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PERC Command Line Interface (CLI) on VMware ESXi
8 Self-Encrypting Drives in Dell EMC PowerEdge servers with VMware vSphere | Technical White Paper |
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3 PERC Command Line Interface (CLI) on VMware ESXi
Command line interfaces and GUIs are not availble on VMware ESXi to monitor the usage of the SED drive.
However, there are vendor utilities such as, PERCCLI that provide this feature.
Follow the steps below to install PERCCLI on VMware ESXi:
1. Download the PERCCLI utility compatible for VMware ESXi from www.dell.com/support. The
perccli.gz file can be downloaded by using the keyword PERCCLI.
Note: Before downloading the perccli.gz file, click on View full driver details and check the Fixes and
Enhancements section to match the HBA/PERC card support.
2. Extract the PERCCli_VMWare_xxxxx_xxx_x.xxxx.tar.gzip file to /vmfs/volume/datastore1 on the host
using the following command:
tar -xvf PERCCli_VMWare_xxxxx_xxx_x.xxxx.tar.gzip
3. View the list of installed VIB packages using the following command:
esxcli software vib list
4. Install the VIB package using the command:
esxcli software vib install -v /vmfs/volume/datastore1/vmware-perccli-
xxx.xxxx.xxxx.xxxx.vib
Here, /vmfs/volume/datastore1 is the path of the stored VIB.
PERCCLI utility installed on VMware ESXi
3.1 Monitoring the secure virtual disks within VMware ESXi using
PERCCLI
Screenshots used in this section are captured from VMware ESXi 6.7 with the following configurations:
• ESXi 6.7 U3 Dell Version: A04, Build# 15160138
• PERCCLI Utility version - 7.529.00 (A07)
• Server PowerEdge R6515
• Storage Card H740P Mini
• System installed with BIOS firmware 1.2.14