Dell 3-2-1 Reference Configurations: High-availability virtualization with Dell Poweredge R515 servers

Choosing a proven architecture designed by Dell to meet your needs allows you to confidently deploy an optimal solution without the time requirement and hassle of compiling your hardware solution piecemeal. You also get to reap the benefits of Dell's best practice recommendations and guidelines.

In this guide, we take a look at the pieces that Dell provides you to create a highly available virtualized infrastructure and take you step by step through the process of setting it up. Dell 3-2-1 Reference Configurations follow the 3-2-1 model, which means the configurations comprise three servers, two switches and one storage array. Our virtualized architecture consists of two Dell PowerEdge™ R515 servers with AMD® Opteron™ 4184 processors as host servers, one Dell PowerEdge R415 server as a management server, two Dell PowerConnect™ 6248 switches and one Dell EqualLogic™ PS4000XV storage array. We add the software you need to help manage your business, including Dell OpenManage™, and from Microsoft, Windows Server® 3008 R2 SP1, Exchange Server 2010, SQL Server® 2008 R2, SharePoint Server™ 2010 and System Essentials 2010.