Users Guide

Avoiding common mistakes

To avoid common network mistakes:

1. The network prerequisites described in this document must be met; otherwise, this results in a failed

EVO:RAIL installation and/or does not function. You must fill the EVO:RAIL Network Configuration

Table.

2. If you have separate teams for network and servers in your data center, you need to work together

to design the network and configure the switch(es).

3. Read through your vendor instructions for your TOR switch.

a. Remember to configure multicast and do not block IPv6 on your TOR switch. Reread the

sections on TOR switches and VLANs in this document.

b. Remember to configure your TOR switch to allow untagged management traffic to go over a

native VLAN, unless your appliance has been customized for a specific management VLAN.

c. Remember to connect and enable the ports.

d. If you have two or more switches you must ensure that IPv4 multicast and IPv6 multicast traffic

is transported between them, as described in the VLAN section.

4. Ensure that your gateway IP address is accessible (http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2107249).

5. You must determine all static IP addresses before you can configure EVO:RAIL. You cannot change

the IP addresses after you have configured EVO:RAIL.

6. Some network configuration errors cannot be recovered from and you need Dell to reset your

appliance to factory defaults. When EVO:RAIL is reset to factory defaults, all data is lost.

7. Ensure you can reach your DNS server from the EVO:RAIL network addresses you are proposing.

Then, configure your EVO:RAIL hostnames on your DNS server.

8. Do not try to plug your management workstation or laptop directly into a server node on EVO:RAIL;

plug it into your network/TOR switch and make sure that it is logically configured to reach EVO:RAIL.

(http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2099966)

9. Remember to disable link aggregation on your TOR switch.

10. If you copy a switch configuration, either ensure that the port layout matches exactly or make the

necessary changes. For example, the layout is not the same if you move from a TOR to blades.

11. If you have configured Active Directory, NTP servers, proxy servers, or a third-party syslog server,

you must be able to reach them from the EVO:RAIL IP addresses.

12. If you are using SFP+, NIC and switch connectors and cables must be on the same wavelength.

Contact Dell for the type of SFP+ connector on your appliance.