February, 2012 | Virtual Lifestyle

Archive for February, 2012

Dell Management Plug-In for VMware vCenter 1.5

Feb 23, 2012 Blogs

The initial version was released in December 2010. Since then, version 1.0.1.72 and 1.0.1.175 (update 1) have been released, adding a couple of new features:

1.0.1.72, June 2011

Integrate remote support and diagnostic operations from vCenter in conjunction with Dell’s Proactive Systems Management
Direct link to dell.com for warranty renewal
Updated connectivity to M1000e CMC
Future updates will not require total re-installation of the virtual appliance
Trial license available
Support for LC 1.5, OpenManage 6.5, and ESX 4.1 U1

1.0.1.175 u1, October 2011

Support for vSphere (ESXi) 5
Bug Fixes
Enhancements to deployment and usability functionality
Support for 12G servers
Delivered as a patch (so no full OVF)

1.5, March 2012?

Dell is expected to release version 1.5 of the product at the end of March 2012. Expected new features are:

Released as both an update within the appliance and as a full OVF
New license option for 25 and 100 hosts.
Support for the 12th generation (12G) of Dell PowerEdge Servers
12G servers do not require OMSA, creating an ‘Agent Free’ option utilizing the iDRAC and Lifecycle Controller
Deploying ESXi to (dual) SD-card Modules
Lockdown mode support
New Compliance Wizard (to check if ‘Collect System Inventory on Restart’ is enabled, to install and configure OMSA and to fix the Connection Profile)
Improvements to the initial firmware installation process
Various bug fixes
Option to exit maintenance mode automatically of a host after firmware update complete

Check out two screenshots on the Compliance Wizard and exit the maintenance mode after firmware update:

Other News

I noticed there’s a new free one host version is located. Get it here: http://marketing.dell.com/software-download.

I’ll keep you posted if version 1.5 is actually released!

Mike’s Tech Novel: Administering VMware Site Recovery Manager 5.0

Feb 21, 2012 Blogs

I admit, I’ve always been a fan of Mike’s books. I bought every book he has written, right from the first Administering VMware Site Recovery Manager, version 1.0 (which you can get for free, along with the version 4.0 version of the book here: 1.0, 4.0).

I’ve used his books to write up my ‘SRM in a box’ guide to evaluate the product in a home lab or on a laptop without going through the hassle of a physical (storage-) environment. In November 2008, I used a 4GB laptop for this purpose, only four months after the initial product release. I read Mike’s book back-to-back about five times to be able to squeeze every megabyte of vRAM out of the set up. I learned a lot about SRM, to say the least.

Today, I rebuilt the lab based on SRM and vSphere v5. Like in 2008, the lab gobbles up all the physical RAM I have at my disposal (16GB in a Dell Precision M4600 laptop). It’s still a tight fit, but it runs smooth enough to act as a companion of Mike’s new book:

I was surprised to find a complimentary copy of Mike’s new book Administering VMware Site Recovery Manager 5.0 in the mail a couple of weeks ago. I had just bought the eBook version for the iPad. I’ve had the pleasure to read both the digital and the paper version of the book, and I am very pleased. Mike is a real expert on the subject, and together with the new VMware Press style, finish and overall quality, it’s a very pleasant experience. Also, the book reads almost like a the Tech Novel (currently a work-in-progress by Luke Maverick). The flow of the book made me read it like wasn’t a tech book at all. Well done, Luke and/or Mike!

I really like the chapters on vSphere Replication and bi-directional protection, as this is a new feature I hadn’t working with earlier. I’ll probably end up re-reading these chapters a couple of times in the near future, as I have a project involving SRM coming up.

Not only is it the first books VMware Press has published, it is also the only book I know on this version of Site Recovery Manager. It’s a must read for anyone interested in the subject, and I do recommend is whole-heartedly!

I do want to add a disclaimer: I received my copy of the book from VMware Press for reviewing purposes. I want to stress that I’m not compensated in any way other than the complimentary copy of the book for doing this review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Site Recovery Manager: HP P4000 SRA “Failed to load SRA”

Feb 21, 2012 Blogs

Have you encountered the SRA Error “Failed to load SRA from ‘C:/Program Files (x86)/VMware/VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager/storage/sra/HP P4000 SRA’. SRA command ‘queryInfo’ didn’t return a response.“?