Understanding the Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager

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Through the dedicated home page, you can access the majority of VCEM operations, including the following core
tasks:
 Discover and import existing VC domains without system downtime
 Aggregate individual VC addresses for LAN and SAN connectivity into a centrally administered VCEM address
database
 Create VC domain groups
 Add and remove VC domains within VC domain groups
 Define server profiles and link to available LAN and SAN network resources
 Assign server profiles to enclosure bays
 Move server profiles between VC domains or domain groups
 Change, move, or automatically failover server profiles to spare servers
 Install bare-metal HP BladeSystem enclosures by assigning them to a VC domain group
VCEM CLI
The VCEM Command Line Interface is a family of executable commands that activate the most frequently used
management operations for the VCEM infrastructure. VCEM CLI is especially useful for executing repetitive functions
such as those shown in the “Propagating changes to existing VC domains within a VC domain group” use case
cited later in this document. Installing VCEM on the central management server host also installs the VCEM CLI. You
can execute VCEM CLI from the Windows command line or from batch files (cmd.exe), and other available utilities.
You can use the VCEM CLI as an alternate method for managing common VC operations. The VCEM.CMD
executable provides failover management. VCEM 6.3 introduced VCEMCLI.exe, which is useful for scripting bulk
operations on multiple VC server profiles.
You can perform some repetitive VC management tasks more efficiently with the VCEM CLI than with the VCEM
GUI. You can use VCEM CLI to assemble a library of scripts to create common profile types. If your environment
always assigns a particular set of network and storage connections for a specific class of servers, you can capture
the settings in a script and run the script when you need a new server profile. Here are some scripting examples:
• Script and VCEM CLI operations:
– Use VCEM CLI to put the domain into maintenance.
– Use an SSH client to drive the VCM CLI.
– Use VCEM CLI to cancel or complete maintenance on the domain.
• Script Virtual Connect Support Utility (VCSU, which allows users to remotely upgrade VC module firmware) and
VCEM CLI operations:
– Use VCEM CLI to put the domain into maintenance.
– Script VCSU commands.
– Use VCEM CLI to cancel or complete maintenance on the domain.
• Script reassignment of server profiles in response to changing workloads or environment.
Other management tools
Other HP and third party tools are available to monitor your c-Class environment. SNMP allows you to monitor
network-attached devices in the VC domain. The SNMP agent software resides in VCM on the primary VC module
as well as on any other VC Converged Networking, Ethernet, and Fibre Channel module in the domain. SNMP also
makes telemetry information available for further troubleshooting. You can use an appropriate SNMP tool to map all
network information. You can use VCEM SDK to go beyond the features of the VCEM CLI and work directly with the
VCEM APIs.