In this section:

This section describes SBC Edge Portfolio hardware and software requirements and recommendations for SBC SWe Edge installations using VMware ESXi.


The recommended hardware and software settings are intended to ensure optimum SBC Edge Portfolio stability and performance. If the recommended settings are not used, SBC Edge Portfolio system may not behave as expected.

SBC SWe Edge Operations in an ESXi Cluster are Supported, with Restrictions


The SBC SWe Edge supports operations within an ESXi host under the control of a vCenter Server (centralized management utility for VMware) provided the operations and features invoked on the ESXi host by the vCenter Server match those invoked by the ESXi host console when running outside the control of the vCenter Server.

Refer to the following guidelines and restrictions:

  1. Select operations on the ESXi host initiated by the vCenter Server (such as those not available with the ESXi host console when running in standalone mode) may result in a disruption of SBC SWe Edge operations. Examples of popular vCenter Server-initiated operations that are not supported by the SBC SWe Edge include vMotion and Fault Tolerance.
  2. If unsupported vCenter Server-initiated operations result in a disruption of the SBC SWe Edge, a new unprovisioned (blank) and unlicensed SBC SWe Edge may need to instantiated to replace the original SBC SWe Edge instance.  Please contact Ribbon TAC to initiate a license re-issuance.

License Requirements

You must obtain and apply a valid SBC SWe Edge license in order to configure and use the SBC SWe Edge. See below:


Server Hardware Requirements

ConfigurationRequirement
Processor2nd Generation Intel Core or Intel Xeon Processor (Sandy bridge or later)
Host OSESXi 5.5 or above
Architecture64-bit Intel processor
RAM

Each SBC SWe Edge instance requires from 1.5 GiB to 4 GiB of RAM depending on the configuration

DatastoreHard disk requirements are dependent upon the number of VMs hosted, the size of each VM at full size, and whether snapshots will be enabled.

Platforms using AMD processors are not supported.

Minimum ESXi hosting requirements are posted by VMware.

VMware ESXi

The minimum CPU Emulation Mode (EVC) recommended is Nehalem (problems have occurred when the EVC on the ESXi host is set to Penryn).

Customized ESXi images for various server platforms are available on VMware and Hardware platform vendor sites.

  • It ensures that all the required drivers for network and storage controllers are available to run ESXi server.
  • Most of the customized ESXi images comes with customized management software to manage server running ESXi software.
  • Customized ESXi images for HP ProLiant and IBM servers are available at:

For more information, please visit the VMware Knowledge Base

Refer to VMware Compatibility Guide (external site) for a list of VMware supported Intel processors. 

Refer to ESXi hardware requirements to ensure the VMware supported Intel processors meet ESXi hardware requirements.


Ribbon Recommendations for SBC SWe Edge

General Recommendations

  • Plan enough resources (RAM, CPU, NIC ports, hard disk, etc.) for all the virtual machines (VMs) to run on the server platform, including resources needed by ESXi itself.
  • Allocate each VM with only as much virtual hardware as that VM requires. Adding excess resources may not result in improved performance nor will improved performance or feature difference be supported. Refer to the SBC SWe Edge Performance and Capacity for sanctioned VM sizes and supported performance against sanctioned VMs.
  • Disconnect or disable any physical hardware devices that you will not be using (floppy drives, network interfaces, storage controllers, optical drives, USB controllers, etc.) under BIOS settings to free up interrupt/CPU resources.


VM Configuration Recommendations

SettingMinimum
vCPU1, 2, 4, and 10 supported
RAM

1.5 GiB to support 1 vCPU

2 GiB to support 2 vCPUs

3 GiB to support 4 vCPUs

4 GiB to support 10 vCPUs

vNIC

SBC SWe Edge is created with 5 Virtual Network Interfaces (vNICs); all 5 interfaces are required.

Note: One vNIC is mandatory for management.

Virtual Hard Disk5 GiB

 

Additional Information

  • Minimal networking configuration requires the Management Network Interface and at least one Media Interface to be assigned.
  • Each SBC SWe Edge VM will use approximately 5 GiB of Virtual Hard Drive space. Drive size is predetermined by the imported image.
  • The Management Network Interface and each Media Interface must be configured on separate VLANs. Failure to do so can result in undesired behavior such as one-way or no-way audio.


Refer to Downloading the SBC SWe Edge Package for On-Premises Deployment for software download instructions.