Qumulo C-Series Networking

IN THIS ARTICLE

Outlines the various ways a Qumulo C-series cluster can be connected to a network

REQUIREMENTS

• Qumulo C-series 72T or 168T hardware
• Network Switch that meets the following criteria:
  
  • 25Gbps ethernet
  • Fully non-blocking architecture
  • IPv6 capable
• Compatible network cables
• Enough ports to connect all nodes to the same switch fabric
• One static IP per node per defined VLAN

RECOMMENDATIONS

• One set of redundant switches
  • Jumbo Frame support with a minimum of 9000 MTU 
• One physical connection per node to each redundant switch
• One LACP port-channel on each node with the following configuration:
  • Active mode
  • Slow transmit rate
  • Trunk port with a native VLAN
• DNS servers
• Time server (NTP)
• Firewall protocol/ports allowed for Proactive Monitoring
• N-1 (N=number of nodes) floating IPs per node per client-facing VLAN

NOTE: The number of floating IPs is dependent on your workflow and clients connecting to the cluster, with a minimum of 2 floating IPs per node per client-facing VLAN, but no more than 10 floating IPs per node per client-facing VLAN or 70 floating IPs per namespace.

DETAILS

The Qumulo C-series platform uses a networking configuration where both back end and front end traffic are handled by the same NIC. 

For reliability, the recommended configuration is fully-cabled where both ports on each node should be connected. Connecting a single port on the NIC is not recommended, because if the single connection fails, the node will be unavailable. 

CAUTION: Do not use the LOM ports. Only use the external NIC ports (typically eth1 and eth0) for the 25Gb connections as highlighted above. 

Connect to redundant switches 

The details below outline how to connect a 4 node Qumulo C-series cluster to dual switches for redundancy. This is the recommended configuration for Qumulo C-series hardware. If either switch goes down, the cluster will still be accessible from the remaining switch.

• The two NIC ports (2x25Gb) on the nodes are connected to separate switches
• Uplinks to the client network should equal the bandwidth from the cluster to the switch
• The two ports form an LACP port channel via multi-chassis link aggregation group

Connect to a single switch

The details below outline how to connect a 4 node Qumulo C-series cluster to a single switch. Note if this switch goes down, the cluster will not be accessible.

• Each node contains two ports (2x25Gb) that are connected to the switch
• Uplinks to the client network should equal the bandwidth from the cluster to the switch
• The two ports form an LACP port channel 

TIP! For IPMI configuration details, check out the IPMI Quick Reference Guide for Qumulo C-Series for information on port location and setup.

RESOLUTION

You should now be able to successfully configure a Qumulo C-series cluster to your network

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Quick Start Guide: Qumulo C-Series

IPMI Quick Reference Guide for Qumulo C-Series

QQ CLI: Networks and IP Addresses

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