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EMC VSI for VMware vSphere: Path ManagementVersion 5.6

Product GuideP/N 300-013-068REV 06

EMC VSI for VMware vSphere: Path Management Version 5.6 Product Guide2

Copyright © 2011–2013 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Published in the USA.

Published September 2013.

EMC believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information is subject to change without notice.

The information in this publication is provided as is. EMC Corporation makes no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to the information in this publication, and specifically disclaims implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Use, copying, and distribution of any EMC software described in this publication requires an applicable software license.

EMC2, EMC, and the EMC logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.

For the most up-to-date regulatory document for your product line, go to EMC Online Support at https://support.emc.com.

http://support.emc.com

http://support.emc.com

CONTENTS

Preface

Audience ................................................................................... 5Required documentation ........................................................... 6Related documentation.............................................................. 6Conventions used in this document ........................................... 7Where to get help ...................................................................... 9

Chapter 1 EMC Virtual Storage Integrator for VMware vSphere

Virtual Storage Integrator for VMware vSphere overview................. 12 Path Management overview........................................................... 13 VMware Native Multipathing Plug-in .............................................. 13 EMC PowerPath/VE........................................................................ 14 Software requirements .................................................................. 14

VMware vSphere Client ............................................................ 14Operating systems................................................................... 15VMware vCenter Server ............................................................ 15VMware ESXi............................................................................ 15EMC PowerPath Remote Tools (optional).................................. 15

Chapter 2 VSI Feature Installation

Installation overview...................................................................... 18Before you begin...................................................................... 18

Installing VSI features.................................................................... 18Upgrading................................................................................ 19

Enabling VSI .................................................................................. 19 Disabling VSI ................................................................................. 20 Uninstalling VSI ............................................................................. 20

Uninstalling a VSI feature......................................................... 20 Using VSI Feature Manager ............................................................ 21

Chapter 3 Using VSI for vSphere Client

Getting started with VSI ................................................................. 24Using the VMware vSphere Client interface .............................. 25

Path Management ......................................................................... 26Storage class selection ............................................................ 28

EMC VSI for VMware vSphere: Path Management Version 5.6 Product Guide 3

Contents

Multipathing policy selection................................................... 28Set Multipathing Policy Summary page .................................... 30

Chapter 4 VSI Configuration

VSI logging .................................................................................... 32Setting logging options............................................................ 32

4 EMC VSI for VMware vSphere: Path Management Version 5.6 Product Guide

PREFACE

As part of its effort to continuously improve and enhance the performance and capabilities of the EMC® product line, EMC periodically releases revisions of its hardware and software. Therefore, some functions described in this document may not be supported by all revisions of the software and hardware currently in use. For the most up-to-date information on product features, refer to the current product release notes.

If an EMC Virtual Storage Integrator (VSI) feature does not function properly or does not function as described in this guide, contact the EMC Customer Support Center for assistance.

Audience

This guide is part of the EMC Virtual Storage Integrator for vSphere vCenter Client documentation set and is intended for use by VMware administrators and storage administrators during installation, system setup, and routine operations.

Storage administrators working with Virtual Storage Integrator must be proficient in the use of the following products:

◆ VMware products:

• VMware vSphere Client 5.x, with VMware vCenter Server 5.x, VMware 5.x, and VMware 5.x is installed

◆ EMC Symmetrix® VMAX®, EMC Celerra®, EMC CLARiiON®, EMC VNX®, EMC VNXe® storage arrays, EMC XtremIO™, or EMC VPLEX® systems, per your VSI supported product version, and the following applicable software:

• Solutions Enabler (SYMCLI/SYMAPI)

• EMC Symmetrix Remote Data Facility (SRDF)

• EMC PowerPath®/VE, if installed

Preface 5

Preface

Required documentation

The following documentation is part of the EMC Virtual Storage Integrator for vSphere Client documentation set, and is required for Virtual Storage Integrator depending on your installed feature:

◆ EMC VSI for VMware vSphere: Storage Viewer Version 5.6 Product Guide and Release Notes

◆ EMC VSI for VMware vSphere: Path Management Version 5.6 Product Guide and Release Notes

◆ EMC VSI for VMware vSphere: Unified Storage Management Version 5.6 Product Guide and Release Notes

◆ EMC VSI for VMware vSphere: AppSync Management Version 5.6 Product Guide and Release Notes

◆ EMC VSI for VMware vSphere: EMC RecoverPoint Management 5.6 Product Guide and Release Notes

◆ EMC VSI for VMware vSphere: Symmetrix SRA Utilities Version 5.6 Product Guide and Release Notes

Related documentation

The following EMC documentation contains information that may be helpful in a Virtual Storage Integrator environment and is available on EMC Online Support.

EMC Solutions Enabler:

◆ EMC Solutions Enabler Symmetrix Array Controls CLI Product Guide

◆ EMC Solutions Enabler Symmetrix Array Management CLI Product Guide

◆ EMC Solutions Enabler Symmetrix SRDF Family CLI Product Guide

◆ EMC Solutions Enabler Symmetrix TimeFinder Family CLI Product Guide

◆ EMC Solutions Enabler Installation Guide

EMC Symmetrix Array:

◆ Using EMC Symmetrix Storage in VMware vSphere Environments (TechBook)

◆ Using EMC SRDF Adapter for VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager (TechBook)


Preface

EMC ControlCenter®:

◆ EMC ControlCenter Planning and Installation Guide

◆ Symmetrix SRDF Host Component Product Guide

EMC PowerPath:

◆ EMC PowerPath Product Guide

Conventions used in this document

EMC uses the following conventions for special notices.

Note: A note presents information that is important, but not hazard-related.

A caution contains information essential to avoid data loss or damage to the system or equipment. The caution may apply to hardware or software.

IMPORTANT

An important notice contains information essential to operation of the software. The important notice applies only to software.

Preface 7

Preface

Typographical conventionsEMC uses the following type style conventions in this document:

Normal Used in running (nonprocedural) text for:• Names of interface elements (such as names of

windows, dialog boxes, buttons, fields, and menus)• Names of resources, attributes, pools, Boolean

expressions, buttons, DQL statements, keywords, clauses, environment variables, filenames, functions, utilities

• URLs, pathnames, filenames, directory names, computer names, links, groups, service keys, file systems, notifications

Bold: Used in running (nonprocedural) text for names of commands, daemons, options, programs, processes, services, applications, utilities, kernels, notifications, system call, man pages

Used in procedures for:• Names of interface elements (such as names of

windows, dialog boxes, buttons, fields, and menus)• What user specifically selects, clicks, presses, or types

Italic: Used in all text (including procedures) for:• Full titles of publications referenced in text• Emphasis (for example a new term)• Variables

Courier: Used for:• System output, such as an error message or script • URLs, complete paths, filenames, prompts, and

command syntax.

Courier bold: Used for specific user input (such as commands)

Courier italic: Used in procedures for:• Variables on command line• User input variables

< > Used to enclose parameter or variable values supplied by the user

[ ] Used to enclose optional values

| Indicates alternate selections - the bar means “or”

{ } Indicates content that you must specify (that is, x or y or z)

... Indicates nonessential information omitted from the example


Preface

Where to get help

EMC support, product, and licensing information can be obtained as follows.

Product information — For documentation, release notes, software updates, and information about EMC products, licensing, and service, go to:

https://support.EMC.com

Technical support — For technical support, go to the Service Center at https://support.emc.com. To open a service request, you must have a valid support agreement. Please contact your EMC sales representative for details about obtaining a valid support agreement or to answer any questions about your account.

Your suggestions will help us continue to improve the accuracy, organization, and overall quality of the user publications. Please send your opinion of this document to:

[email protected]

Preface 9

https://support.emc.com

Preface


CHAPTER 1Invisible Body Tag

EMC Virtual Storage Integrator for VMware vSphere

This chapter provides an overview of the EMC VSI for VMware vSphere plug-in.

IMPORTANT

EMC recommends reading this chapter in its entirety before installing and configuring the VSI Client plug-in.

This chapter includes the following topics:

◆ Virtual Storage Integrator for VMware vSphere overview ................................... 12◆ Path Management overview ............................................................................. 13◆ VMware Native Multipathing Plug-in................................................................. 13◆ EMC PowerPath/VE .......................................................................................... 14◆ Software requirements..................................................................................... 14

EMC Virtual Storage Integrator for VMware vSphere 11


Virtual Storage Integrator for VMware vSphere overviewVSI is an EMC-developed plug-in to the VMware vCenter management software. VSI enables the VMware administrator to provision, monitor, and manage VMware vSphere datastores on EMC storage arrays and more easily manage the virtualized environment. This plug-in supports all EMC arrays including VNX, VNXe, VMAX10K, VMAX 20K, VMAX 40K, CLARiiON, Celerra systems, XtremIO arrays, and the VPLEX storage system. VSI is available to customers at no charge.

Features are managed by using the VSI Feature Manager. VSI provides a unified user experience, enabling each of the features to be updated independently and new features to be introduced rapidly in response to changing customer requirements.

Features available for VSI include Storage Viewer, Path Management, Symmetrix Storage Replication Adapter (SRA) Utilities, Unified Storage Management, AppSync™ Management, and EMC RecoverPoint® Management.

◆ The Storage Viewer feature extends the vSphere Client to facilitate the discovery and identification of EMC Symmetrix, CLARiiON, Celerra, VPLEX, XtremIO, VNX, and VNXe storage devices that are allocated to VMware ESXi hosts and virtual machines. Storage Viewer presents the underlying storage details to the virtual datacenter administrator by merging the data of several different storage mapping tools into a few seamless vSphere Client views.

◆ The Path Management feature for VMware Native Multipathing and EMC PowerPath/VE provides a mechanism for changing the multipath policy for groups of LUNs based on storage class and virtualization object.

◆ The Symmetrix SRA Utilities feature helps users to more efficiently manage vCenter Site Recovery Manager (SRM) configurations in Symmetrix Remote Data Facility (SRDF®) environments. It provides SRM diagnostic tools that help users to easily identify configuration errors. The SRA Utilities feature enables users to create and view consistency groups.

◆ The Unified Storage Management feature provides array-based storage management and provisioning for CLARiiON, Celerra, VMAX, VPLEX, XtemIO, VNX, and VNXe series storage arrays, and enables virtual machine decompression, compression, and cloning, and extending storage for arrays.

◆ The AppSync Management feature provides VMware vSphere datastore protection management based on the AppSync server with service plan configuration and datastore copy mount, unmount, restore, and expire functions.



◆ The EMC RecoverPoint Management feature is designed to assist you in recovering data when you are using VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager. With EMC RecoverPoint Management, you can select specific point-in-time backups to be used for your data protection and disaster recovery needs.

Path Management overviewThe Path Management feature for EMC VSI for VMware vSphere includes support for both VMware Native Multipathing Plug-in (NMP) and PowerPath/VE.

Currently, the Storage Viewer feature displays multipath properties for both NMP and PowerPath/VE. Those properties include the number of paths, the state of those paths, and the policy used to manage those paths. The Path Management feature allows you to change the multipath policy and is a first step in allowing the VSI user to manage multiple paths from within the VMware vSphere Client.

The Path Management features allows a VSI user to change the multipath policy on a multitude of devices, based on both storage class and virtualization object. For example, all Symmetrix devices for a given ESXi host or all CLARiiON devices for a given VMware vSphere cluster can be managed. With the Path Management features, managing multipath policies can be performed for devices owned by both NMP and PowerPath/VE. This feature is a valuable asset to administrators who need to maintain consistent multipath policies across a large virtual datacenter containing a large number or wide variety of storage devices.

This Product Guide describes the behavior and functionality available with the Path Management feature for EMC VSI for VMware vSphere Client. The document provides snapshots of the various views, the functionality that is available with each of these views, and sample use cases.

VMware Native Multipathing Plug-inBy default, VMware ESXi hosts come with NMP enabled to manage multipathed storage. Several Storage Array Type Plug-ins (SATPs) built into ESXi determine the default Path Selection Plug-in (PSP) that is used for a given storage device type. The PSP is analogous to a multipath policy, because it determines how and when multiple paths are used for a given storage device. Prior to vSphere 5.1, Symmetrix storage has a SATP of VMW_SATP_SYMM, which has a PSP of VMW_PSP_FIXED. Starting in vSphere 5.1, the default policy is NMP RR. When you connect a Symmetrix device to an ESXi host by using multiple paths, those paths will be managed with a fixed policy.



CLARiiON storage that does not support Asymmetric Logical Unit Access (ALUA) has an SATP of VMW_SATP_CX, which uses a PSP of VMW_PSP_MRU. This means that when you connect a CLARiiON device to an ESXi host by using multiple paths, those paths will be managed with a “Most Recently Used” policy. It is possible to alter the default PSP used for a given SATP by using the esxcli. For example, many customers change the VMW_SATP_SYMM to use the VMW_PSP_RR to get a “round robin” multipathing policy.

EMC PowerPath/VEEMC PowerPath/VE is an example of a MultiPath Plugin (MPP) or Multipath Enhancement Module (MEM), based on the PSA of VMware vSphere 4.0. When PowerPath/VE is installed, it can replace the NMP SATP for certain storage devices. By default, according to the PowerPath/VE claim rules, PowerPath/VE owns all EMC storage devices after it is installed. NMP continues to exist on the ESXi host and it continues to exist on any storage devices that are not owned by PowerPath/VE. It is even possible to switch devices from being managed by PowerPath/VE back to being managed by NMP (although this defeats the point of installing PowerPath/VE). The advantage of having PowerPath/VE is that it is programmed for best practices and immediately improves path discovery, path selection (from a basic round robin to adaptive), and predictability.

While NMP is managed from the ESXi console by using esxcli, PowerPath/VE is managed by a remote command line utility, rpowermt.exe. This utility is installed with the PowerPath/VE Remote Tools kit, which is a requirement for this feature to work with PowerPath/VE.

Software requirementsThis section describes the software requirements for VSI for VMware vSphere version 5.6.

VMware vSphere Client

VSI for VMware vSphere version 5.6 requires VMware vSphere Client 5.0 or later. The VMware software must be installed prior to installation of VSI features.



Operating systems

VSI for VMware vSphere is supported on the same operating systems that are supported by the VMware vSphere Client. Currently, this includes only Microsoft Windows operating systems. The VMware Infrastructure Compatibility Matrixes with the complete list of supported operating systems can be found at the VMware website:

http://www.vmware.com

Note: For x64 operating systems, all installed software components will be x86 images that are running in compatibility mode.

VMware vCenter Server

The vSphere Client is used to connect to a vCenter Server that manages the entire virtual datacenter, including any number of ESXi hosts. VSI for VMware vSphere version 5.6 is supported with VMware vCenter Server 5.0 or later.

Attempting to connect to a version of VMware vCenter Server earlier than this results in changes to the vSphere Client that VSI does not support.

Note: EMC VSI for VMware vSphere does not support VMware vCenter Linked Mode.

VMware ESXi

VSI for VMware vSphere: Path Management version 5.6 is supported with VMware ESXi version 5.0 or later. Connection must be through the vCenter Server to access the Path Management wizard, since the Path Management feature uses the vCenter task functionality. The Path Management features are disabled when the VMware vSphere Client is connected directly to an ESXi host.

EMC PowerPath Remote Tools (optional)

For the Path Management feature to work with PowerPath/VE, the PowerPath/VE Remote Tools must be installed on the client where VSI is running. The Path Management feature requires PowerPath/VE Remote Tools version 5.8.b342 or later. If the software is not installed, or an older version is installed, then the Path Management feature will continue to function, but the user will not be able to operate



on devices owned by PowerPath. When PowerPath/VE is installed on an ESXi host, VSI presents important multipath details for a given device, such as the multipath policy employed, the number of active paths, the number of dead paths, and so on.

Note: For VSI to obtain and present PowerPath/VE multipath details for the underlying storage, the PowerPath Remote Tools for Windows package must be installed. VSI currently supports PowerPath Remote Tools version 5.8.b342 or later. If this software is not installed, VSI features will still be installed successfully, but the PowerPath details will not be available. The Path Management feature is supported only when connecting to a vCenter Server. If the VMware vSphere Client is connected directly to an ESXi server, the Path Management feature is disabled. The vCenter user is required to have the Host.Cim.CimInteraction permission set, which is included in the vCenter administrator role by default.



VSI Feature Installation

This chapter explains how to install, enable, disable, and uninstall VSI for VMware vSphere plug-in features. Topics include the following:

◆ Installation overview ........................................................................................ 18◆ Installing VSI features ...................................................................................... 18◆ Enabling VSI..................................................................................................... 19◆ Disabling VSI.................................................................................................... 20◆ Uninstalling VSI................................................................................................ 20◆ Using VSI Feature Manager ............................................................................... 21

VSI Feature Installation 17


Installation overviewThis chapter describes how to install VSI 5.6 features, enable and disable the VSI plug-in, uninstall VSI, and disable and uninstall individual VSI features by using the Feature Manager.

Before you begin

Before you begin to install a VSI feature, read the following installation requirements and considerations.

VSI for VMware vSphereVSI for VMware vSphere version 5.6 is a plug-in to VMware vCenter that provides a single management interface used for managing EMC storage within the vSphere environment. VSI features can be added and removed from VSI independently, providing flexibility for customizing VSI user environments. Features install separately and contain the complete VSI plug-in framework for using that feature. Features can be managed by using the VSI Feature Manager.

VMware vSphere ClientInstall the VMware vSphere Client version 5.0 or later onto the same host as VSI. VSI will not install if the VMware vSphere Client is not already installed.

Installing VSI featuresAfter you have installed the VMware vSphere Client, you can install VSI for VMware vSphere features:

1. Download the VSI for VMware vSphere feature Zip file from EMC Online Support (https://support.EMC.com).

2. Unzip the file that you downloaded and run emc-vsi-pm-5.6.0-vmware-vsphere-WINDOWS-x86.exe.

The installation wizard copies all of the necessary files. Each feature is installed separately and contains all of the necessary components for that feature.

No configuration or input is required during the installation other than accepting the prompts to move forward with the install. The installation directory cannot be changed because the vSphere Client requires the plug-in files to be placed in a specific location.



Upgrading

When VSI version 3.x or later is installed, you can upgrade the software to a newer version by using the install wizard. The upgrade to version 5.6 will not retain any of the configuration options, but the log files will be retained for Storage Viewer and the Solutions Enabler server.

Note: For VSI PowerPath Management, you can upgrade from version 4.x or later.

IMPORTANT

After upgrading VSI, it is possible that certain features will be removed and must be reinstalled.

Enabling VSITo enable the VSI plug-in, follow these steps:

1. Start the vSphere Client.

2. From the top menu, select Plugins > Manage Plugins.

3. Locate and then right-click the EMC Virtual Storage Integrator in the list of available plug-ins, and select Enabled.

The status changes from Disabled to Enabled, and VSI loads automatically. This process does not require a restart of vSphere Client.

4. Select Close to exit the Plug-in Manager.



Disabling VSIIf you no longer want to use the VSI plug-in, but do not want to uninstall it, you can disable it as follows:

1. Start the vSphere Client.

2. From the top menu, select Plugins > Manage Plugins.

3. Locate and then right-click the EMC Virtual Storage Integrator in the list of available plug-ins, and select Disable.

The status changes from Enabled to Disabled. This process does not require a restart of vSphere Client.

4. Select Close to exit the Plug-in Manager.

Uninstalling VSIVSI can be uninstalled by using the Windows Add or Remove Programs utility. This removes the VSI framework and the VSI feature. Before uninstalling VSI, exit VMware vSphere Client in all user sessions on the client host.

To uninstall VSI by using the Add or Remove Programs utility, follow these steps:

1. Open the Add or Remove Programs utility in the Control Panel by selecting Start > Settings > Control Panel.

2. When the list of currently installed programs loads, select EMC Virtual Storage Integrator for VMware vSphere.

Note: Using Add or Remove Programs to uninstall the VSI plug-in removes all installed VSI features at once. No individual selection is possible.

3. Select Change/Remove and follow the dialogs presented.

Uninstalling a VSI feature

The VSI feature can be repaired or removed by running the installer.exe that was downloaded from EMC Online Support. Selecting the Remove option removes only the VSI feature. The VSI framework remains installed and listed under Add or Remove Programs.



Using VSI Feature ManagerAfter enabling the VSI plug-in, click the EMC VSI icon located in the Solutions and Applications menu to open the VSI home view. Select Feature Manager from the Settings tree menu. Installed VSI features display in a list. Figure 1 on page 21 shows an example.

The feature status automatically appears as enabled. To disable or uninstall a particular feature, right-click the feature and select Disable or Uninstall.

Disabled features remain fully installed and can be enabled for later use. Uninstalled features are permanently removed once the vSphere Client is closed and must be reinstalled separately.

To enable a disabled feature at a later time, use the Feature Manager right-click menu again and select Enable.

Figure 1 VSI Feature Manager



Using VSI for vSphere Client

This chapter explains how to use the VSI for VMware vSphere plug-in feature software with the VMware vSphere Client interface. Topics include the following:

◆ Getting started with VSI.................................................................................... 24◆ Path Management ............................................................................................ 26

Using VSI for vSphere Client 23


Getting started with VSIUse EMC VSI for VMware vSphere to connect to a vCenter Server.

1. Open the VMware vSphere Client.

2. From the Home menu, click the EMC VSI icon located in the Solutions and Applications menu to open the VSI plug-in.

3. Select Feature Manager from the Settings tree menu. All installed VSI features are displayed in a list. Figure 2 on page 24 shows an example with multiple features installed and enabled. “Using VSI Feature Manager” on page 21 provides information on using Feature Manager to disable or uninstall features.

Figure 2 VSI plug-in features



◆ Settings — This pane provides access to the Feature Manager function, which can be used to manage the separate plug-in features. It also provides access to logging information for each installed feature. “VSI logging” on page 32 provides information for using the VSI logging function.

◆ Features — With Storage Viewer installed, this pane lists all of the storage arrays and servers that VSI has knowledge of, and enables the discovery of new arrays and the deletion of previously discovered arrays.

Using the VMware vSphere Client interface

The VSI for vSphere Client provides context-sensitive storage information depending on the object that is selected from the navigation tree located in the left-hand pane. If you selected an ESXi host from the navigation tree, as shown in Figure 3, information for the host appears in the right-hand pane. Different information appears when you select a virtual machine from the navigation tree.

Figure 3 Opening an ESXi host view



Path ManagementYou access the EMC Path Management feature menu by right-clicking the ESXi host or cluster. Select Set Multipathing Policy to open the Path Management wizard, as shown in Figure 4. The Path Management wizard aids you in selecting multipathing policies for classes of storage devices.

Figure 4 EMC Path Management feature menu

The Set Multipathing Policy page is the first in the wizard. It presents two distinct areas of control, one for VMware NMP and the other for EMC PowerPath/VE. Figure 5 on page 27 provides an example.

Note: If PowerPath/VE is not installed or is unlicensed, then that portion of the screen is disabled.



Figure 5 Set Multipathing Policy wizard

1. Select the parameters for NMP.

2. Select parameters for PowerPath/VE only if the following PowerPath/VE components are in place (otherwise you cannot specify these parameters):

• EMC PowerPath/VE must be installed and licensed on the ESXi hosts in question. If it is not, a warning message is posted and this portion of the page is disabled.

• EMC PowerPath Remote Tools for Windows must be installed on the client host (where VM vSphere Client is running). If it is not, a warning message is posted and this portion of the page is disabled.



Storage class selection

To select a policy for the native multipathing-owned devices:

1. Select from the drop-down list the storage classes to be affected.

2. When you select a specific storage class, such as All Symmetrix Devices, another drop-down list is displayed so that you can select additional storage classes. If you select a general storage class, such as All EMC Devices, then only the one drop-down box is needed.

For NMP, the following storage classes are available:

◆ All Devices

◆ All EMC Devices

◆ All Symmetrix Devices

◆ All CLARiiON Devices

◆ All VPLEX Devices

◆ All VNX Devices

For PowerPath/VE, the following storage classes are available:

◆ All Devices

◆ All EMC Devices

◆ All Symmetrix Devices

◆ All CLARiiON Devices

◆ All VPLEX Devices

◆ All VNX Devices

Multipathing policy selection

Once a storage class is selected, the multipathing policy drop-down box is enabled for editing. You can opt not to change the multipathing policy by using the Do Not Change option, even if a storage class is selected.

For NMP, the multipathing policy options change according to the ESXi Server, not according to storage class, except for Symmetrix devices.



With ESX/ESXi Server 5.x, the NMP multipathing policy options are:

◆ Do Not Change

◆ Fixed

◆ Most Recently Used (MRU)

◆ Round Robin (RR)

Note: The functionality in the Fixed with Array Preference policy from ESX/ESXi 4.1 was rolled into the Fixed policy in ESXi 5.0 and later.

Note: The Most Recently Used (MRU) policy is not an option for Symmetrix devices, because the MRU policy goes against best practices.

Note: When you set the NMP policy to Round Robin (RR) for Symmetrix devices, VSI Path Management skips the gatekeeper devices. Best practice dictates that they have a policy of “Fixed.”

For PowerPath/VE, the multipathing policy options depend on the storage class that is selected.

For all Symmetrix devices, the multipathing options are:

◆ Least Blocks (lb)

◆ Least I/O (li)

◆ Round Robin (rr)

◆ Stream IO (si)

◆ Symmetrix Optimization (so)

For all CLARiiON and VNX devices, the multipathing options are:


◆ Least I/O (li)


◆ Stream IO (si)

◆ CLARiiON Optimization (co)



For all other storage classes (VPLEX and others), the multipathing options are:


◆ Least I/O (li)


◆ Stream IO (si)

◆ Adaptive (ad)

Set Multipathing Policy Summary page

This page summarizes the multipathing policy changes that will be made. The VMware vSphere object that is the context of the operation appears, as well as any policy changes for both PowerPath/VE and NMP.

When you click the Finish button, the multipathing policy changes are executed on a device-by-device basis. Each policy change for each device represents a task in the vSphere Client Recent Tasks monitor.



VSI Configuration

This chapter explains the configuration options available for VSI for VMware vSphere. It includes the following topic:

◆ VSI logging....................................................................................................... 32

VSI Configuration 31

VSI Configuration

VSI loggingVSI for vSphere Client provides a feature logging function for configuring log levels and storing logs. Select Logging from the Settings tree menu to display the logging configuration options. Figure 6 shows an example. The various VSI log files are located on disk at:

%APPDATA%\EMC\Virtual Storage Integrator\vSphere4\Logs

Figure 6 VSI Feature logging

Setting logging options

The General\Logging window provides the following options:

◆ Select a log file from the Log Files drop-down list for the VSI loaded feature.

◆ To view previous log files that are stored by date, clear the Active Logs Only checkbox. Select files by using the Log Files drop-down list.

◆ Click the File icon to open the Log files directory:

C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Roaming\EMC\Virtual Storage Integrator\vSphere4\Logs


VSI Configuration

◆ Click the Auto-Load icon to enable or disable auto-load. When auto-load is enabled, a log file is monitored and loaded into the viewer as it is modified.

◆ Click the Scroll lock icon to enable or disable scroll lock. When enabled, the scroll lock feature causes the log viewer to not automatically scroll to the bottom of the log file whenever it is appended.

◆ Click the Search log files icon to open the Find window to search log files for standard or regular expressions. Search can match case, a whole word, or the beginning of a word.

◆ Select the Compress file icon to create a zip archive of the log files to save in another location.

◆ Log files can be set to one of the following levels by selecting the Log Levels drop-down list:

• Off — No log entries are written.

• All — All log entries are written.

• Fatal — Only fatal errors are written.

• Error — Only error messages are written.

• Warn — Warning and error messages are written.

• Info — All information, including error and warning messages, is written. This is the default value.

• Debug — Informative messages as well as errors and warnings are written for any general operations that occur.

VSI Configuration 33

VSI Configuration


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