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Chapter 1. Cisco HxBench

- Introduction

Introduction

Cisco HxBench is a storage performance testing tool that can be used to measure the storage infrastructure performance using defined test scenarios and workloads. HxBench uses the industry standard Vdbench storage performance benchmarking tool. HxBench is provided as a virtual appliance to deploy and run tests. HxBench simplifies performance benchmarking for virtualized environments.

This document describes the process of configuring a host, deploying and configuring an HxBench virtual application, setting up the HxBench virtual application on Hyper-V, configuring a virtual machine, and using the HxBench application.

Chapter 2. Prerequisites

ESXi Installation Prerequisites

Before installing HxBench, review the following installation and configuration requirements:

Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) Size

HxBench Controller OVA

vCPU

8

RAM

8 GB

OS Disk

16 GB

Access Credentials

Username: appadmin

Password: Default is password

HxBench Test OVA

vCPU

1

RAM

2 GB

OS Disk

8 GB

Data Disk

As provisioned by user for testing.

Number of test VMs

As defined by user for testing.

Access Credentials

Username: appadmin

Password: Default is password

Credentials to Access vCenter

Username

<root or admin> username

Password

<root or admin> password

Supported Browsers

Chrome

Chrome version 50 or higher.

Firefox

Not supported.

Internet Explorer

Not supported.

Safari

Not supported.

Hyper-V Installation Prerequisites

Before installing HxBench, review the following installation and configuration requirements.

Virtual Hard Disk (VHDX) Size

The following table lists the prerequisites for setting up the HxBench Virtual Application on Hyper-V:

HxBench Controller VHDX

vCPU

8

RAM

8 GB

OS Disk

16 GB

Access Credentials

Username: appadmin

Password: Default is password

HxBench Test VHDX

vCPU

1

RAM

2 GB

OS Disk

8 GB

Data Disk

As provisioned by user for testing.

Number of test VMs

As defined by user for testing.

Access Credentials

Username: appadmin

Password: Default is password

Supported Browsers

Chrome

Chrome version 50 or higher.

Firefox

Not supported.

Internet Explorer

Not supported.

Safari

Not supported.

Related References

Hyper-V Network Prerequisites

Hyper-V Network Prerequisites

Hyper-V Network Prerequisites

Complete the following Hyper-V network prerequisites:

1. From the HyperV Manager, under Actions of the HyperV server, click Virtual Switch Manager.

2. Under the tab New virtual network switch choose the External network switch, then click Create Virtual Switch.

3. Specify the name of the switch as HxBench Private.

4. Click Apply then OK.

Chapter 3. Overview

The HxBench application is delivered in the form of an Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) package. Setting up an application involves deploying a virtual machine, configuring the virtual machine, and configuring the HxBench application.

- ESXi Network Recommendation

- Deploy the vCenter Controller

- Deploy the Hyper-V Controller

- Configure the Virtual Machine

- Access the HxBench Web Interface

- Configure the Host in Hyper-V

- Configure the Host in vCenter

- Configure the HxBench Application

- Validate the Network on vCenter Controller

Set Up an HxBench Virtual Application

ESXi Network Recommendation

This section describes how to set up the network to deploy the test virtual machines successfully and to run storage performance testing. You can set up the network manually to run the tests. This section provides the step-by-step tasks for manual network creation.

Datacenter or Cluster with Multiple Hosts

For a datacenter or cluster with multiple hosts, segment the network that connects to subordinate VMs as shown in the figure below. The HxBench Controller assigns static IP addresses to the test VMs and provides IP addresses to the subordinate VMs.

Network Consideration—Datacenter or Cluster with Multiple Hosts for Raw Disk

Network Consideration—Datacenter or Cluster with Multiple Hosts for iSCSI Block Storage

Follow these steps to create the required Standard / Distributed Switch and Port Group for HxBench:

1. Create a Standard / Distributed Switch with an uplink connected to a physical switch. Alternatively, you can select an existing Standard / Distributed Switch with uplink connected to the switch.

2. Using vSphere Web Client, create a Port Group labeled HxBench Private on the newly created Standard / Distributed Switch or on the selected Standard / Distributed Switch with a valid VLAN ID.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 on all the hosts in the cluster.

4. During OVA deployment, map NIC-2 of the HxBench Controller to the newly created HxBench Private Port Group.

5. Using vSphere Web Client, update the VLAN ID of the HxBench Private Port Group. Click Edit > Properties. On the HxBench Private Properties page, under the General tab, configure VLAN ID from the drop-down list.

6. Make sure that the VLAN ID is updated in the physical switch configuration and that the switch is configured to process traffic based on specific VLAN IDs.

Note

For procedural steps on manual network creation for a Datacenter or cluster with a single host, refer to Appendix at the end of this guide.

Deploy the vCenter Controller

Procedure

Deploy the vCenter Controller as follows:

Deploy the vCenter Controller as follows:

Step 1

From the vSphere Web Client Navigator, select File > Deploy OVF Template.

Step 2

Select the OVA template file you want to deploy from the disk.

Step 3

Specify a Name for the VM. Click Next.

The name has an 80 character limit and must be unique within the inventory folder.

Step 4

Select the computer resource where you want to deploy the VM. Click Next.

Step 5

Under Select Storage, select the datastore where you want to deploy the VM. Click Next.

Step 6

Select the Disk Format. Click Next.

Step 7

Under Select networks, select HxBench Private.

Step 8

Under Customize template, configure the Network settings. You can configure either DHCP or a Static IP address for the VM.

Field

Description

DNS field

Leave this space empty if DHCP is used.

For example, 8.8.8.8

Public Network Gateway field

Leave this space empty if DHCP is used.

For example, 10.11.0.1

Public Network IP field

Leave this space empty if DHCP is used.

For example, 10.11.0.120

Public Network Netmask field

Leave this space empty if DHCP is used.

For example, 255.255.0.0

Public Network Type field

From the drop-down list, select DHCP or Static.

Review the selected options to start deploying the OVA. Click Next.

Step 9

Select Ready to complete and click Finish.

What to do next

Wait for the deployment task to complete.

After completion, a success message appears.

Deploy the Hyper-V Controller

To deploy the Hyper-V controller:

Procedure

Step 1

Extract the zip file Cisco-HxBench-2.0.zip and copy the vhdx file Cisco-HxBench-2.0-HyperV.vhdx to the HyperV server.

Step 2

From the HyperV Manager, select the HyperV server where HxBench Controller is to be deployed and select New > Virtual Machine.

The New Virtual Machine Wizard appears. Follow the prompts to configure the new Virtual Machine.

1. Specify the Name of the VM, then click Next.

2. Select Generation 1 for the VM generation.

3. Specify 8192 MB as the memory size, then click Next.

4. Select Network connection Public Network for HxBench VM, then click Next.

5. Select Use an existing virtual hard disk, browse and select the copied Cisco-HxBench-2.0-HyperV.vhdx, then click Next.

6. Review the selected options to start deploying the vhdx, then click Finish.

Step 3

After the completion of the VM deployment, click VM Settings. Under the Add Hardware tab, select Network Adapter, then click Add.

Step 4

Choose Public Network for HXBench VM under the Virtual Switch. Click Apply, then click OK.

Step 5

Assign a VLAN ID to both networks, if enabled.

Step 6

Power on the VM by clicking Start.

Step 7

Click Start to power on the VM and then click Connect to connect via the console.

Step 8

Change the password from the console. While changing the password, use the default username and password as appadmin/password.

Step 9

Configure the static or DHCP IP from terminal for the first login. Follow the instructions prompted in the terminal.

Step 10

After IP configuration, enter the new password as prompted in terminal. The machine will not reboot if DHCP and reboots with static IP selection.

Step 11

After all IP configuration changes, if any changes are required or any wrong entry IP is entered, edit the interfaces file using VIM editor: /etc/network/interfaces to update the details

Step 12

If the previous step is done manually, then reboot/reset the machine using Hyper-V manager.

Configure the Virtual Machine

Procedure

Step 1

Power on the virtual machine.

Step 2

Log in to the virtual machine from the HxBench Web Interface.

Username

<appadmin>

Password

Use the Changed password during Hyper-V Controller deployment

Step 3

If you selected DHCP during deployment, the HxBench Application starts running when the VM boots up with the assigned DHCP address. Make a note of the IP address assigned to the VM.

If you selected static IP address, use the same to access the HxBench Controller and the HxBench Web Interface.

Access the HxBench Web Interface

To access the HxBench Web Interface, enter http://<IPaddressof theVM>:8000/hxbench/index.html in your browser.

Log in to the HxBench Web Interface using the following credentials:

Username

appadmin

Password

Use the Changed password during Hyper-V Controller deployment

Configure the Host in Hyper-V

Procedure

Before running the test, configure the host as follows:

Note

Perform the following steps on all hosts.

Before running the test, configure the host as follows: Perform the following steps on all hosts.

Step 1

From the Powershell CLI, enter:

>Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
>enable-wsmancredssp –role "Server" –Force

Step 2

Using windows powershell in administrator mode, copy and run the following file: “/home/appadmin/host_configuration.ps1” from the deployed HXBench Controller to all Windows HyperV Host and in Powershell execute the following: ./host_configuration.ps1.

Step 3

Use the same to access the HXBench Controller and the HXBench Web Interface.

HX Bench picks up the hostname and tries to deploy VMs on the same. If it fails to resolve the hostname, then VM deployment fails.

If this occurs, perform the following steps:

1. Add DNS IP and FQDN of the host to /etc/hosts file in the controller using the below commands:

sudo vi /etc/hosts

<IP-address> <FQDN>

Configure the Host in vCenter

HxBench picks up the hostname and tries to deploy VMs on the same. If it fails to resolve the hostname, then VM deployment fails.

Procedure

Add DNS IP and FQDN of the host to /etc/hosts file in the controller using the below commands:

sudo vi /etc/hosts

<IP-address> <FQDN>

Configure the HxBench Application

During initial login to the HxBench application after the installation, perform the following steps.

Procedure

Step 1

Upload Vdbench software to the HxBench controller.

1. Download Vdbench software version 5.04.07 from the Oracle website. Download the vdbench50407.zip file from the link: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/server-storage/vdbench-downloads-1901681.html.

2. Click Start. Upload the vdbench50407.zip file to the HxBench controller using the Upload button.

Note

Uploading Vdbench software to the HxBench controller is a one time activity.

Step 2

Upon successful completion of Vdbench software upload, click Next. Provide your server details (vCenter or Hyper-V, shown as follows) where the tests should run. Complete the following fields and click Save.

Note

Use an account that has administrator privileges to create or delete a virtual machine.

vCenter Server Details

Field

Description

Host Name

vCenter hostname

User Name

<admin> username

Password

<admin> password

Hyper-V Server Details

Field

Description

Node Name

Name of Hyper-V cluster

Host Name

Hyper-V hostname (use Add option for adding more hosts)

User Name

<admin> username

Password

<admin> password

Controller Type

Select HX or Non-HX as the Controller Type:

When selecting the HX controller type, add the follwing fields:

- Controller IP

- Controller Username

- Controller Password

Note

The user of the host should have all access to that host, and be able to create a session from powershell.

What to do next

After successful addition of vCenter, you will be redirected to the Run Test workflow.

Validate the Network on vCenter Controller

After adding the vCenter server, validate the network setup by performing the following checks:

- Query the network port group details of NIC2 in the HxBench controller.

- Check the type of switch to which the port group is associated.

- If the port group is connected to Virtual Distributed Switch (VDS), check whether all the hosts in the cluster are connected to the VDS and NIC2 port group.

Note

If the hosts are not connected to the VDS, you will see a warning that the network setup is partial. In such case, test VMs will be deployed to hosts only after the network setup is complete. You can manually update the configuration to connect all the hosts to a specific port group and VDS.

- If the port group is connected to the Virtual Standard Switch (VSS), the validation check will query the network and VLAN details of all the host switches.

- If all the hosts are configured with the same port group and VLAN ID, the validation is successful and HxBench controller redirects to the Run Test workflow.

- If some of the hosts are not configured with same port group and VLAN ID, the validation status is marked as PARTIAL. You can either continue to use the partial setup or alternatively, or you can create a new network setup on all hosts. Click Cancel to use the partial setup.

If you choose to create a new network setup on all hosts, provide the following details and click Create Network.

Field

Description

VLAN ID

If the network switch is configured to allow traffic from specific VLAN IDs, make sure to update this VLAN ID to the configuration.

Host Name

For example, 10.11.1.xxx

Switches

Choose vSwitch from the drop-down list.

- The HxBench controller assigns static IP addresses to all the test virtual machines. The static IP address is assigned from a private IP address range of 169.254.0.xxx.

Chapter 4. Configure and Run Tests

- Run a Raw Test

- Terminate a Test

- Test Details

- Test Results

- Comparing Test Results

Run a Raw Test

To test the storage performance in HxBench, select the Bench Tests tab and click the Create Test button. The Create page appears. This is the first of three pages that guide you through creating a bench test.

Procedure

Step 1

On the Test Profile page, complete the following fields:

Field Name

Description

Test Name field

Type a unique name into the field. The test name is used to associate test parameters and test results into user-defined reports.

Test Type list

Select Raw Disk from the list.

1. Select the desired Profile Type for the named test from the following options:

Profile Type

Description

Select Existing

Use an existing profile from the list of available Test Profiles.

Create New

Create a new test. Complete the Vdbench test parameter values to define a new custom test:

Test Parameters

- Read Mix (%): Valid range is 1-100%. The default is 60%.

- IO Type list: Valid values are Random and Sequential. The default is Random.

- IO Block Size (KB): Valid range is 0-99. The default is 8.

- Threads per VM: Value must be greater than 1. The default is 32.

Data Set

- Deduplication (%): Valid range is 0-99%. The default is 50%.

- Compression (%): Valid range is 0-99%. The default is 50%.

- Dataset per VM (GB): Value must be greater than 1. The default is 100.

- Working Set (% of Dataset): Valid range is 0-100%. The default is 100%.

Loadpoint and Run Time

- Select the Loadpoint: Fixed Load (only 100% loadpoint) or Stepwise Load (Initial calibration, 10%, 50%, 75% 90%, 100% load point)

- Run Time (min): Length of time of the test: Value must be greater than 1.

Upload File

Click the Browse button to navigate to upload Vdbench test parameters from a file.

2. Click Next to continue to the VM Group.

Step 2

On the VM Group page, provide the infrastructure details of the virtual machines you want to test.

1. Select the infrastructure to run the tests.

Infrastructure Type

Description

Use Existing VM Group

To use the existing infrastructure to run the tests, select the VM from the Select VM Group list.

Create New VMs

To create a new infrastructure, select Create New VMs and complete the following fields:

- VM Name Prefix: Name of the VM.

- vCenter: Pre-populated values. You cannot edit or change the values.

- Datastore list: List of datastores in the vCenter that are queried at runtime.

- Number of VMs: Valid value range is 1 to 4 VMs. The default is 4.

- Stretched Cluster: Enable Stretched Cluster; If you are benchmarking a Stretched Cluster complete the additional fields:

- HX Connect IP: HX Connect IP address

- HX Connect Username: HX Connect Username

- HX Connect Password: HX Connect Password.

- Fetch Data Store: After entering HX Connect details click on this button to fetch Datastore details.

2. Click Next.

3. Upon successful selection of Define Test and Define Infra, click Start Test to start the test.

As the test progresses, it will automatically transition through the following work flow progress pages.

Work flow Page

Description

Create Infra

View the Test VMs created with the given specifications. Use the Log Details tab to view the progress.

Validate Infra

VM infrastructure is validated for its availability and reachability.

Create Data Set

Data disk priming is carried out to run the test. The VM infrastructure is ready upon the completion of data disk priming. Now, the Vdbench tool is triggered to run the storage performance test using the provided test inputs on the VM infrastructure.

Run Tests

Performance metrics are captured and updated as the test progresses.

Completed

When the test is successfully Completed, the status turns green. The fields under Aggregate Test Results are updated.

Testing iSCSI Storage: HyperFlex Cluster

To test HyperFlex storage performance in HxBench, perform the following steps:

Procedure

Step 1

On the Bench Tests tab, click Create Test. The Test Profile page appears. This is the first of three pages that guide you through creating a bench test.

Step 2

On the Test Profile page, complete the following fields:

Field Name

Description

Test Name field

Type a unique name into the field. The test name is used to associate test parameters and test results into user-defined reports.

Test Type list

Select iSCSI Block Storage Workload – HX from the list.

1. Select the desired Profile Type for the named test from the following options:

Profile Type

Description

Select Existing

Use an existing profile from the list of available Test Profiles.

Create New

Create a new test. Complete the Vdbench test parameter values to define a new custom test:

Test Parameters

- Read Mix (%): Valid range is 1-100%. The default is 60%.

- IO Type list: Valid values are Random and Sequential. The default is Random.

- IO Block Size (KB): Valid range is 0-99. The default is 8.

- Threads per VM: Value must be greater than 1. The default is 32.

Data Set

- Deduplication (%): Valid range is 0-99%. The default is 50%.

- Compression (%): Valid range is 0-99%. The default is 50%.

- Dataset per VM (GB): Value must be greater than 1. The default is 100.

- Working Set (% of Dataset): Valid range is 0-100%. The default is 100%.

Loadpoint and Run Time

- Select the Loadpoint: Fixed Load (only 100% loadpoint) or Stepwise Load (Initial calibration, 10%, 50%, 75% 90%, 100% load point)

- Run Time (min): Length of time of the test: Value must be greater than 1.

Upload File

Click the Browse button to navigate to upload Vdbench test parameters from a file.

2. Click Next to continue to the VM Group.

Step 3

On the VM Group page, provide the infrastructure details of the virtual machines you want to test.

1. Select the infrastructure to run the tests.

Infrastructure Type

Description

Use Existing VM Group

To use the existing infrastructure to run the tests, select the VM from the Select VM Group list.

Create New VMs

To create a new infrastructure, select Create New VMs and complete the following fields:

- VM Name: Name of the VM.

- Node: Name of the node.

- Data Store list: List of data stores in the vCenter that are queried at runtime.

- Total VMs across All Nodes: Total count of VMs across all nodes. Value needs to be greater than 1.

- MTU Size: (Optional) MTU size for the test VMs and controller.

- HX Connect IP: HX Connect IP address.

- HX Connect Username: HX Connect Username.

- HX Connect Password: HX Connect Password.

Target Server Details

Enable CHAP: Select either Yes or No. If yes is selected, the CHAP Username and Password fields is visible and mutual authentication between target and user is configured. Complete the required fields.

- IP Address: CHAP IP address

- CHAP Username: CHAP username

- CHAP Password: CHAP password

Network Configuration Details

- Static/DHCP: Select Static or DHCP for IPs to assign to the test VMs.

- IP Range Start: Starting IP address for test VMs. Successive unused IPs after this IP are used for test VMs. This option is only available if you select Static.

- Netmask: NetmaskIP of the network used for test VMs. This option is only available if you select Static.

- Gateway: GatewayIP of the network used for test VMs. This option is only available if you select Static.

Data Priming

Priming involves performing an initial write to the entire VM. This is required for all new VMs to ensure performance results are valid. Existing VMs should be re-primed when using a storage efficiency ration other than the one used for initial creation.

Use the radio buttons to include or skip priming and specify when to run the priming test in the field provided.

2. Click Next.

3. Upon successful selection of Define Test and Define Infra, click Start Test to start the test.

As the test progresses, it will automatically transition through the following work flow progress pages.

Work flow Page

Description

Create Infra

View the Test VMs created with the given specifications. Use the Log Details tab to view the progress.

Validate Infra

VM infrastructure is validated for its availability and reachability.

Create Data Set

Data disk priming is carried out to run the test. The VM infrastructure is ready upon the completion of data disk priming. Now, the Vdbench tool is triggered to run the storage performance test using the provided test inputs on the VM infrastructure.

Run Tests

Performance metrics are captured and updated as the test progresses.

Completed

When the test is successfully Completed, the status turns green. The fields under Aggregate Test Results are updated.

When the test is successfully Completed, the status turns green and the fields under Loadpoint Averages and VM Average Comparison are updated.

- You can view the Test VMs created with the given specifications. You can view the progress in the Status column.

View the progress in the Status column. View the Test VMs created with the given specifications.

- Data disk priming is carried out to run the test.

- The VM infrastructure is ready upon the completion of data disk priming. The vdbench tool is now triggered to run the storage performance test using the provided test inputs on the VM infrastructure.

- Performance metrics are updated as the test progresses on theRun Tests page.

- When the test is in progress the Create VM Group button is disabled. The button is enabled after test completes, fails or terminates.

Testing iSCSI Storage: Non-HyperFlex Clusters

To test storage performance (non-HyperFlex platform) in HxBench, proceed as follows:

Procedure

Step 1

On the Bench Tests tab, click Create Test. The Create page appears. This is the first of three pages that guide you through creating a bench test.

Step 2

On the Test Profile page, complete the following fields:

Field Name

Description

Test Name field

Type a unique name into the field. The test name is used to associate test parameters and test results into user-defined reports.

Test Type list

Select iSCSI Block Storage Workload – Non-HX from the list.

1. Select the desired Profile Type for the named test from the following options:

Profile Type

Description

Select Existing

Use an existing profile from the list of available Test Profiles.

Create New

Create a new test. Complete the Vdbench test parameter values to define a new custom test:

Test Parameters

- Read Mix (%): Valid range is 1-100%. The default is 60%.

- IO Type list: Valid values are Random and Sequential. The default is Random.

- IO Block Size (KB): Valid range is 0-99. The default is 8.

- Threads per VM: Value must be greater than 1. The default is 32.

Data Set

- Deduplication (%): Valid range is 0-99%. The default is 50%.

- Compression (%): Valid range is 0-99%. The default is 50%.

- Dataset per VM (GB): Value must be greater than 1. The default is 100.

- Working Set (% of Dataset): Valid range is 0-100%. The default is 100%.

Loadpoint and Run Time

- Select the Loadpoint: Fixed Load (only 100% loadpoint) or Stepwise Load (Initial calibration, 10%, 50%, 75% 90%, 100% load point)

- Run Time (min): Length of time of the test: Value must be greater than 1.

Upload File

Click the Browse button to navigate to upload Vdbench test parameters from a file.

2. Click Next to continue to the VM Group.

Step 3

On the VM Group page, configure details of the infrastructure where you want to deploy the test virtual machines to run the test. You must use an existing infrastructure.

1. Select Use Existing VM Group to run the tests.

2. Click Next.

3. Click Start Test to start the test.

When the test is successfully Completed, the status turns green and the fields under Loadpoint Averages and VM Average Comparison are updated.

- You can view the Test VMs created with the given specifications. You can view the progress in the Status column.

View the progress in the Status column. View the Test VMs created with the given specifications.

- Data disk priming is carried out to run the test.

- The VM infrastructure is ready upon the completion of data disk priming. The vdbench tool is now triggered to run the storage performance test using the provided test inputs on the VM infrastructure.

- Performance metrics are updated as the test progresses on theRun Tests page.

- When the test is in progress the Create VM Group button is disabled. The button is enabled after test completes, fails or terminates.

Terminate a Test

You can terminate a running test using the Terminate option in the Run test wizard. The test will be marked as Terminated by user.

Test Details

The various operations you can perform on completed tests, test profiles, and VM infrastructure are listed in this section.

Bench Tests

You can view the list of tests run on the controller under the BENCH TESTS tab. You can select any test from this list and visualize the test summary, performance metrics and compare across multiple tests. If there is a test running, the Test History view lists it as In-Progress Test and updates the view details periodically. You can delete a test and associated data from HxBench.

Comparisons

You can select and compare test results on the COMPARISONS tab. You can select any test from this list, the Run Definition and Loadpoint and compare across multiple tests.

- Use the toggle to auto select similar tests.

- Use the check boxes to select specific metrics.

- Click the + to add additional tests.

Test Profiles

You can view the list of available profiles in the controller under the TEST PROFILES tab. You can select a profile and view the details. You can download a profile from here. You can also upload a profile and use it for testing. However, when a profile file is uploaded, the content must be in the correct format as defined by Vdbench. If there is any wrong format or unrecognized keys, the test will fail. You can delete a profile from HxBench.

VM Groups

You can view the available VM infrastructure and its status from the VM GROUPS page. If an infrastructure is not required for any further testing, you can delete it.

You can create a VM infrastructure to run a test using the Run Test wizard.

Application Logs

Application logs are stored in the following location:

/home/appadmin/hxbench/hxbench/hxbench.log

The following screenshot shows how to download the application logs.

Test Results

Test Results Logs

- Click on Test Details > View Logs > View Run Logs.

You can view the complete test logs.

- Click on Test Details > View Logs > View Vdbench Status.

You can view the parsable information about the current status of Vdbench.

Download Test Results Report

- To download the detailed results in PDF, click on Download icon under Test Details and select PDF.

- To download the detailed results in CSV, click on Download icon under Test Details and select CSV.

Comparing Test Results

You can perform various comparisons on completed tests by selecting the required test from the list. You can select a minimum of two and a maximum of five tests at a time. To compare completed test proceed as follows:

Procedure

Step 1

Click on the Comparisons tab.

Step 2

Select the tests to be compared from the completed Test Name list. You can select a minimum of two and a maximum of five tests.

Step 3

Use the check boxes to select the test parameters that you want to compare.

Step 4

Turn on the Compare similar tests switch to compare tests with the same test profile. The first test selected is considered the base test, all of the other tests to be compared will have the same run definition and loadpoint as the first test.

The comparison results appear with an illustrative graph.

What to do next

To download the detailed test comparisons result in PDF, click on the Download button under the Comparisons tab.

Chapter 5. Creating Test VMs

- Creating Test VMs for Raw Disk

Creating Test VMs for Raw Disk

Procedure

Step 1

Click on the VM Groups tab.

Step 2

Under the Create VM Groups tab, click on Create VM Group and complete the following fields:

Create VM Group for Raw Disk fields

Field

Description

VM Group for Test Type

Select Raw Disk from the drop-down.

VM Name Prefix

Name of the VM.

vCenter

vCenter field is pre-populated. You cannot edit the value.

Number of VMs

Number of VMs to deploy. The default value is set to 4.

Network

List of network switches available in vCenter.

Stretched Cluster

If you are benchmarking a Stretched Cluster complete the additional fields:

- HX Connect IP: HX Connect IP address

- HX Connect Username: HX Connect Username

- HX Connect Password: HX Connect Password.

- Fetch Data Store: After entering HX Connect details click on this button to fetch Datastore details.

Step 3

Click Save.

Creating Test VMs for iSCSI: HyperFlex Clusters

Procedure

Step 1

Select the VM Groups tab.

Step 2

On the Create VM Groups tab, click Create VM Group and complete the following fields:

Create VM Group for iSCSI Block Storage Fields

Field

Description

VM Group Details

VM Group for Test Type

Select iSCSI Block Storage Workload from the list.

VM Group Name

Type the unique VM Group Name in the field.

vCenter

vCenter field is pre-populated. You cannot edit the value.

Data Center

Select the Data Center from the list.

Cluster

Select the Cluster from the list.

Data Store

List of data stores in the vCenter that are queried at runtime.

Network

List of network switches available in vCenter.

Total VMs across All Nodes

Total count of VMs across all nodes. Value needs to be greater than 1. The default value is set to 4.

Disk Size / VM (GB)

MTU Size

(Optional) MTU size for the test VMs and controller. This field is optional.

Target Server Details

Cluster Type

Specify HX or non HX.

HX Connect IP

HX Connect IP

HX Connect Username

HX Connect Username

HX Connect Password

HX Connect Password

Target Server IP

IP address of the target server. This IP is used to discover targets in the target server.

CHAP

Select either Yes or No. If yes is selected, mutual authentication between target and user is configured.

CHAP Username

CHAP username. This field is visible only if the CHAP radio button is selected with Yes.

CHAP Password

CHAP Password. This field is visible only if the CHAP radio button is selected with Yes.

Network Configuration Details

Static/DHCP

Select Staticor DHCP for IPs to assign to the test VMs.

IP Range Start

Starting IP address for test VMs. Successive unused IPs after this IP are used for test VMs. This option is not available if you select DHCP.

Gateway

GatewayIP of the network used for test VMs. This option is not available if you select DHCP.

Netmask

NetmaskIP of the network used for test VMs. This option is not available if you select DHCP.

Target Server Details

Enable CHAP

Select either Yes or No. If yes is selected, the CHAP Username and Password fields is visible and mutual authentication between target and user is configured. Complete the required fields.

- IP Address: CHAP IP address

- CHAP Username: CHAP username

- CHAP Password: CHAP password

Network Configuration Details

Static/DHCP

Select Static or DHCP for IPs to assign to the test VMs.

IP Range Start

Starting IP address for test VMs. Successive unused IPs after this IP are used for test VMs. This option is only available if you select Static.

Netmask

NetmaskIP of the network used for test VMs. This option is only available if you select Static.

Gateway

(Optional) Gateway IP of the network used for test VMs. This option is only available if you select Static.

Step 3

Click Save.

Creating Test VMs for iSCSI: Non-HyperFlex Clusters

Procedure

Step 1

Click on the VM Groups tab.

Step 2

Under the Create VM Groups tab, click on Create VM Group and complete the following fields:

Create VM Group for iSCSI Block Storage Fields

Field

Description

VM Group for Test Type

Select iSCSI Block Storage Workload from the drop-down list.

VM Name Prefix

Name of the VM.

vCenter

vCenter field is pre-populated. You cannot edit the value.

Datastore

List of datastores in the vCenter that are queried at runtime.

Number of VMs

Number of VMs to deploy. The default value is set to 4.

Cluster Type

Set the Cluster Type to HX/Non-HX for iSCSI Block Storage Workload. Default value is HX.

Target Server IP

IP address of the target server. This IP is used to discover targets in the target server.

CHAP

Select either Yes or No. If yes is selected, mutual authentication between target and user is configured.

CHAP Username

CHAP username. This field is visible only if the CHAP radio button is selected with Yes.

CHAP Password

CHAP Password. This field is visible only if the CHAP radio button is selected with Yes.

Network Configuration Details

Static/DHCP

Select Staticor DHCP for IPs to assign to the test VMs.

IP Range Start

Starting IP address for test VMs. Successive unused IPs after this IP are used for test VMs. This option is not available if you select DHCP.

Gateway

GatewayIP of the network used for test VMs. This option is not available if you select DHCP.

Netmask

NetmaskIP of the network used for test VMs. This option is not available if you select DHCP.

Network

List of network switches available in vCenter.

MTU Size

MTU size for the test VMs and controller. This field is optional.

Step 3

Click Save.

Chapter 6. Appendix

Deploy Cluster on a Single Host

This appendix provides step-by-step tasks for manual network creation for a Datacenter or cluster with one host.

Datacenter or Cluster with One Host

Follow these steps to create the required vSwitch and Port Group for HxBench.

1. Create a vSwitch with or without any uplinks using vSphere Web Client. Alternatively, you can select an existing vSwitch to create the HxBench Private Port Group.

2. Create a Port Group labeled HxBench Private (as shown in the following diagram).

3. During OVA deployment, map NIC-2 of the HxBench Controller to the newly created HxBench Private Port Group. Or. the DVS port switch can be used with the proper uplink configured on all the hosts.

Troubleshooting Section

Network Issues

- Uplink Error

- Missing Host Error

- Network Type Configuration Error

- Password Configuration Error

VM Deployment Failure

- VM Deployment Failure

- Uplink Error

- Missing Host Error

- Network Type Configuration Error

- Password Configuration Error

- VM Deployment Failure

Uplink Error

The following error message is displayed:

Steps to resolve this error:

- Please check if all the Host in the Cluster are connected to HXBench Private network and necessary VLAN ID is assigned.

(For VLAN ID details, please contact the Networking team.)

Missing Host Error

This issue occurs when some of the hosts in the cluster are not connected to HXBench Private network.

Steps to resolve this issue:

- To continue to run the tests on all the hosts in the cluster, click on Confirm button which creates the network on all the hosts.

Note

For VLAN ID details, contact the Networking team.

Network Type Configuration Error

The following error message is displayed:

The issue may occur if either the Public Network Type property or DHCP/static option is not selected in the Network Type selection during the deployment.

Steps to resolve this error:

Redeploy the HxBench controller. During deployment, select Public Network Type property from the drop-down menu.

Password Configuration Error

The following error message is displayed:

The issue may occur if the password is not changed in the System password section during the deployment.

Steps to resolve this error:

Redeploy the HxBench controller. During deployment, under System password, enter the password that you would like to use to access the HxBench controller

VM Deployment Failure

The following error message is displayed:

Unable to copy files to x.x.x.x
Steps to resolve this issue:

- Click on the Retry button to reboot the VM.

- Copy the files again.

If the files are copied successfully, then you can continue to use the same VM group to run the future tests.