SvHCI / HPE ProLiant DL145 Gen11 OEM Runbook
The following runbook was written for administrators wishing to deploy a new StorMagic SvHCI virtual infrastructure environment and create a highly available hyperconverged cluster using HPE ProLiant DL145 Gen11 hardware.
SvHCI deployment overview.
Expected Server Configuration
With your purchase of SvHCI on HPE via OEM, the servers will come with the SvHCI hypervisor preinstalled. The following runbook walks through the process of configuring and validating the environment once the equipment has been received.
Expected OEM server configuration - Option 1.
Expected OEM server configuration - Option 2.
Expected OEM server configuration - Option 3.
Prerequisites
- SvHCI licenses available.
- iLO license key available.
- Three IP addresses available for management.
- Storage IP schema planned.
- Witness topology planned.
- DNS A records recommended for hostname resolution.
HPE Hardware Delivery
Verify all hardware components are present and undamaged before deployment.
HPE DL145 Gen11 hardware overview.
- Install RAM, SSDs/HDDs, and additional NICs if required.
- Connect power and networking.
- Attach peripherals if not using iLO.
Rear connectivity and hardware layout.
Additional rear hardware layout.
StorMagic Networking Information
SvHCI presents synchronously mirrored block-based storage using RF2 replication. The platform uses dedicated traffic types for management, iSCSI storage access, and mirror synchronization traffic.
- Management traffic
- iSCSI storage traffic
- Mirror synchronization and live migration traffic
The use of direct attach or DAC networking can reduce switch dependency, free switch ports, and provide high speed synchronization connectivity.
Recommended networking topology.
- Broadcom BCM5719 1Gb Quad Port Base-T NIC
- Broadcom BCM57414 10Gb/25Gb SFP28
Configuring Initial iLO Access
Configure the iLO dedicated management port to allow remote browser-based access and remote ISO mounting.
- Default iLO IP: 192.168.0.120
- Default Username: Administrator
- Password located on chassis label
Initial iLO configuration.
Dedicated iLO network settings.
- Apply an iLO Advanced license.
- Navigate to Administrator → Licensing.
- Enter the provided license key.
Applying iLO licensing.
First-Boot Configuration
- Login to the SvHCI interface.
- Accept the licensing agreement.
- Apply licensing.
- Configure hostname and domain.
- Set a secure administrator password.
Initial SvHCI login.
Accepting the licensing agreement.
Applying SvHCI licensing.
Reviewing license information.
Configuring hostname and domain.
Applying a new administrator password.
Completed initial SvHCI login.
SvHCI Networking Configuration
Initial networking dashboard.
Management networking configuration.
- Create a Port Group for VM networking.
- Apply required VLAN tagging.
- Create dedicated SAN vSwitches for mirror traffic.
VM networking and VLAN configuration.
Creating SAN networking.
Creating mirror synchronization interfaces.
Completed networking configuration.
Storage Pool Configuration
- Review the automatically created storage pool.
- Rename the pool for easier identification.
- Validate local and shared storage visibility.
Initial storage pool view.
Renaming the shared storage pool.
Completed storage pool configuration.
SvHCI Witness Installation
To provide full data integrity in case of a mirrored target failure, StorMagic recommends deployment of a witness service.
The witness service acts as an arbitration service between mirrored nodes and should be deployed on an independent system outside the HA cluster.
SvHCI Cluster Creation
Once both nodes and the witness are operational, create the SvHCI cluster using the Discovery tab.
Discovery tab and cluster view.
Available nodes and witness selection.
- Select Join.
- Select the second host.
- Select the witness service.
- Click Apply.
Cluster join process.
Completed SvHCI cluster.
Post Deployment Validation
Network Connectivity Validation
- Verify iLO accessibility.
- Verify SvHCI management access.
- Validate VM network connectivity.
- Run ping and traceroute tests.
Ping diagnostics.
Traceroute diagnostics.
Network Performance Validation
Network speed test configuration.
Network speed test execution.
Network speed test results.
Network IO path test configuration.
Network IO path test results.
Storage and VM Validation
- Upload ISO images.
- Create Windows guest VMs.
- Create Linux guest VMs.
- Validate shared storage accessibility.
Validating Redundancy and Uptime
Following deployment, validate high availability functionality and ensure the environment is operating correctly under failure scenarios.
- Verify HA failover functionality.
- Review synchronization status.
- Validate witness connectivity.
- Review target statistics and performance.
Target statistics view.
Cluster health validation.
Firmware upgrade locations.
SvHCI firmware management.
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