VNXe Series Quick Start

BEFORE YOU BEGIN VISIT emc.com/vnxesupport

While at the VNXe Product page (emc.com.vnxesupport), click

Register Here to create an EMC Online Support account.
To create a user account, specify:
A user name
An account password
Contact address information (including email address)
Answers to security questions for retrieving a lost password
EMC sends an email confirmation to the specified address
validating your account, usually within 48 hours.
Later, you can use this account to register your system, obtain
product license files, and to update your system software.

You can also download VNXe product documents and view

helpful task-based videos from the VNXe Product page at
emc.com.vnxesupport.
To view product documents, click Documentation.
To view How-to videos, click
Getting Started > How-To-Videos.
To view training videos, click Training, choose a preferred
language, select an eLearning module, and click Register.
At the VNXe installation site
Fill out the VNXe Series Configuration Worksheet
This worksheet is bundled with the VNXe system.
Plan for the type of storage that you want to provide and
identify the hosts that will access the storage.

UNPACK

Requirements
Site requirements
Two people to lift the VNXe system
Box cutter or knife
Phillips screwdriver to install the system in a rack
Laptop or PC with Internet access to register for EMC Online Support, and with local network access to configure the
VNXe system
Four Ethernet cables bulk Category (Cat) 5, 5e, 6, 6a or
higher for IP connectivity to your network
For high availability, at least two 110 or 220 volt AC,
or two -48 or -60 volt DC circuits.

RACK & INSTALL

EMC P/N 300-012-107 Rev 04

Copyright 2012 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Network requirements
Four 1 Gb Ethernet connections two for system
management, two for data transfer

Network recommendations
DNS server for network address resolution and ESRS
support
NTP server for network time synchronization
Network Windows Domain controller for Windows shared
folders
SMTP mail server for ConnectEMC support
Note: You can download language pack software from the
Downloads page at emc.com/vnxesupport.

CONNECT

What you need: Box cutter or knife

Instructions: VNXe System Installation Guide
How-To-Video: VNXe3100 or VNXe3300: Installing
Your System

What you need: Phillips screwdriver

Instructions: VNXe System Installation Guide
How-To-Video: VNXe3100 or VNXe3300: Installing
Your System

What you need: VNXe Connection Utility software

Instructions: VNXe System Installation Guide
How-To-Video: VNXe Series: How to Connect and
Configure Your System for the First Time

The VNXe system can include two component types,

each packaged separately:
VNXe main processing component (DPE)
Optional VNXe disk enclosures (DAEs)

Use the VNXe System Installation Guide, which is

bundled with the VNXe system, to install the
hardware. Some VNXe systems include rail kits for
installing them into racked cabinets.

For detailed information about the VNXe package contents,

refer to the VNXe System Installation Guide.

The major steps include:

When applicable, installing VNXe components in a rack
Install included rail kits and secure the VNXe components inside the rack.
Get someone to assist with lifting the hardware.
Connecting cables to VNXe system components
Connect cables between the DPE and DAE and connect the DPE to the network.
Connecting power cables and powering up the system
Connect power to the VNXe components and wait until the LEDs indicate that
the system is ready.

VNXe system (DPE) packages contain:

DPE Storage system component
Rack kit (optional for some models)
Screw kit
Cables and labels
Product documents:
VNXe Quick Start poster (this document)
VNXe System Installation Guide
VNXe Configuration Worksheet

CONFIGURE

Instructions: VNXe Series Configuration Worksheet,

VNXe online help
How-To-Video: VNXe Series: How to Connect and
Configure Your System for the First Time
Point a web browser to the IP address you assigned to the
VNXe system in the previous step (if you clicked the
Open Unisphere link in the VNXe Connection Utility, this
may have occurred automatically). If a certificate error appears, follow the
instructions in your browser to bypass the error.
Log in to Unisphere with the default user name and password (case sensitive):
Username: admin
Password: Password123#
The first time you open Unisphere, the Unisphere Configuration wizard runs.
This wizard enables you to configure the following system settings:
Passwords for the default system administrator and service accounts.
Advanced proactive EMC support through the ESRS and ConnectEMC features.
DNS and NTP time synchronization support settings.
Storage pool configuration: automatic or custom storage pool configuration.
If you choose automatic disk configuration, skip the next step and go to
Step 6: REGISTER.
Unisphere Storage Server settings for managing iSCSI and shared folder storage.

Before you can register, license, or configure your VNXe

system, its management interface must be associated with an
IP address on your network. You can assign an IP address to a VNXe system in the
following ways:
If you are running the VNXe system on a network that includes a DHCP server
and a DNS server, the management IP address can be assigned automatically.
Once the system acquires an IP address, you can access the VNXe
management interface by opening a web browser and entering a URL that
consists of the system serial number and the network domain where it resides
(for example, FM100000000017.mylab.xyz.com).
If you are running the VNXe system in a network without DHCP, or you want
to assign a static IP address to the system, you must download, install, and run
the VNXe Connection Utility to assign a static IP address to the VNXe
management interface.
Note: By default, VNXe systems are configured to accept dynamic IP address
assignments from DHCP servers on a network. For specific instructions about
dynamically assigning an IP address (via DHCP), or about assigning a static IP
address to the VNXe management interface, refer to the instructions in your VNXe
Installation Guide.

CREATE POOLS

Instructions: VNXe online help

If you chose not to perform automatic disk
configuration in the previous step, the Disk
Configuration wizard opens. This wizard allows you to
create common storage profiles called pools for groups of
disks based on expected storage usage. Configuration
options include:
Microsoft Exchange 2003/2007 or Exchange 2010
Shared folders
VMware datastores
Generic iSCSI storage
Hyper-V storage
Custom pool based on available disk types and RAID preferences
Standard pool configurations (used for automatic disk configuration) include:
Performance: Provide high-speed performance for data reads and writes
with midrange efficiency per GB of disk storage.
Capacity: Provide maximum efficiency with midrange performance
for data reads and writes.
Extreme performance: Provide maximum performance for data reads
and writes with lower efficiency per GB of disk storage.

REGISTER

Instructions: EMC Online Support website,

VNXe online help
How-To-Video: VNXe Series: How to Register and
License Your System
After completing the Configuration wizard (and
optionally, the Disk Configuration wizard), click
Obtain License Files to register your system and
obtain product licenses on the EMC Online Support website. The link takes
you to the Service Center page and automatically copies your system Product
ID / SN to the page. Log in with the account information you specified when
setting up your EMC online support account (see BEFORE YOU BEGIN).
Register your product and obtain VNXe product feature licenses for your system
according to the web page instructions. You can download license files directly
to a computer or have them mailed to a specific email address. Ensure that the
license files are accessible from the laptop or PC from which you run Unisphere.
Sites with restricted Internet access
This step assumes that the host from which you open Unisphere has access to
the EMC Online Support website: emc.com/vnxesupport. For information about
registering VNXe systems, activating licenses, and updating Unisphere software
in sites with restricted Internet access, refer to the VNXe Series release notes.

VNXe Series Quick Start

7

ACTIVATE LICENSES

UPDATE SOFTWARE

CREATE HOST
CONFIGURATIONS

Instructions: VNXe online help

How-To-Video: VNXe Series: How to
Register and License Your System

Instructions: VNXe online help

How-To-Video: VNXe Series: How to
Upgrade Your System Software

Instructions: VNXe online help

Training Video: VNXe Series:
Allocating and Managing Storage

In Unisphere, upload and install

the product licenses to the VNXe
system by choosing Settings >
More configuration > Manage
Licenses.

From Unisphere, check the current

VNXe software version running on your
system by clicking
Settings > More configuration > Update Software.
Go to the Downloads section of the VNXe product page
(emc.com/vnxesupport) to see if a newer version of the VNXe
operating environment software is available. If a newer version is
available, download the software to a local host.

Create host configurations to

identify hosts, subnets, or
netgroups that can access storage
resources on the VNXe system.
In Unisphere, click Hosts to
view a list of supported host
configuration types.
Choose a host configuration type and click Create to start the
Host wizard. The wizard configures:
Host operating system
Network IP address or iSCSI initiator IQN address of the
host
After you create a host configuration, you can grant the host
access to storage resources in the following ways:
New storage resources
Specify host access when creating the resource with a
storage wizard.
Existing storage resources
View the storage resource configuration details, and click
Host Access.

Click Upload and Install License File.

Unisphere uploads and activates the selected licenses and
enables the associated features and functionality on your
VNXe system.
When the VNXe license activation process completes,
Unisphere prompts you to update your system software.
Clicking OK opens the Downloads page on the EMC Online
Support website.
Sites with restricted Internet access
This step and step 8 (UPDATE SOFTWARE) assumes that the
host from which you open Unisphere has access to the EMC
Online Support website: emc.com/vnxesupport. For information
about registering VNXe systems, activating licenses, and
updating Unisphere software in sites with restricted Internet
access, refer to the VNXe Series release notes.

10

PROVISION STORAGE

Instructions: VNXe online help

Training Video: VNXe Series:
Allocating and Managing Storage
Create storage resources that hosts can
use for network storage.
In Unisphere, click Storage
to view a list of supported
storage types.
Click the type of storage that you want to create.
Click Create to start the storage wizard for the selected
storage type.
Each storage wizard walks you through the steps necessary
for configuring a VNXe storage resource. Settings include:
Storage resource name
Quantity of storage to provision for the storage resource
Optional protection storage and snapshot schedule for
the storage resource
Host access settings for VNXe host configurations
When you click Finish, Unisphere provisions the storage
resource on the VNXe system.

After you download the software, use Unisphere to upgrade the

VNXe system software:
Go to the Unisphere Update software page by clicking
Settings > More configuration > and choosing the
Software tab.
Click Upload Candidate Version to upload the system
software to the VNXe system.
Click Install Candidate Version to install the system software
on the VNXe system.
Note: You can also download Unisphere language pack software
from the VNXe Downloads page. You can install language
pack software in Unisphere by clicking Settings > More
configuration > and choosing the Language Packs tab. For
more information, refer to Updating system software, firmware,
and language packs in the VNXe online help.

11

CONNECT TO STORAGE

Instructions: VNXe online help,

VNXe host access documents
Training Video: VNXe Series:
Allocating and Managing Storage
After creating VNXe host
configurations, provisioning
storage resources, and granting
access permissions to hosts, you can connect hosts and applications to VNXe storage.
The procedures for connecting hosts to VNXe storage
resources vary based on the type of storage, and the
application and operating system on the host.
For information on connecting Windows or Linux/UNIX hosts
to VNXe storage, go to the EMC Online Support website
(emc.com/vnxesupport) and click Getting Started.

OTHER
LANGUAGES

You can access localized versions of this and other VNXe series
documents at emc.com/vnxesupport.
Chinese (Simplified):
www.emc2.com.cn/vnxesupport
VNXe
French:
Des versions traduites du prsent document et dautres
documents sur le VNXe sont disponibles sur le site Web www.
emc2.fr/vnxesupport.

12

LEARN MORE

Online resources offer a wealth

of information and training to
help you get the most out of your
VNXe system:
View how-to videos:
Watch step-by-step videos
showing how to perform tasks
with your VNXe system.
Get online training:
Access videos, slideshows, and other educational material to
learn about your VNXe system.
Search EMC Online Support:
Search for articles, white papers, and other information
regarding known issues, and questions related to system
installation, configuration, and operation.
Join the VNXe online community:
Read, share, and ask questions about VNXe products while
interacting with other customers.
Engage in online chat:
Chat online with VNXe EMC Technical Support.
Visit the VNXe Product Page at emc.com/vnxesupport for more
information about your online support options.

German:
bersetzte Dokumente zu dieser und anderen VNXe Serien
finden Sie unter www.emc2.de/vnxesupport.
Italian:
possibile accedere alle versioni localizzate di questo e di altri
documenti sulla serie di prodotti VNXe - allindirizzo www.italy.
emc.com/vnxesupport.
Japanese:
VNXe
http://japan.emc.com/vnxesupport
Korean:
VNXe http://korea.
emc.com/vnxesupport .
Portuguese (Brazil):
Voc pode acessar as verses localizadas deste e de outros
documentos da srie VNXe em www.emc2.com.br/vnxesupport.
Russian:

VNXe
http://russia.emc.com/vnxesupport.
Spanish (LA):
Puede obtener acceso a versiones localizadas de este y otros
documentos de VNXe en www.emc.com/vnxesupport.
---------------------------Language packs
For information about installing optional Unisphere language
packs, refer to Updating system software, firmware, and language
packs in the Unisphere online help. You can download language
pack software from the Download page at emc.com/vnxesupport.