Dell PowerVault DX6112 Dell DX Object Storage Platform User's Guide - Page 7

2 DX Object Storage Platform Overview Network Topologies The Dell DX Object Storage Platform network consists of one or more DX Storage Clusters connected by DX Content Router services through a network. There are many possible network topologies depending on the storage network goals. All networks share the following features: • Two or more (minimum three recommended) DX Cluster Services Nodes that provide services to the storage cluster. • Three or more DX Storage Nodes that provide data storage services. • Ethernet switches to enable required services within a storage cluster (private network) and access to the storage nodes from outside the cluster (public network). • Services such as Domain Name System (DNS) and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). NOTE: DX Storage Cluster requires a dedicated internal network to ensure that the storage cluster traffic is protected from unauthorized access. The dedicated network also ensures that the external or corporate network is isolated from both the PXE boot server and cluster multicast traffic. Single networking is not supported. The DX supports 1GbE and 10GbE network speeds. All network services required by the cluster are present in the DX Cluster Services Node software bundle, and preinstalled on the Cluster Services Node. The DX Storage Cluster is automatically configured with the defaults for all network parameters that must be sufficient for most simple configurations. All network parameters can be set manually to support more complex configurations. For more information about setting network parameters, see the DX Object Storage Getting Started Guide and the DX Object Storage Advanced Administration Guide at dell.com/support/manuals. Network switch configuration depends on both the network topology and the customer environment. To ensure proper functioning with default network parameters and to maximize cluster performance, it is recommended that you follow the best practices listed below, while configuring both the private and public network switches: • Disable Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) as the DX Object Storage Nodes bond the system NIC ports in balanced-alb modes. • Disable jumbo frames. • Disable spanning tree protocol, if the switches are not being trunked. • Disable Flow Control. • Disable IGMP snooping. NOTE: If IGMP snooping must be enabled, there must also be an IGMP querier enabled in the same network (broadcast domain). NOTE: If switches are trunked, enable spanning tree protocol and port fast on the data intensive ports. NOTE: Use of jumbo frames is not recommended. Though they are supported, changes are required to both the DX system and the network switches. Contact Dell to customize the network configurations to meet the solution requirements. For more information about configuring the network for the Dell DX Object Storage Platform, see "Network Topology" in the DX Object Storage Advanced Administration Guide at dell.com/support/manuals. 7