Visio by DBTPB: NX-3170-G6 Dynamic Front View Visio Shape

 

Dynamic shape DPTPB NX-3170-G6

  • Dynamic disk labels
    • Change disk label color and text via “Shape Data” “Disk layout” pull-down menu
    • Disk activity lights are turned on only if a disk is present in disk layout

  • Disk layouts
    • Hybrid
      • 2xSSD+6xHDD
    • All Flash
      • 2x/4x/6x/8xSSD
    • SSD + NVMe
      • 4x/6x/8xSSD + 2xNVMe
    • Hybrid with Self Encrypting Drives (SED)
      • 2xSED SSD + 6x SED HDD
    • All Flash with Self Encrypting Drives (SED)
      • 2x/4x/6x/8x SED SSD
  • Disk labels are color coded
    • Light Green label = SSD
    • Light Blue label = HDD
    • Orange label = SED SSD
    • Black label = SED HDD
    • Gray label = NVMe

Using “Shape data” Window to modify the dynamic shapes

  • Access “Shape Data” window (Visio 2016)
    • “View” – “Task Panes” – “Shape Data”
    • or
    • Select a shape – Right Click – “Data” – “Shape Data”
  • “Shape Data” menus are also Dynamic
    • It shows only relevant info / sections
    • For example if you choose All Flash disk layout, you can only choose the size of SSD drives, no menu for HDD size
  • Use pull-down menus to change the appearance of the shape

“Shape Data” menu

nx-3170-g6_dynamic_shape_data

“Select Disk Layout” menu expanded

nx-3170-g6_dynamic_shape_data_disk_layout.PNG

  • Depending on your selection disk label colors are changed
  • Depending on your disk layout selection only relevant disk size menus are shown
      • i.e if your selected disk layout contains only SSD drives, only SSD size menu is shown, no HDD size menu is shown
  • You can also turn off labels (and disk activity leds) totally by selecting “No Label + LED On” or “No Label + LED off”

“Select SSD Size” menu expanded

nx-3170-g6_dynamic_shape_data_ssd_size

  • Depending on your selection the label text changes
  • To have label just show color, not text, select the first line, empty line
  • To have label show color and disk type, select the second line
  • To have label show color, disk type and size, select third+ lines

“Select HDD Size” menu expanded

nx-3170-g6_dynamic_shape_data_hdd_size.PNG

“Select NVMe Size” menu expanded

nx-3170-g6_dynamic_shape_data_nvme_size.PNG

“Select SED SSD Size” menu expanded

nx-3170-g6_dynamic_shape_data_sed_ssd_size.PNG

“Select SED HDD Size” menu expanded

nx-3170-g6_dynamic_shape_data_hdd_sed_size

Examples

NX-3170-G6 Hybrid

Picture: NX-3170-G6 Hybrid, 2x960GB SSD  + 6x2TB HDD 

nx-3170-g6_dynamic_hybrid.PNG

NX-3170-G6 All Flash

Picture: NX-3170-G6 All Flash, 8×7.68TB SSD 

nx-3170-g6_dynamic_allflash.PNG

NX-3170-G6 SSD + NVMe

Picture: NX-3170-G6  SSD+NVMe, 4×3.84TB SSD  + 2×3.84TB NVMe

nx-3170-g6_dynamic_ssd_nvme.PNG

NX-3170-G6 Hybrid with Self Encrypting Drives (SED)

Picture: NX-3170-G6 Hybrid SED, 2×1.92TB SED SSD + 6x2TB SED HDD 

nx-3170-g6_dynamic_hybrid_sed.PNG

NX-3170-G6 All Flash with Self Encrypting Drives (SED)

Picture: NX-3170-G6 All Flash SED, 6×3.84TB SED

nx-3170-g6_dynamic_allflash_sed.PNG

Limitations

  • The text on label is shown only when using scales from 1:2 to 1:16
    • The smallest font that Visio can render is 1pt
    • At 1:16 the disk label text font size is 1 pt
    • At 1:10 the disk  label text font size is 1.6 pt
    • At 1:20 the label text font size would have to be less than 1 pt, but Visio would render the font to be 1 pt in size and the text would not fit with in the label box
  • Dynamic shapes are slower to use than the normal shapes
    • Lot’s of code associated with the shape
    • Many dynamic elements with the shape
    • The initial placement from stencil to drawing might take up to 15 seconds or more, depending how powerful your computer is
    • Once a dynamic shape has been used once in a drawing, subsequent placements from stencil to drawing are faster
  • At the moment there is no logic for checking that the SSD and HDD combinations are actually supported
    • With Nutanix models using  3.5″ drives
      • your SSD size selection might limit the HDD sizes that can be used
      • or vice versa your HDD selection might limit your SSD size selection
      • For example with some NX models it is not supported to use smaller 480GB/960Gb/1.92TB SSD drives with larger 6TB/8TB/12TB HDDs
      • Nutanix documentation around this issue is bit hazy and supported disk combinations might vary between NX models and AOS releases -> Not so easy to make disk combination checks
  • Dynamic shapes should also work with Visio “Blank Page” template and page setting “No Scale”. But it is highly recommended to use scaled drawings (1:2 to 1:16), as “No Scale” drawings can cause much headache and unpredictable results.

Downloads

  • This was a beta version of the shape and has been superseded by a new stencil containing both front and rear view dynamic shapes, for more info please read:

    Unofficial DPTPB Nutanix Dynamic Visio Shapes: Intro

  • or
  • Just download the updated dynamic stencil package from Nutanix Downloads
  • NX-3170-G6 Dynamic Front View Shape
  • Not an Official Nutanix shape
  • Use at your own risk, no guarantees

Feedback

  • Please leave feedback, the only way to make the shapes better, is to get feedback