Dell VxRail Operate flashcards
Dell VxRail Operate · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- VxRail Manager
- The virtual appliance that manages a VxRail cluster, providing the UI, REST API, vCenter plugin, and orchestration for deployment, monitoring, and lifecycle upgrades.
- Minimum cluster size
- A standard VxRail vSAN cluster requires at least three nodes; a two-node cluster requires a witness appliance for quorum and data availability.
- VxRail API session
- Authentication endpoint POST /rest/vxm/v1/session with basic credentials returns a token used in subsequent API calls; tokens expire and must be refreshed.
- vSAN health service
- A vSAN monitoring component that runs checks on disk, network, cluster, and data health, reporting failures that can block upgrades or indicate risk.
- VxRail deployment worksheet
- A pre-deployment planning document capturing management IPs, DNS/NTP, VLANs, vCenter details, and credentials required to run the VxRail deployment wizard.
- vDS default
- VxRail uses a vSphere Distributed Switch by default, with port groups created for management, vMotion, vSAN, and VM traffic during deployment.
- vSAN MTU requirement
- The vSAN network MTU must match across all hosts and physical switches; jumbo frames require end-to-end support or connectivity and health checks fail.
- Witness appliance
- A quorum device used in two-node or stretched VxRail clusters; it must be reachable from all nodes on a consistent network with matching MTU.
- Maintenance mode
- A host state used before removal or upgrade; 'Ensure Accessibility' keeps data available while 'Full Data Migration' evacuates all data for safe removal.
- VxRail upgrade bundle
- A cumulative package containing VxRail software, vSphere/vSAN version, and firmware; it must be applied along supported upgrade paths from the compatibility matrix.
- Upgrade pre-checks
- Automated validations before a VxRail upgrade, including vSAN health, free space, NTP/DNS, and alarms; failed checks block the upgrade from proceeding.
- vSphere Lifecycle Manager
- A vSphere component used for host remediation and firmware/software management; VxRail Manager coordinates with it during host upgrades in supported versions.
- Support bundle
- A collection of VxRail Manager, vCenter, and ESXi logs generated via the UI or CLI, used by Dell support to diagnose cluster issues.
- Certificate expiration
- Expired vCenter or VxRail Manager certificates cause plugin, API, and login failures; renew them before expiry using vCenter Certificate Manager or VxRail tools.
- vSAN rebuild
- The process of restoring data replicas after a host or disk failure; it requires reserved slack space and can be monitored in vSAN health and resync status.
- vCenter SSO
- The identity and authentication source for vCenter and VxRail Manager; users and permissions are managed through vCenter roles and identity sources.
- Least privilege
- An access control principle where users and API accounts receive only the permissions needed for their role, reducing risk of unauthorized changes.
- Syslog forwarding
- A configuration that sends VxRail Manager and vCenter logs to a central syslog or SIEM system for audit, compliance, and incident investigation.
- FIPS 140-2
- A cryptography validation standard; supported VxRail versions can operate in FIPS mode, which must be confirmed against the specific version documentation.
- Add Host workflow
- A VxRail Manager procedure to expand a cluster; the new host must match the VxRail version and network configuration and be validated before joining.
- NTP requirement
- VxRail Manager, vCenter, and hosts must synchronize time with reachable NTP servers; drift causes certificate, authentication, and vSAN problems.
- DNS requirement
- VxRail Manager requires a resolvable FQDN with forward and reverse DNS records; missing records break deployment, plugin registration, and certificate validation.
- VxRail plugin
- A vCenter extension installed by VxRail Manager that surfaces VxRail health, alerts, and lifecycle operations inside the vSphere Client.
- iDRAC
- The Dell out-of-band management interface on each VxRail node, used for hardware monitoring, remote console, and initial network configuration before deployment.
- VxRail Configuration Portal
- A deployment tool using the VxRail deploy service and an answer-file style input to automate factory-to-site configuration of VxRail nodes.
- CloudIQ
- A Dell cloud-based analytics service that ingests VxRail telemetry to provide capacity, performance, and health insights when registered and connected.
- vSAN slack space
- Reserved free capacity in the vSAN datastore needed to rebuild data after a failure; insufficient slack space prevents full protection and blocks some operations.
- VxRail compatibility matrix
- Dell documentation listing supported combinations of VxRail software, vSphere/vSAN versions, firmware, and hardware; upgrades must follow supported paths.
- VxRail Manager backup
- A backup of the VxRail Manager appliance configuration and database used to restore management functionality after corruption or failure.
- vSAN stretched cluster
- A configuration with two data sites and a witness site providing site-level redundancy; requires a witness host and consistent networking across sites.
- Role-based access
- A control model assigning permissions by role such as admin, operator, or viewer, applied through vCenter SSO and VxRail Manager user management.
- SNMP traps
- A monitoring integration where VxRail Manager or vCenter sends alerts to an SNMP manager for centralized event handling and notification.