Dell Virtual Storage Manager For Vmware: Installation and User'S Guide

Dell Virtual Storage Manager for VMware
Installation and User’s Guide

Version 5.0
Notes, cautions, and warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the
problem.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.
© 2019 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries.
Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners.
2019 - 10
Rev. 110-6302-EN-R2
Contents
About This Manual.......................................................................................................................... 7

Related Documentation.........................................................................................................................................................7
1 Introduction to the Dell Virtual Storage Manager.............................................................................8

Terminology............................................................................................................................................................................ 9
2 Installing VSM............................................................................................................................ 10
About VSM Installation........................................................................................................................................................ 10
Installation Prerequisites......................................................................................................................................................10
Specifying a vCenter Server-Managed IP................................................................................................................... 11
Using Certificates............................................................................................................................................................11
Information Required for VSM Installation Wizard........................................................................................................... 11
Perform a New Installation of VSM................................................................................................................................... 13
Updating the VSM Appliance from Version 4.7................................................................................................................14
Attaching the ISO Image to the VSM Virtual Appliance............................................................................................15
Running the Update....................................................................................................................................................... 15
Verifying the Installation...................................................................................................................................................... 16
Verifying Permissions Before Running VSM.....................................................................................................................16
Remove the VSM Appliance from vSphere......................................................................................................................16
3 Console CLI Options.................................................................................................................... 17

Logging in to the CLI Console.............................................................................................................................................17
CLI Menu Options...........................................................................................................................................................17
Configuration Options..........................................................................................................................................................18
Viewing VASA Provider Status.....................................................................................................................................18
Unregistering and Removing the VSM Virtual Appliance..........................................................................................18
Maintenance Operations..................................................................................................................................................... 18
Update an Appliance...................................................................................................................................................... 19
Backing Up a Database..................................................................................................................................................19
Restore a Database........................................................................................................................................................19
Collecting Diagnostics.........................................................................................................................................................20
4 VSM User Interface Overview and Navigation................................................................................21

Starting VSM........................................................................................................................................................................ 21
Overview of the VSM Workspace..................................................................................................................................... 21
5 VSM Home Workspace................................................................................................................23

Attaching the ISO Image to the VSM Virtual Appliance.................................................................................................23
Getting Started Tab............................................................................................................................................................ 23
Summary Tab....................................................................................................................................................................... 23
Manage VSM Settings........................................................................................................................................................23
VSM Settings Panel...................................................................................................................................................... 24
Management Network Panel....................................................................................................................................... 24
Storage Network Panel................................................................................................................................................ 25
Contents 3
System Schedules Panel...............................................................................................................................................26
Modify Schedule Dialog Box.........................................................................................................................................27
VSM Peers Panel...........................................................................................................................................................28
Replication Partners Panel........................................................................................................................................... 29
vCenter Servers Panel.................................................................................................................................................. 32
Advanced Settings........................................................................................................................................................ 32
Ports Used by VSM.............................................................................................................................................................33
6 Managing Virtual Volumes With VSM........................................................................................... 34

Running VSM in a VVol Environment............................................................................................................................... 35
Configuring ESXi Hosts in vCenter............................................................................................................................. 36
Setting Up VVols Using VSM.......................................................................................................................................36
Add VVol Access to a New ESXi Host in an Existing Cluster........................................................................................ 37
7 Managing Groups in VSM............................................................................................................ 39

About Group Storage..........................................................................................................................................................39
Navigating Dell Storage...................................................................................................................................................... 39
Dell Storage Top-Level Views............................................................................................................................................39
Filter the Group Table................................................................................................................................................... 40
Group Storage Actions....................................................................................................................................................... 40
Add PS Series Group Dialog Box................................................................................................................................. 40
Update Group Credentials.............................................................................................................................................41
Unmanage a Group........................................................................................................................................................42
Launch Group Manager................................................................................................................................................ 42
Group-Level Views and Operations.................................................................................................................................. 42
Group Summary View................................................................................................................................................... 42
Group Monitor View...................................................................................................................................................... 43
Group Manage Display........................................................................................................................................................ 44
About Protocol Endpoints.................................................................................................................................................. 45
Protocol Endpoint Indicators........................................................................................................................................45
Allow Protocol Endpoint Access to a Group.............................................................................................................. 46
Remove Protocol Endpoint Access to a Group......................................................................................................... 46
Group Partners Operations................................................................................................................................................ 46
Group Related Objects View.............................................................................................................................................. 47
8 Managing Datastores.................................................................................................................. 48
Navigating Datastores........................................................................................................................................................ 48
VSM Datastores Summary View and Actions................................................................................................................. 48
Virtual Volume Operations and Restrictions.................................................................................................................... 49
VSM Datastore Actions......................................................................................................................................................50
Create Dell Datastore Wizard...................................................................................................................................... 50
Create VMFS Datastore............................................................................................................................................... 52
Create NFS Datastore.................................................................................................................................................. 54
Create VVol Datastore..................................................................................................................................................54
Resize Dell Datastore Dialog Box.................................................................................................................................55
Delete a VSM Datastore...............................................................................................................................................56
Apply Template Dialog Box...........................................................................................................................................56
Replication Configuration Dialog Box..........................................................................................................................58
Deconfiguration Replication......................................................................................................................................... 59
4 Contents
Pause and Resume Replication....................................................................................................................................59
SyncRep Operations for Datastore Volumes............................................................................................................. 59
Datastore Storage View...................................................................................................................................................... 61
Datastore Summary View..............................................................................................................................................61
Datastore Monitor View................................................................................................................................................62
Datastore Configure View............................................................................................................................................ 62
Datastore Related Objects View..................................................................................................................................64
9 Data Recovery........................................................................................................................... 65
Structure of the Data Recovery Table............................................................................................................................. 65
Search VSM Managed Objects......................................................................................................................................... 65
10 Data Protection........................................................................................................................ 66
VSM Data Protection Table............................................................................................................................................... 66
About Snapshots................................................................................................................................................................. 67
Best Practices for Snapshots...................................................................................................................................... 67
Snapshot View in the Data Protection Table.............................................................................................................68
Planning Snapshots....................................................................................................................................................... 69
Create Snapshot Dialog Box........................................................................................................................................ 70
Restoring from a Snapshot........................................................................................................................................... 71
About Snapshot Schedules................................................................................................................................................ 72
Add Schedule/Edit Schedule Dialog Box.................................................................................................................... 73
Edit Schedule................................................................................................................................................................. 75
Delete Schedule............................................................................................................................................................. 75
Enable and Disable Schedule........................................................................................................................................75
Run Now......................................................................................................................................................................... 76
About Clones........................................................................................................................................................................76
Clone Volume from Snapshot Dialog Box...................................................................................................................76
Clone VVol VM from Snapshot.................................................................................................................................... 77
About Replication.................................................................................................................................................................78
Types of Replication Provided by VSM...................................................................................................................... 78
Replication Operations..................................................................................................................................................80
11 VSM Schedules......................................................................................................................... 88
VSM Schedules View..........................................................................................................................................................88
Filter the Schedules Table.................................................................................................................................................. 89
12 Managing Jobs......................................................................................................................... 90
Jobs View............................................................................................................................................................................. 90
Filter Job Listing.................................................................................................................................................................. 90
Getting Job Details...............................................................................................................................................................91
13 Templates................................................................................................................................ 92
About ACL Templates.........................................................................................................................................................92
ACL Templates Dialog Box........................................................................................................................................... 92
Create ACL Template................................................................................................................................................... 93
Modify ACL Template................................................................................................................................................... 93
Clone ACL Template..................................................................................................................................................... 93
Delete ACL Template.................................................................................................................................................... 94
Contents 5
Add ACL for Host.......................................................................................................................................................... 94
Add ACL for Cluster...................................................................................................................................................... 94
Create ACL Template from Volume............................................................................................................................95
About Schedule Templates................................................................................................................................................ 95
Edit Schedule Template Dialog Box............................................................................................................................ 95
Add a Schedule Template.............................................................................................................................................96
Edit Schedule Template................................................................................................................................................96
Delete Schedule Template............................................................................................................................................97
14 Managing VSM Privileges.......................................................................................................... 98

Summary of VSM Security and Privileges Configuration...............................................................................................99
Granting Privileges to a User............................................................................................................................................100
Privileges for VSM Operations.........................................................................................................................................100
Example of Granting Privileges........................................................................................................................................ 106
A Troubleshooting........................................................................................................................107
Installation and Startup Issues..........................................................................................................................................107
Scheduling Issues...............................................................................................................................................................108
Data Protection Issues...................................................................................................................................................... 109
Replication Issues...............................................................................................................................................................109
Group Management Issues................................................................................................................................................110
Multipathing Recommendation.........................................................................................................................................110
Index.......................................................................................................................................................................111
6 Contents
Preface
About This Manual
Revision History
Document Number: 110-6302–EN
Revision Date Description

1 March 2019 Version 5.0 General Availability
2 October 2019 Update for version 5.0.1
Audience
The information in this guide is intended for VMware administrators responsible for configuring and using the Dell Virtual Storage Manager
application within VMware vSphere.
Dell Online Services

To learn more about Dell EqualLogic products and new releases being planned, visit the Dell EqualLogic TechCenter site: http://
delltechcenter.com/page/EqualLogic. Here you can also see articles, demos, online discussions, and more details about the benefits of our
product family.
Technical Support and Customer Service

Dell support service is available to answer your questions about PS Series SAN arrays.
Contacting Dell
Dell provides several online and telephone-based support and service options. Availability varies by country and product, and some services
might not be available in your area. To contact Dell for sales, technical support, or customer service issues, go to dell.com/support.
Related Documentation
If you plan to install the Dell EqualLogic Multipathing Extension Module, see the Dell EqualLogic Multipathing Extension Module Installation
and User’s Guide.
In addition to this Installation and User’s Guide, the VSM documentation includes:
• Release Notes — Provides the latest information about the product, a description of new features for the release, required software
revisions, and known issues.
• Online help — Provides help about options and tasks when using the graphical user interface (GUI). You access the online help for
VSM concepts by clicking links under Explore Further on VSM menus. If a dialog box or other element contains a question mark icon
(?), you can click that icon to access help for that particular task.
The Dell EqualLogic Group Manager Administrator's Guide and the Group Manager online help describe how to use the Group Manager.
See these sources for more information about viewing storage containers and protocol endpoints from the Group Manager. The guide also
provides additional information about replication on Dell EqualLogic arrays.
Detailed descriptions of how to configure and manage vCenter and vSphere are beyond the scope of the Dell EqualLogic documentation.
For detailed descriptions of how to configure and manage vCenter and vSphere, select Help from the vSphere user interface.
About This Manual 7

1
Introduction to the Dell Virtual Storage
Manager
The Dell Virtual Storage Manager for VMware (VSM) integrates with the VMware vCenter and vSphere Web Client infrastructure. It
provides Dell’s storage efficiency, performance, and data protection, along with additional functions and tasks that can be applied to
VMware objects.
VSM automates the coordination of the VMware snapshots and the Dell EqualLogic PS Series snapshots to provide application-consistent
data protection.
VSM enables you to run datastore-based virtual machines (VM) snapshot, restore, failover, and failback operations on Dell storage arrays.
With VSM, you can configure security access controls, VSM peers, and Dell storage array replication partners.
VSM provides these additional features:
• Support for multiple PS Series groups
A single deployment of a VSM server can manage up to 6 Dell storage groups.
• Scheduling
You can create snapshots and replicas of virtual objects based on a user-defined repeating schedule.
• Datastore management
You can create, manage, and monitor datastores on Dell EqualLogic PS Series arrays and FS Series appliances.
• Selective restoration of virtual objects and datastores
You can perform selective restore of VMs from snapshots that include multiple objects. Only the selected VMs are restored.
• Replication operations
VSM supports:
• Replication of datastores and sets of datastores stored on PS Series groups to a secondary PS Series group (potentially at a
geographically remote location) for disaster tolerance. A secondary PS Series group can be managed by the same or a separate
VSM server.
• Recovery from replicas on the secondary site, including failover and failback of virtual machines and their data.
• Replication across two vCenter installations as well as within a single vCenter installation
• Support for role-based security
VSM provides security control by extending the VMware vSphere security model for user authorization with permissions and roles on
VSM-managed objects.
• Support for access control templates
VSM provides the ability to create and manage access control list (ACL) templates that can be applied to datastores, datastore
folders, datastore clusters, and pool settings.
• Support for FS Series Network Attached Storage (NAS)
VSM recognizes groups with NAS enabled. The Network File System (NFS) can optionally be selected during datastore creation.
• Support for VMware vSphere Storage APIs for Storage Awareness (VASA)
VSM implements VASA as a storage provider module. Through this integration with VSM, Dell EqualLogic PS Series arrays can pass
storage attributes, alarms, and events to VMware vSphere, which enables you to view additional details about the storage array’s
capabilities.
• Support for synchronous replication
VSM supports the synchronous replication (SyncRep) configuration of volumes on Dell EqualLogic groups during datastore creation. It
also allows updating a single datastore into a synchronous replication configuration if the required PS group conditions are satisfied.
• Support for the virtual volume (VVol) technology and related storage containers and protocol endpoints:
• You can create, resize, and delete Dell datastores with the type VVol.
• You can create snapshots and clones of VVol virtual machines.
• You can view storage containers and protocol endpoints in the PS Groups Summary view.
• You can use the PS Groups Manage view to control the access from ESXi hosts to VVol datastores on the PS Series group.
8 Introduction to the Dell Virtual Storage Manager

Topics:
• Terminology
Terminology
Because VSM is designed to manage Dell EqualLogic arrays and volumes within the context of the VMware vSphere environment, it is
important to understand the terminology that is specific to VMware and to the Dell EqualLogic host integration tools.
Term Definition
Replica set In the Dell EqualLogic model, a replica represents the contents of the volume at the time the replica was created.
Each replicated volume has a replica set, which is the set of replicas created over time. A VMware entity may only
be included in a single replication unit made up of a single root-managed object and all the related dependent
objects in its topology. The topology and schedule are collectively called a replica set. A replica set contains a set
of replicas, one for each machine that participates in replication.
Synchronous SyncRep is conceptually similar to data mirroring. It is a technology provided by the PS Series group that allows all
replication writes on an active volume to also be written on the standby volume before the active volume (mirror) can
(SyncRep) respond with success. Running in synchronous mode indicates that the standby volume has the same data that
resides on the active volume.
VASA provider A storage-side software component that provides a storage awareness service for vSphere.
Virtual appliance After installation, VSM resides on a virtual machine that is accessed by VMware vSphere. In VMware terminology,
this application is deployed as a virtual appliance.
Virtual volume The VMware concept virtual volume (VVol) provides the technology for dividing a physical volume into a set of
smaller virtual volumes. The VVol type can be applied during the creation of Dell datastores. The VVol type
requires VMware vSphere 6 with Dell EqualLogic firmware version 8.0.x or later.
VSM Server The term VSM Server refers to the virtual machine that is running VSM and which can be set up and managed
using the VSM console CLI and the settings in the user interface.
Introduction to the Dell Virtual Storage Manager 9

2
Installing VSM
You install the Dell Virtual Storage Manager application as a plug-in to VMware vSphere.
CAUTION: When installing VSM, Dell highly recommends never placing VSM on a VVol datastore (storage container).
This action could result in control plane access to all VVols being lost. The VSM appliance might discontinue working. As
a result, all VMs residing on a VVol datastore could become unresponsive to state changes such as powering-on or
powering-off, and moves using vMotion. Also, you might be required to reinstall the VSM appliance.
Topics:
• About VSM Installation
• Installation Prerequisites
• Information Required for VSM Installation Wizard
• Perform a New Installation of VSM
• Updating the VSM Appliance from Version 4.7
• Verifying the Installation
• Verifying Permissions Before Running VSM
• Remove the VSM Appliance from vSphere
About VSM Installation

The basic installation procedure for VSM consists of two steps:
1. Obtain the VSM installation package, which includes the Open Virtualization Archive (OVA) file. This file contains the plug-in for
vCenter.
2. Deploy the OVA file from the vSphere Web Client. You then run an installation wizard to configure networking and other settings for
VSM.
After performing the installation, you can use the vSphere Web Client to log in to the console for VSM to modify configurations and
perform additional tasks such as registering the VASA provider or collecting diagnostics.
Installation Prerequisites
This section describes the prerequisites for a new installation of VSM.
Memory and Drive Capacity Requirements

VSM installation requires the following minimum values:
• 4G memory
• 48G disk size
VSM uses 2 CPUs and requires 64-bit support.
Software Requirements
Refer to the Dell Virtual Storage Manager Release Notes for a list of the environment requirements for VSM.
If you plan to install the Dell EqualLogic Multipathing Extension Module (MEM), see the Dell EqualLogic Multipathing Extension Module
Installation and User’s Guide.
To install OVA, you must have the VMware Client Integration plug-in installed for vCenter.
VSM must be installed from within the vCenter from which you plan to manage your virtual volumes.You must synchronize the time
between the vCenter and the VASA provider.
10 Installing VSM
Specifying a vCenter Server-Managed IP
Prior to installing VSM, verify that the vCenter Server Managed IP has been set. VSM uses this setting as a means of identifying the IP
address to communicate with vCenter. If this IP address is not set, VSM will not complete the boot process. To set the IP address using
the vSphere Web Client:
Steps
1. Select vCenter from the Home menu, then vCenter Home from the vSphere Web Client navigator.
2. Browse to find your vCenter server from the vCenter Servers inventory lists.
3. Click Configure > Settings.
4. Select the General category from the list on the left side of the Settings menu.
5. To modify the vCenter server settings, click Edit.
6. Click Runtime Settings.
7. On the Runtime Settings page, enter a valid IP address. The address must be accessible from the same subnet as the IP that will be
assigned to eth0 on the VSM virtual machine when deploying the OVA. See Figure 1. vCenter Server Settings in vSphere Web Client.
8. Click OK.
Results
Figure 1. vCenter Server Settings in vSphere Web Client
Using Certificates
About this task
By default, the certificate used by VSM is a self-signed Dell certificate. If you want to use your own certificate, you must replace the Dell
certificate. Contact Dell Technical Support to facilitate a certificate change.
Information Required for VSM Installation Wizard

When you deploy the VSM appliance, you make several choices in response to the wizards. These options are described in the following
table.
Installing VSM 11
NOTE: After you complete the installation wizard, you modify some of these values using the VSM Settings Manage tab.
See VSM Settings Panel.
Table 1. Installation Wizard Options
Option Description
Name Name of the VSM virtual appliance. This name must be unique within the vCenter datacenter.
The host name must be between 1 and 255 characters (inclusive).
Folder or datacenter Parent datacenter and optionally an inventory folder where the appliance VM is located.
Resource Select a cluster, host, vApp, or resource pool in which to run the deployed virtual appliance.
NOTE: VSM should be deployed on a host that is not configured to access VVols.
This precaution prevents the potential conflict of a host attempting to access the
VASA provider during startup and the VASA provider not being available until after
the host has loaded and started the VSM appliance.
Virtual Disk Format Format used to store the virtual machine disks. Choose one of the following formats:
• Thick Provision Lazy Zeroed — Creates a virtual disk in a default thick format. Space
required for the virtual disk is allocated when the virtual disk is created. Data remaining on
the physical device is not erased during creation, but is zeroed out on demand later on first
write from the virtual machine.
Using the default flat virtual disk format does not zero out or eliminate the possibility of
recovering deleted files or restoring old data that might be present on this allocated space.
You cannot convert a flat disk to a thin disk.
• Thick Provision Eager Zeroed — Creates a type of thick virtual disk that supports clustering
features such as fault tolerance. Space required for the virtual disk is allocated at creation
time. In contrast to the flat format, the data remaining on the physical device is zeroed out
when the virtual disk is created. It might take much longer to create disks in this format than
to create other types of disks.
• Thin Provision — Creates a thin disk that only initially uses as much datastore space as the
disk needs for initial operations, based on the value that you enter for the disk size. Use this
format to save storage space.
Destination datastore Select from the list of available datastores to specify a destination storage area for the virtual
machine configuration files and all of the virtual disks that allow management connections to the
vCenter server. VSM should be placed on a datastore that is not also used by VMs for which it is
taking snapshots and performing replication.
Network Network to which the NIC should be attached. Select an available network from the list.
Host Name The fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) of the VSM virtual appliance. This name is not the name
of the ESXi host running the virtual machine.
The following restrictions apply to host-name naming:
• Host names are allowed to contain A-Z, 0–9, and the hyphen character (-). The period
character (.) is allowed as part of the name.
• Each period-separated component of the host name can have 1–31 characters, and the
entire host name must be 1–255 characters in length.
• Host names cannot begin or end with a hyphen.
• A host name cannot contain only numeric characters.
Time Zone Time zone that is used in your environment.

NTP Servers Comma-separated list of NTP servers to be used.
Default Gateway Default gateway for this virtual machine appliance. Leave this field blank if you plan to use DHCP.
DNS Comma-separated list of domain name servers for this virtual machine appliance. Leave this field
blank if you plan to use DHCP.
NOTE: Do not enter more than 2 DNS servers. If you do, connectivity issues with
the VSM appliance could result.
12 Installing VSM
Option Description
Management Network IP Address IP address to be used for the management network interface (eth0). The management network
is the network on which the vCenter server resides. Leave this field blank if you plan to use
DHCP.
Management Network Netmask Netmask or prefix to be used for the management network interface. Leave this field blank if you
plan to use DHCP.
vService Bindings Select from the list of available vServices to specify the vServices to which the VSM virtual
appliance should be bound.
Perform a New Installation of VSM

Use the following procedure to perform a new installation of VSM.
Prerequisites
The VSM kit includes the following file that is required for installation:
VSM-5.0.n.nnn.ova — The Open Virtualization Archive package, where nnn is the current build number.
Dell recommends that you copy this file to your local system and make it available in a convenient location, such as your computer
desktop.
NOTE:
Prior to running this deployment, you must set the vCenter Server Management IP. See Specifying a vCenter Server-
Managed IP.
Steps
1. Navigate to the Hosts inventory list under vCenter in the vSphere Web Client.
2. Click Actions > Deploy OVF Template.
The Select source dialog box opens. From here you can browse your computer to locate the VSM-4.7n.nnn.ova file if you previously
saved it locally. Optionally, select the OVA file from a URL.
3. After selecting the file, click Next.
The Review details page shows the details of the selected OVA file.
NOTE: The Deploy OVF template wizard shows a message indicating that the OVF package contains extra
configuration options, which could pose a potential security risk. You can ignore this message.
4. Click Next.
The first page of the End User License Agreement opens. This first page provides a warning about the vCenter Server Management
IP.
5. To proceed, click Accept on the End User License Agreement pages.
The Select name and folder dialog box opens.
6. (Optional) Change the name of the appliance to be deployed. The default is “Dell Virtual Storage Manager for VMware.”
7. Browse the inventory to select the datacenter and (optionally) a folder in which to locate the virtual appliance. Then click Next.
The Select a resource dialog box opens.
8. Select the location (host, vApp, or resource pool) where the VSM appliance is to be deployed. Then click Next.
The Select storage dialog box opens.
9. Select the virtual disk format to be used.
10. Select from the available resource pools to specify where the virtual appliance is to be deployed. Click Next.
The Setup networks dialog box opens.
NOTE: In some cases, the vSphere Web Client shows the error A connection error occurred. Verify that
your computer can connect to vCenter Server.. This error might prevent you from going to the next step
in the installation. See vSphere Web Client Connection Error.
11. From the list of networks, select a network to which the NIC should be attached. Then click Next.
The Customize template dialog box opens.
12. Enter the values as prompted:
a) Specify a host name to be assigned to the appliance.
Installing VSM 13
b) Select the time zone for your environment.
c) Enter the NTP server to use. You can specify multiple NTP servers in a comma-separated list. If you leave the NTP Servers field
blank, NTP synchronization will be disabled
13. Click the arrow next to Networking Properties to expand the additional settings:
a) Type the IP address for the default gateway for this VM. Leave this field blank if you plan to use DHCP.
b) Type a comma-separated list for DNS servers. Leave this field blank if you plan to use DHCP.
c) Type the IP address of the management network. Leave this field blank if you plan to use DHCP.
d) Type the netmask or prefix for the management network. Leave this field blank if you plan to use DHCP.
e) Click Next.
The vService bindings dialog box opens.
14. Select from the list of vService bindings. Click Next.
The Ready to Complete page shows a summary of the selections you chose.
15. (Optional) Select the checkbox to specify that the virtual appliance should be powered on after deployment.
16. Click Finish to accept these selections.
Results
The Recent Tasks list shows that the Deploy OVF template task is in progress. When the installation has completed successfully, the Dell
Virtual Storage Manager icon will open in the vSphere Web Client. Clicking this icon launches VSM.
Next steps
NOTE: If you plan to use virtual volumes in your environment, follow the instructions in Managing Virtual Volumes With
VSM.
Updating the VSM Appliance from Version 4.7

The Update Appliance Software option from the CLI allows you to update your appliance from a previous version of VSM.
On the EqualLogic customer support site, Dell provides an ISO image named VSM-5.0.n.nnn.iso that contains the update. You must first
obtain this ISO image file and make it available in a convenient location, such as on your computer desktop.
VSM Appliance Software Update Options

The following table describes the valid update paths from VSM version 4.7.
Table 2. VSM Update Options
Source Destination
VSM version 4.7, PS Series firmware version 9.1, ESXi 5.5 Update VSM version 5.0, PS Series firmware version 10.0.1, ESXi 6.0
3 GA, vCenter 5.5 Update 3 GA Update 3 GA, vCenter 6.0 Update 3 GA
VSM version 4.7, PS Series firmware version 9.1, ESXi 6.0 Update VSM version 5.0, PS Series firmware version 10.0.1, ESXi 6.5 U2,
3 GA, vCenter 6.0 Update 3 GA vCenter 6.5 u2 GA
VSM version 4.7, PS Series firmware version 9.1, ESXi 6.5 GA, VSM version 5.0, PS Series firmware version 10.0.1, ESXi 6.7 GA,
vCenter 6.5 0b vCenter 6.7 GA
VSM vesrion 4.7, PS Series firmware version 9.1, ESXi version 6.7, VSM version 5.0.1, PS Series firmware version 10.0.1; ESXi 6.7u1,
vCenter version 6.7 6.7u2, 6.7u3; vCenter 6.7u1, 6.7u2, 6.7u3
After updating to vSphere 6, you must reregister the VASA provider. See Configuration Options.
Updating From a Fresh Install of Version 4.7

If your version of VSM 4.7 was installed directly, rather than as an upgrade from a previous version of VSM, follow these steps before
upgrading to VSM version 5.0 or later to remove the old kernel RPM.
1. In vSphere, right-click the VSM appliance from the hierarchy of virtual machines, then select Open Console.
2. In the CLI menu screen, type 99 to open the shell prompt.
14 Installing VSM
3. In the shell prompt type the following command to remove the old kernel RPM.
# rpm -e kernel-2.6.32-279.el6.x86_64
4. Type Exit to close the shell prompt.

5. Close the console.
Attaching the ISO Image to the VSM Virtual Appliance

About this task
The procedure for attaching ISO images to a VM varies depending on the version of the vSphere Web Client. One option is to use the
VMware Remote Console (VMRC) plug-in. For details about attaching ISO images to a VM, see the VMware vSphere Web Client
documentation.
Running the Update

You must attach the ISO image to the VSM appliance’s virtual CD/DVD drive using the vSphere Web Client. Use the following procedure
to run the update from the CLI console.
Prerequisites
• Dell recommends that you take a VMware snapshot of the appliance before performing an update. After you confirm that the
appliance has updated correctly, you should delete the VMware snapshot.
• Disable all snapshot and replication schedules and make sure that no VSM jobs are running.
Steps
1. Select 2 from the main CLI console menu. The Maintenance submenu opens:
Maintenance
----------------------------------------------------
1. Update appliance software version
2. Database Backup
3. Database Restore
4. Return to main menu
2. Select 1 from this menu. The Maintenance submenu opens:
Item
----------------------------------------------------
1. Appliance version
2. Check for updates
3. Install updates
4. Return to main menu
3. (Optional) Select 2 from this submenu to check for updates.

The console then lists the VSM update version that you downloaded.
4. From the Maintenance submenu, select 3.
VSM performs the update, and reports the status of the update on the console.
5. After the update completes successfully, log out of the appliance and then log back in.
The updated VSM version will then be available.
6. Detach the ISO image from the VSM appliance’s virtual CD/DVD drive.
Next steps
You must log out and then log in to the vSphere Web Client after the update process completes.
Installing VSM 15
NOTE: After the update completes, depending on the size of data in the storage group (number of volumes, snaps,
members, pools) it might take a while for VSM to initialize and the VASA provider to be visible. VSM should be
accessible when it is initialized and the VSM server starting-up alarm is cleared.
Verifying the Installation

To determine when the VSM appliance is running and ready for connections:
Steps
1. Click the Monitor tab in the Hosts inventory.
2. In the Events view, verify that the VSM Server Starting Up alarm message is displayed, indicating that the status has changed
from yellow to green.
3. Restart the web browser to allow the client to integrate the VSM plug-in within its user interface.
Verifying Permissions Before Running VSM

After you install VSM, verify that permissions are set. The permissions provided to a vCenter user or role are honored by VSM during its
operations. Some special privileges are required to be enabled on the VSM appliance VM in order for non-administrators to perform
specific read-write operations. This requirement is generally the case with operations involving objects that are not part of the VMware
inventory, such as PS Series groups and ACL templates.
Additional permissions are required to perform specific actions using VSM. For details, see Managing VSM Privileges.
See Installation Prerequisites for additional requirements such as minimum versions for vSphere, vCenter, and ESXi.
Remove the VSM Appliance from vSphere

If you want to remove the VSM virtual appliance from vSphere, you must unregister it using the CLI console Configuration option. You
then must perform additional steps to delete the virtual appliance. See Unregistering and Removing the VSM Virtual Appliance.
16 Installing VSM
3
Console CLI Options
Logging in to the CLI Console
To log in to the CLI console:
Steps
1. From vSphere, right-click the VSM appliance from the hierarchy of virtual machines, then select Open Console
2. To log in to the console, press Enter. Then log in to the virtual appliance with the following default credentials:
• User name: root
• Password: eql
NOTE: You can change the root passwords using the Configuration CLI option. See Configuration Options
Example
After you log in, the CLI menu is displayed, similar to the following example:
############################################################################
Welcome to Dell Virtual Storage Manager
Version - 5.0.0.2294 2019.Jan.18
############################################################################
Item
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Configuration
2. Maintenance
3. Diagnostics
4. Reboot appliance
5. Logout
The Dell Virtual Storage Manager can be accessed

via the VMware vSphere Web Client Home page
Enter selection [1 - 5]:
CLI Menu Options

The following table describes the options on the console CLI menu.
Table 3. CLI Menu Options
Option Description
Configuration Allows you to set various configuration options. See Configuration Options.
Maintenance Allows you to update the appliance software and back up or restore your database. See Maintenance
Operations.
Diagnostics Generates diagnostic information that can be sent to Dell EqualLogic customer support. See
Collecting Diagnostics.
Reboot Reboot appliance
Logout Log out of the appliance
Console CLI Options 17

Configuration Options
When you select the Configuration option, you have these choices:
• Show configuration summary — Lists all the configuration values that have been set.
• Show routes — Lists the network routes that have been configured.
• Show VASA configuration status
• Register VMware vSphere Storage APIs for Storage Awareness (VASA) — Registers vCenter Server to use VSM as the Dell VASA
provider.
When you choose the option to register VASA, you are prompted to supply a user name and password. This operation automatically
registers the VASA provider with the configured VMware vCenter. Note that you do not specify the user name and password of an
existing account, but create a set of credentials that vCenter and VSM will use when passing VASA traffic.
• Change root password — Enables you to set a new password for the root account of the VSM virtual appliance. By default, the user
name for the console CLI is root and the password is eql.
• Enable or disable SSH access to the VSM virtual appliance. By default, SSH access is disabled.
• Unregister and remove client plug-in from VMware vCenter.
Viewing VASA Provider Status

After you configure VSM as a VASA provider, this association is visible in vCenter in the table of storage providers.
To view storage providers. select the vCenter server in vSphere inventory, then click Configure > Storage Providers. If configured, the
Dell EqualLogic Storage Provider will be listed, along with its associated storage system.
If the Dell EqualLogic VASA provider is funtioning correctly, the Storage Provider table should indicate a status of Online for the the
VASA provider and the related storage system should be Active. Use the toolbar in the Storage Providers table to manage storage
providers.
Unregistering and Removing the VSM Virtual Appliance

To remove the Dell Virtual Storage Manager virtual appliance, you must remove the extension for this plug-in from vCenter.
Steps
1. Connect to the VSM appliance or open the VSM VM console. Log in as the root user. You can use ssh (if enabled) to connect to the
appliance.
2. Select Configuration from the console menu.
3. Select Unregister to unregister VSM from vCenter.
4. Select Return to main menu.
The CLI returns to the Configuration menu.
5. Select Logout.
6. Power off the Dell Virtual Storage Manager VM from the vSphere Web Client.
7. Delete the VSM VM.
Maintenance Operations
When you select the Maintenance option, you have the following choices:
• Update appliance version
• Database Backup
• Database Restore
All files read or written by the Database Backup and Database Restore options are in the CIFS share accessible using the root
password.
The CIFS share of VSM is mountable on any platform that supports CIFS or from a browser using the https URL.
You can access the CIFS share from a browser by specifying either of the following formats:
• https://ip-address or dns-name/davenport/ip-address or dns-name/database/
• smb://ip-address or dns-name/database/
18 Console CLI Options

Update an Appliance
When you select the Update appliance software version option, you have the following choices:
• Appliance version
• Check for updates
• Install updates—Allows you to install updates to a version 476 appliance
• Upgrade from existing VSM appliance that is running a previous version of VSM
For this option, you must attach the ISO image to the VSM appliance virtual CD/DVD drive using the vSphere Web Client.
Backing Up a Database
The Backup option executes a database backup immediately and shows the name of the database file created.
About this task

All backup files are prefixed with dbbackup and have an extension of .sql
To run a backup:
Steps
1. Select Maintenance from the main CLI console menu.
The Maintenance submenu opens.
2. Select Database Backup from the Maintenance submenu.
Example
Example:
Enter selection [1 - 4]: 2

Backing up database to dbbackup-host.example.com-2013-01-10-15.57.33.sql
Backup successful, details are contained in dbbackup-host.example.com-2013-01-10-15.57.33.log
press [enter] to continue...
Next steps
Backups are stored locally. For disaster recovery, Dell recommends that you move these files off the CIFS share and store them in another
location.
NOTE: Only scheduled backups are shown in the plug-in user interface. Backups done through the Backup option are
not shown in the user interface. Backups are also scheduled once a day within the appliance. By default, 30 days of
backups are retained.
Restore a Database
The Restore option prompts for a backup file and restores it. This backup file could either be from a previous local backup or from
another appliance backup. The database that you attempt to restore must be from the same version of VSM that is currently running on
the installed appliance.
About this task
NOTE: This operation clears the contents of the previous database.
Use one of the following methods to identify the version of VSM that is running:
• Open the console for the VSM virtual appliance.
• From vSphere, view the properties of the VSM virtual appliance.
After completing the restore operation, you can restart the service.
The backup file must be prefixed with dbbackup and have an extension of .sql.
Console CLI Options 19

If a replication partner is configured (that is, there are two VSM appliances), each needs to be restored individually. They should be
restored from databases at around the same time to avoid any inconsistencies between them.
To restore a database:
Steps
1. Select Maintenance from the main CLI console menu.
The Maintenance submenu opens.
2. Select Database Restore from the Maintenance submenu.
Example
Example:
Enter selection [1 - 4]: 3

Available database backups:
1 dbbackup-host.example.com-2013-01-28-04.00.00.sql
2 dbbackup-host.example.com-2013-01-29-04.00.00.sql
Please select a file: 2
Restoring database dbbackup-host.example.com-2013-01-29-04.00.00.sql
Restore successful, details are contained in dbbackup-host.example.com-2013-01-29-04.00.00.log
Waiting 30 seconds for service to start
Collecting Diagnostics
When you select the Collect Diagnostics option, you have these choices:
• Gather support information — Generates a zip file containing system information such as the system state and the log files that are
saved on your VSM CIFS share. Use this option when contacting Dell EqualLogic Technical Support.
NOTE: For information about the CIFS share, see Maintenance Operations.
• Enable debug server logging — Enables verbose logging. This logging can be helpful when contacting customer support.
• Execute ping to a given host name or IP address
• Show routes — Used to view the virtual appliance’s IP routing table
• Show configuration summary
20 Console CLI Options

4
VSM User Interface Overview and Navigation
Starting VSM
After installation, VSM is integrated into the VMware vSphere Web Client. The installation adds Dell VSM commands to the command
menus in applicable views and operations. In addition, many inventory objects in vSphere have an extra Dell VSM tab added to the
Configure tab.
Operations and views that are unique to VSM have a Dell Virtual Storage Manager workspace. When you have installed the VSM virtual
appliance, it becomes an available application within the vSphere Web Client.
To start the VSM application workspace, click the Home tab on the right side of the screen. The vSphere Web Client view changes to an
icon view. The Dell Virtual Storage Manager icon is displayed in the Inventories section. Click this icon to launch VSM.
The VSM Home workspace opens and by default displays the contents of the Getting Started tab if the Getting Started tab is enabled in
the client.
Overview of the VSM Workspace

Figure 2. Organization of the VSM User Interface shows the organization of the VSM user interface.
This workspace follows the model for other vSphere elements. The panel on the left is the navigator area, which lists selectable items.
When you select an item from the navigator area, its related content area is displayed in the panel on the right.
Figure 2. Organization of the VSM User Interface
Callout Description
1 VSM Home — Displays overall information about VSM and allows you to set general configuration values. See VSM Home
Workspace.
2 Dell Storage — Allows you to manage Dell storage, including PS Series groups.
See Managing Groups in VSM.
VSM User Interface Overview and Navigation 21

Callout Description
3 VSM Inventory — Allows you to:
• Manage datastores. See Managing Datastores.
• Access the data recovery search to find managed objects. See Search VSM Managed Objects.
• Manage schedules. See VSM Schedules View.
• Jobs — Allows you to view and manage jobs. See Managing Jobs.
4 Templates — Allows you to:

• Set access control list (ACL) policies. See About ACL Templates.
• Create and modify schedule templates. See About Schedule Templates.
5 Workspace tabbed views. The following tabs are presented for most items:
• Getting Started — Provides a description of the feature
• Summary — Displays identification characteristics for the selected item
• Monitor — Displays detailed status information for the selected item
• Manage — Allows you to set and modify configuration values
• Related Objects — Displays VMware inventory items that are related to the selected item
6 Explore Further conceptual help links — Click a topic link to view the related help page.
22 VSM User Interface Overview and Navigation

5
VSM Home Workspace
Attaching the ISO Image to the VSM Virtual
Appliance
About this task
The procedure for attaching ISO images to a VM varies depending on the version of the vSphere Web Client. One option is to use the
VMware Remote Console (VMRC) plug-in. For details about attaching ISO images to a VM, see the VMware vSphere Web Client
documentation.
Getting Started Tab

The Getting Started tab provides the following content:
• A summary of the VSM application
• A link in the Basic Tasks section to the Add Groups task
• Links in the Explore Further section to online help for general VSM concepts and operations
Summary Tab
The Summary tab displays information about the current state of your VSM virtual appliance and provides links to other vSphere and
VSM views.
The Summary content area contains the following portlets:
• Appliance Details — Identifies these configuration values and links:
• Virtual Machine name — Clicking the virtual machine name opens the vSphere Summary view for that virtual machine.
• Hostname — Identifies the name of the host on which the VSM virtual appliance is installed.
• Management IP IPv4 — Primary management IP address, of the VSM VM, if IPv4 is the Internet Protocol being used. It is called
by the VSM plug-in through the vCenter web service for all VSM-related content.
• Management IP IPv6 — Primary management IP address of the VSM VM, if IPv4 is the Internet Protocol being used. It is called by
the VSM plug-in through the vCenter web service for all VSM-related content.
• Timezone — Identifies the time zone as set during installation.
• NTP Servers — Identifies the NTP servers as set during installation.
• ESX Host — Identifies the ESXi host currently running the VSM virtual appliance. Clicking the ESX host name opens the vSphere
Summary view for that ESXi host machine.
• Alarm Count — Provides a count of active alarms on the VSM VM. Clicking the value in the alarm count opens the vSphere
Monitor view for alarms.
• Peers — Lists the VSM peers that are currently configured, including IP address and host name and the status of each peer. Clicking
the hyperlink for Add Peer opens the dialog box for adding a VSM peer. See Add a VSM Peer.
• Storage Health — Identifies all storage groups and their status and the number of related events for each PS Series group.
• Clicking the name of a PS Series group opens the vSphere Summary view for that group.
• Clicking the value for events opens the vSphere Monitor view for events.
• Clicking the hyperlink for Add Groups opens the Add PS Series Group dialog box. See Add a PS Series Group.
Manage VSM Settings

The Manage tab provides access to configuration settings for the VSM virtual appliance.
From this tab, select from the following panels for settings:
VSM Home Workspace 23

• VSM Settings Panel
• Management Network Panel
• Storage Network Panel
• System Schedules Panel
• VSM Peers Panel
• Replication Partners Panel
• vCenter Servers Panel
• Advanced Settings
VSM Settings Panel

You establish the VSM settings when you install VSM. These settings are displayed as shown in the following table.
Table 4. VSM Settings Panel
Item Description
Version Version of VSM installed
Hostname Fully-qualified domain name of the VSM server. The name is limited to 255 characters. The period
character (.) is allowed as part of the name.
Timezone Time zone in which the VSM server should be running
NTP Servers Comma-separated list of NTP servers to be used. For best results, ensure that this list is the same as
that used by the vCenter server and the groups it will manage.
For installation instructions, see Installing VSM.
Edit VSM Setting

You establish the VSM settings when you install VSM, and can modify them using the VSM Settings panel.
Steps
1. Click VSM Home > Manage.
2. Click Settings > Edit.
3. Modify the following settings:
• Hostname — Fully-qualified domain name of the VSM server. The name is limited to 255 characters. The period character (.) is
allowed as part of the name
• Timezone — Time zone in which the VSM server should be running
• NTP Servers — Comma-separated list of NTP servers to be used. For best results, ensure that this list is the same as that used
by the vCenter server and the groups it will manage.
4. Click OK.
Results
For installation instructions, see Installing VSM.
Management Network Panel

You set the management network configuration when you install VSM and can modify them after installation is complete. The following
table describes the network settings.
Table 5. Management Network Settings
Option Description
Network Connection The virtual network that the VSM virtual machine should connect to in order to communicate management
operations with VMware services.
Configuration Determines whether the network should either be statically configured or based on DHCP
24 VSM Home Workspace

Option Description
IP Address IP address to be used for the management network interface (eth0). The management network is the
network on which the vCenter server resides. Leave this field blank if you plan to use DHCP.
Netmask Netmask or prefix to be used for the management network interface. Leave this field blank if you plan to use
DHCP.
Default Gateway Default gateway for this virtual machine appliance. Leave this field blank if you plan to use DHCP.
DNS Servers Comma-separated list of domain name servers VSM should access for domain name to IP address resolution.
Leave this field blank if you plan to use DHCP.
Edit Management Network Settings

You set the management network configuration when you install VSM and can modify them after installation is complete.
Steps
2. Click Management Network > Edit.
3. Modify the configuration settings.
• Network Connection — The virtual network that the VSM virtual machine should connect to in order to communicate
management operations with VMware services.
• Configuration — Determines whether the network should either be statically configured or based on DHCP
• IP Address — IP address to be used for the management network interface (eth0). The management network is the network on
which the vCenter server resides. Leave this field blank if you plan to use DHCP.
• Netmask — Netmask or prefix to be used for the management network interface. Leave this field blank if you plan to use DHCP.
• Default Gateway — Default gateway for this virtual machine appliance. Leave this field blank if you plan to use DHCP.
• DNS Servers — Comma-separated list of domain name servers VSM should access for domain name to IP address resolution.
Leave this field blank if you plan to use DHCP.
4. Click OK.
Storage Network Panel

After you have successfully installed the VSM virtual appliance, you can optionally specify a storage network for your VSM server.
Typically, you use this option if your PS Series group is on a separate network that is not accessible over the default management
network.
To set or modify the configuration, use the Storage Network settings. The values are shown in Table 6. Storage Network Panel Options.
NOTE: You can use VSM to configure a storage network only if a secondary network is available on the ESXi host on
which VSM is deployed.
You must use the VMware user interface to configure a new virtual switch that is on, or routed to, the array’s
management network (if enabled) or the array iSCSI network to make it visible to VSM.
Table 6. Storage Network Panel Options
Option Description
Status Identifies whether the storage network is enabled or disabled
Network Connection Lists available networks to be used for the storage network
Configuration Determines whether the network should either be statically configured or based on DHCP
IP Address IP address to be used for the storage network interface. Leave this field blank if you plan to use
DHCP.
Netmask Netmask or prefix to be used for the storage network interface. Leave this field blank if you plan
to use DHCP.
Gateway Default gateway for the storage network. Leave this field blank if you plan to use DHCP.
Additional Route Additional route to configure a single static route if a second route is required

Edit the Storage Network Settings
After you have successfully installed the VSM virtual appliance, you can optionally specify a storage network for your VSM server.
Typically, you use this option if your PS Series group is on a separate network that is not accessible over the default management
network.
About this task
NOTE: You can use VSM to configure a storage network only if a secondary network is available on the ESXi host on
which VSM is deployed.
You must use the VMware user interface to configure a new virtual switch that is on, or routed to, the array’s
management network (if enabled) or the array iSCSI network to make it visible to VSM.
Steps
2. Click Storage Network > Edit.
3. Modify the settings:
• Status — Select the Enabled checkbox to enable the use of a storage network.
• Network Connection — Select a network from the available networks in the Network Connection menu.
• Configuration (Optional) — Select the Use DHCP checkbox.
• IP Address — Type the IP address for the storage network.
• Netmask — Type the netmask for the storage network.
• Additional Route (Optional) — Enter an additional route to configure a single static route if a second route is required from the
storage network to the SAN.
• Gateway — Type the gateway for the additional route on the storage network.
4. Click OK.
Next steps
After you complete the configuration of a storage network, VSM automatically adds the virtual network interface card (vNIC) and
requests a reboot.
The vSphere Web Client will not be able to communicate with VSM until it reboots and the application server is ready to process requests.
After the process completes, the VSM plug-in will automatically reconnect, so no restart of the Web Client should be necessary.
System Schedules Panel

You can modify certain run-time parameters for system schedules as described in the table below. Although it is possible to modify system
schedules, Dell recommends that you avoid modifying these schedules unless instructed by Dell EqualLogic support.
Table 7. System Schedules Modifiable Options
System Schedule Schedule Description

Backup DB Creates a backup of the VSM database. For the Backup DB schedule, the following parameters
can be modified:
• Scheduled date and time
• Retention Policy
Monitor Monitors VSM disk space usage. If the disk space exceeds the default value of 90 percent, a
warning alarm is triggered when this task is run. Disk Space Threshold can be modified in a range
of 60 percent to 95 percent.
You can modify the time interval for repeating the schedule.
Purge Removes all those orphaned VVol snapshots which are not committed for more than two hours in
the PS Series groups that are managed by VSM. VVol snapshots which are prepared but not
committed in PS Series groups are considered orphaned from ESXi.

System Schedule Schedule Description
Verify Synchronizes the snapshots and replicas in the VSM database with all the PS Series groups being
managed by VSM. If any of these volumes are automatically cleaned up on the group due to space
consumption rules, this process also removes them from the VSM database.
You can modify the time interval for repeating the schedule.
See Verify a Schedule.
System Schedule Toolbar

The system schedules page contains a toolbar. The table below describes the icons in the toolbar.
Table 8. System Schedules Toolbar Icons
Icon Function
Modifies the settings for the selected system schedule
Shows history for the selected system schedule
Shows actions that can be run
Allows any schedule to be run immediately, consuming one of its retention count maximum values
Modify Schedule Dialog Box

The following table describes the options in the Modify Schedules dialog box.
Table 9. Modify Schedule Options
Setting Description
Schedule date and time Specify:
• At a specific time and date. Dell recommends that you not use this option.
• On weekly schedule (all days, weekdays, weekend days, or custom)
• Frequency to run the schedule, for example, as every 8 hours
From and To Specify the starting and ending time to run the schedule. You can either type the time into the From
and To text boxes, or use the grippers to drag the slider to the times you want.
The gold highlighting indicates the time boundaries over which the schedule will operate on the
selected days. By default, the full day (midnight to the next midnight) is available to run the job. By
changing the limits, the scheduled job will start at the beginning time, and will be allowed to recur at
its user-defined interval until the end time is reached.
The end time is the limit, so it cannot be used to schedule the next running job. For example, a
schedule running every hour from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. will run on each hour starting at 8 a.m., but will not
run at 1 p.m. because the limit is reached before it can be started. If a 1 p.m. run is also needed, the
end time could be specified as any time greater than 1 p.m. but less than 2:01 p.m., because that
would cause a 2 p.m. run to occur also.
Modifying System Schedule

Modify a system schedule.
Steps
2. Click System Schedules.
The System Schedules table opens.
3. Initiate the Modify task by either of these methods:

• Click the Modify icon ( ).
• Click Actions > Modify Schedule.
The Modify Schedule dialog box opens.
4. Specify either the schedule for a specific time and date or specify a recurring day when to run the task:
• All days—Monday to Sunday
• On weekdays only—Monday to Friday only
• On weekends only—Saturday and Sunday only
• Custom schedule — Select the days of the week
If you select the recurring schedule option, specify the starting and ending time for the task to be run.
NOTE: The Backup DB schedule provides an additional option that allows you to specify the number of days to retain
the backup files. Dell recommends that you periodically copy these files to an external disk if you plan on long
retention periods.
5. Click OK.
VSM Peers Panel

A VSM peer is a VSM server connected to a different VMware vCenter server that manages a set of PS Series groups. These groups can
be configured as replication partners to the current PS Series groups.
NOTE: VSM supports configuration of a maximum of 8 VSM peers.
NOTE: PS Series version 9.0 firmware provides cross-platform replication between PS Series arrays and Dell Storage
Centers. However, VSM version 5.0 does not support configuration of replication on a datastore to a Storage Center
partner. VSM supports replication to PS Series partners only.
When you select VSM Peers from the Manage tab on VSM Home, the VSM Peer Replication table is displayed, showing all the peers
that have been configured.
This page provides buttons to:
• Change the local VSM password required by VSM peers to communicate with the local VSM. See Modify a VSM Peer.
• Add a VSM peer. See Add a VSM Peer.
• Modify the configuration of a VSM peer. See Modify a VSM Peer.
• Delete a VSM peer. See Delete a VSM Peer.
Add/Modify VSM Peers Dialog Box

The following table identifies the information required for adding or modifying a VSM peer.
Table 10. VSM Peers Settings Options
Option Description
VSM Server IP address or fully-qualified domain name of the server to be used as a VSM peer
Access Password Password of the remote VSM server used to authenticate replication requests by its VSM peers
Description (Optional) Text string containing a custom description of the peer
Add a VSM Peer

Add a VSM peer for replication.
Steps
2. Click the VSM Peers tab.
The VSM Peer Replication table opens.
3. Click Add.
The Add VSM Peer dialog box opens

4. Type the values for VSM Server, Access Password, and optionally, Description. These fields are described in Table 10. VSM Peers
Settings Options.
5. Click OK.
Modify a VSM Peer

Modify the configuration of a VSM peer.
Steps
3. Click Modify.
4. Type the values for VSM Server, Access Password, and optionally, Description. These fields are described in Table 10. VSM Peers
Settings Options.
5. Click OK.
Delete a VSM Peer

Delete a VSM peer.
Steps
3. From the table of VSM peers, right-click to select the peer to be deleted.
4. Click Delete.
The Delete VSM peer dialog box opens, with a warning that the action cannot be undone.
5. To confirm that you want to delete the VSM peer, click Yes.
Next steps
CAUTION: Deleting a VSM peer performs the following tasks:
• Removes the VSM peer

• Removes all replicas from the VSM database related to any PS Series groups managed by that VSM peer
• Removes all replication schedules from any local VMware inventory entities (such as datastores) that rely on
communication with that VSM peer
The replicas still exist on the respective PS Series groups; however, VSM is no longer able to perform any replication
operations (such as failover and failback) using those replicas. Those operations need to be performed manually using
standard group and VMware administration.
Replication Partners Panel

When you click the Replication Partners tab, the Replication Partners page is displayed. If replication partners have already been
configured, a graphic shows the partners and the status of the replication (one-way or bidirectional). Additional graphics indicate the
status of the replication actions.
The following table describes status indicated by the icons in the Replication Partners view.
Table 11. Replication Partners Icons
Icon Description
The partner is not managed by the VSM server or by a peer VSM server.

Icon Description
The partner is managed by a peer VSM server.
The partnership between the two groups is incomplete and this group is not configured as a partner of the other.
The partnership with the host is not allowed because it is a Dell Storage Center.
Replication is not possible.
Replication paused.
You can also access the Replication Partners table from the PS Groups table by clicking Manage > Partners.
This page provides buttons to perform the following actions:
• Create Replication Partnership
• Configure Destination Partner
• Update Partnership Configuration
• Remove a Replication Partnership
• Pause and Resume Replication
The following table describes the information required for creating and updating replication partnerships.
Table 12. Replication Partnerships Options
Description Item
Partner Identification
Source Partner Name of a group selected from the list to be used as the source partner for replication
Destination Partner Name of a group selected from the drop-down menu to be used as the destination partner for
replication
Delegated Space
Storage Pool (single-pool selection) If the group is running PS Series firmware version 7.x, the Storage Pool selection provides a
drop-down list, from which you can select one pool.
Storage Pool (multiple-pool If the group is running PS Series firmware version 8.0.x or later, the Storage Pool selection
selection) shows a list of available storage pools.
Select one or more pools from the available pools included in the list by selecting the checkbox
next to the pool name.
NOTE: VSM supports a maximum of 4 pools per group.
Size Amount of pool space to be delegated for storing replicas. Select units of megabytes, gigabytes,
or terabytes.
Group Information
Description Text string that describes the partner group
Registration Password Password to be used for validating replication operations
Contact Information
Name Account name for a user on the group to be used for validation of group operations
E-mail address Email address for the contact
Phone Telephone number for the contact
Mobile Mobile telephone number for the contact

Create Replication Partnership
Use VSM to create a replication partnership.
About this task
Table 12. Replication Partnerships Options explains the information required for creating a partnership.
NOTE: VSM does not allow a replication partnership to be set up if a partial partnership has already been set up. For
example, if Group A has established Group B as a partner, but Group B has not established Group A as a partner, this
configuration is considered a partial setup.
Creating a replication partnership consists of two main steps:
1. Configure the source partner. The source partner is the group from which data is to be replicated.
2. Configure the destination partner. The destination partner is the group that will receive the replicated data.
Steps
2. Click Replication Partners.
The Replication Partners table opens.
3. Click Create.
The Create Partnership wizard opens.
4. Select a source partner from the list.
5. Select one or more storage pools.
NOTE: The option to select more than one storage pool is available only on groups running PS Series firmware
version 8.0 or later. If the group is running PS Series firmware version 7.x, you can select only one storage pool.
6. For each pool selected, type a value for the size. Specify a unit of measurement.
When you enter the values for the storage pool, a chart of pool capacity is updated in the Delegated Reservation Information section
of the table. The values shown for New, Used, and Unused in Available Pool Capacity represent the consolidated values of all the pools
selected,
7. Type information in the Group Information fields.
8. Type information in the Contact Information fields.
9. Click OK to complete the task.
Configure Destination Partner

Use VSM to configure a destination partner.
Steps
1. In the Create Partnership wizard, click Configure Destination Partner.
2. Type the information for Delegate Space, Group Information, and Contact Information, as described in Create Replication Partnership.
Update Partnership Configuration

Update a replication partnership.
Steps
1. To select the replication partnership to update, either:
• Select VSM Home > Manage and then click the Replication Partners tab.
• From PS Groups select the group on which the partnership is set up. Click Manage > Partners.
The Replication Partners list opens.
2. Select the replication partnership to update by clicking on its image.
3. Click Update.

4. Modify the values for the Source Partner and Destination Partner, as described in Create Replication Partnership.
Remove a Replication Partnership

Use VSM to remove a replication partner.
Steps
3. Select a source partner from the list.
4. Click Remove.
5. Click OK to complete the task. This operation results in all storage replicas between groups being deleted.
Pause and Resume Replication

The in-progress replication can be inbound or outbound.
Steps
3. Select the replication partner from the list for which you want to pause replication.
4. Click Pause.
Next steps
To resume replication between partners that had previously been paused:
1. From the Replication Partners table, select the paused replication.
2. Click Resume.
vCenter Servers Panel

Use VSM to vCenter servers.
Steps
2. Click vCenter Servers.
The vCenter Server table is displayed. It lists each vCenter server that has been configured, and also the following information for that
server:
• Version of the VMware software installed
• Fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) or IP address
• Status of the VSM connection to that vCenter server
Advanced Settings
Edit the Advanced settings in VSM.
About this task

NOTE: Except for Capacity Warning Threshold and Capacity Error Threshold, Dell recommends that you not modify
these settings unless instructed by Dell Technical Support.
The following table describes the advanced settings.

Table 13. VSM Server Advanced Settings
Property Description
Sleep After Rescan Time (in seconds) that VSM should wait for the iSCSI rescan command to complete.
Use the arrows to select the number of seconds (from 5 to 300).
Sleep Before Register Time (in seconds) that VSM should wait before registering a restored VM. Use the
arrows to select the number of seconds (from 5 to 300).
Polling Retry Interval Time (in seconds) to allow between VSM and the vCenter server information poll
requests. Use the arrows to select the number of seconds (from 5 to 60).
Sleep After Storage Provider Sync Number of seconds that VSM should wait for a storage provider sync to complete
(from 5-300).
iSCSI Rescan Retry Count Number of retry attempts allowed when rescanning for new volumes (from 1 to 5).
Selective Restore Timeout Time (in seconds) that VSM should wait for the Selective Restore copy command to
complete. Use the arrows to select the number of seconds (from 600 to 86400).
Disk Space Threshold Percentage of disk space used before a warning alarm is triggered. Use the arrows to
select the amount (from 10 to 95 percent).
Capacity Warning Threshold Value used to trigger a color change to yellow in the utilization bar gauge. If the
utilization is greater than or equal to this value and less than the Capacity Error
Threshold value, the change triggers.
Capacity Error Threshold Value used to trigger a color change to red in the utilization bar gauge. If the utilization
is greater than or equal to this value, the change triggers.
Steps
2. Click Advanced Settings > Edit.
3. Modify the values.
4. Click OK.
Ports Used by VSM

The following table lists the ports used by VSM.
Table 14. Ports Used by VSM
Port Service
Incoming
22 SSH access, if enabled
80 Web interface (optional)
139, 445 SMB server
443 Web interface, VSM API
8443 VASA provider
Outgoing
53 DNS server
80 vCenter
123 NTP server
443 vCenter, ESXi hosts, peer VSM servers
3003 PS Series groups

6
Managing Virtual Volumes With VSM
VSM allows you to manage virtual volumes (VVols) on PS Series arrays.
VVols is a storage management and integration framework designed to deliver a more efficient operational model for attached storage. It
encapsulates the files that make up a VM and natively stores them as objects on an array. Also, VMware’s VVols architecture allows
storage policies to be applied to the underlying storage.
VMware’s VVols architecture allows granular storage capabilities to be advertised by the underlying storage, and which granular storage
policies can be created for vSphere Storage Policy-Based Management.
Running VVols in an EqualLogic environment requires the following software and firmware:
• VMware vSphere 6
• Dell EqualLogic PS Series firmware version 8.0.x or later
• VSM version 4.5 or later
VMware Virtual Volumes Concepts

Figure 3. VMware Virtual Volumes Framework shows the VVol model.
Figure 3. VMware Virtual Volumes Framework
The VVol framework includes these components:

• VASA provider — A VASA provider (VP) is a software component that acts as a storage awareness service for vSphere. Storage
vendors, including Dell, develop VASA providers to work with their specific storage arrays. The Dell EqualLogic VASA Provider is
included with the VSM kit.
34 Managing Virtual Volumes With VSM

• Protocol endpoint (PE) — A protocol endpoint is the iSCSI connection used for VVol storage, and the means by which you can access
VVol storage containers. The protocol endpoint is also where access controls are placed and initiators are queried to ensure that they
are permitted access to the storage containers and virtual volumes.
• Storage container — A storage container is a quantity of storage made available for the placement of virtual volumes. Each array has
at least one storage container. The maximum number of storage containers is 32. Each storage container has an associated protocol
endpoint.
NOTE: Storage containers cannot be used to hold standard EqualLogic volumes, snapshots, or NAS containers.
Storage containers are not supported outside of the virtual volumes context.
You can use VSM to create storage containers. In VSM, a storage container is created when you add a new datastore of the type
VVOL.
Dell EqualLogic PS Series firmware version 8.0.x and later provides a VMware panel that shows information about VVols, protocol
endpoints, and storage containers that exist on the array, as described in the Dell EqualLogic Group Manager Administrator's Guide.
The white paper VMware vSphere Virtual Volumes on Dell PS Series provides additional information about VVols concepts. This document
is available from:
http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/extras/m/white_papers/20441047
VSM Storage Container Operations

The VSM Create Datastore action enables you to create both legacy datastores (VMFS or NFS) and VVols datastores.
When you create a legacy datastore, VSM performs the following actions:
• Creates a new volume on the array
• Rescans the adapter
• Creates the datastore referencing that new volume in vCenter
When you create a VVol datastore, the following actions occur:
• VSM creates the storage container (a VVol object) on the array.
• The VASA provider is rescanned to inform vCenter of the array capabilities and new objects, including the new storage container.
• VSM creates a datastore in vCenter referencing that new storage container.
For information on creating and managing datastores with VSM, see Managing Datastores.
NOTE: Group Manager allows you to create storage containers. However, Dell recommends that you use VSM to
perform this task. The VSM procedures for setting up VVols is simpler than using Group Manager. Using Group Manager
for VVol operations is recommended for experienced users only.
Topics:
• Running VSM in a VVol Environment
• Add VVol Access to a New ESXi Host in an Existing Cluster
Running VSM in a VVol Environment

To set up an environment containing virtual volumes (VVols) in a Dell EqualLogic PS Series group, you use vCenter and VSM, in this order:
1. Add and configure your ESXi hosts. See Configuring ESXi Hosts in vCenter.
2. Use VSM to add PS Series groups, configure protocol endpoints, and register the VASA provider. See Setting Up VVols Using VSM.
Prerequisites
• For VSM version 5.0 or later, VVol support requires Dell EqualLogic PS Series version firmware 8.0.x and later, and VMware vSphere 6
and later. VVol functionality will be enabled after you update these software versions.
VVol Workflow
Figure 4. VVol Components in EqualLogic Environment illustrates the workflow between the components that enable you to use VVols on
your PS Series array.
Managing Virtual Volumes With VSM 35

Figure 4. VVol Components in EqualLogic Environment
The ESXi hosts communicate with the VASA provider, which is configured using VSM to establish the connections to the array.
Configuring ESXi Hosts in vCenter

Before you can provision VVol datastores on your PS Series groups using VSM, you must configure your ESXi hosts. Follow these steps in
vCenter:
1. Install and set up your ESXi hosts.
2. Add the ESXi hosts to the vCenter inventory.
3. Configure the iSCSI adapter using the vCenter user interface to access the PS Series group for iSCSI data traffic.
For instructions on these procedures, see the VMware documentation.
Dell also provides technical reports that provide best practices for configuring EqualLogic systems with ESXi. See the following reports:
• Best Practices for Implementing VMware vSphere in a Dell EqualLogic PS Series SAN Environment
• Configuring iSCSI Connectivity with VMware vSphere 5 and Dell EqualLogic PS Series Storage
You can find these technical reports on en.community.dell.com.
Setting Up VVols Using VSM

This section provides setup instructions for VSM in a VVol environment.
Prerequisites
• For each ESXi server, configure the iSCSI adapter to point to the PS Series group.
• To install VSM, you must have the VMware Client Integration plug-in installed for vCenter. For additional information, see the VMware
documentation for the VMware Client Integration plug-in.
• Dell strongly recommends using a separate host or cluster for vCenter and VSM. Dell recommends not deploying VVol VMs on this
host or cluster, but deploying them on other hosts or clusters. While it is architecturally feasible to have them share a common host,
any host-based reboots to recover from vCenter, ESXi, or VSM anomalies would complicate application I/O to the storage system.
NOTE: You must perform these steps in this exact order to avoid problems.

Steps
1. Install or update VSM. See Installing VSM
2. Power on the VSM virtual machine using vSphere.
3. Add the PS group to the VSM.
4. For each group, use VSM to configure protocol endpoint access controls for each host to access the protocol endpoint. See About
Protocol Endpoints
5. Register the VASA provider. See Configuration Options.
Next steps
After completing these steps, you should be able to create (provision) VSM VVol datastores using the VSM Datastore wizard. See Create
VVol Datastore.
After having created the VVol datastore of the appropriate size, you can use the vCenter Web Client to create VVol virtual machines, or
migrate VMFS VMs to VVol-based storage.
NOTE: If you cannot create VVol datastores or VVol VMs on VVol datastores, it is likely that you did not follow all the
configuration steps. Possible causes might include (but not be limited to) the following conditions:
• Using the wrong IP address or configuration information when setting up VSM

• Failure to add the PS group as a discovery target on the respective ESXi host
• Failure to register the VASA provider after establishing protocol endpoint access for each host
• Misconfigured ESXi
• Manually misconfiguring protocol endpoint values (when using the PS Series Group Manager rather than VSM)
• Failure to install the VMware Client Integration plug-in
NOTE: if you experience timeouts related to powering on VVol VMs, a possible cause might be excessive I/O load on the
array or associated with the particular host.
The array will give I/O operations precedence over control plane operations. Review I/O latency with SAN HQ and
contact Dell support as needed.
When VVols have been successfully configured, you can perform VSM operations such as snapshots and restores on virtual machines
located on the VVol datastores.
Using the PS Series Group Manager, you can view VVol settings including protocol endpoints. While Group Manager also allows you to
manage some VVol settings, Dell strongly recommends that you use VSM.
NOTE: VM VVol mapping jobs might not be automatically refreshed in the Group Manager VMware VVols view. To
refresh the Group Manager VMware view, the Verify System schedule should be run manually using the Run Now action
to invoke the verify VVol VM mapping job. See Verify a Schedule.
Add VVol Access to a New ESXi Host in an Existing

Cluster
If you already have VVols access set up for your PS Series array, when you later add another ESXi host to the cluster, you need to
perform an extra step to provide VVol access to that new host.
About this task

After adding a new host to the cluster and setting up the protocol access, follow these steps to add VVol access to a new ESXi host:
NOTE: After you add a new ESXi host to the cluster, you must first grant protocol access to the host. See About
Protocol Endpoints for instructions.
Steps
1. From the inventory in vCenter, right-click the name of the datastore of the new host
2. Select Mount Datastore to Additional Hosts.
A table of hosts opens.
3. Select the host corresponding to the ESXI cluster.
Managing Virtual Volumes With VSM 37

4. Click OK.
Next steps
For any additional hosts intended for VVol use, the hosts must also have protocol endpoint access established, in addition to having the PS
Series group added as a dynamic target. You do not need to perform any VASA reregistration for new hosts.

7
Managing Groups in VSM
About Group Storage
A Dell EqualLogic PS Series group includes one or more PS Series arrays (group members) that you can connect to an IP network and
manage as a single system. You can connect multiple PS Series arrays as a group to an IP network and manage them as a single storage
system.
A single PS Series group can provide both block storage and NAS (Network Attached Storage) when Dell FS Series NAS appliances are
added to the group. A group can also provide virtual volume (VVol) storage.
NOTE: To support VVol storage, the group must be running Dell EqualLogic PS Series firmware version 8.0.x and later
and VMware vSphere 6 and later.
Navigating Dell Storage

The views and options for the Dell Storage item depend on your selection within the Dell Storage hierarchy.
• At the top-level VSM navigator view, the Dell Storage hierarchy lists the types of storage that have been created for each platform,
with a counter showing the number of groups. For example, if three PS Series groups have been created, the inventory would list PS
Groups with a numeral 3. See Dell Storage Top-Level Views.
• If you then select an individual group within a Dell Storage platform, the content area shows the Summary view, showing details and
actions for the selected group. See Group-Level Views and Operations.
Dell Storage Top-Level Views

If you select a storage platform, such as PS Groups, from the VSM navigator, the content area displays the tabbed views described in the
following table.
Table 15. Dell Storage Top-Level Views
Tab Description
Getting Started Provides an overview of the tasks, and shortcuts to running actions on groups
Objects Identifies contents of the group and the following information:
• Name of object
• IP address/FQDN
• Status
• Capacity
• Utilization
• Available
• Events
To filter the objects in the table, see Filter the Group Table.
NOTE: If the Objects list is empty, you must navigate to the Groups Getting Started tab to add one or more groups.
Managing Groups in VSM 39

Filter the Group Table
You can customize the display of the Groups objects table using the filtering option to either search for a text string or filter by specific
columns of data.
About this task

Boolean expressions and special characters are not supported. Filtering is not case-sensitive.
To search for a string, type the string in the filter field, then click Enter.
To refine which columns of the table are part of your search criteria:
Steps
1. Click the arrow next to the filter box, then choose Select Columns.
2. Select or deselect the attributes you want.
3. Click OK.
Group Storage Actions

When you display the Objects tab in Dell Storage, you can choose from a list of actions to apply to that object.
The following table describes the toolbar.
Table 16. Group Action Toolbar Icons
Icon Function
Add a group. See Add PS Series Group Dialog Box.
Update credentials. See Update Group Credentials.
Unmanage a group. See Unmanage a Group.
Launch Group Manager. See Launch Group Manager.
To initiate the list of actions, either:
• Click the Actions icon ( ).

• Click the corresponding icon in the toolbar.
• Right-click the object.
Add PS Series Group Dialog Box

To add a group, you must first select PS Groups from the vSphere navigator area.
NOTE: Groups should be added using a user account with group administrator privileges in order for VSM to properly
manage the group. After a group has been added to VSM for management, attempts to add the same group using the
same IP or FQDN are not permitted.
NOTE: VSM supports a maximum of 16 groups.
The following table describes the data to be provided when you add a group.
Table 17. Group Dialog Box Options
Item Description
Group Name/IP PS Series group host name. Dell recommends you use either a fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) or
management IP address of the group.
VSM supports both IPv4 and IPv6 IP addresses.
40 Managing Groups in VSM

Item Description
After you set this value, you should not change it because VSM relies on this value being constant.
User name Account name for a user on the group to be used for validation of group Add/Edit operations.
Password Password of the user account. A password can consist of 3 to 16 visible ASCII case-sensitive characters.
Add a PS Series Group

The group’s primary management IP or fully-qualified domain name should be entered into the Group Name/IP field, followed by the user
name and password of the group account VSM should use when performing actions on the array.
About this task

NOTE: Dell strongly recommends that the grpadmin user account, or an account with group administration privileges,
be entered here. While it is possible to use a group member’s Ethernet port IP address or a non-group administration
user account to add a group, neither of these options is recommended and might cause unintended consequences.
Steps
1. Start the Add Group task by any one of the following methods:
• Click the Add Groups icon ( ) in the toolbar.

• Right-click the top-level object in the Groups tree and select Add Groups.
• Click Actions > Add Groups.
The Add Groups dialog box opens.
2. Enter the following information.
• Group Name/IP — PS Series group host name. Dell recommends you use either a fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) or
management IP address of the group.
VSM supports both IPv4 and IPv6 IP addresses.
After you set this value, you should not change it because VSM relies on this value being constant.
• User name — Account name for a user on the group to be used for validation of group Add/Edit operations.
• Password — Password of the user account. A password can consist of 3 to 16 visible ASCII case-sensitive characters.
3. Click Add.
4. Verify the group data that is shown in the table.
Results
The new group is added to the Groups view.
Update Group Credentials

Use VSM to update group credentials.
Steps
1. Start the task by any one of the following methods:
• Click the Update Credentials icon ( ) in the toolbar.

• Right-click the top-level object in the Groups tree and select Update Credentials.
• Click Actions > Update Credentials.
The Update Credentials dialog box opens.
2. Modify the user name or password, or both. If you modify the password, you must confirm the password change. Options are
described in Table 17. Group Dialog Box Options.

Unmanage a Group
The task of removing a group from Dell Storage is known as unmanaging the group. When you unmanage a group, all information in the
VSM database related to the group is deleted, including snapshots and replicas.
Steps
• Click the Unmanage Group icon ( ) in the toolbar.

• Right-click the top-level object in the Groups tree and select Unmanage Group.
• Click Actions > Unmanage Group.
2. In the PS Groups tab of All PS Groups, right-click the name of the group and select Unmanage Group.
The Unmanage Group dialog box opens, indicating that the remove operation cannot be undone.
3. Click Yes to complete the operation. Click No to cancel.
Launch Group Manager

You can invoke the PS Series Group Manager from the VSM user interface if you need to perform operations on the PS Series group.
Steps
• Click the Launch Group Manager icon ( ) in the toolbar.

• Right-click the top-level object in the Groups tree and select Launch Group Manager..
• Click Actions > Launch Group Manager.
A browser window opens and prompts for the login credentials.
2. Enter the login credentials for the group.
The Group Manager user interface opens.
Group-Level Views and Operations

Selecting a specific group from the Dell Storage navigator hierarchy changes the content view to display the information for that group.
The following table describes the tabbed views in the content area.
Table 18. Groups Tabs
Tab Description
Getting Started Provides an overview of the group’s tasks, and shortcuts to running actions on groups
Summary Provides group information and graphical summaries. See Group Summary View.
Monitor Provides status, alerts, statistics, and trending information about the group. See Group Monitor View.
Manage Allows you to set configuration values. See Group Manage Display.
Related Objects Provides information and actions for datastores. See Group Related Objects View.
Group Summary View

The Group Summary tab provides an overview of status, capacity, and utilization of group resources.
The Content area contains the status sections and portlets described in the following table.
Table 19. Groups Summary Information
Section/Portlet Description
Status Identifies connection status, group management IP address/FQDN, location, and description
configuration values

Storage A bar graph shows group storage capacity and utilization. Colors indicate the following percentages:
• Green — Utilization is less than 50 percent
• Yellow — Utilization is between 50 and 75 percent
• Red — Utilization is above 75 percent
NOTE: These values represent the defaults for VSM. You can adjust the Capacity
Warning Threshold, Capacity Error Threshold, and other values using the Advanced
Settings page of the VSM Home page. See Advanced Settings.
The display shows a count of these items:
• Datastores
• Volumes
• Storage containers
NOTE: Use the PS Series Group Manager to create and manage storage containers. For
details, see the Dell EqualLogic Group Manager Administrator's Guide.
The events icon and counts show the number of critical and warning events for the group. If you click
the number next to either of these icons, the view changes to the Monitor Events view.
Space Reservation Identifies the following space reservation statistics:

• Volume reserved
• Snapshot reserved
• Replication reserved
• Delegated space
• Available space
Group Members Provides an overview of the member status. It identifies the following columns:
• Name — Name of the member
• Type — Hardware member type
• Pool Name — Name of the pool in which the member is located
• Status — Last polled value of the member status field
• Firmware Version — Current member controller firmware version
Protocol Endpoints Connections NOTE: This portlet is displayed only if protocol endpoints have been configured.
Identifies details for the protocol endpoint connection, including:

• Initiator address
• Connection time
• Amount of data read
• Amount of data written
See About Protocol Endpoints.
Group Monitor View

The Monitor tab for a group displays detailed information about alerts and alarms.
Filter Group Events

You can filter the columns in the Groups Events table.
About this task

You can filter the columns in the Groups Events table by:
• Severity
• Date and Time

For an explanation of these values, see the vSphere documentation.
To filter the display from the VSM Groups Events view:
Steps
1. Click the Show/Hide quick filters icon ( )

The filter options are displayed.
2. Select either of these filter options:
• Severity—Select from the list:
• NAS
• Audit
• Fatal
• Error
• Warning
• Info
• Date & Time — Click the calendar icon ( ) to select the date range to use as a search criteria. You can specify:
• On or after a specific date
• On or before a specific date
NOTE: The Date and Time filter can be used to filter by specific dates. This filter does not allow you to search for
specific times.
The table then displays schedules matching the filters.
Results
To clear all filters, click the Clear All Filters icon ( ).
Group Manage Display

The Manage tab for a group displays configuration information and allows you to change settings.
Within the Manage view, you can use the tabs described in the following table.
Table 20. Group Manage View
Tab Description
Settings Identifies the group name, IP address, and name of the group account. Clicking Update Credentials opens a
dialog box that allows you to modify the user name and password settings for the group.
Members A table that shows the following information about each member of the group:
• Type — Hardware member type
• Pool Name — Name of the pool the member is in
• Health — Operational health variable (on the array)
• Capacity — Total disk space capacity of member
• Free Space — Remaining disk space
• RAID — RAID policy used by the member
• # Disks — Number of physical disks and their type
• Status — Last polled value of the member status field
The Member Details pane provides the following information about the selected member:
• Total capacity
• Volume space
• Snapshot/Replica space
• Number of disks
• Number of connections
• Fimrware version

Tab Description
• Model number
• Serial number
• Service tag
• Disk type
• RAID policy
• Compression state
Identifes the volume compression for the member. The possible states include:
• Unknown
• Not started
• No capable hardware
• No capable RAID
• Running
• Suspended
Partners Sets configuration for replication partners.

See Group Partners Operations.
Protocol Endpoints NOTE: This information is displayed only if protocol endpoints have been configured using
vCenter.
Identifies the following credential details for protocol endpoints that have been configured for hosts and
clusters:
• Hostname
• IQN
• IP address
To grant access to a host or cluster, click Allow.
See About Protocol Endpoints.
About Protocol Endpoints

A protocol endpoint is the entry point for connections from host HBAs to access storage containers behind it. Host HBAs must be allowed
to connect to the protocol endpoint (PE). This connection is done using the HBA’s IQN and, if specified, the CHAP user name configured
on the HBA.
After the protocol endpoint values have been configured on an HBA or host, they will be visible in VSM from these methods:
• In the PS Groups view, click the Summary tab. The Protocol Endpoints Connections portlet identifies all protocol endpoints.
• In the PS Groups view, click Manage > Protocol Endpoints. This view shows all protocol endpoints by host or cluster, and allows
you to grant the host access to the PS Series group. See Allow Protocol Endpoint Access to a Group.
If protocol endpoints have been configured, they are identified in the VSM Group Summary tab.
NOTE: The ACLs exist between initiators running the ESXi version supporting VVols and the PE target. These access
rules do not apply to storage containers.
Protocol Endpoint Indicators

VSM uses the icons listed in the following table to identify the protocol endpoint status of cluster and hosts.
Table 21. Protocol Endpoint Indicators
Indicator Description
All of the HBAs in the cluster have access to the PS Series group.
None of the HBAs in the cluster have access to the PS Series group.
At least one of the HBAs in the cluster does not have access to the PS Series group.

Indicator Description
The cluster has access to the group.
The cluster does not have access to the group.
One of the hosts within the cluster does not have access to the group.
The host is enabled for access to the group.
The host does not have access to the group.
Allow Protocol Endpoint Access to a Group

Use VSM to allow protocol access to a group.
About this task

If VSM identifies one or more HBAs as not having access to a group (as indicated in Protocol Endpoint Indicators), you can grant access.
You can grant access to a single HBA from the list, or to all HBAs in the list. After an HBA has been granted access, the Allow button will
be disabled. If all HBAs have access, then all Allow buttons are disabled.
To grant an HBA access to a group using the protocol endpoint:
Steps
1. From PS Groups, select a group.
2. Click Manage > Protocol Endpoints.
The Clusters & Hosts column lists all clusters and hosts that have been configured for protocol endpoints. Any host or cluster that
currently is denied access is identified with the identifiers as described in Protocol Endpoint Indicators.
3. In the Credential Details pane, select a host or cluster.
4. Click Allow.
If the Allow operation is successful, the exclamation icon disappears from the HBA.
Remove Protocol Endpoint Access to a Group

You can remove HBA access to a group using the protocol endpoint.
About this task

If VSM identifies one or more HBAs as having access to a group (as indicated in Protocol Endpoint Indicators), you can remove access.
You can remove access to a single HBA from the list, or to all HBAs in the list.
Steps
1. From PS Groups, select a group.
2. Click Manage > Protocol Endpoints.
The Clusters & Hosts column lists all clusters and hosts that have been configured for protocol endpoints. Any host or cluster that
currently has access enabled is identified with the identifiers as described in Protocol Endpoint Indicators.
3. In the Credential Details pane, select a host or cluster.
4. Click Remove.
Group Partners Operations

VSM allows you to select another PS Series group to be a replication partner.
On the PS Series Groups table, if you click the Manage tab, you can then click the Partners tab. The resulting table lists all replication
partners that have been configured.
This table provides access to the same actions available on the Replication Partners tab of the VSM Home page:

• Create a replication partnership
• Update a partnership
• Remove a partnership
• Pause and resume replication between partners
See Replication Partners Panel.
Group Related Objects View

When you click the Related Objects tab for a group, VSM displays a table of datastores related to the group. The Actions menu enables
you to perform the following VSM tasks on each datastore:
The Actions menu enables you to perform Dell VSM tasks on each datastore.
• Resize Dell datastore. See Resize Dell Datastore.
• Delete Dell datastore. See Delete a VSM Datastore.
• Create snapshot. See Create Snapshot Dialog Box.
• Manage snapshot schedules. See Add Schedule/Edit Schedule Dialog Box.
• Restore from snapshots. See Restoring from a Snapshot.
• Apply an ACL. See Apply Template.
• Clone an ACL from a volume. See Create ACL Template from Volume.
• Configure SyncRep. See SyncRep Operations for Datastore Volumes.
• Enable SyncRep. See Enable and Disable SyncRep.
• Manage replication schedules. See Replication Operations.

8
Managing Datastores
In the VMware model, a datastore is a logical container that holds virtual machine files and other necessary files for virtual operations. With
VSM, you can create and manage your Dell datastores and datastore clusters.
NOTE: In the VMware environment, datastores can be created, monitored, and managed using the vSphere Web Client.
You use the same vSphere tools for all datastores that you add and manage in your Dell storage environment. For
instructions on using vSphere to create and manage datastores, see the VMware documentation and online help that
comes with the vSphere Web Client.
Topics:
• Navigating Datastores
• VSM Datastores Summary View and Actions
• Virtual Volume Operations and Restrictions
• VSM Datastore Actions
• Datastore Storage View
Navigating Datastores
The views and options for the VSM inventory of datastores depend on your selection within the Dell Inventory hierarchy:
• When you select Datastores from the VSM navigator, the content area shows a table of all datastores in this vCenter that reside on
volumes which belong to PS Series groups managed by this VSM.
From the Datastores Summary view, you can perform actions including creating a datastore, resizing a datastore, and deleting a
datastore. See VSM Datastores Summary View and Actions.
• If you then select an individual datastore within the datastores table, the content area shows several tabs with details for the selected
datastore, including a Dell VSM tab. See Datastore Storage View.
Refer to the VMware vSphere documentation for information about the information shown in the Details view.
VSM Datastores Summary View and Actions

When you select Datastores from the VSM navigator, the content area displays a table of all existing datastores, with the following
columns:
• Name of the datastore
• Status:
• • Online
• Offline
• Warning
• Type:
• VMFS-6
• VMFS-5
• VMFS-3
• NFS
• VVOL
• PS Series Group
• PS Series Volume
• Capacity
• Space Utilization
• Available Space
48 Managing Datastores
• Snapshot Space Utilization
• Replication Status:
• Unknown
• Disabled
• In progress
• Ready
• Far end is down
• Authorization failure
• Complete
• Paused
• Remote resize failed
• Remote paused
• Partner paused local
• Failed
• Remote replication reserve low
• No more snaps allowed
• Remote replication reserve invalid
• Cancelling
• Pending data transfer
• Manual data transfer in progress
• Remote disallow down-grades not set
• Remote partner needs upgrade
• In sync
• Out of sync
• Out of sync (paused)
• Out of sync (snapshot reserve exhausted)
• Out of sync (member offline)
• Out of sync (SyncAlternate pool free space exhausted)
• Out of sync (alternate pool lost blocks)
• Replication Partner — Identifies the name of the replication partner, if replication has been configured
The Datastores summary view allows you to perform the actions on datastores described in Datastore Summary View.
Virtual Volume Operations and Restrictions

NOTE: VMware virtual volumes are supported only with PS Series firmware version 8.0.x or later and VMware vSphere 6
or later.
The Dell EqualLogic PS Series Group Manager and VSM support the virtual volume (VVol) storage technology. Group Manager allows you
to view virtual volumes in your array. For details on virtual volume options using Group Manager, see the Dell EqualLogic Group Manager
Administrator's Guide.
In VSM, management of virtual volumes is performed by operations on Dell datastores. With VSM, you can create and manage Dell
datastores with the type VVol.
The following actions are permitted for virtual volume datastores:
• Create (provision) a datastore. A datastore created with the VVol type is considered a storage container.
• Resize a datastore
• Delete a datastore
The following restrictions apply to using VVol datastores:
• VSM does not allow replication of virtual volumes.
• Dell supports thin-provisioned VVol VMs only (in particular, the VMDK-VVols). As such, if you attempt to create (or deploy using the
OVF) a thick-provisioned VM clone (or migrate from an existing thick-provisioned VVol VM with the intent to also have it be thick),
vCenter displays the error insufficient space.
Dell datastores are shown in a table when you select Datastores from the VSM navigator. This table identifies all virtual volume datastores
with the value VVOL in the Type column.
Managing Datastores 49
VSM Datastore Actions
The following table explains the tasks available from the toolbar and the Actions menu in the Datastore top-level summary view.
Table 22. VSM Datastore Toolbar and Actions Menu Icons
Icon Function
Create a Dell datastore. See Create Dell Datastore Wizard.
Delete a Dell datastore. See Delete a VSM Datastore.
Resize a Dell datastore. See Resize Dell Datastore Dialog Box.
Go to Snapshot Schedules. See Add Schedule/Edit Schedule Dialog Box.
Go to Replication Schedules. See Add Schedule/Edit Schedule Dialog Box.
Create Snapshot. See Create Snapshot Dialog Box.
Create a Replica. See Create Replica Dialog Box.
Restore from Snapshot. See Selective Restore Snapshot.
Apply ACL. See Apply Template Dialog Box.
Clone ACL from Volume. See Create ACL Template from Volume.
None Configure Replication. See Replication Configuration Dialog Box.

None Deconfigure Replication. See Deconfiguration Replication.
None Pause and Resume Replication. See Pause and Resume Replication.
None SyncRep actions. See SyncRep Operations for Datastore Volumes.
Create Dell Datastore Wizard

The following table describes the information required when you run the wizard to create a datastore
Table 23. Create Dell Datastore Options
Option Description
Name, Type & Placement
Name Name to be assigned to the new datastore
Type Select the type:
• VMFS
• VMFS-3
• VMFS-5
• VMFS-6
• NFS
• VVOL
File System Block Size For the VMFS-3 type, select from a list of block sizes that can be applied:
• 1MB
• 2MB
• 4MB
• 8MB
Option Description
Inventory Location Select from the hierarchy to specify the inventory location for the datastore.
Hardware Resource
Hardware Resource Select from the hierarchy to specify the target resource pool, host, or cluster that uses the provisioned
datastores.
Storage Location & Size
PS Group Choose a group from the list to configure as the iSCSI target.
Storage pool Select the storage pool for datastore volumes.
Thin provisioned volumes Checkbox to be selected or deselected to specify if the provisioned datastore uses thin-provisioned
volumes.
NOTE: This option does not apply to NFS or VVol datastore creation.
Enable Thin Provision Stun Checkbox to be selected or deselected to enable the VMware thin provision stun feature. The thin
provision stun pauses virtual machines if a thin-provisioned volume runs out of space.
Number of datastores Select the number of new datastores to be created. Use the arrows to increase or decrease the
number.
Container Size Size of the datastore to be provisioned. You can choose units of MB, GB, or TB.
NOTE: The maximum container size for a VVol datastore is 4PB (petabytes) or the size of
the PS Series group pool size, whichever is smaller.
Snapshot Reserve The percentage of datastore volume size to be allocated for snapshot reserve.
NOTE: This option does not apply to VVol datastore creation.
Snapshot Reserve Warning The percentage of used snapshot reserve at which a warning should be issued.
NOTE: This option does not apply to VVol datastore creation.
Enable Snapshot Space Checkbox to be selected or deselected to enable the Snapshot Borrowing feature. See the Dell
Borrowing EqualLogic Group Manager Administrator's Guide for more information.
Access Policy
NOTE: The Access Policy options do not apply to VVol datastore creation.
IPv4 address mask The IPv4 address mask to be used to limit access.
NOTE: This option applies to the NFS datastore type only.
ACL Source Select the source for the access policy. Click either of these options:
• Auto-generate an ACL for the initiators in the resource pool
• Specify a unique ACL
NOTE: This option applies to the VMFS datastore type only.
Select an ACL If an ACL policy has been set previously, you can select it from the list by clicking the down arrow and
choosing from the existing ACLs.
Name A name for the new ACL if you choose to create a new one
Description A description of the new ACL

Option Description
iSCSI Access Control Entries • Click Add to configure the CHAP user name, IP address, and iSCSI initiator values.
• Click Modify to make modifications to an existing ACL policy.
Click Remove to delete a selected ACL policy.
Snapshot Schedules
NOTE: The Snapshot Schedule options do not apply to VVol datastore creation.
Add Schedule ( ) Add a snapshot schedule. See Add Schedule/Edit Schedule Dialog Box.
Edit a snapshot schedule. See Edit Schedule.

Edit Schedule ( )
Replication
NOTE: The Replication options do not apply to NFS or VVol datastore creation.
Configure Replication Checkbox to be selected or deselected to enable replication on the datastore that is being created.
Local Reserve Size Percentage of disk space to be allocated for local reserve space.
Allow temporary use of free Checkbox to be selected or deselected to allow temporary use of free pool space for replication.
pool space
Keep failback snapshot Checkbox to be selected or deselected to keep the failback snapshot during replication.
Replication Partner Select from the list of replication partners that have been configured.
Remote Schedules Percentage of disk space to be used for remote reserve space.
Replication Schedules Table of any current replication schedules. You can create a new replication schedule, edit an existing
one, or delete a schedule.
Synchronous Replication
NOTE: The Synchronous Replication option does not apply to NFS or VVol datastore creation.
Configure Synchronous Checkbox to be selected or deselected to specify that synchronous replication should be used.
Replication
Create VMFS Datastore

Use VSM to create VMFS datastores.
About this task

The following procedure applies to creating a Dell datastore of the type VMFS-3, VMFS-5 or VMFS-6. To create a datastore of the type
VVol, see Create VVol Datastore. To create a datastore of the type NFS, see Create NFS Datastore.
As each screen in the wizard is displayed, supply the requested information. This required information is described in Table 23. Create Dell
Datastore Options.
Steps
1. Initiate the Create Datastore wizard by one of these methods:
• Click Create Dell Datastore ( ) in the toolbar.

• Click Actions > Create Dell Datastore.
The first dialog box, Name, Type & Placement, opens.
2. Type a name for the datastore.
NOTE: The datastore name is the base name that can be appended to if either multiple datastores are being created
within that wizard, or if another datastore with the same base name is found on the array. In that case, the number
being appended to the name is the next sequential number
3. Select a datastore type: VMFS-3, VMFS-5 or VMFS-6.
If you select VMFS-3, choose a file system block size for the datastore from the list.
4. In the inventory location section, expand the hierarchy as necessary to specify an inventory location. Then click Next.
The next dialog box, Hardware Resource, opens.
5. Select from the inventory of Dell resource pools, hosts, or clusters to specify the resource that is using the new datastore. Then click
Next.
The next dialog box, Storage Location & Size, opens.
6. Select from the list of PS groups and storage pools.
a) Type the value for the number of datastores.
b) Type the value for container size.
c) Type the value for snapshot reserve.
d) Type the value for snapshot reserve warning.
e) Specify whether you want to create thin-provisioned volumes, enable thin provision stun, and enable snapshot borrowing space.
f) Click Next.
NOTE: For details about snapshot reserve, snapshot reserve warning, and snapshot borrowing, see the Dell
EqualLogic Group Manager Administrator's Guide.
The next dialog box, Access Policy, opens.
7. Select the option for ACL source:
• Auto-generation ACL for the initiators in the resource pool. If you choose this option, VSM auto-generates ACL records for host
initiators in the resource pool.
• Use the option to select a previously defined ACL policy from the list.
• To create an ACL policy, type a name and optionally a description for the ACL policy. Click Add to supply the iSCSI Access
Control Entries values. You can save the new ACL policy as a template by clicking Save as Template.
• To modify the values for an existing ACL policy, first select the ACL policy from the list, then change any of the values. Click
Modify to finish.
Click Next.
The Snapshot Schedule dialog box opens.
NOTE: If the volume of the datastore is created on Dell EqualLogic PS Series firmware version 7.0 or later, the ACL
associated with the volume on the PS group has a name with the prefix VSM” This ACL name can be shown from the
PS Series Group Manager.
8. (Optional) Create a new snapshot schedule for the datastore being created. You can also edit existing schedules or delete schedules.
For instructions, see About Snapshot Schedules. To continue, click Next.
The next dialog box, Replication, opens.
9. To continue without configuring replication, click Next.
To configure replication, select the Configure Replication checkbox.
• Keep the default value for Local reserve size or type a new value in the field.
• Select your options for Allow temporary use of free space and Keep failback snapshot.
• From the list of replication partners that have been set up, choose a replication partner.
• Keep the default value for remote reserve size or type a new value in the field.
• (Optional) Create a new replication schedule for the datastore being created. You can also edit existing schedules or delete
schedules. For instructions, see About Snapshot Schedules.
Click Finish to complete the replication configuration. To continue, click Next.
The Synchronous Replication dialog box opens.
10. To continue without configuring synchronous replication, click Next. To configure synchronous replication, click the Configure
Synchronous Replication checkbox.
a) From the table of alternate storage pools, select a storage pool.
b) Click Finish to complete the synchronous replication configuration
c) To continue, click Next.
The Ready to Complete screen shows all the settings that have been selected.
11. Click Finish.
The new datastore is then listed in the VSM datastores view.
Create NFS Datastore
When you have a Network Attached Storage (NAS) appliance connected for back-end storage, the NFS datastore option is available.
About this task

The following procedure applies to creating a Dell datastore of the type NFS. To create a datastore of the type VMFS-3 or VMFS-5, see
Create VMFS Datastore.
Table 23. Create Dell Datastore Options describes the information required when you run the wizard to create an NFS datastore.
Steps

being appended to the name will be the next sequential number.
3. Select a datastore type: NFS.
5. Select from the inventory of Dell resource pools, hosts, or clusters to specify the resource that will be using the new datastore. Then
click Next.
a) Enter the value for the number of datastores.
c) Type the value for snapshot reserve.
d) Type the value for snapshot reserve warning.
e) Click Next.
The next dialog box, Access Policy, opens.
7. Type a value for the IPv4 address mask, then click Next.
8. Click Finish.
Create VVol Datastore

Use VSM to create VVol datastores.
About this task

The following procedure applies to creating a Dell datastore of the type VVOL. To create a datastore of the type VMFS-3 or VMFS-5, see
Create VMFS Datastore. To create a datastore of the type NFS, see Create NFS Datastore.
CAUTION: Dell highly recommends that you do not place a vCenter server on a VVol datastore (storage container). This
action could result in control plane access to all VVols being lost. As a result, the vCenter server residing on a VVol
datastore could become unresponsive to state changes such as powering-on or powering-off, and moves using vMotion.
Also, you might be required to reinstall the vCenter server.
NOTE: VSM does not allow creation of a VVol datastore with the type thick-provisioned.
As each screen in the wizard is displayed, supply the requested information. This required information is described in Table 23. Create Dell
Datastore Options.
Steps

being appended to the name is the next sequential number.
3. Select a datastore type: VVOL.
5. Select from the inventory of Dell resource pools, hosts, or clusters to specify the resource that is using the new datastore. Then click
Next.
a) Enter the value for the number of datastores.
NOTE: Be sure to provide a size that is adequate for your needs and can scale as required. Dell recommends a
minimum container size of 100G.
The maximum container size for a VVol datastore is 4PB (petabytes) or the size of the PS Series group pool size,
whichever is smaller.
c) Click Next.
7. Click Finish.
Results
A datastore created with the VVol type is considered to be a storage container. If you use Group Manager, this type of datastore is
identified as a storage container.
Resize Dell Datastore Dialog Box

You can increase datastore capacity and adjust snapshot reserve values of a datastore volume.
NOTE: When you use VSM Datastore Resize wizard, VSM allows you to only increase the datastore size. Therefore, upon
resize, the minimum value is the current datastore size. The maximum value recommended in parentheses is the sum of
the current size plus the available size or allowed datastore size (such as 15TB for VMFS5, 2TB for VMFS3) whichever is
lower. For a VVol storage container it is the sum of the current container size plus the available pool size.
For example: If a VMFS5 datastore current size is 2TB and available size of pool is 3TB, then it displays Maximum: 5TB
because it is less than the allowed size of 15TB.
The following table describes the information required when you run the wizard to resize a datastore volume.
Table 24. Resize VSM Datastore Options
Option Description
Volume Size Specify a value for the datastore volume. You can choose units of MB, GB, or
TB.
Snapshot Reserve Specify a value for the percentage of volume size.
Snapshot Reserve Warning Specify a value for the snapshot space warning as a percentage of the snapshot
reserve.
Option Description
Enable Snapshot Space Borrowing Checkbox that, if selected, specifies that snapshot space borrowing is enabled. If
this checkbox is deselected, indicate one of the following options for handling
any snapshots that are currently in borrowed space:
• Increase snapshot reserve and move the snapshots there
• Discard the snapshots
Storage Pool Capacity Graphic that shows the percentages of storage pool capacity.
Resize Dell Datastore

Use VSM to resize Dell datastores.
About this task

Supply the requested information. This required information is described in Table 24. Resize VSM Datastore Options.
Steps
1. Initiate the action by one of these methods:
• Click Resize Dell Datastore ( ) in the toolbar.

• Click Actions > Resize Dell Datastore.
• Right-click the datastore volume and select Resize Dell Datastore.
The Resize datastore volume dialog box opens. The dialog box identifies the current capacity of the datastore.
2. Change the value of Volume Size. The modification is reflected in the Storage pool space utilization graphic.
3. (Optional) Change the value for snapshot reserve. The modification is reflected in the Storage pool space utilization graphic.
4. (Optional) Change the value for snapshot reserve warning.
5. (Optional) Change the options for Enable Snapshot Space Borrowing.
6. Click OK to modify the size of the datastore. Click Cancel to cancel the operation.
Delete a VSM Datastore

Use VSM to delete a Dell datastore.
About this task

CAUTION: The Delete Datastore operation permanently deletes all the files on the datastore and the volume that it
references. The deletion also invalidates any snapshot or replica that contains the datastore. If you delete a datastore,
you prevent recovery of the virtual machines from these snapshots or replicas.
Steps
1. Initiate the action by one of these methods:
• In the Datastores hierarchy, select a datastore, and on the Datastores Getting Started tab, click the Delete Datastore ( ) icon.
• In the hierarchy view, right-click the Datastore item, then click Delete.
A confirmation dialog box opens, reminding you that the operation will permanently destroy all files on the datastore.
2. Select the checkbox.
3. Click Yes.
Apply Template Dialog Box

The following table describes the options in the Apply ACL Template dialog box.
NOTE: The Add Datastore and Modify Datastore privileges are required for a user in order to add or modify an ACL on a
datastore. See Managing VSM Privileges.
Table 25. Apply ACL Template Dialog Box Options
Option Description
Select an ACL List of previously defined templates. Click the arrow to view any existing
templates. Select the ACL template to be applied from the list.
ACL
Name Name to be used for the ACL policy
Description (Optional) Text string that describes the ACL policy
iSCI Access Control Entries
Authenticate using CHAP user name Type a CHAP user name to be used for authentication.
Limit access by IP address Type an IP address or IP mask to be used to limit access.
Limit access by iSCSI initiator name Type the name of an iSCSI initiator to use to limit access.
Apply Template
Use VSM to apply an ACL to a single datastore.
About this task

You can apply an ACL policy of an existing template to a virtual object such as a datastore.
Steps
1. Select a datastore in the Datastores table.
2. Initiate the Apply ACL action by one of these methods:
• Click Actions > Apply ACL.
• Right-click an object in the inventory, then select Apply ACL.
• Click the Apply ACL icon ( ) in the toolbar.
The Apply ACL dialog box opens.
3. Click the arrow next to Select an ACL to show the list of any previously defined templates. Click an ACL to select the ACL to be
applied.
The values defined for the selected ACL are displayed in the table.
4. To change any of the values, click Modify, then change the values for Name and Description. To add iSCSI access controls, click Add,
then fill in the values (see Table 25. Apply ACL Template Dialog Box Options). Click OK.
5. (Optional) Add a new policy from this dialog box by clicking Add and then filling in the values in the fields.
6. To save all changes, click OK.
Next steps
NOTE: If you modify an ACL policy associated with datastores, VSM does not apply the ACL automatically. You must
perform a manual rescan of the datastores to view the ACL policy modification. To perform the rescan action:
1. Select vCenter in the vSphere Web Client.

2. Select the Hosts and Clusters view.
3. Click Actions > All vCenter Actions > Rescan Storage.
Apply ACL to Multiple Datastores

You can also select more than one datastore and then apply an ACL policy to all the selected datastores.
Steps
1. Display the Datastores table by first choosing Hosts/Clusters from the vSphere inventory, then click Configure > Dell VSM.
2. To select multiple datastores, click the first item, and press and hold down the Shift key, and then click the last item.
3. Initiate the Apply ACL action by one of these methods:
• Click Actions > Apply ACL.
• Right-click an object in the inventory, then select Apply ACL.
• Click the Apply ACL icon ( ) in the toolbar.
The Apply ACL dialog box opens.
4. Follow the instructions as described in Apply Template to complete the ACL policy.
Next steps
NOTE: If you modify an ACL policy associated with datastores, VSM does not apply the ACL automatically. Perform a
manual rescan of the datastores to view the ACL policy modification. To perform the rescan action:
1. Select vCenter in the vSphere Web Client.

2. Select the Hosts and Clusters view.
3. Click Actions > All vCenter Actions > Rescan Storage.
Replication Configuration Dialog Box

When you select the Replication Configuration action, the Replication Configuration dialog box is displayed. Use this dialog box to
configure the settings for replication to a replication partner. The following table describes the information required to complete this dialog
box.
Table 26. Replication Configuration Options
Item Description
Volume Size Identifies the size of the volume that is chosen for replication
Local Reserve Size Specify a value between 5 and 200 percent to be used for local reserve space. The default is 100 percent.
Allow temporary use of Checkbox that, if selected, permits the replication operation to use free pool space temporarily
free pool space
Keep failback snapshot Checkbox that, if selected, instructs VSM to keep the failback snapshot when performing the replication
operation
Storage Pool Graphic representation of the reserved and free space on the volume that is chosen for replication
Replication Partner Name of a group selected from the drop-down menu to be used as the partner for replication
Remote Reserve Size Specify a value (in percentage) for reserve size on the replication partner. The minimum is 105 percent. The
default is 200 percent.
Delegated Space Graphic representation of the reserved and free space that is delegated on the replication partner
Replication Configuration
Use VSM to configure replication.
About this task

When completing the Replication Configuration dialog box, refer to Table 26. Replication Configuration Options.
Steps
1. Initiate the action by either of these methods:
• Click Actions > Replication Configuration.
• Right-click the datastore volume and select Replication Configuration.
The Replication Configuration dialog box opens. The dialog box identifies the volume size of the datastore being replicated.
2. Specify a value for Local Reserve Size. The modification is reflected in the table of Storage pool space graphic.
3. (Optional) Choose whether you want the replication operation to allow temporary use of free pool space and whether a failback
snapshot should be kept.
4. Specify the replication partner by selecting from the menu.
5. Specify a value for remote reserve size.
6. Click OK to complete the replication configuration. Click Cancel to cancel the operation.
Deconfiguration Replication
Deconfiguring replication removes the replication partnership.
Steps
1. Initiate the action by any one of the following methods:
• Click Actions > Deconfigure Replication.
• Right-click the datastore volume and select Deconfigure Replication.
VSM displays a dialog box with a warning that deleting the replication configuration will stop the replication of the volume to the
partner, and will delete any replica sets on the partner that is associated with the volumes and any replicas.
2. Click Yes to continue, or click No to abort the procedure.
Pause and Resume Replication

The in-progress replication can be inbound or outbound.
Steps
3. Select the replication partner from the list for which you want to pause replication.
4. Click Pause.
Next steps
To resume replication between partners that had previously been paused:
1. From the Replication Partners table, select the paused replication.
2. Click Resume.
SyncRep Operations for Datastore Volumes

Using the VSM user interface, you can enable synchronous replication (SyncRep) on datastore volumes.
SyncRep is a technology that requires all writes on an active volume to also be written on the standby volume before the active volume
(mirror) can respond with success. Running in synchronous mode can be achieved only when the standby volume has the same data that
resides on the active volume.
SyncRep is a feature of the PS Series Group Manager. For detailed information about SyncRep, see the Dell EqualLogic Group Manager
Administrator's Guide.
Enable and Disable SyncRep

You can specify that datastore volumes have the SyncRep function enabled or disabled.
About this task

When you select a datastore to enable for SyncRep, VSM determines the number of pools contained within the group on which the
datastore is located. If two or more pools are on that group, the alternate storage pools (that is, storage pools other than the one
containing the existing datastore) are displayed for selection.
These storage pools can be created using the PS Series Group Manager. For an explanation of planning a storage pool, see the Dell
EqualLogic Group Manager Administrator's Guide.
Steps
1. Right-click the Datastores item, then select Enable SyncRep.
A dialog box opens showing alternate storage pools.
2. From the list, select a datastore volume to be used as an alternate storage pool. The chart in the lower half of the dialog box identifies
the pool space properties of the destination storage pool.
3. Click OK.
Next steps
To disable synchronous replication (SyncRep) on a datastore volume:
• Right-click the Datastores item, then select Disable SyncRep.
• Acknowledge the operation.
NOTE: The action of disabling SyncRep might remove any volume snapshots. As a result, the Verify system schedule will
purge these snapshots from the VSM database. The process of removing snapshots from the database occurs in the
background Verify Snapshots job schedule.
Pause and Resume SyncRep

The SyncRep Pause command allows you to pause the writes to a standby volume. When paused, the inactive volume goes out of sync.
All I/O write requests are made on active volumes only.
Steps
1. Right-click the Datastores item, then select Pause SyncRep.
2. Confirm the action by clicking Yes in the dialog box.
Next steps
To resume synchronous replication (SyncRep) on a datastore volume:
• Right-click the Datastores item, then select Resume SyncRep.
• Confirm the action by clicking Yes in the dialog box.
Disconnect SyncActive
If the pool containing the SyncActive volume becomes unavailable to initiators, or communications between the SyncActive and
SyncAlternate are disrupted, you can restore volume connectivity by disconnecting the SyncActive volume and failing over to the
SyncAlternate.
About this task

Disconnecting the SyncActive volume takes the volume offline. The operation cannot be reversed, and volume data is unavailable until you
switch or fail over to the SyncAlternate pool.
To disconnect an active synchronous replication (SyncRep) on a datastore volume:
Steps
1. Right-click the Datastores item, then select Disconnect SyncActive.
Switch to SyncAlternate
The Switch to SyncAlternate command performs the SyncRep function of switching active volumes to the standby counterpart that had
previously been defined. This command is available if all volumes are currently in-sync
Steps
1. Right-click the Datastores item, then select Switch to SyncAlternate.
Failover to SyncAlternate
The Failover to SyncAlternate command performs the SyncRep function of failing over active volumes to the standby counterpart that
had previously been defined. This command is available if all volumes are out-of-sync or paused.
Steps
1. Right-click the Datastores item, then select Failover to SyncAlternate.
Datastore Storage View

When you click the name of an individual datastore in the Datastore Summary view table, the content area displays details for that
datastore. The following table describes the tabs that can be selected in the Storage view.
Table 27. Datastore Storage Views
Tab Description
Getting Started Provides an overview of the tasks, and shortcuts for datastores
Summary Shows details and graphical summaries of the selected datastore. See Datastore Summary View.
Monitor Provides status on performance, tasks, events, reports, and other information for the selected
datastore. See Datastore Monitor View.
Configure Displays configuration options for the selected datastore. See Datastore Configure View.
Related Objects Provides information on virtual objects related to the selected datastore. See Datastore Related Objects
View.
Datastore Summary View

The Datastore Summary tab provides an overview of status, capacity, and other information.
The Content area contains status sections and the portlets described in the following table.
Table 28. Datastore Summary Information
Identification/Status Identifies the datastore type, URL, and capacity information
Details Lists the following information:
• Location of datastore
• File system type
• Number of hosts
• Number of virtual machines
Capacity Shows a graph of capacity and details of the following types of space:
• Used space
• Free space
• Total provisioned space
Tags Allows you to assign new tags to the datastore or detach tags that have previously been assigned.
See Datastore Summary Tags.
Storage Capabilities Identifies any system storage capabilities or user-defined storage capabilities
Datastore Summary Tags

You can use tags to add metadata to datastores. The following table describes the information required to assign tags.
Table 29. Datastore Summary Tags
Field Description
Name Name to be assigned to the tag
Description Text string describing the tag
Category List of available categories to which the tag should be associated
For details about tags, see the VMware vSphere documentation and online help.
Datastore Monitor View

In the Datastore Storage view, when you click the Monitor tab, the content area displays information related to the selected datastore.
This display contains tabs for selecting the following information:
• Issues — This list can be filtered to display all issues or triggered alarms.
• Performance — Displays graphical information for the selected datastore. You can change the view to display:
• Space — Shows space utilization
• Performance — Displays graphics and charts for I/O latency, IOPS, Max queue depth, and other categories
• Tasks & Events — Displays events and tasks associated with the selected datastore.
• Storage Reports — Provides reports for a variety of categories, including hosts, clusters, virtual machine files, and other categories
• Volume — Shows volume and snapshot space utilization and the status of access control list and iSCSI connections
For details about the items shown in the Monitor view, see the VMware vSphere documentation and online help.
Datastore Configure View

In the Datastore Storage view, when you click the Configure tab, the content area displays a view of configuration settings. This display
contains tabs for selecting the following items, which are all standard vSphere items:
• Settings
• Volume
• Protection
• Reovery
For details about these items, see the VMware vSphere documentation and online help.
If you previously selected a VSM-managed datastore, the Datastore Storage view also contains a Dell VSM tab. When you click the Dell
VSM tab, the Data Protection Hierarchy table opens, showing the details for the selected datastore. See VSM Data Protection Table.
Dell Datastore Configure Views and Actions

When you click the Dell VSM tab from the Configure view, the Data Protection Hierarchy table shows the details for the selected
datastore. Select the information option from the list on the left side of the table to view specific datastore data and related actions. The
following table describes the views for each option:
Table 30. View Options for VSM Datastores
Item Description
Volume
Volume and Snapshot Space Identifies the following information for Volume Space Utilization:
• Volume name
• Access type (read-only, read/write)
• Volume type
• Reserved space
• Unreserved space
Identifies the following information for Snapshot Space Utilization:
• Space Recovery
Item Description
• Number of snapshots
• Borrowed
Resize action—Opens the Resize Datastore dialog box, allowing you to modify the volume size and
snapshot reserve. See Resize Dell Datastore Dialog Box.
Access Control List Identifies the details for the access control list that is associated with the datastore volume.
The toolbar provides access to these actions:
• Add an ACL
• Add cluster access
• Add host access
• Edit an ACL
See About ACL Templates.
iSCSI Connections Identifies the following information for iSCSI connections to the volume:
• Initiator address
• Connection Time
• Data Read—in MB or GB
• Data Written—in MB or GB
• Name of the iSCSI target
Protection
Snapshot Schedules Displays details for all existing snapshot schedules for the selected datastores.
Enables you to create a snapshot schedule, edit the schedule, or delete the schedule.
These actions are described in About Snapshot Schedules.
Replication Schedules Displays details for all existing replication schedules for the selected datastores.
Enables you to create a replication schedule, edit the schedule, or delete the schedule.
See About Snapshot Schedules.
Synchronous Replication Displays the status of any synchronous replication tasks in progress. Depending on the status, you can
select different actions.
These actions are described in SyncRep Operations for Datastore Volumes.
Recovery
Snapshots Identifies the following information for all snapshots of the selected datastore:
• Managed Object
• Creation Time
• Schedule
Actions enable you to create a snapshot or delete a snapshot.
Replication Identifies the following information for replication recovery points:

• Managed Object
• Date and Time
• Schedule Name
• State
By selecting an object in the Managed Object column, you can then choose the following action:
• Delete All Recovery Points
Datastore Related Objects View
In the Datastore Storage view, when you click the Related Objects tab, the content area displays a view of virtual objects related to the
selected datastore. This display contains tabs for selecting the following objects:
• Virtual machines
• VM templates
• Hosts
For details about the items shown in the Monitor view, see the VMware vSphere documentation and online help.
9
Data Recovery
The Data Recovery item in the VSM navigator provides access to a view for searching VSM data protection managed objects, including
inbound and outbound replicas, storage recovery replicas, and snapshots. For an explanation of the types of replicas supported by VSM,
see Types of Replication Provided by VSM.
You can search managed objects by object name and type. When the search is complete, you can open the object to perform additional
tasks, such as restoring a virtual machine that has been deleted.
Topics:
• Structure of the Data Recovery Table
• Search VSM Managed Objects
Structure of the Data Recovery Table

When you select Data Recovery from the navigator panel, the Data Recovery table opens in the content area.
This table is organized as follows:
• Search Criteria — Contains these items:
• Managed Object Name field: Type all or part of the name of a managed object for which you want to search. Wildcard searches
are permitted.
• Object type selection table: Click the arrow to expand the object types to be searched. Object types include:
• Inbound replicas
• Outbound replicas
• Storage Recovery replicas
• Snapshots
• Search Results—Shows the results of the object search. Clicking a row in the results table opens a tab with that object’s content and
the available actions that can be performed on the object.
After typing an object name and selecting an object type, complete the search by clicking the Search button.
Search VSM Managed Objects

Search for data protection objects managed by VSM.
Steps
1. Select Data Recovery from the VSM navigator panel.
The Data Recovery table opens.
2. Type all or part of the name of the object in the Managed Object Name field. You can use wildcards to filter the name.
3. Select the object type from the object menu.
4. Click Search.
The Search Results portion of the table lists the managed objects found as a result of the search operation.
5. To open an object, select its name in the table, then click Open.
The object and its related actions are shown in the table. The type of actions available depends on the object type:
• Inbound and outbound replicas and storage replicas — Actions include Delete, Delete All, Failover, Recover, and Clone. See About
Replication.
• Snapshots — Actions include Delete, Delete All, and Clone. See About Snapshots.
Data Recovery 65
10
Data Protection
About VSM Data Protection
The Dell Virtual Storage Manager for VMware provides more functions for data protection actions on folders, datastores, and virtual
machine-based snapshot and replication actions. When VSM is installed, the vCenter view in the vSphere Web Client includes:
• New Dell VSM actions on the context menus to perform snapshot and scheduling tasks
• A Dell VSM tab under the Configure tab. This view contains the VSM Data Protection hierarchy table.
These data protection functions are integrated into the VMware vSphere user interface to allow you to manage snapshots, clones, and
replicas of virtual objects consisting of your Dell storage.
Topics:
• VSM Data Protection Table
• About Snapshots
• About Snapshot Schedules
• About Clones
• About Replication
VSM Data Protection Table

The vCenter view contains a Configure tab, and when VSM-managed objects (VMs, datastores, snapshots, replicas, or schedules) are
present, an additional Dell VSM tab is present in the view. This view contains the VSM Data Protection hierarchy table.
You can filter this table to view and select actions as follows:
• If VM or VM templates are selected, you can create and recover snapshots.
• If VSM-managed datastores are selected, you can expand the Volume section, and select Volume and Snapshot Space, Access
Control List, and iSCSI Connections.
• In the Protection section, select snapshot schedules, replication schedules, or synchronous replication.
• In the Recovery section, select snapshots and replication.
• If a VSM-managed datastore is of the type VVOL, the details for storage containers appear as shown in the following figure. The table
in the view includes a button to resize the datastore.
The table and details change as the selections are chosen.
The following figure shows a sample Data Protection view.
66 Data Protection
Figure 5. VSM Data Protection Hierarchy Table
About Snapshots
In the VMware virtual environment, a snapshot is a point-in-time copy of one or more VMware virtual objects.
The vSphere Web Client contains an action called Take Snapshot, which can be invoked by selecting an object in the vCenter hierarchy
and then choosing this action from the context menu. This action to take a snapshot is the default action for objects that do not include
Dell storage managed by VSM. When VSM is installed and you select an object managed by VSM, you can select the Create
Snapshot action, which appears only on VMs that are stored on datastores managed by VSM on Dell EqualLogic PS Series volumes.
VSM maintains a database of snapshots and verifies that the corresponding snapshots and replicas exist. You can optionally include a
virtual memory dump or include related objects in a snapshot.
Snapshot Actions
The following actions can be selected for VSM snapshots:
• Create snapshot. See Create Snapshot.
• Add schedule for a snapshot. See Add Schedule/Edit Schedule Dialog Box.
• Selective restore from a snapshot. See Selective Restore Snapshot.
• Rollback restore from a snapshot. See Rollback Restore of Snapshot Dialog Box.
• Delete a snapshot. See Delete Snapshot.
• Delete all snapshots. See Delete All Snapshots.
• Clone a volume from a snapshot. See Clone Volume from Snapshot.
• Clone a VVol VM from a snapshot. See Clone VVol VM from Snapshot.
Best Practices for Snapshots

Dell recommends the following best practices for snapshots.
Data Protection 67
VSM Schedule Keep Count and VM Max Snapshot Depth
When taking snapshots of VMs, VMware imposes a maximum snapshot depth of 32. This restriction includes snapshots taken through
VSM (either manually or using schedules) and snapshots taken from the VMware UI. When this limit is reached, snapshot creation for that
VM begins to fail. When configuring your keep count for VSM snapshot schedules on VVol VMs, be careful to set the keep count low
enough to avoid hitting the 32-snapshot limit. When taking snapshots, VSM takes the new snapshot before purging the oldest snapshot,
so a keep count of 10 means 11 snapshots exist for a brief time. If a VM is protected by multiple schedules, VSM attempts to maintain
several snapshots equal to the sum of their keep counts. A VSM schedule only removes snapshots taken by that schedule, so any
snapshots taken manually, or by another VSM schedule, are preserved.
VSM snapshots of VMFS VMs create only a single short-lived snapshot that is removed when the PS Series group snapshots are
completed. No matter how many VSM snapshots are retained of a VMFS VM, only this single, temporary snapshot counts towards max
snapshot depth, so it does not cause an issue unless many manual snapshots already exist.
Snapshot Creation/Deletion Speed

The times associated with generating a snapshot of a VM can vary from only a few seconds to several minutes. Factors include the
snapshot keep count, the number of VMDKs (additional disks), whether the VM is powered on, the rate of I/O, and how many other
processor-intensive actions might be occurring simultaneously on any of the participating system elements including hosts, VSM, vCenter,
and the array. VVol snapshots often take longer than VMFS snapshots due to the amount of communication and coordination throughout
the VVol environment.
Deleting VVol-based snapshots through VSM (or the VMware UI) can be time-consuming due to the large amount of I/O necessary. The
amount of time it takes to delete a snapshot is proportional to the amount of data that exists in the snapshot. If a VM has written a large
amount of data to the snapshot, it takes a long time to delete whether it is being deleted manually or by VSM to maintain a snapshot
schedule keep count. The deletion of VSM snapshots on VMFS VMs is not affected by this scenario because PS Series group snapshots
do not have the same deletion performance and the VMware snapshots created by VSM are short-lived and therefore contain only a small
amount of data even on an active VM.
VSM Scheduled Snapshot Frequency Affected by Speed of Snapshot

Creation/Deletion
Prior to establishing a snapshot schedule, Dell recommends that you experiment with the times associated with performing the snapshot
for a single instance before introducing a schedule. When creating the schedule, Dell recommends a suggested interval twice the time an
individual snapshot would take to complete to allow for non-overlapping snapshots. Dell also recommends routinely auditing the snapshot
times and adjusting any schedules accordingly.
If the speed of snapshot creation/deletion prevents VSM from completing a schedule snapshot before the next snapshot interval, VSM
will skip taking (or queueing) new snapshots for that schedule until the previous scheduled snapshot completes. If you have multiple
schedules for the same VM, the additional schedules each queue no more than a single snapshot task, each to be executed upon the
completion of the currently running snapshot, no matter how many times their schedule interval passes.
Snapshot View in the Data Protection Table

When you create VSM snapshots, the details for the snapshots are shown in the Snapshot portion of the VSM Data Protection Hierarchy
table. This table displays all the VSM snapshots.
The following table describes the information provided for snapshots.
Table 31. Snapshot Information
Field Description
Managed Object Name of the virtual object for which the snapshot has been created. This column also includes an icon
indicating the type of object, for example, virtual machine, virtual machine folder, or datastore.
Snapshot Name Name of the VSM snapshot
Creation Time Time and date when the snapshot operation was run
Schedule Link to the schedule for the snapshot. Clicking an item in this column opens the snapshot schedules
view for the selected snapshot.
The following table describes the toolbar buttons.
68 Data Protection
Table 32. Snapshot Action Toolbar Icons
Icon Function
Create snapshot. See Create Snapshot.
Restore snapshot. See Selective Restore Snapshot.
Restore by rollback. See Rollback Restore of Snapshot Dialog Box.
Delete a snapshot. See Delete Snapshot.
Clone volume from snapshot. See Clone Volume from Snapshot.

Clone VVol VM from snapshot. See Clone VVol VM from Snapshot.
Actions. Click this icon to perform actions on a selected schedule:

• Restore snapshot. See Selective Restore Snapshot.
• Restore snapshot by rollback. See Rollback Restore of Snapshot Dialog Box.
• Delete snapshot. See Delete Snapshot.
• Delete all snapshots. See Delete All Snapshots.
• Clone volume from snapshot. See Clone Volume from Snapshot Dialog Box.
• Clone VVol volume from snapshot. See Clone VVol VM from Snapshot.
Planning Snapshots
To prepare for a VSM snapshot task:
• Review the status of the virtual infrastructure object by selecting it from the hierarchy and displaying its status in the information
panel.
• Ensure that the selected object has no active tasks.
• Ensure that enough snapshot reserve is available to maintain the number of snapshots you want to keep.
• VSM relies on iSCSI target volumes to have active connections to the volume from the virtual machine that has been selected for the
snapshot operation. If this connection is not present or is temporarily down, the volume will not be included in the snapshot.
• For snapshots on datastores:
• If the affected datastores are in a datastore cluster, VSM puts the cluster into manual mode during the snapshot operation. This
action applies to all datastores that have snapshots taken, including snapshots on a VM or VM folder.
• VSM attempts to skip datastores associated with a CD-ROM or ISO image on a virtual machine.
NOTE: In version 3.0 and later, VSM assumes that all operating systems can quiesce data (bring to a state suitable for
backups) except for the following operating systems:
• Microsoft Windows ME
• Microsoft Windows 98
• Microsoft Windows 95
Datastore Snapshot Restrictions

The following restrictions apply to snapshots of datastores:
• Affected datastores cannot be in maintenance mode.
• Datastores cannot comprise multiple extents.
• You cannot create a snapshot of a VVol or NAS datastore.
• Dell recommends that you not create snapshots of a datastore that contains the VSM appliance.
• Dell recommends that you not create snapshots of a datastore that contains the vCenter server.
VM and VM Folder Snapshot Restrictions

The following restrictions apply to snapshots of VMs and VM folders:
• VMs must be on VVol or VMFS datastores.
• A single VM cannot be on both VVol and VMFS datastores.
Data Protection 69
Create Snapshot Dialog Box
When you create a snapshot of a VSM-managed virtual object, the Create Snapshot dialog box opens. The following table describes the
options in this dialog box.
Table 33. Create Snapshot Options
Option Description
Include PS Series volumes accessed by guest Check this option to include the PS Series volumes in the snapshot.
iSCSI initiators
Perform virtual machine memory dump Check this option if you want to create a snapshot of the virtual memory of any virtual
machine included in the snapshot.
Ignore unsupported datastores Check this option to specify that any datastores that VSM does not support should be
ignored when performing the snapshot.
Create Snapshot
Create a Dell VSM snapshot using VSM.
Steps
1. Initiate the Create Snapshot task by one of the following methods:
• In vCenter, right-click the name of the virtual object in the inventory and select Create Snapshot.
• In vCenter, click the Configure tab, then the Dell VSM tab. Click the Create Snapshot icon ( ), and select Create Snapshot.
The Create Snapshot dialog box opens.
The Operation Summary section of the dialog box identifies the PS Series volumes that are supported for the operation and any
volumes that are excluded. If VSM detects any problems with the attempted operation, those problems are listed under Detected
Problems. Correct these problems before you can perform the snapshot operation.
2. (Optional) Select these additional tasks to perform as part of the snapshot task:
• Include PS Series volumes that are accessed by guest iSCSI initiators
• Perform a virtual machine memory dump
• Ignore unsupported datastores
3. To complete the task, click OK.
Results
VSM then performs the snapshot.
NOTE: Unless the Ignore unsupported datastores option has been selected, if VSM detects that unsupported datastores
exist, it stops the operation.
Delete Snapshot
Use VSM to delete a snapshot.
Steps
1. In vCenter, click Configure > Dell VSM to view the Data Protection Hierarchy table.
2. In the Recovery section, select the snapshot to delete.
3. Click the Delete icon ( ), or click Actions > Delete Snapshot.
VSM displays a dialog box with the following message: Deleting Snapshot cannot be undone. Continue with the
Delete Action?
4. Click Yes to delete the schedule, or click No to cancel the procedure.
70 Data Protection
Delete All Snapshots
Use VSM to delete all snapshots that are related to a specific virtual object.
Steps
1. In vCenter, click Configure > Dell VSM, then the tab to view the Data Protection Hierarchy table.
2. In the Recovery section, either right-click the object in the Managed Object column for which you want to delete all the snapshots and
select Delete All Snapshots, or click Actions > Delete All Snapshots.
VSM displays a dialog box with the following message: Deleting All Snapshots for the selected object cannot
be undone. Continue with the Delete Action?
3. Click Yes to delete the schedule, or click No to cancel the procedure.
Restoring from a Snapshot

You can restore data from a snapshot. This operation restores copied virtual objects to their state at the time you created the snapshot,
depending on the snapshot options you chose at the time of creation.
You can choose:
• Selective Restore — VSM restores only those virtual objects that you specify, such as individual virtual machines. Other virtual objects
are unaffected by the restore operation.
• Rollback the Datastores (fastest method) — VSM restores the entire datastore, including all virtual machines contained in the
datastore. However, any virtual machines not included originally in the snapshot might have their data overwritten by a rollback. For
example if you create a new virtual machine related to a datastore after the timestamp of the datastore’s last snapshot, that virtual
machine might be corrupted by a rollback of the datastore.
• Include any guest iSCSI volumes accessed by virtual machines in the snapshot (target volumes).
Depending on the volume of virtual objects and data, a restore might take considerable time to complete. Virtual objects might be
unavailable during that time.
NOTE: During a restore operation, avoid starting other tasks that might attempt to access the virtual objects that you
are restoring.
If any VMs have been relocated to another datastore, the restore operation will first attempt to migrate these VMs back
to their original datastore
Before attempting the Restore operation, verify that all members of your network are accessible.
Restore from Snapshot Dialog Box

When you run the VSM Selective Restore Snapshot command, VSM shows the Selective Restore wizard.
The wizard shows a list of all snapshot recovery points from which you can select to restore the VM’s state to that point in time. This list
includes recovery points that were not only taken from that VM itself, but any snapshot on any VMware inventory entity in that VM’s
hierarchy that contains a valid snapshot of that VM.
When you select the specific recovery point, all the VMs contained within that snapshot are also displayed in the Details panel. Because
the snapshot on the array is really of the volume, any VMs that are on that same volume will be included in the volume snapshot.
To view information in the Details panel, select the name of the virtual machine in the inventory shown in the wizard. The following table
describes the information shown in the Details panel for the selected virtual machine.
Table 34. Selective Restore Details Panel Information
Field Description
Hard Disk Name of the disk
Original Datastore The datastore in which the VM was located when the snapshot was taken
Current Datastore The datastore in which the VM is currently located at the time of the restore operation
Restore To The datastore location which the restore operation will access
Data Protection 71
VSM restores to the original datastore even if the VM was moved to a different datastore (after the snapshot being restored from had
taken place). The datastores in the Restore To column will be the same as the Original Datastore, so the Restore To column will be the
same as the Original Datastore. If the original datastore has been removed, VSM will not able to restore it. If the datastore name is empty,
the datastore no longer exists.
Selective Restore Snapshot

Restore from a VSM snapshot.
Steps
1. Select the snapshot in the Managed Object column of the Snapshots table.
2. Initiate the task by one of these methods:
• Click the Restore Snapshot icon ( ) in the toolbar.

• Click Actions > Restore Snapshot.
• Right-click the object and select Restore Snapshot.
The Selective Restore wizard opens, with the Inventory page displayed.
3. Expand the inventory of virtual machines to select the virtual machine to be restored from the snapshot.
4. Select the checkbox next to the name of the virtual machine to be restored.
The Snapshot Details section of the table provides information about the snapshot, including hard disk, original datastore, current
datastore, and the object location where the snapshot should be restored.
5. Click Next.
The Ready to Complete page opens, providing a summary of the operation.
6. Click Finish to complete the Restore action, Back to return to the previous page of the wizard, or Cancel to abort the operation.
Rollback Restore of Snapshot Dialog Box

Use VSM to perform a rollback restore.
About this task

A rollback restore operation restores the original volume to the saved state of the snapshot. When you run the VSM Rollback Restore
of Snapshot command, VSM shows the Restore wizard.
The Rollback Restore operation is available only from the Datastores view, and not from the VM-based views.
To restore from a VSM snapshot:
Steps
1. Select the snapshot in the Managed Object column of the Snapshots table.
The Restore Details portion of the table identifies the properties of the virtual machine and volumes associated with the snapshot.
2. Click the Rollback Restore from Snapshot icon ( ) in the toolbar.

The Rollback Restore from Snapshot wizard opens, with the Inventory page displayed.
3. Click Next.
The Ready to Complete page opens, identifying a summary of the operation.
4. Click Finish to complete the Restore action, Back to return to the previous page of the wizard, or Cancel to abort the operation.
About Snapshot Schedules

You can view and manage schedules to run tasks at a specific time. For example, you can specify a virtual machine or a datastore and
make a snapshot of it every hour. You can create a schedule for any VMware virtual object that supports snapshots or replicas.
Schedule View in the Data Protection Hierarchy Table

When you add snapshot schedules, the details for the schedules are shown in the Snapshot Schedules portion of the VSM Data
Protection Hierarchy table. This scheduling table displays all the currently scheduled snapshot jobs that protect that level of the VMware
inventory, and the inventory entity that the snapshot was created on, called the “Root Object.”
72 Data Protection
The following table describes the information provided for snapshot schedules.
Table 35. Snapshot Schedules Information
Field Description
Managed Object Name of the virtual object for which the snapshot schedule has been created. This column also
includes an icon indicating the type of object, for example, virtual machine, virtual machine folder, or
datastore.
Schedule Time and frequency defined for the schedule
Status Indicates whether the schedule is enabled or disabled
Last run Identifies the job status of the latest job created from the schedule:
• Never Run: The schedule has not yet been executed
• Successful: The most recent job completed successfully
• Complete with Error: The job completed, but errors were found during its execution
• Complete with To-do: The job completed, but users had one or more To Do items to complete
• Aborted: The job was aborted during its execution
Recovery Points Links to the recovery and snapshots pages for recovering virtual objects
Schedule Actions
When the scheduling table is selected within the Data Protection Hierarchy table, you can choose from a list of scheduling actions from
the toolbar. The following table describes the toolbar buttons.
Table 36. Scheduling Action Toolbar Icons
Icon Function
Add a schedule. See Add Schedule/Edit Schedule Dialog Box.
Edit a schedule. See Edit Schedule.
Delete a schedule. See Delete Schedule.
Actions. Click this icon to perform actions on a selected schedule:

• Edit schedule. See Edit Schedule.
• Delete schedule. See Delete Schedule.
• Enable schedule. See Enable and Disable Schedule.
• Disable schedule. See Enable and Disable Schedule.
Run now. See Run Now.
Add Schedule/Edit Schedule Dialog Box

The tasks for Add Schedule and Edit Schedule use the same dialog box to specify the options used when you create a schedule for
running snapshots of virtual objects. The following table describes the options in the Add Schedule dialog box.
Table 37. Add Schedule Options
Setting Description
Name A unique name to be associated with the schedule.
VSM treats schedule names as case insensitive; if you enter uppercase letters when specifying a
name, the name will be listed with lowercase letters.
Template Select a template from the list by clicking the down arrow to view any schedule templates.
VSM provides three default schedule templates that you can use and modify:
Data Protection 73
Setting Description
• Business Hours every hour

• Weekly Snapshot
• Gold 2hr
Optionally, when you create the settings for a new schedule, you can save the current schedule as a
template by clicking Save As Template.

• At a specific time and date
From and To Specify the starting and ending time to run the schedule, in half-hour increments. You can either type
numbers into the From and To text boxes, or use the grippers to drag the slider to the times you
want.
Retention Count Type a value for the maximum number of snapshots or replicas created from the schedule to be kept.
NOTE: Because of VMware’s hierachy snapshot count limitations, the retention count
of schedules of VVol VMs is limited to 31. For details about the hierarchy of snapshots,
refer to the VMware documentation.
Advanced Expand the Advanced settings to select the optional data you want to include in the snapshot:
• Include PS Series volumes accessed by guest iSCSI initiators
Check this option to include the PS series volumes in the snapshot.
Check this option if you want to create a snapshot of the virtual memory of any virtual machine
included in the snapshot. This snapshot is necessary to fully recover virtual machines at a point in
time.
Check this option to specify that any datastores that VSM does not support should be ignored
when performing the schedule.
Add Snapshot Schedule

Use VSM to create a snapshot or replica schedule.
Steps
1. In vCenter, select the name of the virtual object in the inventory and then click the Manage tab.
2. Under Protection on the left side, click Snapshot Schedules.
Th Snapshot Schedules view opens.
3. Click the Add icon ( )

The Add Schedule dialog box opens.
4. Type a name for the schedule.
5. (Optional) Use a currently defined snapshot schedule template by selecting it from the Template list.
6. Enter the date and time parameters for the schedule.
7. (Optional) Set a retention policy for the number of snapshots or replicas to keep.
8. (Optional) Click Advanced. You can then select these additional tasks to perform when the snapshot task is performed:
9. To save the schedule definitions as a template that can be applied to other schedules you create, click Save As Template. The Save
Template dialog box opens. Type a name for the template and click OK.
74 Data Protection
Edit Schedule
You can modify certain parameters of the snapshot schedules that you created previously.
Steps
1. In vCenter, click Configure → Dell VSM. Click the Edit icon ( ) or click Actions > Edit Schedule.
The Edit Schedule dialog box opens. The options are described in Table 37. Add Schedule Options.
2. Modify any of the schedule settings.
Delete Schedule
Use VSM to delete a schedule.
About this task

You can delete unwanted schedules to permanently remove them from VSM. Remember that when you delete a schedule, no snapshots
or replicas are created for all virtual objects that are associated with the schedules.
First review the schedule and ensure that you require no more copies of the managed object.
To temporarily control the creation of scheduled snapshots and replicas, you can enable or disable a schedule as described in Enable and
Disable Schedule.
NOTE: Consider keeping disabled schedules as templates for future schedules that you require.
You can use the VSM Schedules view to delete schedules for objects that have already been deleted from vSphere.
Remove these schedules because they fail to run.
Steps
1. In vCenter, click Configure > Dell VSM. Click the Delete icon ( ), or click Actions > Delete Schedule.
VSM displays a dialog box with the following message: Delete the schedule schedule_name?
2. Click OK to delete the schedule, or click Cancel to cancel the procedure.
Enable and Disable Schedule

To temporarily control the creation of scheduled snapshots and replicas, you can enable or disable a schedule.
About this task

When you enable a schedule, it runs based on the settings you specified. If you want to temporarily stop a schedule from running, you can
disable it.
To permanently remove a schedule, see Delete Schedule.
The following procedure assumes that you have already identified the schedule and launched the dialog box as described in Add Snapshot
Schedule.
Steps
1. If the schedule is enabled, the following message is displayed: Would you like to disable the schedule
schedule_name? Click Yes to disable the schedule, or click No to abort the procedure.
2. If the schedule is disabled, click the schedule you want to enable.
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Run Now
The Run Now schedule action executes the action specified in the selected schedule immediately, rather than waiting for the time
specified in the schedule.
Steps
1. In the VSM Schedules table, click the schedule for the action to be run.
2. Click Actions > Run Now.
VSM opens a dialog box with the following message: Run schedule schedule_name?
3. Click OK to run the schedule, or click Cancel to abort the procedure.
Next steps
NOTE: VSM runs an event process for the Dell EqualLogic Group Manager that shows the correlation of VMs to VVols. In
some cases, the vCenter virtual machine-related event might not be correctly propagated to Group Manager. To
manually trigger a verification between VSM and Group Manager, select System Schedule > Verify > Verify Snaps and
Replicas > Run Now. This verification process does not run on automatic system schedules.
About Clones
VSM supports two types of clone operations:
• Clone Volume from Snapshot — Any snapshot that contains VMFS volumes offers this option. With this operation, the underlying
volumes are cloned and presented as new datastores. The VM files are accessible on the datastores, but are automatically registered
as new VMs only when cloning from a replica.
• Clone VVol from Snapshot — Any snapshot of a VVol VM offers this option. With this operation, VMware creates a new VM that is
equivalent to the state of the selected VM at the time the snapshot was taken.
When snapshots contain both VMFS volumes and VVol VMs, the options available depend where you are viewing the snapshot. Clone
Volumes from Snapshot is available all the time, but the Clone VVol VM From Snapshot option appears only on the individual
VVol VMs that can be cloned from the snapshot.
CAUTION: Be careful when registering and powering on cloned VMs, because the cloned VMs will have the same
network, storage, and application configuration as the original VM and might conflict or corrupt resources that are
shared unexpectedly.
NOTE: When cloning a VM that has disks on multiple datastores, VSM creates clones of all the necessary datastores,
but the VM configuration will have references to the original locations of the VMDKs used by the VM. If you register the
VM, your new VM will use the original VMDK files, not the cloned copies. It is recommended that you either connect to
the VMDKs from existing VMs to access the data that you need or create a new VM with the same configuration and add
the cloned VMDKs as existing hard disks.
Clone Volume from Snapshot Dialog Box

When you clone a snapshot of a VSM-managed virtual object such as a datastore, the Clone Volume from Snapshot wizard opens. The
following table describes the options in this wizard.
Table 38. Clone Volume from Snapshot Options
Option Description
Name Suffix Name suffix assigned to the clone, which includes a timestamp. You can modify this name suffix.
Description (Optional) Description of the clone
Hardware Resource Select from the hierarchy to specify a cluster or resource pool on which to mount the cloned object.
ACL Source Select either:
• Auto-generate ACL for the initiators in the resource pool
• Specify an ACL from the list of available ACLs or create a new ACL using the table on this page of
the wizard
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Option Description
ACL Creation Options
Name Name to be used for the new ACL
Description (Optional) Text string that describes the ACL
iSCI Access Control Entries
Authenticate using CHAP user Type a CHAP user name to be used for authentication.
name
Limit access by IP Address Type an IP address or IP mask to be used to limit access.
Limit access to iSCSI Initiator Type the name of the iSCSI initiator to be used to limit access.
Clone Volume from Snapshot

Use VSM to clone a volume from a snapshot.
About this task

Table 38. Clone Volume from Snapshot Options describes the information that is required for completing this task.
NOTE: The VSM Clone functionality has changed from version 4.0 to 4.5 and later. If you clone from a VM or datastore
snapshot, you must register the VM manually.
To clone a snapshot:
Steps
2. Right-click the object to clone in the Managed Object column and select Clone Volume from Snapshot.
The Clone from Snapshot wizard opens.
3. (Optional) Modify the name suffix.
4. (Optional) Type a description for the clone.
5. From the hardware resource hierarchy, select either a cluster, host, or resource pool where you want to mount the cloned datastores.
6. Click Next.
The Access Policy page of the wizard opens.
7. Specify the access control list (ACL) policy for the clone, using one of these options:
• Autogenerate an ACL for the iSCSI initiators in the resource pool.
• Select an existing ACL from the list by clicking the down arrow on the select one list.
• Create an ACL by entering the fields for Name and Description, then click the Add button to specify iSCSI access control settings.
8. Click Next.
The Ready to Complete page of the wizard opens.
9. Click Finish.
Clone VVol VM from Snapshot

Use VSM to clone a VVol VM from a snapshot.
Steps
2. Right-click the object to clone in the Managed Object column and select Clone VVOL VM from Snapshot.
The Clone VVol VM from Snapshot dialog box opens. A name suffix is provided with the format:
—clone-date-time
3. (Optional) Type a different value for the name suffix.
4. Click OK.
VSM runs the clone procedure. The cloned VM is shown in the Virtual Machines inventory in vCenter.
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About Replication
The replication technology provided by the Dell EqualLogic PS Series firmware enables you to copy volume data from one group to
another, protecting the data from a variety of failures, with no effect on data availability or performance. Replication provides a method
for protecting volume data without setting the volumes offline, with the corresponding disruption to applications and users, and also
provides a disaster-recovery option in case the original group or volume is destroyed or unavailable. If a volume is destroyed, you can fail
over to the recovery group and recover data from a replica. Users can then resume access to the recovery volume. When the original
volume becomes available, you can fail back to the original group.
You can use PS Series replication functionality in conjunction with VSM. Using VSM, you can configure a replication partnership between
groups in a single action. VSM can create replicas of VMware objects that span multiple PS Series groups.
When replication partners are configured, you can create replicas and schedule replicas of virtual objects. Replicas can be used in failover,
failback, and restore operations.
For details on replication operations using Group Manager, see the Dell EqualLogic Group Manager Administrator's Guide.
VSM Replication Considerations

The following considerations and restrictions apply to VSM-managed replication:
• Using VSM, replication can be scheduled only on datastores, datastore folders, and datastore clusters. Only the entities in the
datastore hierarchy will have these views and operations associated with them.
• A VMware entity can be included only in a single replication unit, which is made up of a single root managed object and all of its
children (if any exist). This root object can have multiple replication schedules associated with it, but it cannot have any replication
schedules on any of its parent objects. For example, if you created a schedule on an individual datastore, you cannot then create a
replica on the datastore folder. Whichever entity in the hierarchy is first configured and scheduled for replication will determine
whether or not other related elements can also have independent replication schedules.
• With VSM you can create replicas that span multiple PS Series groups.
• A datastore can be placed only in a single replica.
• Replication of virtual volume (VVol) datastores is not permitted.
Types of Replication Provided by VSM

VSM supports the following replication models:
• Disaster Recovery Replica — Replication between PS Series groups managed by one VSM server to a set of PS Series groups
managed by a VSM server on a remote site. A second vCenter installation is also required for the Disaster Recovery Replica model.
See the following figure.
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Figure 6. Disaster Recovery Concepts
Callout Description
1 vCenter Server
2 VSM virtual appliance
3 Peer-to-peer relationship between VSM virtual appliances
4 PS Series groups
Snapshot replication requires cooperation between peer VSM servers. You configure a VSM peer that manages the replication partner
PS Series group.
To support replication between groups, you must establish a connection between your local instance of VSM and an instance of VSM
that is managing a secondary PS Series group.
VSM identifies replicas as Inbound (VSM is hosting replicas of volumes located on a remote site) or Outbound (VSM is replicating local
volumes to groups managed by a peer VSM). VSM shows a graphic (Figure 7. Replication Direction Graphic).
Figure 7. Replication Direction Graphic
In this example, production-sitea is the primary site, replicating to production-siteb, the secondary site.
• Storage Recovery Replica — An intra-VSM replication operation, this type of operation can preserve a virtual machine state on a
secondary PS Series group within the same VSM virtual appliance (vCenter Server instance). Unlike the Disaster Recovery Replica
model, a Storage Recovery Replica does not require a second VSM peer appliance or an additional vCenter server. This type of
replication does not guarantee complete disaster recovery. However, it does provide these benefits:
• Preserves the virtual machine state on a secondary PS group using just one VSM and vCenter server
• Performs selective restore operations
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Figure 8. Storage Recovery Replica Model
Callout Description
1 vCenter Server
2 VSM virtual appliance
3 PS Series groups
Limitations for Storage Recovery Replication

If part of your SAN is down and you are trying to do a failover from a Storage Recovery Replica, you might encounter issues with
inaccessible datastores that have entered an “all paths down condition.” This issue is a known problem with vSphere 5.0. In vSphere 5.1,
VMware added a feature to detect this device loss, so behavior will be better, but failures might still occur when part of your SAN is down.
Replication Operations
The following figure shows the typical workflow for replication between the primary and secondary sites.
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Figure 9. Replication Workflow
Callout Description
1 On the primary site, use the Create Replica task to initiate the VSM replication operation
2 Replication completed successfully
3 Failover
4 Replicate Back (optional)
5 Failback
6 Register Failback on the primary site
You create a replica on the VSM peer that is the primary site. In the VSM replication view, the status of the replication is identified. On the
secondary site, if the inbound replication completed successfully, you have these options:
• Failover — Temporarily hosts a replica set on the secondary site and moves its data from the primary site to the secondary site in the
event of a disaster on the primary site. See Failover Replica.
• Replicate Back — (Optional) Pushes changes from the recovery volume back to the original volume. See Replicate Back.
• Failback — Returns the datastore and its contents back to the primary site. After the failback operation, the datastore is removed
from the secondary site. See Failback Replica.
• Register Failback — Reloads the VM and registers any new VMs. Datastores and VMs are removed. This action is the last step on the
primary side. See Register Failback.
VSM provides command actions for each of these options.
NOTE: For Storage Recovery replicas, the actions are limited to Create Replica, Failover, Replicate Back, Failback, and
Selective Restore.
The following additional actions can be performed on replicas:
• Verify a replica schedule. See Verify a Schedule.
• Clone a replica. See Clone a Replica.
• Delete a replica. See Delete Replica.
• Delete all replicas. See Delete All Replicas.
The actions available within the replication recovery view depend on the state of the replication for the selected entity. The options in the
State column represent the state of the replica set and, depending on whether this site is the primary or secondary VSM, only a subset of
the states and actions are available. The following table describes the differences between the primary and secondary sides and the
various recovery states.
Data Protection 81
Table 39. Possible VSM Replication Actions
State Actions
Primary Side: State=Ready (Outbound replicating)
Ready, In-Progress Create, Delete, Delete All
Primary Side: State=Failed Back to Primary
Most recent replica = Failed Back to Primary Delete, Delete All, Register Failback
Secondary Side, State=Ready (Inbound Replicating)
Ready, In-Progress Delete, Delete All
Secondary Side, State=Replication Complete
Most recent replica = Replication Complete Failover
Secondary Side, State=Failover Done
Most recent replica = Failover Done, Replicated to Primary Failback, Replicate Back, Delete
Secondary Side, State=Failed Back
Most recent replica = Failed Back, All others = Inactive Delete
Many of the replication tasks can be invoked using an action icon in the toolbar. The set of icons varies depending on the replication state.
The following table describes the replication action icons.
Table 40. Replication Action Toolbar Icons
Icon Function
Create replica. See Create Replica Dialog Box.
Failover replica. See Failover Replica.
Replicate back. See Replicate Back.
Failback. See Failback Replica.
Delete a replica. See Delete Replica.
Delete all replicas. See Delete All Replicas.
Create Replica Dialog Box

The following table explains the options for completing the Create Replica wizard.
Table 41. Create Replica Options
Option Description
Include PS Series volumes accessed by guest iSCSI Check this option to include the PS Series volumes in the replica.
initiators
Perform virtual machine memory dump Check this option if you want to create a replica of the virtual memory of any
virtual machine included in the replica.
Ignore unsupported datastores Check this option to specify that any datastores that VSM does not support
should be ignored when creating the replica.
Prerequisites for Configuring Replication

For storage recovery replication, all replication partner groups must be managed by the same VSM server.
Dell strongly recommends that you use VSM to configure and remove a replication partnership to maintain two-way consistency.
82 Data Protection
The same requirements apply to deleting partners. If you remove one partner from Group Manager, you must also remove the other
partner from Group Manager.
Before configuring a replication partnership, you must perform the following tasks:
1. Using the Groups view, add the partner group to a VSM server.
• For disaster recovery replication, add the partner group to the peer VSM server.
• For storage recovery replication, add the partner group to the same local VSM server.
See Add a PS Series Group for instructions.
2. If you are establishing replication between two VSM peers:
a. Create an access password for each VSM peer in the VSM tab of the Configure VSM Properties dialog box. This task is a one-time
operation. See Edit VSM Setting.
b. From the VSM Peers view, add the VSM peer that manages the remote groups to which you want to replicate. This task is a one-
time operation.
Create a Replica
Use VSM to create a replica.
About this task

NOTE: You cannot create a replica if inbound replication from the remote replication partner is paused. Before
attempting the Create Replica operation or running a replication schedule, verify that no inbound replicas are paused.
Steps
1. Initiate the Create Replica task by one of the following methods:
• From the Data Protection Hierarchy table, click the Create Replica icon ( ). For instructions on accessing this view, see VSM
Data Protection Table.
• In the VSM Datastores table, right-click the name of the datastore in the inventory and click All Dell VSM Actions > Create
Replica.
• After selecting replicas from Data Recovery Search, select the object from which to create a replica, then click the Create
Replica icon ( ).
The Create Replica wizard opens.
The Plan Details section of the wizard identifies the VM and PS Series volumes that are supported for the operation. If VSM detects
any problems with the attempted operation, those problems are listed under Plan Errors. You must correct these problems before you
can perform the replication operation.
2. (Optional) Select these additional tasks to perform as part of the replica task:
Results
VSM then initiates the replication operation.
Verify a Schedule
Use VSM to verify system schedules.
About this task

After you create a replica and then perform other operations on the replica, the states change as the operations are completed. VSM
periodically performs a synchronization on the snapshot and replica database.
If a PS Series group is running low on space, the group could remove snapshots or replicas (or both) created by VSM. Also, snapshots and
replicas could have been explicitly deleted by a group administrator. The Verify System Schedule task runs periodically to verify
that the volume snapshots and replicas created by VSM still exist. If VSM detects that a snapshot is missing one of its volume snapshots,
Data Protection 83
or a replica is missing all of its replicas, VSM removes the corresponding entry from it database. VSM creates an event for the VSM virtual
appliance for each snapshot and replica that the verify job removes from the database.
To ensure that replication states are synchronized, use the Verify System Schedule action to verify the replication schedule.
Verify Schedule is one of the system schedules available from the VSM Home workspace.
To run Verify System Schedule for snapshots and replicas:
Steps
1. From the VSM Home view, click Manage > System Schedules.
2. In the Schedules table, click Verify schedule.
3. Either right-click Verify schedule and select Run Now or click the Run Now icon ( ).
VSM displays a dialog box with the following message: Run system schedule Verify now?
4. Click OK.
Failover Replica
You can perform a failover operation on a replica whose state is “Ready.”
Steps
1. Display the table of replicas. You can use Data Recovery Search to specify a replica by name or to display all replicas by type. See
Search VSM Managed Objects.
2. From the table, select the replica to be failed over.
3. Click the Failover Replica icon ( ).

The first page of the Failover wizard, Hardware Resource, opens.
4. Expand the hierarchy to select a cluster, host, or resource pool where the replicated VMs will be run.
5. Click Next.
The Access Policy page of the wizard opens.
6. Specify the access control list (ACL) policy for the clone, using one of these options:
• Auto-generate an ACL for the iSCSI initiators in the resource pool
• Select an existing ACL from the list by clicking the down arrow on the select one list
• Create a new ACL by filling in the fields for Name and Description, then click the Add button to specify iSCSI access control
entries
7. Click Next.
The Ready to Complete page provides a summary of the operation.
8. To complete the operation, click Finish.
Replicate Back
You can perform a replicate back operation on a replica on the secondary site that has a state of “Failover Completed” or “Replicated to
Primary.”
About this task

NOTE: Before attempting a Replicate Back or Failback operation, ensure that the primary volumes do not have any
active iSCSI connections by taking the volumes offline.
Steps
2. From the table, select the replica to be replicated back.
The Recovery Point Details table identifies the VM name, status of the snapshot (Yes, No), the datastore storage name, and the
source and destination for the replicate back operation.
3. Click the Replicate Back icon ( ).

The datastores dependencies table identifies the volume name, the datastore name, and the names of the groups involved in the
replicate back operation.
84 Data Protection
4. Click Next.
The Groups page opens.
5. Enter the credentials (user name and password) for the selected peer group, then click Set Password. This step is required only in a
remote replication scenario.
6. Click Next.
Failback Replica
You can perform a failback operation on a replica on the secondary site that has a state of “Failover Completed” or “Replicated to
Primary.”
About this task

NOTE: Before attempting a Replicate Back or Failback operation, ensure that the primary volumes do not have any
active iSCSI connections by taking the volumes offline.
Steps
2. From the table, select the replica to be failed back.
3. Click the Failback Replica icon ( ).

The datastores dependencies table identifies the volume name, the datastore name, and the names of the groups involved in the
failback operation.
4. Click Next.
The Groups page opens.
5. Enter the credentials (user name and password) for the selected peer group, then click Set Password.
6. Click Next.
Register Failback
The Register Failback operation reconnects the datastores and virtual machines that were hosted on the primary partner. If virtual
machines were added while the datastores were active on the second site, you will have the option of adding those to the inventory of the
primary site.
About this task

You can perform a Register Failback operation on a replica on the primary site that has a state of “Failback Replicated” or “Failback
Register Not Complete.”
Steps
2. From the table, select the object for which you want to register the failback.
The Recovery Point Details portion of the table identifies the related VM name, status of the VM snapshot (Yes, No), the datastore
storage name, and the source and destination peers.
3. Click Actions > Register Failback Virtual Machines.
The first page of the Register Failback wizard, New Virtual Machines, opens. This page identifies the VMs that were added after the
failover operation.
4. (Optional) To register the virtual machines as part of the failback, select the Register new virtual machines selection box, then click
Next.
The Inventory Location wizard opens.
5. From the inventory, select a filter, then click Next.
The Hardware Resource page opens.
6. Expand the hierarchy to select a cluster, host, or resource pool where the new virtual machines will run.
Data Protection 85
7. Click Next.
Clone Replica Wizard

The following table explains the information required for completing the Clone Replica wizard.
Table 42. Clone Replica Options
Setting Description
Hardware Resource
Hardware Resource Select from the hierarchy to specify the cluster, host, or resource pool on which to mount the cloned
datastore.
Access Policy
ACL Source Select the source for the access policy. Click one option. You can either:
• Auto-generate an ACL for the initiators in the resource pool
• Specify a unique ACL
Select an ACL If an ACL policy has been set previously, you can select it from the list by clicking the down arrow and
choosing from the existing ACLs.
Name A name for the new ACL if you choose to create a new one
Description A description of the new ACL
iSCSI Access Control Entries • Click Add to configure the CHAP user name, IP address, and iSCSI initiator values.
• Click Modify to make modifications to an existing ACL policy.
• Click Remove to delete a selected ACL policy.
Clone a Replica
Use VSM to clone a replica.
Steps
2. From the table, select the replica to be cloned.
3. Click the Clone from Replica icon ( ).

The Hardware Resources section of the Clone from Restore Point wizard opens.
4. Expand the hierarchy as necessary to specify an inventory location for the clone. Then click Next.
The Access Policy page opens.
5. Select the option for ACL source:
• Auto-generation ACL for the initiators in the resource pool. If you choose this option, VSM will auto-generate ACL records for
host initiators in the resource pool.
• Use a previously defined ACL policy from the list.
• To create an ACL policy, type a name and, optionally, a description for the ACL policy. Click Add to supply the iSCSI Access
Control Entries values. You can save the new ACL policy as a template by clicking Save as Template.
• To modify the values for an existing ACL policy, first select the ACL policy from the list, then change any of the values. Click
Modify to finish.
6. Click Next.
7. Click Finish.
86 Data Protection
Delete Replica
Use VSM to delete a replica.
Steps
2. From the table, select the replica to be deleted.
3. Click the Delete Replica icon ( ).
VSM displays a dialog box with the following message: Deleting a recovery point for the selected managed
object cannot be undone. Continue with Delete Action?
4. To continue with the deletion, click Yes.
Delete All Replicas

Use VSM to delete all replicas.
Steps
2. From the table, select the replicas to be deleted.
3. Click the Delete All Replicas icon ( ).

VSM displays a dialog box with the following message: Deleting all recovery points for the selected managed
object cannot be undone. Continue with Delete All Action?
4. To continue with the deletion, click Yes.
Data Protection 87
11
VSM Schedules
When you select Schedules in the VSM navigator, you can view and manage snapshot and replication schedules that were created
previously.
VSM allows a schedule to have only one active job at a time. If the frequency of the schedule is too high, jobs might fail because a job for
that schedule is already running.
Topics:
• VSM Schedules View
• Filter the Schedules Table
VSM Schedules View

The VSM content area displays a table of all existing schedules, with the columns described in the following table.
Table 43. VSM Schedules Information
Column Description
Name Name of schedule
Type Type of schedule (snapshot, replication)
Managed object Target object for the scheduled operation, such as a virtual machine or datastore
Schedule Current schedule time and frequency
Status Status of the most recent job associated with the schedule (enabled, disabled)
Last Run Result of the last run of the schedule (Success, Failure, Completed with Error)
Recovery Points Lists the number of recovery points for the operation and provides a hyperlink to the recovery points. By
clicking in this column, you open the VSM Data Protection Hierarchy table and can access additional actions.
See VSM Data Protection Table.
VSM Schedules Toolbar

The VSM Schedules table includes a toolbar of actions to be used with the schedules. The following table the toolbar buttons.
NOTE:
VSM privileges are required to perform scheduling actions. See Managing VSM Privileges.
Table 44. Schedule Action Toolbar Icons
Icon Function
Edit a schedule. See Edit Schedule.
Run a schedule now. See Run Now.
Delete a schedule. See Delete Schedule.
Disable a schedule. See Enable and Disable Schedule.
Enable a schedule. See Enable and Disable Schedule.
Show/hide filters. See Filter the Schedules Table.
88 VSM Schedules
Icon Function
Clear schedule filters. See Filter the Schedules Table.
Filter the Schedules Table

You can filter the display from the standard VSM Schedules view.
Steps
1. Click the Show/Hide quick filters icon ( ).

• Name — Type all or part of a text string, then click Enter.
• Type — Select either snapshot schedules or replication schedules.
Next steps
To clear all filters, click the Clear All Filters icon ( ).
VSM Schedules 89
12
Managing Jobs
When you initiate an action or task, the task runs as a background activity. You can monitor the progress of the task in the Jobs view.
Typical results of tasks include:
• Error states, including error messages, resulting from a failed task. These messages help you to identify where a task might be failing.
• Any additional tasks required by the user. Several manual tasks might be required as a result of complex procedures such as recovering
virtual objects from a replica. The task execution report helps to guide you through the procedure.
• List of restored volumes
• List of restored virtual machines
• List of rolled-back snapshots
Topics:
• Jobs View
• Filter Job Listing
• Getting Job Details
Jobs View
When you select Jobs from the VSM navigator, the content area shows a table of all jobs related to VSM actions. The top pane of the
table lists all jobs. If you click a job in the table, the bottom pane shows details for that job.
Information included in the top pane includes:
• Name
• Status
• Queued time
• Start time
• Duration
• Completion time
NOTE: VSM does update the Jobs view automatically. To update the Jobs view, click the Rescan button ( ) in the
vSphere Web Client toolbar.
Filter Job Listing

Use VSM to filter job listings.
About this task

You can filter the columns in the table by:
• Name — Identifies the job by name
• Status — Identifies the job status, such as Success or Failed
• Queued Time — Identifies the time when the job was queued
• Start time — Identifies the time when the job was started
• Duration — Identifies the amount of time the job took to run
• Completion time — Identifies the time when the job completed
Steps
1. Click the Show/Hide quick filters icon ( ).

90 Managing Jobs
• Name — Type all or part of a text string, then click Enter.
• State — Select from the list of states.
• Start Time — Click the calendar icon ( ) to select the date range to use as a search criteria. You can specify:
• On or after a specific date
• On or before a specific date
NOTE: The Start Time filter can be used to filter by specific dates. This filter does not allow you to search for
specific times.
3. To clear all filters, click the Clear All Filters icon ( ).
Getting Job Details

The following table describes the information identified for jobs.
Table 45. Job Information
Field Description
Job Description of the job
Status Whether the job was successful or not. If unsuccessful, error details are provided in the
Task Information pane.
Start Time The local system clock time when the job started
Duration The amount of time the job took to run
Completion Time The local system clock time when the job ended
Details Displays information on a selected job:
• The type of task and its status (failure, success)
• Information about the success or failure of the task within the job
• Relevant error messages in the event of a failure
• Listing of any additional tasks required to complete the job. Manual tasks might be
required to complete complex procedures such as recovering virtual objects from a
replica. The task execution report helps to guide you through the manual tasks.
• Describes virtual objects and objects (such as snapshots) that were used or created
in the task
Managing Jobs 91
13
Templates
VSM provides two types of templates for you to use when you create or modify virtual objects:
• Access control list (ACL) templates, which can be applied to objects to define the related permissions.
• Schedule templates, which can be used when creating new snapshot or replication schedules.
Topics:
• About ACL Templates
• About Schedule Templates
About ACL Templates

You can define access control list (ACL) policies to be applied to hosts, datastores, datastore folders, datastore clusters, and pool settings.
VSM provides the following methods for accessing the ACL templates actions:
• To manage ACL templates and settings for iSCSI access control, select Templates > ACL Templates in the VSM navigator.
• To create an ACL template from a volume in a Dell datastore, access the VSM datastores table. See Create ACL Template from
Volume.
• To create ACL templates for objects, select the Access Control List tab in the VSM Data Protection table. See VSM Data Protection
Table.
ACL Templates Dialog Box

When you select ACL Templates, the content area shows a table of ACL templates that have been defined. The Actions menu and the
toolbar on this page list the available actions. The following table describes the actions included in the ACL toolbar.
NOTE: The actions to add an ACL for a host or a cluster are available from the VSM Data Protection table only.
Table 46. ACL Templates Actions
Icon Function
Create ACL template. See Create ACL Template.
Modify ACL template. See Modify ACL Template.
Clone ACL template. See Clone ACL Template.
Delete ACL template. See Delete ACL Template.
Add ACL for a host. See Add ACL for Host.
Add ACL for cluster. See Add ACL for Cluster.
The following table describes the options that can be set when you create or modify an ACL template.
Table 47. iSCSI Access Control Entry Options
Option Description
Authenticate using CHAP user name Type a CHAP user name to be used for authentication.
Limit access by IP Address Type an IP address or IP mask to be used to limit access.
Limit access by iSCSI initiator name Type the name of an iSCSI initiator to use to limit access.
92 Templates
Create ACL Template
Use VSM to create an ACL template.
Steps
1. To initiate the Create ACL Template action, either:

• Click the Create ACL Template icon ( ) in the toolbar.
• Right-click in the ACL Templates table.
The Create ACL Template dialog box opens.
2. Enter a name for the new policy in the Name field.
3. Enter a description in the Description field.
4. Click Add.
The iSCSI Access Control Entry dialog box opens.
5. Type the values for the type of access selected (see Table 47. iSCSI Access Control Entry Options), then click OK.
6. To save the template, click OK.
Results
The new template and its values are shown in the table.
Modify ACL Template

Use VSM to modify an ACL template.
About this task

NOTE: If you change an ACL template, those modifications are not automatically applied to the datastores that have
been created using the policy. You must manually apply the modified policy to those datastores.
Steps
1. To initiate the Modify ACL Template action, either:

• Click the Modify ACL Template icon ( ) in the toolbar.
• Right-click in the ACL Templates table.
The Modify ACL Template dialog box opens.
2. Change the values for the type of access selected. To add iSCSI access controls, click Add, then fill in the values, as described in
Table 47. iSCSI Access Control Entry Options. Click OK.
Results
The revised template and its values are listed in the table.
Clone ACL Template

Use VSM to clone an ACL template.
Steps
1. To initiate the Apply ACL action, either:
• Click Actions > Clone ACL Template.
• Click the Clone ACL Template icon ( ) in the toolbar.
Templates 93
• Right-click a template in the ACL Templates table, then select Clone ACL Template.
The Clone ACL Template dialog box opens.
2. Click the arrow next to the templates.
3. Change the values for Name and Description. To add iSCSI access controls, click Add, then fill in the values (see Table 47. iSCSI
Access Control Entry Options). Click OK.
5. To complete the operation, click OK.
Results
The new template and its values are listed in the table.
Delete ACL Template

Use VSM to delete an ACL template.
Steps
1. To initiate the Delete ACL Template action, either:
• Click Actions > Delete ACL Template.
• Click the Delete ACL Template icon ( ) in the toolbar.
• Right-click a template in the ACL Templates table and select Delete ACL Template.
A warning dialog box opens.
2. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
Add ACL for Host

Use VSM to add an ACL for a host.
Steps
1. From vCenter, view Hosts.
vCenter shows a table of all hosts.
2. Select a host by clicking its name.
3. Click the Dell VSM button.
The VSM Data Protection table opens.
4. Select a datatore.
5. Click Access Control List.
A table of all currently defined ACLs opens.
6. Click the Add ACL for Host icon ( ).

The Add Host Access dialog box opens.
7. From the list of hosts, select a host by clicking its name.
8. Click OK.
Add ACL for Cluster

Use VSM to add an ACL for a cluster.
Steps
1. From vCenter, view Clusters.
vCenter shows a table of all ACLs.
2. Select a host by clicking its name.
3. Click the Dell VSM button.
The VSM Data Protection table opens.
94 Templates
4. Select a datatore,
5. Click Access Control List.
A table of all currently defined ACLs opens.
6. Click the Add ACL for Cluster icon ( ).

The Add Cluster Access dialog box opens.
7. From the list of clusters, select a cluster by clicking its name.
8. Click OK.
Create ACL Template from Volume

Use VSM to create an ACL template from a volume in a VSM datastore. .
Steps
1. From the VSM datastores table, select the datastore from which to create the ACL template.
2. To initiate the action, either:
• Click Actions > Clone ACL from volume.
• Right-click a datastore in the table, then select Clone ACL from volume.
The Create ACL Template dialog box opens.
3. Type a name for the new template in the Name field.
4. (Optional) Type a description in the Description field.
5. Click the Add button to specify iSCSI access control entry options.
The iSCSI Access Control Entry dialog box opens.
6. Type the values for the type of access selected (see ACL Templates Dialog Box), then click OK.
7. To save the template, click OK.
Results
The new template and its values are shown in the ACL templates table.
About Schedule Templates

With VSM, you can manage snapshot and replication schedules. When you create a new schedule, you have the option of using a schedule
template. The advantage of a schedule template is that it already has the schedule times and frequency defined. Therefore, if you want to
use standard scheduling when setting up snapshots or replicas, using a schedule template can save time.
Edit Schedule Template Dialog Box

When you select Schedule Templates, the content area shows a table of schedule templates that have been defined. VSM provides three
default schedule templates that you can use and modify:
• Business Hours every hour
• Weekly Snapshot
• Gold 2hr
The Actions menu and the toolbar on this page list the available actions. The following table describes the actions on the ACL toolbar.
Table 48. Schedule Template Toolbar and Action Menu Icons
Icon Function
Create a schedule template. See Add a Schedule Template.
Edit a schedule template. See Edit Schedule Template.
Delete a schedule template. See Delete Schedule Template.
The following table describes the options that can be set.
Templates 95
Table 49. Edit Schedule Template Options
Setting Description
Name A unique name for the schedule template.
NOTE: VSM treats schedule names as case insensitive; if you enter uppercase letters
when specifying a name, the name will be listed with lowercase letters.

• At a specific time and date
From and To Specify the starting and ending time to run the schedule, in half-hour increments. You can either type
numbers into the From and To text boxes, or use the grippers to drag the slider to the times you
want.
Keep Count Type a value for the maximum number of snapshots or replicas created from the schedule to be kept.
Advanced Expand the Advanced settings to select the optional data you want to include in the snapshot:
Check this option to include the PS series volumes in the snapshot.
Check this option if you want to create a snapshot of the virtual memory of any virtual machine
included in the snapshot. This action is necessary to fully recover virtual machines at a point in
time.
Check this option to exclude datastores that are not supported by Dell from the snapshot or
replica operation.
Add a Schedule Template

Use VSM to create a schedule template.
Steps
1. From the VSM navigator, select Schedule Template.
The Schedule Template table opens in the content area.
2. Click the Add icon ( .

The Edit Schedule Template dialog box opens.
3. Type a name for the schedule template.
4. Enter the date and time parameters for the schedule.
5. (Optional) Set a retention policy for the number of snapshots or replicas to keep.
6. (Optional) Click Advanced. You can then select these additional tasks to perform when the snapshot task is performed:
Edit Schedule Template

You can modify certain parameters of the schedule templates that you created previously.
Steps
1. In the Schedule Templates table, click the Edit icon ( ), or click Actions > Edit Schedule Template.
The Edit Schedule Template dialog box opens. The options are described in Edit Schedule Template Dialog Box.
2. Modify any of the schedule settings.
96 Templates
Delete Schedule Template

Use VSM to delete a schedule template.
About this task
NOTE: Consider keeping schedule templates for future schedules that you require.
Steps
1. In the Schedule Templates table, click the Delete icon ( ), or click Actions > Delete Schedule Template.
VSM displays a dialog box with the following message: Delete schedule template schedule_name?
2. Click OK to delete the schedule template, or click Cancel to abort the procedure.
Templates 97
14
Managing VSM Privileges
VSM uses the VMware vSphere model for user authentication and role-based security. A selected user or group can have different role
privileges on each VMware entity. The vCenter server gives access to objects, such as datastores or datastore folders, only to users who
have assigned privileges.
vCenter has a set of standard privileges that an administrator can manage. VSM provides security control by extending the VMware
vSphere security model for user authorization with permissions and roles on VSM-managed objects. VSM includes its own set of VSM-
specific privileges that are added to vCenter during installation of VSM. Figure 10. VSM Privileges Within vCenter shows an example of the
Dell Virtual Storage Manager privileges from the vCenter Role Manager.
See Privileges for VSM Operations for a complete list of VSM privileges.
Figure 10. VSM Privileges Within vCenter
98 Managing VSM Privileges

Related VMware Documentation for Permissions
and Roles
Before you configure VSM user authorization with permissions and roles, you must first be familiar with the VMware security models
described in VMware ESXi and vCenter Server 5.5 documentation. You can access all VMware ESXi and vCenter documentation from the
Help menu in the vSphere Web Client toolbar. Select “Help Table of Contents” and then select “ESXi and vCenter Server 5.5
Documentation.” Select and expand the “vSphere Security” topic to view the following relevant descriptions:
• vSphere Users and Permissions
• vCenter User Management Tasks, Managing Permissions for vCenter Components
• vCenter User Management Tasks, Roles in vCenter Server and ESXi
NOTE: These topic names refer to the help topics in vSphere 5.5. If you are running an earlier version of vSphere,
search for the relevant topic in the vSphere online help.
VMware Security Concepts

The VMware security models include the following basic concepts and definitions:
• VMware vSphere components are secured through a system of privileges, roles, and permissions.
• Privileges define individual rights that a user requires to perform operations on, or read properties from, a vSphere object.
• A role is a predefined set of privileges. Users are granted privileges to vSphere objects through roles.
• A permission consists of a user or group and an assigned role for an inventory object, such as a vCenter server, datastore, virtual
machine, or ESXi host. Permissions grant users the right to perform the activities specified by the role on the object to which the role
is assigned.
• When you assign permissions to a user or group, you pair the user or group with a role and associate that pairing with an inventory
object. A single user might have different roles for different objects in the inventory.
Topics:
• Summary of VSM Security and Privileges Configuration
• Granting Privileges to a User
• Privileges for VSM Operations
• Example of Granting Privileges
Summary of VSM Security and Privileges

Configuration
This section describes the typical steps to configure your vCenter environment for controlling user authorization with permissions and
roles with VSM privileges enabled. This example also gives you a high-level overview of how VSM security works. For additional
information, see the references to the ESXi and vCenter Server 5.5 documentation.
The overall procedure for assigning VSM privileges is as follows:
1. Create roles with VSM security privileges. See Granting Privileges to a User for details.
vCenter documentation reference: For information on the steps to create roles, see the “vSphere Security” documentation topic, then
“vCenter User Management Tasks,” “Roles in vCenter Server and ESXi,” “Create a Role in the vSphere Web Client.”
2. Create the users or groups that are authorized to perform certain VSM tasks.
vCenter documentation reference: For information, see the “vSphere Security” documentation topic, then “vSphere Authentication
with vCenter Single Sign-On,” “Managing vCenter Single Sign-On Users and Groups.”
3. Assign user permissions to perform certain VSM tasks by assigning the predefined roles with VSM security privileges to the vCenter
objects.
vCenter documentation reference: For information on the steps to assign user permissions and their roles to the relevant inventory
objects, see the “vSphere Security” documentation topic, then “vCenter User Management Tasks,” “Managing Permissions for
vCenter Components,” “Assign Permissions in the vSphere Web Client.”
4. Test the VSM security configuration by logging in the users and performing the VSM tasks. If a user does not have the required
privileges or permissions to perform such tasks, the user will see an error message of missing privileges. Otherwise, the user can
perform the tasks as being authorized by the permissions.
Managing VSM Privileges 99

When you configure security for your vCenter, consider the following behaviors for permissions:
• Permissions defined for a child object always override the permissions that are propagated from parent objects.
• When setting permissions, verify all the object types are set with appropriate privileges for each particular action. Some operations
require access permission at the root folder or parent folder in addition to access to the object being manipulated. Some operations
require access or performance permission at a parent folder and a related object.
• Because a permission consists of a user or group and an assigned role for an inventory object, only one role can be used at a time per
permission. Any role you create also needs to contain all the requisite VMware inventory privileges. Without the VMware privileges in
the role, you might lose access to the object entirely.
Granting Privileges to a User

As a system administrator, you must grant the user with the proper privileges on the vCenter objects before the user can perform VSM
operations on those objects.
The tables in Privileges for VSM Operations list the required VSM privileges that, when selected for a role, can be paired with a user and
assigned to an object. The table contains the following information:
• VSM Operation — The VSM operations that the user is going to perform.
• Privilege Name — The required or optional VSM privileges for the user to perform the VSM operations.
• Pair with Objects — As an administrator, you must grant the required VSM privileges to the user to perform VSM operations on these
vCenter objects or on the children of these vCenter objects.
• Effective on Object — VSM ultimately checks on the privileges assigned on this object. The object can be the same as the paired
objects, or it can be the children of the paired objects. You must propagate the privileges to this effective object to perform VSM
operations on it.
Consider the following requirements before you grant VSM privileges to users:
• You can grant different View privileges to different users to fit your organization’s security needs. The following View privileges should
be assigned at the vCenter Server level:
• Dell > Virtual Storage Manager > Access Control List Template > View ACL Templates
• Dell > Virtual Storage Manager > EQL Volumes > View EQL Volumes
• Dell > Virtual Storage Manager > Jobs and Tasks > View
• Dell > Virtual Storage Manager > PS Groups > View PS Groups
• Dell > Virtual Storage Manager > Replication > View Peer VSM
• Dell > Virtual Storage Manager > Replication > View Replication Partners
• Dell > Virtual Storage Manager > Snapshots/Replicas > View Snapshots/Replicas
• Dell > Virtual Storage Manager > ProtocolEndpoint > View ProtocolEndpoint
• Dell > Virtual Storage Manager > StorageContainer > View StorageContainer
• Dell > Virtual Storage Manager > Snapshots/Replicas > Schedules > View Snapshot/Replica Schedules
• Dell > Virtual Storage Manager > Snapshots/Replicas > Templates > View Schedule Templates
• Dell > Virtual Storage Manager > VSM Configuration > System Schedules > View System Schedules
• If you do not have the privilege to perform a certain VSM operation, the application displays a Permission Denied message along
with the missing privilege information. The system administrator must grant all the required privileges to you to perform the VSM
operations.
• To perform the VSM Add Datastore operation, users must also have the VMware-defined Datastore/Datastore Move privilege on
the folder where they are attempting to create the datastore.
Privileges for VSM Operations

The following tables describe the privileges for VSM operations.
Table 50. PS Series Group Privileges
VSM Operation Privilege Name Pair with Objects Effective on Object

Add Group Add PS Group vCenter Server vCenter Server
Update Credentials/Modify Group Modify PS Group vCenter Server vCenter Server
Unmanage (Remove) Group Remove Group vCenter Server vCenter Server
View Group View PS Groups vCenter Server vCenter Server

Table 51. Datastore Privileges

Add (Provision) Datastore Provision Datastores Host Resource Pool
Host Cluster
Resource Pool
VMware Move datastore Datastore Folder Datastore Folder
Datastore Cluster
Specify ACL (optional) Datastore Folder vCenter Server
Create Snapshot Schedule Datastore Folder Datastore Folder

(optional)
Datastore Cluster Datastore Cluster
Parent of new datastore 1
Configure Replication Datastore Folder Datastore Folder

(optional)
Parent of new datastore 1
Configure SyncRep (optional) Datastore Folder Datastore Folder

Parent of new datastore
Resize and Modify Datastore Modify Datastore Datastore Folder Datastore
Apply ACL to Datastore Datastore Cluster
Delete Datastore Delete Datastore Datastore Datastore
Datastore Folder
Datastore Cluster
Configure SyncRep on datastore Configure SyncRep on Datastore Datastore

Datastore
Datastore Folder
Datastore Cluster
Configure Replication on datastore Configure Replication on Datastore Datastore

Datastore
Datastore Folder
Datastore Cluster
1 VSM verifies the privilege on the object that is the parent of the datastore that is being created or configured.
Table 52. Dell EqualLogic Volume Privileges

View Dell EqualLogic Volumes View EQL Volumes vCenter Server vCenter Server
Table 53. Job and Task Privileges

View Jobs View VSM Jobs and Tasks vCenter Server vCenter Server

Table 54. Replication Privileges

Add Peer Add Peer VSM vCenter Server vCenter Server
Update Replication Partnership Modify a Peer VSM vCenter Server vCenter Server
Remove (Delete) VSM Peer Remove Peer VSM vCenter Server vCenter Server
Configure Replication Partner Configure Replication Partner vCenter Server vCenter Server
View Peer VSM

View Replication Partners
View PS Groups
Modify Replication Partner Modify Replication Partner vCenter Server vCenter Server
Deconfigure Replication Partner Deconfigure Replication vCenter Server vCenter Server
Partner
Change Password for VSM Peers Configure VSM Peering Secret vCenter Server vCenter Server
Replication Failback Failback a replica vCenter Server vCenter Server
Replication Failover (Storage Failover a replica Datastore Datastore
Recovery)
Datastore Folder Datastore Folder
Storage Recovery View Snapshot/Replica Datastore Datastore

Replication Failover (Inbound Failover a replica vCenter Server vCenter Server

Replica)
Datastore Datastore
Register VMs after failback Register the VMs after failback Datastore Datastore
of a replica
Replicate a replica back Replicate back a replica vCenter Server vCenter Server
View VSM Peer View Peer VSM vCenter Server vCenter Server
View Replication Partners View Replication Partners vCenter Server vCenter Server
Table 55. Snapshot Privileges

Clone Snapshot Clone Snapshot/Replica vCenter Server vCenter Server
Create Snapshot Create Snapshot/Replica Virtual Machine Virtual Machine
VM Folder VM Folder
Datastore Datastore
Delete Snapshot 1 Delete Snapshot/Replica Virtual Machine Virtual Machine

VM Folder VM Folder
Datastore Datastore
Delete All Snapshots Delete Snapshot/Replica Virtual Machine Virtual Machine

VM Folder VM Folder
Datastore Datastore
Restore VM from Snapshot 2 Restore VM from Snapshot/ Virtual Machine Virtual Machine
Replica
VM Folder Datastore
Datastore
Datastore Folder
Datastore Cluster
Rollback Restore 3 Rollback Datastore from Datastore Datastore

Snapshot
Datastore Folder
Cluster
Verify Snapshot Verify Snapshot/Replica state vCenter Server vCenter Server

View Snapshots View Snapshots/Replicas vCenter Server vCenter Server
1For the Delete Snapshot operation, VSM checks the operation permission on the object at the root of the snapshot if it exists locally. If
the object existed, but has been deleted, VSM checks the operation permission on the object on the vCenter Server.
2 If the VM being restored still exists in the inventory, VSM checks the privilege on the VM. If the VM has been deleted and the Restore
operation is creating it, VSM checks the privilege on the set of datastores on which the VM will be created.
3 Rollback is checked on the datastores being rolled back.
Table 56. Replica Privileges

Clone Replica Clone Snapshot/Replica vCenter Server vCenter Server
Create Replica Create Snapshot/Replica Datastore Datastore
Delete Replica 1 Delete Snapshot/Replica Datastore Datastore

Restore VM from Replica 2 Restore VM from Snapshot/ Datastore Virtual Machine

Replica
Datastore Folder Datastore
Datastore Cluster
Verify Replica State Verify Snapshot/Replica state vCenter Server vCenter Server
View Replicas View Snapshot/Replicas vCenter Server vCenter Server

1 For the Delete Replica operation, VSM checks the operation permission on the object at the root of the replica if it exists locally. If the
replica is inbound, then VSM checks the privilege on the vCenter Server.
2 If the VM being restored still exists in the inventory, VSM checks the privilege on the VM. If the VM has been deleted and the Restore
operation is creating it, VSM checks the privilege on the set of datastores on which the VM will be created.
Table 57. Snapshot Schedule Privileges

Create Schedule for Snapshot Create Snapshot/Replica Virtual Machine Virtual Machine
Schedule
VM Folder VM Folder
Datastore Datastore
Delete Schedule 1 Delete Snapshot/Replica Virtual Machine Virtual Machine

Schedule
VM Folder VM Folder
Datastore Datastore
Modify (Update) Schedule Modify Snapshot/Replica Virtual Machine Virtual Machine

Schedule
VM Folder VM Folder
Datastore Datastore
View Snapshot Schedule View Snapshot/Replica vCenter Server vCenter Server

Schedules
1 If the object that the schedule refers to no longer exists, it can be deleted by any user. No privileges are checked.
Table 58. Replica Schedule Privileges

Create Schedule for Replica Create Snapshot/Replica Datastore Datastore
Schedule
Delete Schedule 1 Delete Snapshot/Replica Datastore Datastore

Schedule
Modify (Update) Schedule Modify Snapshot/Replica Datastore Datastore

Schedule
View Replica Schedule View Snapshot/Replica vCenter Server vCenter Server

Schedules
1 If the object that the schedule refers to no longer exists, it can be deleted by any user. No privileges are checked.

Table 59. Access Control List Template Privileges

Create ACL Template Create ACL Template vCenter Server vCenter Server
Delete ACL Template Delete ACL Template vCenter Server vCenter Server
Modify ACL Template Modify ACL Template vCenter Server vCenter Server
View ACL Templates View ACL Templates vCenter Server vCenter Server
Apply ACL Modify Datastore Datastore Datastore
Datastore Folder
Datastore Cluster
Clone ACL Policy from Volume View EQL Volumes vCenter Server vCenter Server
Create ACL Template
Add/Modify/Delete ACL for View EQL Volumes vCenter Server vCenter Server
Volume
Modify Datastore Datastore Datastore
Datastore Folder
Datastore Cluster
Add Host/Cluster Access for View EQL Volumes vCenter Server vCenter Server
Volume
Create ACL Template
Modify Datastore Datastore vCenter Server
Datastore Folder
Datastore Cluster
Table 60. Schedule Template Privileges

Create Schedule Template Create Schedule Template vCenter Server vCenter Server
Delete Schedule Template Delete Schedule Template vCenter Server vCenter Server
Modify Schedule Template Modify Schedule Template vCenter Server vCenter Server
View Schedule Templates View Schedule Templates vCenter Server vCenter Server
Table 61. VSM Configuration Privileges

Edit Management Network Configure Management vCenter Server vCenter Server
Settings Network
Edit Storage Network Settings Configure Storage Network vCenter Server vCenter Server
Edit VSM Settings Modify OS Configuration vCenter Server vCenter Server
Modify Server Properties Modify Server Properties vCenter Server vCenter Server
Modify System Schedules Modify System Schedules vCenter Server vCenter Server
View System Schedules View System Schedules vCenter Server vCenter Server
View System Schedule View System Schedules vCenter Server vCenter Server
Configuration
Allow ProtocolEndpoint Access ProtocolEndpoint Allow vCenter Server vCenter Server
Access

Example of Granting Privileges
This example describes the procedure for granting privileges to a user.
About this task

To grant the user “Patricia” the privilege to perform VSM datastore operations in the vCenter datastore folder “My Folder,” follow these
steps:
Steps
1. Create the role “VSM Views.” This role should have the following VMware and VSM privileges:
• View PS Group
• View VSM Jobs and Tasks
2. Create the role “Datastore Operator.” This role should have the following VMware and VSM privileges:
• VMware Datastore/Move Datastore
• Provision Datastore
• Modify Datastore
• Delete Datastore
• Specify ACL
• Configure SyncRep on Datastore (optional)
• Configure Replication on Datastore (optional)
3. Create the user “Patricia,” if not already defined.
4. Access the vCenter server object and add the permission for the user “Patricia” with the role of “VSM Views.”
5. Create a storage folder “My Folder” and add the permission for the user “Patricia” with the role of “Datastore Operator.” The role
should be configured to “Propagate to children.”
Results
After performing these steps, the user “Patricia” will have all the required permissions to perform VSM datastore operations in “My
Folder.”

A
Troubleshooting
Installation and Startup Issues
vSphere Web Client Connection Error
During installation, the vSphere Web Client might show the error A connection error occurred. Verify that your
computer can connect to vCenter Server. This error is a known issue with VMware Web Client. If you encounter this error,
Dell recommends that you use vSphere native client to deploy the VSM appliance.
Refer to the following VMware KB article:
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2053229
vCenter Startup and Connectivity Issues

Several conditions can result in vCenter becoming unresponsive to requests from VSM. As a result, the VSM plug-in icon will not be visible
in the vSphere Web Client, or VSM loses connectivity to vCenter. These problems can be caused by the following conditions:
• The credentials for the vCenter server might not be correct.
• The subnet or netmask settings might be wrong.
• The IP address for the vCenter server might be incorrect, or contain a duplicate of another IP address.
• Excessive threads and other services (1000 or more) are running.
• The VSM host name cannot register with vCenter because the naming is invalid.
Host names are allowed to contain A-Z, 0–9, and the hyphen character (-). Each period-separated component of the host name can
have 1–63 characters and the entire host name must be 1–255 characters in length. Host names cannot begin or end with a hyphen.
In these conditions, VSM continues attempting to contact vCenter. You should verify the vCenter status. Communication cannot be re-
established unless you take one or more of the following actions:
1. Verify the services running on vCenter. If an excessive amount is running, restart the services.
2. Restart the vCenter server.
3. Restart VSM. You must use the commands VM Power Off, then Power On.
4. If you continue to receive exceptions about synchronization problems, restart the vSphere client.
If your VSM appliance has already been created, you should use the vSphere client to modify the configuration settings as follows:
1. From the Inventory view of VMs and Templates, right-click the VSM virtual machine and select Edit Settings.
2. In the Virtual Machine Properties dialog box, click the Options tab.
3. Click the Properties tab.
4. Edit the settings as required, then click OK to save the changes.
Invalid Datastore Error After OVF Template Deployment

Deploying the OVF template or vSphere Web Client 5.1 results in the following error if the target datastore is in a folder:
Invalid target datastore specified (vim.Datastore:datastore)
As a workaround, Dell recommends that you deploy the OVF template on a datastore that is not in a folder.
Troubleshooting 107
Virtual Appliance and Virtual Center Connectivity
In some situations, if the VSM virtual appliance is not on the same domain name as the vCenter server, the value entered for the VSM
server might not be recognized if a short form of a name is entered. You should enter a fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) in the VSM
server field to avoid this problem.
User Interface Takes Time to Refresh

VSM uses a typical web server to interact with the client, and as such it requires time to start up.
To verify that VSM is running, select the VSM VM in the vSphere client, and then select the Tasks and Alarms tab to view the recent
events. If VSM has not finished starting up, that event is listed. When the alarm changes to green and is then dismissed, VSM should start
up normally.
Dell VSM Version Not Updating After New Deployment

If you remove the VSM virtual appliance from vSphere and then deploy a newer version, the VSM Home Summary page might continue to
list the previous version number. To resolve this problem, Dell recommends that, after installing a new version of VSM, you clear the cache
on your web browser.
VSM Plug-in Is Not Visible After Installation

In some instances, after a successful deployment of the VSM virtual appliance, the Dell Virtual Storage Manager icon is not visible in the
vSphere web browser interface. This situation could be caused by a known VMware issue. See the following Knowledge Base article for
more information:
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2009352
In the case of the vSphere Web Client, this article refers to a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) that is running on a vCenter server (a VMware
vSphere Web Client). You might want to confirm that the service is having the issue before you restart it. Search
vsphere_client_virgo.log for the string PermGen.
If you have reason to believe you are experiencing this issue, you should restart that service. If you find you experience this condition too
frequently, contact Dell or VMware support, or both, to determine what is causing this condition to happen so frequently.
PS Series Group Does Not Get Connected to VSM After

Array Is Rebooted
After an array is rebooted and VSM restarts, the group status of a PS Series group might not be updated. If this situation occurs, you
should reboot VSM.
Scheduling Issues
Depending on your locale, if a time-change savings time event occurs (for example, if the time is set ahead or back) it could prevent a
schedule from being run, or delay it from running by 1 hour. Carefully consider the implications of creating schedules that trigger between
midnight and 3:00 a.m.
After the time zone in which the VSM Server is running shifts from Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time, or shifts back from Daylight
Saving Time to Standard Time, shutting down and restarting the VSM Server will change the behavior of schedules.
After a Daylight Saving Time shift, all existing system and user-defined schedules are adjusted to run at the same hour in Daylight Saving
Time. For example, if a schedule was to run at 2:00 a.m. every day, it continues to run at 2:00 a.m. every day. In the user interface (UI),
however, displayed user-defined schedule run times are shifted by an hour, so that, for example, if before the Daylight Saving shift the UI
displayed that a schedule will run at 2:00 a.m., after the shift the UI displays that the schedule runs at 3:00 a.m. (The actual run time
depends on whether the server has been restarted. This problem does not apply to new user-defined schedules created after the shift;
they run and are displayed as expected.
Restarting the server now shifts by an hour the time of day when user-defined schedules created before the Daylight Saving shift runs.
For example, if before the Daylight Saving shift a schedule ran at 2:00 a.m, after the server is restarted that schedule runs at 3:00 a.m,
which now matches what is displayed in the UI. System schedules, and user-defined schedules that were created after the shift, are not
affected by restarting the server.
108 Troubleshooting
Data Protection Issues
Maximum Snapshots Limit Exceeded
If you take a snapshot of a VM folder consisting of multiple VMFS VMs, and any one VM's snapshots exceeds the maximum limit in the
snapshot hierarchy, failures for other VM snapshots could occur, but might not be reported. Consider the following scenario:
1. Take a snapshot of all VMs that are powered on and able to be quiesced using the VMware tools. Failures of VMs on VMFS storage is
reported, but are not fatal. Failures of VVol VMs are fatal and cause the Create VSM Snapshot job to fail.
2. Take a snapshot of each PS Series group volume one at a time. Any failure aborts the remainder of the task and causes the Create
VSM Snapshot job to fail.
All VMFS VM snapshots taken in step 1 are removed.
Any volumes that had snapshots taken successfully prior to the failure will have a snapshot visible in Group Manager and the snap is
reported as an "Unmanaged snapshot" by the Verify job.
If a snapshot contains VVol and VMFS storage, snapshots of the VVol VMs are taken first. Snapshots of PS Series group volumes are
taken second. So, if a VVol VM snapshot fails, no volume snapshots are attempted. If a volume snapshot fails, all the VVol VM snapshots
that were already taken remain.
Replication Issues
Replica Is Deleted After Failback From Replica
If a restore by rollback fails, you should demote all promoted replica sets and rerun the restore. When VSM detects that replication has
paused, it then starts a 90-minute timeout, allowing you time to rectify the situation. The job status will be updated to reflect that
replication has paused or failed. You should selectively restore these virtual machines.
When performing a Restore operation, make sure you have the resources to replicate back.
VSM Cannot Find Datastores for Volumes Promoted

During Failover
When performing a replica operation, on some occasions VSM cannot scan in and mount datastores as part of the failover. Several factors
could cause this failure, including a high load on the hosts or the number of datastores involved.
A failover operation of a replica might fail on some occasions because the promoted datastores cannot be mounted on the ESX/ESXi
hosts.
To recover from this condition:
1. Verify that the host can connect to the promoted volumes.
2. If the ACLs are wrong, demote the promoted volumes back to the replica sets.
3. Rerun the verify replicas operation.
4. Rerun the failover and choose the proper ACLs.
If you determine that the ACLs are correct, try these steps to recover:
1. Ensure that none of the hosts had static targets to the recovery volumes.
2. Demote all the recovery volumes back to replica sets.
3. Rescan the hosts to clean up any references to the old volumes.
4. Run a verify replicas operation.
5. Retry the failover.
Troubleshooting 109
Group Management Issues
Adding a Group Fails If Either FQDN or Group IP Address
or Management Address Is Used
The task of adding a group could fail with the following error: Not a valid group IP for group connection.
This error condition could be due to a variety of factors, including:
• An incorrect Group or Management IP address. Be sure to use the Management IP address or Group IP address and not an address
from an eth port of a member.
• If the group is behind a Network Address Translation (NAT) router using IP Mapping, instead of using the Group or Management IP
address, use the address that is mapped to the Group or Management IP address through the NAT.
Multipathing Recommendation
If you are not using the Dell EqualLogic Multipathing Extension Module (MEM), Dell suggests you run the following rule on your ESXi
nodes. To assist in round-robin I/O efficiency, after running this rule, reboot the nodes.
esxcli storage nmp satp rule add -s "VMW_SATP_EQL" -M "100E-00" –P "VMW_PSP_RR"

-O "iops=3"
See the following Dell Tech Center document for additional best practices for implementing vSphere in a Dell EqualLogic environment:
http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/extras/m/white_papers/20434601/download.aspx
110 Troubleshooting
Index
A definitions 9
delegated reservation information 31
access control 92–94 delete a schedule 75
ACL delete all replicas 87
applying 57 delete replica 87
applying to a cluster 94 deploying the virtual appliance
applying to a host 94 procedures 13
applying to multiple dastastores 58 diagnostics 20
specifying during datastore creation 51 disk format for virtual machines 12
ACL template documentation
creating 93 VMware 99
deleting 94 VSM 7
modifying 93
active volume 9, 59
add a group 41
E
adding a group failure 110 error states 90
advanced VSM Server settings 32 events
alerts 43 filtering 43, 90
viewing 43, 90
B
BackupDB
F
default schedule time 26 failback replica 85
failover replica 84
C failover to SyncAlternate 61
filtering objects 40
Capacity Error Threshold 32 firmware requirements 10
Capacity Warning Threshold 32 FQDN 12, 32, 40–42
CIFS share 18 fully-qualified domain name, See FQDN
CLI menu 17
clone
replica 86
G
volume from snapshot 76, 77 group
VVol VM from snapshot 77 adding 41
compression 45 filtering objects 40
console 17 operations 39
console CLI credentials 18 removing 42
create replica 83 unmanaging 42
create snapshot 70 update credentials 41
Group Manager
D launching 42
guest iSCSI volumes 71
database operations
back up 19
restore 19
H
datastore type 50 help
datastores VSM online 7
capacity 55 host name
creating 52 requirements 12
deleting 56
managing 62
monitoring 62 I
related objects 64
installation
rollback 71
drive capacity requirement 10
tags 61
memory requirement 10
tasks 48
prerequisites 10
volume resizing 55
procedure for new installation 13
daylight saving time 108
update 14
deconfigure replication 59
verifying 16
default gateway 14
J replicas (continued)
delete 87
job history 90 delete all 87
jobs failback 85
filtering 43, 90 failover 84
viewing 43, 90 replicate back 84
replicate back replica 84
replication
M configuration 58
maintenance CLI options 18 configuring partner 31
management network 14 creating replicas 83
MEM 10, 110 deconfigure 59
multipathing recommendation 110 limitations 80
pausing 32, 59
problems 109
N resuming 32, 59
replication partner
NAS 39
deleting 32
netmask
modifying configuration 31
for management network 14
report
Network Attached Storage, See NAS
error states 90
network mapping 12
resize datastore volumes 55
NFS 50
restore
NFS datastre
by rollback 71
creating 54
selective 71
NTP server 14
restore from snapshot 71, 72
restoring a database 19
O resume replication 32, 59
Role Manager 98
online help 7 roles
OVA file 13 managing 99
rollback restore from snapshot 72
P rollback the datastores 71
root password 18
password for VSM appliance 18
peer
maximum number of peers 28
S
permissions 99 schedule
ports 33 BackupDB 26
privileges deleting 75
assigning 99 disabling 75
VSM 100 editing 75
protocol endpoints enabling 75
allow access to group 46 monitor 26
definition 35 purge 26
indicators 45 run now 76
information about 43, 45 snapshot 73
remove access to group 46 time zone issues 108
Purge 26 schedule template
defaults 73, 95
Q editing 96
security concepts 99
quiescable operating systems 69 selective restore 71
snapshot
best practices 67
R cloning from 76
recent tasks 91 cloning volume from 77
recovery point 88 creating 70
related documentation 7 deleting 70
remove a group 42 deleting all 71
remove VSM appliance 16 planning 69
replicas restoring from 71, 72
clone 86 restrictions on datastores 69
creating 83 restrictions on VMs and VM folders 69
snapshot (continued) virtual appliance
rollback restore 71, 72 removing 18
selective restore 71 unregistering 18
snapshot reserve virtual volume, See VVol
warning 55 VMFS 50
snapshot schedule volume compression 45
time setting 27, 74, 96 volumes
snapshot space borrowing 51, 56 guest iSCSI 71
SSH access 18 VSM peer
standby volume 9, 59 configuring 29
storage awareness 8 VSM Server
storage containers 35, 43, 49, 55, 66 appliance 23
Storage Health 23 VVol
storage network actions permitted on datastores 49
editing settings 26 datastore 50
storage pool definition 9
multiple pool selection 30 restrictions 49, 78
storage pool capacity 56 support 8
storage providers 18 using VSM to set up 36
storage utilization 43 vCenter environment prerequisites 36
switch to SyncAlternate 60 VVol datastores
SyncActive creating 54
disconnecting 60
synchronous replication, See SyncRep
SyncRep
disabling on datastore volumes 60
enabling on datastore volumes 59, 60
failover to SyncAlternate 61
pausing on datastore volumes 60
resuming on datastore volumes 60
switch to SyncAlternate 60
system schedules
modifying 28
run now 76
verify 83
T
tags 61
terminology 9
thin provision stun 51
time zone 14, 108
troubleshooting
data protection 109
installation 107
replication 109
U
update appliance 14
user name for VSM appliance 18
V
VASA provider
configuration 18
definition 34
vCenter Server
authentication problems 107
connectivity problems 107
setting 11
view 32
verify snapshots and replicas 83
verify system schedule 27, 37, 83

Dell Virtual Storage Manager For Vmware: Installation and User'S Guide

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Dell Virtual Storage Manager for VMware

Installation and User’s Guide

About This Manual.......................................................................................................................... 7

1 Introduction to the Dell Virtual Storage Manager.............................................................................8

3 Console CLI Options.................................................................................................................... 17

4 VSM User Interface Overview and Navigation................................................................................21

5 VSM Home Workspace................................................................................................................23

6 Managing Virtual Volumes With VSM........................................................................................... 34

7 Managing Groups in VSM............................................................................................................ 39

14 Managing VSM Privileges.......................................................................................................... 98

Revision Date Description

Dell Online Services

Technical Support and Customer Service

About This Manual 7

8 Introduction to the Dell Virtual Storage Manager

Introduction to the Dell Virtual Storage Manager 9

About VSM Installation

Memory and Drive Capacity Requirements

Figure 1. vCenter Server Settings in vSphere Web Client

Information Required for VSM Installation Wizard

Table 1. Installation Wizard Options

Time Zone Time zone that is used in your environment.

Perform a New Installation of VSM

Updating the VSM Appliance from Version 4.7

VSM Appliance Software Update Options

Table 2. VSM Update Options

Updating From a Fresh Install of Version 4.7

4. Type Exit to close the shell prompt.

Attaching the ISO Image to the VSM Virtual Appliance

Running the Update

2. Select 1 from this menu. The Maintenance submenu opens:

3. (Optional) Select 2 from this submenu to check for updates.

Verifying the Installation

Verifying Permissions Before Running VSM

Remove the VSM Appliance from vSphere

The Dell Virtual Storage Manager can be accessed

Enter selection [1 - 5]:

CLI Menu Options

Table 3. CLI Menu Options

Console CLI Options 17

Viewing VASA Provider Status

Unregistering and Removing the VSM Virtual Appliance

18 Console CLI Options

About this task

Enter selection [1 - 4]: 2

About this task

NOTE: This operation clears the contents of the previous database.

Console CLI Options 19

Enter selection [1 - 4]: 3

20 Console CLI Options

Overview of the VSM Workspace

Figure 2. Organization of the VSM User Interface

VSM User Interface Overview and Navigation 21

4 Templates — Allows you to:

22 VSM User Interface Overview and Navigation

Getting Started Tab

Manage VSM Settings

VSM Home Workspace 23

VSM Settings Panel

Table 4. VSM Settings Panel

For installation instructions, see Installing VSM.

Edit VSM Setting

Management Network Panel