In preparation for Dell Tech World, we hosted a vSAN Chat with product experts from team vSAN and team Dell. Representing Dell, we had Aaron Buley, Global Director of HCI Engineering DellEMC for VxRail. On the VMware side, Rob Commins, Director of Strategic Marketing joined us for the hour. We discussed the integration between the VxRail Appliance and vSAN ReadyNode and covered the benefits of VxRail powered by vSAN/ PowerEdge! But we won’t spoil the chat, you can check out the full recap below. Whether you’re on your way to Dell Tech World, or you’d like more information on Dell and vSAN, this blog is a great resource.
Q1: What is VxRail? How can I benefit from utilizing VxRail in my organization?
A1: @DellEMC ‘s VxRail is the easiest way to get on the HCI train. Everything is turnkey. If you are going to #DellTechWorld, there is a HOL covering it. #vSANChat
A1: It’s the EASIEST easy button for deploying VMware powered HCI & a critical building block for a modern software-defined data center. #vSANChat Learn more here –>
(link: http://vxrail.is/everything)
“Stop looking down at your infrastructure and start looking up at your business applications!” – Aaron Buley
Q2: What’s new with VxRail? What should I be taking advantage of that I maybe don’t know about?
A2: The biggest enhancements center around performance, efficiency and more robust lifecycle management.
A2: Agreed. We’ve made a lot of updates to how LCM occurs to streamline the experience. Great news for Customers.
Q3: What is the difference between the VxRail Appliance and vSAN ReadyNode?
A3: From a VMware perspective, they are similar, but differ as two consumption models. ReadyNodes are a “build” solution with lots of flexibility, whereas VxRail is more of a “buy” solution, where everything is bundled, with automated LCM.
A3: Exactly, VxRail focuses on delivering Known Good States for your preferred vSphere level (6.0, 6.5, 6.7) & PowerEdge hardware. Take the guesswork out & Life Cycle Manage like a boss. #vSANchat As well, integration with Dell Switches reduce networking guesswork too.
Q4: How do I get the most out of my VxRail clusters and @VMwarevSphere environment? Tell me how to get my VxRail octane up!
A4: With the new performance and efficiencies I mentioned earlier, it has never been easier to push on both price and performance at the same time.
A4: For customers new to HCI, I advise starting small, note the efficiencies you gain from the new infra and operating models and leverage those to their fullest.
Q5. Can you speak to the benefits of VxRail powered by vSAN/ PowerEdge? How does the integration work?
A5: The fact that everything in the solution is all @DellTech components gives us a SIGNIFICANT advantage when it comes to integration, R&D, support, etc. NOBODY ELSE has that.
A5: There are three key elements: the software-defined storage powered by vSAN, deployment and management tools, and data protection that’s included at no additional cost.
Q6: What is VMware Cloud Foundation On VxRail? What’s in the latest release?
A6: If you’re going to @DellTechWorld, be sure to jump in the VCF of VxRail session –>
(https://delltechnologiesworldonline.com/2019/connect/sessionDetail.ww?SESSION_ID=5648)
delltechnologiesworldonline.com/2019/connect/s…
Also, jump in the Interactive Demo, now live!
(link: http://vxrail.is/vcfdemo)
A6: This new offering gives customers the industry’s first jointly engineered, hybrid cloud infrastructure stack integrated with VMware’s architecture
Q7. #DellTechWorld is only days away! How can I prepare to get the most out of it?
A7: START HYDRATING NOW!!
A7: Definitely check out the Session Catalog and block out your Wednesday evening for the entertainment. They always do it right at #DellTechWorld
Q8. If vSAN was a beer, what would it be? Tell us about New Belgium Brewing case study! @newbelgium
A8: It would simply be the best beer! Always available, easy to consume. And if it is vSAN on VxRail, then it would be easy to procure too!
A8: Because vSAN is so cool and the tools are so crisp, I think it would be a really cold New Belgium Pilsener.
(link: https://www.newbelgium.com/beer/pilsener/)
Misc Questions
Q: I get questions a lot about VxRail and traditional clusters/hardware being in the same management interface. Where can folks get more info on deploying VxRail alongside/along with other vCenter deployments?
A: vCenter Deployment Guide –> https://t.co/eZJ3ZQJ0fB?amp=1
There’s another tweet chat in your midst! Stay tuned for our monthly expert chats – the last Thursday of the month. You can always catch recaps or join in on the conversation with the #vSANChat hashtag. Have a specific topic you’d like to cover? Drop us a line and we’ll converge our experts! We’ll see you on Twitter!
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