1. Download Software
1.1. Minimum System Requirements
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Minimum Requirements |
Standard |
Enterprise |
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Memory |
2 GB |
2 GB |
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Storage |
5 GB |
3 GB |
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Network |
10 Mbps |
10 Mbps |
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Software |
VMware Player 1.0.0 or higher, VMware Workstation 5 or higher, VMware ESX Server 3.x or higher, VirtualCenter 2.5 or higher, or VMware Server 1.03 or higher |
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To review full technical specifications, see Appendix.
1.2. Installing the Appliance
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You can deploy the appliance by using either VMware Converter or VirtualCenter 2.5 or higher. Prior to performing any action, read through the appendix for the latest system requirements.
1.2.1. Installation Using VirtualCenter
This method of installation requires that your VirtualCenter server has access to the internet. If it does not, please see the next section for installation using VMware Converter.
In preparation to import a VKernel appliance into VirtualCenter, you need to obtain the URL for the OVF file. If you go to http://www.vkernel.com/downloads/all/ and click on the desired appliance, you will be taken to the download page. On the download page, click the link for Open Virtual Format (OVF). When prompted for registration information, enter existing credentials and select Login. If not registered, complete the Register Now section, and select Register. You will be brought to a page with the URL for the OVF file. You will need this URL in one of the proceeding steps.
From within VirtualCenter, select File > Virtual Appliance > Import…
In the first window of the import wizard, select the radio button for Import from URL and paste in the location of the OVF file that you just obtained from the website. Click Next and proceed to complete the remaining steps in the import wizard. The appliance will then begin to download and install.
1.2.2. Installation Using VMware Converter
Download the latest version of VMware Converter from http://www.vmware.com/download/converter/. Complete the registration information and select Submit, and then select the Download Now button. After reviewing the license agreement, select the Accept button, and again select the Download option under the latest version. Choose the Save File button, and browse to a location to save the file. Select the saved file for install and follow the on-screen prompts.
Figure 1 - VMware Converter Download
After you install VMware converter, you can download the latest version of the virtual appliance from http://www.vkernel.com/downloads/all/. When prompted for registration information, enter existing credentials and select Login. If not registered, complete the Not Registered Yet section, and select Register. After reviewing the License Agreement, mark the checkbox next to I read and accept the license agreement and select Next.
Select one of the HTTP download links. When prompted to Open or Save this file, select Save and choose a location to save this file to. The file is saved as a compressed, self-extracting EXE. Running this EXE will create a folder with three VMDK files and a VMX file.
Run VMware Converter and select Convert Machine. Note: previous versions of VMware converter refer to this as “import machine”.
The VMware Converter Import Wizard will pop up. Select Next twice to get to the Source Type screen.
Select Other from the dropdown box and click Next.
Browse to the VMX file located on your computer and select Next twice. You may receive a message that says, “Warning: Cannot configure the source image.” Ignore this message and continue with the proceeding steps.
For destination type, select VMware Infrastructure Virtual Machine and click Next.
Input the locations and credentials for the VirtualCenter Server or ESX host where you want to install the appliance and click Next. Conclude the following steps by creating a name for the new virtual machine and giving it a server and datastore location to install to.
Refer to VMware’s documentation for more information on using VMware Converter: http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/converter_pubs.html.
1.3. Preparing the Appliance for Use
Click Power On and wait until the appliance starts. The first time the VKernel appliance runs, open a console window and you will be prompted to setup the networking information.
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Figure 2 - IP Address Type
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If you will be using DHCP to assign the address, type 0 and press the Enter key to continue. If you will be assigning a static IP address, type 1 and press the Enter key to continue. You will then be prompted to enter the IP address, network mask, default gateway and DNS server. Review the information entered, and accept by typing Y and then Enter.
Figure 3 - Static IP Address
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You will then be prompted for a time server. You can either accept the default, or enter your own. After the appliance has successfully started, a banner will appear with instructions on how to access the appliance from a web browser. Please save this information for future use.
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Figure 4 - Banner for Browser Access
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The VKernel appliance is now ready for use.
1.4. Initial Configuration
To begin using the software, open a supported browser and type in the IP address of the VKernel appliance. Supported browsers include Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer with Adobe Flash 10 or higher installed. After the webpage loads you will be asked for a username and password. The default username is vkernel and the default password is vkernel.
1.4.1. Database Setup
If you will be using the Standard Edition of the appliance, there is a built-in MySQL database and no configuration necessary. If you are using an Enterprise Edition, you will be prompted to install an external database. You can select either Oracle or MS SQL – refer to the appropriate section for configuration instructions.
1.4.1.1. Oracle Configuration
Select the radio button next to Oracle under DB Server Type. Under Oracle Connection Settings, enter the Host and Service information. If you do not know this information, check with your Oracle DBA. Enter valid credentials under Authentication Settings for Database Configuration. Use the Check settings option to verify that you have connectivity. For required permissions, see Oracle Database Configuration in the Appendix.
Figure 5 - Oracle DB Configuration
The same credentials can be used to access the database during normal read/write activity of the appliance. If you would like to use a different account, uncheck the Use the same credentials as above checkbox and provide valid credentials. Again, use the Check settings option to verify that you have connectivity. If the user does not yet exist, you can select the Create user if it doesn’t exist checkbox and the user will be created with read/write permissions.
Once all fields have been completed, and the connectivity has been verified, select OK in the lower right to complete the database configuration.
1.4.1.2. MS SQL Configuration
Select the radio button next to MS SQL under DB Server Type. Under MS SQL Connection Settings, enter the Server\Instance information. If you do not know this information, check with your MS SQL DBA.
Enter valid credentials under Authentication Settings for Database Configuration. These credentials will be used to create the database/tables/stored procedures. You can select either Windows Authentication or SQL Authentication. Use the Check settings option to verify that you have connectivity. For required permissions, see MS SQL Database Configuration in the Appendix.
Figure 6 - MS SQL DB Configuration
The same credentials can be used to access the database during normal read/write activity of the appliance. If you would like to use a different account, uncheck the Use the same credentials as above checkbox and provide valid credentials. Again, use the Check settings option to verify that you have connectivity. If the user does not yet exist, you can select the Create user if it doesn’t exist checkbox and the user will be created with read/write permissions.
If connecting to an existing database, you can use the Discover databases option to view all existing databases on this server. It is recommended to create a new database dedicated to the VKernel appliance.
Once all fields have been completed, and the connectivity has been verified, select OK in the lower right to complete the database configuration.
1.4.2. Connection Management
1.4.2.1. Adding Connections
You should now be prompted to create a connection between the VKernel appliance and your ESX hosts or VirtualCenter systems. Enter the IP address or hostname and credentials for the system. For VirtualCenter, credentials should have Read-Only permissions for the entire environment and Browse permissions for the datastores. Click Save to create this connection. After authorization, the credentials will be stored using AES 256-bit encryption. At this point, enter additional systems or click Close to return to the main screen.
Figure 7 - Add ESX/VirtualCenter
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The initial collection can take some time and is dependent on the number of virtual machines and hosts entered. By default, hours of historical data is set to 168 in order to collect a week prior to initial setup. If you have not had the VirtualCenter 5 Minute statistics interval set to level 3, please do so now. This setting can be changed by going to the Administration menu option in VirtualCenter, selecting VirtualCenter Management Server Configuration and then choosing Statistics from the left column (see Figure 8).
While the initial collection is running, you will see “connecting” in the Status column next to the VirtualCenter connection. When the collection has finished, that will change to “OK”. If you connected to VirtualCenter, you will see all the hosts managed by that VirtualCenter. Note: the collection time can be longer than if you connect to each ESX host.
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Figure 8 - Statistics Collection Level
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The appliance will now begin collecting information. Reports generated immediately may not contain data until the initial collection has completed.
As your virtual environment undergoes changes, it may be necessary to add, remove or modify the systems VKernel is managing. To manage these connections select Settings > Manage Connections.
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Figure 9 - Manage Connections
1.4.2.2. Edit Connections
To edit the credentials of an existing ESX/VirtualCenter connection, choose the connection from the list in the Manage Connection dialog and click Edit.
Figure 10 - Edit Connection
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Enter the correct IP/FQDN, user name and/or password. The hours of historical data to collect allows you to set how far back in time you want to collect data for. Select Save to save your changes and return to the Manage Connections Dialog box.
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1.4.2.3. Remove Connections
Choose the connection from the list in the Manage Connections dialog and select Remove. Select Yes in the confirm dialog to remove the connection, or No to return to the Manage Connections dialog without removing the connection.
2. Using Capacity Analyzer
2.1. Dashboard
Capacity Analyzer has the ability to show multiple views, identifying capacity bottlenecks and capacity availability at any level. If you select a virtual object in the left pane by a left-click, information pertaining to that object will appear in the main pane. Along the top, you will see the information is broken into tabs: Overview, Current Bottlenecks, Future Bottlenecks, Datastore Statistics, Top Consumers, and Capacity Availability.
Figure 11 - The Overview Tab
When you first select a virtual object from the left pane, you will be presented with an overview – or summary – of your virtual environment, sorted by most critical. By clicking on the More… button at the bottom of any table, it will take you to the appropriate tab with an expanded view.
Figure 12 - Current Capacity Bottlenecks
The Current Capacity Bottlenecks view identifies the top hosts, clusters, resource pools, and VMs that presently have bottlenecks and orders them by severity. This view is broken down into multiple subcategories: all bottlenecks, CPU, memory, storage, and disk I/O. Each subcategory will help give you specific details relating to the current health of your virtual environment.
The left column of the table indicates the object type and name. The remaining columns provide an overview of the resource utilization for each of the metrics. Next to each utilization value is a trend arrow that indicates if usage is going up, down or staying level. To help you organize the data, the table can be sorted by column by clicking on any of the column headings. You can also navigate through additional pages of virtual objects by using the textbox and arrows along the bottom of the frame.
To assist you in quickly finding bottlenecks, the colors in each field reflects thresholds that can be customized for your environment by going to Settings > Options > Thresholds. By default, the threshold levels are set to the following:
Metric |
Warning Level |
Alert Level |
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CPU, Memory, Network |
50% |
70% |
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Storage |
80% |
95% |
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CPU Ready |
5% |
20% |
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IO Wait |
25% |
35% |
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Disk Bus Resets |
1 |
10 |
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Disk Commands Aborted |
1 |
10 |
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Latency |
15 ms |
30 ms |
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Memory Swapped, Memory Ballooned |
10% |
30% |
Figure 13 - Default Thresholds
To receive a detailed report on any potential issues you discover, double-click on a field value of interest. A new tab will be created, presenting you with a summary of the situation, an interactive graph (when looking at a VM), relevant metrics and settings, and potential solutions. In some cases, Capacity Analyzer may detect multiple problems and you can access each of them through numbers that will appear below the recommendation box.
Figure 14 - Future Capacity Bottlenecks
The Future Capacity Bottlenecks view uses predictive analytics to see when a bottleneck will occur in your virtual environment. This enables you to have a proactive – rather than reactive – approach to managing your virtual environment. This is calculated based on at least seven days of collected data and will work optimally once there is 30 days of history. Additionally, the predictive analytics learns the “personality” of your environment. The longer it collects data, the more it understands the behaviors of your VMs and the more accurate its predictions become.
Figure 15 - Capacity Availability Map
The Capacity Availability Map lists the hosts, clusters or resource pools with available capacity, ordered by availability. This is calculated by taking the average VM size on a host, cluster or resource pool, checking the remaining resources on the object, and determining the most limiting resource. If there are no VMs on that virtual object, the Calculated VM Size will default to the static values that are set within the options menu. When HA is enabled on an object, the calculated VM size will be equal to the maximum value for each resource type. The Constraining Resource column shows the resource that will run out first.
Figure 16 - Datastore Statistics
The Datastore Statistics view shows all datastores associated with the object you are highlighting in the navigation tree, sorted by the least available space. Total and Free Space are identified for each datastore. Other columns provide information about the associated LUNs and virtual objects that are connected to that datastore.
Figure 17 - Top Resource Consumers
Top Resource Consumers view identifies the top resource consumers for the object you highlight in the navigation tree. The Zoom In view expands that out to the total list of consumers for each resource. Each resource consumer list is sortable – by default they are sorted highest to lowest.
2.2. Custom Groups
2.2.1. Introduction to Custom Groups
Before we begin generating and analyzing capacity reports, we need to define and explain a new term – “custom group”. All applications support some type of business function, be it customer record management, email, etc. Often more than one server is involved in supporting these business functions. For example, an email system is usually made up of several servers: one for filtering spam, another to process emails, a third to relay messages, and so on.
From a capacity management point of view, it would be beneficial to look at resources consumed by such systems as a whole. For instance, you could create a custom group called “email system” and associate all virtual machines that support this service with it, by dragging and dropping them on top of the custom group. This enables you to create reporting that is specific to that particular service or business function.
2.2.2. Creating a Custom Group
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To create a new group, select Custom Groups in the left pane of the browser. Then select Custom Groups > Add. The Add Custom Group wizard will open.
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Figure 18 - Create Custom Group
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There are two different ways to create a custom group and we will go through each in order.
2.2.2.1. Create an Empty Custom Group
Select Create an empty Custom Group from the Add Custom Group screen, and select Next to continue. Provide a Group name and Description, and then select Next to continue. Select Save to create the new group and return to the main screen.
2.2.2.2. Create Group from Folders, Clusters and Resource Pools
Select Create Custom Group from Folders, Clusters and Resource Pools from the Create Custom Group screen, and select Next to continue.
Figure 19 - Adding Resources to a Custom Group
In the new window (see Figure 19), start at the top by entering in a group name and a description for the group.
At this point you can choose the type of resource that will populate your group. From the Type of source pull down menu, select the source type that you would like. Clusters will populate the business service with all the virtual machines of hosts in the selected cluster. Folders will populate the group with all the virtual machines from the selected folder, including all of the subfolders. Resource pools will populate the group with all the virtual machines contained in the selected resource pool as well as all of its nested resource pools, and Hosts will populate the screen with all hosts.
Depending on which source type you choose, the options displayed in the window change to reflect the objects for the type selected. You can move objects to and from the custom group by selecting them and then clicking the appropriate arrow (<< or >>).
You can also use the Select Virtual Machines button in the bottom-left corner of the window to place specific VMs into your custom group.
Figure 20 - Adding Hosts/VMs to a Custom Group
Use the Select Host dropdown box to choose a host that you want to select VMs from. In the center pane, select VMs by checking the corresponding boxes. Click OK to confirm your changes.
After choosing the desired objects, select Save to complete the creation and population of the new group. The contents of this group will be automatically synchronized with VirtualCenter. As you make additions, modifications or deletions of clusters, folders or resource pools, Capacity Analyzer will automatically reflect those changes in your group.
2.2.2.3. Editing a Custom Group
There are a few methods you can use to edit a custom group. The first method is accessed through right-clicking on the custom group in the left pane and then selecting Edit Custom Group or by selecting the custom group you wish to edit and then selecting Custom Groups > Edit from the top menu bar. For further instruction, please see section 2.2.2.2.
The second method offers a simple way to move objects from your virtual environment to your custom groups or to easily move objects between multiple groups. In the left pane, expand Custom Groups and locate the group you want to edit. Now expand your virtual environment in the left pane and find a host, cluster, or VM that you would like to add to your custom group. To add an object, click and drag it from the virtual environment into your custom group. Note: this does not affect or change your virtual environment at all. Likewise, you can similarly click and drag objects between your custom groups.
The third method deals solely with removing objects from your custom groups. Locate a custom group in the left pane and expand it to display the objects within. Right-click on the object you would like to remove. You will see either delete (if you are at the host level) or delete application (if you are at the VM level). When you delete an object from a custom group, it only removes it from the group and does not affect your virtual environment in any manner.
2.3. Resource Consumption Graphs
Capacity Analyzer can generate three types of graphs, covering the eight aforementioned metrics – CPU, memory, storage, network, IO wait, CPU ready, disk bus resets and disk commands aborted – as well as disk read and disk write:
· Resource graphs that show actual usage
· Resource graphs that show percentage of utilization
· Resource graphs that compare actual utilization between two points in time
The graphs can be generated from any node within either Custom Groups or Virtual Environment. Once generated, the report can be saved and opened at a later date. A Saved reports section will appear under the resource being reported on.
Figure 21 - Saved Reports
Reports can also be exported to CSV, printed or saved to a PDF.
2.3.1. Generating Resource Graphs
To begin generating resource graphs, select the object you would like to report on in the left pane. Right-click and select Resource Graph, and then select the resource type.
Figure 22 - Resource Graphs
You can select Percent Utilization for CPU, memory, storage, network, CPU ready and IO Wait. For Actual Usage, you can select any of the metrics, except for IO wait. Upon completion, the report will appear in the main pane of the browser. The report can be regenerated for a different timeframe by selecting the dropdown window and choosing a different time option.
Figure 23 - Time Frame
2.3.2. Generating Change Graphs
To begin generating change graphs, select the resource you would like to report on in the left pane. Right-click and select Change Graph, then select the resource type. Upon completion, the report can be regenerated for a different timeframe by selecting the dropdown window and choosing a different time option.
Figure 24 - Change Graph
2.4. Alerts
2.4.1. Adding Alerts
Alerts can be set on any object for a variety of conditions. To begin setting alerts, simply right-click on any object and select Add alert.
Figure 25 - Add Alerts
This will bring up the Add/Edit alert screen. The first area to look at is Condition. This is the action you want to be alerted to. You can select either Current condition or Future condition. After choosing the condition, there are 19 different resource options to choose from. You can then select whether you want to be alerted if the resource increases/decreases by a certain amount, or averages a specific level.
Figure 26 - Alert Dialog
The next area to set is the Check condition period. This is
the frequency with which the software will check for the condition defined
above. This will work in conjunction with the Change action period. You can
configure both these settings in
Settings > Options > General.
Assume you set a condition for CPU usage to achieve 50%, and you set the Check condition period to 1 hour, and the Change action period to 1 day. The first time the condition is achieved in a day, an email will be sent to anyone listed under Action 1 receivers. The second time the condition is true in the same day, an email will be sent to Action 2 receivers, the third time an email will be sent to Action 3 receivers.
2.4.2. Manage Alerts
To see a list of all alerts and the status of each, select Alerts from the main screen menu bar.
Figure 27 - Manage Alerts
This will provide a list of all scheduled alerts and the details on when they ran last, and when they will run again. To modify an alert, select the alert and choose Alert properties. To delete an alert, highlight the alert and select Delete Selected.
2.5. Scheduled Reports
To schedule a report, select virtual object in the left pane, select the view that you want to create a scheduled report for, and then click the Scheduled Report button (just above the tabs). Reports can be scheduled daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. You can also set the file format of the report, who should receive the report, and set an alert in case of report failure.
Figure 28 - Scheduling Reports
Completed reports can also be saved to network folders. Create a folder by selecting the Network Receivers tab and then clicking on the Add New Folder button. Once you have network folders created, you can select them from the dropdown box and click the Add button. When you are done, select OK to schedule the report.
Figure 29 - Creating Network Folders
2.6. Settings
2.6.1. Database Settings
This section is for the Enterprise Edition only
You can make changes to your database connection or login credentials at any time by visiting your database settings. For more information, please see section 1.4.1.
2.6.2. Multi-Appliance Management
This section is for the Enterprise Edition only
If you have more than one instance of the same type of VKernel appliance running, it is possible to share a database among them. The advantage is that only one system does the data collection yet all the appliances have access to the data. To configure this option, select Settings > Multi-Appliance Management.
Figure 30 - Multi-Appliance Management
Only one system can be configured as the data collector, that system is known as the DB Owner. To change DB Owners, select a different appliance and choose the Set DB Owner button. If the appliance that is the DB Owner is turned off, removed, or otherwise loses connectivity to the DB, ownership does not automatically change to a different appliance – you must manually make the change.
2.6.3. Manage Connections
This option is for changing the connection settings to your VirtualCenter and/or ESX hosts. For more information on managing your connections, please visit section 1.4.2.
2.6.4. Options
2.6.4.1. General
This setting pertains to the Future Capacity graph. The time (in days) determines how many days into the future the graph will predict bottlenecks. For example, if you set the Maximum days to predict future bottlenecks option to 30, the graph will predict bottlenecks up to 30 days in advance.
This option determines the refresh rate of the navigation tree in minutes. Setting the minimum time (in minutes) between tree refresh checks option to 20 minutes means the dashboard will refresh and display any new data collected a minimum of every 20 minutes
Figure 31 - General Options
2.6.4.2. SMTP Settings
To be able to receive scheduled task results and alerts via email, you should set up SMTP Settings and/or SNMP Receivers. From the main menu, choose Settings > Options. Then select the tab for SMTP Settings.
Fill in all the required fields with your e-mail configuration settings. If you are unsure of the details, check with your e-mail administrator for the configuration settings. Use the Send test e-mail button to verify that the information entered is correct. Select OK when you are finished to return to the main screen.
2.6.4.3. Thresholds
Thresholds define the background colors in the dashboard and the capacity reports. Thresholds should be set with your virtual environment limits in mind. For instance, if you typically want to stay below 80% memory utilization on your hosts, set the Alert Level at 80. Then when you see red in dashboard or on the percent capacity reports, you will know at a glance that you have reached your limit. Set the warning level 10 or 20 percent below that so you can be warned before you reach the alert level.
2.6.4.4. Average VM Settings
These settings are used to make calculations for the Capacity Availability Map. If these values are left at their defaults, Capacity Analyzer will automatically calculate the Average VM Settings for you. By default, the Average VM Settings as seen in the figure below:
Figure 32 - Average VM Settings Default Values
If you decide to enter your own values, click OK to save any changes you make.
2.6.5. Address Book
This is the area to use for storing contact information for the individuals that will be receiving alerts. Use the Add entry for adding new contact information. To edit an entry, select that entry and then choose the Edit option in the menu bar. Delete entry will remove the highlighted entries. When you are finished, choose OK to save your changes.
2.6.6. SNMP Receivers
This is the area to use for storing SNMP management servers. Use the Add entry for adding new contact information. To edit an entry, select that entry and then choose the Edit option in the menu bar. Delete entry will remove the highlighted entries. When you are finished, choose OK to save your changes.
2.6.7. Network Folders
Network folders are used as storage locations for scheduled reports (see section 2.5). Through this option, you can create, edit and delete network folders at anytime – without having to go through the report scheduling windows.
2.6.8. Manage Users
Through Manage Users you can create, edit and remove users who are allowed to access the appliance’s web interface. When you create a new user you have fields of typing in their username and password. You also have a check box to signify if the user should be an admin or not. If you create additional admins, they will also have the ability to manage users. To edit or remove a user from the roster, right-click on their name and select the desired option from the context menu.
Once you have users created, you can also set permissions for what parts of your virtual environment they are allowed to view. You can do this by right-clicking on a virtual object in your navigation tree and selecting Set Permissions. Once you are at the user permissions window, you can select users from the dropdown box and click Add to add accessibility for that user.
3. Appendix
3.1. Troubleshooting
3.1.1. Database
Error: Network Error I/O Exception, Connection Refused
Possible Causes/Solutions:
- TCP/IP protocols are not enabled
- MS SQL listening port is not the default or static
- There is a firewall between the appliance and the MS SQL server
- MS SQL 2000 running on Win2003 is not at SP4
Error: VirtualCenter Database Server Deadlock (And Other Performance Issues) when raising statistics collection to level 2 or higher
Possible Causes/Solutions:
- Update to VirtualCenter 2.0.1 Patch 2 (Build 40644)
3.1.2. Reporting
Error: Running utilization reports on Memory returns with no data
Possible Causes:
- The statistics collection level in VirtualCenter is not set to level 2 or higher
Error: Capacity Availability Map is empty
Possible Causes:
- The statistics collection level in VirtualCenter is not set to level 2 or higher
3.2. System Configuration
3.2.1. Scripts
For all scripts, the following instructions apply.
Requirements:
Internet Connection
Access to the VMware console or an SSH client
Registered account at VKernel site (only required to update the appliance)
If you are using an SSH client, log in to the appliance with the following credentials
Username: vkernel
Password: vkernel
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Type ‘su’ and specify root password (the default root password is ‘password’)
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If you are at the VMware Console, press Alt + F1 and log in with root credentials:
Username: root
Password: password (this is the default password--use your own if you changed it).
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If you have no direct connection to the Internet you can use HTTP proxy or SOCKS proxy. To set up the updater to work via proxy you need to edit /usr/local/vkernel/tools/ant/proxy.properties.
Edit the Proxy.properties file by typing:
vi /usr/local/vkernel/tools/ant/proxy.properties
Press the ‘i’ key (make sure that you see the -- INSERT -- message at the bottom of the console).
Edit the file to specify IP, port and credentials of your proxy server. If you have HTTP proxy, please edit the proxy.host and proxy.port variables. If you have a SOCKS proxy, please edit the socks.proxy.host and socks.proxy.port variables. If your server requires authorization please specify correct credentials in proxy.user and proxy.pass variables.
When you have completed your changes, press ESC.
To save your changes, enter :wq and press Enter.
3.2.1.1. Update the appliance
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***The update from version 1.x to 1.2 contains an update to SSH. For that reason, you cannot perform the update using an SSH connection. Please perform the update from the console view within the VI client.
Run the following command:
/usr/local/vkernel/scripts/updateit.sh
You will be prompted to enter an e-mail address. Please note that you need to enter a valid Vkernel login; it should be the one you created during the VKernel download.
Once the address has been validated, the update will be performed. If the address cannot be found in the database of registered users you will be presented with an appropriate error message. At this point, the VKernel update will be downloaded and installed.
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3.2.1.2. Change the IP address, mask, gateway, DNS, or NTP server
To reconfigure any part of the IP address scheme, you can run the following script:
/usr/local/vkernel/scripts/changeIp.sh
If you will be using DHCP to assign the address, type 0 and press the Enter key to continue. If you will be assigning a static IP address, type 1 and press the Enter key to continue. You will then be prompted to enter the IP address, network mask, default gateway and DNS server. Review the information entered, and accept by typing Y and then Enter.
You will then be prompted for a time server. You can either accept the default, or enter your own. After completing your changes, reboot the appliance for those changes to take effect. To reboot, run the following command:
shutdown –r now.
3.2.1.3. Change the password of the vkernel account
By default, the password for the vkernel account is vkernel. This account is used to access the appliance through a browser. To change the password for this account, run the following script:
/usr/local/vkernel/scripts/changeWebPwd.sh
You will be prompted for the old password (vkernel by default), then you will be asked for a new password. No reboot is necessary for this change to take effect.
3.3. Migrating the MySQL DB
This requires access to the VMware console or an SSH client.
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Login to the source VM from which you want to migrate the DB
If you are using an SSH client, login with the following credentials:
Username: vkernel
Password: vkernel
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Type ‘su’ and specify the root password (default root password is ‘password’)
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If you are using a VirtualCenter Console, press Alt + F1 and log in with root credentials:
Username: root
Password: password (this is the default password--use your own if you changed it).
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Go to /usr/local/vkernel/scripts by typing:
cd /usr/local/vkernel/scripts
Type the following command:
./dumpDB.sh
Wait until the script is completed, it can take some time.
Check the ‘vkernel.sql.bz2’ file in the current folder and copy it to the target VM (The target is the VM where you want to migrate the DB).
.
To copy you can use the ‘sftp’ utility. For example if you have source VM A (with IP 192.168.111.68) and target VM B (with IP 192.168.111.64) type the following:
sftp vkernel@192.168.111.64
Answer ‘yes’ and enter the password (the default is vkernel). Next type:
cd /tmp
Then type:
put vkernel.sql.bz2
.
After that the DB is copied to vm B in /tmp/vkernel.sql.bz2. Type quit to close the connection. Log in to the target VM (VM B in example). Go to /usr/local/vkernel/scripts by typing:
cd /usr/local/vkernel/scripts
Then type:
./migratedb.sh
.
To answer the question, please enter the full path to the SQL dump archive. Enter the full path to the copied DB file (/tmp/vkernel.sql.bz2 in example). After the process is completed, delete the old DB file by typing:
rm /tmp/vkernel.sql.bz2
3.4. VKernel Architecture
The Capacity Analyzer appliance connects directly to VirtualCenter or to each individual ESX host. Data is collected using the VMware API. The operating system running on the appliance is SuSe Linux Enterprise Server 9.0 SP3. Web services are provided by Apache Tomcat, and the information is stored in a database. In the Standard Edition, there is a built-in MySQL database. The Enterprise Edition supports an external instance of either Oracle or MS SQL as the backend. If Capacity Analyzer is used in conjunction with another VKernel appliance, they can share the backend database, with only one of the appliances populating the database.
Figure 33 - Capacity Analyzer Architecture
Access to the collected information is through a web browser, pointed at the appliance IP address. The UI is written using AJAX to provide a Windows-like look and feel.
Resource consumption graphs can be generated against resource pools, clusters, hosts, or VMs. The views can be generated against that same list, and is self-refreshing for a continuous view of data and availability.
3.5. Activate the Appliance
.
By default, when you download the appliance you have 14 days to use the application before the license expires. To re-activate the appliance, click on the top menu: Settings > License Status Information. Then select Request or Install License File. There are four (4) options at this point.
.
Figure 34 - Activate Appliance
If you have a license file, choose Install License Directly, then select Next. On the next screen, you can browse for the location of your license file, and select Next to complete the activation.
If you want to extend your trial, select Get Trial License and select Next. You will now be prompted for your name, email address and company info. This information will be e-mailed to support at VKernel where the license request will be processed and a license file will be returned to the email address submitted. Use the Install License Directly option outlined to import the license file once you receive it.
If you have purchased the product, select the Get Purchased License option and then select Next. Fill out the required information, and select Next. This information will be emailed to support at VKernel where the license request will be processed and a license file will be returned to the email address submitted. Use the Install License Directly option to import the license file once you receive it.
Figure 35 - Acquire License
If the system you are using does not have access to the internet, please check the box indicating that and select Next. At this point, choose the Please request license file by email option. This will attempt to use the default mail client, and pop up a new message with the required license information contained within. Copy and paste this information to a system that does have internet access, and email this to trial.request@vkernel.com. A license file will be returned to the email address submitted. Use the Install License Directly option to import the license file once you receive it.
.If y
.
Figure 36 - Request License by Email
3.6. Technical Specifications
3.6.1. Capacity Analyzer Specifics
|
Minimum Requirements |
Standard |
Enterprise |
|
Memory |
2 GB |
2 GB |
|
Storage |
5 GB |
3 GB |
|
Network |
10 Mbps |
10 Mbps |
|
Software |
VMware Player 1.0.0 or higher, VMware Workstation 5 or higher, VMware ESX Server 3.x or higher, VirtualCenter 2.5 or higher, or VMware Server 1.03 or higher |
|
|
Built-in Software |
|
|
|
Tomcat |
5.5.20 |
|
|
Apache |
2.2.4 |
|
|
VMware Tools |
3.5.0-82663 |
|
|
MySQL |
5.0.45 |
|
3.6.2. Default Credentials
User Name: vkernel
Password: vkernel
Root password: password
3.6.3. Database Requirements
3.6.3.1. Oracle Database Configuration
Version:
9i or higher
If table creation account and VKernel service account are the same:
CREATE SESSION
CREATE_TABLE OR CREATE_ANY_TABLE
CREATE_SEQUENCE OR CREATE_ANY_SEQUENCE
CREATE_PROCEDURE OR CREATE_ANY_PROCEDURE CREATE_TRIGGER OR CREATE_ANY_TRIGGER
For Different Accounts
DB Configuration:
CREATE SESSION
CREATE_ANY_TABLE
CREATE_ANY_SEQUENCE
CREATE_ANY_PROCEDURE
CREATE_ANY_TRIGGER
DROP_ANY_INDEX
DROP_ANY_PROCEDURE
DROP_ANY_SEQUENCE
DROP_ANY_TABLE
DROP_ANY_TRIGGER
SELECT_ANY_TABLE
ALTER_ANY_TABLE
INSERT_ANY_TABLE
UPDATE_ANY_TABLE
To Create User:
CREATE_TABLESPACE
CREATE_USER
GRANT_ANY_PRIVILEGE
Service Account:
CREATE SESSION
3.6.3.2. MS SQL Database Configuration
Version:
MS SQL Server 2000 or higher
Table Creation:
DB_OWNER (if database exists)
CREATE DATABASE (if database does not exist)
To Create User:
SYSADMIN (member) or
SECURITYADMIN (member)
Service Account:
PUBLIC
DB_DATAREADER
DB_DATAWRITER
3.6.4. Ports Required
Port used for collection: outbound 443
Port used for update script: outbound 80
Port used for MS SQL: outbound 1433 (default)
Port used for Oracle: outbound 1521 (default)
Port used for time sync script: outbound 123 (default)
Port used for Alerts:
SMTP outbound 25 and 465 for SSL
SNMP outbound 162
SSH: inbound 22
All other ports are blocked by default
3.6.5. Frequency of Collection:
Hosts: 5 min.
VMs: 5 min.
Inventory Objects: 5 min.
Performance Counters: 30 min.