POWERSTORE

CONCEPTS AND
FEATURES

PARTICIPANT GUIDE

PARTICIPANT GUIDE
Internal Use - Confidential
 PowerStore Concepts and Features

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 Table of Contents

PowerStore Concepts and Features .................................................................................... 2

PowerStore Introduction ........................................................................................... 3

What Is PowerStore? ........................................................................................................... 4
Use Cases for PowerStore................................................................................................... 6
PowerStore Platform Configurations .................................................................................... 8
PowerStore Clustering ......................................................................................................... 9
Scalability .......................................................................................................................... 10
PowerStore Models ............................................................................................................ 11
PowerStore Introduction Key Points ................................................................................... 12

Hardware Introduction ............................................................................................. 13

Base Enclosure .................................................................................................................. 14
Expansion Enclosure ......................................................................................................... 28
Top of Rack Switches ........................................................................................................ 30
PowerStore Hardware Key Points ...................................................................................... 36

Software Introduction .............................................................................................. 37

PowerStore Management Software ................................................................................... 38
PowerStore Manager ......................................................................................................... 40
PowerStore CLI ................................................................................................................. 43
REST API .......................................................................................................................... 45
Licensing ........................................................................................................................... 46
PowerStore Software Key Points ....................................................................................... 48

Reference Material ................................................................................................... 49

Dell EMC Online Support ................................................................................................... 50
Dell EMC PowerStore Series Product Page ....................................................................... 52
PowerStore Manager In App (Offline) Help ........................................................................ 53
SolVe Tool ......................................................................................................................... 55

PowerStore Concepts and Features

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 Appendix ................................................................................................. 57

Glossary .................................................................................................. 61

PowerStore Concepts and Features

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 PowerStore Introduction

PowerStore Concepts and Features

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 PowerStore Introduction

PowerStore Concepts and Features

PowerStore Concepts and Features

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PowerStore Introduction

PowerStore Concepts and Features

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 PowerStore Introduction

What Is PowerStore?

PowerStore is a next-generation midrange data storage solution targeted at

customers who are looking for value, flexibility, and simplicity.

 Optimized for transactional, virtualized, and hyperconverged applications

 Purpose-built all-flash Active/Active storage appliance that supports the new
Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe)communications protocol.
 Supports NVMe Solid State Drive (SSD) and NVMe Storage Class Memory
(SCM) media types for storage
 Supports NVMe NVRAM media type for cache
 Supports SAS SSDs by expansion
 Consolidates storage and virtual server environments. The PowerStore platform
design includes two major configurations:
 PowerStore T
o Can be configured for Block only or Unified (Block and File) storage
 Block uses FC and iSCSI protocols for access
 File uses NFS and SMB protocols (SDNAS) for access
 PowerStore X
o Block only storage with hypervisor installed on the system
o Uses FC and iSCSI protocols
o Capability to run customer applications on native virtual machines (VMs)
with a separate VMware license (integrated ESXi hypervisor
deployment).
 Both configurations support VMware virtual volumes (VVols)
 Flexible scale-up/down and scale-out capabilities
 Scale up: Base Enclosure and up to three Expansion Enclosures

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 Scale out: Two (up to four) Appliances (PowerStore T only in version 1)

 Integrated data efficiencies and protection

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 PowerStore Introduction

Use Cases for PowerStore

Application Application Examples Use Case

Description Examples

Healthcare Medical
and industry professionals can
applications use products from
vendors such as
MEDITECH using
PowerStore to
store patient
information to
share with other
providers.

Analyze data Products like SAP

to drive Leonardo, using
efficient PowerStore
strategies. storage, enable IT
professionals to
analyze data from
multiple sources to
solve problems.

Agile PowerStore
Deployment storage provides a
for industry- foundation for
leading applications such
platforms as Pivotal Cloud
Foundry to support
full development
life cycle.

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Services to Dell EMC Data

streamline IT Protection Suite
operations can protect data on
PowerStore to
meet ever-
changing data
growth and
governance
requirements while
protecting
workloads across
an evolving IT
landscape.

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 PowerStore Introduction

PowerStore Platform Configurations

PowerStore consist of two major configurations also called modes or personalities:

PowerStore T and PowerStore X.

PowerStore T is storage centric and provides both Block and File services. The
software stack starting with a CoreOS is deployed directly on bare metal hardware.

PowerStore X is designed to run applications and provide storage. PowerStore X

systems are Block-only storage with a hypervisor (ESXi) installed on the bare metal
and the software stack is deployed on the hypervisor. This design enables the
deployment of customer VMs and custom applications.

The basic hardware on both configurations is called a Node. A node contains the
processors and memory and is the storage processor or storage controller. Two
nodes are housed in a Base Enclosure. The nodes are configured Active-Active
(each node has access to the same storage) or high availability. You can build an
Appliance that is based on a Base Enclosure. You can add Expansion
Enclosures to each appliance for more storage capacity.

PowerStore T Architecture PowerStore X Architecture

Appliance

Base Enclosure

Node A

Node B

Core OS

ESXi

VM

Expansion Enclosure

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PowerStore Clustering

One, two, three, or four PowerStore T appliances can be connected in a cluster.

The cluster can be made up of different PowerStore T models. For example, a
PowerStore 1000 and a PowerStore 3000 can be combined in the same cluster.

In this initial release, PowerStore X can only have a one appliance cluster.

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Scalability

Appliance 3

Appliances scale
up with one or
more expansion
Appliance 2 shelves.

Appliance 1

Cluster - Scale out with appliances (PowerStore T only)

Each PowerStore configuration and model provides different performance.

PowerStore can be scaled up and scaled out.

Scaling up is adding more storage. An Appliance can be a single Base

Enclosure or a Base Enclosure with up to three Expansion Enclosures. Each
Appliance can accommodate up to 100 drives. Depending on the model, each
appliance has either 2 or 4 NVMe drives used for cache, leaving 96 drives
maximum available for data

Scaling out is to add more Base Enclosures. Scaling out increases processing
power and storage. One up to four Appliances can be grouped to form a four
appliance cluster. PowerStore T supports up to four appliances in a cluster. In this
initial release, PowerStore X only supports one appliance.

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PowerStore Models

There are ten different models available within the PowerStore platform: Five
PowerStore T models and five PowerStore X models. The higher the model
number, the more CPU cores and memory per appliance.

1000 T 3000 T 5000 T 7000 T 9000 T

1000 X 3000 5000 X 7000 X 9000

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PowerStore Introduction Key Points

The PowerStore series midrange storage solution includes:

1. PowerStore T, configured for block only or block and file storage.
2. PowerStore X, configured for block storage with hypervisor.
3. Both PowerStore T and PowerStore X come in 1000, 3000, 5000, 7000, and
9000 models. The bigger the number, the faster the processor and better
performance.
4. PowerStore appliances are made up of a base enclosure and up to three
optional expansion enclosures.

a. For PowerStore T, up to four appliances are allowed in a cluster.

b. For PowerStore X, only one appliance is allowed in a cluster.

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Hardware Introduction

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Base Enclosure

PowerStore Models

PowerStore is a flexible design built to meet the requirements of different storage

applications with support for high availability. The PowerStore platform design
includes two major configurations: PowerStore T and PowerStore X. The table
displays the available models and specifications for each platform.

There are ten different models within the PowerStore product line: Five
PowerStore T models and five PowerStore X models. The higher the model
number, the more CPU cores and memory per system. PowerStore systems
consist of nodes, one or more base enclosures, one or more expansion enclosures,
and appliances. Click here to see expected performance and capability from each
model.

For high availability, PowerStore systems have:

 Two redundant power supplies

 Multiple redundant network ports with system bond
 Two redundant nodes
 RAID-protected disk drives

PowerStore T systems support clusters of up to four appliances for:

 Constant uptime with intracluster migrations
 Scale up
 Simplified management
 Automatic data placement

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Base Enclosure Hardware

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Front Components

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Node Modular Design

Here is the top view of a node with the cover removed. Note the modular
design. The Link Control Card (LCC) Board interfaces between the CPU Board and
the NVMe drives. The CPU Board contains the CPUs, Memory, and M.2 modules.
The I/O Personality Module (Embedded Module) interfaces between the CPU
Board and the enclosure I/O connections (Embedded SAS, Service, Management,
etc.)

Also, there is a Midplane (not shown). The Midplane sits between the front and
back of the enclosure and separates the front-facing drives from the rear-facing
nodes. It distributes power and signals to all components in the enclosure. On the
front of the base enclosure, drives plug directly into the Midplane connections. On
the back of the base enclosure, the nodes, power supply modules, and I/O module
plug directly into the Midplane connections.

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LCC Board

CPU Board

Embedded
Module

Important: The CPU Board, LCC and the Midplane are not CRUs or
FRUs. They are internal to a node.
The Embedded Module is also called the I/O Personality Module
(IOPM).

Node Internal Component Locations

The locations of the internal components are shown here.

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Seven (7) Fans

Internal Battery Backup Module

Two (2) CPUs

Two (2) M.2 Devices

24 DIMM Slots

4-Port Mezz Card

Two (2) I/O Module Slots

Power Supply Slot

Double-click to enlarge image

Node Internal Components

Dual Inline Memory Modules

Each node has twenty-four, 288-pin dual inline memory module (DIMM) sockets to
support up to 24 DDR4 DIMM. The maximum memory varies for each model of
PowerStore. Memory upgrades, such as upgrading from 192 GB to 576 GB, are
not supported.

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Internal Battery Backup Module

Each node includes a Lithium-ion (Li-ion) internal battery that powers the
associated node in the event of a power event.

Internal M.2 Modules

The CPU Board on each node has two slots for two internal M.2 modules, also
called M.2 SSD or disk modules. The primary M.2 240-GB SSD module is the
primary boot device. It contains the base OS and storage system software. It
also holds the root filesystem and log files (main core dumps and data
collects).

The secondary M.2 120-GB module has a number of partitions, one of which stores
an image file used for recovering or reimaging the primary M.2 disk. Other
partitions on the secondary M.2 include flag files (i.e. D@RE), certificate files,
backup files, firmware repository, as well as a secondary location for core
dumps and data collects.

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Fan Modules

Two fans are assembled into one fan module. There are seven customer-
replaceable fan modules within each node. The fan modules provide continuous
airflow through the front drives and out the back of the node to keep the
components at optimal operating temperatures. The BMC monitors the overall
thermals for the system and adjust the fan speeds as necessary.

A node can run with a single fan failure. If this happens the critical temperature
threshold is reduced from 50 to 45 degrees Celsius and all fans run at maximum
speed. The node performs a protective thermal shutdown if two cooling modules
fault within the same node. Replacing fan units requires a node shutdown.

Power Supplies

There are two models of power supplies used to meet the system power
requirements of the each model of PowerStore, 1800W, and 2200W. Higher CPU
configurations draw more power, and therefore require a more powerful power
supply. You should not mix power supply types in a Base Enclosure. The required
input voltage to the power supplies is 220–240v (High Line Power). Customers with
110v (Low Line Power) must provide 220–240v or use step-up transformers.

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The LEDs and meaning are shown in the table.

AC
Power
DC
Power
Fault

LED State Description

AC power (Input) Green AC power is on.

Off AC power is off.
Verify power
source

DC power (output) Green DC power is on.

Off DC power is off.
Verify power
source

Fault Solid Amber Power supply or

Blinking Amber backup fault.
Off Check cable
connection.
BIOS, POST, and
OS starting up or
system
overheating.
No fault.

Drive Slots

 The Base Enclosure supports only NVMe devices with twenty-five (25) slots that
are labeled Slots 0 to 24.

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 SAS SSDs can only be added to Expansion Enclosures.

 The Base Enclosure contains a combination of NVMe data drives and NVMe
NVRAM devices.
 Base enclosure data drives are for data storage and must be all NVMe SSD or
all NVMe SCM. You cannot mix NVMe SSD and NVMe SCM drive types in
the same Base Enclosure. A minimum of 6 data drives must be used.
 The last two or four slots (dependent on the model) must be populated with
NVMe NVRAM devices and are used for write cache and vaulting.

 Slots 0 through 20 are reserved for data drives for all PowerStore models.
 Slots 21 through 24 are reserved for NVMe NVRAM devices for all
PowerStore models.
 On the PowerStore 1000 and 3000 models the last two slots (23 and 24) are
populated with two (2) NVMe NVRAM devices. NVRAM slots 21 and 22
must remain unpopulated on PowerStore 1000 and 3000 models.

Data NVRAM

 Due to higher performance requirements, PowerStore 5000, 7000 and 9000

models are populated with four (4) NVMe NVRAM devices in all of the
NVRAM slots, 21 through 24.

Data NVRAM

Drive Offerings

PowerStore supports four types of drives: NVMe SSD (Flash), NVMe Storage
Class Memory (SCM) SSD, NVMe NVRAM, and SAS SSD (Flash). The drive
types must be installed in specific locations and enclosures.

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The Base Enclosure supports three The Expansion Enclosure supports one
device types: device type:
 NVMe SSD (Data drive slots)  SAS SSD (All Slots)
 NVMe SCM (Data drive slots)
 NVMe NVRAM (NVRAM slots)

Data drive slots in the base enclosure can be populated with either NVMe SSD or
NVMe SCM drives. The same drive types must be populated in all of the data
drive slots used. You cannot mix NVMe SSD and NVMe SCM drives in the same
base enclosure. If you use NVMe SCM drives, you cannot add expansion
enclosures.

NVMe NVRAM drives can only be installed in the NVRAM slots of the base
enclosure, and are used for system caching and vaulting. In the context of
computer data storage, a vault is a location to dump the contents of cache to non-
volatile storage in the event of a power failure. Vaulting is the process of dumping
that data to a safe location.

Click here for more information on NVMe SSDs.

Drive Offerings

The NVMe flash and NVMe SCM drives on the left are supported in the Base
Enclosure data drive slots. The NVMe NVRAM type drives are supported in the
Base Enclosure NVRAM slots for write cache. SAS flash drives shown on the right
are only supported in the PowerStore Expansion Enclosures.

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1.92 TB – 375 GB, 8 GB Mirrored 1.92 TB, –

15.36 TB 750 GB Pairs 7.68 TB

PowerStore 12GB SAS

NVMe Expansion
Base Enclosure Enclosure

FIPS FIPS NVMe FIPS

NVMe NVMe NVRAM SAS SS
SSD SCM SSD D

Storage Write Storage

Cache

More Information

 Supported device capacities:

 Two (2) capacities of NVMe SCM Flash
 Four (4) capacities of NVMe Flash for use in Base Enclosure
 Three (3) capacities of SAS Flash for use in Expansion Enclosure
 One (1) capacity of NVMe NVRAM for cache in Base Enclosure
 All devices, except the NVMe NVRAM, are 100% FIPS Type-D (FIPS certified
and labeled)

Click here for more information on FIPS.

Interface Type Writes GB Encryption Block Size

Per Day Type
(WPD)

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NVMe SCM 30 375 FIPS (Type- 512

D)

NVMe SCM 30 750 FIPS (Type- 512

D)

NVMe SSD/Flash 1 1920 FIPS (Type- 512

D)

NVMe SSD/Flash 1 3840 FIPS (Type- 512

D)

NVMe SSD/Flash 1 7680 FIPS (Type- 512

D)

NVMe SSD/Flash 1 15360 FIPS (Type- 512

D)

SAS SSD/Flash 1 1920 FIPS (Type- 512

D)

SAS SSD/Flash 1 3840 FIPS (Type- 512

D)

SAS SSD/Flash 1 7680 FIPS (Type- 512

D)

NVMe NVRAM Used for 8 Not FIPS 512

Cache certified

Rear Components and Modules

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I/O Module Types

There are three types of I/O modules (SLICs) available for installation into a Base
Enclosure:

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4-Port BaseT

The 4-Port BaseT I/O module is supported in PowerStore T models. It can run at
interface speeds of 10 Gb/s and 1 Gb/s. The Ethernet module provides hosts
access to block storage resources over the iSCSI protocol.

Four 1/10 Gb/s

BaseT Ports

Link LED

Activity LED Power/Fault LED

4-Port 25 GbE SFP-based

The 4-Port 25 GbE SFP-based I/O module is supported in PowerStore T models.

The Ethernet module provides hosts access to block storage resources over the
iSCSI protocol. The I/O module uses an optical 25 GbE or 10 GbE capable SFP+
connection to a host or switch port. The I/O module uses an optical 10G or 25G
capable SFP+ connection to a host or switch port.

Power/Fault LED
SFP Link LEDs

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The 4-Port 25 GbE SFP-based module supports the following types of SFP
transceivers:

 25 GbE SFP to RJ45

 25 GbE SFP-based SFP passive TwinAx
 10 GbE or 25 GbE SFP28
 10 GbE active or passive TwinAx
 1 GbE SFP to RJ45

4-Port 32 Gb Fibre Channel

The 4-Port 32 Gb Fibre Channel I/O module is supported in PowerStore T and

PowerStore X models. The I/O module is used to serve Fibre Channel block
protocol via SAN to hosts. Each port has an optical 16 Gb/32Gb capable SFP
connection to a host or switch port.

SFP Link LEDs Power/Fault LED

 The SLIC supports two different types of SFP transceivers:

 32 Gb/s
 16 Gb/s
 Both SFP types auto negotiates to 2x speeds lower

I/O Module Slot Information

Different PCIe channels are associated with each slot. Slot 0 has a 16 lane PCIe
channel, and Slot 1 has an eight lane PCIe channel. Therefore, the 4-Port 32 Gb
Fibre Channel I/O module or the 4-Port 25 GbE SFP-based I/O module should be
installed in Slot 0 when possible.

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Slot 1 Slot 0

Slot 0 Slot 1

I/O modules are always be installed in pairs—one module in Node A,

and one module in Node B. Both nodes must have the same type of
I/O modules in the same slots.

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Expansion Enclosure

PowerStore Expansion Enclosure Component List

Each Dell EMC PowerStore Expansion Enclosure consists of the following

components:

Component Description

Drive carrier Drive carriers provide contact with the enclosure slot guides
and connectors.

Drives Different drive types are distinguished by their type, capacity,

and speed labels on each drive.

Link Control Two LCCs support, control, and monitor the Expansion
Cards (LCCs) Enclosure and are the primary interconnect management
element. The LCCs connect to the node and other downstream
Expansion Enclosures.

Power Power supply and blower cooling assemblies are integrated

supplies/cooling into single modules. Each power supply can supply power to
modules both LCCs and the peer power supply fans.

Midplane The midplane separates the front-facing disk drives from the
rear-facing LCCs and distributes power and signals to all the
enclosure components.

Electromagnetic Protects the drives and unit from EMI.

Interference
(EMI) shielding

Cable Provide cable management for the power cables and SAS
management cables that attach to the back ports.
arms

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Expansion Enclosure Front and Back Components

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Expansion Enclosure Supported Drives

There are three (3) capacities of SAS Flash drives supported in Expansion
Enclosures. All drives are FIPS certified and labeled.

Interface Type WPD GB Encryption B/S

Type

SAS SSD/Flash 1 1920 FIPS (Type-D) 512

SAS SSD/Flash 1 3840 FIPS (Type-D) 512

SAS SSD/Flash 1 7680 FIPS (Type-D) 512

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Top of Rack Switches

Ethernet Switches

Connect PowerStore to a pair of Ethernet switches to ensure high availability, not

single-switch configurations. This requirement applies to switches used for iSCSI,
file, intercluster management, and intercluster data. Dell EMC does not process
PowerStore orders that include only a single switch.

Each node must have at least one connection to each of the Ethernet switches.
Multiple connections provide redundancy at the network adapter and switch levels.

It is recommended that you deploy the switches with Multi-Chassis Link

Aggregation Group (MC-LAG). The Dell version of this is called Virtual Link
Trunking interconnect (VLTi) topology. Alternative connectivity methods—including
reliable L2 uplinks and dynamic LAG—should be used only a solution like VLTi is
not a possibility.

The PowerStore supports Dell EMC Networking Top-of-Rack (ToR) switches

running OS10 Enterprise Edition (OS10EE). Third-party switches with requisite
features are supported. See the Support Matrix for a list of supported switches.

Dell EMC recommends the following supported Dell EMC PowerSwitch Ethernet
switches:

Dell Picture (click image to enlarge) Specifications

EMC
OS10EE
Model

S4148F-  48 Fixed 10-GbE SFP+

ON ports
 2 Fixed 40-GbE QSFP+
Click here for a 3D view of the ports
S4148F-ON switch.  4 Fixed 100-GbE QSFP28
ports

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S4148T-  48 Fixed 10-GBASE-T

ON ports
 2 Fixed 40-GbE QSFP+
Click here for a 3D view of the ports
S4148T-ON switch.
 4 Fixed 100-GbE QSFP28
ports

S5248F-  48 Fixed 25-GbE SFP28

ON ports
 2 Fixed 200-GbE QSFP28-
Click here for a 3D view of the DD ports
S5248F-ON switch.
 4 Fixed 100-GbE QSFP28
ports

For information about OS10EE, go to Dell Support and search for

OS10EE.

PowerStore T and PowerStore X Switches

PowerStore T and PowerStore X have different switch configurations.

PowerStore T uses two data switches PowerStore X uses two data switches.
and a management switch. Management runs through the data
switch connections.

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Data Switch 1
Management Switch

Data Switch 1 Data Switch 2

Data Switch 2
con

VLTi
connections

Example of PowerStore rack with one Example of PowerStore rack with two data
management switch and two data switches switches

Considerations for OOB management configuration:

 At least one OOB management switch is recommended for PowerStore T
configurations. PowerStore X does not support OOB management.
 Can be configured with or without a management VLAN.
 Switch ports must support untagged native VLAN traffic for system discovery.

PowerStore External Network Requirements

External networks are configured on the switches, in the PowerStore Initial

Configuration Wizard, and from the PowerStore Manager, REST API, or CLI.

Network configuration requires that, at a minimum, you provide a subnet for each
network. The management, storage, and NAS network must each run on a different
subnet. You cannot run any one of the external networks on the same
nonoverlapping subnet.

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Important: It is recommended that each network is configured with a

dedicated VLAN.

The following external networks are required for PowerStore deployments:

Network Types of Traffic Tagged Switch Use Node

or Transport
Untagged Ports

Initial For the PowerStore Untagged PowerStore PowerStore T

discovery Discovery Utility. T: uses dedicated
Management 1-GbE
switch Management
PowerStore PowerStore X
X: Primary uses ports 0
data switch and 1 of 4-port
card, 1-GbE
Management
port not used

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Management Management network Either PowerStore PowerStore T

traffic, which provides T: uses dedicated
access to: Management 1-GbE
switch Management
 Infrastructure
PowerStore PowerStore X
services such as
X: Primary uses ports 0
DNS,
data switch and 1 of 4-port
NTP, and SMTP.
card, 1-GbE
 PowerStore from Management
the PowerStore port not used
REST API,
PowerStore
Manager, and
PowerStore CLI
 SupportAssist

Storage Storage network Either Primary data 4-port card

(block) traffic and switch
external data mobility
traffic such as
replication, and
storage migration.
PowerStore iSCSI
target portals for front-
end traffic.

NAS Server Network attached Either Primary data First two ports
(PowerStore storage (file) front-end switch of the 4-port
T only) access, such as NFS, card
SMB, and FTP. (VLTi/LACP)

First port of the

4-port card
(Active/Backup)

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PowerStore Internal Network Requirements

Network configuration overview:

 All types of PowerStore networks must be configured on the switch. The
Management, and Storage network must also be configured the first time that
you create a cluster in the PowerStore Initial Configuration Wizard.
 NAS server networks are created through the PowerStore Manager, REST
API, or CLI after the initial cluster is created in PowerStore.
 As you add NAS servers to PowerStore, configure the Ethernet switches to
support the NAS server networks.
 An intracluster management network (ICM) and intracluster data network (ICD)
are preconfigured with the PowerStore.
 The intracluster management network uses IPv6 only. The IPv6 subnet is
automatically generated using standards that are based on IPv6 unique local
address (ULA).

Types of internal networks:

Network Types of Traffic

Intracluster Used to manage internal communication such as to the

management cluster database, and between appliances within a
cluster. The intracluster management network is
encrypted with IPSec.

Intracluster data Used for intracluster data mobility traffic, such as

storage migration between appliances.

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 Hardware Introduction

PowerStore Hardware Key Points

Multiple hardware components make up the PowerStore system:

1. Base Enclosure:
 The base enclosure is made up of nodes A and B, which are the brains of
the system.
 The base enclosure holds up to 25 drives.
2. Expansion Enclosure:
 Each expansion enclosure holds up to 25 SAS SSDs.
 An appliance may be a single base enclosure or a base enclosure plus up to
three expansion enclosures.
3. Top of Rack Switches:

 PowerStore T uses a management switch plus two data switches.

 PowerStore X uses two data switches, and management traffic uses those
same connections.
 A high-performance connection between data switches like VLTi is the
recommended configuration.

See this guide for more information: Dell EMC PowerStore Hardware
Information Guide.

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Software Introduction

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 Software Introduction

PowerStore Management Software

Use PowerStore Manager to access, configure, and manage individual PowerStore

appliances and clusters.

PowerStore Manager

Cluster

PowerStore T PowerStore T PowerStore T

Node B Node B Node B

Node A Node A Node A

Base Enclosure Base Enclosure Base Enclosure

Expansion Enclosure Expansion Enclosure

Expansion Enclosure

This three-appliance PowerStore T cluster is managed under a single instance of PowerStore

Manager.

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PowerStore Manager

Cluster

PowerStore X

Node B

Node A
Base Enclosure

Expansion Enclosure

Expansion Enclosure

A single PowerStore X appliance still forms a cluster.

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 Software Introduction

PowerStore Manager

Dashboard

1 2 3

Click image to enlarge.

PowerStore Manager opens to the Dashboard page by default with three

categories of information about the manage cluster/appliances. These categories
are divided in tabs: Overview, Capacity, and Performance. Many tabs provide
interactive filtering with persistent selections, and auto data refresh as status
changes.
1. The Overview tab provides monitoring on critical resources, and a summary of
provisioned block and file storage resources. Select a subtopic from these
sections, such as Volumes, which is shown on the Example—Volumes tab of
this presentation.
2. The Capacity tab displays information about how much space is being used on
the cluster, including savings from data reduction. It also shows an estimate of
when the system is due to reach 100% capacity.
3. The Performance tab displays performance information, as shown on the
Example—Performance tab of this presentation.

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A summary of the system is displayed:

A. Block
B. File (not on PowerStore X)

Example—Volumes

A
2

Click image to enlarge.

1. To display a list of volumes, select Storage > Volumes from the dashboard.
A. To create one or multiple volumes, select Create.
B. Selecting the Volumes widget on the Overview tab of the Dashboard page
opens the Volumes page under the Storage section. The Volumes page
displays a list of volumes provisioned in the cluster/appliances. Selecting
one item of the list displays the volume properties information such as
capacity, performance, and host mappings. You can continue to drill down
by selecting a volume from the list. This procedure allows you to view
information specific to that volume, including:
 Current usage
 Historical usage
2. To make bulk changes to multiple volumes, select the check boxes and then
More Actions.

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 Software Introduction

Example—Performance

Click image to enlarge.

 To view a specific area, such as Performance, click the tab.

 The Performance tab displays a summary view of the overall system
performance on the last hour. You can optimize the view for different intervals
and different performance data, such as latency or IOPS.
 Data updates automatically.

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PowerStore CLI

Click image to enlarge.

You can manage the PowerStore system using PowerStore CLI (PSTCLI) instead
of a GUI interface.
 Intended for advanced users who want to run scripts to automate routine tasks.
 Supported tasks include:
 Configuring and monitoring the system
 Managing users
 Provisioning storage
 Protecting data
 Controlling host access to storage
 You can also use it for data exchange protocols, such as SNMP.

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 Software Introduction

Click here to find the PowerStore CLI User Guide.

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REST API

REST API is another way to manage the system.

 What is REpresentational State Transfer (REST)?

 A web-friendly API protocol style
 Follows standard HTTP conventions
 Commonly used in web services
 Use cases:

 Automated remote management, including replication.

 DevOps integrations
 Third-party tool integrations
 GUI and CLI backend—you can add your own extensions.
 Uses:
o Monitoring alerts—low space, performance issues, or hardware failures
o Historical metrics collection—billing, forecasting
o Data center integration
o Adding common storage task options not in the standard UI

Click here for a technical description of REST.

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 Software Introduction

Licensing

License Features

Features:
 Each PowerStore appliance requires a license.
 The license enables all PowerStore features.
 Licenses are permanent—no expiration.
 Appliances have a 30-day trial period without installing any licenses.
 Reinitializing the appliance resets the trial period.
 Appliance serial number is added to Dell EMC License database (ELMS)
accessible through Dell EMC Software License Central.
 VMware/ESXi Licensing is not part of PowerStore eLicensing feature.

Installation Process

Request

http

Licenses
PowerStore Appliance
Dell EMC License Central

 Master appliance automatically retrieves licenses for all appliances in a cluster.

 Master retries three times if retrieval fails.
 Master retries once a day until it succeeds.
 Customers can manually retrieve and install licenses at dark sites or when
automatic process fails.
 If no license is loaded within 30 days, you cannot use system.
 Each license contains the appliance serial number—signed to prevent
alteration.

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When all cluster licenses are successfully installed, cluster displays active license
status under Settings > PowerStore Licensing, as shown here:

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 Software Introduction

PowerStore Software Key Points

PowerStore can be managed in these ways:

1. PowerStore Manager is a GUI allowing access, configuration, and
administration of PowerStore appliances and clusters.
2. PowerStore CLI, commonly called PSTCLI, is a command line interface into
the system.
3. REST API can be used to automate remote management, manage metrics and
alerts, and integrate into the data center.
4. PowerStore licensing is automatic or manually, and covers all features except
VMware/ESXi.

See this guide for more information: Setting Up PowerStore

Manager.

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Reference Material

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 Reference Material

Dell EMC Online Support

The Dell Technologies Support site (https://www.dell.com/support) is the main

resource for locating Product Support.

The Dell Technologies PowerStore Documentation site

(https://www.dell.com/powerstoredocs) is the main resource for locating
PowerStore documentation.

Complete the registration information to fully access the support site and
resources. Support features include Support by Product, Knowledge Bases,
Warranty and Contracts, Service Requests, Order Support, Contact Support, and
Downloads. Select any of the blue hypertext URLs to link to products and
resources.

For more information on the Support site, search for the “Dell EMC Customer
Support Guide” from the landing page.

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Important: Websites, web pages, and tools periodically change,

therefore some of these pages may have a different appearance than
what is shown here.

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 Reference Material

Dell EMC PowerStore Series Product Page

The Support site provides links to a PowerStore product page. Features include
watching how-to videos, accessing online training modules, downloading the latest
product software, searching and participating in the online community, and more.
The “Replace Drives, Power Supplies and Other Parts” provides information and
links on ordering parts, identifying, and replacing a failed CRU. For deployments,
support options can be accessed through the product's support website.

Create a support account to register a system, download licenses, or obtain update

software.

If you are using a Community Edition, go to the Dell EMC Community Network
website. The Dell EMC Community Network website includes product-specific
communities that include relevant discussions, links to documentation and videos,
events, and more. The community not only provides you more information on the
products but also helps guide you through specific issues you may be
experiencing.

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PowerStore Manager In App (Offline) Help

Help can be found inside of the PowerStore Manager application. Click the
question mark in the upper right corner. From the drop down, there are options for
Help for Overview, Online Help, General Support, Check for software updates,
About version information, and Configuration Recommendations.

Select Help of Overview to access the help Welcome page.

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SolVe Tool

SolVe can be used to locate/generate service information and procedures for Dell
EMC products. There are two versions: Desktop and Online. The Desktop version
does not require network access and can be used in dark sites. After SolVe is
launched, PowerStore can be selected as the product. To generate a procedure,
select a menu item then select the procedure you are going to perform. Note that
SolVe is updated periodically so it’s a good idea to load the latest version when
prompted to do so. Always try to maintain the most current version.

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Appendix

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Appendix

Expected Performance and Capability

PowerStore T and 1000 3000 5000 7000 9000

PowerStore X Models

Max Drives 96

NVRAM per Appliance 2 4

(Caching Strategy)

Base A 2U, 2 node enclosure with twenty-five 2.5” NVMe drive slots
Enclosure

Expansion A 2U enclosure attached to a PowerStore base enclosure with

Enclosure twenty-five 2.5” SAS drives slots (3 Max per appliance)

CPUs per Appliance 4x 4 x Intel 4 x Intel 4 x Intel 4 x Intel

Intel CPUs, CPUs, CPUs, CPUs,
CPUs, 48 64 80 cores, 112
32 cores, cores, 2.4 GHz cores, 2.1
cores, 2.1 GHz 2.1 GHz GHz
1.8
GHz

System Per 384 768 GB 1,152 1,536 GB 2,560 GB

Memory Appliance GB GB

Per Node 192 384 GB 576 GB 768 GB 1,280 GB

GB (12 x 32 (12 x 16 (24 x 32 (20 x 64
(12 x GB) GB, GB) GB)
16 GB) + 12 x
32 GB)

Supported NVMe SCM SSD (Flash), NVMe SSD (Flash), SAS SSD (Flash)
Drive Types Note: Appliances with NVMe SCM drives in the base enclosure
cannot have expansion enclosures.
Base enclosures with NVMe SSD drives can have expansion
enclosures with SAS SSD drives.

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 Appendix

Max Raw Capacity per 898.56 TB *

Appliance * Maximum raw capacity may vary based on available
drive sizes.

Embedded Ports on 4x 25/10/1 GbE Optical or 4x 10/1 GbE BaseT

Embedded Module

PowerStore T supported 4x 32/16/8 Gb FC, 4x 25/10/1 GbE Optical, or 4x 10/1

I/O Modules (2 slots per GbE BaseT
Node)

PowerStore X supported 4x 32/16/8 Gb FC

I/O Modules (2 slots per
Node)

Embedded 4 x 4 lane 12Gb/s SAS ports for back end connection

SAS IO Ports
per
Appliance

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Glossary
NVMe
Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) is a communications protocol specifically
developed for SSDs.

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