When deploying a VxRail cluster utilizing an existing customer-managed Virtual Distributed Switch (VDS), the deployment framework shifts networking orchestration from automated switch generation to target environment integration. To guarantee seamless mapping of cluster network components, three primary settings must be rigorously verified within the VxRail configuration workflow: the exact Names of the VDS, the precise details of each port group, and the detailed configuration of the uplinks.
The name of the VDS must be explicitly matched because the initialization wizard relies on strict string matching to locate the target switch fabric inside the vCenter inventory. Furthermore, the details of each port group-including management, vMotion, vSAN, and VM networks-must be validated to ensure correct naming syntax and corresponding VLAN tagging structures are intact. Finally, the details of the uplinks must be verified, particularly the number of assigned active physical adapters and any pre-existing Link Aggregation Group (LAG) topologies. If mismatches exist among these structural properties, the wizard cannot successfully bind the virtual network interfaces of the incoming ESXi hosts to the pre-established switch layers, precipitating initialization failure. Advanced switch policy variables like system traffic shares or specific object permissions are not structural binding metrics validated directly in the setup interface.
References: Dell VxRail Deploy Study Guide; Customer-Managed VDS Requirements; Advanced Network Configuration and VDS Integration.