on one of the two nodes.
storage failover modify -node <<var_nodeA>> -enabled true
Note: Enabling failover on one node enables it for both nodes.

3. Verify the HA status of the two-node cluster.
Note: This step is not applicable for clusters with more than two nodes.
cluster ha show
4. Go to step 6 if high availability is configured. If high availability is configured, you see the following
message upon issuing the command:
High Availability Configured: true
5. Enable HA mode only for the two-node cluster.

Note: Do not run this command for clusters with more than two nodes because it causes problems with
failover.
cluster ha modify -configured true
Do you want to continue? {y|n}: y
6. Verify that hardware assist is correctly configured and, if needed, modify the partner IP address.
storage failover hwassist show
Note: The message Keep Alive Status : Error: did not receive hwassist keep
alive alerts from partner indicates that hardware assist is not configured. Run the following
commands to configure hardware assist.
storage failover modify –hwassist-partner-ip <<var_nodeB_mgmt_ip>> -node <<var_nodeA>>
storage failover modify –hwassist-partner-ip <<var_nodeA_mgmt_ip>> -node <<var_nodeB>>
Create Jumbo Frame MTU Broadcast Domain in ONTAP

To create a data broadcast domain with an MTU of 9000, run the following commands:
broadcast-domain create -broadcast-domain Infra_NFS -mtu 9000
broadcast-domain create -broadcast-domain Infra_iSCSI-A -mtu 9000
broadcast-domain create -broadcast-domain Infra_iSCSI-B -mtu 9000
Remove Data Ports from Default Broadcast Domain

The 10GbE data ports are used for iSCSI/NFS traffic, and these ports should be removed from the default
domain. Ports e0e and e0f are not used and should also be removed from the default domain.
To remove the ports from the broadcast domain, run the following command:
broadcast-domain remove-ports -broadcast-domain Default -ports <<var_nodeA>>:e0c,
<<var_nodeA>>:e0d, <<var_nodeA>>:e0e, <<var_nodeA>>:e0f, <<var_nodeB>>:e0c, <<var_nodeB>>:e0d,
<<var_nodeA>>:e0e, <<var_nodeA>>:e0f
Disable Flow Control on UTA2 Ports

It is a NetApp best practice to disable flow control on all UTA2 ports that are connected to external
devices. To disable flow control, run the following command:
net port modify -node <<var_nodeA>> -port e0c -flowcontrol-admin none
Warning: Changing the network port settings will cause a several second interruption in carrier.
net port modify -node <<var_nodeA>> -port e0d -flowcontrol-admin none
net port modify -node <<var_nodeA>> -port e0e -flowcontrol-admin none
net port modify -node <<var_nodeA>> -port e0f -flowcontrol-admin none
net port modify -node <<var_nodeB>> -port e0c -flowcontrol-admin none
net port modify -node <<var_nodeB>> -port e0d -flowcontrol-admin none
net port modify -node <<var_nodeB>> -port e0e -flowcontrol-admin none
net port modify -node <<var_nodeB>> -port e0f -flowcontrol-admin none
Configure IFGRP LACP in ONTAP

This type of interface group requires two or more Ethernet interfaces and a switch that supports LACP.
Make sure the switch is properly configured.
From the cluster prompt, complete the following steps.
ifgrp create -node <<var_nodeA>> -ifgrp a0a -distr-func port -mode multimode_lacp
network port ifgrp add-port -node <<var_nodeA>> -ifgrp a0a -port e0c
network port ifgrp add-port -node <<var_nodeA>> -ifgrp a0a -port e0d
ifgrp create -node << var_nodeB>> -ifgrp a0a -distr-func port -mode multimode_lacp
network port ifgrp add-port -node <<var_nodeB>> -ifgrp a0a -port e0c
network port ifgrp add-port -node <<var_nodeB>> -ifgrp a0a -port e0d
Configure Jumbo Frames in NetApp ONTAP

To configure an ONTAP network port to use jumbo frames (that usually have an MTU of 9,000 bytes), run
the following commands from the cluster shell:
AFF A220::> network port modify -node node_A -port a0a -mtu 9000
Warning: This command will cause a several second interruption of service on

this network port.
AFF A220::> network port modify -node node_B -port a0a -mtu 9000
Warning: This command will cause a several second interruption of service on

this network port.
Create VLANs in ONTAP
To create VLANs in ONTAP, complete the following steps:
1. Create NFS VLAN ports and add them to the data broadcast domain.
network port vlan create –node <<var_nodeA>> -vlan-name a0a-<<var_nfs_vlan_id>>
network port vlan create –node <<var_nodeB>> -vlan-name a0a-<<var_nfs_vlan_id>>
broadcast-domain add-ports -broadcast-domain Infra_NFS -ports <<var_nodeA>>:a0a-

<<var_nfs_vlan_id>>, <<var_nodeB>>:a0a-<<var_nfs_vlan_id>>
2. Create iSCSI VLAN ports and add them to the data broadcast domain.
network port vlan create –node <<var_nodeA>> -vlan-name a0a-<<var_iscsi_vlan_A_id>>
network port vlan create –node <<var_nodeA>> -vlan-name a0a-<<var_iscsi_vlan_B_id>>
network port vlan create –node <<var_nodeB>> -vlan-name a0a-<<var_iscsi_vlan_A_id>>
network port vlan create –node <<var_nodeB>> -vlan-name a0a-<<var_iscsi_vlan_B_id>>
broadcast-domain add-ports -broadcast-domain Infra_iSCSI-A -ports <<var_nodeA>>:a0a-

<<var_iscsi_vlan_A_id>>,<<var_nodeB>>:a0a-<<var_iscsi_vlan_A_id>>
broadcast-domain add-ports -broadcast-domain Infra_iSCSI-B -ports <<var_nodeA>>:a0a-
<<var_iscsi_vlan_B_id>>,<<var_nodeB>>:a0a-<<var_iscsi_vlan_B_id>>
3. Create MGMT-VLAN ports.

network port vlan create –node <<var_nodeA>> -vlan-name a0a-<<mgmt_vlan_id>>
network port vlan create –node <<var_nodeB>> -vlan-name a0a-<<mgmt_vlan_id>>
Create Aggregates in ONTAP

An aggregate containing the root volume is created during the ONTAP setup process. To create
additional aggregates, determine the aggregate name, the node on which to create it, and the number of
disks it contains.
To create aggregates, run the following commands:
aggr create -aggregate aggr1_nodeA -node <<var_nodeA>> -diskcount <<var_num_disks>>
aggr create -aggregate aggr1_nodeB -node <<var_nodeB>> -diskcount <<var_num_disks>>
Note: Retain at least one disk (select the largest disk) in the configuration as a spare. A best practice is
to have at least one spare for each disk type and size.
Note: Start with five disks; you can add disks to an aggregate when additional storage is required.
Note: The aggregate cannot be created until disk zeroing completes. Run the aggr show command to
display the aggregate creation status. Do not proceed until aggr1_nodeA is online.
Configure Time Zone in ONTAP

To configure time synchronization and to set the time zone on the cluster, run the following command:
timezone <<var_timezone>>
Note: For example, in the eastern United States, the time zone is America/New_York. After you begin
typing the time zone name, press the Tab key to see available options.
Configure SNMP in ONTAP

To configure the SNMP, complete the following steps:
1. Configure SNMP basic information, such as the location and contact. When polled, this information is
visible as the sysLocation and sysContact variables in SNMP.
snmp contact <<var_snmp_contact>>
snmp location “<<var_snmp_location>>”
snmp init 1
options snmp.enable on
2. Configure SNMP traps to send to remote hosts.

snmp traphost add <<var_snmp_server_fqdn>>
Configure SNMPv1 in ONTAP

To configure SNMPv1, set the shared secret plain-text password called a community.
snmp community add ro <<var_snmp_community>>
Note: Use the snmp community delete all command with caution. If community strings are used
for other monitoring products, this command removes them.
Configure SNMPv3 in ONTAP

SNMPv3 requires that you define and configure a user for authentication. To configure SNMPv3,
complete the following steps:
1. Run the security snmpusers command to view the engine ID.
2. Create a user called snmpv3user.
security login create -username snmpv3user -authmethod usm -application snmp
3. Enter the authoritative entity's engine ID and select md5 as the authentication protocol.
4. Enter an eight-character minimum-length password for the authentication protocol when prompted.
5. Select des as the privacy protocol.
6. Enter an eight-character minimum-length password for the privacy protocol when prompted.
Configure AutoSupport HTTPS in ONTAP

The NetApp AutoSupport tool sends support summary information to NetApp through HTTPS. To
configure AutoSupport, run the following command:
system node autosupport modify -node * -state enable –mail-hosts <<var_mailhost>> -transport
https -support enable -noteto <<var_storage_admin_email>>
Create a Storage Virtual Machine

To create an infrastructure storage virtual machine (SVM), complete the following steps:
1. Run the vserver create command.
vserver create –vserver Infra-SVM –rootvolume rootvol –aggregate aggr1_nodeA –rootvolume-
security-style unix
2. Add the data aggregate to the infra-SVM aggregate list for the NetApp VSC.
vserver modify -vserver Infra-SVM -aggr-list aggr1_nodeA,aggr1_nodeB
3. Remove the unused storage protocols from the SVM, leaving NFS and iSCSI.
vserver remove-protocols –vserver Infra-SVM -protocols cifs,ndmp,fcp
4. Enable and run the NFS protocol in the infra-SVM SVM.

nfs create -vserver Infra-SVM -udp disabled
5. Turn on the SVM vstorage parameter for the NetApp NFS VAAI plug-in. Then, verify that NFS has
been configured.
vserver nfs modify –vserver Infra-SVM –vstorage enabled
vserver nfs show
Note: Commands are prefaced by vserver in the command line because storage virtual machines
were previously called servers.
Configure NFSv3 in ONTAP

Table 11 lists the information needed to complete this configuration.
Table 11) Information required for NFS configuration.
Detail Detail Value

ESXi host A NFS IP address <<var_esxi_hostA_nfs_ip>>
ESXi host B NFS IP address <<var_esxi_hostB_nfs_ip>>
To configure NFS on the SVM, run the following commands:

1. Create a rule for each ESXi host in the default export policy.
2. For each ESXi host being created, assign a rule. Each host has its own rule index. Your first ESXi
host has rule index 1, your second ESXi host has rule index 2, and so on.
vserver export-policy rule create –vserver Infra-SVM -policyname default –ruleindex 1 –protocol
nfs -clientmatch <<var_esxi_hostA_nfs_ip>> -rorule sys –rwrule sys -superuser sys –allow-suid
false
vserver export-policy rule create –vserver Infra-SVM -policyname default –ruleindex 2 –protocol
nfs -clientmatch <<var_esxi_hostB_nfs_ip>> -rorule sys –rwrule sys -superuser sys –allow-suid
false
vserver export-policy rule show
3. Assign the export policy to the infrastructure SVM root volume.

volume modify –vserver Infra-SVM –volume rootvol –policy default
Note: The NetApp VSC automatically handles export policies if you choose to install it after vSphere
has been set up. If you do not install it, you must create export policy rules when additional Cisco
UCS C-Series servers are added.
Creating iSCSI Service in ONTAP

To create the iSCSI service, complete the following step:
1. Create the iSCSI service on the SVM. This command also starts the iSCSI service and sets the iSCSI
IQN for the SVM. Verify that iSCSI has been configured.
iscsi create -vserver Infra-SVM
iscsi show
Creating Load-Sharing Mirror of SVM Root Volume in ONTAP

1. Create a volume to be the load-sharing mirror of the infrastructure SVM root volume on each node.
volume create –vserver Infra_Vserver –volume rootvol_m01 –aggregate aggr1_nodeA –size 1GB –type
DP
volume create –vserver Infra_Vserver –volume rootvol_m02 –aggregate aggr1_nodeB –size 1GB –type
DP
2. Create a job schedule to update the root volume mirror relationships every 15 minutes.
job schedule interval create -name 15min -minutes 15
3. Create the mirroring relationships.

snapmirror create -source-path Infra-SVM:rootvol -destination-path Infra-SVM:rootvol_m01 -type LS
-schedule 15min
snapmirror create -source-path Infra-SVM:rootvol -destination-path Infra-SVM:rootvol_m02 -type LS
-schedule 15min
4. Initialize the mirroring relationship and verify that it has been created.
snapmirror initialize-ls-set -source-path Infra-SVM:rootvol
snapmirror show
Configure HTTPS Access in ONTAP

To configure secure access to the storage controller, complete the following steps:
1. Increase the privilege level to access the certificate commands.
set -privilege diag
2. Generally, a self-signed certificate is already in place. Verify the certificate by running the following
command:
security certificate show
3. For each SVM shown, the certificate common name should match the DNS FQDN of the SVM. The
four default certificates should be deleted and replaced by either self-signed certificates or certificates
from a certificate authority.
Note: Deleting expired certificates before creating certificates is a best practice. Run the security
certificate delete command to delete expired certificates. In the following command, use
TAB completion to select and delete each default certificate.
security certificate delete [TAB] …
Example: security certificate delete -vserver Infra-SVM -common-name Infra-SVM -ca Infra-SVM -
type server -serial 552429A6
4. To generate and install self-signed certificates, run the following commands as one-time commands.
Generate a server certificate for the infra-SVM and the cluster SVM. Again, use TAB completion to
aid in completing these commands.
security certificate create [TAB] …
Example: security certificate create -common-name infra-svm.netapp.com -type server -size 2048 -
country US -state "North Carolina" -locality "RTP" -organization "NetApp" -unit "FlexPod" -email-
addr "abc@netapp.com" -expire-days 365 -protocol SSL -hash-function SHA256 -vserver Infra-SVM
5. To obtain the values for the parameters required in the following step, run the security
certificate show command.
6. Enable each certificate that was just created using the –server-enabled true and –client-
enabled false parameters. Again, use TAB completion.
security ssl modify [TAB] …
Example: security ssl modify -vserver Infra-SVM -server-enabled true -client-enabled false -ca
infra-svm.netapp.com -serial 55243646 -common-name infra-svm.netapp.com
7. Configure and enable SSL and HTTPS access and disable HTTP access.
system services web modify -external true -sslv3-enabled true
Warning: Modifying the cluster configuration will cause pending web service requests to be
interrupted as the web servers are restarted.
Do you want to continue {y|n}: y
system services firewall policy delete -policy mgmt -service http –vserver <<var_clustername>>
Note: It is normal for some of these commands to return an error message stating that the entry does
not exist.
8. Revert to the admin privilege level and create the setup to allow SVM to be available by the web.
set –privilege admin
vserver services web modify –name spi|ontapi|compat –vserver * -enabled true
Create a NetApp FlexVol Volume in ONTAP
To create a NetApp FlexVol® volume, enter the volume name, size, and the aggregate on which it exists.
Create two VMware datastore volumes and a server boot volume.
volume create -vserver Infra-SVM -volume infra_datastore_1 -aggregate aggr1_nodeA -size 500GB -
state online -policy default -junction-path /infra_datastore_1 -space-guarantee none -percent-
snapshot-space 0
volume create -vserver Infra-SVM -volume infra_swap -aggregate aggr1_nodeA -size 100GB -state
online -policy default -junction-path /infra_swap -space-guarantee none -percent-snapshot-space 0
-snapshot-policy none
volume create -vserver Infra-SVM -volume esxi_boot -aggregate aggr1_nodeA -size 100GB -state
online -policy default -space-guarantee none -percent-snapshot-space 0
Enable Deduplication in ONTAP

To enable deduplication on appropriate volumes, run the following commands:
volume efficiency on –vserver Infra-SVM -volume infra_datastore_1
volume efficiency on –vserver Infra-SVM -volume esxi_boot
Create LUNs in ONTAP

To create two boot LUNs, run the following commands:
lun create -vserver Infra-SVM -volume esxi_boot -lun VM-Host-Infra-A -size 15GB -ostype vmware -
space-reserve disabled
lun create -vserver Infra-SVM -volume esxi_boot -lun VM-Host-Infra-B -size 15GB -ostype vmware -
space-reserve disabled
Note: When adding an extra Cisco UCS C-Series server, an extra boot LUN must be created.
Create iSCSI LIFs in ONTAP

Table 12) Information required for iSCSI configuration.
Detail Detail Value

Storage node A iSCSI LIF01A <<var_nodeA_iscsi_lif01a_ip>>
Storage node A iSCSI LIF01A network mask <<var_nodeA_iscsi_lif01a_mask>>
Storage node A iSCSI LIF01B <<var_nodeA_iscsi_lif01b_ip>>
Storage node A iSCSI LIF01B network mask <<var_nodeA_iscsi_lif01b_mask>>
Storage node B iSCSI LIF01A <<var_nodeB_iscsi_lif01a_ip>>
Storage node B iSCSI LIF01A network mask <<var_nodeB_iscsi_lif01a_mask>>
Storage node B iSCSI LIF01B <<var_nodeB_iscsi_lif01b_ip>>
Storage node B iSCSI LIF01B network mask <<var_nodeB_iscsi_lif01b_mask>>
1. Create four iSCSI LIFs, two on each node.

network interface create -vserver Infra-SVM -lif iscsi_lif01a -role data -data-protocol iscsi -
home-node <<var_nodeA>> -home-port a0a-<<var_iscsi_vlan_A_id>> -address
<<var_nodeA_iscsi_lif01a_ip>> -netmask <<var_nodeA_iscsi_lif01a_mask>> –status-admin up –
failover-policy disabled –firewall-policy data –auto-revert false
network interface create -vserver Infra-SVM -lif iscsi_lif01b -role data -data-protocol iscsi -
home-node <<var_nodeA>> -home-port a0a-<<var_iscsi_vlan_B_id>> -address
<<var_nodeA_iscsi_lif01b_ip>> -netmask <<var_nodeA_iscsi_lif01b_mask>> –status-admin up –
network interface create -vserver Infra-SVM -lif iscsi_lif02a -role data -data-protocol iscsi -
home-node <<var_nodeB>> -home-port a0a-<<var_iscsi_vlan_A_id>> -address
<<var_nodeB_iscsi_lif01a_ip>> -netmask <<var_nodeB_iscsi_lif01a_mask>> –status-admin up –
network interface create -vserver Infra-SVM -lif iscsi_lif02b -role data -data-protocol iscsi -
home-node <<var_nodeB>> -home-port a0a-<<var_iscsi_vlan_B_id>> -address
<<var_nodeB_iscsi_lif01b_ip>> -netmask <<var_nodeB_iscsi_lif01b_mask>> –status-admin up –
network interface show
Create NFS LIFs in ONTAP

Table 13) Information required for NFS configuration.
Detail Detail Value

Storage node A NFS LIF 01 IP <<var_nodeA_nfs_lif_01_ip>>
Storage node A NFS LIF 01 network mask <<var_nodeA_nfs_lif_01_mask>>
Storage node B NFS LIF 02 IP <<var_nodeB_nfs_lif_02_ip>>
Storage node B NFS LIF 02 network mask <<var_nodeB_nfs_lif_02_mask>>
1. Create an NFS LIF.

network interface create -vserver Infra-SVM -lif nfs_lif01 -role data -data-protocol nfs -home-
node <<var_nodeA>> -home-port a0a-<<var_nfs_vlan_id>> –address <<var_nodeA_nfs_lif_01_ip>> -
netmask << var_nodeA_nfs_lif_01_mask>> -status-admin up –failover-policy broadcast-domain-wide –
firewall-policy data –auto-revert true
network interface create -vserver Infra-SVM -lif nfs_lif02 -role data -data-protocol nfs -home-
node <<var_nodeA>> -home-port a0a-<<var_nfs_vlan_id>> –address <<var_nodeB_nfs_lif_02_ip>> -
netmask << var_nodeB_nfs_lif_02_mask>> -status-admin up –failover-policy broadcast-domain-wide –
firewall-policy data –auto-revert true
network interface show
Add Infrastructure SVM Administrator

Table 14) Information required for SVM administrator addition.
Detail Detail Value

Vsmgmt IP <<var_svm_mgmt_ip>>
Vsmgmt network mask <<var_svm_mgmt_mask>>
Vsmgmt default gateway <<var_svm_mgmt_gateway>>
To add the infrastructure SVM administrator and SVM administration logical interface to the management
network, complete the following steps:
1. Run the following command:
network interface create –vserver Infra-SVM –lif vsmgmt –role data –data-protocol none –home-node
<<var_nodeB>> -home-port e0M –address <<var_svm_mgmt_ip>> -netmask <<var_svm_mgmt_mask>> -
status-admin up –failover-policy broadcast-domain-wide –firewall-policy mgmt –auto-revert true
Note: The SVM management IP here should be in the same subnet as the storage cluster management
IP.
2. Create a default route to allow the SVM management interface to reach the outside world.
network route create –vserver Infra-SVM -destination 0.0.0.0/0 –gateway <<var_svm_mgmt_gateway>>
network route show
3. Set a password for the SVM vsadmin user and unlock the user.
security login password –username vsadmin –vserver Infra-SVM
Enter a new password: <<var_password>>
Enter it again: <<var_password>>
security login unlock –username vsadmin –vserver Infra-SVM
5.3 Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Server Deployment Procedure

The following section provides a detailed procedure for configuring a Cisco UCS C-Series standalone
rack server for use in the FlexPod Express configuration.
Perform Initial Cisco UCS C-Series Standalone Server Setup for Cisco Integrated
Management Server
Complete these steps for the initial setup of the CIMC interface for Cisco UCS C-Series standalone
servers.
Table 15 lists the information needed to configure CIMC for each Cisco UCS C-Series standalone server.
Table 15) Information required for CIMC configuration.
Detail Detail Value

CIMC IP address <<cimc_ip>>
CIMC subnet mask <<cimc_netmask
CIMC default gateway <<cimc_gateway>>
Note: The CIMC version used in this validation is CIMC 2.0(13h).
All Servers
1. Attach the Cisco keyboard, video, and mouse (KVM) dongle (provided with the server) to the KVM
port on the front of the server. Plug a VGA monitor and USB keyboard into the appropriate KVM
dongle ports.
2. Power on the server and press F8 when prompted to enter the CIMC configuration.
3. In the CIMC configuration utility, set the following options:
• Network interface card (NIC) mode:
− Dedicated [X]
• IP (Basic):
− IPV4: [X]
− DHCP enabled: [ ]
− CIMC IP: <<cimc_ip>>
− Prefix/Subnet: <<cimc_netmask>>
− Gateway: <<cimc_gateway>>
• VLAN (Advanced): Leave cleared to disable VLAN tagging.
− NIC redundancy
− None: [X]
4. Press F1 to see additional settings.

• Common properties:
− Host name: <<esxi_host_name>>
− Dynamic DNS: [ ]
− Factory defaults: Leave cleared.
• Default user (basic):
− Default password: <<admin_password>>
− Reenter password: <<admin_password>>
− Port properties: Use default values.
− Port profiles: Leave cleared.
5. Press F10 to save the CIMC interface configuration.
6. After the configuration is saved, press Esc to exit.
Configure Cisco UCS C-Series Servers iSCSI Boot

In this FlexPod Express configuration, the VIC1337 is used for iSCSI boot.
Table 16 lists the information needed to configure iSCSI boot.
Note: Italicized font indicates variables that are unique for each ESXi host.
Table 16) Information required for iSCSI boot configuration.
Detail Detail Value

ESXi host initiator A name <<var_ucs_initiator_name_A>>
ESXi host iSCSI-A IP <<var_esxi_host_iscsiA_ip>>
ESXi host iSCSI-A network mask <<var_esxi_host_iscsiA_mask>>
ESXi host iSCSI A default gateway <<var_esxi_host_iscsiA_gateway>>
ESXi host initiator B name <<var_ucs_initiator_name_B>>
ESXi host iSCSI-B IP <<var_esxi_host_iscsiB_ip>>
ESXi host iSCSI-B network mask <<var_esxi_host_iscsiB_mask>>
ESXi host iSCSI-B gateway <<var_esxi_host_iscsiB_gateway>>
IP address iscsi_lif01a
IP address iscsi_lif02a
Detail Detail Value
IP address iscsi_lif01b
IP address iscsi_lif02b
Infra_SVM IQN
Boot Order Configuration

To set the boot order configuration, complete the following steps:
1. From the CIMC interface browser window, click the Server tab and select BIOS.
2. Click Configure Boot Order and then click OK.
3. Configure the following devices by clicking the device under Add Boot Device, and going to the
Advanced tab.
• Add Virtual Media
− Name: KVM-CD-DVD
− Subtype: KVM MAPPED DVD
− State: Enabled
− Order: 1
• Add iSCSI Boot.
− Name: iSCSI-A
− State: Enabled
− Order: 2
− Slot: MLOM
− Port: 0
• Click Add iSCSI Boot.
− Name: iSCSI-B
− State: Enabled
− Order: 3
− Slot: MLOM
− Port: 1
4. Click Add Device.
5. Click Save Changes and then click Close.
6. Reboot the server to boot with your new boot order.
Disable RAID Controller (If Present)

Complete the following steps if your C-Series server contains a RAID controller. A RAID controller is not
needed in the boot from SAN configuration. Optionally, you can also physically remove the RAID
controller from the server.
1. Click BIOS on the left navigation pane in CIMC.
2. Select Configure BIOS.
3. Scroll down to PCIe Slot:HBA Option ROM.
4. If the value is not already disabled, set it to disabled.
Configure Cisco VIC1387 for iSCSI Boot
The following configuration steps are for the Cisco VIC 1387 for iSCSI boot.
Create iSCSI vNICs

1. Click Add to create a vNIC.
2. In the Add vNIC section, enter the following settings:
− Name: iSCSI-vNIC-A
− MTU: 9000
− Default VLAN: <<var_iscsi_vlan_a>>
− VLAN Mode: TRUNK
− Enable PXE boot: Check
3. Click Add vNIC and then click OK.
4. Repeat the process to add a second vNIC.
a. Name the vNIC iSCSI-vNIC-B.
b. Enter <<var_iscsi_vlan_b>> as the VLAN.
c. Set the uplink port to 1.
5. Select the vNIC iSCSI-vNIC-A on the left.
6. Under iSCSI Boot Properties, enter the initiator details:

− Name: <<var_ucsa_initiator_name_a>>
− IP address: <<var_esxi_hostA_iscsiA_ip>>
− Subnet mask: <<var_esxi_hostA_iscsiA_mask>>
− Gateway: <<var_esxi_hostA_iscsiA_gateway>>
7. Enter the primary target details.

− Name: IQN number of infra-SVM
− IP address: IP address of iscsi_lif01a
− Boot LUN: 0
8. Enter the secondary target details.
− IP address: IP address of iscsi_lif02a
− Boot LUN: 0
Note: You can obtain the storage IQN number by running the vserver iscsi show command.
Note: Be sure to record the IQN names for each vNIC. You need them for a later step.
9. Click Configure iSCSI.

10. Select the vNIC iSCSI-vNIC-B and click the iSCSI Boot button located on the top of the Host
Ethernet Interfaces section.
11. Repeat the process to configure iSCSI-vNIC-B.
12. Enter the initiator details.
− Name: <<var_ucsa_initiator_name_b>>
− IP address: <<var_esxi_hostb_iscsib_ip>>
− Subnet mask: <<var_esxi_hostb_iscsib_mask>>
− Gateway: <<var_esxi_hostb_iscsib_gateway>>
13. Enter the primary target details.
− IP address: IP address of iscsi_lif01b
− Boot LUN: 0
14. Enter the secondary target details.
− IP address: IP address of iscsi_lif02b
− Boot LUN: 0
Note: You can obtain the storage IQN number by using the vserver iscsi show command.
Note: Be sure to record the IQN names for each vNIC. You need them for a later step.
15. Click Configure ISCSI.
16. Repeat this process to configure iSCSI boot for Cisco UCS server B.
Configure vNICs for ESXi

1. From the CIMC interface browser window, click Inventory and then click Cisco VIC adapters on the
right pane.
2. Under Adapter Cards, select Cisco UCS VIC 1387 and then select the vNICs underneath.
3. Select eth0 and click Properties.

4. Set the MTU to 9000. Click Save Changes.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for eth1, verifying that the uplink port is set to 1 for eth1.
Note: This procedure must be repeated for each initial Cisco UCS Server node and each additional
Cisco UCS Server node added to the environment.
5.4 NetApp AFF Storage Deployment Procedure (Part 2)
ONTAP SAN Boot Storage Setup
Create iSCSI Igroups

To create igroups, complete the following step:
Note: You need the iSCSI initiator IQNs from the server configuration for this step.
1. From the cluster management node SSH connection, run the following commands. To view the three
igroups created in this step, run the igroup show command.
igroup create –vserver Infra-SVM –igroup VM-Host-Infra-A –protocol iscsi –ostype vmware –
initiator <<var_vm_host_infra_a_iSCSI-A_vNIC_IQN>>,<<var_vm_host_infra_a_iSCSI-B_vNIC_IQN>>
igroup create –vserver Infra-SVM –igroup VM-Host-Infra-B –protocol iscsi –ostype vmware –
initiator <<var_vm_host_infra_b_iSCSI-A_vNIC_IQN>>,<<var_vm_host_infra_b_iSCSI-B_vNIC_IQN>>
Note: This step must be completed when adding additional Cisco UCS C-Series servers.
Map Boot LUNs to Igroups

To map boot LUNs to igroups, run the following commands from the cluster management SSH
connection:
lun map –vserver Infra-SVM –volume esxi_boot –lun VM-Host-Infra-A –igroup VM-Host-Infra-A –lun-id
0
lun map –vserver Infra-SVM –volume esxi_boot –lun VM-Host-Infra-B –igroup VM-Host-Infra-B –lun-id
0
Note: This step must be completed when adding additional Cisco UCS C-Series servers.
5.5 VMware vSphere 6.7 Deployment Procedure
This section provides detailed procedures for installing VMware ESXi 6.7 in a FlexPod Express
configuration. The deployment procedures that follow are customized to include the environment
variables described in previous sections.
Multiple methods exist for installing VMware ESXi in such an environment. This procedure uses the virtual
KVM console and virtual media features of the CIMC interface for Cisco UCS C-Series servers to map
remote installation media to each individual server.
Note: This procedure must be completed for Cisco UCS server A and Cisco UCS server B.
Note: This procedure must be completed for any additional nodes added to the cluster.
Log in to CIMC Interface for Cisco UCS C-Series Standalone Servers

The following steps detail the method for logging in to the CIMC interface for Cisco UCS C-Series
standalone servers. You must log in to the CIMC interface to run the virtual KVM, which enables the
administrator to begin installation of the operating system through remote media.
All Hosts
1. Navigate to a web browser and enter the IP address for the CIMC interface for the Cisco UCS C-
Series. This step launches the CIMC GUI application.
2. Log in to the CIMC UI using the admin user name and credentials.
3. In the main menu, select the Server tab.
4. Click Launch KVM Console.
5. From the virtual KVM console, select the Virtual Media tab.
6. Select Map CD/DVD.
Note: You might first need to click Activate Virtual Devices. Select Accept This Session if prompted.
7. Browse to the VMware ESXi 6.7 installer ISO image file and click Open. Click Map Device.
8. Select the Power menu and choose Power Cycle System (Cold Boot). Click Yes.
Installing VMware ESXi

The following steps describe how to install VMware ESXi on each host.
Download ESXI 6.7 Cisco Custom Image

1. Navigate to the VMware vSphere download page for custom ISOs.
2. Click Go to Downloads next to the Cisco Custom Image for ESXi 6.7 GA Install CD.
3. Download the Cisco Custom Image for ESXi 6.7 GA Install CD (ISO).
All Hosts
1. When the system boots, the machine detects the presence of the VMware ESXi installation media.
2. Select the VMware ESXi installer from the menu that appears.
The installer loads. This takes several minutes.
3. After the installer has finished loading, press Enter to continue with the installation.
4. After reading the end-user license agreement, accept it and continue with the installation by pressing
F11.
5. Select the NetApp LUN that was previously set up as the installation disk for ESXi, and press Enter to
continue with the installation.
6. Select the appropriate keyboard layout and press Enter.

7. Enter and confirm the root password and press Enter.
8. The installer warns you that existing partitions are removed on the volume. Continue with the
installation by pressing F11.
9. After the installation is complete, unmap the VMware ESXi installation image on the Virtual Media tab
of the KVM console so that the server reboots into VMware ESXi and not the installer.
10. The Virtual Media window might warn you that it is preferable to eject the media from the guest.
Because you cannot do this in this example (and the media is read-only), unmap the image anyway
by selecting Yes.
Set up VMware ESXi Host Management Networking

The following steps describe how to add the management network for each VMware ESXi host.
All Hosts
1. After the server has finished rebooting, enter the option to customize the system by pressing F2.
2. Log in with root as the login name and the root password previously entered during the installation
process.
3. Select the Configure Management Network option.
4. Select Network Adapters and press Enter.
5. Select the desired ports for vSwitch0. Press Enter.
Note: Select the ports that correspond to eth0 and eth1 in CIMC.
6. Select VLAN (optional) and press Enter.
7. Enter the VLAN ID <<mgmt_vlan_id>>. Press Enter.
8. From the Configure Management Network menu, select IPv4 Configuration to configure the IP
address of the management interface. Press Enter.
9. Use the arrow keys to highlight Set Static IPv4 address and use the space bar to select this option.
10. Enter the IP address for managing the VMware ESXi host <<esxi_host_mgmt_ip>>.
11. Enter the subnet mask for the VMware ESXi host <<esxi_host_mgmt_netmask>>.
12. Enter the default gateway for the VMware ESXi host <<esxi_host_mgmt_gateway>>.
13. Press Enter to accept the changes to the IP configuration.
14. Enter the IPv6 configuration menu.
15. Use the space bar to disable IPv6 by unselecting the Enable IPv6 (restart required) option. Press
Enter.
16. Enter the menu to configure the DNS settings.
17. Because the IP address is assigned manually, the DNS information must also be entered manually.
18. Enter the primary DNS server’s IP address <<nameserver_ip>>.
19. (Optional) Enter the secondary DNS server’s IP address.
20. Enter the FQDN for the VMware ESXi host name: <<esxi_host_fqdn>>.
21. Press Enter to accept the changes to the DNS configuration.
22. Exit the Configure Management Network submenu by pressing Esc.
23. Press Y to confirm the changes and reboot the server.
24. Log out of the VMware Console by pressing Esc.
Configure ESXi Host
You need the following information to configure each ESXi host.
Table 17) Information required for configuring ESXi hosts.
Detail Value
ESXi host name
ESXi host management IP
ESXi host management mask
ESXi host management gateway
ESXi host NFS IP
ESXi host NFS mask
ESXi host NFS gateway
ESXi host vMotion IP
ESXi host vMotion mask
ESXi host vMotion gateway
ESXi host iSCSI-A IP
ESXi host iSCSI-A mask
ESXi host iSCSI-A gateway
ESXi host iSCSI-B IP
ESXi host iSCSI-B mask
ESXi host iSCSI-B gateway
Log in to ESXi Host

1. Open the host’s management IP address in a web browser.
2. Log in to the ESXi host using the root account and the password you specified during the install
process.
3. Read the statement about the VMware Customer Experience Improvement Program. After selecting
the proper response, click OK.
Update Cisco VIC nenic If Required
Verify nenic Version

1. SSH to the ESXI host.
2. Verify the driver version by running the following command:
Esxcli software vib list | less
An output similar to the following, appears:

nenic 1.0.16.0-1OEM.650.0.0.4598673 Cisco VMwareCertified
3. If the driver needs to be updated, complete the procedures in the sections that follow
Note: The nenic version used in this configuration is 1.0.16.0. Be sure to check the Cisco UCS
hardware and software compatibility tool for information about the latest supported drivers.
Download Required Software

The following steps provide details for downloading the Cisco VIC nenic driver.
1. In a web browser, navigate to http://www.cisco.com.
2. Under Support, click Download Software.
3. Click Servers – Unified Computing.
4. Click UCS Virtual Interface Card.
5. Click UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Standalone Server Software in the select product screen.
6. Select your server model.
7. Select Unified Computing System (UCS) Drivers.
8. Download the VMware drivers.
Note: You must sign in to Cisco.com to download the drivers.
Note: The drivers for the Cisco UCS C220 M5 are currently located at
https://software.cisco.com/download/home/286318809/type/283853158/release/4.0%25281%252
9.
Installing the Updated Cisco VIC eNIC Drivers
All Hosts
To load the updated versions of the eNIC driver for the Cisco VIC, follow these steps for all the hosts from
the vSphere Client:
1. Click datastore1 in the left navigation pane.
2. Click Datastore browser in the right pane.
3. Select Upload in the datastore browser and upload the vSphere Installation Bundle (VIB) file.
4. Using SSH, connect to the management IP ESXi host. Enter root for the user name and enter the root
password.
Note: You must start the SSH service by navigating to Manage in the left navigation pane and then
clicking services. Right-click the Tech Support Mode (TSM) and TSM-SSH services and select Start
to start the services. Be sure to stop them when you are finished.
5. Run the following commands on each host:

esxcli software vib update -d /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/<<driver_name>>.zip
6. A message appears indicating that the update has completed successfully and a reboot is required.
You can also see the name of the VIB removed and the VIB installed.
7. Run the following command to reboot the host:
reboot
Configure iSCSI Boot

1. Select Networking on the left.
2. On the right, select the Virtual Switches tab.
3. Click iScsiBootvSwitch.
4. Select Edit settings.
5. Change the MTU to 9000 and click Save.
6. Click Networking in the left navigation pane to return to the Virtual Switches tab.
7. Click Add Standard Virtual Switch.
8. Provide the name iScsiBootvSwitch-B for the vSwitch name.
− Set the MTU to 9000.
− Select vmnic3 from the Uplink 1 options.
− Click Add.
Note: Vmnic2 and vmnic3 are used for iSCSI boot in this configuration. If you have additional NICs in
your ESXi host, you might have different vmnic numbers. To confirm which NICs are used for iSCSI
boot, match the MAC addresses on the iSCSI vNICs in CIMC to the vmnics in ESXi.
9. In the center pane, select the VMkernel NICs tab.
10. Select Add VMkernel NIC.
a. Specify a new port group name of iScsiBootPG-B.
b. Select iScsiBootvSwitch-B for the virtual switch.
c. Enter <<iscsib_vlan_id>> for the VLAN ID.
d. Change the MTU to 9000.
e. Expand IPv4 Settings.
f. Select Static Configuration.
g. Enter <<var_hosta_iscsib_ip>> for Address.
h. Enter <<var_hosta_iscsib_mask>> for Subnet Mask.
i. Click Create.
Configure iSCSI Multipathing
To set up iSCSI multipathing on the ESXi hosts, complete the following steps:
1. Select Storage in the left navigation pane. Click Adapters.
2. Select the iSCSI software adapter and click Configure iSCSI.
3. Under Dynamic Targets, click Add Dynamic Target.
4. Enter the IP address iscsi_lif01a.

a. Repeat with the IP addresses iscsi_lif01b, iscsi_lif02a, and iscsi_lif02b.
b. Click Save Configuration.
Note: You can find the iSCSI LIF IP addresses by running the network interface show command
on the NetApp cluster or by looking at the Network Interfaces tab in OnCommand® System
Manager.
Configure ESXi Host

1. In the left navigation pane, select Networking.
2. Select vSwitch0.
3. Select Edit Settings.

4. Change the MTU to 9000.
5. Expand NIC Teaming and verify that both vmnic0 and vmnic1 are set to active.
Configure Port Groups and VMkernel NICs

1. In the left navigation pane, select Networking.
2. Right-click the Port Groups tab.
3. Right-click VM Network and select Edit. Change the VLAN ID to <<var_vm_traffic_vlan>>.
4. Click Add Port Group.
a. Name the port group MGMT-Network.
b. Enter <<mgmt_vlan>> for the VLAN ID.
c. Make sure that vSwitch0 is selected.
d. Click Add.
5. Click the VMkernel NICs tab.

a. Select New Port Group.
b. Name the port group NFS-Network.
c. Enter <<nfs_vlan_id>> for the VLAN ID.
g. Enter <<var_hosta_nfs_ip>> for Address.
h. Enter <<var_hosta_nfs_mask>> for Subnet Mask.
i. Click Create.
7. Repeat this process to create the vMotion VMkernel port.
a. Select New Port Group.
b. Name the port group vMotion.
c. Enter <<vmotion_vlan_id>> for the VLAN ID.
g. Enter <<var_hosta_vmotion_ip>> for Address.
h. Enter <<var_hosta_vmotion_mask>> for Subnet Mask.
i. Make sure that the vMotion checkbox is selected after IPv4 Settings.
Note: There are many ways to configure ESXi networking, including by using the VMware vSphere
distributed switch if your licensing allows it. Alternative network configurations are supported in
FlexPod Express if they are required to meet business requirements.
Mount First Datastores

The first datastores to be mounted are the infra_datastore_1 datastore for virtual machines and the
infra_swap datastore for virtual machine swap files.
1. Click Storage in the left navigation pane, and then click New Datastore.
2. Select Mount NFS Datastore.
3. Next, enter the following information in the Provide NFS Mount Details screen:
− Name: infra_datastore_1
− NFS server: <<var_nodea_nfs_lif>>
− Share: /infra_datastore_1
− Make sure that NFS 3 is selected.
4. Click Finish. You can see the task completing in the Recent Tasks pane.
5. Repeat this process to mount the infra_swap datastore:
− Name: infra_swap
− NFS server: <<var_nodea_nfs_lif>>
− Share: /infra_swap
− Make sure that NFS 3 is selected.
Configure NTP
To configure NTP for an ESXi host, complete the following steps:
1. Click Manage in the left navigation pane. Select System in the right pane and then click Time & Date.
2. Select Use Network Time Protocol (Enable NTP Client).

3. Select Start and Stop with Host as the NTP service startup policy.
4. Enter <<var_ntp>> as the NTP server. You can set multiple NTP servers.
5. Click Save.
Move the Virtual Machine Swap-File Location
These steps provide details for moving the virtual machine swap-file location.
1. Click Manage in the left navigation pane. Select system in the right pane, then click Swap.
2. Click Edit Settings. Select infra_swap from the Datastore options.
3. Click Save.
5.6 Install VMware vCenter Server 6.7
This section provides detailed procedures for installing VMware vCenter Server 6.7 in a FlexPod Express
configuration.
Note: FlexPod Express uses the VMware vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA).
Download the VMware vCenter Server Appliance

1. Download the VCSA. Access the download link by clicking the Get vCenter Server icon when
managing the ESXi host.
2. Download the VCSA from the VMware site.

Note: Although the Microsoft Windows vCenter Server installable is supported, VMware recommends
the VCSA for new deployments.
3. Mount the ISO image.
4. Navigate to the vcsa-ui-installer> win32 directory. Double-click installer.exe.
5. Click Install.
6. Click Next on the Introduction screen.
7. Accept the end-user license agreement.
8. Select Embedded Platform Services Controller as the deployment type.
Note: If required, the External Platform Services Controller deployment is also supported as part of the
FlexPod Express solution.
9. In the Appliance Deployment Target, enter the IP address of an ESXi host you have deployed, and
the root user name and root password.
10. Set the appliance VM by entering VCSA as the VM name and the root password you would like to use
for the VCSA.
11. Select the deployment size that best fits your environment. Click Next.
12. Select the infra_datastore_1 datastore. Click Next.
13. Enter the following information in the Configure network settings screen and click Next.
a. Select MGMT-Network for Network.
b. Enter the FQDN or IP to be used for the VCSA.
c. Enter the IP address to be used.
d. Enter the subnet mask to be used.
e. Enter the default gateway.
f. Enter the DNS server.
14. On the Ready to Complete Stage 1 screen, verify that the settings you have entered are correct. Click
Finish.
The VCSA installs now. This process takes several minutes.
15. After stage 1 completes, a message appears stating that it has completed. Click Continue to begin
stage 2 configuration.
16. On the Stage 2 Introduction screen, click Next.
17. Enter <<var_ntp_id>> for the NTP server address. You can enter multiple NTP IP addresses.
Note: If you plan to use vCenter Server high availability (HA), make sure that SSH access is enabled.
18. Configure the SSO domain name, password, and site name. Click Next.
Note: Record these values for your reference, especially if you deviate from the vsphere.local domain
name.
19. Join the VMware Customer Experience Program if desired. Click Next.
20. View the summary of your settings. Click Finish or use the back button to edit settings.
21. A message appears stating that you will not be able to pause or stop the installation from completing
after it has started. Click OK to continue.
22. The appliance setup continues. This takes several minutes.
23. A message appears indicating that the setup was successful.
Note: The links that the installer provides to access vCenter Server are clickable.
5.7 Configure VMware vCenter Server 6.7 and vSphere Clustering

To configure VMware vCenter Server 6.7 and vSphere clustering, complete the following steps:
1. Navigate to https://<<FQDN or IP of vCenter>>/vsphere-client/.
2. Click Launch vSphere Client.
3. Log in with the user name administrator@vsphere.local and the SSO password you entered during
the VCSA setup process.
4. Right-click the vCenter name and select New Datacenter.
5. Enter a name for the data center and click OK.
Create vSphere Cluster

1. Right-click the newly created data center and select New Cluster.
2. Complete the following steps to create a vSphere cluster:
a. Name the cluster.
b. Enable DR and vSphere HA by selecting the checkboxes.
c. Click OK.
Add ESXi Hosts to Cluster
1. Right-click the cluster and select Add Host.
2. To add an ESXi host to the cluster, complete the following steps:

a. Enter the IP or FQDN of the host. Click Next.
b. Enter the root user name and password. Click Next.
c. Click Yes to replace the host’s certificate with a certificate signed by the VMware certificate
server.
d. Click Next on the host summary screen.
e. Click the green + symbol to add a license to the vSphere host.
Note: This step can be completed later if desired.
f. Click Next to leave lockdown mode disabled.
g. Click Next at the VM location screen.
h. Review the Ready to Complete screen. Use the back button to make any changes or select
Finish.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for Cisco UCS host B.
Note: This process must be completed for any additional hosts added to the FlexPod Express
configuration.
Configure Coredump on ESXi Hosts

1. Using SSH, connect to the management IP ESXi host, enter root for the user name, and enter the
root password.
2. Run the following commands:
esxcli system coredump network set -i ip_address_of_core_dump_collector -v vmk0 -o 6500
esxcli system coredump network set --enable=true
esxcli system coredump network check
3. The message Verified the configured netdump server is running appears after you
enter the final command.
Note: This process must be completed for any additional hosts added to FlexPod Express.
6 Conclusion
FlexPod Express provides a simple and effective solution by providing a validated design that uses
industry-leading components. By scaling through the addition of additional components, FlexPod Express
can be tailored for specific business needs. FlexPod Express was designed by keeping in mind small to
midsize businesses, ROBOs, and other businesses that require dedicated solutions.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the following people for their support and contribution to this
design:
• Paul Onofrietti Onotracy
• Arvind Ramakrishnan
Version History
Version Date Document Version History
Version 1.0 October 2018 Initial release.
Refer to the Interoperability Matrix Tool (IMT) on the NetApp Support site to validate that the exact
product and feature versions described in this document are supported for your specific environment. The
NetApp IMT defines the product components and versions that can be used to construct configurations
that are supported by NetApp. Specific results depend on each customer’s installation in accordance with
published specifications.
Copyright Information
Copyright © 2018 NetApp, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S. No part of this document covered
by copyright may be reproduced in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, taping, or storage in an electronic retrieval system—without prior
written permission of the copyright owner.
Software derived from copyrighted NetApp material is subject to the following license and disclaimer:
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY NETAPP “AS IS” AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED
WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WHICH ARE HEREBY
DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL NETAPP BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT,
INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT
LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR
PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR
OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF
THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
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NetApp assumes no responsibility or liability arising from the use of products described herein, except as
expressly agreed to in writing by NetApp. The use or purchase of this product does not convey a license
under any patent rights, trademark rights, or any other intellectual property rights of NetApp.
The product described in this manual may be protected by one or more U.S. patents, foreign patents, or
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NetApp Verified Architecture

FlexPod Express with VMware vSphere 6.7

2 Solution Overview ................................................................................................................................ 4

2.2 NetApp Verified Architecture Program ............................................................................................................5

2.3 Solution Technology .......................................................................................................................................6

2.4 Use Case Summary ........................................................................................................................................6

3 Technology Requirements .................................................................................................................. 7

3.2 Software Requirements ..................................................................................................................................7

4 FlexPod Express Cabling Information................................................................................................ 8

5 Deployment Procedures .................................................................................................................... 10

5.2 NetApp Storage Deployment Procedure (Part 1) ..........................................................................................17

5.3 Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Server Deployment Procedure ...........................................................................34

5.4 NetApp AFF Storage Deployment Procedure (Part 2) ..................................................................................43

5.5 VMware vSphere 6.7 Deployment Procedure ...............................................................................................44

5.6 Install VMware vCenter Server 6.7 ...............................................................................................................58

Version History ......................................................................................................................................... 62

2.1 FlexPod Converged Infrastructure Program

2.2 NetApp Verified Architecture Program

Figure 2) FlexPod Express with VMware vSphere 10GbE architecture.

2.4 Use Case Summary

3.1 Hardware Requirements

Table 1) Hardware requirements for the base configuration.

Cisco C220 M5 server 2

Cisco Nexus 3172P switch 2

Cisco UCS virtual interface card (VIC) 1387 for the 2

Cisco VIC 1387 2

3.2 Software Requirements

Table 3) Software requirements for the base FlexPod Express implementation.

Software Version Details

Cisco enic driver 1.0.16.0 For VIC 1387 interface cards

Cisco NX-OS nxos.7.0.3.I7.5.bin For Cisco Nexus 3172P switches

NetApp ONTAP 9.4 For AFF A220 controllers

Table 4) Software requirements for a VMware vSphere implementation.

VMware vSphere ESXi hypervisor 6.7

NetApp VAAI Plug-In for ESXi 1.1.2

4 FlexPod Express Cabling Information

Figure 3) Reference validation cabling.

Table 5) Cabling information for Cisco Nexus switch 3172P A.

Local Device Local Port Remote Device Remote Port

Eth1/3 Cisco UCS C220 C-Series standalone server A MLOM1

Eth1/4 Cisco UCS C220 C-Series standalone server B MLOM1

Eth1/26 Cisco Nexus switch 3172P B Eth1/26

Eth1/33 NetApp AFF A220 storage controller A e0M

Eth1/34 Cisco UCS C220 C-Series standalone server A CIMC

Table 6) Cabling information for Cisco Nexus switch 3172P B.

Local Device Local Port Remote Device Remote Port

Eth1/3 Cisco UCS C220 C-Series standalone server A MLOM2

Eth1/4 Cisco UCS C220 C-Series standalone server B MLOM2

Eth1/25 Cisco Nexus switch 3172P A Eth1/25

Eth1/26 Cisco Nexus switch 3172P A Eth1/26

Eth1/33 NetApp AFF A220 storage controller B e0M

Eth1/34 Cisco UCS C220 C-Series standalone server B CIMC

Table 7) Cabling information for NetApp AFF A220 storage controller A.

Local Device Local Port Remote Device Remote Port

e0c Cisco Nexus switch 3172P A Eth1/1

e0d Cisco Nexus switch 3172P B Eth1/1

e0M Cisco Nexus switch 3172P A Eth1/33

Table 8) Cabling information for NetApp AFF A220 storage controller B.

Local Device Local Port Remote Device Remote Port

e0c Cisco Nexus switch 3172P A Eth1/2

e0d Cisco Nexus switch 3172P B Eth1/2

e0M Cisco Nexus switch 3172P B Eth1/33

Table 9) Required VLANs.

Table 10) VMware virtual machines created.

Initial Setup of Cisco Nexus 3172P Switch

*Note: setup is mainly used for configuring the system initially,