Installing and Configuring the SteelFusion Edge Appliance (NFS/File Mode) : Preparing your site for installation
  
Preparing your site for installation
The Edge appliance ships completely assembled, with all the equipment parts in place and securely fastened.
Site requirements
Before you install the Edge appliance, make sure that your site meets these requirements:
•  It is a standard electronic environment where the ambient temperature does not exceed 104ºF (40ºC) and the relative humidity does not exceed 80% (noncondensing). For detailed information, see the SteelFusion Edge Hardware and Maintenance Guide.
•  Ethernet connections are available within the standard Ethernet limit.
•  There is available space on a two-post or four-post 19-inch rack. For details about installing the Edge to a rack, see the Rack Installation Guide or the printed instructions that were shipped with the appliance.
•  A clean power source is available, dedicated to computer devices and other electronic equipment.
•  The rack is a standard 19-inch Telco-type mounting rack.
Before you begin, consult the SteelFusion Edge Hardware and Maintenance Guide for detailed information about how to install your model to a rack.
Note: We recommend that you use a four-post mounting rack for 2U appliances.
Note: If your rack requires special mounting screws, contact your rack manufacturer.
SteelFusion Edge ports
This table summarizes the ports that connect the Edge appliance to your network.
Port
Description
PRI
(Primary)
The primary port connects the Edge appliance to a LAN switch. This interface enables you to connect to the Edge Management Console and the SteelFusion Edge CLI.
This interface can also be used to connect the SteelFusion Core through the RiOS node, in-path interface.
The primary and auxiliary ports cannot share the same network subnet.
AUX
(Auxiliary)
The auxiliary port provides an additional management interface to a secondary network such as a management VLAN. You can connect a computer directly to the appliance with a crossover cable, enabling you to access the CLI or Management Console.
To use external IPMI access for 1U and 2U appliances, the AUX port must be enabled. IPMI access does not require the AUX port to have an IP address configured but it does require that the port is enabled. Disabling AUX disables remote management; enabling remote management without enabling AUX leaves remote management inaccessible. You enable the AUX port in the Management Console or the CLI. For detailed information about connecting and monitoring the appliance using the BMC, see the SteelFusion Edge Hardware and Maintenance Guide.
LAN 1_0 (1U)
LAN 0_0 (2U)
This port connects the LAN port of the Edge appliance to the LAN switch using a straight-through cable.
The Edge appliance uses one or more in-path interfaces to provide Ethernet network connectivity for optimized traffic. Each in-path interface comprises two physical ports: the LAN port and the WAN port. Use the LAN port to connect the Edge appliance to the internal network of the branch office.
If the Edge appliance is deployed between two switches, both the LAN and WAN ports must be connected with straight-through cables.
WAN 1_0 (1U)
WAN 0_0 (2U)
This port connects the WAN port of the Edge appliance to the WAN router using a crossover cable.
The WAN port is the second of two ports that compose the in-path interface. The WAN port is used to connect the Edge appliance toward WAN-facing devices such as a router, firewall, or other equipment located at the WAN boundary.
If you require additional in-path interfaces or require 10GigE or Fiber connectivity, you can install a bypass NIC in the RiOS node expansion slot.
eth0_0, eth0_1
These ports provide additional iSCSI interfaces for storage traffic to external servers when used by the RiOS node.
The ports are connected to a LAN switch using a straight-through cable.
These ports can also provide SteelFusion Edge high availability (HA). In an HA deployment, use these ports for BlockStream heartbeat and synchronization between SteelFusion Edge HA peers. For detailed information about HA deployments, see the SteelFusion Design Guide.
If you require additional connectivity in an HA deployment, install a supported nonbypass NIC in the RiOS node expansion slot.
gbe0_0, gbe0_1, gbe0_2, gbe0_3
These 1-Gbps ports provide hypervisor node connectivity.
When configured for use by the hypervisor node, these ports provide LAN connectivity to external clients. The ports are connected to a LAN switch using a straight-through cable.
If you require additional connectivity for the hypervisor node, you can install a supported nonbypass NIC in the hypervisor expansion slot. The Edge models 2100 and 2200 do not have additional hypervisor expansion slots. The Edge models 3100, 3200, and 5100 have two hypervisor expansion slots.
Note: Your hypervisor must have access to the Edge VIP through one of these interfaces. Only a single port can be used for NFS traffic. For details on Edge VIP, see the SteelFusion Edge User Guide and SteelFusion Design Guide.
RIOS COM
A RiOS serial RJ45 communication port that manages the RiOS node. Serial settings: 9600 bps, 8 data bit, 1 stop bit, no parity.
Connects the serial cable to a terminal device. You establish a serial connection to a terminal emulation program for console access to the configuration wizard and the Edge CLI.
HYP COM
A hypervisor serial RJ45 communication port used to manage the hypervisor node. Serial settings: 9600 bps, 8 data bit, 1 stop bit, no parity.
USB 1, USB 2
Optional Hypervisor universal serial bus (USB) ports.
VGA
Optional Hypervisor VGA connector. This port is useful for BIOS, POST, and PXE debugging.
Figure: 1U back panel and Figure: 2U back panel show the locations of the ports on the rear of the 1U and 2U appliances.
Figure: 1U back panel
 
Figure: 2U back panel
Figure: Typical SteelFusion Edge port connections 1U appliance shows typical branch office connections for the Edge appliance.
Figure: Typical SteelFusion Edge port connections 1U appliance
Network interface cards and expansion slots
The 1U appliance is equipped with a preinstalled four-port 1-Gigabit Ethernet copper bypass NIC. The 1U appliance has an additional slot for an add-on NIC for a total of two slots. Both slots are assigned to the RiOS node.
The 2U appliance is equipped with a preinstalled four-port 1-Gigabit Ethernet copper bypass NIC with an integrated LSI expander NIC for bypass support. The 2U appliance has five additional slots for add-on NICs for a total of six slots. Slot 1, 2, 3, and 4 are assigned to the RiOS node, and slots 5 and 6 are assigned to the hypervisor node.
This table summarizes the NIC deployment options for the Edge appliance.
Model
PCI expansion slots
Slot 1 (always populated prior to shipment)
Slot 2
RiOS node
Slot 3 and 4
RiOS node
Slot 5 and 6
hypervisor node
SFED 2100
2
in-path
in-path or storage
—
—
SFED 2200
2
in-path
in-path or storage
—
—
SFED 3100
6
in-path
in-path or storage
in-path or storage
data
SFED 3200
6
in-path
in-path or storage
in-path or storage
data
SFED 5100
6
in-path
in-path or storage
in-path or storage
data
The NIC deployment options are defined as follows:
•  in-path - a bypass NIC used by the RiOS node for WAN optimization traffic. You can view these interfaces in the Networking > Networking: In-Path Interfaces page.
•  storage - a multiport data NIC used by the RiOS node, enabling access for storage traffic to and from servers external to the Edge appliance, or additional heartbeat interfaces in an HA deployment. Enables NFSv3 access. You can view these interfaces in the Networking > Networking: Data Interfaces page.
•  data - a multiport data NIC used by the hypervisor node, enabling LAN access for hypervisor node traffic. You can view these interfaces in the Virtualization > Reports: Interfaces page.
Note: A multiport data NIC can be used for storage or data—it is the slot that determines its function.
For detailed information about installing additional NICs, see the SteelFusion Edge Hardware and Maintenance Guide and the SteelFusion Design Guide.
Avoiding duplex mismatch
Before you begin the configuration process, ensure that your LAN and WAN interfaces have the same duplex settings.
The Edge automatically negotiates duplex settings. If one end of the link is set to autonegotiate and the other end of the link is not set to autonegotiate, the duplex settings on the network device default to half-duplex. This duplex mismatch passes traffic, but it causes late collisions and results in degraded optimization. To achieve maximum optimization, set your network devices to 100 and full.
To avoid duplex mismatches, manually configure the duplex settings on your:
•  router.
•  switch.
•  Edge appliance WAN interface.
•  Edge appliance LAN interface.
•  Edge appliance primary interface.
These conditions can indicate a duplex mismatch:
•  Choose Administration > Diagnostics: System Logs to see errors for sends, receives, cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and short sends.
•  You cannot connect to an attached device.
•  You can connect to a device when you choose autonegotiation, but you cannot connect to that same device when you manually set the speed or duplex.
•  Slow performance across the network.
Completing the configuration checklist
This table lists the parameters you specify to complete the initial configuration of the Edge appliance. Be prepared to provide values for these parameters.
Appliance
Parameter
Your value
SteelFusion Edge (the primary interface)
Hostname
 
IP address
 
Netmask
 
Default gateway (the WAN gateway)
 
DNS IP address
 
Domain name for the appliance
 
Administrator password
 
SMTP server IP address
 
Events and failures notification email address
 
Primary interface speed
 
Primary interface duplex
 
In-path deployments
In-path interface IP address
 
In-path netmask
 
In-path gateway
 
In-path: LAN interface speed
 
In-path: LAN interface duplex
 
In-path: WAN interface speed
 
In-path: WAN interface duplex