VSI Install Guide–USM with VMAX Integration

The VSI team has once again knocked their recent update out of the park. Specifically I’m speaking to their recent update to Unified Storage Management 5.3 vSphere Client Plugin. For those of you that are not familiar with these free plugins, or how to get them up and running check out the following three blog posts on how to install it.

Please note, these were done with VSI 5.1 and we are currently at 5.3. The install is the same, I would recommend those that are already running a prior version uninstall it before you proceed.

I can summarize the USM 5.3 upgrade into “Big Time VMAX Love” Smile Almost all of the new hotness of USM 5.3 is 100% laser focused on VMAX. Here is a snipit of what’s included in it as well as StorageView 5.3 that was updated as well:

Version 5.3 of VSI delivers the following new capabilities:

VMFS Datastore Provisioning for VMAX 40K, VMAX 10k and VMAX 20K
Storage performance metrics for the VMAX family – VMFS Datastore and support for RDM- Empowers VMware administrators to view Storage and VMware performance metrics from a single pane of glass. Customers can now view storage statistics for VMFS Datastore and virtual disks. VSI also extends support for monitoring LUN performance for virtual disks that utilize Raw Device Mapping
Support Enginuity 5568 or later, including the latest Enginuity 5876

So lets cut to the chase and figure out how it works and how to set it up. This assumes you’ve already installed the Unified Storage Management 5.3 plug in. This also assumes you’ve already setup VMAX Solutions Enabler – if you haven’t – follow the install guide info above.

This blog is in 3 parts. Feel free to skip around if you want.

Setting up the VMAX credentials for the first time
Creating a VMAX Datastore using USM 5.3
Extending a VMAX Datastore using USM 5.3

Step 1 – Setting up the VMAX credentials for the first time

1. First, go into vSphere Client – and click on the EMC VSI Plugin to get it setup.

2. Then click on Unified Storage Management – and then click Add

3. Click on Enter Storage System or Connection Broker Credentials and then click Next

4. Check out the new EMC VMAX/VMAXe option. – Select it and click next

5. This is the fun part – if you haven’t setup the SMI-S provider on your VMAX – check out the following blog post that takes you through the process: http://www.virtualpro.co.uk/2011/12/20/configuring-vasa-with-emc-arrays-%E2%80%93-clariion-vnx-and-vmax/ – Skip down to the SE / SMI-S server deployment process. Just download the latest and greatest version. Once you are done, go back to the vSphere Client and enter in the credentials.

6. Click on the System name – and then click on Finish

Creating a VMAX Datastore using USM 5.3

Now lets get on to the fun stuff – lets use this new feature:

1. In the vSphere Client – go to Datastores – right click on your datacenter view and then click on the EMC option and then Unified Storage and then Provision Storage

2. Click on Disk/LUN and then click next. Make sure your array can see the servers.

3. then select the array you want to provision from and then click next.

4. Now select the Storage Pool you want to use and then click next.

5. Now choose the Masking View you want to use.

6.Select the VMFS File Version you want to use – NOTE: the default takes you to VMFS-3 – so change it to VMFS-5 if you are running vSphere 5 and then click next.

7. Name the datastore (as you can see, you can choose RDM) and then enter in the capacity amount you want it to provision. Great news – you can extend it later if you want – then click Finish

8. Watch it go !!

9. It’s done.

10. You can see it’s 500GB and it’s done. BUT WAIT – I need to extend this 100GB more Smile

Extending a VMAX Datastore using USM 5.3

11. let’s say you want to extend this volume down the road. EASY PEASY – Right click on the Datastore – select EMC – Unified Storage – and Extend Storage: