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System 800xA

Virtualization with VMware vSphere ESXi

System Version 6.0

Power and productivity


for a better world
System 800xA
Virtualization with VMware vSphere ESXi

System Version 6.0


NOTICE
This document contains information about one or more ABB products and may include a description
of or a reference to one or more standards that may be generally relevant to the ABB products. The
presence of any such description of a standard or reference to a standard is not a representation that
all of the ABB products referenced in this document support all of the features of the described or ref-
erenced standard. In order to determine the specific features supported by a particular ABB product,
the reader should consult the product specifications for the particular ABB product.
ABB may have one or more patents or pending patent applications protecting the intellectual property
in the ABB products described in this document.
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as
a commitment by ABB. ABB assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document.
Products described or referenced in this document are designed to be connected, and to communicate
information and data via a secure network. It is the sole responsibility of the system/product owner to
provide and continuously ensure a secure connection between the product and the system network
and/or any other networks that may be connected.
The system/product owners must establish and maintain appropriate measures, including, but not lim-
ited to, the installation of firewalls, application of authentication measures, encryption of data, installa-
tion of antivirus programs, and so on, to protect the system, its products and networks, against security
breaches, unauthorized access, interference, intrusion, leakage, and/or theft of data or information.
ABB verifies the function of released products and updates. However system/product owners are ulti-
mately responsible to ensure that any system update (including but not limited to code changes, con-
figuration file changes, third-party software updates or patches, hardware change out, and so on) is
compatible with the security measures implemented. The system/product owners must verify that the
system and associated products function as expected in the environment they are deployed.
In no event shall ABB be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages of any
nature or kind arising from the use of this document, nor shall ABB be liable for incidental or conse-
quential damages arising from use of any software or hardware described in this document.
This document and parts thereof must not be reproduced or copied without written permission from
ABB, and the contents thereof must not be imparted to a third party nor used for any unauthorized pur-
pose.
The software or hardware described in this document is furnished under a license and may be used,
copied, or disclosed only in accordance with the terms of such license. This product meets the require-
ments specified in EMC Directive 2004/108/EC and in Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC.

TRADEMARKS
All rights to copyrights, registered trademarks, and trademarks reside with their respective owners.

Copyright 2003-2015 by ABB.


All rights reserved.

Release: October 2015


Document number: 3BSE056141-600 A
Table of Contents

About this User Manual


Version Described in this User Manual ...........................................................................12
User Manual Conventions ...............................................................................................12
Warning, Caution, Information, and Tip Icons ....................................................12
Terminology.....................................................................................................................13
Released User Manuals and Release Notes.....................................................................13

Section 1 - Introduction
Prerequisites ....................................................................................................................15
Overview of Virtualization...................................................................................16
Changes in ESXi 5.5 ............................................................................................18

Section 2 - 800xA Server and Client Node Consolidation


Non-virtualized 800xA System .......................................................................................19
Consolidated 800xA System ...........................................................................................20

Section 3 - System Planning


Software Versions ............................................................................................................23
System Overview.............................................................................................................23
System Planner ................................................................................................................23
Server Provisioning .........................................................................................................24
Client Virtualization ........................................................................................................24
Determine Required VMware ESXi Server Hardware....................................................25
Local or SAN Storage ..........................................................................................25
Server and System Dimensioning....................................................................................26
Determine Additional Hardware .....................................................................................31

3BSE056141-600 A 5
Table of Contents

800xA Licensing Dongle ..................................................................................... 31


Using the ABB USB Dongle Over the Network ................................................. 32
800xA for Advant Master and 800xA for MOD 300 .......................................... 33
Dimensioning Rules - Virtual 800xA Nodes................................................................... 33
Virtual 800xA Application Servers Example ...................................................... 35
Dimensioning Rules - Virtual 800xA Clients ................................................................. 37
Virtual 800xA Client Example ............................................................................ 40

Section 4 - ESXi Installation


Install ESXi 5.5 Server.................................................................................................... 43

Section 5 - ESXi Configuration Console


ESXi Login...................................................................................................................... 49
Configure Management Network.................................................................................... 50

Section 6 - VMware vSphere Client


Installation....................................................................................................................... 57
Log into an ESXi Server ................................................................................................. 59
Log into VMware vCenter Server ................................................................................... 62

Section 7 - Basic Configuration


Adding Disks................................................................................................................... 65
Configure Networks ........................................................................................................ 70
Set the Time Server ......................................................................................................... 76
ESXi USB/SD Install: System Logs Location ................................................................ 82

Section 8 - Create Virtual Machines


Create a Virtual Machine................................................................................................. 87
Install the Guest Operating System................................................................................. 99
Add ISO file to the Virtual Machine.................................................................. 100
Install VMware Tools.................................................................................................... 105
Virus Scanning .............................................................................................................. 108

Section 9 - ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.x/ESXi 5.x to ESXi 5.5

6 3BSE056141-600 A
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Upgrade to ESXi 5.5......................................................................................................109

Section 10 - vSphere Command Line Interface


Overview........................................................................................................................121
Download.......................................................................................................................121
Install VMware vSphere CLI ........................................................................................121

Section 11 - USB Licensing Dongle

Section 12 - Backup and Restore


Backup and Restore of an ESXi Server.........................................................................127
Backup and Restore of Virtual Machines ......................................................................128

Section 13 - Security
Roles ............................................................................................................................129
Users ............................................................................................................................130
Permissions....................................................................................................................131

Section 14 - Optimization
Virtual CPUs..................................................................................................................133
Allocate Virtual CPUs to Physical Cores ......................................................................134

Section 15 - Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps


800xA Components Required .......................................................................................135
Set ESXi Host Name .....................................................................................................136
SNMP Traps ..................................................................................................................136
Communication Topology .............................................................................................136
Server Hardware ............................................................................................................138
ESXi Configuration .......................................................................................................142
SNMP Receiving Port ........................................................................................143
Trap Target .........................................................................................................143
Check Configuration ..........................................................................................144
Firewall ..........................................................................................................................145
Test Basic Communication............................................................................................145

3BSE056141-600 A 7
Table of Contents

Test Trap Communication ............................................................................................. 146


SNMP Traps Service Provider ........................................................................... 153
Add PNSM Objects ........................................................................................... 155
Create a Device Object ...................................................................................... 156
Filter Trap Messages.......................................................................................... 165
SNMP Traps - Generic ................................................................................................. 167
800xA Components Required............................................................................ 168
Install PNSM Base Object ................................................................................. 169
Install PNSM Workstation Object ..................................................................... 169
Download Asset MIB Files................................................................................ 169
Create an Object Type........................................................................................ 172
Create an Asset Object....................................................................................... 185

Section 16 - VMware Command Line Interface, Drivers, Updates


and Upgrades
VMware Command Line Interface ............................................................................... 191
Prepare the ESXi Server................................................................................................ 192
Drivers ........................................................................................................................... 192
Apply Patches/Updates ................................................................................................. 193

Section 17 - Storage Area Network


Hardware ....................................................................................................................... 196
Configuration ................................................................................................................ 197
Networking.................................................................................................................... 198
ESX Server Network Configuration.............................................................................. 203
Add Datastores................................................................................................... 203
Performance .................................................................................................................. 206

Section 18 - VMware vCenter


Licensing ....................................................................................................................... 211
Single Sign-On .............................................................................................................. 211
Web Client and Desktop Client ..................................................................................... 212

8 3BSE056141-600 A
Table of Contents

Section 19 - VMware vCenter Installation


vCenter 5.5 Supported Operating Systems....................................................................213
Hardware .......................................................................................................................213
Pre-configuration ...........................................................................................................214
Install vCenter ...............................................................................................................217
Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client ..................................................229

Section 20 - VMware High Availability


Configure VMware High Availability ...........................................................................245
Add a Cluster Object ..........................................................................................246
Add ESXi Servers to the Cluster........................................................................247
Specify Failover Host.........................................................................................247

Section 21 - VMware vMotion

Section 22 - VMware Storage vMotion

Section 23 - VMware Fault Tolerance

Section 24 - 800xA in the IT Infrastructure

Section 25 - 800xA Virtual Client


Virtual Clients................................................................................................................257
Benefits of Virtual 800xA Workplaces..........................................................................259
Operating Area Planning ...............................................................................................259
Graphical Presentation and Physical Server Speed .......................................................260
Thin Clients ...................................................................................................................261
Multiple Screen .............................................................................................................261

Section 26 - Timesync ESXi with Windows


Communication Topology .............................................................................................263
Configure Windows .......................................................................................................264
Firewall Configuration .......................................................................................265
Registry ...........................................................................................................265

3BSE056141-600 A 9
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Service .......................................................................................................... 266


Configure ESXi ............................................................................................................. 267
SSH .......................................................................................................... 267
Putty .......................................................................................................... 271
ESXi Configurations.......................................................................................... 274
Timesync Confirmation................................................................................................. 278

Appendix A - ESXi Host Setup Check List

Appendix B - ESXi Guest Setup Check List

Appendix C - Further Technical Information on VMware ESXi

Revision History

Index

10 3BSE056141-600 A
About this User Manual

Any security measures described in this User Manual, for example, for user
access, password security, network security, firewalls, virus protection, and so on,
represent possible steps that a user of an 800xA System may want to consider
based on a risk assessment for a particular application and installation. This risk
assessment, as well as the proper implementation, configuration, installation,
operation, administration, and maintenance of all relevant security related
equipment, software, and procedures, are the responsibility of the user of the
800xA System.
This User Manual provides an overview of virtualization and how it is to be used
with 800xA through the following topics:
Overview of virtualization.
800xA server node consolidation based on VMware ESXi.
Consolidating 800xA server nodes on VMware ESXi servers.
System planning, installation, and configuration using VMware ESXi.
Creating Virtual Machines.
Backup and Restore of a virtualized system.
Security.
Optimizations.
Monitoring VMware vSphere ESXi.
Upgrading from ESX 4.0U1/ESXi 4.x/ESXi 5.x to ESXi 5.5.
SAN Storage Server.
vCenter Server.
VMware High Availability.
With the progressive support for the latest releases of VMware ESXi, this User
Manual has been updated to remove content that was only applicable to ESX 4.0.

3BSE056141-600 A 11
Version Described in this User Manual About this User Manual

Version Described in this User Manual


Unless otherwise noted, the versions of all 800xA Base System and Functional Area
software described in this user manual are the latest release of 800xA 6.0.

User Manual Conventions


Microsoft Windows conventions as defined in the Microsoft Manual of Style are
normally used for the standard presentation of material when entering text, key
sequences, prompts, messages, menu items, screen elements, and so on.

Warning, Caution, Information, and Tip Icons


This user manual includes Warning, Caution, and Information where appropriate
to point out safety related or other important information. It also includes Tip to
point out useful hints to the reader. The corresponding symbols should be
interpreted as follows:
Electrical warning icon indicates the presence of a hazard that could result in
electrical shock.

Warning icon indicates the presence of a hazard that could result in personal
injury.
Caution icon indicates important information or warning related to the concept
discussed in the text. It might indicate the presence of a hazard that could result
in corruption of software or damage to equipment/property.
Information icon alerts the reader to pertinent facts and conditions.

Tip icon indicates advice on, for example, how to design your project or how to
use a certain function
Although Warning hazards are related to personal injury, and Caution hazards are
associated with equipment or property damage, it should be understood that
operation of damaged equipment could, under certain operational conditions, result
in degraded process performance leading to personal injury or death. Therefore,
fully comply with all Warning and Caution notices.

12 3BSE056141-600 A
About this User Manual Terminology

Terminology
A complete and comprehensive list of terms is included in System 800xA System
Guide Functional Description (3BSE038018*). The listing includes terms and
definitions that apply to the 800xA System where the usage is different from
commonly accepted industry standard definitions and definitions given in standard
dictionaries such as Websters Dictionary of Computer Terms.

Released User Manuals and Release Notes


A complete list of all User Manuals and Release Notes applicable to System 800xA
is provided in System 800xA Released User Documents (3BUA000263*).
System 800xA Released User Documents (3BUA000263*) is updated each time a
document is updated or a new document is released. It is in pdf format and is
provided in the following ways:
Included on the documentation media provided with the system and published
to ABB SolutionsBank when released as part of a major or minor release,
Service Pack, Feature Pack, or System Revision.
Published to ABB SolutionsBank when a User Manual or Release Note is
updated in between any of the release cycles listed in the first bullet.
A product bulletin is published each time System 800xA Released User
Documents (3BUA000263*) is updated and published to ABB SolutionsBank.

3BSE056141-600 A 13
Released User Manuals and Release Notes About this User Manual

14 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 1 Introduction

As the use of virtualization has expanded dramatically in the business and financial
sector amongst others, ABB is now providing the ability to take advantage of
virtualization in the process industries. Virtualization can be used in 800xA systems
to combine multiple 800xA server nodes onto a single computer. The total number
of physical computers required in an installation is reduced significantly. This also
reduces the required space for the computers, hardware acquisition cost for
computers and cabinets, and the operating costs (such as energy costs).

Prerequisites
The following are the prerequisites to be considered for virtualization:
For the Windows 2012R2 Guest and E1000 Network consider the following:
The ESXi Server must be running ESXi 5.5 Update 2 or later.
Prior to ESXi 5.5 Update 2, when using Windows Server 2012R2 and
E1000 Virtual Network Adapters, even minimal network traffic between
Windows 2012R2 Guests on the same host will cause the ESXi to crash
causing the Purple Screen Of Death (PSOD). ESXi 5.5 Update 2 fixes this
issue.
Prior to upgrading an 800xA system to 800xA 6.0, the ESXi must be
upgraded to ESXi 5.5 Update 2, which prevents the E1000 PSOD.
In case if the PSOD still occurs, replace the E1000 virtual network
adapters with VMXNET 3 virtual network adapters for Windows 2012 R2
or Windows 8.1 virtual machines.
ESXi 5.5 Guest hardware version
If you are not using vCenter Server, DO NOT UPGRADE the guest
hardware to version 10 or above. You will no longer be able to edit the
guest. You will be expected to use the web client which is only available

3BSE056141-600 A 15
Overview of Virtualization Section 1 Introduction

through the vCenter Server. This will require the addition of a new node
which has vCenter Server installed (a license for this is needed) and the
ESXi must have non-free license.
Licensing
It is essential for the end customer to purchase the ESXi license. This
ensures that the end customer has direct access to VMware Support. It also
provides access to patches and updates through the VMware website.
Node Functions
To simplify and consolidate system dimensioning the Node Functions are
introduced into System 800xA 6.0. Refer to the System 800xA System
Guide Technical Data and Configuration (3BSE041434*) for more
information.

Overview of Virtualization
VMware ESX is a virtualization technology that enables running multiple virtual
machines (VM) on the same physical computer. Each VM represents a computer
and its hardware components (CPU, RAM, disk drives, network adapters, etc.).
Each VM requires an operating system and applications to be installed in the same
manner as a physical computer. The VM appears to the operating system as a
physical computer.
Each VM requires a licensed copy of the Windows operating system.

16 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 1 Introduction Overview of Virtualization

Figure 1. VMware ESX Virtualization Overview

While ESXi can provide the environment that represents a computer, there are
limitations for the types of resources made available. When planning a virtual
environment, only server nodes that communicate over the network should be
included.
Interaction with the virtual machines is normally performed through a dedicated
client to create, modify, start and stop the virtual machines. It also enables the
opening of a console to takeover the virtual machine.
VMware vSphere encompasses the VMware ESXi server with the advanced
functionality of VMotion, High Availability, Fault Tolerance and Storage Motion.
vCenter Server provides central administration of the ESXi servers. VMware
vSphere Client is a Windows application used to log on to the ESXi server, or the
vCenter Server, for administration purposes.

3BSE056141-600 A 17
Changes in ESXi 5.5 Section 1 Introduction

Changes in ESXi 5.5


There are many enhancements in ESXi 5.5 that are relevant to larger enterprise
installations. Those that are most relevant to ABB 800xA installations are:
Free version is no longer restricted to 32GB RAM.
Removal of the VMDK maximum size limit of 2TB to 512 bytes. The limit is
now 62TB.

18 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 2 800xA Server and Client Node
Consolidation

This topic describes the details of 800xA Server Node Consolidation.

Non-virtualized 800xA System


The difference between a non-virtualized 800xA system and a VMware ESXi
system is that some, or all, of the 800xA server nodes, run inside VMs.
For example, a non-virtualized 800xA system is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Example of a Non-virtualized 800xA System

The components of the non-virtualized 800xA system are as follows:


One redundant pair of Domain Controllers.

3BSE056141-600 A 19
Consolidated 800xA System Section 2 800xA Server and Client Node Consolidation

One redundant pair of Aspect Servers.


Three redundant pairs of Connectivity Servers for AC800M, including two
Asset Optimization Servers.
One redundant pair of Foundation Fieldbus Connectivity Servers, including
one Asset Optimization Server.
Two Information Management Servers.
Client nodes.

Consolidated 800xA System


Using VMware ESXi, the same system can be set up (consolidated) as follows:
One primary VMware ESXi server containing all primary 800xA server nodes
as VMs.
One secondary VMware ESXi server containing all secondary 800xA server
nodes as VMs.
Main operator clients are not virtualized and remain on physical computers.
Ancillary and engineering clients can be virtualized.
A separate client application (VMware vSphere Client) is used for configuring the
VMware ESXi server (for creating VMs or changing their virtual hardware). The
vSphere Client is required to be installed on at least one physical computer running
Microsoft Windows. This can be an 800xA Client node, preferably an Engineering
Client node.

20 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 2 800xA Server and Client Node Consolidation Consolidated 800xA System

The resulting 800xA system configuration based on VMware ESXi is shown in


Figure 3.

Figure 3. Example of a Virtualized 800xA System

Compared to the non-virtualized system shown in Figure 2, which requires 14


physical servers, the virtualized system requires only two physical servers. 800xA
server nodes are installed and configured into the VMs the same way physical
computers are by using the 800xA System Installer tool. However, setting up
virtualized 800xA server nodes requires added steps to initially set up the VMware

3BSE056141-600 A 21
Consolidated 800xA System Section 2 800xA Server and Client Node Consolidation

ESXi servers. This procedure is outlined in Figure 4.

Figure 4. Setup Procedure for VMware ESXi 800xA System

The steps of this procedure are discussed in detail in the following topics:
System Planning.
ESXi Installation.

22 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 3 System Planning

This topic describes how to plan the features, size, and configuration of the VMware
ESXi-based 800xA system. The objective is to determine the hardware and software
requirements for VMware ESXi servers to make the right purchases.

Software Versions
The first stage of planning the system is to confirm that the required server node
types are supported for virtualization. This is documented in the System 800xA 6.0,
5.1, 5.0, 4.1, 3.1 Third Party Software (3BUA000500*). For 800xA 5.1 Rev B,
PNSM SNMP Trap support can be used to monitor ESXi servers.

System Overview
Essentially, the configuration and dimensioning rules for 800xA server nodes stated
in the System 800xA, System Guide Technical Data and Configuration
(3BSE041434*) instruction should be kept the same when the node is installed
inside virtual machines. Given that these rules are followed, with additions and
limitations given in this document, the performance data stated in the system guide
will be fulfilled. Refer Virtual 800xA Application Servers Example.

System Planner
Use the 800xA System Planner tool to determine the types and number of 800xA
nodes for a system.

3BSE056141-600 A 23
Server Provisioning Section 3 System Planning

Server Provisioning
Servers are provisioned based on the summation of the resources required for the
virtual machines. For high system reliability, it is required to use two VMware ESXi
servers - one primary and one secondary (see Figure 3). Place all primary 800xA
server nodes on the primary VMware ESXi server and place the secondary 800xA
server nodes on the secondary VMware ESXi server. If one VMware ESXi server
fails, all redundant 800xA server nodes on the other VMware ESXi server are
available.
Do not place primary and secondary 800xA server nodes on the same VMware
ESXi server (single point of failure).

Client Virtualization
Virtual clients are System 800xA nodes that run as virtual machines. Connection to
the virtual clients is through standard Microsoft Remote Desktop. Typically, a thin
client which is a small PC with embedded Windows is used at the operator desk.
To decide how many virtual clients you should restrict to, refer System 800xA
System Guide Technical Data and Configuration (3BSE041434*). More graphical
content produces higher loading on the virtual client CPU, which may cause graphic
response (call up time) issues.
It is recommended to use separate ESXi servers for the virtual clients. That is, ESXi
servers that do not have System 800xA Server virtual machines running. This
minimizes the risk of resource interference of the virtual clients due to their higher
CPU usage.
VMware View is not supported for System 800xA.

24 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 3 System Planning Determine Required VMware ESXi Server Hardware

Determine Required VMware ESXi Server Hardware


Refer ABB certified hardware listings for supported hardware.
Where there is a requirement for using non ABB listed server hardware, the
following issues must be understood clearly:
Technical support from ABB will be limited.
The hardware chipset must be Intel based.
The hardware must be in VMware's approved compatibility listings.
There will be no support for monitoring the ESXi server using 800xA
PNSM. This must be handled by an alternative method.
The 800xA system configuration rules state that some server nodes may not be
combined, such as, Information Management with Foundation Fieldbus. However, it
is possible to combine these nodes as separate VMs on the same physical VMware
ESXi server, because they still run as separate nodes (separate VMs). Combined
server node types with heavy resource usage should be split into separate VMs to
prevent resource starvation. Refer the System 800xA System Guide Technical Data
and Configuration (3BSE041434*) instruction for more information.

Local or SAN Storage


Virtual machines can be located in local storage (disks mounted in the ESXi
servers), or in SAN Storage (connected on a separate network). SAN storage is
essential for VMware High Availability.
There are many different possible configurations for SAN storage such as redundant
SAN storage. These are not supported for System 800xA. It is critical to ensure that
any SAN solution can be correctly maintained. Typical concepts for redundant
storage are:
Is there a master SAN.
How to move/add master status to a slave.
What is the procedure for replacing a SAN.
Was the failed SAN a master.
What is the procedure for replacing a disk.

3BSE056141-600 A 25
Server and System Dimensioning Section 3 System Planning

Server and System Dimensioning


Dimensioning of ABB 800xA Virtual Hosts follows the node function based
guidelines that apply to the ABB 800xA Physical Servers. For example, the same
maximum number of node functions apply to virtual servers as it does for physical
servers.
ABB 800xA virtualization guidelines has maintained that for every virtual CPU,
there should be a physical logical processor (hyperthreaded core). This is reinforced
in the node function based dimensioning where each node function must have at
least one virtual CPU. That is, for each node function, the virtual machine should
have one virtual CPU, and for each virtual CPU, there should be a physical logical
processor.
Terminology
Each CPU of a physical computer has number of cores which execute programs.
Intel also has hyperthreaded cores, there are 2 locations to run programs
simultaneously, these are called Logical Processors. Refer Figure 5.

Figure 5. Relationship between Processor, Core, Hyper-threaded Core and ESXi


Server Properties

26 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 3 System Planning Server and System Dimensioning

Guideline for CPU


When a virtual machine executes, all the virtual CPUs must have access to CPU
resources at the same time. To ensure that every virtual CPU can execute with
minimal delay, there should be an physical Logical Processor available. Hence, the
sum of virtual CPUs in the virtual machines should be less than or equal to the sum
of the physical Logical Processors. The formula is represented as follows:
(Virtual CPU) (Physical Logical Processors)
Recommended Maximum of 2 Quad Core CPU per ESXi Server (16 Logical
Processors => 16 vCPU)
Recommended Maximum of 4 vCPU Per VM.
1 vCPU per Physical Logical Processor.
For the virtual clients, the virtual CPU (hence the server CPU) produces the
graphics. Hence, a faster CPU is recommended (a 2.4GHz or 3.0 GHz CPU is
preferable over a 2.0 GHz CPU).
Whilst the hyper-threaded cores share core resources and may result in the few
percent performance impact, the critical advantage is to increase the number of
execution locations for the virtual machines. This minimizes latency in virtual
machine execution (being allocated a physical location to execute) and improves
performance reliability. Increasing the number of virtual CPUs in a virtual
machine also increases the number of available execution locations (physical
CPU logical cores) required to run the virtual machine. Since the ABB guideline
is not to have more virtual CPUs than physical logical processors, this issue is
minimized.
The CPU usage of ESXi is negligible and hence does not need to be calculated in as
one of the logical core users.
Guideline for RAM
The RAM required for an ESXi server is based on RAM for the ESXi server
(approximately 2GB), and the sum of the RAM required for the virtual machines.
There is also overhead RAM (approximately 0.5 GB) for running each virtual
machine. In general the following formula should be considered for minimum RAM
requirements, for an ESXi server:

3BSE056141-600 A 27
Server and System Dimensioning Section 3 System Planning

ESXi RAM GB = 2GB + (VM RAM) + (0.5GB)x(No. VMs)


RAM typically comes in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB increments.

If there are two processors, then the memory areas for each processor should be
loaded with the same amount of RAM.
Future expansion of the requirements of the ESXi should also be taken into
consideration.
When a server has two CPUs, there are two areas for memory. One for each of the
CPUs. Each of these areas should be populated with the same amount of memory.
For example, if it is decided to have 20GB of memory, this would be 5 x 4GB
modules. There would be 2 modules for one CPU and 3 modules for the other.
The correct configuration is to have 24GB of memory, in two sets of 3 modules.
Guideline for Hard Disk
Physical hard disk configurations for ESXi servers must be a redundant RAID. For
example, RAID1, RAID5, RAID6 and RAID10. It is preferable to have a hotspare
allocated to return the RAID set to full redundancy as quickly as possible if a disk
failure occurs.
If the ESXi server is installed on the local hard disks, it typically uses less than 4GB
of the hard disk space and can be ignored in storage capacity calculations.
The actual capacity is dependent on the RAID type, and is mentioned in the Table 1.

Table 1. RAID Storage Capacity

Minimum No. of
RAID Type Capacity
Disks
RAID1 2 1 x Disk Size
RAID5 3 (No. of Disks - 1) x
Disk Size
RAID6 4 (No. of Disks - 2) x
Disk Size

28 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 3 System Planning Server and System Dimensioning

RAID 1 or RAID 6 are highly recommended. RAID 1 provides a simple


configuration and maintains performance if a disk failure occurs. RAID6
provides a larger capacity and allows for 2 disks to fail. A hotswap spare is
highly recommended to provide rapid recovery in the event of disk failure.
Each running virtual machine has hard disk space allocated as swap space, which
equals the amount of RAM allocated to the virtual machine. The amount of hard
disk storage required for the ESXi server is the sum required for the virtual
machines and the RAM allocated to the virtual machine.
Each virtual machine should have a hard disk defined based on the virtual
machines requirements. That is, a domain controller would not require as much as
a history server. Also, there must be space in the virtual machine hard disk for
typical usage (log files, data storage), and additional functionality (adding
programs/hotfixes, etc). Hence, if a VM requires 20GB of disk space, 40GB is
allocated, else if the VM requires 40GB, then 60GB to 80GB is allocated.
Approximately 200GB should be available for anticipated requirements. This may
be more based on future plans. In general the following formula provides a
guideline for calculating the hard disks requirement:

ESXi Hard Disk GB = 200GB + (VM Hard Disk + VM RAM)


Based on RAID configurations, more hard disks will be required than the storage
required to run the VMs.

For Example,
10 VMs, each requiring 60GB of hard disk and allocated 6GB of RAM.
If the storage is to be RAID6 with a hotspare,
Basic storage = 200GB + 10 x (60GB + 6GB)
That is, the basic storage is 860GB
RAID6 => (4 x 300GB) + (2 x 300GB) + (1 x 300GB)

3BSE056141-600 A 29
Server and System Dimensioning Section 3 System Planning

=> 7 x 300GB Hard Disks

Table 2. RAID6 with Hotspare Hard Disk Setup

RAID6
Base Storage Raid Overhead Hotespar
4 x 300GB = 2 x 300GB 1 x 300GB
1200GB

ESXi Hard disk requirement is 7 x 300GB.


and
If the storage is to be RAID1 with a hotspare,
Basic storage = 200GB + 10 x (60GB + 6GB)
That is, the basic storage is 860GB
RAID1 => (2 x 300GB) + (2 x 300GB)+ (2 x 300GB) + (1 x 300GB)
=> 7 x 300GB Hard Disks

Table 3. RAID1 with Hotspare Hard Disk Setup

RAID1
Base Storage Raid Overhead Hotespar
3 x 300GB = 3 x 300GB 1 x 300GB
900GB

ESXi Hard disk requirement is 7 x 300GB.


A formatted disk has approximately 6% smaller capacity than the stated disk
capacity, hence, the storage is scaled up to help ensure adequate capacity after the
disks are formatted in the ESXi server.
Guideline for Networking

30 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 3 System Planning Determine Additional Hardware

One separate gigabit Ethernet port is required for each physical network in which
the VMware ESXi server should be connected to. Additionally, one more gigabit
Ethernet port is required for the VMware ESXi Service Console.
The number of physical network ports is limited by the hardware, and by the
number of ports on the network cards used. The actual verification case described in
this document used 10 hardware ports. In some cases the configuration may require
more physical ports.
The theoretical maximum given by the hardware limitation may be overridden by
other resource limitations. From ESX 4.0 each virtual machine can have a
maximum of ten virtual ports, refer Appendix C, Further Technical Information on
VMware ESXi.
Refer to the VMware Compatibility Guide
(http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php) for any specific
VMware ESXi hardware configuration constraints that account for the VMware
ESX server model.

Determine Additional Hardware


Apart form the requirements mentioned in the various subtopics previously, there
are also additional hardware required. These are explained in the subtopics below.

800xA Licensing Dongle


From System 800xA 5.1 revision, VMware vSphere ESXi 4.1 is supported. This
version of ESXi introduces support for physical USB devices being recognized in
virtual machines. Previously, an AnywhereUSB device was required for this
functionality.
Note that where the virtual machine is to be moved to another server, the USB
dongle must be moved and the configuration must be reviewed in the ESXi server
and the virtual machine. In some circumstances, it still may be beneficial to have
the USB dongle available over the network.
VMware ESXi does not support a physical parallel port connection. The ABB
Parallel Port License Dongle cannot be used for ESXi.

3BSE056141-600 A 31
Using the ABB USB Dongle Over the Network Section 3 System Planning

Using the ABB USB Dongle Over the Network


Where it may be likely to move the license server to another ESXi server, using the
ABB dongle over the network is an advantage. With this configuration, it would not
be necessary to move the dongle to the new ESXi server.
As shown in Figure 6, the AnywhereUSB is a device which has ports for USB
dongles and an Ethernet port for network connectivity.

Figure 6. Connection of 800xA USB License Dongle to CLS Server Using


AnywhereUSB

Tying the 800xA License to a network card MAC address is not supported when
running in a virtual environment.

32 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 3 System Planning 800xA for Advant Master and 800xA for MOD 300

800xA for Advant Master and 800xA for MOD 300


In the case of physical Connectivity Server nodes for 800xA for Advant Master and
800xA for MOD 300, an RTA board or RTA unit is used to provide connectivity to
respective networks.
Hardware requiring separate drivers is usually not supported in virtual
environments. This is solved by using the PU410 respectively PU412 RTA Units
which is external to the ESXi server and communicates with it via an Ethernet link.

Figure 7. Example Connection of 800xA for Advant Master Connectivity Server to


MasterBus

Dimensioning Rules - Virtual 800xA Nodes


As a guideline there should be at least 1 vCPU (hence 1 Logical Processor) per
800xA Node Function. As given in the System 800xA System Guide Technical Data
and Configuration (3BSE041434*), the recommended maximum number of Node

3BSE056141-600 A 33
Dimensioning Rules - Virtual 800xA Nodes Section 3 System Planning

Functions per physical server is 8. Where the physical server has 2 CPUs, it is still
recommended to have no more than 8 Node Functions.
RAM requirements is the sum of the RAM for each virtual machine and 0.5GB per
virtual machine for ESXi execution and 2GB for ESXi. As a guideline, it is
recommended to have 2 to 4 vCPU per 800xA Virtual Machine. This supports 2 to 4
800xA Node Functions per Virtual Machine. So, 4 - 8 GB of RAM per node
function should be allocated.
Hard disk requirements is the sum of the virtual machine allocation plus free storage
to support ESXi execution of the virtual machines. This should be at least 300GB.
The maximums recommended for virtualization are summarized in Table 4:

Table 4. Virtualization Parameters

Parameter Value
Physical CPU per server 2
Physical Cores Per CPU 4
Physical RAM per server 2GB + (8.5GB per VM)
Physical HD (Sum RAM per VM) +
(Sum HD per VM) + 250GB
Physical Network Adapter Ports (Sum networks to connect)
Virtualized system node functions per 8
physical server
VM vCPU 4
VM RAM 8GB
VM HD Based on requirements of
the node function
VM Maximum node functions 4

The RAM and hard disk requirements may be greater based on usage (for
example, history storage) and should calculated into the server configuration.

34 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 3 System Planning Virtual 800xA Application Servers Example

This also provides the ability to add additional resources to the 800xA Virtual
Machines.
It is recommended to have additional CPU resources available to allow additional
vCPU allocation to virtual servers if required. 2 Quad core CPUs in physical
servers is recommended.

Virtual 800xA Application Servers Example


The Table 5 provides an example of a number of system node functions that are to
be run in a virtual environment. If there are more node functions, an additional quad
core CPU can be added to the ESXi server.

Table 5. Virtual Machine Definition based on 800xA Node Functions

Node Functions Virtual Machines


Number
Item Node Function VM RAM Hard Disk
of vCPU
1 Domain Controller 1 1 8GB 80GB
2 Batch Server 2 2 12GB 80GB
3 Aspect Server 3 2 8GB 80GB
4 CLS License Server
5 AC800 Connect 4 2 8GB 80GB
6 PLC Connect
7 PC, Network and Software 5 1 8GB 80GB
Monitoring
Total 8 44GB 400GB

3BSE056141-600 A 35
Virtual 800xA Application Servers Example Section 3 System Planning

The example of Table 5 can be visualized by the following table:

Table 6. Dimensioning Virtual Machine with regard to Physical CPU

Virtual VM 1 2 3 4 5
VM 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 1
vCPU
Physical LP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Core 1 2 3 4
CPU 1

Virtual machine's CPU (vCPU) is not tied to physical CPU. It is important that
there are more Physical Logical Processors than virtual CPUs in an ESXi server.

As indicated in Table 5, the Batch server is in its own virtual machine and is
allocated 2 virtual CPUs and 12GB in accordance to the System 800xA System
Guide Technical Data and Configuration (3BSE041434*).
Server Dimension
Following table depicts dimensioning the CPU, RAM and storage capacity in a
server:

Table 7. Server Dimensioning

CPU 1 Quad Core


RAM 56GB (2GB + 44GB + 5 x 0.5GB = 48.5GB)
Storage capacity 640GB (200GB + 5 x 80GB + 5 x 8GB) Raided

Then the total number of hard disks for RAID6 is as follows:


RAID6 = (storage capacity) + (RAID overhead) + (hotspare)
=(3 x 300GB) + (2 x 300GB) + (1 x 300GB)

36 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 3 System Planning Dimensioning Rules - Virtual 800xA Clients

=6 x 300GB Hard Disks


Whilst 3 x 300GB disks would equal 900GB, approximately 6% is consumed by
disk formatting.

Dimensioning Rules - Virtual 800xA Clients


Virtual clients must be run on ESXi hosts which are not running 800xA servers, that
is, one or more separate ESXi servers.
To decide how many virtual clients you should restrict to, refer System 800xA
System Guide Technical Data and Configuration (3BSE041434*).
Observing the load can be performed by opening the task manager in the remote
desktop session and checking the AfwWorkplaceApplication.exe CPU usage. Be
aware that the number of vCPU must be taken into account. E.g. for a 3 vCPU
virtual machine, a 33% CPU usage is the maximum for a single thread in the
AfwWorkplace.exe that is rendering the graphics. (2vCPU would have a maximum
of 50%, and 4 vCPU would have a maximum of 25%).
Note that this is only for the one thread that renders the graphics. There are other
activities handled by other threads handle that is included in the CPU usage.
In the Remote desktop session of a virtual client, to see the percentage of CPU
usage perform the following procedure:
1. Open the Task Manager.
2. Click the Performance tab.

3BSE056141-600 A 37
Dimensioning Rules - Virtual 800xA Clients Section 3 System Planning

3. Right-click on the CPU chart, point to Change graph to and then select
Logical processors.

Figure 8. Viewing Number of CPU in a Remote RDP Session

In the Figure 8, 3 vCPU have been allocated to the virtual machine, hence, a
single thread in a process can only take a maximum of 33.3% of the total CPU
capacity of the virtual machine.
4. Click Process tab and select AfwWorkplaceApplication process. Read the
CPU percentage.

Figure 9. Viewing the CPU Usage of the AfwWorkplaceApplication

38 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 3 System Planning Dimensioning Rules - Virtual 800xA Clients

The above example is a 3 vCPU virtual machine (hence maximum 33% of total
virtual machine CPU is used for a single thread). Approximate loading
percentage of the graphics is:
%Max = 100% * (19.9%/33.3%)
% Max = 59.8%
To reduce this percentage, either less content (graphics, faceplates, etc) or a faster
server CPU is required.
An 800xA Virtual Client requires 1 virtual CPU, 4GB of RAM and an 80GB
Hard Disk.
The number of remote users and virtual machine dimensioning for virtual clients
can be summarized as follows:

Table 8. Number of Remote Users and Virtual Machine Dimensioning

Number of Number of Storage


Type RAM
users vCPU capacity
Virtual Client 1 1 4 80GB
Virtual Client 1 1 4 80GB
Virtual Client 1 1 4 80GB
Virtual Client 1 1 4 80GB
Virtual Client 1 1 4 80GB

Maximum number of virtual client users for a physical server can be summarized as
in Table 9:

Table 9. Virtual Client Parameters

Parameter Value
Physical CPU per server 2
Physical Cores Per CPU 4
Physical RAM per server 2GB + (8.5GB per VM)

3BSE056141-600 A 39
Virtual 800xA Client Example Section 3 System Planning

Table 9. Virtual Client Parameters

Parameter Value
Physical HD (Sum RAM per VM) +
(Sum HD per VM) + 200GB
Physical Network Adapter Ports (Sum networks to connect)
Number of virtual client users 8
Client VM vCPU 1
Client VM RAM 4GB
Client VM HD 80GB
Client VM Users 1

It is recommended to have additional CPU resources available to allow additional


vCPU allocation to virtual clients if required. 2 Quad core CPUs in physical
server is recommended.

Virtual 800xA Client Example


The Table 10 provides an example of a number of system that requires 8 client
users.

Table 10. Example of 8 Virtual Client Resource Usage

Node Functions Virtual Machines


Number
Item Node Function VM RAM Hard Disk
of vCPU
1 Virtual Client 1 1 4GB 80GB
2 Virtual Client 2 1 4GB 80GB
3 Virtual Client 3 1 4GB 80GB
4 Virtual Client 4 1 4GB 80GB
5 Virtual Client 5 1 4GB 80GB

40 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 3 System Planning Virtual 800xA Client Example

Table 10. Example of 8 Virtual Client Resource Usage

Node Functions Virtual Machines


Number
Item Node Function VM RAM Hard Disk
of vCPU
6 Virtual Client 6 1 4GB 80GB
7 Virtual Client 7 1 4GB 80GB
8 Virtual Client 8 1 4GB 80GB
Total 8 32GB 640GB

The example of Table 10 can be visualized by the following table:

Table 11. Dimensioning virtual machine CPU with regard to physical CPU

Virtual Node 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Function
VM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
VM vCPU 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Physical LP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Core 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
CPU 1 2

While it appears that one CPU is left unused, the virtual machines execution is
spread across the CPUs which reduces the hyper-threading inefficiencies.

3BSE056141-600 A 41
Virtual 800xA Client Example Section 3 System Planning

Server Dimension
The following table depicts dimensioning the CPU, RAM and storage capacity in a
server:

Table 12. Server Dimensioning

CPU 1 Quad Core


RAM 24GB (2GB + 16GB + 4 x 0.5GB = 20GB)
Storage capacity 600GB (200GB +4 x 80GB + 4 x 4GB) Raided

Then the total number of hard disks for RAID6 is as follows:


RAID6 = (storage capacity) + (RAID overhead) + (hotspare)
= (2 x 300GB) + (2 x 300GB) + (1 x 300GB)
= 5 x 300GB Hard Disks
In the example, the storage capacity is rounded up to the typical disk size. It is also
assumed that 2 virtual machines will share the same storage location

42 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 4 ESXi Installation

This topic describes how to install the VMware ESXi server for virtual 800xA
server nodes.When installing a new server, the vendors custom ESXi installation
media should be used as this has the drivers required for the hardware.
Before using virtualization in any computer, the BIOS should be checked to ensure
that virtualization support has been enabled. If not enabled, then enable the options
Execute Disable and Virtualization VT.

Install ESXi 5.5 Server


While servers can come pre-installed in the ESXi, the procedures outlined are for
new installations.
Many modern servers are designed with internal USB or SD slots. When extracted
with a memory device, they can be used for the installation destination of ESXi.
Perform the following to install VMware ESXi server software:
1. Boot the computer with the VMware ESXi server installation media to start the
VMware ESXi Installer.
If the ESXi boot menu does not appear, then the server BIOS settings should be
set to boot from CD.
2. Select the Standard Installer from the ESXi Installer (Figure 10).
3. Press Enter to install (Figure 11) on the Welcome to the VMware ESXi 5.5.0
Installer dialog box.
4. Read the End User License Agreement and press F11 to accept and continue
(Figure 12).

3BSE056141-600 A 43
Install ESXi 5.5 Server Section 4 ESXi Installation

Figure 10. ESXi Installer

Figure 11. Installation Welcome Screen

44 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 4 ESXi Installation Install ESXi 5.5 Server

Figure 12. End User License Agreement

5. Select the Local Storage Device to install ESXi. This can be a USB disk. Use
the arrow keys to select the device and press Enter (Figure 13).
If a warning message that the device contents will be deleted, think again if there
is any data on the storage device that will be lost. If there is, cancel the
installation and move the data from the server.

Figure 13. Selecting the Installation Destination

3BSE056141-600 A 45
Install ESXi 5.5 Server Section 4 ESXi Installation

6. Use the arrow keys to select the keyboard layout and press Enter
(Figure 14).

Figure 14. Keyboard Layout Selection

7. Type the Root password (administrator) and confirm. Press Enter to continue
(Figure 15).

Figure 15. Enter Root Password

8. Press F11 at the Confirm install dialog box (Figure 16).


9. Remove the installation media and press Enter to reboot after the installation is
complete (Figure 17).

46 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 4 ESXi Installation Install ESXi 5.5 Server

Figure 16. Confirming the Installation

After installation, the console provides information of the current IP address and
provides the ability to perform basic configurations, such as, change the IP address,
network adapter, or change the ESXi sever host name (Figure 18).
After installation, the host name of the ESXi server should be configured. On many
systems, a DHCP server will not be present to provide an initial IP address. A static
IP address can also be configured through the ESXi console. Refer ESXi
Configuration Console for the examples of configuring the ESXi server through the
ESXi console.

Figure 17. Installation Complete

3BSE056141-600 A 47
Install ESXi 5.5 Server Section 4 ESXi Installation

Figure 18. Basic Console Interface of ESXi

48 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 5 ESXi Configuration Console

This topic describes how to configure the ESXi console. The ESXi console provides
the ability to configure the network properties use for the management interface.
The interface is cursor based, where selection and changing of properties is
performed using the keyboard. Once the network has been established, the VMware
vSphere client is used to interact with the ESXi sever.

ESXi Login
Perform the following to log on to the ESXi server:
1. Press F2 for the ESXi server dialog box.

Figure 19. ESXi Login

3BSE056141-600 A 49
Configure Management Network Section 5 ESXi Configuration Console

2. Type the root password and press Enter.

Figure 20. Providing the Root Password for Login to the ESXi Server

Configure Management Network


To configure the management network, perform the following:

50 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 5 ESXi Configuration Console Configure Management Network

1. Use the arrow keys to select Configure Management Network and press
Enter.

Figure 21. Configure Management Network Option

2. Use the arrow keys to select the Network Adapters option and press Enter.
The first stage to ensure that the management network is configured correctly is
to ensure that the correct network adapter is used. When initially setting up the
network, it can be easier to identify the management network if it is the only
network connected.

3BSE056141-600 A 51
Configure Management Network Section 5 ESXi Configuration Console

Figure 22. Network Adapters Configuration

3. Select the Network Adapters marked with X by pressing the Spacebar, and
then press Enter.

Figure 23. Management Network Adapter

52 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 5 ESXi Configuration Console Configure Management Network

4. Use the arrow keys to select IP Configuration, and press Enter to change the
IP address of the ESXi management interface.

Figure 24. Selecting the IP Configuration

5. Use the arrow keys to select Set static IP address and network configuration
and then the Spacebar to enable the option.

Figure 25. Management Network Settings

3BSE056141-600 A 53
Configure Management Network Section 5 ESXi Configuration Console

6. Use the arrow keys to set the IP Address, Subnet Mask, and Default
Gateway (see Figure 25).
7. Press Enter to accept the values.
8. Use the arrow keys to select the DNS Configuration, and press the Enter.
It is important to set the host name to a value other than local host to ensure that
SNMP Traps sent from the ESXi server contains the IP address and not 127.0.0.1.

Figure 26. Access the DNS Configuration to Specify the Host Name

54 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 5 ESXi Configuration Console Configure Management Network

9. Select Use the following DNS server addresses and hostname by pressing
the down arrow and then the Spacebar to enable the option.

Figure 27. Specifying the Host Name

10. Use the Down Arrow key to select the Hostname.


11. Type the Hostname (Figure 27), and press Enter to accept the values.

3BSE056141-600 A 55
Configure Management Network Section 5 ESXi Configuration Console

12. Press the Esc at the Configure Management Network dialog box to apply the
changes. This will trigger a request to restart the management network.

Figure 28. Exiting the Configure Management Network

13. Press Y to apply the changes.

Figure 29. Applying Changes

14. Press Esc to logout (see Figure 21).

56 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 6 VMware vSphere Client

This topic describes how to install VMware vSphere Client and how to log on to
VMware vSphere Client. The VMware vSphere Client is the graphical interface
used to interact with the ESXi server to configure the server itself and the virtual
machines in the server.

Installation
Perform the following to install VMware vSphere Client software:
1. Download the VMware vSphere Client from www.vmware.com.

Figure 30. Running the VMware vSphere Client Installation Program

2. Run the.exe on the client to be used to configure the ESXi server.

3BSE056141-600 A 57
Installation Section 6 VMware vSphere Client

3. Select the appropriate language from the drop-down list and click OK.

Figure 31. Language Settings

4. Click Next on the welcome screen dialog box.

Figure 32. VMware Vsphere Client Installation Welcome Screen

5. Select I accept the terms in the license agreement and click Next.

58 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 6 VMware vSphere Client Log into an ESXi Server

6. Leave the destination folder to the default path and click Next.

Figure 33. Default Location for the Installation

7. Click Install at the Ready to Install the Program dialog box.

Figure 34. Ready for the Installation of the VMware vSphere Client Program

8. Click Finish to complete the installation.

Log into an ESXi Server


Perform the following to log on to the ESXi server:

3BSE056141-600 A 59
Log into an ESXi Server Section 6 VMware vSphere Client

1. Double-click the on the desktop to start the VMware vSphere Client.


From ESXi 5.5, the client informs that all new vSphere features are available only
through the vSphere Web Client. This has little impact on basic virtual machine
creation and operation where the ESXi server is not a member of a vCenter
server.
2. In the VMware vSphere Client dialog box, type the IP address, User Name
and Password of the ESXi server, and click Login.

Figure 35. Login to ESXi Server

60 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 6 VMware vSphere Client Log into an ESXi Server

3. Click Ignore on the Security Warning message. It is recommended to install a


trusted certificate in the ESXi server.

Figure 36. Security Warning Message

3BSE056141-600 A 61
Log into VMware vCenter Server Section 6 VMware vSphere Client

vSphere Client displays the host with virtual machines in the left pane, and a set of
tabs to provide more interaction with the host, or virtual machine.

Figure 37. vSphere Client Example

Log into VMware vCenter Server


When logging into a VMware vCenter Server, it is essential to use the SSO
credentials. During the vCenter Server quick install, a default domain of
vSphere.local is created. This is not a Microsoft Active Directory domain.
To login, the correct user, domain, and password have to be used.
The format for the user is: username@ssodomain.
The password is same as the password for the administrator user, it is configured
during the installation of the vCenter Server.
The same credentials also apply for logging on to an ESXi server that is a
member of an VMware vCenter Server.

62 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 6 VMware vSphere Client Log into VMware vCenter Server

Perform the following to log on to a VMware vCenter Server:


1. In the VMware Vsphere Client dialog box, type the IP Address, User name
and Password, and then click Login.

Figure 38. VMware SSO Credentials to Log into the vCenter Server

3BSE056141-600 A 63
Log into VMware vCenter Server Section 6 VMware vSphere Client

By logging in to the vCenter Server, the vSphere Client shows the vCenter Object,
Datacenter, Clusters, and hosts (see Figure 39).

Figure 39. vSphere Client Interface When Logged into a vCenter Server

64 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 7 Basic Configuration

This topic describes the basic configuration that needs to be done after installing
ESXi in a server so as to add the virtual machines.

Adding Disks
Adding the additional storage is done using the vSphere Client. Perform the
following to add additional storage:
1. Open the vSphere Client.
2. Click Configuration tab (Figure 40).

Figure 40. Configuring Storage to the ESXi Server

3. In the Hardware pane, select Storage and click ADD Storage (Figure 40).

3BSE056141-600 A 65
Adding Disks Section 7 Basic Configuration

4. Select Disk/LUN and click Next.

Figure 41. Disk/LUN Storage to Add

5. Select the available storage to add, and click Next.

Figure 42. Local Storage to Add

66 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 7 Basic Configuration Adding Disks

6. Select the VMFS-5 and click Next.

Figure 43. VMFS-5 Option

3BSE056141-600 A 67
Adding Disks Section 7 Basic Configuration

7. Review the configuration change and click Next.

Figure 44. Configuration Changes

68 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 7 Basic Configuration Adding Disks

8. Enter a datastore name and click Next.

Figure 45. Naming Data Storage

9. Select Maximum available space, and click Next.

Figure 46. Selecting Maximum Available Space

10. Review the changes and click Finish. The Recent Tasks pane shows the status
of adding a storage is completed. The new data storage is available in the list of

3BSE056141-600 A 69
Configure Networks Section 7 Basic Configuration

data stores (Figure 47).

Figure 47. Data Store Added

Configure Networks
Prior to setting up VMs, it is good practice to setup the virtual network using virtual
switches. A virtual switch is an emulation of a physical switch. In VMware ESXi, it
is possible to create virtual switches and to connect VMs to these virtual switches to
form a virtual network.

70 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 7 Basic Configuration Configure Networks

In the Figure 48 two virtual switches plant network 1 (PN1) and a control network 1
for area 20 (CN1 A20) are connected to various VMs.

Figure 48. ESXi Virtual Switches and Physical Network Adapters Connection

A virtual switch can be bridged to a physical network adapter of the VMware ESXi
server. This is shown in Figure 48 by the dotted lines. The VMware ESXi server
itself is connected to the physical plant and control networks through these physical
adapters. By doing so, virtual switches provide a means for connecting virtual
800xA server nodes to the physical system networks.
From VMware ESXi version 4.0, each VM can have a maximum of ten virtual
network adapters. Therefore, a VM can be connected to a maximum of ten virtual
switches. In the example shown in Figure 48, the virtual CS ID1001CS1A is
connected to the plant network PN1 and to the control network CN1 A20. In the
same manner, create a separate virtual switch for each physical plant or control
network to which virtual 800xA server nodes require a connection.
It is suggested to name a virtual switch like the physical network it is bridged to (for
example, PN1 for the virtual switch bridged to the Physical PN1 as shown in
Figure 48). For network redundancy, create a second virtual switch (for example,
named PN2).

3BSE056141-600 A 71
Configure Networks Section 7 Basic Configuration

It can be difficult to know how the physical network adapters are related to the
VMware ESXi virtual network adapters. To make this easier, connect each
additional network adapter to a physical switch, then setup the virtual switch. This
will result in an unused (in ESXi) adapter which is connected.
Perform the following to add a virtual switch to the ESXi server:
1. Open the vSphere Client.
2. Click Configuration tab.

Figure 49. ESXi Networking Configuration

3. In the Hardware pane, select Networking, and click ADD Networking... (see
Figure 49).

72 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 7 Basic Configuration Configure Networks

4. In Add Network Wizard dialog box, for the Connection type, select Virtual
Machine and click Next.

Figure 50. New Virtual Switch for Virtual Machine Communication

5. For Network Access, select vmnic1 check box under Create a vSphere
standard switch, and click Next.
As seen in Figure 51, one Ethernet adapter is 1000 Full, and other is Down. This
clearly indicates which adapter is newly connected.

3BSE056141-600 A 73
Configure Networks Section 7 Basic Configuration

Figure 51. Selecting the Network Adapter to be Connected to the Virtual Switch

74 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 7 Basic Configuration Configure Networks

6. For Connection Settings, enter a name in the Network Label text box and
click Next.

Figure 52. Naming the Virtual Switch

7. Click Finish.

3BSE056141-600 A 75
Set the Time Server Section 7 Basic Configuration

The new network switch is seen in the network configuration tab of the ESXi server.

Figure 53. Network Switch Added

8. Repeat Step 2 through Step 7 to add more virtual switches.

Set the Time Server


When a virtual machine starts, it initially takes the time from the ESXi server. If
there is a time synchronization inside the guest, the time will then be updated by its
time source. If the ESXi server is not synchronized to a reliable time server, this
creates a step change in the time in the guest node which could interfere with the
applications running inside the guest. It is important that the VMware tools are not
synchronizing time with the ESXi server. This is the default setting and should not
be changed.
The ESXi server internal clock must be synchronized to a reliable NTP server. This
NTP server must have the same time as the 800xA system and be accessible by the
ESXi management network. Configuring of the NTP client in the ESXi server is
performed through the vSphere Client.

76 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 7 Basic Configuration Set the Time Server

Perform the following to configure the NTP client in the ESXi server:
1. Open the vSphere Client.
2. Click Configuration tab.

Figure 54. Accessing the ESXi Time Synchronization Configuration

3. In the Software pane, select Time Configuration, and click Properties... (see
Figure 54).

3BSE056141-600 A 77
Set the Time Server Section 7 Basic Configuration

4. In Time Configuration dialog box, click Options button to access the NTP
servers configuration.

Figure 55. Accessing the NTP Servers Configuration

5. In NTP Daemon (ntpd) Options dialog box, to add an NTP server


a. Select the NTP Settings and click Add.

78 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 7 Basic Configuration Set the Time Server

b. Enter address in ADD NTP Server dialog box and click OK.

Figure 56. Adding an NTP Server to the ESXi Time Configuration

6. In NTP Daemon (ntpd) Options dialog box,


a. Select General.
b. Click Start and select Start and Stop with host option.
c. Click Ok.
The NTP Daemon (ESXi service that update the time) is initially stopped.

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Set the Time Server Section 7 Basic Configuration

Figure 57. Starting the NTP Daemon and Selecting it to Start/Stop with the Host

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Section 7 Basic Configuration Set the Time Server

7. In Time Configuration dialog box, select NTP Client Enabled and click OK.

Figure 58. Enabling the NTP client

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ESXi USB/SD Install: System Logs Location Section 7 Basic Configuration

The ESXi shows the NTP client running and NTP servers have been added along
with the Data and Time.

Figure 59. Running ESXi NTP Client

In case, where the NTP server is a Windows computer, additional configuration is


necessary. Refer Section 26, Timesync ESXi with Windows.

ESXi USB/SD Install: System Logs Location


When ESXi is installed to a USB or SD memory card, the ESXi log files are setup to
be stored on the USB or SD memory card. Since the storage capacity is limited, the
size of the log files is also restricted by ESXi to prevent the file system from being
filled up.

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Section 7 Basic Configuration ESXi USB/SD Install: System Logs Location

ESXi warns that the log files are being stored on the USB or SD memory card by the
following message:

Figure 60. ESXi Warning

Perform the following to address the warning about the storage of the log files:
1. In vSphere Client Data Browser, click the folder icon to create a folder on
one of the hard disk datastores to store the log files, see Figure 61.

Figure 61. Folder created to store ESXi log files

2. Open the vSphere Client.


3. Click Configuration tab

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ESXi USB/SD Install: System Logs Location Section 7 Basic Configuration

4. In the Software pane, select Advanced Settings.

Figure 62. Advanced Settings

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Section 7 Basic Configuration ESXi USB/SD Install: System Logs Location

5. In the Advance Settings dialog box, select global under Syslog.

Figure 63. Advanced Settings Syslog Destination

6. Enter a name in the Syslog.global.logDir text box and click OK.


Follow a naming convention while giving a name to the log directory (see
Figure 63). This directory is stored in the datastore folder.

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ESXi USB/SD Install: System Logs Location Section 7 Basic Configuration

7. Go to the folder in the vSphere Client Datastore browser to confirm the settings
are correct. A number of log files are present, see Figure 64.

Figure 64. ESXi Logs are being Written to the Defined Folder in the Datastore

86 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 8 Create Virtual Machines

This topic describes how to create a virtual machine through the vSphere Client
interface. A wizard assists the creation of the virtual machine, where the most
important configuration items are specified, such as, the hard disk size. Whilst most
of the virtual machine can be customized after it is created, the hard disk size is
more troublesome to reconfigure, hence, the size should be planned based on typical
usage of the node type. The data that the applications will create must be taken into
account. Space should also be available for the operating system for log files,
temporary files, etc.
For example, Operating System = 20GB, Application = 10GB, Expected Data =
20GB, Free space = 20GB, then the virtual hard disk should be around 70GB to
80GB.

Create a Virtual Machine


Perform the following to create a virtual machine:
1. Open the vSphere Client.

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2. Right-click on VMware ESXi server and select New Virtual Machine.

Figure 65. Creating a New Virtual Machine

3. In Create New Virtual Machine dialog box, select Custom and click Next.
Custom option is selected to provide advanced selection of the virtual machine
configuration.

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Section 8 Create Virtual Machines Create a Virtual Machine

Figure 66. Specifying Custom Virtual Machine Creation

4. Enter a name and click Next.

Figure 67. Specifying a Name for the New Virtual Machine

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Create a Virtual Machine Section 8 Create Virtual Machines

5. Select the location of storage for the virtual machine and click Next.
There should be enough free space for the size of the virtual machine disk and a
swap file which will be the size of the RAM allocated to the virtual machine.

Figure 68. Storage Location for the Virtual Machine

6. Select Virtual Machine Version 8 and click Next.


Specify the Virtual Machine version that is applicable to ESXi 5.0 and later.

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Section 8 Create Virtual Machines Create a Virtual Machine

Figure 69. Specifying the Virtual Machine Version

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Create a Virtual Machine Section 8 Create Virtual Machines

7. Select Windows as Guest Operating System and Microsoft Windows Server


2012 (64-bit) from the drop-down list, and then click Next.

Figure 70. Specifying Guest Operating System and Version

8. Select the Number of virtual sockets, and Number of cores per virtual
socket from the drop-down list, and click Next.
The total number of cores indicates the number of vCPU allocated to the virtual
machine. The software to be run in the virtual machine is licensed on sockets, it
may be a cost advantage to specify only one socket and multiple cores.

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Section 8 Create Virtual Machines Create a Virtual Machine

Figure 71. Number of vCPU in the Virtual Machine

9. Select or type the value for Memory Size and type from the drop-down list,
and click Next.
The sum of the RAM allocated to all of the running virtual machines should be
less than the physical RAM of the ESXi server.

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Create a Virtual Machine Section 8 Create Virtual Machines

Figure 72. Specifying RAM

10. Under Create Network Connections select a suitable value for the following
from the drop-down list and click Next:
How many NICs do you want to connect?
Network
Adapter
Up to 4 NICs can be added initially to the virtual machine. More can be
added/removed/edited once the virtual machine has been created.

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Section 8 Create Virtual Machines Create a Virtual Machine

Figure 73. Initial Network Adapters

If ESXi 5.5 Update 2 is not installed then ensure the NIC adapter is not set to
E1000 where Windows 2012 R2 Server is used. Network traffic between virtual
machines running Windows 2012 R2 Server cause the ESXi server to crash and
cause a PSOD (Purple Screen Of Death). A patch is expected to be released by
VMware.
The virtual adapter to be used in 800xA 5.x and 800xA 4.x is E1000.
The virtual adapter to be used in 800xA 6.0 is VMxNet3.

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Create a Virtual Machine Section 8 Create Virtual Machines

11. Select the LSI Logic SAS as SCSI Controller and click Next.

Figure 74. SCSI Controller

12. Select Create a new virtual disk and click Next.

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Section 8 Create Virtual Machines Create a Virtual Machine

13. Select the Disk Size from the drop-down list.

Figure 75. Disk Size

14. Select Thick Provision Lazy Zeroed under Disk Provisioning.


15. Select Store with the virtual machine under Location (Figure 75), and click
Next.
For 800xA production systems, it is recommended to not use thin provisioning
and snapshots.

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Create a Virtual Machine Section 8 Create Virtual Machines

16. Leave the Virtual Device Node and Mode to default settings, and click Next.

Figure 76. Virtual Device Node and Mode settings

17. Review the settings and click Finish to complete the setup. Creation of the
virtual machine will take a few seconds and then appear in the ESXi inventory

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Section 8 Create Virtual Machines Install the Guest Operating System

(Figure 77).

Figure 77. Virtual Machine is Setup

The new virtual machine will not have an operating system or applications
installed in it. These will have to be installed in a similar manner to that of a
physical computer.

Install the Guest Operating System


Whilst it is possible to connect the virtual machine to a CD/DVD which has the
installation media, a more efficient method is to upload the ISO image of the media
to one of the datastores and point the virtual machine CD/DVD to the ISO image.
Perform the following to upload the ISO file to the datastore:
1. Browse one of the datastores.
2. Create a folder and name it ISO.

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Add ISO file to the Virtual Machine Section 8 Create Virtual Machines

3. Upload the ISO image into the folder.

Figure 78. Operating System ISO image to ESXi Datastore

Add ISO file to the Virtual Machine


After the ISO file has been uploaded to the datastore perform the following to
upload the ISO file to the virtual machine:
1. Open vSphere client.
2. Right-click on the new virtual machine (here it is 800xA_AS1) and select Edit
Settings....
3. To edit the virtual machine settings,
a. Click Hardware tab and select CD/DVD drive 1 (edited).
b. Select Connect power on under Device Status.

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Section 8 Create Virtual Machines Add ISO file to the Virtual Machine

c. Under Device type, select Datastore ISO file and click Browse to upload
the suitable ISO file, and then click OK.

Figure 79. Adding the ISO File

It is recommended to set the Video card memory to at least 64MB. This provides
the ability to resize the virtual machine console to larger sizes.
Operating System Installation
Perform the following to start the operating system installation:
1. Open vSphere Client.

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2. Right-click on the virtual machine and select Open Console.

Figure 80. Accessing the Virtual Machine Console

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Section 8 Create Virtual Machines Add ISO file to the Virtual Machine

3. Click the Start button to start the virtual machine.

Figure 81. Starting the Virtual Machine

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Add ISO file to the Virtual Machine Section 8 Create Virtual Machines

4. Install the Windows operating system in the virtual machine in the same
manner as that of a physical computer.

Figure 82. Installation of the Windows Operating System

VMware tools should be installed after the operating system is installed. Prior to
this, it is required to press the Ctrl +Alt key at the same time to release the mouse
and keyboard focus from the virtual machine. VMware tools will also assist in
making the mouse cursor more responsive.

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Section 8 Create Virtual Machines Install VMware Tools

Install VMware Tools


VMware tools provides drivers and services to the guest operating system which
also enhances the user interaction with the virtual machine. For example, without
VMware Tools installed, to move the mouse and keyboard focus from the virtual
machine console, it is required to press the Ctrl + Alt keys. With VMware Tools
installed, the mouse moves freely between the computer running the vSphere Client
and virtual machine console. Graphics drivers installed by VMware tools improve
the responsiveness of the mouse in the virtual machine console.
Perform the following to install the VMware tools:
1. Perform Step 1and Step 2 of Operating System Installation to open the virtual
machine console.
2. Click on VM and point to Guest and select Install/Upgrade VMware Tools.

Figure 83. Initialing the Installation of VMware Tools

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Install VMware Tools Section 8 Create Virtual Machines

3. Click Ok on the Install VMware Tools message.

Figure 84. Installation Notification

4. In the virtual machine, open a Windows explorer, and double-click on the DVD
Drive(D:) VMware Tools to start the installation.

Figure 85. Initiating the Installation of VMware Tools

5. Click Next on the VMware Tools Setup dialog box.


6. For Setup type, select Typical and click Next.
7. Click Install at Ready to install VMware Tools.

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Section 8 Create Virtual Machines Install VMware Tools

8. Click Finish to complete the installation.


9. Click Yes on the VMware Tools Setup machine to restart the machine.
Once restarted, it is now possible to resize the virtual machine desktop size. To
resize perform the following:
1. Perform Step 1and Step 2 Operating System Installation to open the virtual
machine console.
2. Click View and select Fit Guest Now.

Figure 86. Resizing the Guest Desktop to fit the Virtual Console Size

If it there are difficulties in resizing the desktop, check that the virtual machine
video adapter has to be allocated at least 64MB.

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Virus Scanning Section 8 Create Virtual Machines

The virtual machine desktop should fit the size of the virtual machine console.

Figure 87. Resized Virtual Machine Desktop

After Windows and the VMware Tools are installed, install and configure 800xA
software into the VM the same way as on physical computers by using the 800xA
System Installer tool. For more information, refer to the System 800xA Installation
and Upgrade Getting Started (2PAA111708*).

Virus Scanning
Virus scanning of computers is a CPU and disk intensive activity. It is best practice
to stage schedule hard disk scanning in virtual machines so that there is not more
than one virtual machine scanning its hard disk in an ESXi server at a time.

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Section 9 ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.x/ESXi 5.x to ESXi
5.5

Upgrade to ESXi 5.5


The upgrade of an ESXi server requires all virtual machines to be shutdown, it is
essential to ensure that there is no risk to production, that is, the upgrade is
performed during a factory maintenance shutdown.
Before upgrading an ESXi server to ESXi 5.5, consider the following:
All virtual machines running on the ESXi server must be shut down. This is
done inside Windows in the virtual machine in the same manner as shutting
down a physical computer.
Ensure that the server vendor supports ESXi 5.5 before upgrading.
Use the server vendor custom ESXi installer which is available from the
vendors support web site.
After migration, the vSphere Client 5.5 needs to be installed on the client
computer. Previous versions can remain on the client.
An ESXi 5.5 license will need to be installed.
The process for upgrading an ESXi to ESXi 5.5 is the same for the different versions
of ESXi.
It is important to ensure that an upgrade of the existing installation is made which
preserves existing VMFS (VMware File System) partitions.
Perform the following to upgrade to ESXi 5.5:
1. Open vSphere Client.

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Upgrade to ESXi 5.5 Section 9 ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.x/ESXi 5.x to ESXi 5.5

2. Check that the virtual machines on ESXi have been shut down.

Figure 88. Checking that all Virtual Machines have been Shut down

3. Right-click on the ESXi server and select Enter Maintenance Mode.


You must opt for the ESXi server into maintenance mode to ensure that the
virtual machines will be started in a controlled manner, This will prevent the
virtual machines from starting automatically when the upgraded ESXi server
starts.

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Section 9 ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.x/ESXi 5.x to ESXi 5.5 Upgrade to ESXi 5.5

Figure 89. Opt the ESXi Server into Maintenance Mode

4. Click Yes on the Confirm Maintenance Mode message.


5. Insert ESXi 5.5 installation media into the server.

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Upgrade to ESXi 5.5 Section 9 ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.x/ESXi 5.x to ESXi 5.5

6. Right-click on the host in vSphere Client and select Reboot.

Figure 90. Rebooting the ESXi Server

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Section 9 ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.x/ESXi 5.x to ESXi 5.5 Upgrade to ESXi 5.5

The ESXi boot menu appears if the server has been correctly setup in the BIOS to
boot from the CD, see Figure 91.

Figure 91. Booting the Server from the Installation Media

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Upgrade to ESXi 5.5 Section 9 ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.x/ESXi 5.x to ESXi 5.5

7. Press Enter to continue.

Figure 92. ESXi Installation Welcome Screen

8. Press F11 to accept the License and continue.

Figure 93. Accepting the VMware Enduser License Agreement

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Section 9 ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.x/ESXi 5.x to ESXi 5.5 Upgrade to ESXi 5.5

9. If the correct disk has been selected, the disk details will show that an ESXi
installation has been found.
10. Use arrow keys to select the disk, and press the F1 to display the disk details.
Typically, the ESXi installation is on the first disk, however, it is important to
confirm this before commencing the installation.

Figure 94. Selecting ESXi Server Hard Disks

11. Press Enter for the Disk Details dialog box..

Figure 95. Disk Details

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Upgrade to ESXi 5.5 Section 9 ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.x/ESXi 5.x to ESXi 5.5

12. Press Enter to continue the ESXi upgrade.

Figure 96. Continuing with the ESXi Upgrade

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Section 9 ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.x/ESXi 5.x to ESXi 5.5 Upgrade to ESXi 5.5

13. Select the Migrate ESX, preserver VMFS datastore using the arrow keys,
and press Enter to maintain the existing settings and datastores of the ESXi
server.

Figure 97. Selecting to Upgrade ESX and Preserve Datastores

14. Review the migration settings and press F11.

Figure 98. Confirmation of Migration of the ESX server to ESXi

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Upgrade to ESXi 5.5 Section 9 ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.x/ESXi 5.x to ESXi 5.5

When upgrading from 5.x to 5.5, then option used is called upgrade instead of
migrate.
A non-interruptible progress bar shows the migration status.
15. After completion of the migration, remove the installation media from the drive
and press Enter to reboot the server.
Ensure that the VMware vSphere Client 5.5 has been installed in the client.

Figure 99. Completion of the ESXi to ESXi 5.5 Migration

16. After the server has restarted, open vSphere Client, and review the
configuration.

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Section 9 ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.x/ESXi 5.x to ESXi 5.5 Upgrade to ESXi 5.5

17. Right-click on host and select Exit Maintenance Mode, and power on the
virtual machines.

Figure 100. Exiting Maintenance Mode to Enable the Virtual Machines to be


Started

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Upgrade to ESXi 5.5 Section 9 ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.x/ESXi 5.x to ESXi 5.5

120 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 10 vSphere Command Line Interface

Overview
This topic describes how to install vSphere Command Line Interface (CLI). The
VMware ESXi interface and the vSphere Client does not have the ability to execute
commands in the ESXi Server. This functionality is provided by vSphere CLI,
allowing the execution of administration commands on the ESXi Server. Where
additional files are required, these can be uploaded to a datastore prior to executing
the commands.
Typical usage for the vSphere CLI is to install patches and setting SNMP trap
configurations.

Download
The VMware CLI is downloaded from VMware website and installed on a computer
that has network connectivity to the management interface on the ESXi server. The
version should be same version as the ESXi servers that are to be administrated.
Download VMware vSphere CLI 5.5 from www.vmware.com.

Install VMware vSphere CLI


The VMware vSphere CLI is installed on computer that is also connected to the
ESXi management interface. While this could be a virtual machine, the
management interface should have limited restricted access over the network to
minimize security threats.
To install the VMware vSphere CLI 5.5:

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Install VMware vSphere CLI Section 10 vSphere Command Line Interface

1. Double-click on the VMware vSphere CLI installation program.

Figure 101. VMware vSphere CLI Installation Program

2. Check that the publisher is VMware and click Run.

Figure 102. Confirmation to Run the VMware vSphere CLI

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Section 10 vSphere Command Line Interface Install VMware vSphere CLI

3. Click Next at the welcome screen dialog box.

Figure 103. Welcome Screen

4. Select I accept the terms in the license agreement and click Next.
5. Leave the destination folder for the installation to the default location and click
Next.

Figure 104. Default Location of the VMware vSphere CLI Installation

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Install VMware vSphere CLI Section 10 vSphere Command Line Interface

6. Click Install at the ready to install dialog box.


7. Click Finish to complete the VMware vSphere CLI 5.5 installation.

Figure 105. Installation Complete

124 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 11 USB Licensing Dongle

This topic describes the details of adding a USB License Dongle in the ESXi server
and in the virtual machines.
In physical 800xA nodes, ABB 800xA USB licensing dongle is attached to the
computer where the 800xA CLS service is running.
Connecting the 800xA USB Licensing Dongle to the CLS Server
To enable the virtual machine to access the USB dongle perform the following:
1. Edit the Settings of the virtual machine.
2. Add Hardware of Device Type USB Controller. The configuration must be
allowed to complete before adding USB devices.
3. Insert the ABB USB Dongle into the ESXi Server.
4. Add Hardware of Device type USB Device.
5. Add relevant ABB Licence Dongle USB device type from the listed devices.
6. Click Next, and click Finish
7. Click OK.
8. Start the virtual machine.
For more information on Central Licensing Server, refer System 800xA Licensing
Information (2PAA111691*).

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Section 11 USB Licensing Dongle

126 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 12 Backup and Restore

This topic describes the details of backup and restore activities performed in the
ESXi server and in the virtual machines.
Whilst there are many virtual machine backup solutions, it is important to
understand that the backups are usually made when the virtual machine operating
system has open files. This results in a backup where the integrity of the files cannot
be guaranteed. During the backup operation, there is a high level of disk access.
This may impact the performance of the node. If multiple backups are made at the
same time, there is a risk that there is an impact on other nodes in the system. These
solutions are not supported for System 800xA.

Backup and Restore of an ESXi Server


Backing up an ESXi server is a different concept to backing up a Windows
computer.
Virtual machines running in an ESXi server are backed up individually as described
in Backup and restore of virtual machines.
To install a replacement ESXi server as an assistance, the following configuration
details should be noted:
Virtual switch configuration. For example, switch names, parameters, and
connected VMs.
Storage adapter configuration. For example, iSCSI addresses.
NTP server details.
DNS and routing configuration.
User and Groups configuration.

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Backup and Restore of Virtual Machines Section 12 Backup and Restore

Virtual machine configuration such as resource allocation and user security


details.
After the virtual machines have been moved to the new server, it is important to
check that the network has been correctly set for each virtual machine.
When powering on a virtual machine which has been moved to the new server, a
question may be asked if it has been copied or moved. Answering moved will keep
the unique identity (for example NIC MAC addresses) the same. Answering
copied will change these unique identities.

Backup and Restore of Virtual Machines


Using snapshots is not a supported method for 800xA server nodes. There is a
reduction in performance when running a virtual machine that has snapshots. If a
snapshot has been made of a running virtual machine it can take longer to start the
virtual machine. It is also possible to accidentally snapshot back to a previous state
of the virtual machine which could interfere with production and potentially loose a
great deal of data.
Virtual machines running in an ESXi server are backed up as if they are physical
computers.

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Section 13 Security

When an ESXi server is installed, the root user is setup as the administrative user on
all objects in the ESXi server. Items such as virtual machines, that are added, have
the root user added to their permissions by default.
A problem with this is that, mistakes or abuse of the system is possible by those who
have knowledge of the root password. To limit this, additional users who have
limited roles in the ESXi server should be added. These limited roles would only
allow the user to start the virtual machine, but not stop, delete, or modify it. The
roles should be applied to those virtual machines which are relevant to the user.

Roles
Roles are a group of privileges that can be allocated to a user and applied as
permissions to the objects in the ESXi server. These privileges are grouped into
categories such as Datastore and Virtual Machine.
By default, there are three roles in an ESXi server. These cannot be edited and new
roles need to be created to define the required set of privileges.
Creating a role with a limited set of permissions through the following actions:
1. Login to the ESXi server using the vSphere Client.
2. Select Home > Administration > Roles in the taskbar.
3. Click Add Role.
4. Provide a name for the new role. By default, the new role has no privileges.
5. Add the minimal level of privileges required.
For example, expand the tree structure of:
All Privileges >Virtual machine >Interaction

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Users Section 13 Security

Select the item: Power On.


6. Click OK.

Users
Users are either those defined in the ESXi server, or via vCenter which uses
Windows users. Once the users are defined, they are added to objects in the ESXi
server and assigned permissions. When the user logs into the ESXi Server, only
those virtual machines which have the user assigned to are visible.
Users are added through the following procedure:
1. Login to the ESXi server using the vSphere Client.
2. Select the ESXi server icon in the tree structure.
3. Select the Users & Groups tab group.
4. Right-click in the blank area of the Users & Groups tab.
5. Select Add... from the context menu.
6. Provide a Login, User Name and Password.
The login name should have alphanumeric characters with no spaces. The
password should meet the minimum complexity which is a minimum of 6-8
characters which have upper case, lower case, numeric values and do not
contain phrases in the login name. If the password does not meet the minimum
complexity, an invalid format message is shown.

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Section 13 Security Permissions

Permissions
Permissions are added to objects, such as, the virtual machines, to allow the users
for limited interaction with the virtual machine. They can be allowed to propagate to
child objects.
Permissions are added to a virtual machine using the following procedure:
1. Login to the ESXi server using the vSphere Client.
2. Select the virtual machine which requires permission modification.
3. Click Permissions tab.
4. Right-click in the blank area of the Permissions tab.
5. Select Add Permission... from the context menu.
6. Select Add... to select a user.
7. Select the user name in the list.
8. Click Add and then OK.
9. In the Assign Permissions dialog box, select the permission from the Assigned
Role drop-down box.
If the ESXi server is being managed using vCenter Server, the users of the computer
running vCenter Server, or the domain it is a member of, can be used to add
permissions to the ESXi server objects.

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Permissions Section 13 Security

132 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 14 Optimization

This topic describes the optimizations required in virtual CPUs.

Virtual CPUs
As an initial guideline, it is recommended to have two virtual CPUs in each virtual
machine and to have at least one logical processor per virtual CPU. In some cases,
where there are a number of processes in the virtual machine which consume high
processor load, it may be necessary to add additional virtual CPUs to achieve target
performance levels.
To add an additional CPU to a virtual machine, it must first be shut down. The
hardware configuration is then edited, and the number of CPUs are adjusted to the
required count. If a virtual machine has been configured with one processor,
Windows will use the uniprocessor kernel. When more than one processor is found,
Windows will then install the multiprocessor kernel and associated drivers. After
this installation, the virtual machine needs to be restarted.
To provide CPU resources to the virtual machines, there should be one logical
processor for each virtual CPU. For example, if the computer has 2 Quad Core
CPUs (8 cores) and each virtual machine has 2 virtual CPUs, then there should be
only 4 virtual machines running on the ESXi server (8 virtual CPUs). With hyper
threading enabled, there are twice as many logical cores, hence, there can be twice
as many virtual CPUs (16 virtual CPUs).
Whilst hyper-threaded cores have a small performance reduction caused by sharing
core resources, they provide more execution locations for virtual CPUs, which
minimizes delays in virtual machine execution.

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Allocate Virtual CPUs to Physical Cores Section 14 Optimization

Allocate Virtual CPUs to Physical Cores


It is highly recommended to allow the ESXi Server to allocate resources. However,
if it is required to allocate virtual machine to physical cores, the identifier
convention in the ESXi server must be understood.
In VMware ESXi server, the first hyper-thread of the first core is logical processor
0, the next hyper-thread of the first core is logical processor 1. This is summarized
in Figure 106.

Figure 106. Core Numbering in ESXi

134 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP
Traps

This topic gives an idea of setting up the SNMP trap monitoring in ABB 800xA
system.
For 800xA 5.1 FP4 system, to receive generic traps, for example, test traps, the
following temporary correction is required: 800xA PC, Network and Software
Monitoring 5.1 RU1 TC1(5.1.4863.23656).
Prior to 800xA 5.1 Rev. D, an issue with the System Installer may cause tlb files,
not to be registered. Run the following command on the AO Server, which creates
a new file called PnsmEngineHandler.tlb:
C:\Program Files (x86)\ABB Industrial IT\Optimize IT\PC, Network and
Software Monitoring\bin\RegisterTLB.bat

The AO Server node must be restarted for the change to take effect.

800xA Components Required


The following is required in an ABB 800xA system for SNMP Trap support:

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Set ESXi Host Name Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps

ABB 800xA PNSM Server for the trap receiving service.


ABB 800xA AO server for alarm/event management.
ABB System 800xA PNSM Library Base.
ABB System 800xA PNSM Library object types of devices which have SNMP
Trap aspects (A generic object is described later in this section).
The ABB 800xA PNSM and ABB 800xA AO servers can be combined in the same
node.

Set ESXi Host Name


For SNMP Traps to be sent, the ESXi server must not have its DNS name set to the
default localhost. This will result in trap messages being sent from the server with a
non-useful name or 127.0.0.1 to the 800xA system. This prevents the 800xA Trap
Service from identifying the source of the trap messages. Use the ESXi Server
interface to set the ESXi server name to a unique value. See Section 5, ESXi
Configuration Console, Step 8 through Step 12.

SNMP Traps
SNMP Traps are notification messages from a device to a trap receiver. Usually, the
trap receiver is part of a network management system. From 800xA 5.1 Rev B, ABB
has a trap receiver functionality that enables hardware to send notifications to the
800xA alarm and events. For example, to produce System Alarms or System Events
depending on how the receiver is setup.

Communication Topology
SNMP Traps are received by a ABB Trap service running in an ABB 800xA PNSM
Server. Events are forwarded by the ABB 800xA PNSM Server to an ABB 800xA
AO Server.
Traps messages are received on port UDP 162, hence, this port needs to be open in
the ABB 800xA PNSM Server. To determine if a device has network connectivity,
the ABB 800xA PNSM server periodically performs SNMP reads of the device.

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These requests are sent to port UDP 161 of the device, see Figure 107.

Figure 107. PNSM SNMP Requests for Status and Reception of SNMP Traps

VMware ESXi servers send SNMP Traps through the management network. For
monitoring of an ESXi server, the ABB 800xA PNSM Server must have network
connectivity with the management network in the ESXi Server.
The target IP address for the SNMP Traps in the ESXi server must be set to the ABB
800xA PNSM Server, see Figure 108.The target IP address is the IP address of the

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ABB 800xA PNSM server network adapter that is connected to the same switch as
the ESXi Management Network.

Figure 108. Communication of SNMP Trap Messages

Server Hardware
Prior to setting up SNMP Traps, hardware vendor offline bundles need to be
installed in the ESXi Server. The vendors may supply custom ESXi images which

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have the required SNMP support installed. The following table shows typical
requirements for SNMP support from various vendors:

Table 13. Vendor Support for SNMP in ESXi

Vendor SNMP Support


HP Additional Offline Bundle
DELL Dell OpenManage Offline Bundle
IBM IBM Offline Bundle

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The Figure 109 is an example of the HP DL380p G8 health status without offline
bundle. There is no status of the storage shown. This requires the offline bundle to
be installed.

Figure 109. Server Health Status without Offline Bundle

Perform the following to download the custom bundle:


Before installing the offline bundle, it is highly recommended to shut down the
virtual machines and put the ESXi server into maintenance mode.
1. Download HP Agentless Management Service Offline Bundle for VMware
vSphere 5.5 from HP website.

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2. Open vSphere Client.


3. Select a datastore and Upload the file.

Figure 110. Vendor Offline Bundle Uploaded to the ESXi Server

4. Start the VMware vSphere CLI with the Command Prompt option.

Figure 111. Starting the VMware CLI to Initiate Installation of the Offline Bundle

5. Enter the following in command prompt and execute it to install the bundle:

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C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI>esxcli -s


192.168.128.55 -u root -p MyPassword software vib install
-d /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/hp-ams-esxi5.5-bundle-9.4.0-
24.zip
The esxcli command must be entered as a single line.

The storage status is present in the vSphere Client Health Status.

Figure 112. Server Health Status Showing Hard Disk Health Status

ESXi Configuration
By default, ESXi servers do not have SNMP enabled, or SNMP Trap destinations
configured. This is required to be performed before configuring the 800xA system

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to receive the traps. Configuration of SNMP Traps in the ESXi server requires the
usage of the VMware vSphere CLI interface.
A separate network is used for the ESXi management network which keeps the
800xA network separate from the ESXi management network. In the example, the
ESXi management network is in 192.168.128.0 to 192.168.128.254 range.

SNMP Receiving Port


The receiving port for SNMP should be set to UDP 161 by using the following
command:
C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI>vicfg-
snmp.pl --server 192.168.128.55 --username root --password
rootPass -p 161
Changing udp port to 161...
Complete.

Trap Target
Perform the following to prepare the Trap Target:
1. Trap destination (ABB 800xA PNSM Server) is set in the ESXi 5.5 server
using the flowing format:
IPADDRESS@PORT/COMMUNITY
2. In the following example, the trap destination (ABB 800xA PNSM Server) is
set to 192.168.128.85:
C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI>vicfg-
snmp.pl --server 192.168.128.55 --username root --password
rootPass -t 192.168.128.85@162/public
Changing notification(trap) targets list to:
192.168.128.85@162/public...
Complete.
3. SNMP is enabled through the following command:
C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI>vicfg-
snmp.pl --server 192.168.128.55 --username root --password
rootPass --enable

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Enabling agent...
Complete.

Check Configuration
SNMP configuration of an ESXi server can be checked using the show command as
shown in the following example:
C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI>vicfg-
snmp.pl --server 192.168.128.55 --username root --password
rootPass -show
Current SNMP agent settings:
Enabled: 1
UDP port: 161
Communities:
public
Notification targets:
192.168.128.85@162/public
Options:
EnvEventSource=indications
engineid=00000063000000a100000000
loglevel=info

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Firewall
In the ABB 800xA PNSM Server where the SNMP Traps are to be received, the fire
wall must be open for port UDP 162, see Figure 113.

Figure 113. Firewall port UDP 162 Open for Receiving SNMP Traps

Test Basic Communication


To confirm that the network configuration is correct, some simple tests can be
performed. These are performed on the ABB 800xA PNSM server where the SNMP
traps will be received.
The first test is a basic ping of the ESXi server:
1. Open the Command Prompt.

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2. Ping the ESXi server.

Figure 114. Basic Ping from the AO Server to the ESXi Server

If there is no response, the basic network configuration must be checked.

Test Trap Communication


Next step is to check that the ESXi server is able to send traps to the ABB 800xA
PNSM server where the SNMP traps will be received. This can be performed with
the assistance of a simple PowerShell script.

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1. On the ABB 800xA PNSM server, ensure that the ABB PNSM Trap Receiver
server is stopped (Figure 115).

Figure 115. Stopped ABB PNSM Trap Receiver to Test Traps

2. In the ABB 800xA PNSM Server, create a text file locating it on the desktop
and name it traptest.ps1.
Windows hides known file types. Hence, the file may look like it is traptest.ps1,
but is really traptest1.ps1.txt.

Figure 116. Hiding File Type Information

3. In the Windows Explorer, select Tools and click Folder Options.


4. Choose View menu, and clear Hide extensions for known file types under
Files and Folders (Figure 117).

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5. Click Apply and close the Windows Explorer.

Figure 117. Unhiding Known File Types in Windows

After changes have been applied, the file is shown with a .txt extension.

Figure 118. File Name with Extension

6. Rename the file to traptest.ps1, the icon changes, see Figure 119.
7. Right-click on traptest.ps1 and select Open to edit the file.

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Figure 119. File with Correct Extension to be a PowerShell Script

8. Copy and paste the following text into it:


$UdpPort=162
$endpoint = New-Object System.Net.IPEndPoint
([IPAddress]::Any, $UdpPort)
$udpclient= New-Object System.Net.Sockets.UdpClient $UdpPort
while($content=$udpclient.Receive([ref]$endpoint)) {Write-
Host -nonewline $content}
9. Save and close the notepad editor.

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10. Select Start > All Programs > Accessories > Windows PowerShell >
Windows PowerShell.

Figure 120. Starting Windows PowerShell

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11. Drag the traptest.ps1 to the PowerShell, and press Enter twice.

Figure 121. Running the PowerShell Trap Test Script

12. If a request to execute the script is shown, type Y to allow execution of the
script.
If required, enable script execution to run the script. Get the current script
execution policy using the following command: Get-ExecutionPolicy
To allow the script to be executed, using
the command: Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
After the scripts are executed, the script execution policy must be restored to
the original value using the command: Set-ExecutionPolicy
If the PowerShell is seen as shown in Figure 122, there is a service that is already
using port UDP 162. The trap receiver services must be stopped.

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Figure 122. Indication that a Program/Service is already Listening on Port UDP


162

13. Use the following VMware vSphere CLI command to request the ESXi server
to send a test trap:
C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI>vicfg-
snmp.pl --server 192.168.128.55 --username root --password
rootPass --test
Sending test nofication(trap) to all configured targets...
Complete. Check with each target to see if trap was received.

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The following shows the trap message as received in the ABB 800xA PNSM server:

Figure 123. Trap Message in PNSM Server

The IP address of the ESXi server is in the numeric values.


14. Close the Windows PowerShell dialog box to ensure that the port UDP 162 is
free.

SNMP Traps Service Provider


SNMP Traps utilizes an ABB 800xA Trap Service that needs to be defined in the
Service Structure.
To set up Trap Service Provider:
1. Open Engineering Workplace.

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2. Provide a service group and service provider objects, and set the node where
the ABB 800xA Trap Service should be run.
i

Figure 124. Service Group and Service Provider Configuration for SNMP Traps

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3. Confirm that the ABB PSNM Trap Receiver service is started in the ABB
800xA PNSM Server.

Figure 125. ABB PNSM Trap Receiver Running in the ABB 800xA PNSM Server

Add PNSM Objects


The System 800xA PNSM Library Base is required as a starting point for PNSM.
Additional object types specific to supported devices are added when available. The
ESXi version of the object types has an IT Trap aspect added, which contains the
required MIB files. These are installed in the ABB 800xA PNSM server node. If an
object does not exist, it may be possible (dependent on available MIB files) to create
the asset specific object. Refer SNMP Traps - Generic for more information.

Figure 126. Object Types Required for PNSM

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Installation of the object types consists of executing the file which expands its
contents. For the Base, the Import folder contains a Base afw file and VB6/PG2 afw
files, which are imported dependent on usage of VB6/PG2.
After importing the afw files, the install.bat file should be executed.

Figure 127. Structure of PNSM Library Base Folder Structure

The device specific PNSM requires the importing of the afw file:

Figure 128. PNSM Device Library Folder Structure

Create a Device Object


Perform the following to create a device object:

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1. In the Engineering Workplace, under Control Structure, right-click on a IT


Server object and select New Object.

Figure 129. Object Creation

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2. Select the PNSM object type, enter a Name and click Create.

Figure 130. Creating PNSM Object Type

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3. For the IT Faceplate PG2 aspect, select the Configuration tab, and enter IP
address and SNMP Community password.

Figure 131. Providing IP Address and SNMP Password

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4. Select the IT Device Manager aspect and click Populate.

Figure 132. Populating the PNSM Object

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5. Select the IT Device Traps aspect and click Deploy.

Figure 133. Deploying the IT Traps to the AO Server

6. Select the IT Faceplate PG2 aspect to confirm that the device is online.

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The Information tab shows the Name and Description of the device populated.

Figure 134. Device Properties

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The Conditions tab shows that the device is connected. It is indicated by a green
color box.

Figure 135. Device Connection Status

Traps Testing
Final confirmation of the device configuration is to test that the traps are working
correctly. Perform the following to test the traps are working:
1. Start VMware vSphere CLI command prompt.
2. Execute the command to request the ESXi server to send a test trap:
C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI>vicfg-
snmp.pl --server 192.168.128.55 --username root --password
rootPass --test
Sending test nofication(trap) to all configured targets...
Complete. Check with each target to see if trap was received.

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3. Click the Event List in the device object to view the resultant events.

Figure 136. Successful Reception of an SNMP Trap in 800xA System

4. Final test is to perform a non-destructive hardware failure such as removing


one of the redundant power supplies.

Figure 137. Testing SNMP Trap Generation of Physical Hardware Failure

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Filter Trap Messages


Not all trap messages are notifications of failures. One example is uptime
notifications as shown in Figure 138, where vmwCimOmHeartbeat events occur.

Figure 138. Cyclic vmwCimomHeartbeat Events which may Require Filtering

By default, all the trap types are enabled in the IT Device Traps aspect. These can be
deselected to remove traps that are not critical to the servers operations.
To ignore the event, perform the following:

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1. Open the IT Device Traps aspect and clear the vmwCimOmHeartbeat


notification trap and click Apply.

Figure 139. Deselecting Trap Messages

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2. Click Deploy on the Main View as the changes need to be deployed here.

Figure 140. Deploying Changes made to the IT Device Traps Configuration

SNMP Traps - Generic


Before providing any system/statement on monitoring hardware not supported by
ABB, the project must test and verify each hardware item.

There might be situations where an asset might not have an ABB PNSM Object
type, but there is still a need to monitor the asset using SNMP Traps. This can be
done using the PNSM Workstation object type as a base. Success of this depends on
the asset being monitored and the availability of MIB files.
The asset must be able to handle basic property requests. This will enable PNSM to
determine if the asset is connected and the name of the asset.

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MIB files are required by the IT Traps aspect to enable the interpretation of traps
received. These can be difficult to come by and to apply due to the MIB file
dependencies.
The walkthrough is based on making a object to monitor a DL380G8server.

800xA Components Required


The following is required to implement a trap receiving object:
ABB 800xA PNSM Server for the trap receiving service.
ABB 800xA AO server for alarm/event management.
ABB System 800xA PNSM Library Base.
ABB System 800xA PNSM Library Asset for Workstation.
Asset MIB Files (downloaded from vendor's website).
Before attempting any setup, ensure that the MIB files are available from the
vendor.
Figure 141 shows the files required to implement an object.

Figure 141. Files Required to Create a Generic Object which can be Configured to
Receive SNMP Traps from an Asset Based on MIB files

udp940mib.zip file is downloaded from the vendors website.

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Install PNSM Base Object


To install a PNSM Object refer Add PNSM Objects.

Install PNSM Workstation Object


Perform the following:
1. Download the System 800xA PNSM Library Asset for Workstation program,
and execute it.

Figure 142. PNSM Workstation Device Library Folder Structure

2. Import the 10_Workstation afw file and VB6 or PG2 afw file based on system
requirements.

Download Asset MIB Files


The MIB files can be downloaded from different websites. As an example in this
sub-section it is downloaded from HP website. To download, perform the following:

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1. Search for MIB file in HP website, and click Download.

Figure 143. Download MIB File

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2. Choose the two MIB files that are required for SMNP set, that is, snmpv2-
mib.mib and SNMPv2-SMI.mib.

Figure 144. Adding MIB Files to the IT Device Traps Aspect

3. Select the VMware files as shown in Figure 145.

Figure 145. Vendor Specific MIB Files

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The resultant set of files is as shown in Figure 146.

Figure 146. MIB Files Extracted

Create an Object Type


To provide efficient engineering, it is recommended to create a new object type for
the device to be monitored. This is performed by making a copy of the Workstation
object type and customizing it to suit the device to be monitored.
Perform the following to create an object type:
1. Open Engineering Workplace.

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2. Under Object Type Structure, right-click on the Workstation-v1_3 Object


Type and select Copy.

Figure 147. Copying the Workstation Object Type

3. Select or create a parent object type group.

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4. Right-click on the object, and select Paste special > Paste Object.

Figure 148. Creating a New Object Type

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5. The new object type needs to be customized before being used. For example,
the name and icon should be modified.

Figure 149. Initial Copy of the New Object Type

Following is a list of modifications that are required before the object type is used:
Change name of the object type.
Change icon of object type.
Add IT Device Traps aspect.
Add MIB files
Add Event list.
Set Aspect Control to Copy to all instances for the IT Device Traps aspect.
6. Select the new object type, then the Name aspect (Figure 150).

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7. Change the Name relevant to the device to be monitored and click Apply.

Figure 150. Modifying the Object Type Name

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8. To change the object icon, delete the existing icon and copy a new icon and
click Apply.

Figure 151. Updating the Icon

In the Figure 151, the icon from the HP_ProLiant_DL380_G6_ESXi_v3_0 is


copied to the new object type

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9. Right-click on the object type and select New Aspect..., to add an IT Device
Trap aspect.

Figure 152. Adding New Aspect

10. In the New Aspect dialog, under Common tab, select IT Device Traps > IT
Device Traps > IT Device Traps aspect (Figure 153).

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11. Let the Name be the default name, and click Create.

Figure 153. New IT Device Trap Aspect

MIB files have dependencies. When changes are made to the to the MIB files, All
the required files must be added again, even if they have been added previously.
All the dependencies must be met.
You must always have the SNMPV2-mib.mib file and the SNMPv2-SMI.mib
files. These provide base definitions that are used by vendor MIB files.

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12. Add the MIB files to the IT Device Traps aspect, and click Load.

Figure 154. Adding MIB Files to the IT Device Traps Aspect

If successful, the log will show MIB parsing success. If unsuccessful, the MIB files
will be missing.
13. Click Apply after successfully adding the MIB files.

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14. Add an Event list aspect to the new object type, and in the Configuration view,
set the Configuration to IT Asset Event Configuration.

Figure 155. Adding an Event List Aspect to the New Object Type

15. Click Open in the Configuration view(Figure 155).

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16. Select Filter menu, ensure that IT Asset alarms option is selected and click
Apply.

Figure 156. Enabling IT Asset Alarms

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17. Select Columns menu and change the column order as shown in Figure 157, so
that the Message tab comes after the ObjectName tab.

Figure 157. Changing the Event List Column Order

By default, the IT Device Traps aspect will not be inherited. This behavior is
changed in the Type Definition aspect.

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18. Select the Type Definition aspect, then the Aspect Control tab.

Figure 158. Changing the IT Device Traps Aspect Behavior

19. Select the IT Device Traps aspect, and select Copy to all instances, and then
click Apply (Figure 158) to make the changes.

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Create an Asset Object


1. In the Control Structure, right-click on IT Server, IT OPC Server Network
object and select New Object....

Figure 159. New Object Creation

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2. Select New Object type and type a name, and then click Create.

Figure 160. Creation of a Workstation Object

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3. In the IT Faceplate PG2 aspect, select the Configuration tab, and set the IP
Address and the SNMP Community password of the device to be monitored.

Figure 161. Setting the IP Address and SNMP Password

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4. Select the IT Device Traps aspect and click Deploy, so that each new instance
will have the MIB files deployed to the AO Server.

Figure 162. Deploying Trap Configuration

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5. Select IT Device Manager and click Populate.

Figure 163. Populating the Device

6. Send a test trap message from the device. In the following example, the ESXi
server was requested to send a test trap:
C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI>vicfg-
snmp.pl --server 192.168.128.55 --username root --password
rootPass --test
Sending test nofication(trap) to all configured targets...
Complete. Check with each target to see if trap was received.

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The following is the resultant event message:

Figure 164. Trap Message Received from ESXi Server

The test trap only checks the base trap functionality. To test that the MIB files are
correct, a non-destructive test such as removing a redundant power supply is
performed. The following is an example of the expected event message:

Figure 165. Event Message of a Power Supply Failure in an ESXi Server

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Section 16 VMware Command Line Interface,
Drivers, Updates and Upgrades

When setting up an ESX server, additional drivers may be required. Typically, this
would be for network adapters. Additional updates may also be required. These
tasks can be achieved from the Windows computer which is used as a client to the
ESX server.
Due to the difficulty in identifying hardware which ESXi does not automatically
detect, it is mandatory to have an inventory of the computers configuration. This
should contain details on, for example, additional NIC cards including the chipset.
This information is used to identify the correct driver in the VMware website.
VMware has produced a software utility, which provides the functionality to have
patches saved on the Windows client be applied to the ESX server through simple
commands. To make it easier to identify the updated files when typing the
commands, they should be placed in a simple folder, for example, C:\ESXUpdates.
Most vendors provide ISO images which are used to create bootable CDs/DVDs to
enable the firmware to be upgraded. The relevant offline bundle is extracted for the
installation in the ESXi server.

VMware Command Line Interface


The VMware Command Line Interface (CLI) provides the ability to perform
maintenance operations, such as, applying patches, drivers and updates from a
Windows client. This removes the necessity to understand the Unix based command
required when logging in through the text based terminal console for these tasks. It
also provides the ability to apply updates to ESXi when there is no text based
console to log on to. Installation of the VMware Command Line Interface (CLI) is
described in Install VMware vSphere CLI.

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Prepare the ESXi Server


Installing drivers or ESXi updates typically will require the ESXi server to be
restarted. Hence, it is highly recommended to shut down the virtual machines and
put the ESXi server into maintenance mode prior to upgrading the ESXi server.

Drivers
Perform the following to download the drivers:
1. Go to http://www.vmware.com and download VMware ESX/ESXi 4.x Driver
CD for Intel 82576 and 82580 Gigabit Ethernet Controller.
2. Save the ISO file to disk.
3. Open the ISO file using Winzip and extract the offline bundle.

Figure 166. Extracting the offline bundle from an ESXi driver installation media

4. ESXi patches and updates can be downloaded from VMware website.

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5. Click the drop-down and select a suitable version of ESXi.

Figure 167. Specifying ESXi Version

6. Select the update and click Download.

Figure 168. Downloading Updates

Apply Patches/Updates
Perform the following to apply the patches/updates:
1. Upload the patch/update to a datastore in the ESXi server so that it is used for
the patch/updates installation commands.

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As seen in the Figure 169, a folder named Updates is created in the datastore to
assist in keeping the datastore organized.

Figure 169. Update Uploaded to Datastore in the ESXi Server

2. Install the update typing the following in the command prompt:


C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI>esxcli -s
192.168.222.182 -u root -p MyPassword software vib update -d
/vmfs/volumes/datastore1/Updates/update-from-esxi5.1-
5.1_update01.zip
3. After completion of the installation of the update, the ESXi server will need to
restart. Since this means also shutting down the virtual machines first, care
must be taken to ensure there is no interference to production.

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Section 17 Storage Area Network

Virtual machines can either be stored on hard disks, local in the ESXi server, or on a
network storage device such as a Storage Area Network (SAN) server. In both cases,
the storage is added to the ESXi server and seen as datastores.
One advantage of having the virtual machines stored on a SAN server is that, the
virtual machines can be moved from one ESXi server to another. Since both ESXi
servers have access to the same shared storage, it is only the execution context that
needs to be moved rather than the much larger virtual machine hard disk.
This topic provides an overview of SAN and how it is used with VMware vSphere.
While SAN servers support either Fiber Channel, iSCSI, or both, this topic provides
information only on iSCSI. Most major server vendors also supply SAN servers.
The specific configuration of each SAN type is not documented. Refer to the
vendors specific guides for individual device configuration details.
It is essential that the configuration used is confirmed to function as expected
before used for production. This includes using the performance monitors in the
ESXi servers to ensure that load balancing is operational, and to ensure that
network redundancy is working by temporarily disconnecting the network
connections.

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Hardware Section 17 Storage Area Network

Hardware
SAN servers are highly redundant disk arrays that provide storage over a network.
Each SAN has redundant power supplies, redundant controller modules, redundant
network connections per controller module and redundant disks.

Figure 170. Rear View of an SAN Device

The following parts as numbered in the Figure 170 are:


1. Power Supplies.
2. Fiber Channel host ports.
3. iSCSI ports (host or replication).
4. CLI port (mini-USB).
5. Reserved for future use.
6. Management Ethernet port.
7. SAS expansion port.

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Configuration
SAN servers typically consists of 12 to 24 hard disks. These are usually configured
as one or more RAID 5 (block-level striping with distributed parity) disk groups
with a number of disks set as hot spares or hot standby, used as a failover
mechanism to provide reliability in System Configurations. The SAN server vendor
may have best practices for allocation of the storage.
When combining disks to create RAID arrays, a storage item is created which is
used to create virtual disks. These are the entities that become available as
datastores in ESXi.
With introduction of ESXi 5.5, the restriction on the datastore size ranging from
2TB to 512 Bytes is no more valid.
When formatting datastores, the file block size needs to be changed to accommodate
the largest file that is created in the datastore.

Figure 171. SAN Server Storage Configuration

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Networking Section 17 Storage Area Network

Networking
Figure 172 and Figure 173 provides an overview of the networking required for a
SAN server implantation.

Figure 172. SAN Storage iSCSI Network

Figure 173. SAN Storage Management Network

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One or more ESXi servers are connected to multiple network switches through
multiple network connections. The SAN server is also connected to the switches
through multiple network connections.
There are two types of network traffics in this configuration. One is to access the
shared storage through iSCSI and the other is for configuration and management of
the servers. To provide security and reliability, the two types of traffics are separated
using a VLAN.
To reduce single point of failures, separate network adapters should be used in the
ESXi servers for the storage network as shown in the Figure 174.

Figure 174. Multiple Network Adapter Connection for Higher Reliability

The multiple network connections provide redundancy, it also provides load


balancing. Figure 175 is an example of IP addresses for the storage network.
When configuring the IP addresses in the SAN server, the VLAN settings are in the
advanced settings, as shown in the Figure 176.
In the Figure 177, it is observed that the SAN server does not support VLAN. In this
case, separate network switches for iSCSI and management traffic should be
used.

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Figure 175. IP Address for the Storage Network

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Figure 176. Setting the VLAN ID for the iSCSI Ports

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Networking Section 17 Storage Area Network

Figure 177. SAN Server iSCSI IP Configuration

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Section 17 Storage Area Network ESX Server Network Configuration

ESX Server Network Configuration


Implementation of networking for the virtual solution involves separating
functionality and implementing redundancy. There should be separate networks for
the management and SAN iSCSI storage networks. This prevents management
network traffic from interfering with the storage network traffic. Figure 178 shows
the network configuration. Hardware vendor guidelines may recommend different
configurations, but the configuration should always verify that network utilization is
optimized.

Figure 178. ESXi Server Network Configuration

Add Datastores
This description is based on using the iSCSI Software Adapter in the ESX Server.
Perform the following steps in the ESXi Server:
1. Select Configuration > Storage Adapters Configuration.

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Add Datastores Section 17 Storage Area Network

2. Select iSCSI Software Adapter.


3. On the Details dialog box, select Properties.
4. In the iSCSI Initiator Properties dialog box, select Configure.
5. Select Enabled and click OK.
6. On the Dynamic Discovery tab, for each SAN IP Addresses, perform the
following steps.
a. Select Add.
b. Enter the IP Address of the iSCSI Server and click OK.
c. Click Close once all the IP Addresses are added.
d. Click Yes to re-scan, on the message stating the rescan of the Host Bus
Adapter.
If the iSCSI storage server is not used before, the datastores must be added and
formatted. The procedure is same as adding a local storage disk.
When formatting the datastores it is important to consider the largest file size and
I
set an appropriate block size.
If the iSCSI storage server is already been used in an ESX server, then the
datastores appears in the storage configuration without the intervention of the
user.
Load Balancing
Perform the following steps to manage the paths:
1. Select the iSCSI Software Adapter.
2. Select a device from the list in the Details dialog box (see Figure 179).
3. Right-click on the selected device and select Manage Paths.
4. On the Manage dialog box, select Round Robin from the Path Selection drop-
down list (see Figure 180).

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Figure 179. iSCSI Device Details

Figure 180. iSCSI Path Selection Policy

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Performance Section 17 Storage Area Network

Performance
It is essential that the configuration provides the best performance before using in a
production environment. This involves monitoring the throughput to the datastores
and ensuring that all networks are being used.
In the network performance chart, 4 network adapters that are supporting the SAN
server 1,3,4,7 (Figure 181) are all providing throughput to the SAN sever.

Figure 181. Load balancing of SAN Servers

If the configuration is not correctly setup, not all the network connections are used
for communication with the SAN server. It displays the network traffic. It is
important to check the average/maximum values as there may be instances where
the network traffic is sampled when there is no traffic.
The following are the areas that must be checked:

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Are the network switches in the ESXi server configured correctly.


Are the VLANs setup correctly in the ESXi server and the SAN server.
Can the SAN server be pinged on each of the IP addresses from the ESXi
server. The vmkping is used from the console of the ESXi server.
Is it iSCSI Path Selection Policy set to Round Robin.
Does the SAN server has a preferred path that needs to be reset or reconfigured.
Contact the SAN supplier for additional information regarding configuration.

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Performance Section 17 Storage Area Network

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Section 18 VMware vCenter

VMware vCenter provides a centralized platform for administrating ESXi servers.


Administrative access to the ESXi servers is provided without having to separately
log on to the ESXi servers. User access rights in the ESXi servers can be applied
from a common user access definition.
VMware vCenter is installed in to a computer which does not run ABB 800xA
software.
VMware vCenter is required for accessing functionalities such as VMware High
Availability, vMotion, Storage vMotion, and Fault Tolerance. Only VMware High
Availability is approved for ABB 800xA production systems. These functionalities
typically require common storage of the virtual machines, such as, an external SAN
storage.
There are two methods to login to the vCenter Server; through the vSphere Web
Client, or the vSphere Desktop client. The web client is only available with vCenter
as it provides the services for the web client access.
With the introduction of ESXi 5.5, some functions are only available through the
vSphere Web Client that comes with vCenter. The main differences are outlined in
the Web Client and Desktop Client.
When ESXi servers in a computing environment increases, the time and effort to
maintain the individual servers also increases. Changes in user access are to be
applied to each ESXi server individually. To make this easier, VMware developed
the vCenter Server.
Additional capabilities are also unlocked once the ESXi servers have been added to
the vCenter server. These include VMware High Availability, vMotion, Storage
vMotion, and Fault Tolerance. Inclusion of the capability depends on the license
applied to the ESXi server.

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Section 18 VMware vCenter

To facilitate these advanced functionalities, the virtual machines need to be stored


on a Storage Area Network (SAN) device. This is a highly redundant disk storage
unit which uses either Fiber Channel, or Internet SCSI (iSCSI) to communicate to
the ESXi servers. The folder that represents the virtual machine (including the
virtual hard disk, and configuration files) is stored in the SAN device. Typically, the
SAN device has RAIDed storage, redundant controller cards, redundant power
supplies, and multiple network connections per controller card (Figure 182).

Figure 182. Enterprise Virtualization Components

vCenter Server is not included in VMware vSphere ESXi and must be purchased
separately to implement VMware vSphere advanced functionality, such as, VMware
High Availability.
It is important to remember that the free version of ESXi cannot be added to a
vCenter Server. License must be purchased and used.
vCenter Server is a product that runs on Windows Server (64-bit) and should be
installed on to a computer dedicated to run the vCenter Server. Hence, vCenter
Server should not be installed on a domain controller, or 800xA Server or 800xA
Client Node. vCenter Server stores information into Microsoft SQL Server
database. For installations of small number of ESXi servers, it is better to install

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Section 18 VMware vCenter Licensing

Microsoft SQL Server Express that is included in the vCenter Server installation
media.
While it is not a pre-requisite to have external storage for vCenter Server, advanced
functionality such as VMware High Availability requires virtual machines stored in
an external storage unit accessible over the network.
The same VMware vSphere Client that is used to interact with the individual ESXi
servers is also used to interact with the vCenter Server. When logging into the
vCenter Server, Windows accounts for the computer where vCenter Server is
running.

Licensing
Each vCenter server requires a vCenter license.

Each ESXi server to be added requires a full license. that is. the free ESXi license
cannot be used.

Single Sign-On
vCenter Single Sign-On (SSO) is introduced in vCenter Server 5.1. It is a mandatory
component of the VMware Cloud Suite which deals with identity management for
administrators and applications that interact with the vSphere platform. This is
separate from Microsoft Active Directory (AD). Hence, it can be installed in a
computer that is a member of a workgroup. SSO can have multiple AD domains
added to it.
When logging into the vCenter Server to perform administrative tasks, the SSO
administrative account is used which is defined during the installation. This includes
access from either the VMware Web Client, or the VMware Desktop Client.
It is recommended to use the simple install option which includes vCenter Single
Sign-On.

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Web Client and Desktop Client Section 18 VMware vCenter

Web Client and Desktop Client


The VMware Web Client is only available when vCenter is installed. There are
some functionalities that are only available through the web client and some that are
only available through the desktop client. ABB 800xA system installations do not
require the advanced functionality that is restricted to the web client.
It is important to understand that the VMware Desktop Client will not allow the
editing of virtual machines which have version 10 or higher. Hence, do not
upgrade the virtual machines to version 10 or higher unless the ESXi server is
connected to a vCenter server.

Figure 183. vSphere Client Showing VM Version9

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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation

This topic describes how to install VMware vCenter 5.5.

vCenter 5.5 Supported Operating Systems


The following operating systems are supported from VMware (only 64-bit
versions):
Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2.
Windows Server 2008 R2.
Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1.
Windows Server 2012.
The installation operation fails if a user tries to install on other operating systems.

Hardware
The VMware recommended minimum hardware configuration for Simple Install
deployment of vCenter Single Sign-On, the vSphere Web Client, vCenter Inventory
Service, and vCenter Server. Following table lists the hardware configuration:

Table 14. Hardware Configurations

Components Capacity
CPU 2GHz Dual Core
RAM 12GB

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Pre-configuration Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation

Table 14. Hardware Configurations

Components Capacity
Hard Disk 40GB - 60GB free
space (that is
80GB Hard Disk)
Network 1Gbps

Pre-configuration
Ensure that the computer where vCenter is to be installed has the following pre-
configurations made to minimize installation difficulties:
1. Ensure that the network adapters have static IP addresses.
2. It is critical that the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) is pinged
(Figure 184).
a. To find FQDN, use the following command: ipconfig /all
b. If there is no DNS Suffix, then use only the Host Name.

Figure 184. Lists all the IP Addresses

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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Pre-configuration

3. In the Host Name, DNS Suffix combination is: vcenter.ld.local.


4. If there is no DNS Suffix, just use the following Host Name to ping: ping -
4vcenter.Id.local.
If there is no response as in Figure 185, then an entry needs to be added into
hosts file.

Figure 185. No Response in Command Prompt

5. Open the C:\Windows\System32\devices\etc\hosts file and add the line as


shown in Figure 186.

Figure 186. Hosts File Edited

Use the values obtained in the ipconfig /all command.


Do not use the lmhosts file as this does not work in Windows 2012 server.

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Pre-configuration Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation

6. In the Command Prompt enter ping -4 vcenter.ld.local. The ping


statistics is displayed.

Figure 187. Ping Statistics

7. Install DotNet Framework 3.5.1 on Windows 2012 Server using the following
command (assuming Windows installation media is inserted and is the D
drive): dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:NetFX3 /all
/Source:D:\sources\sxs.

Figure 188. Installing DotNet Framework

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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Install vCenter

Install vCenter
Perform the following procedure to install vCenter Single Sign-On:
During the vCenter installation if the following pop-up window appears, always
click No:

1. Insert the vCenter installation media into the computer.


2. If the installation program does not automatically start, click the autorun to
start the process.

Figure 189. Starting the Installation

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Install vCenter Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation

3. At the VMware vCenter Installer dialog box, select Simple Install and click
Install.

Figure 190. Welcome Screen

4. Click Next at the Welcome to the vCenter Single Sign-On Setup dialog box.
5. Select I accept terms in the License Agreement and click Next.
6. Click Next at the Simple Install Prerequisites dialog box.

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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Install vCenter

7. Enter a Password and Confirm Password, and then click Next.


For the vCenter Single Sign-On password setting, there is a bug in the installation
procedure whereby the Web Client fails to install if certain special characters are
used.
The following summarizes the password requirements:
- The password must have at least eight characters.
- The password must have at least one special character.
- The password must have at least one lowercase character.
- The password must have at least one uppercase character.
- The password must have at least one number.
- The password cannot have any of the following special characters: ^ * $ ;
" ' ) < > & | \ _.
- The password cannot have a trailing " " space.
- The password cannot have non-ASCII characters.

Figure 191. Entering the vCenter Single Sign-On Password

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Install vCenter Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation

8. Enter a Site name and click Next.

Figure 192. Specifying Site Name

9. Let the HTTPS port be default, click Next.

Figure 193. HTTPS Port Number

10. Let the installation be in the default folder, click Next.

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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Install vCenter

11. Review the installation information and click Install.


Installation of the vCenter Single Sign-On should complete without any
interruption (see Figure 194, Figure 195 and Figure 196).

Figure 194. vCenter Single Sign-On Installation

Figure 195. Installation of the VMware vSphere Web Client

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Install vCenter Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation

Figure 196. Installation of the VMware vCenter Inventory Service

Finally, the vCenter Single Sign-On simple installation starts.

Figure 197. Installation of the vCenter Server

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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Install vCenter

12. Enter the License Key and click Next.

Figure 198. Entering License of the Product

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Install vCenter Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation

13. Let the vCenter Server database be default, click Next.

Figure 199. Using the Default Database Option for Small Installations

For installations which have maximum 5 Hosts/50 VMs, Microsoft SQL 2008
Express can be used. For larger installations, full version of Microsoft SQL
Server 2008 should be used.

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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Install vCenter

14. Use the default service account for the vCenter Server Service and click Next.

Figure 200. Using the Windows Local System Account

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Install vCenter Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation

15. On the warning message for workgroup installation of the vCenter Server, click
OK.

Figure 201. Warning Message

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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Install vCenter

16. Leave the network ports to default values and click Next.

Figure 202. Network Ports Specifications

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Install vCenter Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation

17. Let the Inventory Size be small and click Next.

Figure 203. Inventory Size

18. Click Install to begin the installation.


19. Click Finish on the installation complete dialog box.

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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client

20. Click Ok on the summary message that appears.

Figure 204. Installation Summary Message

Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client


This sub-topic consists an example of some of the basic configuration of the
vCenter Server through the vSphere Web Client. This is only to provide familiarity
with the interface, and not an in-depth process.
Perform the following procedure for configuration:
Attempting to access the vSphere Web Client will request Flash Player to be
installed. This is found not to work on Windows Server 2012.
1. Using Windows client on the same network which has successfully installed
Flash, open vSphere Web Client address using the following example:
https://192.168.128.90:9443.

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Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation

2. Click Continue to this website.

Figure 205. Accessing the vSphere Web Client from a Windows Client

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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client

3. Use Single Sign-On credentials and click Login to log on to the vSphere Web
Client.

Figure 206. Login Credentials

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Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation

4. Click vCenter in the left pane of the vSphere Web Client.

Figure 207. Selecting vCenter Configuration

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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client

5. Click Datacenters under Inventories. A Datacenter is a top level container


required to enable the addition of hosts and clusters.

Figure 208. Selecting Datacenters

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6. Click the add datacenter icon (see Figure 209) to add a new datacenter.

Figure 209. Adding Datacenter

7. Enter a datacenter name and select the vCenter server to contain the
datacenter, and click OK.

Figure 210. Naming the Datacenter

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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client

8. Add a host to data center by clicking the icon, see Figure 211.
Whilst there are a number of items that can be added to the datacenter such as
hosts and clusters, the example in this context will only work through adding a
host to the datacenter.

Figure 211. Adding a New Host

9. Enter IP address and click Next.

Figure 212. Specifying the IP Address

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Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation

10. Enter the administrative User name and Password credentials of the host to be
added, and click Next. For an ESXi server, this is typically the root user.

Figure 213. Specifying the Administrative Credentials

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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client

11. Click Yes on the Security Alert message.

Figure 214. Accepting the Host SHA1 Thumbprint

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Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation

12. In the summary, review the host details to ensure that the correct host is being
added, and click Next.

Figure 215. Reviewing the Host Details

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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client

13. Select the License and click Next. Each host to be added requires a full license
to be added in the host through the vSphere Client before it can be added to the
vCenter Server.

Figure 216. License Selection

14. For the Lockdown mode let the Enable lockdown mode check box be clear
and click Next. The Lockdown mode prevents logging directly into the ESXi
server.

Figure 217. Lockdown Mode

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Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation

15. Select VM Location > Datacenter and click Next.

Figure 218. VM location Selection

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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client

16. Review the configuration and click Finish.

Figure 219. Summary of the Configurations

17. After a short refreshing period, the Datacenter will be updated with the
number of hosts and virtual machines, see Figure 220.

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Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation

18. Click vCenter navigation on the left-hand side to return to the main menu.

Figure 220. Hosts and VMs Available

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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client

The vCenter Home shows the updated inventory in the vCenter.

Figure 221. Updated vCenter Inventory

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Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation

244 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 20 VMware High Availability

This topic describes how to improve the VMware high availability.


VMware High Availability is not a substitute for 800xA redundancy.

The VMware High Availability (HA) functionality is designed to recover ESXi


servers automatically from a hardware failure. Virtual machines that are running on
the failed server are automatically restarted on another ESXi server. The virtual
machines are offline for few minutes to the restarted virtual machines. The
configuration of VMware HA allows the specification of the ESXi server that hosts
the restarted virtual machines.
VMware HA requires the virtual machines to be stored on an external storage
server, such as, a SAN server, and also requires the ESXi Servers to be added to a
vCenter Server. The storage network and the management network must be
redundant.
With the introduction of USB support in ESXi 4.1, it is possible to have the ABB
USB dongle connected directly into the ESXi server and available in the guest.
However, when a virtual machine is moved from one ESXi server to another, it is
necessary to move the dongle as well. Here, it would be beneficial to use a USB
over IP device, such as, AnywhereUSB, so as to maintain continuity of functionality
when moving virtual machines.

Configure VMware High Availability


Before configuring VMware HA, the network setup should be reviewed. Refer
ESXi Configuration Console.
When a virtual machine is moved from one ESXi server to another, the vSwitches
must have the same set of names. For example, if the plant network is named PN1
on ESX1, then it must also be named PN1 on ESX2 and ESX3.

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Add a Cluster Object Section 20 VMware High Availability

The ESXi servers that are part of the VMware HA configuration, must also be part
of a cluster in the vCenter Server as shown in the Figure 222.

Figure 222. Cluster in vCenter

Add a Cluster Object


Perform the following steps to add the cluster:
1. Log in to the vCenter Server.
2. If there is no DataCenter, right-click on the vCenter object in the left pane and
select New DataCenter.
3. Provide a name for the datacenter.
4. Right-click on the DataCenter object, and select New Cluster to create a
cluster.
5. Enter a name for the cluster.
6. Select the Turn On VMware HA option and click Next.
7. Let the Host Monitoring Status and Admission Control properties be default
and click Next. These can be adjusted later.
8. Let the Cluster Default settings be default and click Next.
9. Let the VM Monitoring Status and Default Cluster Settings be default and click
Next.

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Section 20 VMware High Availability Add ESXi Servers to the Cluster

10. Leave the Enhanced vMotion Compatibility (EVC) disabled.


11. Let the Swapfile Policy for Virtual Machines be default and click Next.
12. Review the summary of settings and click Finish.

Add ESXi Servers to the Cluster


To add ESXi servers to the cluster, the following procedure is repeated for each
ESXi server:
1. Right-click on the cluster object and select Add Host.
2. Enter the Host name or IP address, Username and Password.
3. Click Next.
If the name is used, the vCenter and ESXi hosts must have a functioning DNS
server.
4. Click Yes on the Security Alert dialog box.
5. Click Next on the Host Summary dialog box.
6. Enter the license for ESXi server if it is not entered previously and click
Next.
This cannot be the free ESXi host license.

7. Leave the Enable Lockdown Mode unchecked on the Lockdown Mode


window and click Next.
8. Click Finish on the Ready to Complete dialog box.

Specify Failover Host


In the Storage Area Network, there are three ESXi servers in the configuration. The
primary server is used for the primary 800xA nodes, while the secondary server is
used for the redundant 800xA nodes. The third server in the configuration is the
failover host (Figure 223) that is not running virtual machines. If either the primary
or secondary server fails, the virtual machines that are running on the failed server
are started on the third server.

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Specify Failover Host Section 20 VMware High Availability

Figure 223. Virtual Machines Restarting on the Failover Server

To ensure that the failed nodes on the primary server are not started on the
secondary, or visa-versa, it is important to specify the third server as the failover
server:
1. Right-click on the Cluster object and select Edit Settings.
2. Select VMware HA on the left pane.
3. Select Do not power on VMs that violate availability constraints for the
Admission Control in the right pane.
4. Select Specify a failover host and select the third ESXi server from the drop-
down list on the Admission Control Policy.
5. Click OK to complete.

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Section 21 VMware vMotion

VMware vMotion must not be used during production or engineering. The


800xA System must be stopped and no afw processes running.
VMware vMotion is the ability to move virtual machines from one ESXi server to
another while it is running. It is required that the ESXi servers are members of a
vCenter server and the virtual machines are stored on a SAN server.
When a vMotion operation is performed, the memory of the virtual machine is
progressively transferred to the other ESXi server. Changes in the memory of the
original virtual machine are tracked and transferred. When the remaining memory to
be transferred is small enough to be performed in one last operation, the virtual
machine stops, the remaining memory is transferred, and the virtual machine
execution is continued on the other server. This generally results in a loss of one
ping on the network. Depending on the network speed and the CPU activity of the
virtual machine, the time may be more or less.
The loss of network connection may be in the order of a few seconds, but the
applications and services on the computer transferred, or communication with the
computer transferred may take longer to return to normal operations.
To assist in minimizing interference with the storage network communication, a
separate network should be used for vMotion operations.

3BSE056141-600 A 249
Section 21 VMware vMotion

250 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 22 VMware Storage vMotion

VMware Storage vMotion is not supported for System 800xA.

3BSE056141-600 A 251
Section 22 VMware Storage vMotion

252 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 23 VMware Fault Tolerance

VMware Fault Tolerance is not supported for System 800xA.

3BSE056141-600 A 253
Section 23 VMware Fault Tolerance

254 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 24 800xA in the IT Infrastructure

Many companies have an IT infrastructure and have already taken advantage of


virtualization for consolidating server functionality. Moving the 800xA Server
environment to the IT infrastructure is a logical progression for optimizing both
hardware and IT expertise.
Prior to planning the installation of the 800xA System in the IT Infrastructure, the
IT infrastructure administrators must be consulted to establish feasibility. The
following must be understood:
ABB 800xA Systems should have their own domain, and not attached to the
corporate domain.
ABB 800xA Systems use multicast communication which is typically blocked
in IT infrastructure environments.
There is a diverse hardware range in the IT infrastructure, yet only VMware
vSphere ESXi servers that are running on Intel servers are supported for 800xA.
Typically, these types of environments make heavy usage of SAN storage.
Generally, monitoring of the server hardware is already in place, but not integrated
into 800xA in these installations. The procedure to notify production environments
of server issues needs to be reviewed.
While the 800xA server nodes can share resources with other servers, it should be
considered as a best practice to have the 800xA server nodes residing on ESXi
servers. If there is some sharing, the resource usage should be reviewed. This
includes the typical loading of scheduled or unscheduled activities, such as,
weekend backup operations.
The 800xA is a 24/7 system and should have resources accordingly.
Those who are responsible for maintaining the infrastructure must be aware that the
800xA System is a 24/7 System, which cannot be treated in the same fashion as

3BSE056141-600 A 255
Section 24 800xA in the IT Infrastructure

other servers. Maintenance must always be coordinated with production to ensure


that no downtime occurs.
Due to the diversity of configurations, ABB cannot fully support various
configurations. The project and customer must be in agreement regarding support
responsibilities before the project is undertaken. This includes the required
knowledge and resources to assume the responsibility of support.

256 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 25 800xA Virtual Client

800xA workstations are dedicated physical computer workstations running


Windows 8.1 and 800xA as an operator client. Moving the physical clients to the
virtual environment allows the benefits of virtualization to be extended to the
clients.
Virtual clients do not benefit from physical graphic adapter acceleration. Hence,
their usage should be restricted as described in Dimensioning Rules - Virtual 800xA
Clients.

Virtual Clients
Virtual clients (Figure 224: comparison between physical and virtual clients) are
virtual machines which are running Windows 8.1 and 800xA as an operator client.
Access to the virtual client desktop is done over the network through a thin client
which has 1 to 2 monitors, a keyboard and a mouse attached. In the first release of
virtual client support for 800xA, only Microsoft remote desktop protocol is
supported.
Thin clients are purpose built computers from hardware vendors such as HP and
Dell. These devices normally have low power consumption and runs without a fan.
The thin clients must be 800xA IIT certified and support RDP 8.1.

3BSE056141-600 A 257
Virtual Clients Section 25 800xA Virtual Client

Figure 224. Physical Client to Virtual Client Comparison

Microsoft allows multiple screen remote sessions in the following versions of


Windows:
Windows 7 Enterprise - 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64)
Windows 7 Ultimate - 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64)
Windows 2008 Server R2 - 64-bit
Windows 8.1 Professional
Windows 2012 R2

258 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 25 800xA Virtual Client Benefits of Virtual 800xA Workplaces

Benefits of Virtual 800xA Workplaces


The following are the benefits of virtual 800xA workplaces:
Reduced operator room space requirements.
Reduced operator room power and heating requirements.
Reduced operator room cooling requirements.
Reduced operator room noise.
Fast replacement of thin client.
Ability to move virtual client to new hardware without reinstall.
Standard installation without messing the drivers.
Added security by setting up virtual client without USB.
Clients now in server room with cost effective remote solutions.
When considering relatively small number of clients that are involved in an 800xA
solution compared to the enterprise client virtualization, the initial cost of a virtual
client solution is at a disadvantage. However, the subsequent maintenance benefits
are a continuous benefit that should always be considered when engineering
solutions.

Operating Area Planning


When consolidating hardware into virtual systems, availability must always be
considered. If a area has all clients consolidated into one virtual server host and that
host becomes unavailable, there will be no clients available. Hence, there must be at
least two ESXi servers supporting the control area clients.

3BSE056141-600 A 259
Graphical Presentation and Physical Server Speed Section 25 800xA Virtual Client

Figure 225. Control Room Support from Multiple Physical Servers

A separate network for the remote access must be configured. This enables secured
firewall configurations, which improves security by keeping the remote access
separate from plant and control networks.

Graphical Presentation and Physical Server Speed


Graphical rendering that is presented using the thin client is created in the virtual
node using virtual and physical CPU resources. The virtual machine does not take
advantage of the physical server graphics adapter capabilities. Specifying the
physical server CPU should take this into account. If the 800xA workplaces are
expected to be heavily loaded, then a faster CPU would provide more capability to
handle the load.

260 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 25 800xA Virtual Client Thin Clients

Thin Clients
These are small computers that are 800xA IIT certified and support RDP 8.1.
One or more monitors, keyboard, mouse and networking are connected to the thin
client. Thin client establishes communication with the virtual client using client
software, such as, Microsoft's Remote Desktop Client. Minimal configuration is
required to configure thin client software. This makes it easy to replace the unit.
Thin clients may be initially configured for screen and power saving. For
production systems, these features must be turned off.
As thin client uses a flash disk, configuration of the device requires the disk to be
placed in read-write mode. This is described in the device user manual. Once the
configuration is complete, the device must be switched to read-only mode.
Currently, thin clients are designed with a single interface. Hence, network
redundancy using 800xA RNRP is not possible. It is possible to use a standard
approved 800xA workstation PC as a thin client. In this case, RNRP can be
installed. While the advantages of a true thin client are lost, the workstation needs
only minimal software installation and configuration. Hence, replacement becomes
a much easier task.

Multiple Screen
Primary considerations for multiple screens are that the operating system in the
virtual client supports multiple screens. For example, if the virtual machine is
running Windows 8.1 Pro, a thin client can open a multiple monitor remote desktop
session. They can provide higher levels of loading as there is more screen real estate
to bring up more objects.

3BSE056141-600 A 261
Multiple Screen Section 25 800xA Virtual Client

262 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows

ESXi servers need to be time synced to a reliable time server. By default, when an
ESXi server is configured to synchronize time from a Windows computer, the time
sync will not work. This topic describes how to configure an ESXi server to use a
Windows time sync server.

Communication Topology
The ESXi server must be able to communicate to the Windows time server. This is
performed through the ESXi Management Network. Hence, the Windows computer

3BSE056141-600 A 263
Configure Windows Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows

which is the time sync server and the ESXi management interface must be on the
same network.

Figure 226. Communication from ESXi Server to the Windows Time Sync Server

The Figure 226 shows a Windows virtual machine as the time sync server, but the
Windows computer may be a physical computer as well.

Configure Windows
The Windows computer to be the time server needs to be configured correctly
before it works with the ESXi server. This requires the opening of the appropriate
firewall port, setting registry entries, and restarting the Windows time server service.

264 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows Firewall Configuration

Firewall Configuration
Open Windows firewall for UDP port 123 on the Windows computer that serves as
the time server.

Figure 227. Opening Windows Firewall for ntp Traffic

Registry
Two changes have to be made in the registry:
1. In the Registry Editor, locate
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32
Time\Parameters and set the Type value to NTP.

Figure 228. Setting the NTP type

3BSE056141-600 A 265
Service Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows

2. In the Registry Editor, locate


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32
Time\Config and set the AnnounceFlags value to 5.

Figure 229. Setting the Announce Flag

Service
Restart the W32time Service for the changes to take effect.

Figure 230. Restarting the Windows Time Server Service

266 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows Configure ESXi

Configure ESXi
Configuration of the ESXi server requires the modification of two text configuration
files in the ESXi. This cannot be done through the VMware vSphere client and
requires the use of a free 3rd party software named Putty. This program enables a
secure terminal style session to be opened to another computer (typically, not a
Windows computer). By default, the ESXi server has it's SSH service stopped,
hence, this also needs to be started before the session can be established to modify
the ESXi.

SSH
Enabling SSH is performed through the VMware vSphere client.
1. Open Vmware v Sphere Client and log on to the ESXi Server to be modified.

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SSH Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows

2. In the Configuration tab under Software pane, click Security Profile.

Figure 231. Accessing the SSH Configuration in the VMware vSphere Client

3. In the Services section click Properties(Figure 231).

268 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows SSH

4. Select SSH service from the list and click Options....

Figure 232. Accessing the SSH Configuration

3BSE056141-600 A 269
SSH Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows

5. Click Start and then click OK to start the SSH service.

Figure 233. Starting the SSH Service

The list of all running services shows SSH service is running.

Figure 234. List Showing SSH Service Running

270 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows Putty

Putty
Putty is a client that is used to connect the SSH service in the ESXi server. Perform
the following to install the Putty:
1. Click on putty.exe to download the Putty from the following address:
http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html

Figure 235. Putty Download

2. Double-click the icon on the desktop to run the Putty client.

3BSE056141-600 A 271
Putty Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows

3. In the Putty Configuration dialog box, enter the Host Name (or IP Address)
and click Open.

Figure 236. Specifying the IP Address

272 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows Putty

4. Click Yes on the Security Alert Message.

Figure 237. Accepting the Server's rsa2 Key Fingerprint

5. Use the root account as the login user, and provide the root password.

Figure 238. Logging into ESXi using Putty

3BSE056141-600 A 273
ESXi Configurations Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows

On successful login, the # prompt appears.

Figure 239. Successful Login to the ESXi Server

ESXi Configurations
When making changes to the ESXi configuration files, the vi editor is used. This is a
difficult editor to use. Hence, care should be taken to only perform the actions
described in this topic. The vi editor has two main modes, one for entering text, and
one for entering commands. The ESC key is used to leave the entering text mode
and change to the command mode.
1. Create a backup of the ntp.conf file using the following command: #cp
/etc/ntp.conf /etc/ntp.conf.bak.
2. Edit the ntp.conf file with the following command: # vi/etc/ntp.conf.
3. Use the arrow keys on keyboard and move the cursor to the end of the last line,
and press the i key to enable insert mode.

274 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows ESXi Configurations

4. Press the Enter key to go to a new line, and add the following to the end of the
file: tos maxdist 30.

Figure 240. Adding tos maxdist 30

5. Press the ESC key, then the :(colon) key and the X key to save and exit the vi
editor.

Figure 241. Vi editor

6. Another file that needs changes is in the following path:


/etc/likewise/lsassd.conf file.
7. Create a backup of the Isassd.conf file using the following command: # cp
/etc/likewise/lsassd.conf /etc/likewise/lsassd.conf.bak.
8. Enable editing the Isassd.conf file using the following command: # chmod +w
/etc/likewise/lsassd.conf.

3BSE056141-600 A 275
ESXi Configurations Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows

9. Edit the Isassd.conf file using the following command: # vi


/etc/likewise/lsassd.conf.
10. Use the arrow keys to move to the line containing # sync-system-time = no,
and place the cursor on the #.

Figure 242. Editing Isassd File

11. Press the i key to enable text editing mode, then press the Del key to remove the
#.

Figure 243. Removing the #

276 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows ESXi Configurations

12. Press the ESC key, then the :(colon) key and the X key to save and exit the vi
editor.

Figure 244. Saving the File and Exit the vi Editor

13. Enter the following in Putty to ensure that the changes made are persisted on
restarting the ESXi server: # /sbin/auto-backup.sh.

Figure 245. Execution of Auto Backup Command

14. Restart the Isassd service with the following command:


#./etc/init.d/lsassd restart.

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Timesync Confirmation Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows

The Isassd service restarts.

Figure 246. Restarting the Isassd Service

15. Restart the ntpd service with the following command: #./etc/init.d/ntpd
restart.
The ntpd service restarts.

Figure 247. Restarting the ntpd Service

Timesync Confirmation
The time sync is updated approximately every 15 minutes. The update requires a
refresh in the vSphere Client.
Perform the following for the time sync confirmation:
1. Enter the command # watch date in Putty to monitor the time in ESXi
Server.

278 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows Timesync Confirmation

The command results in displaying the current time and date every 2 seconds. Press
Ctrl+C to stop the watch date command.

Figure 248. Watch Date Command Result

2. Check that the ESXi Server has updated the time to the Windows ntp Server.
3. Type #exit to end Putty session.
4. Click Stop in the SSH Options dialog box, to stop the SSH service in the ESXi
server and help to prevent unauthorized access.

Figure 249. Stopping SSH Service

3BSE056141-600 A 279
Timesync Confirmation Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows

The time shown in the vSphere Client is not continuously updated from the ESXi
Server and should be refreshed in the configuration tab to reflect the change in
time caused by a time sync update.

280 3BSE056141-600 A
Appendix A ESXi Host Setup Check List

Item Setting ESX1 ESX2


BIOS VT Enabled
BIOS VT-d Enabled
BIOS Execution Enabled
Hyper Threading Enabled
Hard Disk Configuration Setup as RAID1, RAID5
or RAID6
Time Correct local time
Only vSphere Client Connected
All vSwitches Gigabit Connection

3BSE056141-600 A 281
Appendix A ESXi Host Setup Check List

282 3BSE056141-600 A
Appendix B ESXi Guest Setup Check List

Item Setting Guest1 Guest2 Guest3 Guest4


Machine Name Note: No spaces
Virtual Machine Version 8
Guest OS Windows 2012R2
or
Windows 8.1 for
800xA 6.0
No. of virtual 2
processors
Memory 8GB
Virtual Network Adapter Based on
documentation
SCSI Controller Use default
Hard Disk Based on node
requirements
Disk Provisioning Thick
Mode Independent
de-selected
Video RAM 64MB
Floppy drive Removed
VMware Tools Installed
Graphics Acceleration in Full
Guest

3BSE056141-600 A 283
Appendix B ESXi Guest Setup Check List

284 3BSE056141-600 A
Appendix C Further Technical Information on
VMware ESXi

VMware ESXi normally requires a support agreement to be able to provide the


required support.
The following links to a searchable VMware database for all technical
documentation on VMware ESXi:
http://www.vmware.com/resources/techresources/cat/91
The following links to a technically oriented forum hosted by VMware. Threads are
answered by VMware ESX engineers, often within the same day. It is highly
possible that common VMware ESX issues that the user may have already have
been discussed and solved in this forum by others.
http://communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/vsphere?view=discussions

3BSE056141-600 A 285
Appendix C Further Technical Information on VMware ESXi

286 3BSE056141-600 A
Revision History

The revision index of this User Manual is not related to the 800xA 6.0 System
Revision.
The following table lists the revision history of this User Manual.

Revision
Description Date
Index
A Published for 6.0.1 release October 2015

3BSE056141-600 A 287
288 3BSE056141-600 A
Index Index
Numerics non-virtualized system 21
800xA for Advant Master 33
800xA for MOD 300 33 O
800xA server Overview of Virtualization 16
Installation
Configuration 121 P
PU410 33
A PU412 33
ABB USB Dongle 32
About This User Manual 11 S
Aspect Servers 20 SAN Hardware 196
Asset Optimization Server 20 SAN Networking 198
SAN Storage Configuration 197
B Storage Area Network (SAN) 195
Backup and Restore of Virtual Machines 128 System Planning 23

C V
Configuring VMware High Availability 245 virtualization 11
Consolidated 800xA System 20 VMware ESX 11
VMware Faulty Tolerance 253
D VMware Storage vMotion 251
Domain Controllers 19 VMware vCenter 5.5 - Installation 213
VMware vCenter Server 209
E VMware vMotion 249
ESX Server Network Configuration 203

I
Information Management Server 20

M
Monitoring VMware vSphere ESX 11

N
Non-virtualized 800xA System 19

3BSE056141-600 A 289
Index

290 3BSE056141-600 A
Contact us

Copyright 2015 ABB.

3BSE056141-600 A
www.abb.com/800xA
www.abb.com/controlsystems All rights reserved.

Power and productivity


for a better worldTM

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