Mount Virtual

I know this topic has been written about in the past, but I figured this would be a good topic for my first technical post. Just yesterday I had to remind myself how to install Dell OpenManage Server Administrator on a VMware ESXi 4.1 host server. Since ESXi does not include the Service Console (such old news isn’t this?!) there is no ability to install the OMSA client on the host. Instead, one simply installs the OpenManage Offline Bundle and VIB on the host, enables the CIM providers and then connects to the host using a locally installed OMSA client. Dell’s documentation can be found here: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/software/smsom/6.3/en/omsa_ig/html/instesxi.htm

Here are the quick and dirty steps using the vSphere CLI.

1. Download and install the latest version of vSphere CLI: http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vcli/ (Requires a MyVMware account.)

2. Download the latest Dell OpenManage Offline Bundle and VIB for ESXi from http://support.dell.com. So far the latest I’ve found for ESXi 4.1 is OM-SrvAdmin-Dell-Web-6.5.0-2247.VIB-ESX41i_A01.zip.

3. Shut down all VMs on the host and place the host in maintenance mode.

4. Navigate to the working directory of the vSphere CLI. C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI\bin.

5. Install the OpenManage Bundle to the ESXi host server using the following syntax: vihostupdate.pl –server <IP address of ESXi host> -i -b <path to Dell OpenManage file>

6. Restart the ESXi host server after confirmation of successful installation.

Not quite done yet… In order for the newly installed Server Administrator Web Server to communicate with the CIM providers, these providers must be enabled. To do this through the vSphere Client, follow these next steps:

1. Logon to the ESXi host using the vSphere Client.

2. Go to the Configuration tab of the respective host.

3. Under the Software section, click on Advanced Settings.

4. In the Advanced Settings, find UserVars. Then change the value of CIMOEMProviderEnabled field to 1. Click OK. Note: The Dell documentation points out the wrong variable to change. This should be CIMOEMProviderEnabled (singular).

5. Execute the Restart Management Agents on the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI) of the ESXi host. This will hopefully allow the CIM providers to be enabled without rebooting the host. If it does not, a reboot will have to be initiated.

Bonus: The above setting can also be modifed using the vSphere CLI. Use the following command: vicfg-advcfg.pl –server <ip_address of ESXi host> –username <user_name> –password <password> –set 1 UserVars.CIMOEMProviderEnabled

In order to pull up OpenManage, the OMSA client must be installed on a local desktop or server.

1. From http://support.dell.com, download and install the latest OpenManage Server Administrator Managed Node for your version of OS.

2. Type the Hostname/IP Address, Username and Password for the selected host server. Be sure to check the “Ignore certificate warnings” checkbox.

That’s it! A little more involved than the old way of installing the Server Administrator on the old ESX servers with the Service Console. This still allows for full functionality with the smaller footprint afforded by ESXi.

Whew! It was a close one, but I managed to pass VCP-510 to earn my latest VCP certification. And this was a tough one, especially since all my hands-on experience was 100% lab. I created a lab environment on my laptop and just went to town. Thankfully, my laptop is robust enough to handle 3 host servers, a couple nested VMs, another VM as a domain controller and an OpenFiler iSCSI virtual storage array.

When I studied for my VCP4 exam back in Nov-Dec 2009, I was already using vSphere 4 in a production environment at the office. We had just recently upgraded from ESX 3.5. I couldn’t quite try concepts out and break things as in a real lab, but I at least had real world experience which came in handy on exam day. I also read through all of VMware documentation, and used many of the common study aids at the time posted by popular bloggers. This time, I tried the same approach and was a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of documentation to work through. Of course, I targeted the Exam Blueprint but it was still a massive amount of ground to cover. Good thing there was some overlap with vSphere 4.

I pulled guides from many of the great bloggers out there, all of which have been listed by others out there so there’s nothing new on this list. This just gives me a good reference point to come back to when I start studying for the VCAP exams!

VCP Exam Blueprint

Forbes Guthrie’s vReference notes – Amazing!

Andrea Mauro’s VCP5 notes – Great stuff!

Even picked up TrainSignal’s vSphere 5 Training DVD

And of course, all of VMware’s vSphere 5 documentation!

Lot of study, but if paid off. Here on the last day that the class requirement was waived, I squeaked by with a modest passing score! Hooray! Feels good to add VCP5 to my collection of certifications!

Brian Trainor, VCP 3/4/5