Dell POWERVAULT MD3620I User Manual

Dell PowerVault MD Storage Array vCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphereInstallation and Configuration Guide

Installing The MD vCenter Plug-InNOTE: The MD vCenter Plug-in must be installed on the application server. If you downloaded the installer package to

2Configuring The Application Server And MD vCenter Plug-InOnce the application server and MD vCenter Plug-in are installed, verify that the MD vCenter

Figure 3. MD vCenter Plug-in Roles List2. Click the Add Role icon in the menu bar, or right-click and select Add from the pop-up menu.The Add New Role

NOTE: Existing non-administrator roles may be modified to include the new Storage Administrator privileges created. However, an existing administrator

Non-Authorized Plug-In Use MessageWhen you create a new Storage Administrator role, you might have to restart the vSphere Client before the role is re

Enabling Root Login From A Host Console (ESX Servers Only)Follow the steps below to enable root login from an ESX host.1. Log in as root.2. Open the /

9. When the host reboot is complete, run the following command to verify the update successfully installed: rpm -q lsi-provider .Installing The SAS Pr

5. Stop any running virtual machines.6. Reboot the host.7. When the host reboot is complete, run esxcli software vib list | grep LSI to verify that th

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3Configuring The MD Storage Array For ESX/ESXiThe MD vCenter Plug-in allows an ESX/ESXi host to be automatically configured to use a Dell MD storage a

Notes, Cautions, and WarningsNOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer.CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates

This example shows a fully redundant fabric configuration. If a fibre channel switch or HBA fails, the alternate switch still connects both storage co

Figure 10. Configuration Showing Double-Point FailureWhile this method works well in the case of hardware failure, MRU only maintains one active path

Figure 11. Four-Port HBA ConfigurationNOTE: The intent of this configuration is to pair the HBAs so that no group of HBA ports is contained on a singl

Figure 12. Eight-HBA Port ConfigurationConfiguring ALUA SupportIf your MD storage array firmware supports Asymmetric Logical Unit Access (ALUA), activ

• Creates a new entry for the VMW_SATP_ALUA rule for any LUN matching the vendor and model ID (-V DELL and -M array__model) you specified• Switches th

4Configuring The ESX/ESXi HostTo use the Automatic Host Configuration utility:1. Navigate to Hosts and Clusters of the vSphere Client home page.2. Sel

Configuring ESX Host To Storage ArrayThe Configure ESX Host to Storage Array wizard allows you to see how the current host is configured to the storag

Figure 17. Suggested Host Configurations6. If Use manual configuration is selected, the Manual Configuration page will be displayed. If the ESX host w

Figure 18. Manually Adding a Host DialogNOTE: The Configure ESX Host to Storage Array wizard does not detect how the fibre channel switch fabric is zo

5Using The MD vCenter Plug-InThis section describes how to use the storage management features in the MD vCenter Plug-in. Before continuing, make sure

Contents1 Overview...

Organizing Storage ArraysThe MD vCenter Plug-in allows you to organize your storage arrays into hierarchal views based on user-defined asset tags and

Figure 22. Storage Array Panel Configuration with All Asset Tag ValuesUsing a wildcard character (*) in an asset tag value, the folder display will au

Figure 24. Assigning Asset Tag and Values in Edit Storage Array Dialog3. Enter an asset tag key or select an existing key in the Tag key field.4. Ente

Accepting And Installing The Trusted SSL CertificateDuring the vCenter Server installation process, an SSL certificate is generated for the vCenter Se

Figure 27. Install Certificate Dialog Box2. From the Certificate window, click Install Certificate.3. In the Certificate Import Wizard, click Next.34

Figure 28. Certificate Import Wizard4. From the Certificate Store window, select Place all certificates in the following store.5. Click Browse.6. In t

A Security Warning message box will be displayed.9. Verify the information and click Yes to add the certificate to the trust store.Figure 30. Security

Figure 31. Microsoft Enhanced Security MessageNOTE: If you are using the Save File option, you will also need to add the DNS name or IP address of the

Figure 32. Microsoft Trusted SitesConfiguring Storage ArraysTo use the MD vCenter Plug-in to create or modify virtual disks on the storage array, clic

Figure 34. MD vCenter Plug-in Array Manager ViewDiscovering Storage ArraysTo add a storage array to the vCenter Plug-in using automatic discovery:1. I

MD vCenter Plug-In Features...

Figure 35. Storage Array Discovery3. Click Discover to start the discovery scan.Depending on the range specified, discovery may take up to several min

Figure 36. Add Storage ArrayA dialog box is displayed showing DNS name/IP address text boxes for RAID Controller 0 and 1, as well as a password field.

select storage arrays for removal. Either method will display a confirmation dialog requiring you to verify the removal. To remove a storage array usi

Changing The vCenter Plug-In PasswordFollow these steps to change the vCenter plug-in password:1. Open the Array Manager View.2. Click the name of the

Enabling Automatic Save Configuration BackupsThese backups can be set to be automatically or manually initiated.To enable automatic backups of the sto

Figure 41. Manually Save Configuration Message4. Click OK.Internet explorer will launch a File Download dialog box.5. If a security alert notifies you

• Less wasted storage space.• Different applications might require different RAID characteristics.• Provide more flexibility, since the multi-pathing

Creating A Disk GroupSelecting the Virtual Disks tab displays a logical view of your storage capacity. The Virtual Disks tab also allows you to create

NOTE: TLP and DLP allow for a complete drive tray (physical disk) or physical disk drawer failure without failing the virtual disk(s) within the disk

Figure 44. Create Virtual Disk Dialog2. In the Name text box, enter the virtual disk name.3. From the Disk Group or Disk Pool drop-down list, select t

Synchronous Remote Replication (Legacy-Based)... 59Creating Sync

Figure 45. Create Virtual Disk Dialog2. In the Name text box, enter the virtual disk name.3. From the Disk Group or Disk Pool drop-down list, select t

Mapping A Virtual DiskAfter creating new virtual disks, use the Mappings tab to present the virtual disks to the ESX/ESXi host for use. From this view

Figure 48. Storage Adapters RescanFrom this view, the user can also verify that the correct number of paths have been configured. By right- clicking o

Figure 50. Datastores ViewSnapshots Premium FeatureThe MD storage array supports two types of Snapshot premium features:• Legacy-based snapshots• Poin

– Snapshot Repository Name – name of the new repository virtual disk– Percent of Base Virtual Disk – percentage of the base virtual disk to use for th

Figure 52. PiT Snapshot ViewCreating A PiT-Based Snapshot ImageOnce a PiT-based snapshot image is created, it can be used to revert the base virtual d

3. Select an existing snapshot group to use for the new image.NOTE: If this is the first snapshot image for the base virtual disk, a new snapshot grou

NOTE: Snapshots for virtual disks residing on a disk pool are not supported in this release. Any virtual disk copy using virtual disks on a disk pool

Figure 56. Create Virtual Disk Copy Dialog3. Click Next to select the target virtual disk for the virtual disk copy and select the copy priority to us

Figure 58. Change Volume Copy Parameters4. Uncheck Target Virtual Disk Read-Only to allow for read-write of the target virtual copy.5. Click OK.Remote

Contacting Dell...

NOTE: To create remote replication, both storage arrays (local and remote) must be added to the Array Manager view.1. From the Remote Replication tab,

Testing Synchronous Remote ReplicationTesting remote replication displays the round trip times between the virtual disks in the replicated pair. The t

To create a Remote Replication group:1. In the All Storage Arrays view, select the select the storage array for which you want to create an Remote Rep

NOTE: The Remote storage array list displays only the storage arrays that support selection as the remote storage array.6. From the connection type li

Creating Replicated PairsYou cannot create a replicated pair with a virtual disk that is already in a replication relationship. To create a replicated

Removing Replicated PairsRemoving a replicated pair breaks the relationship between the primary and secondary virtual disks. Both virtual disks return

Follow the steps below to suspend replication:1. In the Remote Replication Groups table, select the Remote Replication group you want to suspect repli

Manually Resynchronizing A Replicated PairA manual resynchronization operation forces the immediate resynchronization of the data on all replicated pa

Figure 69. Event Log ViewerManually Unregistering The MD vCenter Plug-InIf the MD vCenter plug-in needs to be removed, the following procedure can be

Uninstall The MD vCenter Plug-InUninstall the MD vCenter Plug-in using the uninstaller located on the application server at: C:\Program Files\Dell MD

1OverviewThe Dell PowerVault MD Storage Array vCenter Plug-in allows integrated management of Dell MD-series storage arrays from a VMware vSphere clie

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6Troubleshooting MD vCenter Plug-In IssuesThis section describes how to open and read MD vCenter Plug-in log file, provides answers to some frequently

How Can I Maximize Client PerformanceThe Dell MD Storage Array vCenter Plug-in is a client-side, intensive application. A fast CPU client, with suffic

Storage Administrator Privileges Assigned To User Group Not WorkingIf the storage administrator privileges are assigned to a user group, the privilege

Figure 72. Scrollbar Beyond LimitESX Host Name Wraps Unless Window ExpandedThe name of the ESX host may wrap incorrectly or not completely display unl

7Getting HelpRelated DocumentationNOTE: For all PowerEdge documentation, go to www.dell.com/poweredgemanuals and enter the system Service Tag to get y

– Windows 2008 R2 Server (32 or 64 bit)– Windows Server 2012• Make sure your MD storage has the latest RAID controller firmware version installed.For

NOTE: If you cannot access dell.com/support from your application server, download the MD vCenter Plug-in installer to another host, then copy the ins