Managing LSA on the VMware ESXi Operating Systems

This section outlines the pre installation and post installation requirements that are essential to successfully run and manage LSA on the VMware ESXi operating systems.

Beginning with VMware ESXi 7.x and up, VMware ESXi can be managed by installing LWA directly.

1. SMI-S Provider Details

   As LSA supports VMware ESXi 6.x and above, you must install the VMware-ESXi6.x-Provider.zip version of the SMI-S Provider.

   To deploy the MegaRAID SMI-S provider on an ESXi machine by using the VIB file provided by Broadcom, copy the VIB file or the offline-bundle.zip file to the ESXi machine. Use the esxcli command to load the MegaRAID SMI-S Provider:

   ESXi# esxcli software vib install -v <local_file_path or file:///URL> --force

   Note: A reboot is required after installing the SMI-S Provider on VMware ESXi operating systems.

2. Firewall Details

   On every reboot the firewall is enabled, so ensure that port 2463 is not blocked by a firewall.

   On a VMware ESXi operating system, to check whether the firewall is enabled, execute the following command:

   esxcli network firewall get

3. Provider Services

   Ensure that the Provider Services are up and running before performing the VMware ESXi Discovery from the LSA client (Windows and Linux).

   Execute the following commands to make sure that the Provider services are up and running on VMware ESXi:

   /etc/init.d/slpd status

   /etc/init.d/sfcbd-watchdog status

4. Configuration Change Details

   If there is any configuration change, ensure that you perform the following actions:

   • /etc/init.d/sfcb-watchdog stop
   • /etc/init.d/slpd stop
   • /etc/init.d/slpd start
   • /etc/init.d/sfcb-watchdog start

5. Storage Controller

   Ensure that the storage controller on VMware ESXi has the right configuration (firmware and driver) and the storage controller is working as expected before connecting through LSA. The following command helps you verify whether the controller is getting detected:

   enum_instances cim_system lsi/lsimr13

6. Network Communication Details

   Network communication is a key element for a proper communication between the VMware ESXi CIM provider and the Broadcom management software. Make sure that the network settings are correct by making the following changes:

   • Provide a proper host name and an IP address while performing the initial configurations for the VMware ESXi host. See How to Configure Networking on VMware ESXi? for more information.
   • For networks that do not have DNS configured, the “hosts” file on the system on which LSA is installed must be edited as follows:

   1. Add an entry to map the VMware host’s IP address with the host name, so that the discovery process happens correctly. In the absence of this entry, the VMware host would be discovered as 0.0.0.0.

   2. Add an entry to map the actual IP address of the localhost with its host name (an entry for the loopback address would be present by default in the hosts file and it should not be removed to ensure that the Asynchronous Event Notifications [AENs] are delivered correctly). For example, if 135.24.228.136 is the IP address of your VMware host and 135.24.228.137 is the IP address of your Linux host, the following entries must be added in the hosts file:

      135.24.228.136 dhcp-135-24-228-136.lsi.com dhcp-135-24-228-136 #VMware

      135.24.228.137 dhcp-135-24-228-137.lsi.com dhcp-135-24-228-137 #Linux

      Note: Ensure that port 2463 is not blocked by a firewall.

Remote management of VMware ESXi is supported only in a Gateway installation of LSA on the following operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows Server
• RHEL
• SUSE Linux

Windows and Linux Steps

The following steps are required to be performed on the Windows/Linux client:

1. Ensure that port 2463 is not blocked by a firewall.
2. Install the latest LSA client in a Gateway installation mode.
3. Launch LSA.
4. Ensure that the LSA Service is up and running.
5. Ensure that other LSA servers in the network are being discovered.
6. Ensure that VMware IP is being discovered as part of the Remote Server Discovery page.
7. Log in with your VMware credentials to monitor and manage the storage controller through the LSA client.

Configuring the Network on VMware ESXi Environment

• By default, during the VMware ESXi operating system installation, the IP and host name should be configured appropriately.

• If an already installed VMware ESXi operating system is moved from one network to the other, and if the host name mapping is not correct, follow the steps mentioned in the following link to configure the network and host name:

  http://www.unixarena.com/2015/05/how-to-configure-the-network-on-vmware-esxi-6-0.html

Multi-subnet Configuration

• CURL error in CIMOM server results in a blocked AEN to the upper layer (CIMProvider-->LSA). This error happens if the servers are in different subnets or if there is any incorrect or incomplete AEN subscriptions. To avoid this error, you must have both the client and the server in the same subnet. Any incomplete AEN subscriptions must be removed using the CIMClient.

  To view the existing subscriptions, enter:

  host-ind -s

  To remove an existing subscription, enter:

  host-ind -d -k <handler name>

  For example, host-ind -d -k dhcp-x.y.z.k.dhcp.company.net_LSA_127.0.0.1

  If the previous command failed in the latest versions of VMware ESXi, use the command indcfg.

  • To view the existing subscriptions, use indcfg -| .
  • To clear the subscriptions, use indcfg -c.
  Restart or reboot the sfcb service after any change in the VMware server.

  • To restart the server use:

    esxcli system wbem set -e 0
    esxcli system wbem set -e 1

You should either restart the sfcb service or reboot the VMware server after making any changes.