Users Guide

Hardware best practices

SMB client servers

For more information about a list of the latest validated servers for SMB client communication, see Dell

Storage with Microsoft Storage Spaces Support Matrix available at Dell.com/dsmsmanuals.

Recommended switches

This solution is intended to provide high availability (HA). When integrating the solution in to your switch

infrastructure, ensure that there exists redundant network connections between the SMB clients and the

SOFS storage nodes.

SMB client communication to the storage nodes must use 10 GbE-capable switches. This solution

requires deploying two top-of-rack 10 GbE-capable switches to ensure path redundancy. You must

configure the switches for jumbo frames with the MTU frame size set to the highest MTU that the switch

supports, typically 9 KB. Also, you must enable flow control on the switch for receiving but not for data

transmission.

Management and iDRAC communication can use 1 GbE-capable switches. Dell recommends you to

deploy two 1 GbE-capable switches for redundancy, but is not required.

For more information about a list of the latest validated Dell switches for this solution, see Dell Storage

with Microsoft Storage Spaces Support Matrix available at Dell.com/dsmsmanuals.

Storage

For optimal performance and redundancy, distribute SSDs evenly between each storage enclosure.

For example,

For a 4x4 configuration with four Dell PowerVault MD3060e enclosures and 48 total SSDs, each storage

enclosure should contain 12 SSDs.