SRM: Replicated devices could not be matched with data stores

When I was configuring SRM  SRA then  I was getting following error when array where rescanned

Someone suggested that

For ESX host 3.5 you would be enabling “LVM.EnableReSignature ” under  advance option for esx host. ESX4 performs this function automatically whereas in version 3.5 you had to enable it in the advanced settings section of the host configuration.

This did not fixed my problem yet and then I followed KB 1016862 and its resolution says

“Virtual machine components can be on an array which is replicated to another array.

However, VMware does not support virtual machine components on multiple arrays which replicate to a single array as the VMX configurations do not match in terms of UUID of the datastores.

Ensure that virtual machine components are not on multiple arrays that replicate to a single array.”

Well in our case it was different.  Then I start looking at config again. I found that VM’s were mounted using different export IP then what I have added under array manger.

What I meant is NFS IP were different for ESX host and Array manager. I changed the IP and now I was able to see the datastore.

Existing IDE disk is not supported at the moment- Migrating VM from 2.X to 4.X

We had ESX V2.X running in our environment with couple of VM’s. It has highly impossible to have this host into our VC. So we disconnected the host and then copy the VM’s over to 4.0 host. Now we cannot add it into inventories since it has older hardware. We tried creating new VM and then attaching the vmdk which fails . We tried enterprise convertor and then standalone to export the VMDK but it did not work. Finally we decided to clone the disk vmkfstools -i source.vmdk dest.vmdk We then created a new VM and then tried to attach the VMDK and we started getting error message "Adding existing IDE disk is not supported at the moment. IDE disks cannot be hot added or there are no free available IDE Controller slots.". Solution 1. Unregister this VM from Virtual Center 2. Remove all scsi0:* lines from the VMs config file using a text editor. 3. Open the disk desciptor file in a text editor and replace "legacyESX" with "lsilogic". The descriptor file is the few hundred byte vmdk file. 4. Repeat this step for all the virtual disk files for this VM . 5. Register the VM again 6. Add disk(s) to the VM If you do not edit the descriptor file and add the disk to a vSphere VM (with virtual hw v7) it will come up as a working IDE disk. Source

ILO Error 9005/9009/9008 with HP SIM agent on ESX4.0 U1

One of the reader of blog drop me an email with following message

I've installed the HP SIM (v8.3.1) onto my ESX v4.0 update 1 host and configured it using a config file. The config file has the appropriate information to send to my SIM server. Every now and then my host will generate 3 alerts

1: Event Name: (SNMP) Remote Insight/ Integrated LightsOut Self Test Error (9005)

URL: https://xxx:2381/

Event originator: xxx

Event Severity: Critical

Event received: 22-Apr-2010, 18:11:52

Event description: Remote Insight/ Integrated Lights-Out Self Test Error. The Remote Insight/ Integrated Lights-Out firmware has detected a Remote Insight self test error.

2: Event Name: (SNMP) Remote Insight mouse cable disconnected (9009)

URL: https://xxx:2381/

Event originator: xxx

Event Severity: Major

Event received: 22-Apr-2010, 18:11:53

Event description: Mouse Cable Disconnected. The Remote Insight mouse cable has been disconnected.

3: Event Name: (SNMP) Remote Insight keyboard cable disconnected (9008)

URL: https://xxx:2381/

Event originator: xxx

Event Severity: Major

Event received: 22-Apr-2010, 18:11:53

Event description: Keyboard Cable Disconnected. The Remote Insight keyboard cable has been disconnected.

I've tried searching HP and VMware, but as you have said, information is very sparse. The closest I've come up with is a mention about the HPSIM certificate in the iLO2 (http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?admit=109447626+1271902147498+28353475&threadId=1375014 )

I suggested him to

1. Try reinstalling SIM agent again with host reboot.

2. I would also engage HP since SIM is free product from them.

3. Check ILO (Since I am not sure which DL version you are using) if there are any option or Insight web GUI where you can disable such events

But this the actual solution available on following blog found by Dave. Thanks Dave for finding solution

To disable the alerts add : exclude cmasm2d to the file: - /opt/hp/hp-snmp-agents/cma.conf and restarted the agents: /etc/init.d/hp-snmp-agents restart

How to setup Link mode for Virtual Center 4.0

Today I have done VC upgrade and here is blog for the same. During the VC upgrade it did not ask me for setting VC in link mode which becomes very much necessary when you have multiple VC across environment.

Few things you should know

1. Link mode feature is not available to you if you are holding license for “foundation or essential edition ”. This required stander edition of VC license.

2. It uses ADAM (Active Directory Application Mode ) database to replicate it’s configuration between multiple VC.

3. ADAM stores :

* Connection information (IP addresses and ports)

* Certificates and thumbprints

* License Information

* User Roles

4. Permission can be configured on VC basis.

5. Single VC can manage 300 ESX host with 3000 VM but linked mode can manage 1000 ESX host with 10000 VM’s

More features are available here.

You have to re-run the setup for VC server installation. It will walk you through wizard

It will then detect the VC instance and prompt you for VC link mode setting

By default the link mode configuration will be selected

It will then prompt you to provide server name for which you are connecting

Make sure you have selection as below.

And that is about it.

Why Virtual machine swapfile location is grayed out?

I was trying to figure out why Virtual machine swapfile location is grayed out as shown in the pics below

What I understood is that it inherits properties from cluster. If the cluster has been set to store the swap file on VM then the pic above will be like that.

So you need to choose second option if you have to store swap as per your convenient . Such configuration is done incase where is the requirement to have swap at separate location