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vStart 50 VMware vSphere Solution Overview
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Screenshot of Dell Management Plug-in for vCenter
Figure 3.
6.3 System Inventory
In addition to providing health information, the Dell Management Plug-in for vCenter also provides a
detailed inventory from Dell servers. Dell hardware warranty information can also be accessed online.
6.4 Performance Monitoring
Performance monitoring and troubleshooting can often be difficult in a complex environment such as
virtualized infrastructure. It is important to understand the tools used and the metrics measured to
monitor the performance. VMware vCenter provides basic tools for performance monitoring and initial
troubleshooting at the cluster and individual ESXi host level. Advanced tools such as resxtop can be
used for a deeper level troubleshooting at the ESXi host level. The document Performance
Troubleshooting for VMware vSphere 4 and ESX 4.0 provides a good overview of the tools and processes
used to monitor and troubleshoot performance.
For storage, SAN HQ provides an easy-to-use and intuitive tool for monitoring storage level
performance. Refer to the document Monitoring your PS Series SAN with SAN HeadQuarters for more
information on monitoring and troubleshooting EqualLogic PS SAN performance.
6.5 Storage Management
Storage management can be performed from the management server using EqualLogic Group Manager,
or using the HIT/VE Plug-in for vCenter. Figure 4 shows EqualLogic Group Manager, which is a
web-based GUI that can be used to manage the EqualLogic storage arrays. Features include creating
pools and volumes, configuring RAID options, and configuring access control. As discussed above, SAN
HQ can be used to monitor storage performance. For more information about the HIT/VE Plug-in, see
http://www.dellstorage.com/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=1616&terms=HIT%2fVE.