vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

Transcription

1 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide NetApp, Inc. 495 East Java Drive Sunnyvale, CA U.S.A. Telephone: +1 (408) Fax: +1 (408) Support telephone: +1 (888) 4-NetApp Documentation comments: Information Web: Part Number , Rev. A February 2012

2 Copyright Information Copyright NetApp, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. No part of this document covered by copyright may be reproduced in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or storage in an electronic retrieval system without prior written permission of the copyright owner. Software derived from copyrighted NetApp material is subject to the following license and disclaimer: THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY NETAPP "AS IS" AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WHICH ARE HEREBY DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL NetApp BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS. INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. NetApp reserves the right to change any products described herein at any time, and without notice. NetApp assumes no responsibility or liability arising from the use of products described herein, except as expressly agreed to in writing by NetApp. The use or purchase of this product does not convey a license under any patent rights, trademark rights, or any other intellectual property rights of NetApp. The product described in this manual may be protected by one or more U.S.A. patents, foreign patents, or pending applications. RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGEND: Use, duplication, or disclosure by the government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS (October 1988) and FAR (June 1987) ii vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

3 Trademark Information NetApp, the NetApp logo, Network Appliance, the Network Appliance logo, SANtricity, SnapCopy, SnapDirector, SnapDrive, SnapFilter, SnapLock, SnapManager, SnapMigrator, SnapMirror, SnapMover, SnapProtect, SnapRestore, Snapshot, SnapSuite, SnapValidator, SnapVault, and XBB are trademarks or registered trademarks of NetApp, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide iii

4 Trademark Information iv vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

5 Contents Chapter 1: Overview of the vcenter Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage... 1 vcenter Plug-in Features... 1 vcenter Plug-in Premium Features... 1 Installation Prerequisites... 1 Compatible Browsers... 2 Compatible Storage Arrays and Configurations... 2 Configuration Constraints... 2 Chapter 2: Installing the vcenter Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage... 3 Installing the vcenter Application Server... 3 Downloading and Installing the vcenter Plug-in... 3 Downloading the vcenter Plug-in... 3 Installing the Application Server and the VCenter Plug-in... 4 Verifying that the vcenter Plug-in Registered with the vcenter Server... 5 Upgrading from Previous Versions of the vcenter Plug-in... 5 Chapter 3: vcenter Plug-in Security... 7 Installing the Trusted SSL Certificate... 7 Enhanced IE Security Chapter 4: Opening the vcenter Plug-in Chapter 5: Managing Permissions and User Roles User Permissions User Roles Adding an Administrator Role Editing Roles Cloning a Role, Renaming a Role, Removing a Role, and Copying a Role to the Clipboard Adding a User ID to a Role Chapter 6: Configuring ESX/ESXi Hosts Configuring SAS Support on ESX/ESXi Hosts Upgrading the SAS SMI-S Provider Enabling Root Login from a Console Login on ESX Hosts Enabling Root Login from a Console Login on ESXi Hosts Creating a New User Login Upgrading the LSI SAS SMI-S Provider for ESX 4.1 and ESXi Upgrading the LSI SAS SMI-S Provider for ESXi Configuring ESX Host SANs SAN Configurations for Dual-Controller Storage Systems Configuring Networks for Software iscsi Storage Automatically Configuring ESX Hosts Chapter 7: Managing Volume Groups and Volumes Creating Volume Groups Managing Volumes Volume States Creating a Volume Renaming a Volume Deleting Volumes Formatting Volumes Decision-Making Schemes Using the Predictive Scheme to Make Volume Decisions Using the Adaptive Scheme to Make Volume Decisions Volume Mapping Chapter 8: Managing Storage Arrays Storage Array Summary Summary Data Customizing Storage Array Views vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide v

6 Contents Adding a Storage Array Editing a vcenter Password Password-Protected Storage Arrays Changing a vcenter Password Resolving a Password Mismatch Removing a Storage Array Saving Storage Array Configurations Automatically Saving a Storage Array Configuration Manually Saving a Storage Array Configuration Chapter 9: Datastores View Chapter 10: Event Log Chapter 11: Uninstalling the vcenter Plug-in Uninstalling the vcenter Plug-in Manually Unregistering the vcenter Plug-in Chapter 12: Premium Features Snapshot Premium Feature Enabling the Snapshot Premium Feature Creating a Snapshot of a Base Volume Disabling a Snapshot Re-creating a Snapshot Deleting a Snapshot Remote Volume Mirror Premium Feature Creating a Remote Volume Mirror Suspending Remote Volume Mirror Resuming Remote Volume Mirror Changing Mirrored Roles Testing Mirrored Communication Changing Mirrored Parameters Removing Mirrored Pairs Volume Copy Premium Feature Creating a Volume Copy Changing Volume Copy Parameters Recopy Stopping a Copy or Recopy Operation Removing Copy Pairs Chapter 13: Restrictions for NetApp E-Series Storage Manager for vcenter Version ID: Extremely long timeout for SAS ESX host wizard operation ID: Storage administrator privileges assigned to user group not working ID: Save config and MEL save do not bring up the Save dialog box on the first click ID: ESX host name wraps unless window is expanded ID: Error Loading Arrays Message ID: Event Log viewer scroll bar extends below the limit ID: Entering an invalid alternate controller IP address causes duplicate array entries ID: Add Array DNS field is limited to 30 characters ID: Validation fails for save configuration files for storage arrays with firmware version Chapter 14: Troubleshooting NetApp E-Series Storage Manager for vcenter Plug-in Issues Application Server Logs I Receive an Error Attempt to Register the Plug-in During Installation I Cannot Communicate with the Application Server I Cannot Create or Delete Objects How Can I Maximize Client Performance? How Do I Suppress Slow Script Warning Messages? I Cannot Make Changes to a Storage Array The vcenter Plug-in Does Not Show the New Storage Array Name after a Clear Configuration Operation in the Storage Management Software vi vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

7 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide vii

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9 Chapter 1: Overview of the vcenter Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage The vcenter Plug-in for NetApp E-Series storage is a Web-based Plug-in to VMware vcenter server 4.x and 5.0 that provides integrated management of NetApp E-Series storage arrays from within a vsphere Client. The vsphere Client is a single management interface that you can use to manage the VMware infrastructure and all of your dayto-day storage needs. You have a central structure with which to manage a heterogeneous storage configuration. You do not need to learn another management tool, so you can focus instead on the entire virtual infrastructure. NOTE: The vcenter Plug-in is not a direct replacement for the NetApp storage management software, which is still required for performing certain storage administration tasks. vcenter Plug-in Features The following vcenter Plug-in features enable the integrated management of NetApp E-Series storage arrays: Array Manager view Copy services management A configuration wizard for ESX/ESXi host storage Volume management of storage arrays Datastores to volume details Event log viewer for storage array events Automatic and manual storage array configuration backup Only out-of-band management The vcenter Plug-in enables you to perform the following tasks: Ability to monitor, manage, and configure ESX/ESXi hosts to NetApp E-Series storage arrays Automated ESX/ESXi host configuration Volume-to-LUN datastore viewing an monitoring View the vcenter datastores to NetApp E-Series volumes Create, add, and delete volumes Map volumes from the NetApp E-Series storage arrays to the ESX host vcenter Plug-in Premium Features You can create hardware snapshots, volume copies, and remote mirrors when these premium features are enabled on the storage array. The vcenter Plug-in uses an application server to facilitate the interface between the vsphere Client and the NetApp E-Series storage based on the authenticated logged-in user and the privileges assigned to that user's role. Installation Prerequisites To install and use the vcenter Plug-in, the following prerequisites must be met. NetApp E-Series storage server with VMware-certified firmware Installed VMware vcenter servers o 4.1 o 5.0 Installed operating systems (OS) on the vcenter plug-in application server. (either a 32-bit or 64-bit OS is suitable for the application server): o Windows 2003 o Windows 2003 R2 o Windows 2008 o Windows 2008 R2 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 1

10 Chapter 1: Overview of the vcenter Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage Compatible Browsers Internet Explorer versions 7, 8, and 9 Compatible Storage Arrays and Configurations Table 1: Compatible Storage Arrays and Configurations Model Firmware Interface Types E6260, E FC, iscsi, FCoE, SAS, IB E , 7.75, 7.77 FC, iscsi, IB CE699x 7.60 FC, IB E54xx 7.80, 7.83 FC, iscsi, SAS, IB CDE , 7.70, 7.75, 7.77 FC, iscsi E26xx 7.70, 7.75, 7.77, 7.80, 7.83 FC, iscsi, SAS Eng 399x 7.50 FC AM1333, AM1532, AM SAS, iscsi, FC Configuration Constraints The number of managed storage arrays, the number of volumes, and the number of disks on each storage array determine the overall performance of the vcenter Plug-in. Therefore, limit the number of managed system components: Between 25 and 50 storage arrays NOTE: The practical limit may be somewhat less due to navigation of the storage array list. No more than 256 objects, such as volumes, volume copies, or snapshots, on an storage array No more than 16 remote mirrors 2 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

11 Chapter 2: Installing the vcenter Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage Install the vcenter application server first. Then download and install the vcenter Plug-in. Installing the vcenter Application Server Install the vcenter application server on a different Windows 2003 server or Windows 2008 server than the VMware vcenter server is installed on. NOTE: However, when adequate resources are available on the vcenter server, you can install the application server on the same host that the vcenter server is installed on. Run the vcenter Plug-in installer to launch the installation wizard. During the installation process, you must provide information about the system components, such as the storage array names, the IP addresses, and the DNS names. Table 2: shows the information required for each component. Table 2: Configuration Worksheet Example Example Component Example Component Name Required Information Example Information vcenter server Name: vcenter-4 DNS name: IP Address: vcenter-4.domain.com vcenter Administrator Name: administrator Password: password Application Server Name: App-Server DNS name: IP Address: Storage Array 1 Name: E5400 IP Addresses Password: Storage Array 2 Name: E2600 IP Addresses Password: Storage Array 3 Name: IP Addresses Password: Storage Administrator User ID: User1 The user s level of storage administrator rights (See Figure 15 on page18 for examples) Storage Administrator User ID: User2 The user s level of storage administrator rights (See Figure 15 on page18 for examples) app-server.domain.com /90 none /92 none Read-Only Read/Write Downloading and Installing the vcenter Plug-in Downloading the vcenter Plug-in NOTE: Make sure that both the vsphere Client and the vsphere server are installed in the environment before you download and install the vcenter Plug-in. The vcenter Plug-in does not function in a configuration with only a vsphere Client and an ESX host configuration. Obtain the latest version of the vcenter Plug-in from the NetApp Web site for your environment. The support matrix at the NetApp Web site shows the most current versions. The download package is a single, self-extracting file. Download the Plug-in installation file to the system that will be the application server. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 3

12 Chapter 2: Installing the vcenter Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage Installing the Application Server and the VCenter Plug-in 8. Read the introduction screen, and click Next. 7. Accept the license agreement, and click Next. 8. To select the location to install the vcenter Plug-in, either click Next to accept to default or specify a different location. 9. Verify the installation details, and click Install. 5. Either click Next to accept the default port number of the Jetty server or change the port number of the Jetty server. The default port number can be either 8081 or NOTE: If the vcenter Plug-In is installed on the same system as an active vcenter server, and VMware Update Manager is also installed, change the default port number for the plug-in to an unused port number. 6. If necessary, change the IP address of the application server. The default IP address is the IP address of the system the installer is running on. 7. Click Next. 8. Enter the IP address of the vcenter server on which to install the vcenter Plug-in, and click Next. 9. Enter the administrator's address for alerts, and click Next. 10. Enter the vcenter administrator's user ID, and click Next. 11. Enter the vcenter administrator's password, and click Next. 12. Click Done. The Jetty application server and associated jar files are installed. After the installation is complete, the vcenter Plug-in is registered with the vcenter server. Figure 1 vsphere Client, vcenter Server, and Application Server 13. Verify that the Jetty6 Service as installed and started. 14. Verify that the vcenter Plug-in integrated with the vcenter server. 15. Run the services.msc command to verify that the application server was installed successfully. 16. Verify that the Windows Event Log shows no warning or failure messages during the installation. 4 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

13 Chapter 2: Installing the vcenter Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage Verifying that the vcenter Plug-in Registered with the vcenter Server After the application server and the vcenter Plug-in are installed, perform these steps to verify that the vcenter Plug-in was successfully registered with the vcenter server. 1. Open the vsphere Client to the vcenter server. 2. On the menu bar, select Plug-ins >> Manage Plug-ins. The NetApp vcenter Plug-in window opens. Figure 2 NetApp E-Series vcenter Plug-in Window The NetApp E-Series Storage Manager for vcenter Plug-in is listed as Enabled. However if the vcenter Plug-in is listed as disabled with an error message stating that it cannot communicate with the application server, verify that the port number defined for the Jetty server is enabled to pass through any firewalls that might be in use. The default Jetty TCP port numbers are 8084 and After the application server and vcenter server have been configured, the NetApp Storage vcenter Plug-in icon appears in the Solution and Application section of the vsphere Client page, as shown in Figure 10 on page 13. Upgrading from Previous Versions of the vcenter Plug-in When you upgrade to vcenter Plug-in version 2.4, the upgrade process retains the following information: Array data Array passwords Auto-save settings To upgrade to vcenter Plug-in version 2.4, perform these steps: 1. Read the introduction screen, and click Next. 2. Accept the license agreement, and click Next. 3. To select the location to install the vcenter Plug-in, either click Next to accept to default or specify a different location. 4. Verify the installation details, and click Install. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 5

14 Chapter 2: Installing the vcenter Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage After you click Install, the Vmware ESX Provider is removed. 5. Click OK to reinstall the Vmware ESX Provider. 6. Enter the administrative login password for the vcenter host. The prior version of the vcenter Plug-in is unregistered. The upgraded version of the vcenter Plug-in is registered. For more information about how the vcenter Plug-in is registered with the vcenter Server, go to Verifying that the vcenter Plug-in Registered with the vcenter Server on page Click Done. The Jetty application server and associated jar files are installed. 8. Verify that the Jetty6 Service started. 9. Verify that the vcenter Plug-in integrated with the vcenter server. 10. Verify that the Windows Event Log shows no warning or failure messages during the upgrade. 6 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

15 Chapter 3: vcenter Plug-in Security The vcenter Plug-in uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for secure communications between the vsphere server and the application server. During the vcenter server installation process, an SSL certificate was generated for the vcenter server system. Installing the Trusted SSL Certificate If the SSL certificate has not been added to the system's Trusted Root Certification Authorities store, the Security Alert dialog box appears. Figure 3 Security Alert Dialog Box To prevent the Security Alert dialog box from appearing each time you click on the NetApp Storage vcenter Plugin icon, perform these steps to permanently install the security certificate in the system s Trusted Root Certification Authorities store: 1. Click View Certificate. The Certificate dialog box appears. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 7

16 Chapter 3: vcenter Plug-in Security Figure 4 Certificate Dialog Box Click Install Certificate. NOTE: If you click OK, the Certificate dialog box closes. The Certificate Import Wizard Welcome to the Certificate Import Wizard dialog box appears. Click Next. The Certificate Import Wizard Certificate Store dialog box appears. Select Place all certificates in the following store, and click Browse. The Select Certificate Store dialog box appears. 8 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

17 Chapter 3: vcenter Plug-in Security Figure 5 Select Certificate Store Dialog Box 5. Select the Trusted Root Certification Authorities folder. 6. Click OK. Trusted Root Certification Authorities appears in the Certificate Store field. 7. Click Next. The Certificate Import Wizard Completing the Certificate Import Wizard dialog box appears. 8. Click Finish. The Security Warning dialog box appears. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 9

18 Chapter 3: vcenter Plug-in Security Figure 6 Security Warning Message 9. Click Yes. The subject name of the system in the certificate must match the system name of the vcenter server on the vsphere Client login screen. If the names do not match, a warning message stating the certificate does not match the site name continues to appear. If the import was successful, the The import was successful message appears. Figure 7 Import Successful Message 10. Click OK. The The import was successful message closes. 11. Click OK. The Certificate dialog box closes. 12. Click Yes. The Security Alert dialog box closes The vsphere Client window opens at the NetApp vcenter Plug-in page, as shown in Figure 10 on page vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

19 Chapter 3: vcenter Plug-in Security Enhanced IE Security If Microsoft's Enhanced IE Security is installed on the vsphere Client system, the enhanced security configuration blocks content from the Web site. A message similar to the message shown in Figure 8 appears. Figure 8 IE Enhanced Security Message To establish a trust relationship with the application server, perform these steps: 1. Click either Add or another, similar command. The Internet Options dialog box appears. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 11

20 Chapter 3: vcenter Plug-in Security Figure 9 Trusted Sites Dialog Box 2. Select the Security tab. 3. Select Trusted sites, and click Sites. The Trusted sites dialog box appears. If you use the save file options, you must add the DNS name or IP address of the vcenter Plug-in application server in non-ssl format, such as to the Trusted sites list. If necessary, add about:security_vpxclient.exe to your trusted sites. 4. Click Close. The Trusted sites dialog box closes. 5. In the Internet Options dialog box, click OK. The Internet Options dialog box closes. 12 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

21 Chapter 4: Opening the vcenter Plug-in After the vcenter Plug-in has been successfully installed, perform these steps to open the vcenter Plug-in: 1. On the Windows Start menu, select VMware vsphere Client. The VMware vsphere Client login dialog box appears. 2. Enter the following information in the VMware vsphere Client login dialog box: To manage a single host, enter the IP address or host name. To manage multiple hosts, enter the IP address or name of the vcenter server. Enter the user name and password. 3. Click Login. The vsphere Client page opens. Figure 10 vsphere Client Page 4. Click on the NetApp Storage vcenter Plug-in icon. The NetApp E-Series vcenter Plug-in page appears. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 13

22 Chapter 4: Opening the vcenter Plug-in Figure 11 NetApp E-Series vcenter Plug-in Page 14 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

23 Chapter 5: Managing Permissions and User Roles After the vcenter Plug-in has been installed, either as a new installation or an upgrade, and the security requirements have been met, you must assign user roles and permissions before a user can use the vcenter Plug-in. User Permissions The vcenter Plug-in provides the following user permissions: Read-only Read/write No read or write By default, all defined vcenter Plug-in users have no rights to NetApp E-Series storage arrays. When a user requires either read permissions or read/write permissions to access the vcenter Plug-in, the user s role must be modified to permit access to the vcenter Plug-in. A user who is not a member of a role with either read-only or read/write storage administrator permission cannot view any statistics from the vcenter Plug-in. A user who is not authorized to access a vcenter Plug-in feature receives the User is not authorized to use this plug-in message. Figure 12 User is not Authorized to Use This Plug-in Message User Roles You can add a role, close a role, rename a role, remove a role, edit all roles other than the administrator role, and copy a role to the clipboard. To manage user roles, perform these steps to open the vcenter Plug-in: 1. On the Windows Start menu, select VMware vsphere Client. The VMware vsphere Client login dialog box appears. 2. Enter the following information in the VMware vsphere Client login dialog box: To manage a single host, enter the IP address or host name. To manage multiple hosts, enter the IP address or name of the vcenter server. Enter the user name and password. 3. Click Login. The vsphere Client page appears. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 15

24 Chapter 5: Managing Permissions and User Roles Figure 13 vsphere Client Page >> Home Adding an Administrator Role 1. In the Administration section, click on the Roles icon. The list of roles and usages appears. 16 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

25 Chapter 5: Managing Permissions and User Roles Figure 14 vcenter Plug-In Roles List 2. Click Add Role. The Add New Role dialog box appears. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 17

26 Chapter 5: Managing Permissions and User Roles Figure 15 Add New Role Dialog Box In the Name text box, enter a unique name of the new role. On the Privileges list, select the access permissions to assign to this role. NOTE: You cannot modify the administrator role. If the administrator user role is used to manage storage, you must first create a new role with all of the privileges added to it and then add the administrator user to this role, as described in Adding a User ID to a Role. You can add storage administrator privileges to all existing roles except to the Administrator role. To allow read-only or read/write access permissions to the storage arrays, select the permission from the Storage Administrator group. Click OK. The new role appears in the list of roles. 18 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

27 Chapter 5: Managing Permissions and User Roles Figure 16 Home >> Administration >> Roles >> <Storage Array> Editing Roles To edit a role, perform these steps: 1. Right-click the role name. A pop-up menu appears. 2. Select Edit Role. The Edit Role menu appears. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 19

28 Chapter 5: Managing Permissions and User Roles Figure 17 Edit Role Dialog Box 3. Select or clear the appropriate permissions levels. Expand the permission categories as necessary. 4. Click OK. 20 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

29 Chapter 5: Managing Permissions and User Roles Cloning a Role, Renaming a Role, Removing a Role, and Copying a Role to the Clipboard To clone a role, right-click the role name, as shown in Figure 17 on page 20, and click Clone on the pop-up menu. The cloned role name appears on the Roles list. To rename a role, select the role name and type over the current, highlighted role name. To remove a role name from the Roles list, perform these steps: 1. Right-click the role name, A pop-up menu appears. 2. Click Remove. The Delete Roles dialog box appears. 3. Click OK. The role name is removed from the Roles list. To copy a role name to the clipboard, right-click the role name and click Copy to Clipboard on the pop-up menu. Adding a User ID to a Role 1. In the Inventory section of the vsphere Client page, click on the Hosts and Clusters icon. Figure 18 vsphere Client Page >> Inventory >> Hosts and Clusters The Hosts and Clusters page shows the Getting Started tab. Figure 19 vsphere Client Page >> Inventory >> Hosts and Clusters >> Getting Started vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 21

30 Chapter 5: Managing Permissions and User Roles 2. In the left pane, expand the vcenter server if necessary. 3. In the left pane, right-click the vcenter server element. A pop-up menu appears. Figure 20 vsphere Client Page >> Inventory >> Hosts and Clusters >> Add Permission 4. Select Add Permission. The Assign Permissions dialog box appears. 22 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

31 Chapter 5: Managing Permissions and User Roles Figure 21 Assign Permissions Dialog Box 5. Click Add. 6. Select one or more users to assign access to the storage arrays. 7. Select the modified role from the drop-down list. 8. Click OK to apply changes. 9. Click OK to apply permissions to the role. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 23

32 Chapter 5: Managing Permissions and User Roles 24 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

33 Chapter 6: Configuring ESX/ESXi Hosts Configuring SAS Support on ESX/ESXi Hosts SAS support is available only for ESX and ESXi version 4.1 and later hosts. Previous versions of ESX and ESXi are not supported. For the vcenter Plug-in to configure ESX/ESXi hosts to the NetApp E-Series storage arrays with SAS connections, you must first upgrade the LSI SAS SMI-S Provider on ESX/ESXi hosts. NOTE: The LSI SAS SMI-S Provider supports only 6-Gb HBAs. If the system has 3-Gb HBAs, the LSI SAS SMI-S Provider might unexpectedly shut down or cause excessive error logging in the syslog. Upgrading the SAS SMI-S Provider This upgrade is required only to allow the Host to Storage Configuration option to configure SAS-connected storage arrays. When the storage arrays are already configured, or the storage arrays are not SAS-connected, the in-box provider does not need to be upgraded. To use the SAS provider, it must first be deployed on the ESX or ESXi servers to be configured. This requires that either Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) or Secure Copy (SCP) is enabled on the ESX or ESXi host. To install the SAS SMI-S Provider upgrade package, you must have root access. To install the package by remote login, either create a new user with host login privileges, or enable remote logins for the root user. Enabling Root Login from a Console Login on ESX Hosts 1. Log in as root. 2. Open the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file. 3. On the line that contains PermitRootLogin, change no to yes. 4. Save and close the file. 5. At the shell prompt, run the # service sshd restart command to reload the service. Enabling Root Login from a Console Login on ESXi Hosts 1. Press F2 to switch to the diagnostic console. 2. Select Troubleshooting Options. 3. Select Enable Remote Tech Support. 4. Select Restart Management Agents. 5. Press Esc to close the Configuration menu. Creating a New User Login 1. Connect the vcenter Client directly to the ESX/ESXi host to be configured. 2. On the Home >> Inventory >> Inventory page, select the User & Groups tab. 3. Right-click Add. 4. Supply the relevant information for the new user. 5. Select Grant shell access to this user. 6. Click OK to save changes. 7. Log in as the new user. 8. Run the su- command to assume the super user role. Upgrading the LSI SAS SMI-S Provider for ESX 4.1 and ESXi Upload the vmware-esx4.1-sas-provider.vib file to the target host. For an ESX target host use SFTP. For an ESXi target host use SCP. Log in to the ESX 4.1 host or the ESXi 4.1 host as root. NOTE: If root is not enabled, log in as a shell-enabled user, and run the su- command to assume the super user role. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 25

34 Chapter 6: Configuring ESX/ESXi Hosts At the shell prompt type, vmware -v to verify that the ESX version is 4.1. Verify the LSI Provider version. For an ESX host at the shell prompt, type rpm -q lsi-provider. For an ESXi host at the shell prompt, type esxupdate --vib-view query grep lsiprovider. The version listed should be lsi-provider v Install the LSI SAS SMI-S Provider update. When the.vib file is in the same directory as the esxupdate file, run the following command: esxupdate -b file:$pwd/vmware-esx4.1-sas-provider.vib --nodeps -- nosigcheck --maintenancemode update. When the.vib file is not in the same directory as the esxupdate file, change the $PWD directory path to where the.vib file is located when you run the command. The following output appears on the screen: Unpacking cross_lsi-provider Installing lsi-provider Cleaning up lsi-provider. After the update finishes, type esxupdate --vib-view query grep lsi-provider at the shell prompt. The following output appears on the screen: cross_lsi-provider_ v xxx pending,installed cross_lsi-provider_ v retired Stop all running volumes. Reboot the host. After the host reboots, verify that the update was successful. For an ESX host at the shell prompt, type rpm -q lsi-provider. For an ESXi host at the shell prompt, type esxupdate --vib-view query grep lsiprovider. Upgrading the LSI SAS SMI-S Provider for ESXi Use SCP to copy the vmware-esxi5.0-sas-provider.vib file to the target ESXi host. 2. Log into the ESXi 5.0 host as root. NOTE: If root is not enabled, enable it temporarily for this install. 3. At the shell prompt, type vmware -v to verify that the ESXi version is Install the LSI SAS SMI-S Provider update. When the.vib file is in the same directory as the esxupdate file, run the following command: esxcli software vib install -v file:/vmware-esxi5.0-sas-provider.vib -f -- maintenance-mode. The following output appears on the screen: Installation Result Message: The update completed successfully, but the system needs to be rebooted for the changes to be effective. Reboot Required: true VIBs Installed: LSI_bootbank_LsiProvider_ V VIBs Removed: VIBs Skipped: 5. Stop all running volumes. 6. Reboot the host. 7. After the host reboots, run the esxcli software vib list grep LSI command to verify that the update was successful. Configuring ESX Host SANs To obtain optimum performance and maximum I/O throughput from a host to a storage array when the host has two or more HBAs, configure the host to use the storage array in pairs of HBAs. This configuration requires the proper SAN 26 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

35 Chapter 6: Configuring ESX/ESXi Hosts configuration and LUN balancing between hosts and between host groups. The dual-hba configuration maintains access to the data if a hardware failure occurs. The default ESX and ESXi multipathing mode for NetApp E-Series storage arrays is Most Recently Used (MRU). MRU maintains only one active path for each HBA group, so when an ESX host contains four HBAs, only one HBA is active at a time. To obtain higher I/O throughput from the host to the storage array, group the HBAs in pairs and create virtual hosts for each pair of HBAs. This provides a fully redundant storage fabric. Instead of a single active HBA, two HBAs are active at the same time. From the storage array, the second pair of HBAs is defined as a separate host, and you can map volumes directly to the new host or host group. You can group additional HBAs this way. This requires additional management to balance the LUNs between the hosts and host groups to fully use the FC bandwidth between all HBA groups. NOTE: When you group the HBAs in pairs and create virtual hosts for each pair, the automatic ESX host configuration utility cannot determine which HBAs are configured to each zone in the fabric, so you must verify that a single HBA is connected to both fabric zones for each HBA pair group. SAN Configurations for Dual-Controller Storage Systems Dual-Port HBA Configuration In a dual-hba port configuration for an ESX/ESXi host SAN with two fabric switches and a dual-controller storage array, the fabric is fully redundant. Figure 22 Dual-Port HBA Configuration in a Duel Controller Storage System vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 27

36 Chapter 6: Configuring ESX/ESXi Hosts Single Failure in a Dual-Controller Storage System If an FC switch or an HBA fails, the alternate switch remains connected to both storage controllers in the storage array. Figure 23 Single Failure in a Dual-Controller Storage System 28 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

37 Chapter 6: Configuring ESX/ESXi Hosts Double Failure in a Dual-Controller Storage System If a storage controller also fails, the host can still access the remaining storage controller in the storage system. All volumes fail over to the remaining controller. If any other element fails, all storage access is completely lost. Figure 24 Double Failure in a Dual-Controller Storage System vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 29

38 Chapter 6: Configuring ESX/ESXi Hosts Four-HBA Port Configuration This configuration pairs the HBAs so that no group of HBA ports is contained on a single HBA card, when dual-port cards are used. Figure 25 Four-HBA Port Configuration 30 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

39 Chapter 6: Configuring ESX/ESXi Hosts Eight HBA Port Configuration Figure 26 shows a configuration with eight HBA ports using four hosts. Figure 26 Eight- HBA Port Configuration Configuring Networks for Software iscsi Storage To configure the network for software iscsi storage, create an iscsi VM kernel port, and map it to a physical network interface card (NIC) that handles iscsi traffic. Depending on the number of physical NICs that you use for iscsi traffic, the networking setup can be different. For more information about configuring networks for software iscsi storage, refer to iscsi SAN Configuration Guide: Configuring iscsi Initiators and Storage: Setting Up Software iscsi Initiators: Networking Configuration for Software iscsi Storage in the VMware vsphere Online Library Automatically Configuring ESX Hosts The automatic configuration process detects the HBAs installed in the ESX host, configures new hosts on the storage array, and links vcenter HBA names with their Worldwide Names (WWNs). The following combinations are optimal: Two single-port FC and one dual- port iscsi and one dual-port 6Gb SAS One single- port iscsi and two dual-port FC One dual-port 6GB SAS To automatically configure an ESX host to an E-Series storage array, perform these steps: 1. In the Sphere Client window, go to the Home >> Inventory >> Hosts and Clusters page. The Hosts and Clusters page opens. The left pane shows the storage arrays. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 31

40 Chapter 6: Configuring ESX/ESXi Hosts Figure 27 vsphere Client Home >> Inventory >> Hosts and Clusters Page 2. In the left pane, right-click the ESX host to configure to the storage array. 3. From the pop-up menu, click Configure ESX Host to Storage Array. The Configure ESX Host to Storage Array page appears. 32 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

41 Chapter 6: Configuring ESX/ESXi Hosts Figure 28 Configure ESX Host to Storage Array Page The Configure ESX Host to Storage Array page shows only hosts with the ESX_ prefix and host groups with the VMware_ prefix. Other hosts or host groups configured on the storage array do not appear on the page even though they are configured on the storage array. To detect SAS HBA addresses, the LSI SAS SMI-S provider must be upgraded to the version included with the installation package and as described in Upgrading the LSI SAS SMI-S Provider. If the Provider is not upgraded, the list of available HBA addresses does not appear, and the icon above the servers is red. You can select the interface type to configure. The Storage Array Host Configurations pane shows the correct interface type for the selected storage array and how the ESX host is configured to the storage array. You can add a host or host group, rename a host or host group, remove a host or host group, and automatically configure the ESX host to another storage array. To automatically configure the ESX host to the NetApp E-Series storage arrays, select the storage array to be configured, and click Suggest. The suggested HBA combination appears. This groups any unassigned HBA ports into pairs and defines a new host and host group for the HBA groups. Suggested changes appear in blue, and the Rename and Remove options apply only to the uncommitted changes. You cannot rename or remove existing configured hosts or host groups. Existing host and host group configuration changes must be performed from the storage management software. When the suggested configuration is correct, click OK to apply the changes to the storage array or modify the configuration. The Committing changes to server message appears and shows when the requested changes complete. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 33

42 Chapter 6: Configuring ESX/ESXi Hosts Figure 29 Committing Changes to Server Message 6. Close the Committing changes to server message after the changes are complete. 7. Verify the results under the Plug-in s Mappings tab. On the storage array list, verify that internal SAS interfaces belonging to the server were not assigned during the automatic port selection process. When the changes are complete, the ESX host is now configured to the storage array. The next step is to create new volumes on the storage array to be used by the ESX host. New volumes are created using the vcenter Plug-in. A list of preconfigured storage arrays appears, from which you can create a host on the storage array.. 34 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

43 Chapter 7: Managing Volume Groups and Volumes You can create, rename, and delete a volume or volume group in the vcenter plug-in without using the storage management software. However, when you create, rename, or delete a volume or volume group in the storage management software, the vcenter Plug-in automatically detects the change. To see the change, refresh the volume tree. Figure 30 vsphere Client >> Solutions and Applications >> NetApp vcenter Plug-in >> <Storage Array> Creating Volume Groups Selecting the Volumes tab shows a logical view that displays how storage capacity is allocated. This view also allows you to create new volume groups. You also can modify and delete existing volume groups in this view. To create a new volume group, click Create Volume Group in Solutions and Applications >> NetApp vcenter Plug-in >> <Storage Array> page in the vsphere Client window. The Create Volume Group command launches a wizard to walk you through creating a new volume group. During this process, you must select the available free drives, the drives that make up the new volume group, and the RAID level. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 35

44 Chapter 8: Managing Storage Arrays Figure 31 Create Volume Group Dialog Box Managing Volumes Volume States Degraded Optimal Failed Exported Missing Creating a Volume After you have created a volume group, you can create volumes from the free capacity in the volume group. To create a volume, perform these steps: 1. Go to Solutions and Applications >> NetApp vcenter Plug-in >> <Storage Array> in the vsphere window. 2. Click Create Volume. The Create Volume dialog box appears. 36 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

45 Figure 32 Create Volume Dialog Box 3. In the Name text box, type the volume name. 4. From the Volume Group drop-down list, select the volume group to use for the new volume. Figure 33 Create Volume Dialog Box 5. In the Size text box, type the size of the new volume, and select the rate from the drop-down list. 5. In the I/O settings section, select the I/O characteristics of the volume. 6. Click OK to create the volume. Renaming a Volume 1. Go to Solutions and Applications >> NetApp vcenter Plug-in >> <Storage Array> in the vsphere window. 2. Click Rename. The Rename Volume dialog box appears. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 37

46 Chapter 8: Managing Storage Arrays Figure 34 Rename Volume Dialog Box Deleting Volumes You can delete one volume at a time, and you can delete multiple volumes at the same time. Deleting a Single Volume To delete a single volume from a storage array, perform these steps: 1. Go to Solutions and Applications >> NetApp vcenter Plug-in >> <Storage Array> in the vsphere window. 2. Click NetApp Storage vcenter Plug-in. The NetApp E-Series Storage Manager page with a list of storage arrays appears. 3. Select the volume to be removed. 4. In the Commands section, click Delete. The Delete Volume dialog box appears. Figure 35 Delete Volume The volume is removed from the right pane of the window. Deleting Multiple Volumes To delete multiple volumes from a storage array, perform these steps: 1. Go to Solutions and Applications >> NetApp vcenter Plug-in >> <Storage Array> in the vsphere window. 2. Click NetApp Storage vcenter Plug-in. The NetApp E-Series Storage Manager page with a list of storage arrays appears. 3. In the Commands section, click Delete Multiple Volumes. The Delete Multiple Volumes dialog box appears. 38 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

47 Figure 36 Delete Multiple Volumes Dialog Box 4. Select the volumes to delete, and click OK. The volumes are deleted from the volume groups. Formatting Volumes Before you format volumes with VMFS datastores, you must plan how to set up storage for the ESX/ESXi systems, including deciding on the number of volumes to use and the size of the volumes. NOTE: For more information about making volume decisions, including predictive schemes, adaptive schemes, and disk shares, refer to iscsi SAN Configuration Guide: Using ESX/ESXi with an iscsi Storage Area Network: Making LUN Decisions in the VMware vsphere Online Library. When you are deciding how to format the volumes, keep in mind the following considerations: Make sure that each volume has the correct RAID level and storage characteristics for applications in the virtual machines that use that volume. Make sure that each volume contains only one VMFS datastore. When multiple virtual machines access the same VMFS datastore, use disk shares to prioritize virtual machines. Fewer, larger volumes are appropriate for the following reasons: More flexibility to create virtual machines without asking the storage administrator for more space. More flexibility for resizing volumes, doing snapshots, and so on. Fewer VMFS datastores to manage. More, smaller volumes are appropriate for the following reasons: Less wasted storage space. Different applications might need different RAID characteristics. More flexibility, as the multipathing policy and disk shares are set per volume. Use of Microsoft Cluster Service requires that each cluster disk resource is in its own volume. Better performance because there is less contention for a single volume. Decision-Making Schemes When the storage characterization for a virtual machine is not available, you can use either the predictive scheme or the adaptive scheme to decide on the volume size and number of volumes to use. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 39

48 Chapter 8: Managing Storage Arrays Using the Predictive Scheme to Make Volume Decisions 1. Create several volumes with different storage characteristics. 2. Build a VMFS Datastore on each volume. Label each Datastore according to its characteristics. 3. Allocate volumes to contain the data for virtual machine applications in the VMFS datastores built on volumes with the appropriate RAID level for the applications' requirements. 4. Use disk shares to distinguish high-priority virtual machines from low-priority virtual machines. NOTE: Disk shares are relevant only within a given host. The shares assigned to virtual machines on one host have no effect on virtual machines on other hosts. 5. Run the applications to determine whether virtual machine performance is acceptable. Using the Adaptive Scheme to Make Volume Decisions 1. Create a large volume, such as RAID 1+0 or RAID 5, and enable write caching. 2. Build a VMFS datastore on that volume. 3. Place four or five volumes on the VMFS datastore. 4. Run the applications to determine whether disk performance is acceptable. o If performance is acceptable, you can place additional volumes on the VMFS datastore. o If performance is not acceptable, create a new, larger volume, and repeat the process. You can use a different RAID level. Use migration so that you do not lose virtual machines when you re-create the volume. Volume Mapping After creating new volumes, use the Mappings tab to present the volumes to the ESX host for use. From this view, you can manage hosts, host groups, and volume mappings. Figure 37 vsphere Client >> Home >> Solutions and Applications >> NetApp vcenter Plug-in 40 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

49 1. To present a new volume to an ESX host, click Add Mapping to start the Add Mapping wizard. Figure 38 Volume Mapping View Select the host group or the host to which to map the new volume. Select the volume number to use and the volume to be mapped. Click OK. NOTE: When your storage array uses multiple groups of HBAs per ESX host, the new volumes should be balanced across all hosts/host groups. Do not add all the volumes to a single host/host group; no I/O balancing can occur in this case. After the volumes have been mapped to the ESX host, the storage adapters on the ESX host must be rescanned to detect the new storage volumes. This action is accomplished under the Configuration tab in the Hosts and Clusters view. Select Storage Adapters for the ESX host being configured. NOTE: You might need to run the Rescan, from vcenter, twice to detect all of the new storage volumes that have been mapped to the ESX host. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 41

50 Chapter 8: Managing Storage Arrays Figure 39 Storage Adapters Rescan From this view, you can also verify that the correct number of paths has been configured. By right-clicking on one of the devices listed under the storage adapter and selecting Manage Paths, a window opens and shows the number of paths for the target device. There should be two active paths and two standby paths to each device. 42 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

51 Figure 40 Disk Path Configuration vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 43

52

53 Chapter 8: Managing Storage Arrays You can perform the following storage array management functions with the vcenter Plug-in Add arrays Remove arrays Edit array properties o Change an array password o Resolve a mismatch between a vcenter Plug-in password and an array password Automatically and manually save array configurations To manage a storage array, go to the Home >> Solutions and Applications section of the vsphere Client window. Figure 41 Solutions and Applications Section of the vsphere Client Window Storage Array Summary Clicking on a storage array from the Array Manager view displays a summary of the selected storage array. This includes information on the status of the storage array, the number of controllers, the number of failed controllers, the number of drive trays, the number of disks, disk types, hot spares, and capacity usage. The storage array Event Log is also accessible from this tab by clicking View Event Log. See Datastores View for additional Event Log details. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 45

54 Chapter 8: Managing Storage Arrays Figure 42 Storage Array Summary Summary Data The following data appears under the Summary tab for the storage array on the Home >> Solutions and Applications >> NetApp Storage vcenter Plug-in page: Global Array Summary Total number of managed storage arrays Number of optimal and degraded storage arrays Individual Array Summary Controller count Count of failed controllers if any Tray count Total drive count All drive types within an storage array Global Hot spare count and statistic of how many is in use vs. standby Capacity pie chart to represent accurate data Customizing Storage Array Views You can customize the way the vcenter Plug-in views managed storage arrays. You can organize a large number of storage arrays to quickly navigate through the tree structure by function, geography, or storage array model Adding a Storage Array To add a storage array, perform these steps: 1. Click the NetApp Storage vcenter Plug-in icon. The NetApp E-Series Storage Manager page with a list of storage arrays appears. 46 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

55 Chapter 8: Managing Storage Arrays Figure 43 NetApp E-Series Storage Manager Page 2. In the Commands section, click Add Array. The page shows the DNS Name or IP Address1 and the DNS Name or IP Address2 text boxes. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 47

56 Chapter 8: Managing Storage Arrays Figure 44 Add Array 3. In the DNS name or IP address 1 text box, type the IP address or name of the storage array s controller A. 4. In the DNS name or IP address 2 text box, type the IP address or name of the storage array s controller B. 5. In the Password text box, type the password for the storage array that you are adding to the vcenter Plug-in. 6. Click Add. The storage array is added to the list of storage arrays in the left pane of the window. Editing a vcenter Password Password-Protected Storage Arrays When a storage array is password-protected, you can access the storage array from the vcenter Plug-in when the vcenter password is the same as the storage array password. You can change the vcenter password. Changing a vcenter Password To change the vcenter password, perform these steps: 1. Go to Home >> Solutions and Applications in the vsphere Client window. 2. Click NetApp Storage vcenter Plug-in. The NetApp E-Series Storage Manager page with a list of storage arrays appears, as shown in Figure 11 on page In the left pane, click the name of the storage array. The storage array properties appear in the right pane. 4. In the right pane, click Edit Array Properties. The Edit Array Properties dialog box appears. The vcenter Plug-in shows the properties of the storage array whether the passwords match or do not match. 48 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

57 Chapter 8: Managing Storage Arrays Figure 45 Edit Array Properties Dialog Box 5. In the Password text box, type the new storage array password, and click OK. NOTE: Changing the vcenter password does not change the storage array password, which might result in a password mismatch. If the vcenter password and the storage array password do not match, you can run passive, read-only commands, such as Read and View, on the storage array, but you cannot run active, read/write commands, such as Create and Delete, on the storage array. Resolving a Password Mismatch To resolve a password mismatch, change the vcenter password to match the storage array password. Removing a Storage Array 1. Go to Home >> Solutions and Applications in the vsphere Client window. 2. Click NetApp Storage vcenter Plug-in. The NetApp E-Series Storage Manager page with a list of storage arrays appears. Figure 46 Remove Arrays Dialog Box Click Remove Arrays. The Remove Arrays Properties dialog box appears. Select the storage array to be removed, and click OK. The storage array is removed from the list of storage arrays in the left pane. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 49

58 Chapter 8: Managing Storage Arrays Saving Storage Array Configurations The vcenter Plug backs up storage array configuration files to script files that you can apply to a storage array from the NetApp SANtricity ES Storage Manager software. The script files restore storage array configurations, such as the storage array name, volume group configurations, volume names, and volume capacities. You can either configure automatic backups or manually initiate a backup. CAUTION: Only the configuration information for the storage array is saved during a save configuration operation. The vcenter Plug-in does not back up data on volumes in the storage array. To back up and recover data from volumes in the storage array, use your normal backup and recovery strategy. Automatically Save Configuration maintains the last 15 configuration profiles in the repository for each storage array. Automatic save configurations are persisted across reboots. The automatic backup script files are located in the following directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\netapp\e-series Storage vcenter Plug-In\jetty\savecfg A storage array modification event starts a four-minute timer on the application server when event occurs on the storage array. If no other configuration event occurs on the storage array within the four-minute time window, a save configuration is performed. If another modification event occurs within the four-minute time window, the timer is reset to four minutes. When no modification events are detected on the storage array within the four-minute time window, a save configuration is performed. Automatically Saving a Storage Array Configuration The Automatically Save Configuration feature performs a save configuration of the storage array after a configuration event has occurred on the storage array, either from the vcenter Plug-in or from the storage management software. Automatically Save Configuration is disabled by default. CAUTION: Only the base storage array configuration information is backed up and saved. Data stored on the volumes is not saved to the script files. Objects such as snapshots, volume copies, and remote mirrors are not saved to the script file. To enable automatic backups of the storage array base configuration, perform these steps: 1. Go to Solutions and Applications >> NetApp Storage vcenter Plug-in -<Storage Array> page. 2. In the left pane, select the name of the storage array. The storage array properties appear in the right pane 50 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

59 Chapter 8: Managing Storage Arrays Figure 47 Automatic Save Configuration Message Box In the right pane, click Automatically Save Configuration. The Automatically Save Configuration dialog box appears. Select the Enable automatic save configuration check box. Click OK to enable automatic configuration backups. NOTE: After automatic configuration backups are enabled, they are persisted between restarts of the vcenter Plug-in application server and the vcenter server. To disable automatic save configuration, clear the box in the Automatically Save Configuration dialog box. Manually Saving a Storage Array Configuration To manually save a storage array configuration, perform these steps: 1. Open the Storage Array Manager view. 2. In the left pane, click the name of the storage array. The storage array properties appear in the right pane. 3. In the right pane, click Manually Save Configuration. The Manually Save Configuration dialog box appears. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 51

60 Chapter 8: Managing Storage Arrays Figure 48 Manually Save Configuration Dialog Box 4. Click OK. The View Downloads Windows Internet Explorer window opens. If you receive a Security Alert that you are about to leave a secure Internet connection. Click Yes to continue. If you receive an error message that your current security settings do not allow this file to be downloaded. You must add the non-secured http address for your application server to the trusted sites list in Internet Explorer. 52 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

61 Chapter 8: Managing Storage Arrays Figure 49 View Downloads Windows Internet Explorer Window Click Save. Click Close. The storage array configuration is saved to a script file. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 53

62 Chapter 8: Managing Storage Arrays 54 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

63 Chapter 9: Datastores View After datastores are created on storage array volumes, the Datastores View tab can be used to understand the mapping of datastores to storage array volumes. The intent of this view is to provide you with a quick status and view of the datastores and their underlying storage volumes. Use this view to identify the storage array where the datastore resides and the associated storage array volume. You can view the health status of the volume, the associated host and host group, RAID level, capacity and datastore free space. This view also displays the details of the datastore, such as the extent, LUN number, and health status. The Datastores View is context sensitive, so selecting a VM in the tree only displays storage elements for the selected VM. Figure 50 Datastores View Page vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 55

64 Chapter 9: Datastores View 56 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

65 Chapter 10: Event Log The vcenter Plug-in provides an Event Log for a storage array. The Event Log provides the information you need to locate and resolve errors, and if necessary, to provide the information necessary to escalate problems to your customer and technical support representative. The Event Log includes the following information: Detailed trace and debug information for all procedures used within the vcenter Plug-in External log file with date-time stamp and action performed Failure error code and reason for the failure Storage objects in use during the event To access the Event Log, perform these steps: 1. Go to the Home >> Solutions and Applications >> NetApp Storage vcenter Plug-in >> <Storage Array Name> Summary page. Figure Click View Event Log. The Event Log appears. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 57

66 Chapter 10: Event Log Figure 52 Event Log Viewer You can customize the Event Log. You can view either critical events only or all events. To view only critical events, select the View only critical events check box. To view all events, clear the View only critical events check box. You can view either detailed event information or summary event information. To view detailed event information, select the View details check box. To view summary information, clear the View details check box. To sort data, click the column heading. By default, the MEL shows the most recent 100 events. To change the number of events that the MEL shows, select the number of events in the Retrieve the most recent events drop-down list. After changing the Event Log, click Save as, and click Close. 58 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

67 Chapter 11: Uninstalling the vcenter Plug-in Uninstalling the vcenter Plug-in Use either of the following methods to uninstall the vcenter Plug-in. Use the application uninstaller on the application server at the following location: C:\Program Files\NetApp\E-Series Storage vcenter Plug-in\Uninstall NetApp Storage vcenter Plug-in\Uninstall NetApp Storage vcenter Plug-in.exe On the application server, click Add/Remove Programs, and select the vcenter Plug-in package to uninstall the vcenter Plug-in. NOTE: On Windows Server 2008, select Programs and Features. Manually Unregistering the vcenter Plug-in If the vcenter Plug-in needs to be removed, the following procedure can be used when you cannot uninstall the vcenter Plug-in from the application server. Figure 53 Manually Unregister Extension 1. Start a web browser, and navigate to the IP address of the vcenter server with /mob appended to the IP address (example: 2. Click Content to navigate to the available ServiceContent. 3. Click ExtensionManager to display a list of registered extensions. 4. Click UnregisterExtension, and enter the extension name to be unregistered from the list of available extensions (example: NetApp E-Series Storage vcenter Plug-in). vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 59

68 Chapter 11: Uninstalling the vcenter Plug-in 5. Click Invoke Method to unregister the extension. 6. Restart the vsphere Client to see the changes. 60 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

69 Chapter 12: Premium Features Snapshot Premium Feature Figure 54 Snapshot Premium Features Commands Enabling the Snapshot Premium Feature When the Snapshot premium feature is enabled on the storage array, these additional options are available in the Commands section: Create Snapshot Create a new snapshot of a base volume. Disable Snapshot Disable the snapshot of a base volume. Recreate Snapshot Re-create a disabled snapshot. Delete Delete a snapshot of a volume. Icons are grayed out when premium feature is disabled Snapshots from Volume Copy tab Creating a Snapshot of a Base Volume Icon is active only when volume is selected Allowable percentage of base volume is between 1% and 120% Can use only standard characters in snapshot name Repository full conditions 1. Highlight the base volume, and click Create Snapshot in the Command section. The Create Snapshot dialog box appears. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 61

70 Chapter 12: Premium Features Figure 55 Create Snapshot Dialog Box 2. Change one or more of the snapshot attributes: Snapshot Name the name of the new snapshot volume. Snapshot Repository Name the name of the new repository volume. Percent of Base Volume the percentage of the base volume to use for the repository. Array the name of the volume group in which to place the repository volume. NOTE: When the size of the snapshot exceeds the percentage of the base volume, the snapshot fails. The snapshot is no longer available for use until it is re-established by re-creating it. See Re-creating a Snapshot. Disabling a Snapshot To temporarily deactivate a snapshot so that it can be used again later, highlight the snapshot volume in the Volumes tree, and click Disable Snapshot in the Command section. The snapshot process stops, but the relationship remains between the snapshot, the base volume, and the repository volumes. Re-creating a Snapshot To re-establish a deactivated snapshot, click Recreate Snapshot in the Commands section. A new copy of the base volume that can be used as the snapshot is created. Figure 56 Recreate Snapshot NOTE: Re-creating a snapshot disables the original snapshot before the new snapshot is created. Deleting a Snapshot To delete a snapshot, volume, select it in the Volumes tree, and click Delete in the Commands section. Remote Volume Mirror Premium Feature When the Remote Volume Mirror premium feature is enabled on the storage array, the Remote Volume Mirror tab appears within the vcenter Plug-in. From this tab, existing remote mirror pairs are displayed along with the 62 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

71 Chapter 12: Premium Features Commands section, which allows for creation of new mirrored pairs, suspending an existing mirrored pair, resuming a mirrored pair, removing a mirrored pair, testing mirrored communications, or change mirrored parameters. Figure 57 Remote Volume Mirror View Creating a Remote Volume Mirror NOTE: To create a remote mirror, both the local and the remote storage arrays must be added to the Array Manager view. 1. Under the Remote Volume Mirror tab, click Create Remote Volume Mirror. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 63

72 Chapter 12: Premium Features Figure 58 Create Remote Volume Mirror Introduction Dialog Box 2. Click Next after reading the introduction wizard page. 3. From the Volume tree view, select the source volume for the mirror relationship, and click Next. 4. Select the remote storage array for the mirror. 5. From the drop-down list, select the secondary volume to be the target of the source remote mirror. 6. Select the write mode for the remote mirror, and click Next. 7. Review the summary information on the Confirmation page, and click Finish to establish the mirror relationship. 64 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

73 Chapter 12: Premium Features Figure 59 Remote Volume Mirror Confirmation Dialog Box Suspending Remote Volume Mirror To suspend remote mirroring of a mirrored pair, click Suspend Remote Volume Mirror in the Commands section under the Remote Volume Mirror tab. The I/O between the mirrored pairs is suspended, but the mirrored association is maintained. Figure 60 Suspend Mirroring Dialog Box Resuming Remote Volume Mirror To resume remote mirroring, click Resume Remote Volume Mirror in the Commands section under the Remote Volume Mirror tab. The I/O between the mirrored pairs resumes, and out-of-sync data is resynchronized. NOTE: This option is available only for mirrored pairs that have been suspended. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 65

74 Chapter 12: Premium Features Figure 61 Resume Mirroring Dialog Box Changing Mirrored Roles Changing roles makes the following role changes in the mirrored pair: Promotes the secondary volume to the primary volume and allows read/write access to the volume from the remote location. Demotes the primary volume to the secondary volume and disables writes to the volume from the primary site. To change roles, click Change Mirrored Roles in the Commands section under the Remote Volume Mirror tab. Figure 62 Change Mirror Roles Dialog Box Testing Mirrored Communication Testing mirrored communication displays the round-trip times between the volumes in the mirrored pair. The times are displayed as average round-trip times, shortest round-trip times, and longest round-trip times. To test mirrored communication, click Test Mirrored Communication in the Commands section under the Remote Volume Mirror tab. Figure 63 Test Mirror Communication Dialog Box 66 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

75 Chapter 12: Premium Features Changing Mirrored Parameters To modify the parameters of a mirrored pair, such as the synchronization priority, the resynchronization method, and the write mode, perform these steps: 1. Click Change Mirrored Parameters. 2. Modify the dialog box to match your requirements for the mirrored pair. Removing Mirrored Pairs Removing a mirrored pair breaks the remote mirroring association between the volume at the primary site and the volume at the remote site. After the operation completes, the remote mirroring status between the volumes is lost. For remote mirroring to be re-established between mirrored pairs, a full resynchronization must occur. Figure 64 Remove Mirrored Pairs Volume Copy Premium Feature When the Volume Copy premium feature is enabled on a storage array managed by the vcenter Plug-in, the Volume Copy tab appears next to the Mappings tab. This tab allows the management of volume copies on the selected storage array. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 67

76 Chapter 12: Premium Features Figure 65 Volume Copy Management From this tab, all volume copy operations are displayed along with the current status of all volume copies. From the Commands section, the following options are available: Create Volume Copy Recopy Stop Change Volume Copy Parameters Remove Copy Refresh 1. To create a new volume copy, click Create Volume Copy in the Commands section, which launches the Volume Copy wizard. 2. From this wizard, select the source volume to use for the volume copy. NOTE: While the volume copy is being established, the source volume is read-only to the host to which the volume copy is presented. When the Snapshot premium feature is enabled, the vcenter Plug-in uses the feature to create a snapshot of the source volume before the volume copy is initiated, and the volume copy operation uses the snapshot volume to establish the volume copy with. This allows for continued read/write operations to the source volume from the host during the established period. Creating a Volume Copy 1. In the Commands section, select Create Volume Copy. The Create Volume Copy dialog box appears. 68 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

77 Chapter 12: Premium Features Figure 66 Create Volume Copy 2. Select either a snapshot or remote volume mirror volume as the source volume. 3. Click Customize Snapshot. 4. Click Next. The Snapshot dialog box appears. Figure 67 Snapshot Dialog Box 5. Enter the snapshot name. 6. Enter the snapshot repository name. 7. Enter the percent of base volume value. 8. Select either a snapshot or remote volume mirror as the source volume. 9. Select the volume group. 10. Click Next. The Create Volume Copy Select Target Volume and Priority dialog box appear. NOTE: The size of all suggested target volumes should be equal to or greater than the source volume. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 69

78 Chapter 12: Premium Features Figure 68 Create Volume Copy Select Target Volume and Priority 11. Select either an existing volume or create a new volume. 12. Click Next. If you selected Create a new volume, the Create Volume Copy Create Volume dialog box appears. 70 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

79 Chapter 12: Premium Features Figure 69 Create Volume Copy Create Volume Dialog Box After the volume copy is established, it can be managed from the Volume Copy tab. Changing Volume Copy Parameters To change volume copy parameters, click Change Volume Copy Parameters in the Commands section. Figure 70 Change Volume Copy vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 71

80 Chapter 12: Premium Features Recopy To recopy an existing volume copy in the Volume Copy tab, select the copy set, and click Recopy Figure 71 Recopy Dialog Box Stopping a Copy or Recopy Operation To stop a copy operation that is occurring, select the copy set to modify and click Stop in the Commands section Figure 72 Stop Volume Copy Dialog Box Removing Copy Pairs To remove a copy pair, select the copy pair in the Volume Copy table and select Remove Copy Pair. This removes the volume copy relationship between the two volumes, but does not modify or delete the target volume that still contains a copy of the original data from the source volume. 72 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

81 Chapter 12: Premium Features Figure 73 Remove Copy Pair Dialog Box vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 73

82 Chapter 12: Premium Features 74 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

83 Chapter 13: Restrictions for NetApp E-Series Storage Manager for vcenter Version 2.4 This section describes known issues and available workarounds with vcenter Plug-in version 2.4. ID: Extremely long timeout for SAS ESX host wizard operation Issue: When attempting to configure SAS HBAs on an ESX/ESXi host with unsupported SAS HBA cards, the wizard will not time out until after 15 minutes. Workaround: Closing and restarting the vsphere Client is the only way to clear this condition without waiting for the timeout to occur. ID: Storage administrator privileges assigned to user group not working Issue: If the storage administrator privileges are assigned to a user group, the privileges are not detected for the individual users within the group. Workaround: Assign storage administrator privileges at the user level. ID: Save config and MEL save do not bring up the Save dialog box on the first click Issue: When you try to save a storage array configuration or a MEL Event Log, clicking Save does not always bring up the Save dialog box. Workaround: Click Save a second time to open the Save dialog box and complete the action. NOTE: If Internet Explorer Enhanced Security is enabled on the vsphere Client system, a non-secured address for the application server must be added to the trusted sites list. For more information about non-secured addresses for the application server, go to Enhanced IE Security on page 11. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 75

84 Chapter 13: Restrictions for NetApp E-Series Storage Manager for vcenter Version 2.4 ID: ESX host name wraps unless window is expanded Issue: The name of the ESX host might wrap and not completely display unless the ESX Host to Storage wizard is resized (see Wrapped ESX Host Name). Workaround: Resize the wizard display window to view entire host name. Figure 74 Wrapped ESX Host Name ID: Error Loading Arrays Message Issue: In some configurations, upgrading from a previous release of NetApp E-Series Storage Manager for vcenter might cause an Error Loading Arrays message to appear when you access the Storage Array Manager from the new installation. Workaround: This is caused by stale cache data within the Internet Explorer browser. To resolve the issue, clear the browser cache and restart the vsphere Client. 76 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

85 Chapter 13: Restrictions for NetApp E-Series Storage Manager for vcenter Version 2.4 ID: Event Log viewer scroll bar extends below the limit. Issue: When you view details of MEL events within the MEL view, the right-side scrollbar extends below the limit of the displayed panel (see Scrollbar Beyond Limit). Workaround: Close and redisplay the details window to reset the scrollbar for the current entry. Figure 75 Scrollbar Beyond Limit ID: Entering an invalid alternate controller IP address causes duplicate array entries Issue: Entering IP addresses from two separate storage arrays when adding a new storage array to the Array Manager causes duplicate storage array entries within the Array Manager view. Workaround: If duplicate storage arrays are listed in the Array Manager, remove the duplicate storage arrays from Array Manager and re-add the storage arrays with the correct IP addresses for each storage array. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 77

86 Chapter 13: Restrictions for NetApp E-Series Storage Manager for vcenter Version 2.4 ID: Add Array DNS field is limited to 30 characters Issue: When you use the DNS name to add a storage array to the Array Manager, the input field is limited to 30 characters. Workaround: To resolve this issue, do either of the following: Specify the IP address of each storage array instead of its DNS name. Create alias DNS names of no more than 30 characters for the target storage array. ID: Validation fails for save configuration files for storage arrays with firmware version 7.35 Issue: The securitytype syntax added to the command line argument is not supported in firmware version 7.35, so save configuration files from the vcenter Plug-in fail validation (fail to execute) for storage arrays with firmware version The save configuration file generates a validation error when attempting to execute on a storage array with firmware Workaround: For storage arrays with firmware version of 7.35, remove the securitytype=<xxxx> syntax from all create volume commands before validating or executing the script file from the storage management software. 78 vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide

87 Chapter 14: Troubleshooting NetApp E-Series Storage Manager for vcenter Plug-in Issues This section describes how to open and read the vcenter Plug-in log file, provides answers to some frequently asked questions, and describes how to resolve some common problems you might encounter with the vcenter Plug-in. Application Server Logs All procedures that are performed from the vcenter Plug-In are logged in to the following log file on the application server: C:\Program Files\NetApp E-Series Storage vcenter Management Plugin\jetty\logs\ vcenter2-logx.y.csv The file is archived every 24 hours and stored for 10 days, after which the file is overwritten. The file is in CSV format. You can open the file and view it in Notepad, CVSed, or a similar viewer. NOTE: If the file is locked, you can create a copy of the file with a different name, open the copied file, and view it. Figure 76 vcenter Plug-in Log View Additional log files that are useful for technical support to resolve issues are also maintained in this directory, but these files are usually not in a user-friendly format. Debug log used by technical support vcenter2debug-x.log.y Jetty service log, used by technical support jetty-service.log Log of IP addresses for all Jetty service requests from clients <date/time stamp>.request.log I Receive an Error Attempt to Register the Plug-in During Installation When attempting to install the vcenter Plug-in application, if you receive an unknown error during the registration process, check the following potential issues: 1. Verify the specified administrator user ID exists and has administrator privileges. 2. Verify another NetApp E-Series Storage vcenter Plug-in application server has not already been registered to the target vcenter server (manage Plug-ins from vsphere Client to vcenter server). 3. Verify the IP address or DNS name is correct for the target vcenter server and is reachable from the application server host. vcenter Management Plug-in for NetApp E-Series Storage, Version 2.4 User Guide 79