Active System Manager Version 7.
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Contents 1 Overview.................................................................................................................6 2 Other Documents You May Need...................................................................... 8 3 Licensing.................................................................................................................9 4 Getting Started with ASM 7.5........................................................................... 10 5 Initial Setup.........................
Understanding Server Pools............................................................................................................... 36 Creating Server Pool......................................................................................................................37 Editing Server Pool........................................................................................................................ 37 Deleting Server Pool...................................................................
Unable to deploy a service for Compellent component with same server object and volume names...................................................................................................................................................61 Unable to deploy service using the template with two EqualLogic CHAP components................. 61 Unable to log in through Active Directory using “\”...........................................................................
Overview 1 Active System Manager(ASM) is Dell’s unified management product that provides a comprehensive infrastructure and workload automation solution for IT administrators and teams. ASM simplifies and automates the management of heterogeneous environments enabling IT to respond more rapidly to dynamic business needs.
– Full lifecycle management of physical and virtual infrastructure and workloads. • Deep virtualization integration — Manage cluster-level and virtual machine (VM) lifecycle. • Resource pooling and dynamic allocation — Optimize capital expenditures by creating and managing physical and virtual IT resource pools.
Other Documents You May Need 2 In addition to this guide, the following documents available on the Dell Support website at dell.com/ support/manuals provide additional information about Active System Manager (ASM), version 7.5. On the Manuals page, in the Tell us about your Dell system section, under No, select Choose from a list of all Dell products, and then click Continue.
Licensing 3 Active System Manager (ASM) licensing is based on the total number of managed resources, except for VMware vCenter. In ASM 7.5 release, standard is the only valid license type supported. The standard license is a full-access license type. To download a license: 1. You will receive an email from customer service with instructions to access the license file from digital locker that includes your login ID and password. 2.
Getting Started with ASM 7.5 4 When you log in to Active System Manager (ASM) for the first time, the Getting Started page is displayed. This page provides a recommended guided workflow for getting started with ASM. A green check mark indicates that you have completed the step. The steps include: • Step 1: Initial Setup — Click Initial Setup to configure basic settings required before you start using ASM, such as license, virtual appliance time zone, NTP server, proxy server, and networks settings.
Initial Setup 5 The Initial Setup wizard enables you to configure the basic settings required to start using Active System Manager (ASM). Before you begin, gather the following information: • The local network share that contains ASM license. • The time zone of the virtual appliance that hosts ASM. • The IP addresses of at least two Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers. • The IP address, port, and credentials of the proxy server. (Optional) • The networks in your environment for ASM to access.
Uploading License If you are using ASM for the first time, you must upload the license file through the Initial Setup wizard. To upload a subsequent license, in the left pane, click Settings → Virtual Appliance Management. In the Virtual Appliance Management page, click Edit in the License Management section. 1. On the Licensing page of the Initial Setup wizard, select a valid license file, and then click Open. The following information is displayed based on the license selected: 2.
After the initial setup is complete, to change the proxy settings, in the left pane, click Settings → Virtual Appliance Management. Related Links Editing Proxy Settings Networks You must at least define one network on the Networks page of the Initial Setup wizard. You can edit or delete existing networks from ASM once it is defined. To define, edit, or delete the network after the initial setup is complete, in the left pane, click Settings → Networks.
Dashboard 6 The Dashboard displays a graphical representation of the state and total number of services deployed in ASM. These services are categorized into the following states: • Error Services (RED band on the graphic): Indicates the services for which the deployment process is incomplete due to errors. • Deployed Services (GREEN band on the graphic): Indicates the services that get deployed successfully.
On this page you can: • Deploy a new service from published templates (For more information, see Deploy Service). • Click the service name to view Service Details (For more information, see Service Details). Related Links Service Details Deploy Service Service States Deploy Service The Deploy Service dialog box enables you to deploy a service instance using a template. NOTE: You cannot deploy a service using a template that is in draft state.
Service Details The Service Details page displays the following details: • Basic Service Details: Indicates the basic details that are specific to a particular service state. These details are displayed in the middle of the Dashboard home page. The basic service details include: – State icon: Error In Progress Deployed – Service name that can be clicked to view full service details. – Name of the user who deployed the service. – Date and time when the service was deployed.
Templates 7 A Template is a collection of components. It defines the end state of your infrastructure that will be configured when a service is generated. A Template may consist of various components that identify the type of resource to be configured. In ASM, each component is specifically categorized as: • Application • Virtual Machine • Cluster • Server • Storage NOTE: The Switch component cannot be configured in ASM currently.
Managing Templates The Templates page displays the following information about the templates: • Representational icons of components that may be within any template. Those icons in blue are depicting which components are included in each template. • Summary details on a selected template. You can click on a specific template to see the following details of the selected template: • Created on: This field describes the date and time of template creation.
In case of Clone Existing, select any existing template that is to be cloned. The components of the selected template get cloned into the new template. 3. Enter a Template Name. 4. Enter Template Description. (Optional). 5. Click Save. Related Links Building a Template Overview Building and Publishing a Template Building a Template Overview The Template Builder page allows you to build a customized template by configuring both physical and virtual components.
Building and Publishing a Template To start building a customized template, perform the following steps: 1. Click Templates → Create Template. 2. Select either New or Clone Existing radio button. 3. Enter a Template Name. 4. Enter a Template Description. (Optional). 5. Click Save. On the Build Template page, a newly created or cloned template appears in a Draft state. 6. To add components to your template, click a specific component icon in the left.
3. Perform the necessary changes to the template. 4. Click Publish Template to make the template ready for deployment Deleting a Template The Delete option allows you to delete a template from ASM. To delete a template: 1. Click Templates and select the template to be deleted, and click Delete. You can also delete a selected template from the Template Builder page. 2. Click OK when a warning message is displayed.
The following component types are defined in ASM: • Application • Virtual Machine • Cluster • Server • Switch • Storage NOTE: Currently, ASM does not support Switch configuration. NOTE: It is recommended to add physical devices to the template first, then configure virtual resources, and lastly configure application settings to be deployed on the resources.
Storage Settings Field Name Description EqualLogic Chap Storage Settings Storage Volume Defines the name of the volume in Equallogic. A volume is a logical partition in the EqualLogic storage array. The EqualLogic CHAP users have the access to these storage volumes. More than one chap users can have access to the EqualLogic volume. Storage Pool Refers to the pool name where a volume is. The default storage pool value is Default. Storage Size (e.g. 100m, 1g) Specifies the volume size.
Field Name Description Storage Size e.g 100g Specifies the volume size. Enter the number of 512-byte blocks or the total byte size. To specify a total byte size, use k for kilobytes, m for megabytes, g for gigabytes, or t for terabytes. Boot Volume Specifies if the mapped volume is designated to be a boot volume. Volume Folder Specifies the name of an existing volume folder where a volume is to be created. In case the folder does not exist, a new folder is created.
After selecting Server on the template builder page, you can perform the following actions: • Perform settings on the selected server instance properties that display on the right of the page (for more information, see Server Settings). NOTE: A Server name must be unique for a given deployment.
Target Boot Device Description Hypervisor Management Network (Optional networks) Refers to all networks of the type “Hypervisor Management”. Hypervisor vMotion Network (Optional networks) Refers to all Hypervisors available for vMotion. Storage Network (Optional networks) Refers to all SAN iSCSI and FCoE networks. PXE Network Refers to configuring the PXE based OS imaging on servers. The specified VLAN is configured as un-tagged VLAN on the ToR/IOA switches.
Field Name Description Cluster Data Store This property maps the cluster to the selected storage component. Virtual Machine A Virtual Machine is configured on top of a cluster, while building a template. After selecting Virtual Machine on the template builder page, you can perform the following actions: • Perform settings on Virtual Machine properties that display on the right of the page (for more information, see Virtual Machine Settings ).
Application The Application component is configured on top of virtual resources in ASM. However, an Application component can be installed on a physical server that has a non-ESXi OS. ASM provisions multiple applications for deployment. After selecting Application on the template builder page, you can perform the following actions: • Perform settings on the selected application properties that display on the right of the page (the properties of each application vary based on the application type).
Resources 8 The Chassis, servers, switches, storage groups, and VMware Centers that you can manage using Active System Manager are called resources. The Resources page displays detailed information about all the resources and the server pools that ASM has discovered and inventoried, and allows you to perform various operations from the All Resources and Server Pools tabs.
• Discover new resources • Update the resource inventory • Remove resources • View resource details Related Links Discovery Overview Discovering Resources Viewing Resource Details Removing Resources Updating Resource Inventory Resource Operational State Discovery Overview You can discover new resources or existing resources that are already configured within your environment. After discovery, you can deploy services on these resources from a template.
You may have to wait while ASM locates and displays all the resources that are connected to the managed networks. 5. On the Discovered Resources page, select the resources from which you want to collect the inventory data, and click Finish. The discovered resources are listed in the Resources page. Related Links Adding IP Address Range and Credentials Collecting the Resource Inventory Adding IP Address Range and Credentials 1. On the Discover Resources page, click Add New. 2.
Field Name Description Chassis Credentials Select the credentials from the following drop-down lists to access one or more chassis, associated blade servers, and I/O modules. • Chassis Credentials • Blade Credentials • I/O Module Credentials If you want to create new credentials to access the chassis, click Add New. NOTE: The options to select or create new credentials are displayed based on the resource types selected for discovery.
Updating Resource Inventory To manually run the inventory operation and update ASM with the latest resource data: 1. In the left pane, click Resources. 2. On the Resources page, click the All Resources tab. 3. From the list of resources, click a resource, and in the Details pane, click Run Inventory. An inventory job is scheduled, the resource state changes to Pending. When the inventory is complete, the resource state changes to Available.
• Power Supplies From the Summary tab of the Chassis Details page, you can: • Open the remote GUI console for a Chassis Management Controller (CMC). • View all recent activities performed on the Chassis Viewing Blade or Rack Server Details 1.
NOTE: In ASM 7.5 release, the detailed information can be viewed only for Dell Resources. From the Storage Group Details page, you can view the recent alerts about the storage, and additionally: • For Dell EqualLogic Storage, you can open the element manager GUI of Group Manager. • For Dell Compellent Storage, you can open the element manager GUI of Storage Center. Viewing Switch Details 1. In the Resources → All Resources tab, click a switch from the list of resources to view it details.
Resource Operational State After initiating the resource discovery, Active System Manager (ASM) assigns one or more of the following states to the resources. These operational states display in the State columns of the Resources → All Resources tab. State Description Available Ready to be used. Deploying Indicates deployment is in progress. Pending Indicates the following tasks are in progress: • • • • • • Discovering resources is in progress.
Creating Server Pool 1. In the Server Pools tab, click Create New. The Create Server Pool wizard is displayed. 2. On the Welcome page, read the instructions, and click Next. 3. On the Server Pool Information page, type the name and description for the server pool. Click Next. 4. On the Add Servers page, select the servers that you want to add to the server pool. Click Next. 5. On the Assign Users page, select the users you want to grant access rights to the server pool. Click Next. 6.
Settings 9 On the Settings page, you can: • Access application logs. • Configure automatically scheduled and manual backup and restore jobs. • Create the credentials that ASM will use to access chassis, server, switch, VMware vCenter, and storage resources. • Define existing networks. • Manage Active System Manager (ASM) users. • Perform appliance management tasks related to NTP settings, proxy server settings, SSL certificates, and license management for the ASM virtual appliance.
– Appliance Configuration — Indicates the initial setup, appliance settings, backup and restore – Template Configuration — Indicates the operations on Service Templates – Network Configuration — Indicates the operations on networks, pools for MAC/IQN/WWPN/ WWNN – Infrastructure or Hardware Configuration — Indicates the hardware discovery, inventory – Infrastructure or Hardware Monitoring — Indicates the hardware health – Deployment — Indicates the Service template deployment operations – Licensing — Indicat
CAUTION: If you do not select a severity level, then ALL entries older than the selected date are deleted. 5. Click Apply. NOTE: You must select either a date or at least one severity level. Backup and Restore Performing a backup saves all user-created data to a remote share from which it can be restored. NOTE: It is recommended to perform frequent backups to guard against data loss and corruption.
• Initial setup • IP addresses • Jobs • Licensing • Networks • Templates • Users and roles • Resource Module configuration files Editing Backup Settings And Details 1. In the left pane, click Settings → Backup and Restore. 2. In the Settings and Details section, click Edit. 3. Optionally, to indicate the network share location where the backup file will be saved, type a backup directory path in the Backup Directory Path box.
• To use custom settings: 1. In the Backup Directory Path box, type a path name where the backup file will be saved. Use one of these formats: – NFS – host:/share/ – CIFS – \\host\share\ 2. Optionally, type a username and password in the Backup Directory User Name and Backup Directory Password boxes, if they are required to access the location you typed in the earlier task. 3.
NOTE: To access any Dell resource, the default root-level user name is root, and the default password is calvin. It is recommended to change the password; however, the user name for rootlevel credentials in ASM must remain root. NOTE: The Dell default credentials are not available for Dell Compellent Storage Center and Dell EqualLogic Storage. You must create credentials to access these Dell resources.
NOTE: Root is the only valid user name for root-level credentials on chassis (CMC), servers (iDRAC), and I/O modules. You can add local CMC and iDRAC users with user names other than Root. 6. In the Password and the Confirm Password boxes, type the password for the credential. NOTE: For valid user name and password formats, see the iDRAC, CMC, I/O module, or see the storage third-party documentation. 7. Optionally, for VMware vCenter, in the Domain box, enter the domain ID. 8.
To facilitate network communication, you can add ranges of static IP addresses that ASM will assign to resources for iSCSI initiators. You can also create virtual identity pools of MAC, IQN, WWPN, and WWNN virtual identities that ASM will assign to virtual NICs. Additionally, make sure that the following network prerequisites are met: • The virtual appliance is able to communicate with the out-of-band management network.
To define or edit an existing network: 1. In the left pane, click Settings → Networks. The Networks page is displayed. 2. Perform one of the following: • To define a network, click Define. The Define Network page is displayed. • To edit an existing network, select the network that you want to modify, and click Edit. The Edit Network page is displayed. 3. In the Name field, type the name of the network. 4. Optionally, in the Description field, type a description for the network. 5.
Related Links Network Types Deleting a Network Network Types Using ASM you can manage the following network types. • Private LAN— Used to access network resources for functions such as vMotion traffic or heartbeat communication. • Public LAN— Used to access network resources for basic networking activities. NOTE: Private and public LANs are functionally identical in ASM. The purpose of offering both labels is to help users categorize LANs based on functional use.
• Domain • Role • Last Name • First Name • State (Enabled or Disabled) On this page, you can: • Edit or delete an existing user. • Create local user. • Enable or disable a user account. • Import Active Directory Users. Additionally, you can click on the specific user account to view the following user related information: • Email • Phone • Directory Services NOTE: You can also refresh the information on the page.
Deleting a User The Delete option allows you to remove an existing ASM user. Perform the following tasks to delete a user: 1. Click Settings → Users in the left pane. 2. Select one or more user accounts to delete. 3. Click Delete. 4. Click Yes in the warning message to delete the account(s). Editing a User The Edit option allows you to edit an ASM user profile. Perform the following tasks to edit a user profile: 1. Click Settings → Users in the left pane. 2. Select a single user account to edit.
Directory Services The Directory Services option allows you to add, edit or delete an Active Directory using the Directory Services functionality. ASM can access these active directories to import users. NOTE: An Active Directory user is authenticated against the specific Active Directory Domain that a user belongs to.
Connection Settings Matrix Field Name Description Type Of Directory Service Refers to the type of directory service (currently available, Microsoft Active Directory). Name Refers to the AD configuration name as added in ASM. User Name (Bind DN) Refers to the full distinguished name (DN), including the common name (CN), of an Active Directory user account, that has the privileges to search for users. This user account must at least have the user privileges. Password Refers to the AD server password.
Field Name Description First Name Attribute Refers to the active directory record attribute that represents First Name. This attribute will be mapped to the ASM First Name attribute. Last Name Attribute Refers to the active directory record attribute that represents the Last Name of the user. This attribute will be mapped to ASM Last Name attribute. Email Attribute Refers to the active directory record attribute that represents the Email of the user.
NOTE: Before importing users from Active Directory, make sure you create a Directory Service. 1. Click Settings → Users in the left pane. 2. Click Import Active Directory Users. 3. Select a specific directory service from the Select Directory Service drop-down list, to import the users from the selected directory service. 4.
Importing Users Virtual Appliance Management Virtual Appliance Management allows you to: • Generate a troubleshooting bundle • Edit NTP settings • Edit proxy server settings • Generate and download a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) and upload the resulting SSL certificate • Upload an Active System Manager license Related Links Generating a Troubleshooting Bundle Editing Default Time Zone and NTP Settings Generating a Certificate Signing Request Downloading the Certificate Signing Request Upload
Generating a Certificate Signing Request A Certificate Signing Request (CSR) includes server information (such as domain name, locale) that certificate authorities require to provide a valid SSL certificate. After generating the CSR, download the encrypted text, and then submit it to a certificate authority. The Certificate Authority provides a valid SSL certificate for you to upload. 1. In the left pane, click Settings → Virtual Appliance Management. 2.
Editing Proxy Settings If your network uses a proxy server for external communication, then you must type the critical information to enable communication with ASM virtual appliance. 1. In the left pane, click Settings → Virtual Appliance Management. 2. In the Proxy Settings section, click Edit. 3. Select Use HTTP Proxy Settings. 4. In the Server Address (IP or Hostname) box, type a server address for the proxy server. 5. In the Port box, type a valid port number from 1–65535.
5. Click Save. The GUI becomes unavailable as the web services are restarted, the virtual appliance shell is still accessible and all active users are logged out. Virtual Identity Pools In Active System Manager (ASM), virtual identity pools provide a conceptual way to categorize the virtual identities that help in network communication.
Deleting Virtual Identity Pools Exporting Virtual Identity Pools Creating Virtual Identity Pools The Create Virtual Identity Pool wizard enables you to create virtual identity pools and add virtual identities to the virtual identity pools. To create a virtual identity pool: 1. 2. In the left pane, click Settings → Virtual Identity Pools. On the Virtual Identity Pools page, click Create. The Create Virtual Identity Pool wizard is displayed. 3.
NOTE: The IQN prefix cannot exceed 213 characters, must contain only alphanumeric characters (uppercase and lowercase), and the following special characters: – _ , : . 3. Select Auto Generate Identities if needed during deployments check box to automatically generate the Virtual IQN addresses during the deployment, if required. Adding Virtual WWPN Identities At a time, you can add as few as one and as many as 1,024 virtual WWPN identities.
Related Links Creating Virtual Identity Pools Deleting Virtual Identity Pools 60
Troubleshooting 10 This chapter includes details for resolving common issues encountered in Active System Manager. For additional support information, go to http://support.dell.com/support/topics/topic.aspx/global/ shared/support/prosupport/en/prosupport-software-contacts?c=us&l=en&s=biz. LC operation times out while deploying server profile to a server While updating the server configuration using config XML, the LC job remains in the RUNNING state and eventually gets timed out.
Chain Booting issue occurs while booting microkernel in a multi-hop DHCP environment The chain booting error occurs if the DHCP server is configured in a different subnet or network or connected to a different switch. In such scenarios, the DHCP network is tagged. To resolve this issue, in switch configuration, modify the native VLAN of server or computer facing ports to PXE VLAN.
