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MegaRAID Storage Manager Online Help System |
Installing the MegaRAID Storage Manager Software on the VMware ESX and ESXi Operating Systems
This section describes the product requirements needed to support the VMware ESX operating system. Classic VMware includes a Service Console that is derived from the Linux 2.4 kernel, but with reduced functionality.
The MegaRAID Storage Manager server part cannot be installed directly in VMware ESXi 4.0. Management is possible only through the Common Information Model (CIM) providers. These CIM providers integrated into the ESXi 4.0 system build an interface between the hardware driver of the LSI MegaRAID controller and remote applications, such as the MegaRAID Storage Manager. Management is performed through the MegaRAID Storage Manager software installed on a remote machine (Linux/Windows).
The Linux RPM of the MegaRAID Storage Manager software works under the console with minimal changes. Hardware RAID is currently supported in ESX 4.x.
The virtual drives that are created or deleted are not reflected in the kernel. The workaround is to reboot the server or to run
esxcfg-rescan <vmhba#>
from COS shell.The network communication is a key element for a proper setup. The communication between the ESXi CIM provider and the LSI management software is an active/passive combination, which requires a highly reliable network. Therefore, we recommend that you install the management on a VM within the ESXi. Follow these steps to install and configure the MegaRAID Storage Manager support on the VMware ESXi operating system.
1. Network Configuration of the ESXi Host
- Assignment of an ESXi hostname:
- Configuration of a virtual network environment:
- Option 1: Use the already existing Vswitch, which has a VMkernel port already attached for the communication.
- Option 2: Build a new Vswitch without a link to the Host network card.
The application that you use determines which option to choose. Make sure that you choose the applicable option at an early stage, because creating a new Vswitch with VMkernel requires a reboot to make sure a proper communication exists between the CIM provider and the new interface. If you want to reach the target as quickly as possible, no change is recommended.- Configuration of the IP address:
2. VM Installation
Install the operating system as usual, including the VMware guest tools. The virtual network card should be linked to a Vswitch that has a VMKernel port attached. For a quick installation, no change is recommended.
3. VM Network Configuration
4. Reboot and Login
Reboot the VM and start the MegaRAID Storage Manager software. The ESXi server now appears in the list of the found hosts. You can now log in with the root account name and password of the ESXi Host.
Host Overview
Figure 1 shows the name of the host ESXi server. In this example, the host ESXi server name is
local.lsi.com
.Figure 1 Host ESXi Server Name
Click Configure Host, if you want to select the display preferences for the server. You can choose to display only the local server, systems from a list, or display all of the systems in the network of the local server.
- Click Connect.
- Enter the user name and the password to log in on the ESXi Host, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 Login on the Host Server
After you log in, the Dashboard view shows an overview of the system and covers the following features:
- Properties of the virtual drives and the physical drives
- Total capacity
- The MegaRAID Storage Manager software features and their status (enabled or disabled)
- Actions you can perform, such as creating a virtual drive and updating the firmware, and links to Online Help as shown in .
Figure 3 Dashboard View for IR
- Click the Physical tab to view the drives connected to the controller (the Physical view).
Figure 4 Physical View for IR
- Click the Logical tab to view the virtual drives connected to the controller (the logical view), as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5 Logical View for IR
Limitations of the Installation and Configurations
For more information about these limitations, see Differences in MegaRAID Storage Manager for VMware ESXi:
DB09-000202-05 37857-02 Rev. F May 2011 Copyright© 2011 by LSI Corporation. All rights reserved. You can find a list of the LSI U.S. distributors, international distributors, sales offices, and design resource centers on the LSI web site at: http://www.lsi.com/cm/ContactSearch.do |