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Section 1 - Introduction
Prerequisites ....................................................................................................................15
Overview of Virtualization...................................................................................16
Changes in ESXi 5.5 ............................................................................................18
3BSE056141-600 A 5
Table of Contents
6 3BSE056141-600 A
Table of Contents
Section 13 - Security
Roles ............................................................................................................................129
Users ............................................................................................................................130
Permissions....................................................................................................................131
Section 14 - Optimization
Virtual CPUs..................................................................................................................133
Allocate Virtual CPUs to Physical Cores ......................................................................134
3BSE056141-600 A 7
Table of Contents
8 3BSE056141-600 A
Table of Contents
3BSE056141-600 A 9
Table of Contents
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
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.
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
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
18 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 2 800xA Server and Client Node
Consolidation
3BSE056141-600 A 19
Consolidated 800xA System Section 2 800xA Server and Client Node Consolidation
20 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 2 800xA Server and Client Node Consolidation Consolidated 800xA System
3BSE056141-600 A 21
Consolidated 800xA System Section 2 800xA Server and Client Node Consolidation
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
3BSE056141-600 A 25
Server and System Dimensioning Section 3 System Planning
26 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 3 System Planning Server and System Dimensioning
3BSE056141-600 A 27
Server and System Dimensioning Section 3 System Planning
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.
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
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
RAID6
Base Storage Raid Overhead Hotespar
4 x 300GB = 2 x 300GB 1 x 300GB
1200GB
RAID1
Base Storage Raid Overhead Hotespar
3 x 300GB = 3 x 300GB 1 x 300GB
900GB
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.
3BSE056141-600 A 31
Using the ABB USB Dongle Over the Network Section 3 System Planning
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
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:
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.
3BSE056141-600 A 35
Virtual 800xA Application Servers Example Section 3 System Planning
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:
36 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 3 System Planning Dimensioning Rules - Virtual 800xA Clients
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.
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.
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:
Maximum number of virtual client users for a physical server can be summarized as
in Table 9:
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
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
40 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 3 System Planning Virtual 800xA Client Example
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:
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.
3BSE056141-600 A 43
Install ESXi 5.5 Server Section 4 ESXi Installation
44 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 4 ESXi Installation Install ESXi 5.5 Server
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.
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).
7. Type the Root password (administrator) and confirm. Press Enter to continue
(Figure 15).
46 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 4 ESXi Installation Install ESXi 5.5 Server
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.
3BSE056141-600 A 47
Install ESXi 5.5 Server Section 4 ESXi Installation
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.
3BSE056141-600 A 49
Configure Management Network Section 5 ESXi Configuration Console
Figure 20. Providing the Root Password for Login to the ESXi Server
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.
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
3. Select the Network Adapters marked with X by pressing the Spacebar, and
then press Enter.
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.
5. Use the arrow keys to select Set static IP address and network configuration
and then the Spacebar to enable the option.
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.
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.
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.
3BSE056141-600 A 57
Installation Section 6 VMware vSphere Client
3. Select the appropriate language from the drop-down list and click OK.
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 34. Ready for the Installation of the VMware vSphere Client Program
3BSE056141-600 A 59
Log into an ESXi Server Section 6 VMware vSphere Client
60 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 6 VMware vSphere Client Log into an ESXi Server
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.
62 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 6 VMware vSphere Client Log into VMware vCenter Server
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).
3. In the Hardware pane, select Storage and click ADD Storage (Figure 40).
3BSE056141-600 A 65
Adding Disks Section 7 Basic Configuration
66 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 7 Basic Configuration Adding Disks
3BSE056141-600 A 67
Adding Disks Section 7 Basic Configuration
68 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 7 Basic Configuration Adding Disks
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
78 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 7 Basic Configuration Set the Time Server
b. Enter address in ADD NTP Server dialog box and click OK.
3BSE056141-600 A 79
Set the Time Server Section 7 Basic Configuration
Figure 57. Starting the NTP Daemon and Selecting it to Start/Stop with the Host
80 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 7 Basic Configuration Set the Time Server
7. In Time Configuration dialog box, select NTP Client Enabled and click OK.
3BSE056141-600 A 81
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.
82 3BSE056141-600 A
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:
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.
3BSE056141-600 A 83
ESXi USB/SD Install: System Logs Location Section 7 Basic Configuration
84 3BSE056141-600 A
Section 7 Basic Configuration ESXi USB/SD Install: System Logs Location
3BSE056141-600 A 85
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
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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.
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Create a Virtual Machine Section 8 Create Virtual Machines
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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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.
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Create a Virtual Machine Section 8 Create Virtual Machines
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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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
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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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.
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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.
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).
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.
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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.
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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Section 8 Create Virtual Machines Add ISO file to 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.
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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Install VMware Tools Section 8 Create Virtual Machines
4. In the virtual machine, open a Windows explorer, and double-click on the DVD
Drive(D:) VMware Tools to start the installation.
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Section 8 Create Virtual Machines Install VMware Tools
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.
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
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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
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Upgrade to ESXi 5.5 Section 9 ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.x/ESXi 5.x to ESXi 5.5
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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.
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Upgrade to ESXi 5.5 Section 9 ESX 4.0/ESXi 4.x/ESXi 5.x to ESXi 5.5
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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.
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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.
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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.
16. After the server has restarted, open vSphere Client, and review the
configuration.
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17. Right-click on host and select Exit Maintenance Mode, and power on the
virtual machines.
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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.
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Section 10 vSphere Command Line Interface Install VMware vSphere CLI
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.
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Install VMware vSphere CLI Section 10 vSphere Command Line Interface
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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
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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.
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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
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
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Section 14 Optimization
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
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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.
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Set ESXi Host Name Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps
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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Server Hardware Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps
ABB 800xA PNSM server network adapter that is connected to the same switch as
the ESXi Management Network.
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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Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps Server Hardware
have the required SNMP support installed. The following table shows typical
requirements for SNMP support from various vendors:
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Server Hardware Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps
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.
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Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps Server Hardware
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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ESXi Configuration Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps
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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Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps SNMP Receiving Port
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.
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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Check Configuration Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps
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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Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps Firewall
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
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Test Trap Communication Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps
Figure 114. Basic Ping from the AO Server to the ESXi Server
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Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps Test Trap Communication
1. On the ABB 800xA PNSM server, ensure that the ABB PNSM Trap Receiver
server is stopped (Figure 115).
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.
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After changes have been applied, the file is shown with a .txt 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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10. Select Start > All Programs > Accessories > Windows PowerShell >
Windows PowerShell.
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11. Drag the traptest.ps1 to the PowerShell, and press Enter twice.
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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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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Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps SNMP Traps Service Provider
The following shows the trap message as received in the ABB 800xA PNSM server:
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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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Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps Add PNSM Objects
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
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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.
The device specific PNSM requires the importing of the afw file:
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2. Select the PNSM object type, enter a Name and click Create.
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3. For the IT Faceplate PG2 aspect, select the Configuration tab, and enter IP
address and SNMP Community password.
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Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps Create a Device Object
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.
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The Conditions tab shows that the device is connected. It is indicated by a green
color box.
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.
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Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps Filter Trap Messages
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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Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps SNMP Traps - Generic
2. Click Deploy on the Main View as the changes need to be deployed here.
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.
Figure 141. Files Required to Create a Generic Object which can be Configured to
Receive SNMP Traps from an Asset Based on MIB files
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2. Import the 10_Workstation afw file and VB6 or PG2 afw file based on system
requirements.
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Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps Download Asset MIB Files
2. Choose the two MIB files that are required for SMNP set, that is, snmpv2-
mib.mib and SNMPv2-SMI.mib.
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Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps Create an Object Type
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Create an Object Type Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps
4. Right-click on the object, and select Paste special > Paste Object.
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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.
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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Create an Object Type Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps
7. Change the Name relevant to the device to be monitored and click Apply.
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8. To change the object icon, delete the existing icon and copy a new icon and
click Apply.
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9. Right-click on the object type and select New Aspect..., to add an IT Device
Trap 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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Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps Create an Object Type
11. Let the Name be the default name, and click Create.
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.
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
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Create an Object Type Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps
16. Select Filter menu, ensure that IT Asset alarms option is selected and click
Apply.
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Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps Create an Object Type
17. Select Columns menu and change the column order as shown in Figure 157, so
that the Message tab comes after the ObjectName tab.
By default, the IT Device Traps aspect will not be inherited. This behavior is
changed in the Type Definition aspect.
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Create an Object Type Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps
18. Select the Type Definition aspect, then the Aspect Control tab.
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 Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps
2. Select New Object type and type a name, and then click Create.
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Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps Create an Asset Object
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.
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Create an Asset Object Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps
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.
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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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Create an Asset Object Section 15 Monitor ESXi servers using SNMP Traps
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:
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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.
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Prepare the ESXi Server Section 16 VMware Command Line Interface, Drivers, Updates and
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
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Section 16 VMware Command Line Interface, Drivers, Updates and Upgrades Apply
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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Apply Patches/Updates Section 16 VMware Command Line Interface, Drivers, Updates and
As seen in the Figure 169, a folder named Updates is created in the datastore to
assist in keeping the datastore organized.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Section 17 Storage Area Network Networking
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.
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Networking Section 17 Storage Area Network
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Section 17 Storage Area Network Networking
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Networking Section 17 Storage Area Network
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Section 17 Storage Area Network ESX 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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Section 17 Storage Area Network Add Datastores
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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.
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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Performance Section 17 Storage Area Network
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Section 18 VMware vCenter
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Section 18 VMware vCenter
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
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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation
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:
Components Capacity
CPU 2GHz Dual Core
RAM 12GB
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Pre-configuration Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation
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.
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Pre-configuration Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation
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.
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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:
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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.
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
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Install vCenter Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation
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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Install vCenter
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Install vCenter Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation
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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Install vCenter
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Install vCenter Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation
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.
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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.
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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Install vCenter
16. Leave the network ports to default values and click Next.
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Install vCenter Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation
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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client
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Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation
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.
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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client
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Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation
6. Click the add datacenter icon (see Figure 209) to add a new datacenter.
7. Enter a datacenter name and select the vCenter server to contain the
datacenter, and click OK.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation
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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client
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.
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Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client
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Basic Configuration through the vSphere Web Client Section 19 VMware vCenter Installation
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Section 20 VMware High Availability
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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.
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Section 20 VMware High Availability Add ESXi Servers to the Cluster
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Specify Failover Host Section 20 VMware High Availability
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
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Section 21 VMware vMotion
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Section 22 VMware Storage vMotion
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Section 22 VMware Storage vMotion
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Section 23 VMware Fault Tolerance
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Section 23 VMware Fault Tolerance
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Section 24 800xA in the IT Infrastructure
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Section 24 800xA in the IT Infrastructure
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Section 25 800xA Virtual Client
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.
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Virtual Clients Section 25 800xA Virtual Client
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Section 25 800xA Virtual Client Benefits of Virtual 800xA Workplaces
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Graphical Presentation and Physical Server Speed Section 25 800xA Virtual Client
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.
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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.
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Multiple Screen Section 25 800xA Virtual Client
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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
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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.
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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.
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.
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Service Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows
Service
Restart the W32time Service for the changes to take effect.
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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
Figure 231. Accessing the SSH Configuration in the VMware vSphere Client
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Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows SSH
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SSH Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows
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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
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Putty Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows
3. In the Putty Configuration dialog box, enter the Host Name (or IP Address)
and click Open.
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Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows Putty
5. Use the root account as the login user, and provide the root password.
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ESXi Configurations Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows
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.
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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.
5. Press the ESC key, then the :(colon) key and the X key to save and exit the vi
editor.
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ESXi Configurations Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows
11. Press the i key to enable text editing mode, then press the Del key to remove the
#.
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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.
13. Enter the following in Putty to ensure that the changes made are persisted on
restarting the ESXi server: # /sbin/auto-backup.sh.
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Timesync Confirmation Section 26 Timesync ESXi with Windows
15. Restart the ntpd service with the following command: #./etc/init.d/ntpd
restart.
The ntpd service restarts.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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Appendix A ESXi Host Setup Check List
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Appendix A ESXi Host Setup Check List
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Appendix B ESXi Guest Setup Check List
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Appendix B ESXi Guest Setup Check List
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Appendix C Further Technical Information on
VMware ESXi
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Appendix C Further Technical Information on VMware ESXi
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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
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Contact us
3BSE056141-600 A
www.abb.com/800xA
www.abb.com/controlsystems All rights reserved.