In this section:

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


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

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


The SBC SWe Lite 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 Lite operations. Examples of popular vCenter Server-initiated operations that are not supported by the SBC SWe Lite include vMotion and Fault Tolerance.
  2. If unsupported vCenter Server-initiated operations result in a disruption of the SBC SWe Lite, a new unprovisioned (blank) and unlicensed SBC SWe Lite may need to instantiated to replace the original SBC SWe Lite instance.  Please contact Ribbon TAC to initiate a licence re-issuance.

License Requirements

You must obtain and apply a valid SBC SWe Lite license in order to configure and use the SBC SWe Lite. 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
RAMEach SBC SWe Lite instance requires from 1 GiB to 2.5 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

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 Lite

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. Provisioning a VM with more resources than it requires can, in some cases, reduce the performance of that VM as well as other virtual machines sharing the same host.
  • 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 GiB (1024 MiB) to support 1 vCPU

1.5 GiB (1536 MiB) to support 2 vCPUs

2.5 GiB (2560 MiB) to support 4 vCPUs

2.5 GiB (2560 MiB) to support 10 vCPUs

vNIC

5

(Up to 3 may be disabled, if only a single vNIC is required for media. 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 SWeLite VM will use approximately 5 GiB of Virtual Hard Drive space. Drive size is predetermined by the imported image.


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