VMware EVO:RAIL Series Datasheet

EVO:RAIL combines VMware compute, networking and storage resources into a hyper-converged infrastructure appliance to create a simple, easy to deploy, all-in-one solution offered by our partners

Transformational Simplicity
A highly intuitive user interface, designed from the ground up, to simplify deployment, configuration and management.

• EVO:RAIL Deployment goes from initial power-up to virtual machine creation in minutes. Traditional infrastructure requires hours or days of hardware setup, software loading, manual configuration steps and scripting before virtual machines can be created.
• EVO:RAIL Configuration walks users through initial parameters, validates settings and then configures ESXi™ hosts, vCenter Server and Log Insight™ automatically. Global parameters such as passwords, NTP servers, logging and time zone are all set centrally and applied to all the ESXi hosts in the EVO:RAIL cluster.
• EVO:RAIL Management creates virtual machines with only a few clicks to select the guest OS, VM size, VLAN and security options. EVO:RAIL simplifies virtual machine sizing by offering single-click small, medium and large configurations.

• EVO:RAIL notifies users of applicable software patches and upgrades to facilitate streamlined installation. You no longer have to track or manually install patches and upgrades for EVO:RAIL, ESXi or vCenter Server. With a minimum of four independent ESXi hosts in EVO:RAIL, upgrades and patches are completely non-disruptive.
• EVO:RAIL scale-out is also radically simplified. Increasing compute, networking and storage resources is as easy as powering up a new appliance to join an existing EVO:RAIL cluster. EVO:RAIL automatically distributes the configuration to seamlessly add new appliances with zero additional configuration.

Software-Defined Building Block
IT consumption models have changed with cloud adoption and the Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC). Today’s expectation is that IT can scale on demand and rapidly deploy new applications both on-site and remotely.

• The EVO:RAIL hyper-converged infrastructure appliance is a next-generation building block that delivers compute, networking and storage resources.
• Consolidating compute, networking and storage resources into a single appliance eliminates the need for complex integration and accelerates bringing new applications online.
• Delivering predictable performance with each appliance allows simplified, scalable virtualized infrastructure.
• EVO:RAIL is well suited for private/hybrid-cloud, either on-premise or as a hosted solution, enabling fast cloud deployments.
• EVO:RAIL compliments existing infrastructure or can be used as an ideal building block in stand-alone environments.
• EVO:RAIL offers large compute and storage capacity for general-purpose workloads, virtual desktops, test/dev and branch office environments.
• Compute and storage workloads run together on EVO:RAIL to reduce dependency on dedicated servers and storage.

Trusted Foundation
EVO:RAIL delivers the first hyper-converged infrastructure appliance 100% powered by VMware software. EVO:RAIL software includes VMware’s proven suite of core products, which are used as the virtual infrastructure in most of the world’s data centers.

EVO:RAIL software is fully loaded onto our partners’ hardware appliance and includes:

• EVO:RAIL Rapid Deployment, Configuration, and Management
• vSphere Enterprise Plus
• vCenter Server
• VMware Virtual SAN
• vCenter Log Insight

EVO:RAIL is optimized for the new VMware user as well as for experienced administrators.

• Minimal IT experience is required to deploy, configure and manage EVO:RAIL, allowing it to be used where there is limited or no IT staff on-site.
• As EVO:RAIL utilizes VMware’s core products, administrators can apply existing VMware knowledge, best practices and processes.
• EVO:RAIL leverages the same database as vCenter Server™, so any changes in EVO:RAIL Configuration and Management are also reflected in vCenter Server and vice-versa.

Highly Resilient by Design
EVO:RAIL integrates both software and hardware resiliency to ensure zero application downtime during planned maintenance or during disk, network or host failures.

• EVO:RAIL leverages VMware’s proven capabilities of vSphere® HA, vMotion, DRS and Virtual SAN to ensure high availability at both the compute and storage layers.
• Four independent ESXi hosts allow applications to non-disruptively move to another host during planned maintenance or failure. Only the dual, redundant power supplies are shared in the appliance.
• EVO:RAIL automatically cycles hosts into maintenance mode during patching or upgrading.
• Each host has dual 10 GbE network connections for redundant network connectivity, providing high performance and resiliency.

Infrastructure at the Speed of Innovation
EVO:RAIL meets accelerating business demands by simplifying infrastructure design, purchase and deployment.

• Easy to size and scale, each appliance supports approximately 100 general purpose virtual machines or up to 250 Horizon View virtual desktops, allowing IT to leverage a pay-as-you-grow model.
• A single appliance SKU includes software, hardware and support, simplifying and shortening purchasing cycles. EVO:RAIL delivers a consistent hardware and software experience, eliminating the variation and configuration drift associated with ordering traditional systems over time.
• EVO:RAIL is complete and ready to be configured with your networking details for rapid deployment. This eliminates the need to piece a solution together by validating and certifying hardware configurations, loading software, and running scripts.
• Take advantage of server-side storage economics and avoid over-provisioning with pay-as-you-grow scaling and improved capacity planning to reduce CapEx spending.
• Simple deployment, configuration and management with the intuitive user interface, reducing OpEx so IT can focus on strategic initiatives, applications and business growth.

Freedom of Choice
EVO:RAIL is delivered through VMware’s leading systems partners as a complete appliance solution with hardware, software and support.

• Each EVO:RAIL appliance consists of a prescriptive hardware matrix that is configured on the partner’s hardware platform.
• EVO:RAIL partners will provide value-added services, software and capabilities over time, so you can choose the best solution for your needs.
• Each EVO:RAIL appliance is a 2U 4-Node x86 server system, with the following configuration:
  • Four (4) independent nodes sharing dual-redundant power supplies
    • Scale-out at initial release is four (4) appliances and sixteen (16) nodes
  • Each node contains:
    • Dual Ivy-bridge processors
    • 192 GB of memory
    • 3 x 1.2 TB HDD for the Virtual SAN disk group
    • 1 x 400 GB Flash SDD for Virtual SAN read/write cache
    • 2 x 10 GbE Network Ports (SFP+ or RJ-45)
    • Boot device (either a boot drive or SATADOM) for ESXi
• Appliance guidance for sizing general purpose or virtual desktop use:
  
  • Approximately 100 general purpose virtual machines, with a VM profile of 2 vCPU, 4 GB vMEM, and 60 GB vDisk with redundancy.
  • Up to 250 Horizon View virtual desktops, with a desktop profile of 2 vCPU, 2 GB vMEM, and 32 GB vDisk with linked clone.