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ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere 9.13

ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere Quick Start

Contributors Netapp-shabaana Sreeju-mm
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ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere is a single vCenter Server plug-in that includes ONTAP tools, VASA Provider and Storage Replication Adapter (SRA) extensions. ONTAP tools is recommended for all ONTAP vSphere environments as it configures ESXi host settings and provisions ONTAP storage using best practices. The VASA Provider is required for virtual volumes (vVols) support, and SRA works together with VMware Site Recovery Manager.

Preparing for installation

You deploy the plug-in as a virtual appliance, which reduces your effort of installing and registering each product separately with the vCenter Server.

Deployment requirements

ONTAP tools can be used with a VMware vCenter Server Virtual Appliance (vCSA). You must be deploy the ONTAP tools on a supported vSphere that includes ESXi system.

The minimum space and host sizing requirements are:

System Minimum requirements

Space

2.1 GB for thin provisioned installations, 54.0 GB for thick provisioned installations

Host sizing

Recommended memory: 12 GB, Recommended CPUs: 2

You should be aware of the following licenses:

License Description

SnapMirror

(optional) Required for performing failover operations for SRA and VASA Provider if u using vVols replication.

FlexClone

(optional) Required for performing test failover operations for SRA and for vVols operations of VASA Provider.

ONTAP tools uses the following default bidirectional TCP ports:

Additional requirements

Description column

9083

When enabled, both VASA Provider and Storage Replication Adapter (SRA) use this port to communicate with the vCenter Server. This port is also required for obtaining the TCP/IP settings. This port needs to be enabled on the firewall from ESXi hosts to the ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere appliance. This port is used to download VP support bundle, access Web-CLI user interface, and control path communication from VMware to VP.

443

Depending on how you have configured your credentials, the VMware vCenter Server and the storage systems listen for secure communications on this port. The port is used in client-server communication architecture. The 443 port is enabled by default for secure connections. The client, which can be any automation client that uses REST API, initiates the connection to the server and the end points exchange data.

8143

ONTAP tools listens for secure communications on this port. The port is used in client-server communication architecture. The client, which can be any automation client that uses REST API, initiates the connection to the server and the end points exchange data. This port is enabled for ONTAP tools services and for exporting ONTAP tools server logs. The register.html page is hosted on this port. The REST swagger is exposed on this port.

8443

This port is used for ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere plugin service.

Minimum storage and application requirements:

Storage, host, and applications Version requirements

ONTAP

ONTAP 9.7, 9.8P1 or later.

VMware vSphere, vCenter server, ESXi hosts, Site Recovery Manager (SRM), plug-in applications, and databases column 1

See the Interoperability Matrix Tool

ONTAP tools requirements

  • Configure and set up your vCenter Server environment.

  • Download the .ova file.

  • The login credentials for your vCenter Server instance.

  • Delete the browser cache to avoid any browser cache issue during the deployment of the ONTAP tools.

  • Configure the default gateway to be used by the virtual appliance to respond to ICMP pings.

  • A valid DNS hostname for the virtual appliance.

Optional requirements for SRA

If you are deploying the virtual appliance for use with VMware Site Recovery Manager, then you must have:
* Downloaded the .tar.gz file for SRA if you are using the SRM appliance.

Deploying ONTAP tools

Steps

  1. Download .zip file that contains binaries and signed certificates from the NetApp Support Site to a vSphere Client system to deploy the ONTAP tools.

  2. Extract the .zip file and deploy the .ova file.

    You must deploy the .ova file on both the source and destination sites if you are deploying SRA.

  3. Log in to the vSphere Web Client, select Home > Host and Clusters.

  4. Right-click the required datacenter, and then click Deploy OVF template.

    If you are using vCenter7.0u3e and later releases perform the following actions, otherwise proceed to Step 5. This is an optional step to verify that the OVA binary integrity is not tampered.

    • Download the OTV_INTER_ROOT_CERT_CHAIN.pem file from the NetApp Support Site.

    • Navigate to vcenter > administration > certificate management.

    • Click on Add trusted root certificate option.

    • Click Browse and provide the path for OTV_INTER_ROOT_CERT_CHAIN.pem file.

    • Click Add.

      Note The message Entrust Code Signing - OVCS2 (Trusted certificate) confirms the integrity of the downloaded OVA file.
      If you see the message Entrust Code Signing - OVCS2 (Invalid certificate), then upgrade the VMware vCenter Server to 7.0U3E or greater version.

  5. You can either enter the URL for the .ova file or browse to the folder where the .ova file is saved, and then click Next.

  6. Enter the required details to complete the deployment.

Note (Optional) If you want to create containers without registering to vCenter Server, then select the Enable VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) checkbox in the Configure vCenter or Enable VCF section.

You can view the progress of the deployment from the Tasks tab, and wait for deployment to complete.

As part of the deployment checksum verifications are performed. If the deployment fails, do the following:

  1. Verify vpserver/logs/checksum.log. If it says "checksum verification failed",
    you can see the failed jar's verification in same log.

    Log file contains the execution of sha256sum -c /opt/netapp/vpserver/conf/checksums.

  2. Verify vscserver/log/checksum.log. If it says "checksum verification failed",
    you can see the failed jar's verification in same log.

    Log file contains the execution of sha256sum -c /opt/netapp/vscerver/etc/checksums.

Deploying SRA on SRM

You can deploy SRA either on Windows SRM server or on 8.2 SRM Appliance.

Uploading and configuring SRA on SRM Appliance

Steps

  1. Download the .tar.gz file from the NetApp Support Site.

  2. On the SRM Appliance screen, click Storage Replication Adapter > New Adapter.

  3. Upload the .tar.gz file to SRM.

  4. Rescan the adapters to verify that the details are updated in the SRM Storage Replication Adapters page.

  5. Log in using administrator account to the SRM Appliance using the putty.

  6. Switch to the root user: su root

  7. At the log location enter command to get the docker ID used by SRA docker: docker ps -l

  8. Login to the container ID: docker exec -it -u srm <container id> sh

  9. Configure SRM with the ONTAP tools IP address and password: perl command.pl -I <otv-IP> administrator <otv-password>. You need to have a single quote around the password value.
    A success message confirming that the storage credentials are stored is displayed. SRA can communicate with SRA server using the provided IP address, port and credentials.

Updating SRA credentials

Steps

  1. Delete the contents of the /srm/sra/conf directory using:

    1. cd /srm/sra/conf

    2. rm -rf *

  2. Execute the perl command to configure SRA with the new credentials:

    1. cd /srm/sra/

    2. perl command.pl -I <otv-IP> administrator <otv-password>. You need to have a single quote around the password value.

      A success message confirming that the storage credentials are stored is displayed. SRA can communicate with SRA server using the provided IP address, port and credentials.

Enabling VASA Provider and SRA

Steps

  1. Log in to the vSphere web client by using the vCenter IP that was provided during OVA ONTAP tools deployment.

  2. In the shortcuts page, click on NetApp ONTAP tools under plug-ins section.

  3. In the left pane of ONTAP tools, Settings > Administrative Settings > Manage Capabilities, and enable the required capabilities.

    Note VASA Provider is enabled by default. If you want to use replication capability for vVols datastores, then use the Enable vVols replication toggle button.

  4. Enter the IP address of the ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere and the administrator password, and then click Apply.