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This module focuses on the basics of VNX Unisphere security and basic management.

Discussed will be the user interface options, management security, notifications and event
monitoring, and Storage Domains.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 1
This lesson covers the management interfaces for the VNX Unified Storage system. It
covers an overview of the Unisphere GUI, its aspects of management, the layout and access
methods. An overview of the CLI management interfaces for both file and block are also
presented.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 2
There are three interface options available to manage the VNX Unified Storage system; the
Unisphere Graphical User Interface (GUI), File Command Line Interface (CLI), and Block
Command Line Interface (CLI). Management is performed from an administrator PC or
workstation to the VNX.

The Unisphere GUI is the primary management interface for the system. From it, both the
block and file aspects of the system are managed. It is a web-based application that resides
on the VNX, accessed using a browser, such as Internet Explorer, addressed to the VNX.
Unisphere Client software is also available as an installable application for Windows
platforms. Management is performed over a secure network connection to the VNX system.

The File CLI option is available for file administrative tasks. The tasks are performed over a
secure network connection using Secure Shell (SSH) to the VNX Control Station. Or over a
direct serial connection to the Control Station. The File CLI option is useful for scripting
administrative tasks for file.

The Block CLI option is available as an installable application and is used for block
administrative tasks. The tasks are performed over a secure network connection to the VNX
Storage Processors, A or B. The Block CLI can be used to automate management functions
through scripts and batch files.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 3
With Unisphere, all aspects of the VNX can be managed. Global system management tasks
are available, as well as the tasks that are unique to file storage and block storage.

Some of the system management tasks relate to settings on the system such as network
addressing, services, and caching. System hardware can be viewed and configured.
Security relating to management is also available, such as management accounts and
storage domain configuration. The system software is also managed from Unisphere.
Reports can also be generated about the system configuration, status, and availability.
System monitoring and alert notification can also be managed within Unisphere.

File storage related tasks are also available in Unisphere, such as Data Mover networking
and services settings. Management of storage space for file relating to pools and volumes is
provided. File systems and all their features are managed. CIFS shares and servers are
managed as well as NFS exports. Unisphere also manages both local and remote VNX file
replication features.

Unisphere provides block storage management tasks, such as network and Fibre Channel
connectivity settings. Storage provisioning for Storage Pools and RAID Groups are available.
LUNs and all their features are also managed. Host access to storage is managed within
VNX Storage Groups with Unisphere. It also manages both local and remote VNX block
replication features.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 4
Unisphere is easily accessed for managing the VNX. The Unisphere Server software runs
natively on the Control Station and both Storage Processors; SPA and SPB. An optional
Unisphere Server executable is available for installation on a Windows server which allows
centralized management of multiple VNX systems through a Unisphere Storage Domain.
Simply open a browser and input the IP address or DNS name of the device running the
Unisphere Server software; the VNX Control Station, either Storage Processor, or the
Windows server. Or, if it is installed, open the Unisphere Client software and provide it the
name or IP address of the Unisphere Server; VNX Control Station, either Storage Processor,
or Windows server. Next, input credentials for the VNX at the logon screen and Unisphere
will open. It is important to note that Unisphere is a JAVA-based application, thus the
system running Unisphere requires the JAVA Runtime Environment (JRE) software is
installed and it will run to support the Unisphere application.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 5
The Unisphere interface has three main areas which are the top navigation bar, task pane,
and main pane.

Top Navigation consists of:


• Previous and Next Icons: The left and right arrows allow users to go back and forth
• Home Icon: It shows the Dashboard screen.
• System Drop-down menu: It allows the user to switch between VNX storage
systems registered on the domain.
• Context-Sensitive Menu Bar: Presents the main options for VNX for File/Unified and
VNX for Block. It varies depending on the system being managed.

Task pane: It is task based navigation which means common tasks are placed together
facilitating the access. Depending on the menu selected different tasks will appear.

Main pane: It is where the pertinent information about a particular menu is displayed.

The division between Task Pane and Main Pane can be resized by clicking the mouse with
the cursor over the division bar, and dragging it to the new position. Also, the Task Pane
can be hidden by clicking the right arrow on the division bar which will expand the Main
Pane. The Task Pane can be expanded again by clicking the left arrow on the division bar
which will re-dimension the size of the Main Pane.

This course includes a lab exercise that provides the learner hands-on experience
accessing, operating and navigating the Unisphere interface.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 6
Unisphere also provides a setup page for the SP Management Server. It is used mostly for
modifying initial settings or restarting the Management Server and other activities relating
to maintenance. The setup page is accessed from a browser addressed to either the IP
address of SPA or SPB with /setup appended to it as in this example: https://<IP
Address of SP>/setup. The page will require you to input credentials to access it.

Some operations available from the setup page are: change the SP host name, create a
new Global Administrator account, manage the SSL/TLS Certificate, update parameters for
agent communication, restart Management Server, Recover Domain, set
RemotelyAnywhere access restrictions, and many other functions.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 7
The File CLI is accessed from the Control Station through either a secure network
connection using Secure Shell (SSH) or a direct serial connection. It consists of a series of
Linux-like commands for managing file related tasks on the VNX system. There are over
100 unique commands that are formed from five prefix command sets. The prefix sets are
used for managing different elements of the VNX file storage and are shown below:

• cel_ commands execute to the remotely-linked VNX for File system

• cs_ commands execute to the local Control Station

• fs_ commands execute to the specified file system

• nas_ commands execute directly to the Control Station database

• server_ commands require a “movername” entry and execute directly to a Data Mover.
(For example, server_ifconfig server_2…)

The Control Station also includes the full command set for Block CLI.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 8
The Block CLI is provided through the naviseccli command, also known as Secure CLI, and
has a secure command structure. It includes a rich set of command options and sub-options
for all block related management, configuration and maintenance operations. With it, all
aspects of VNX block storage and its features can be configured and managed. Host
connectivity to storage can also be configured and managed. The status of the system can
be checked. Maintenance tasks can also be performed such as SP reboots and software
updates. With the CLI, repetitive administrative tasks for block can be scripted.

The Block CLI is installed on supported Windows, Linux and UNIX-based systems. It is also
included on the VNX Control Station in its /nas/sbin directory.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 9
Some VNX features are not manageable through the Unisphere GUI and can only be
managed using File CLI. An example is event notifications that specify individual event
identifiers.

The GUI does offer an option from its Task Pane for running File CLI commands. The
Control Station CLI option within Unisphere allows you to enter commands one at a time
and view its output result.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 10
Please read the Pre-Lab Exercises section of the lab guide for information about the lab
layout and access methods.

This Lab covers VNX management with Unisphere. System login and Unisphere general
navigation is performed along with Unisphere navigation to specific File and Block functions.
The File command line interface will be invoked from within Unisphere.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 11
This lab covered VNX Management with Unisphere. System login and general Unisphere
navigation was performed. Unisphere navigation to specific File and Block functions was
done. CLI from with Unisphere was invoked.

Please discuss as a group your experience with the lab exercise. Were there any issues or
problems encountered in doing the lab exercise? Are there relevant use cases that the lab
exercise objectives could apply to? What are some possible concerns relating to the lab
subject?

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 12
This lesson covers the different strategies used by Unisphere to prevent unauthorized
access to VNX systems. The lesson will also discuss the different authentication scopes and
how to assign privileges associated with tasks an administrative user can perform on
particular VNX objects.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 13
A key capability of VNX is its secure management. VNX implements key tenants of security
to ensure that only limited, authorized users and applications have management access to
the system. The key tenants that VNX management security is built upon are;
authentication, authorization, privacy, trust and audit. Each provide the following:
• Authentication: Identify who is making a request, and only grant access to the
authorized users. VNX systems will not permit any actions without the validation of
the authentication.
• Authorization: Determine if the requestor has the right to exercise the request. The
Storage Management Server authorizes user activity based on the role of the user.
• Privacy: Protect against snooping of data. Security settings enable definition of
controls to prevent data stored in the VNX system to be disclosed in an unauthorized
manner. VNX Systems use several proprietary data integrity features to protect user
data with encryption and secure connections.
• Trust: Verify the identity of the communication parties. VNX systems use certificates
for securing network operations associated with managing the system. Certificates
provide a mechanism of establishing a trusted identity on the network.
• Audit: Keep a record of who did what, and when. VNX event logs contain messages
related to user management actions, activities performed by service personnel, and
internal events.

VNX storage systems can be accessed by different management applications for


configuration, maintenance, and administration: Unisphere, File and Block CLI, Unisphere
Service Manager (USM), Unisphere Host Agent (or Server Utility), Unisphere Initialization
Utility, VNX Installation Assistant (VIA), SNMP management software, Admsnap, Admhost,
snapcli, ESRS, Unisphere Central, and Unisphere client.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 14
Secure management access to the VNX is accomplished through the management interface
login, the connection to the VNX, and its management user accounts.

A secure network connection is established between the management interface and the
VNX using industry standard protocols; Secure Socket Layer (SSL), Transport Layer
Security (TLS), or Secure Shell (SSH). These industry standard protocols use certificates
that establish a trust and authentication between the management interface and the VNX.
They then encrypt communication between each other to establish the privacy required for
secure communications. Note: If using the File CLI via serial connection, physical security of
the VNX is required to assure management access security.

The administrative user then supplies login credentials to the management interface which
are passed over the secure connection to the VNX. The VNX examines the user credentials
against its user accounts for user authentication and authorization. The VNX will then
maintain an audit log of the user’s management activities.

This results in only allowing authenticated users performing authorized management


activities to the VNX over a private, trusted connection.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 15
Auditing is a specialized form of logging whose purpose is to record the security relevant
events that happen on a system and provide sufficient information about who initiated the
event and its affect on the system. Unisphere provides audit logging capabilities for both
VNX for Block and VNX for File system configurations, by capturing system activities
surrounding or leading to an operation, procedure or event.

Audit information on VNX for Block systems is contained within the event log on each SP.
The log contains a time-stamped record for each event, with information about the storage
system, the affected SP and the associated host. An audit record is also created every time
a user logs in, enters a request through Unisphere, or Secure CLI command.

On VNX for File systems the auditing feature used is native to the Control Station Linux
kernel and is enabled by default. The feature is configured to record management user
authentications and captures the management activities initiated from the Control Station.
Events are logged when specified sensitive file systems and system configurations are
modified.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 16
Another benefit is management flexibility provided using its schema of management
accounts. VNX provides the capability for having local management accounts for File and
Block, and Global accounts. The local accounts focus on specific management tasks for a
specific VNX. For example, on a specified VNX, the File Local accounts are for file
management tasks and the Block Local accounts focus on block management tasks. VNX
also provides the capability of having Global accounts that can manage both file and block
management tasks. The system comes from the factory with a set of default management
accounts configured and are listed in the table. It is also possible to create additional
Global, File Local and Block Local management accounts. All management accounts are
associated with management roles. It is a best practice to create additional accounts and
use those for VNX management rather than to use the default management accounts. This
is especially important for auditing purposes in environments where multiple people may be
managing the VNX.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 17
VNX role-based management is a key capability for flexible, easy system management.
Roles are a combination of VNX management objects and privileges to those objects. Roles
define an authority for managing an object and apply to all VNX management operations.
Using roles, management tasks can be focused on specific areas of system management
such as networking, data protection, or storage. Roles are directly associated with VNX
management groups that are associated with VNX management user accounts. The VNX
has a number of system-defined roles that cannot be modified or deleted. It also provides
the capability of defining custom configured roles. Roles apply to Unisphere GUI and CLI
management operations.

This course includes a lab exercise that provides the learner hands-on experience creating
local user accounts and assigning a role to the user.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 18
The VNX provides three different management user authentication scopes for flexible
management options.

The LDAP authentication scope is used when the VNX is configured to bind to an LDAP
domain. The VNX performs an LDAP query to the domain to authenticate the administrative
users. LDAP domain users and groups are mapped to user and group IDs on the VNX. When
the “use LDAP” option is selected during user login, the Global or Local scope setting is
disregarded.

The Global authentication scope is used when the VNX is configured to be a member of a
Storage Domain. All the systems within the domain can be managed using a single sign-on
with a global account. If a user selects the “Global” scope during login to a VNX that is not a
Storage Domain member, Unisphere will use local authentication for the user.

The Local authentication scope is used to manage a specific system only. Logging into a
system using a local user account is recommended when there are a large number of
systems in the domain and you want to restrict visibility to a single system and or certain
features on a given system.

When you start a session, Unisphere prompts you for a username, password, and scope.
These credentials are encrypted and sent to the storage management server. The storage
management server then attempts to find a match within the user account information. If a
match is found, you are identified as an authenticated user. All subsequent requests that
the applet sends contain the cached digest in the authentication header.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 19
Another key management capability of VNX is its ability to integrate with LDAP-based
domains. Using this capability allows LDAP users to login and perform VNX management
tasks using their existing LDAP user credentials.

To achieve this integration, the VNX is configured to bind to the LDAP domain to form an
authentication channel with the domain. When an LDAP login is performed, the VNX passes
the LDAP user credentials to the User Search Path of the LDAP server over the
authentication channel. Role-based management is also configured for the user based on
membership in an LDAP group. A management Role is defined for the LDAP group. The VNX
automatically creates an identically named VNX group and the role is assigned to the VNX
group. A mapping between the LDAP and VNX groups provides the management role to the
LDAP user.

The Use LDAP option must be selected for the Unisphere login to be authenticated by the
LDAP domain. The user will be able to perform management tasks based on the
management role configured for the LDAP group of which the user is a member. LDAP users
are also able to use File CLI management. The CLI login to the VNX Control Station requires
that the user input the username in the <username>@<domain name> format.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 20
This demo/lab covers the configuration steps for binding a VNX to a Windows Active Directory
domain, configuring a role for an LDAP user, and logging into Unisphere with LDAP
credentials.

To launch the video use the following URL:


https://edutube.emc.com/Player.aspx?vno=DBCxwOWRe44ULoQg5YRSRw==&autoplay=true

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 21
This lesson covers the monitoring features provided by Unisphere, how to check alerts and
event logs associated with VNX system activities, and how to enable notifications for both
File and Block systems.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 22
Within the Unisphere System monitoring page, there are several areas where the system
can be monitored, including:
• Alerts for various system conditions
• SP Event Logs for monitoring block related activities
• Background Tasks for File
• Event Logs for File
• Notification Logs for File
• Notifications for Block
• Statistics for File
• Statistics for Block
• QoS Manager

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 23
In the “Alerts” section, the user can see if there are any critical errors, warning, or errors.
To obtain details for the alert, simply double-click on the alert of interest to retrieve its
properties. The “Alert Details” will provide further information on the status of the alert and
how to resolve it.

Alerts may come from the Block side or the backend, or from the File side of the VNX
system.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 24
In the “Background Tasks for File” area File-related tasks are logged and can be monitored.

This page will report the tasks with the following information:

ID - Unique identifier for the task

State - Status of task: Succeeded, Failed, Running, or Recovering

Originator - User and host that initiated the task

Start Time - Time the administrator initiated task. The start time is in the format:
month/date/year hours:minutes

Description - Brief task description

Schedule - Frequency of occurrence and type of task

Systems - Name of the remote system involved in the task

The logged task properties can be visualized by double-clicking the mouse over the
selection or by hitting the Properties button.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 25
In “Event Logs for File” area, File-related events can be monitored.

The page can be configured to display log messages from the Control Station or the Data
Movers based on a selected time interval and severity level:

Severity - Severity of event. The severity is converted from a numerical value (0-6) in the
log file to one of four named values. Events provides a comparison

Time - Date and time of event

Facility - Component that generated event

Description - Description of event

To view details about an event right-click the mouse over the record and select details.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 26
In the “SP Event Logs” section, logs for each one of the SPs can be retrieved for
visualization, filtered by type of event, saved on a local file on the client machine, and
printed. The displayed report fields are:

Date - Date that the event occurred

Time - Time that the event occurred

Event Code - Numerical code that pertains to the particular event

Description - Brief description of the event

Storage System - Name of the storage system that generated the event. Displays N/A for
non-device event types

Device - Name of the device within the storage system on which the event occurred.
Displays N/A for non-device event types

SP - SP to which the event belongs – SP A or SP B

Host - Name for the currently running Agent – SP Agent or Host Agent

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 27
“Notifications for File” are actions that the Control Station takes in response to a particular
system condition. These features are configurable notifications based on system events and
system resource utilization.

The system “Event” notifications are based on pre-defined system events such as a
temperature being too high. As displayed in this table, these notifications are configured
based on the Facility affected and the Severity levels (Critical, Error, Warning, Info). The
user can set what is the action that must be taken in case the defined criteria is met, and
what is the destination of the notification: path of Control Station log file, Single SNMP trap
for the traps, or a list of e-mail addresses separated by a comma.

The other tabs of the Notifications for File are Storage Usage, Storage Projection and Data
Mover Load. These refer to notifications based on resource utilization. The user can also
configure conditions or thresholds for triggering the notifications.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 28
“Even Notifications for Block Storage Systems” allows the configuration of either Centralized
Monitoring or Distributed Monitoring. With Centralized Monitoring, a single Unisphere Agent
monitors selected storage systems. With Distributed Monitoring, each Unisphere Agent
monitors its own storage systems.

When creating a template, the user is able to define Severity level and Category for general
events or configure notifications for explicit events. The severity levels are Info, Warning,
Error, and Critical. The Categories relate to the events pertaining to Basic Array feature,
MirrorView, SnapView, SAN Copy, VNX Snapshots, etc.

Some of the actions that can be configured regarding a notification include the following:
• Logging the event in an event log file
• Sending an email message for single or multiple system events to a specific email
address
• Generating an SNMP trap
• Calling home to the service provider
• Running a script

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 29
“Statistics for File” provides information about the file system utilization, storage and
network performance.

Graphs are configurable and given in real-time.

The “Statistics” page displays a live graph of the statistics for components of the VNX. The
legend under the graphic explains the chart data. The graph can display a maximum of 14
statistics at any one time.

The top line on the page includes two arrows that allows the user to navigate backward and
forward in the accumulated data, and text stating the time period covered by the visible
graph.

To manipulate the graph, the user can right-click the graph and select:
• Export Data: to export the data in the graph into a comma-separated values file
• Print: to print the graph, rotated or scaled to fit a page as needed
• Time Interval: to change the time period displayed by the graph
• Select Stats: to add or remove types of statistical data displayed in the graph
• Polling Control: to change the polling interval for statistical update queries, and to
disable and enable statistical update polling
• Polling Interval: the rate at which an object is polled
The default polling interval for updated stats is five minutes for Data Mover and
storage system data. File system data is polled at a fixed interval of 10 minutes.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 30
Statistics for Block are provided by the Unisphere Analyzer feature.

The Unisphere Analyzer feature lets the user monitor the performance of the storage-
system components: LUNs, the storage processors (SPs) that own them, and their disk
modules. Unisphere Analyzer gathers block storage-system performance statistics and
presents them in various types of charts. This information allows the administrator to find
and anticipate bottlenecks in the disk storage component utilization.

Analyzer can display the performance data in real time or as a file containing past
performance data from an archive. The user can capture the performance data in an archive
file at any time and store it on the host where Unisphere was launched.

The statistics are displayed as seven different types of charts: Performance Survey chart,
Performance Summary, Performance detail, Performance Overview (for RAID Group LUNs,
metaLUNs only), and LUN IO Disk detail chart (for LUNs only).

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 31
These video demonstrations will provide you with a brief discussion of configuring
Unisphere’s VNX notifications for Block and Notifications for File.

To launch the videos use the following URsL:

Link to Notifications for Block Demo:

https://edutube.emc.com/Player.aspx?vno=25uGUJW3sapbkcJ+HWoiQg==&autoplay=true

Link to Notifications for File Demo

https://edutube.emc.com/Player.aspx?vno=4NadO6Lvj+IdSHaUXsu12g==&autoplay=true

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 32
This lesson covers VNX management using Unisphere Storage Domains and also examines
management using the Unisphere Client and Server software packages.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 33
Each VNX Unified storage system by default is configured into its own local storage domain.
The system’s SPs and its Control Station are members of the domain by default. A VNX
system can be managed using a Unisphere session to any member of the storage domain.
Management of the domain requires Administrator or Security Administrator role privileges.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 34
Beyond the default local Unisphere domain, Unisphere lets you create Storage Domains
with multiple VNX systems are members. The storage domain lets you manage and monitor
a group of systems by using a single sign-on of Unisphere. This capability requires using the
Global Scope and that the VNX is configured with global user accounts.

Unisphere lets you create multi-domain environments as well. A multi-domain environment


lets you manage and monitor a group of domains (potentially all the systems in the storage
enterprise) by using the same instance of Unisphere. You can create a multi-domain
environment if systems are located remotely, and you do not want to include them in the
local domain. The multi-domain feature lets you manage and monitor systems in separate
domains using one instance of Unisphere. A multi-domain environment consists of one local
domain and one or more remote domains. The local domain is the domain you targeted by
connecting to a particular system. The domain to which that system belongs is the local
domain. A remote domain is a separate domain with its own master, whose systems can be
managed and monitored by you from the local domain.

The multi-domain feature offers the option of single sign-on which allows you to log in to
the entire multi-domain environment by using one user account. In this instance, each
domain within the environment must have matching credentials. Alternatively, you can use
login on-demand.

In a multi-domain environment, you can add or remove systems and manage global users
only on a local domain (that is, the domain of the system to which you are pointing
Unisphere). To perform these operations on a remote domain, you must open a new
instance of Unisphere and type the IP address of a system in that remote domain.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 35
Another management configuration available for VNX is Unisphere Client and Server. They
are separate Unisphere software packages that can be installed on Windows systems and
can be used in Storage Domains. Unisphere Client is a complete standalone version of the
Unisphere user interface (UI) applet. Unisphere Server is an “off-array” management
system running the Unisphere management server. The packages can be installed on
different Windows systems, or be installed together on the same Windows system.

If only the Unisphere Client is installed on a Windows system, the Unisphere UI is launched
locally and pointed to any Unisphere Server system in the environment. You can also
optionally install both the Unisphere Client and Server on the same Windows system. The
Unisphere Server accepts requests from Unisphere Client and the requests are processed
within the Windows system. The Unisphere Server can be configured as a domain member
or a domain master for managing multiple VNX systems within the same UI.

The Unisphere Client and Server packages provide for faster Unisphere startup times since
the Unisphere applet does not have to download from the VNX Control Station or SPs. This
can be very advantageous when managing systems in different geographic locations
connected via slow WAN links. Another advantage of running Unisphere Server on a
Windows system is it lowers management CPU cycles on the VNX SPs for certain
management tasks.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 36
This demo covers the configuration of Unisphere Server as a Domain master in a Storage
Domain having multiple VNX systems. It also illustrates using the Unisphere client to run the
Unisphere UI.

To launch the video use the following URL:


https://edutube.emc.com/Player.aspx?vno=OjxiNeui3SMDH6qB7HrsCA==&autoplay=true

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 37
This module covered the interfaces for managing the VNX and how management is secured.
It also detailed system event monitoring and notifications and the use of Storage Domains
for managing multiple VNX systems.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 38
This Lab covers role-based management of the VNX with Unisphere. The VNX Storage
Domain will be verified. A Global user and a local group will be created on the VNX. Then a
role for the new user will be defined and tested.

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 39
This lab covered role-based VNX management in Unisphere. The VNX Storage Domain was
verified and a Global User and Local Group were created on the VNX. A management role
was configured for the Global User.

Please discuss as a group your experience with the lab exercise. Were there any issues or
problems encountered in doing the lab exercise? Are there relevant real world use cases
that the lab exercise objectives could apply to? What are some concerns relating to the lab
subject?

Copyright 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Unisphere Security and Basic Management 40

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