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Limitations HP recommends that logical
servers created on virtual machines and Virtual Connect server blades
should be managed only by using the Logical Servers menu selections
in Virtualization Manager. Do not use VMM,
VMware ESX, VMware VirtualCenter, or Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager
to perform operations on logical servers. If you use tools other than
Virtualization Manager to manage logical servers, unpredictable results
can occur. For example: After you import a logical server, if you modify the
host name of the operating system running on the logical server (by,
for example, reconfiguring the operating system using VMware VirtualCenter),
you must reimport the server or virtual machine as a new logical server. If you attempt to delete a logical server using HP
SIM, the logical server temporarily disappears from the HP SIM collection,
but the logical server is not actually deleted and will reappear when
the LSA server is restarted.
Exceptions to this recommendation are logical
servers created on virtual machines that are moved by VMware Distributed
Resource Scheduler (DRS), and logical servers created on Virtual Connect
blades that are moved by blade failover. In these cases, logical server
management detects the new location and updates its resources to reflect
the change for virtual machines and blades. You can manually resynchronize
by using the Tools Logical
ServersSynchronize... menu selection. You can initiate multiple
move operations at the same time, but VM Manager or Virtual Connect
Enterprise Manager queues the move operations and performs them serially. You can move ESX virtual
machine logical servers among multiple clusters, as long as the clusters
are contained in one VMware VirtualCenter. You can activate an ESX
virtual machine logical server only if you specified shared (SAN)
or local storage as your storage configuration when you created the
logical server. The only DataStore types supported are Local and Fibre
Channel. Others such as iSCSI and NFS are not. If you configure a SAN-based
datastore (disk path) as a shared datastore, it must be attached to
more than one ESX Server. When you create or modify storage for an
ESX virtual machine logical server, or import a logical server, if
the SAN-based datastore is not attached to multiple ESX Servers, the
disk path is set to local instead of to the SAN. If you are performing
operations on ESX virtual machine logical servers, be sure that you
have synchronized the clocks on the hosts and virtual machines. If
the VM hosts are managed by VMware VirtualCenter and the hosts'
clocks are not synchronized, some issues may occur while managing
the virtual machines that may affect logical servers. Suggestion. Use clock synchronization software such as the
Windows Time Service or the Network Time Protocol to synchronize the
hosts' clocks. After you allocate storage
for a VC blade logical server (by clicking the Allocate
Server WWNs button on the Create or Modify Storage screen),
you cannot modify fields in the Volume Definition and Boot Volume Port Definition sections without
first removing the storage, because modifying the allocated storage
fields will affect the connections between the logical server and
its storage. To modify those sections, click Remove WWNs/LUNs, enter the modified information, then
click Allocate Server WWNs and save your changes. The Logical Servers feature
in Virtualization Manager supports 50 Virtual Connect domains (including
all VC domain groups) configured on VCEM (Virtual Connect Enterprise
Manager).
Major Issues Occasionally, when you
activate an ESX virtual machine logical server and then immediately
deactivate it, you may see the following error: Unable to delete virtual machine |
The logical server was not deactivated and was
not unregistered from VMM. If you try to move the logical server when
it is in this state, you may see the following error: Inconsistent data on LSA inventory |
Workaround. Select the logical server, use the DeleteDelete Logical Server... menu selection, and choose Recoverable Deletion. Then manually remove the related virtual machine. You can remove
the virtual machine by viewing “All Systems” in the left
HP SIM pane, then selecting the virtual machine and clicking the Delete button in the popup window. There is a known issue
related to Onboard Administrator (OA) and Virtual Connect Manager
(VCM) that could deny power for a specific bay. This may interrupt
operations such as moving and activating Virtual Connect blade logical
servers. Make sure that your firmware is updated to reflect the requirements
for Integrated Lights-Out (iLO), OA, and VCM, and that you have the
latest available update for your server blade BIOS. See “Logical Server Management Requirements” for required firmware versions. If you attempt to move
an ESX virtual machine logical server from one VM host to another,
and the VM hosts involved in the move operation are managed by VMware
VirtualCenter, occasionally the VM guest becomes unregistered on both
the source and target VM hosts. Although the move operation succeeds,
subsequent operations fail with the following error: Inconsistent data on LSA inventory. |
This problem is related to timing and may occur intermittently.
The moved VM guest may be orphaned (if the timing problem occurred
during a SAN move), or may have a changed UUID (if the problem occurred
during a copy move). After the move, the associated virtual machine
is unusable, and will cause logical servers to be unusable until resolved. If you encounter this problem, the workaround
you should use to correct it depends on the type of move you performed. Workaround after a SAN Move. In Virtualization Manager on the CMS, select the Logical
Servers perspective and check the checkbox of the source logical server
(the logical server you moved). From the ReportView Logical Server Details... menu selection, obtain the name of the associated VM guest from
the VM Name field. From the ReportView Logical Server Details... menu selection, click the Storage tab and obtain
the Storage Path of the VM guest.
Connect to the VirtualCenter using the Infrastructure
Client. Use the previously obtained VM Name to select the
orphaned VM guest. Remove the VM guest from the VirtualCenter inventory
by right clicking the selected VM guest and selecting the Remove from Inventory menu option. Select the target hypervisor. Use the previously obtained Storage Path to locate
the datastore, directory and configuration file of the VM guest. Select the datastore where the VM files are located
and open the Datastore Browser. Select and open the VM guest directory. Select the VM guest configuration file. Re-register the VM guest by right clicking the selected
configuration file and selecting the Add to Inventory menu option. In the VM guest wizard: Type in the previously obtained VM name. Select the target hypervisor.
The VM will be registered on the target hypervisor.
In Virtualization Manager on the CMS, select the Logical
Servers perspective. From the ToolsLogical ServersSynchronize… menu selection, check the checkbox next to Synchronize ESX Virtual Machine Resources and click the Synchronize button.
If this workaround is executed successfully, the logical
server associated with the virtual machine will continue to be usable.
The virtual machine configuration remains the same, including UUID
and MAC. For a copy move, the workaround also depends on
whether or not the virtual machine has an operating system installed. Workaround after a Copy Move, If the Virtual Machine Does Not Have an Operating System Installed. In Virtualization Manager on the CMS, select the Logical
Servers perspective and check the checkbox of the source logical server
(the logical server you moved). Use the ToolsLogical ServersCopy... menu selection to copy the logical server. From the Logical Servers perspective, select the old
logical server. From the ReportView Logical Server Details... menu selection, obtain the name of the associated VM guest from
the VM Name field.
Connect to VirtualCenter using the Infrastructure
Client. Use the previously obtained VM name to select the
virtual machine. Remove the virtual machine by right clicking the selected
virtual machine and selecting the Remove from Disk option.
In Virtualization Manager on the CMS, select the Logical
Servers perspective. Select the old logical server. From the DeleteDelete Logical Server... menu
selection, click Recoverable Logical Server and Physical
Server Profile or Virtual Machine Deletion to delete the
old logical server. In the Logical Servers perspective, select the new
logical server. Use the ToolsLogical ServersActivate... menu selection to activate the logical server. From the ToolsLogical ServersSynchronize… menu selection, check the checkbox next to Synchronize ESX Virtual Machine Resources and click the Synchronize button.
Workaround after a Copy Move, If the Virtual Machine Has an
Operating System Installed. In Virtualization Manager on the CMS, select the Logical
Servers perspective and check the checkbox of the source logical server
(the logical server you moved). From the ReportView Logical Server Details... menu selection, obtain the name of the associated VM guest from
the VM Name field. In the Logical Servers perspective, select the logical
server. From the DeleteDelete Logical Server... menu
selection, click Recoverable Logical Server and Physical
Server Profile or Virtual Machine Deletion to delete the
logical server. In the Virtual Machines perspective, select the virtual
machine using the previously obtained VM name. Use the ToolsLogical ServersImport... menu selection to import the virtual machine to a new,
activated logical server. Select the Logical Servers perspective. From the ToolsLogical
ServersSynchronize… menu selection, check the checkbox next to Synchronize ESX Virtual Machine Resources and click the Synchronize button.
Minor Issues In environments with a
large number of drop targets (blades or ESX hosts), drag and drop
performance can degrade as the number of drop targets increases. In
particular, when a logical server is selected (when a drag is initiated),
it may take multiple seconds for valid drop targets to be highlighted
and show their headroom ratings. Alternative. Moving a logical server using the ToolsLogical ServersMove... menu selection will
usually result in faster performance. If you restart the HP
Logical Server Automation service while logical server operations
are in progress, the logical servers may become incomplete or unusable.
Check the ReportLogical
Server Job Status... screen to make sure
that there are no running jobs before you restart the server. If you restore a server
blade to its default settings using a blade's BIOS, you must
reset the blade from the Onboard Administrator after you activate
or move a logical server. (Restoring a server blade to its default
settings is an infrequent operation.) After the activate or move operation,
the blade will be in an infinite loop trying to boot from a nonexistent
local disk, or it may successfully boot from a local disk if one is
present. If this occurs, it is necessary to reset this blade from
the OA before the blade will boot from the correct boot device. You can detect that this situation exists in one
of the following ways: View the blade console via the iLO and see that the
blade is in an infinite reboot loop. View the blade console via the iLO and see that the
blade incorrectly booted from an internal drive. Detect in Virtualization Manager or HP SIM that the
operating system host name for the logical server is not being discovered
by HP SIM after ten minutes have elapsed from the activate or move
operation. (This applies only to imported logical servers.)
Workaround. Reset the server blade by performing the following
steps. Enter the Onboard Administrator. In the left-hand pane, expand “Device Bays” and click on the affected blade bay. On the right-hand pane, click on the Virtual
Devices tab and click the Reset button.
This will cause the blade to reset and correctly accept
the settings with the associated Virtual Connect profile assigned
to the blade. The blade will reboot at this point to the correct SAN
boot device. An orphaned virtual machine
is left behind when you deactivate an ESX virtual machine logical
server, and occasionally when you move an ESX virtual machine logical
server. The logical server remains in the Logical Servers perspective
without a logical server icon. If you reactivate
the logical server on the same hypervisor, or move the logical server
to another hypervisor, these operations are performed successfully,
the logical server displays the logical server icon, and the orphaned
virtual machine is removed. However, if you unrecoverably delete the logical
server after you deactivate it (without reactivating it or moving
it), the orphaned virtual machine remains. These orphaned virtual
machines may be unusable. Workaround. If you selected DeleteDelete Logical Server... to
unrecoverably delete the logical server, you can use Virtual Infrastructure
Client to delete the orphaned virtual machine. (This virtual machine
is not marked “(orphan)” after the name in VIC.) Do not
delete an orphaned virtual machine if you have recoverably deleted
the logical server. During an import of a
server blade or virtual machine to a logical server, if the logical
server database is not synchronized with the latest Virtual Connect
or virtual machine elements, you may see the following error message: Import failed. Check that the Host is configured appropriately with VM Manager or Virtual
Connect Enterprise Manager on the CMS. |
Workaround. Use the ToolsLogical ServersSynchronize... menu selection, and check the checkbox next to the type
of system that you want to import (ESX Virtual Machine or Virtual
Connect server blade). The synchronization may take a few minutes.
When it is complete, retry the import operation. Alternatively, you
can wait five minutes for the next automatic synchronization to run. If you import a server
blade or virtual machine to a logical server, you may see the following
error message, where nn.n.nn.nn is the IP address: Import failed. Invalid host name specified, nn.n.nn.nn. |
Workaround. Check to make sure that the Central Management
Station DNS servers are configured correctly. You can also delete
the managed system host name entry in HP SIM, and then manually discover
the server using its IP address (using the HP SIM menu selection OptionsDiscovery). If you attempt to import
a VM guest with multiple NIC cards to an ESX virtual machine logical
server and the import fails, a NIC card may have been manually added
to a VM guest using the VMware Virtual Infrastructure client after
an operating system had been provisioned and its host name had been
discovered by HP SIM. In this case, VMware and VMM return the IP address
of the newly added NIC card as the IP address for all of the NIC cards
configured on the VM guest. The return of the new IP address prevents
logical server management from locating the correct VM guest from
its database during the import operation. Workaround. Make sure that all NIC cards are added to the
VM guest when the VM guest is initially created by the VMware Virtual
Infrastructure client or by logical server management. If you attempt to perform
operations on a logical server running on an ESX Host that hosts a
virtual machine using an unresponsive or inaccessible SAN datastore,
you may see generic error messages such as “Unable to create
virtual machine”, “Unable to delete Virtual Machine”, “Unable to migrate Virtual Machine”, and “Unable
to power On/Off virtual machine”. This issue, although infrequent, may occur if VM files are manually
removed from the host, or if the VM uses a SAN datastore that is not
available because of connectivity problems or because the SAN datastore
is being shut down. To identify this problem, connect to VMware Virtual
Center or the ESX Host using the VMware Virtual Infrastructure Client.
Verify that there are SAN datastores or VMs set as “Inaccessible” or VMs set as “Unknown”. Workaround. Remove from the host any VMs that use the inaccessible
SAN and restart the VMM agent. To do so, perform the following steps: Log in to the VMware Virtual Infrastructure Client. Right click on the VM. Select Delete from Disk. In HP SIM, select the ESX Host and restart the VMM
agent (using ConfigureVirtual
Machine ManagementRestart VMM Agent...).
If you attempt back-to-back
moves of an ESX virtual machine logical server, the second move operation
will fail if you attempt it before the next automatic discovery (which
runs every five minutes). If this occurs, the following error message
is displayed: Unable to find required datastore on target virtual machine. |
Workaround. Use the ToolsLogical ServersSynchronize... menu selection, and check the checkbox next to ESX Virtual
Machine Resources. The synchronization may take a few minutes. When
it is complete, retry the move operation. Alternatively, you can wait
five minutes for the next automatic synchronization to run. A conflict can occur if
you are creating or modifying Virtual Connect blade logical server
storage or modifying a storage pool entry, and you click the Allocate Server WWNs button to create a server profile
when automatic discovery is running or when you or another user uses
the ToolsLogical ServersSynchronize... menu selection
and checks Synchronize Virtual Connect Resources. If this happens, when you attempt to activate the logical server,
the activation will fail with the following error: Inconsistent data on LSA inventory. |
This conflict occurs after the discover operation
has started, but before the discover has called HP SIM to retrieve
its current list of profiles. The amount of time for the conflict
to take place increases with the number of profiles and the number
of blades in enclosures managed by HP SIM. Workaround. Use the ToolsLogical ServersCopy... command to copy the logical server. Use ModifyLogical Server... and select the Storage tab, then
press the “Allocate Server WWNs” button to recreate the
server profile. Retry the activate operation. In the Logical Servers perspective, select the
logical server whose activation failed, and use the DeleteDelete Logical Server... menu selection. Check Recoverable Logical
Server Definition Deletion. If more than one user
is creating or modifying Virtual Connect Blade logical server storage
or storage pool entries, and these users click the Allocate
Server WWNs button at the same time, the error If Boot Path is Disabled, then Fabric must be Unassigned for port
#1. A Primary Boot Path needs to be specified is displayed. Workaround. Retry the operation by separately clicking the Allocate Server WWNs button. When you activate an ESX
virtual machine logical server on a VM Host, deactivate it, then reactivate
it on a different VM Host, the status messages for the second activation
in the ReportLogical Server
Job Status... screen show that the virtual
machine is created and moved instead of activated. Although these
messages may appear confusing, they show the correct behavior: when
reactivating a logical server on a different VM Host, the virtual
machine is created on the original host, then moved to the host you
selected. The operating system variations
displayed in the pull-down menu on the Create Logical Server or Modify
Logical Server Identity screens include the Windows and Linux operating
systems supported by VMware VirtualCenter 2.1. Later versions of VirtualCenter
may support additional operating system variations.
Considerations Occasionally, certain
logical servers operations fail to completely update HP SIM. When
this occurs, an active logical server compartment in the Virtualization
Manager Logical Servers perspective displays Active on serialnumber (for Virtual Connect blade
logical servers) or Active on VMname (for ESX virtual machine logical servers) instead of Active on hostname. If this
condition remains for more than five minutes, performing a manual
HP SIM discovery on the host name (using the HP SIM menu selection OptionsDiscovery) will usually correct the problem. You may want to perform a manual HP SIM discovery in
the following situations: After you create a logical server and provision an
operating system. After you reactivate or move an imported logical server.
Capacity Advisor headroom
ratings are displayed when you assign (activate or move) logical servers
to target hosts. These headroom ratings are displayed under the following
conditions: The Power meter is displayed only for target ESX hosts.
It is not displayed for target server blades. If the target host (server blade or ESX host) has
not been provisioned with an operating system, the Disk Bandwidth
and Network Bandwidth meters will display “0.00”, and
the Power meter will display “NA”.
If a logical server has
never been activated on the target host, the Disk Bandwidth and Network
Bandwidth meters will display “0.00” for a target ESX
host, and “NA” for a target server blade. The following error may
be displayed when you try to activate, import, or move a Virtual Connect
blade logical server: Error retrieving HP Onboard Administrator IP address from HP SIM |
If this occurs, HP SIM might have not discovered
the HP BladeSystem Onboard Administrator (OA), or the Onboard Administrator
discovered by HP SIM and associated with the enclosure is not the
active OA. To resolve this problem, remove both the inactive and active
OA nodes from HP SIM, and manually rediscover the nodes using the
HP SIM menu selection OptionsDiscovery. Before you activate an
ESX virtual machine logical server, ensure that all of your ESX Hosts
(hypervisors) are configured correctly by performing the following
steps. Perform HP SIM Discovery: The VM Host must be discovered
by HP SIM before the VMM Agent can be deployed. From the
upper, blue menu bar, select OptionsDiscoveryRun Now. Configure SNMP, SSH, and WBEM. Select ConfigureConfigure or Repair Agents.... Deselect password setting, then set SNMP community
to “public”. In Step 2, enter root user and password for ESX Hosts. In Step 3, select Install SSH.
Install VMM Agent. Check for failures in stdout/stderr windows.
Assign VMM License to VMM Agent on VM Host (all VMM
installations include five demo licenses). Select DeployLicense Manager. Select Virtual Machine ManagementManage Licenses. Select DemoAssign Licenses. Click Assign Licenses Now.
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