Dell EMC PowerVault ME4 Series vSphere Client Plug-in User's Guide April 2021 Rev.
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Contents Chapter 1: Getting started with the ME4 Series vSphere Client Plug-in.........................................4 Software and hardware prerequisites............................................................................................................................ 4 Chapter 2: Install and register the plug-in..................................................................................... 5 Installation prerequisites........................................................................
1 Getting started with the ME4 Series vSphere Client Plug-in The ME4 Series vSphere Client Plug-in is a browser-based tool that integrates with the VMware vSphere 6.5 Web Client, providing an alternative interface that lets you monitor and manage a Dell EMC PowerVault ME4 Series storage system. Topics: • Software and hardware prerequisites Software and hardware prerequisites The following table lists the software and hardware prerequisites for installing the plug-in.
2 Install and register the plug-in This chapter describes installation prerequisites and procedures to install, upgrade, uninstall, repair, and access the plug-in. The plug-in registration process requires the following vCenter Server information: ● vCenter Server IP/hostname ● Username of a local administrator account on the vCenter server ● Password of the vCenter administrator account NOTE: You must install and register the plug-in with administrator rights.
3. Install the lsof utility as follows: sudu yum install lsof On a Debian 9 or Ubuntu 18.04 server, run the following command: sudo apt-get update sudo apt install open jdk-8-jre-headless zip unzip lsof Install the plug-in To install the plug-in and register the system with the VMware vSphere Web Client, perform the following operations while logged in as the root user: 1. Extract the installation zip file into any convenient, empty folder.
● To start the backend service manually if a user has stopped the service using the stop command, run the following command: systemctl start StoragePluginService ● To check the status of the plug-in service, run the following command: systemctl is-active StoragePluginService ○ If output of this command is active, then the service is running. ○ If output of this command is failed, then the service is not running.
c. Enter the following command to stop vSphere client services: service-control --stop vsphere-ui ● For vCSA 6.5: a. Log in to the VCSA ssh console as root to access the shell. b. Enter the following command to stop vSphere client service for HTML: service-control --stop vsphere-ui 2. On the host where the vCenter Web Client plug-in was installed, delete the installation directory (/opt/vcenterplugin) if it was not deleted after uninstallation. 3. Delete the plug-in in the vCenter serenity folder.
Access the plug-in To access the plug-in after you install it: 1. Access the vCenter Server with a web browser. If prompted to choose a vSphere client, choose vSphere Client (HTML5). 2. Enter the vCenter Server user name and password. 3. Click Login. You should now see an ME4 Series icon on the main menu and in the Inventories category under Shortcuts. NOTE: if you do not see the new icon, try logging out of the vSphere Client and log back in again.
3 Use the plug-in to discover the storage system The plug-in is used to manage the storage systems you have discovered. You can discover a storage system and refresh the discovery history details. You can also modify and remove a storage system from the inventory. NOTE: At least one storage system should be available to be discovered and the administrator should know the storagesystem login credentials.
1. Login to the VMware vSphere Web Client. The VMware vSphere home page appears. 2. Click the ME4 Series icon. 3. Select the storage system to remove. 4. Click the icon. 5. At the confirmation prompt, click Yes to delete the storage system. A success message appears. 6. Click OK. Configure role-based access control The vCenter Server provides role-based access control (RBAC) that enables you to control access to vSphere objects.
4 Manage datastores The plug-in enables you to manage the datastores that are created in the storage system. Datastore management is available in the Host and Cluster views. Snapshot management operations can be performed in the Storage view. In the plug-in interface, you must discover and select a cluster to view its datastore-related information.
9. Click Next. 10. Verify all details. ● To change details on any page, click Back. ● To submit the request, click Finish. After the request is validated and submitted successfully, the task appears in the Recent Tasks list where you can view its progress. Create a datastore on an existing volume The plug-in supports creating a datastore on an existing volume either as a blank RAW volume or with the VMFS file system mapped. To create a datastore on an existing volume: 1.
The Take Snapshot dialog box appears, showing the volume name of the selected datastore. 6. Click Submit. When the snapshot is created, a success message appears. 7. Click OK. The snapshot appears in the Snapshot section. Remove a snapshot To remove an existing snapshot: 1. Login to the VMware vSphere Web Client. The VMware vSphere home page appears. 2. In the Inventories section, click Storage. 3. In the navigation pane, select the datastore having the snapshot to remove. 4.
Unmount a datastore To unmount a datastore that is mounted to a host: 1. Login to the VMware vSphere Web Client. The VMware vSphere home page appears. 2. In the Inventories section, click Storage. 3. In the navigation pane, select the datastore to unmount. 4. Right-click the datastore and click ME4 Series Actions > Unmount Datastore. The Unmount Datastore dialog box appears, showing the hosts to which the datastore is mounted. 5.
5 Common administrative tasks Topics: • • • View events and alerts View help Verify vCenter services are running View events and alerts 1. In the navigation pane in the VMware vSphere Web Client, click Events. The Event Console pane appears, listing storage event information. 2. To view ME4 Series events, sort the event list by the Description field. 3. Select an event in the upper-right pane to view details about it in the lower-right pane.
6 Troubleshooting Table 2. Common problems and recommended actions Problem Recommended Actions Plug-in not visible after installation Verify the successful installation of the plug-in and the plug-in version: 1. Log in to http://vCenter-server-IP-address/mob/content/ ExtensionManager/extensionList using vCenter Server credentials to access the Managed Object Browser (MOB). 2. Look for the plug-in name com.vcplugin.plugin in the extension list and then click the name to check the plug-in version.
7 ME4 Series vSphere Client Plug-in Release Notes ME4 Series vSphere Client Plug-in version 1.1 contains the following enhancements, fixed issues, and known issues: Enhancements Added support for spaces in datastore and volume names. Fixed issues ● Changed the name of the “Change Storage Authentication" dialog box to "Update Saved Credentials.” ● Fixed LUN mapping failures that could occur when another management interface was used to map a volume to LUN 0.
